Last week we had our March Veritas “Dine and Rewind” and reviewed all of the teaching from the month. Pastor Jerry reviewed the teaching from Genesis 6 and let us know that we were going to start again from Genesis 1. This is a great idea considering all of the new people we have coming in since our move to the new location. Additionally, it will be a lot of fun for those of us who have studied this already to reinforce what we have learned.
By the way, our theme for this “Dine and Rewind” was Mexican food and it was good!
This week was a treat. Pastor Jerry played a film called Zeitgeist. This is a documentary that sought to destroy the validity of Jesus Christ as Savior, and even as a man. The filmmakers told the stories of pagan figures from ancient religions, all of them before the time of Jesus. For example, they spoke of figures such as Horace from Egypt, Addis from Greece, Krishna from India, Mithra from Persia and more.
The film explained to the viewer that all of these figures had damning facts that correlated to the story of Jesus. Some of these facts include virgin birth, being born on the 25th of December, a visit from three wise men, having 12 disciples, suffering death on a cross and resurrection and on and on. The film relates this story to phenomenon found in astrology and concludes that the story of Jesus is simply a theft taken from history.
So how does a follower of Christ respond to that?
The Veritas crowd was amazing in taking on this topic. Somebody mentioned that Jesus wasn’t actually born on the 25th. The bible never mentions three wise men, just wise men when Jesus was two. Another finally asked how the filmmakers back up their claims and we got into some real fun.
The truth is, none of these claims have a basis. Not only are the facts surrounding the lives of these mythological religious figures different from the way they are told in the film, the evidence the filmmakers used are based on a ridiculous book. The book is called, “The Christ Conspiracy, the Greatest Story ever Sold” by someone named Acharya S. However, this person is actually an authority on this subject because she was kidnapped by aliens and knows the truth now.
Is this really the kind of stuff that caused Christians to shake at their own foundations? This little worm of deception?
At Veritas we are confronting the lies of the age. This is our mission and God has us on target. Don’t miss next week as we continue tearing back the veils of darkness by presenting the deeper truths of God and His word. There is no greater privilege than to be used in this way. God bless you.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Veritas Update 03.25.08
This week was a seamless continuation of our discussion of the theories surrounding who the "sons of God" were that had relations with the "daughters of men." The discussion ended with the dominating theory that these sons of God were fallen angels and that they spawned giants. The teaching over this difficult subject proved to be amazing.
Pastor Jerry made a great statement to lead into this bizarre passage of scripture in Genesis 6. He said, "The palatability of a doctrine does not determine its veracity." In other words, a good tasting doctrine does not necessarily mean that it is correct. In contrast, a doctrine that does not taste good, or palatable, does not mean that it is incorrect. To help achieve this mindset, Pastor Jerry reminded us all to interpret scripture through a proper exegesis, a proper interpretive model where one takes the literal meaning "out" of scripture, rather than an incorrect eisegesis, where one would read meaning "into" scripture. So we proceeded by taking a plain look at what the bible was telling us.
In regards to the Nephilim, the bible was not talking about the sons of Seth or daughters of Cain. The bible plainly states that they were sons of God and daughters of men. That former theory states that the sons of Seth were holy. If that were ever true then why would God have destroyed the earth with a flood? Additionally, when before or after the flood does God bring destruction because of intermarriage. This is inconsistent with scripture. And again, the only reference to being a son of God in the Old Testament is in reference to Adam and angels. Demons procreating with women may not seem logical, but is the explanation of Genesis 6.
In Genesis 1, God separated everything in creation and called it good. He did not intend for angels to be with women. Consider what Jude 6,7 says. "And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." (NIV)
These things bring on the judgment of God. This we see consistently. And angels taking human form is not completely unheard of throughout scripture. Even Hebrews 13:2 informs us that we have entertained angels unaware. The question that needs to be asked now is what was happening that caused God to flood the earth right then.
Noah gives us the answer. Genesis 6 tells us that Noah was just and perfect in his generations. What does this mean? Was Noah, as a man, absolutely perfect? In not, then in what way was he undefiled?
Remember what Genesis 3:15 says. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush head and you will strike his heal." This is a statement from God and His word never fails. Noah's generations were perfect. If his bloodline were to be corrupted this would make God a liar.
In line with this, we see times where God commands His people to absolutely destroy whole nations. Every man, woman, child and even the animals. No one has ever read about this without wondering why a benevolent God would do this.
The whole bible is about a seed. The seed that led to Christ, our Saviour who made the way for us to be called sons of God. God was protecting that seed. And now we are at a time that Matthew 24:37 says, "that as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man." So what does this "as in the days of Noah" statement really mean?
One answer can be found in Daniel 2. In this chapter, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream and accurately foretells of empires spanning from Babylon (the head of gold) to our present age.(toes of iron and clay) In verse 44, Daniel tells that, "in the days of these of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed..."
But look at the bombshell God puts in His word in verse 43. "And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they will not cleave one to another, even as iron does not mix with clay.
They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men?
"As in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man"
What does this mean?
Pastor Jerry made a great statement to lead into this bizarre passage of scripture in Genesis 6. He said, "The palatability of a doctrine does not determine its veracity." In other words, a good tasting doctrine does not necessarily mean that it is correct. In contrast, a doctrine that does not taste good, or palatable, does not mean that it is incorrect. To help achieve this mindset, Pastor Jerry reminded us all to interpret scripture through a proper exegesis, a proper interpretive model where one takes the literal meaning "out" of scripture, rather than an incorrect eisegesis, where one would read meaning "into" scripture. So we proceeded by taking a plain look at what the bible was telling us.
In regards to the Nephilim, the bible was not talking about the sons of Seth or daughters of Cain. The bible plainly states that they were sons of God and daughters of men. That former theory states that the sons of Seth were holy. If that were ever true then why would God have destroyed the earth with a flood? Additionally, when before or after the flood does God bring destruction because of intermarriage. This is inconsistent with scripture. And again, the only reference to being a son of God in the Old Testament is in reference to Adam and angels. Demons procreating with women may not seem logical, but is the explanation of Genesis 6.
In Genesis 1, God separated everything in creation and called it good. He did not intend for angels to be with women. Consider what Jude 6,7 says. "And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire." (NIV)
These things bring on the judgment of God. This we see consistently. And angels taking human form is not completely unheard of throughout scripture. Even Hebrews 13:2 informs us that we have entertained angels unaware. The question that needs to be asked now is what was happening that caused God to flood the earth right then.
Noah gives us the answer. Genesis 6 tells us that Noah was just and perfect in his generations. What does this mean? Was Noah, as a man, absolutely perfect? In not, then in what way was he undefiled?
Remember what Genesis 3:15 says. "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush head and you will strike his heal." This is a statement from God and His word never fails. Noah's generations were perfect. If his bloodline were to be corrupted this would make God a liar.
In line with this, we see times where God commands His people to absolutely destroy whole nations. Every man, woman, child and even the animals. No one has ever read about this without wondering why a benevolent God would do this.
The whole bible is about a seed. The seed that led to Christ, our Saviour who made the way for us to be called sons of God. God was protecting that seed. And now we are at a time that Matthew 24:37 says, "that as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man." So what does this "as in the days of Noah" statement really mean?
One answer can be found in Daniel 2. In this chapter, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream and accurately foretells of empires spanning from Babylon (the head of gold) to our present age.(toes of iron and clay) In verse 44, Daniel tells that, "in the days of these of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed..."
But look at the bombshell God puts in His word in verse 43. "And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they will not cleave one to another, even as iron does not mix with clay.
They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men?
"As in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man"
What does this mean?
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Veritas Update 03.18.08
The world is raging.
The global economy is suffering. Israel is suffering tremendous pressure. 2.7 billion people on the planet have never heard the name Jesus. Poverty, though preventable, is at epidemic levels. If we sold half of the churches in this country we could end global hunger, but this will never happen. This won’t happen because the empire of American Christianity has gone the way of Cain. We have stated with our collective lack of effort “am I my brother’s keeper?” Our inaction gives us away. We have failed as a Christian nation.
We see this failure very clearly right here in our own backyard. The fact that 95% of adults, ages 18-39, have an unfavorable view of Christianity is evidence of this. We refuse to be accountable for this by simply saying that it is the devils fault. What does this mean for our future?
Meanwhile, we say that we believe that these are the last days. While we are so focused on the salvation of the first coming of Jesus, where is the teaching on His second coming?
Which are we closer to; the first or second coming of Jesus?
If these are the last days, then why aren’t we talking about the books of Revelation or Daniel?
We are not talking about the second coming of Jesus in this country because we are rich. We have enlarged ourselves with the wealth of this world and placed the blessings of God over the God of blessings. In our great prosperity we no longer desire the return of our Savior as if His appearing brings a better promise than that of this life. We are the unfortunate masses that the Bible claims would be lovers of self more than lovers of God. Sadly, we are biblical prophesy revealed.
Welcome to Veritas.
This forum exists to challenge believers to think and thinkers to believe. This week we entered our third week in our new location and Pastor Jerry delved back into the much anticipated teaching of Genesis 1-12. This portion of scripture covers 2,000 years of rich history. The book begins with four events; Creation, The Fall, The Fall and The Tower. And it ends with four people; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. This week, Veritas moved into chapter 6.
Versus 1-9 were our main focus this week and they are both bizarre and telling. In terms of the second coming of Jesus we have been warned that this event would be very similar to the days of Noah. In Matthew 24: 37-39, Jesus said, “The world will be at ease, banquets and parties and weddings, just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of the flood; people wouldn’t believe what was going to happen to them until the flood actually arrives and took them all away. So shall my coming be.” (KJV)
Now that we are in Genesis 6, we have to deal with this. We believe we are in the last days, so let us know why we believe what we believe. Let us know what the Bible says about the days of Noah. A good place to start is by drawing parallels between his time and ours.
As in the days of Noah we are experiencing a time of explosion and multiplication. We are growing and advancing tremendously just as humanity did in Noah’s day. Wickedness is abounding. (On this point we must ask ourselves; why was the world wicked enough to flood? What particularity about Noah’s day brought about the flood?)
God issued warnings. In Noah’s day it was through Enoch, Lamech, Methuselah and Noah. Mankind despised these warnings. They refused to know the truth and in the end, only a small number were saved. This same problem can be said for mankind today.
Genesis 6 also starts out with some very strange statements. Versus 1 – 4 says;
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”
Who were these sons of God?
One theory is that they were the sons of Seth intermarrying with the daughters of Cain, or in other words, a marriage between righteousness and evil. Up to the fourth century, the predominant teaching centered on the idea that the sons of God were fallen angels. It was not until Augustine that the idea of the sons of Seth was introduced.
Augustine’s conclusion was centered on his view that the Bible was allegorical rather than literal. But if his theory were true, how would offspring from Seth and Cain beget men of renown? Why, if the offspring were infused with righteousness, would the word of God use this story as an illustration of depravity and a warning?
Meanwhile, there are seven strong ideas that support the idea of the sons of God being fallen angels over human contributors.
- It is the oldest and widest held belief.
- Sons of God refers to angels in the Bible.
- Ben El substitutes for angels in the Septuagint.
- The term “sons of God” means directly from God. We see this reference for the creation of Adam and not again for man until the New Testament.
- This view was held until the fourth century until the interaction of an inaccurate allegorical approach.
- If the sons of God were righteous believers and they still drowned Bible is contradictory.
- If this were a human marriage only, then why did it invoke God’s anger and the flood?
Next week, Veritas will delve deeper into this discussion. Meanwhile, keep this in mind. The Old Testament is a study of God’s seed. There is enmity between the seed of Eden and the seed of the serpent. Satan wants to destroy the seed and may have used fallen angels as an attempt to wipe out the pure seed. We will look deeper into this when we dig into the meaning of the name of Noah whom the book of Hebrews states was perfect in his generations. So why was he really saved?
For those who attend Veritas in person we look forward to seeing you Sunday. To our global internet audience we send out the blessings of our Holy Father to you that He would grant you encouragement in every good work as we strive in our unified effort to spread the fame of Jesus Christ who is the head of the Church and the fulfillment of all things. These are privileged times to be in His service.
The global economy is suffering. Israel is suffering tremendous pressure. 2.7 billion people on the planet have never heard the name Jesus. Poverty, though preventable, is at epidemic levels. If we sold half of the churches in this country we could end global hunger, but this will never happen. This won’t happen because the empire of American Christianity has gone the way of Cain. We have stated with our collective lack of effort “am I my brother’s keeper?” Our inaction gives us away. We have failed as a Christian nation.
We see this failure very clearly right here in our own backyard. The fact that 95% of adults, ages 18-39, have an unfavorable view of Christianity is evidence of this. We refuse to be accountable for this by simply saying that it is the devils fault. What does this mean for our future?
Meanwhile, we say that we believe that these are the last days. While we are so focused on the salvation of the first coming of Jesus, where is the teaching on His second coming?
Which are we closer to; the first or second coming of Jesus?
If these are the last days, then why aren’t we talking about the books of Revelation or Daniel?
We are not talking about the second coming of Jesus in this country because we are rich. We have enlarged ourselves with the wealth of this world and placed the blessings of God over the God of blessings. In our great prosperity we no longer desire the return of our Savior as if His appearing brings a better promise than that of this life. We are the unfortunate masses that the Bible claims would be lovers of self more than lovers of God. Sadly, we are biblical prophesy revealed.
Welcome to Veritas.
This forum exists to challenge believers to think and thinkers to believe. This week we entered our third week in our new location and Pastor Jerry delved back into the much anticipated teaching of Genesis 1-12. This portion of scripture covers 2,000 years of rich history. The book begins with four events; Creation, The Fall, The Fall and The Tower. And it ends with four people; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. This week, Veritas moved into chapter 6.
Versus 1-9 were our main focus this week and they are both bizarre and telling. In terms of the second coming of Jesus we have been warned that this event would be very similar to the days of Noah. In Matthew 24: 37-39, Jesus said, “The world will be at ease, banquets and parties and weddings, just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of the flood; people wouldn’t believe what was going to happen to them until the flood actually arrives and took them all away. So shall my coming be.” (KJV)
Now that we are in Genesis 6, we have to deal with this. We believe we are in the last days, so let us know why we believe what we believe. Let us know what the Bible says about the days of Noah. A good place to start is by drawing parallels between his time and ours.
As in the days of Noah we are experiencing a time of explosion and multiplication. We are growing and advancing tremendously just as humanity did in Noah’s day. Wickedness is abounding. (On this point we must ask ourselves; why was the world wicked enough to flood? What particularity about Noah’s day brought about the flood?)
God issued warnings. In Noah’s day it was through Enoch, Lamech, Methuselah and Noah. Mankind despised these warnings. They refused to know the truth and in the end, only a small number were saved. This same problem can be said for mankind today.
Genesis 6 also starts out with some very strange statements. Versus 1 – 4 says;
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”
Who were these sons of God?
One theory is that they were the sons of Seth intermarrying with the daughters of Cain, or in other words, a marriage between righteousness and evil. Up to the fourth century, the predominant teaching centered on the idea that the sons of God were fallen angels. It was not until Augustine that the idea of the sons of Seth was introduced.
Augustine’s conclusion was centered on his view that the Bible was allegorical rather than literal. But if his theory were true, how would offspring from Seth and Cain beget men of renown? Why, if the offspring were infused with righteousness, would the word of God use this story as an illustration of depravity and a warning?
Meanwhile, there are seven strong ideas that support the idea of the sons of God being fallen angels over human contributors.
- It is the oldest and widest held belief.
- Sons of God refers to angels in the Bible.
- Ben El substitutes for angels in the Septuagint.
- The term “sons of God” means directly from God. We see this reference for the creation of Adam and not again for man until the New Testament.
- This view was held until the fourth century until the interaction of an inaccurate allegorical approach.
- If the sons of God were righteous believers and they still drowned Bible is contradictory.
- If this were a human marriage only, then why did it invoke God’s anger and the flood?
Next week, Veritas will delve deeper into this discussion. Meanwhile, keep this in mind. The Old Testament is a study of God’s seed. There is enmity between the seed of Eden and the seed of the serpent. Satan wants to destroy the seed and may have used fallen angels as an attempt to wipe out the pure seed. We will look deeper into this when we dig into the meaning of the name of Noah whom the book of Hebrews states was perfect in his generations. So why was he really saved?
For those who attend Veritas in person we look forward to seeing you Sunday. To our global internet audience we send out the blessings of our Holy Father to you that He would grant you encouragement in every good work as we strive in our unified effort to spread the fame of Jesus Christ who is the head of the Church and the fulfillment of all things. These are privileged times to be in His service.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Veritas Update 03.11.08
This week in Veritas Pastor Jerry completed explaining the vision and direction of Veritas Theology Forum. This has been an important time, especially in terms of verifying that we are not a church. In contrast, we are a Forum, a teaching center based on challenging believers to think and thinkers to believe.
Unfortunately, throughout the institutional church of the U.S., there is a trend of class warfare within our walls and we have an unbiblical basis of putting people up on pedestals. These are the last days and it is time for the Body of Christ, the true church, to regain a sound recognition of our image and our mission.
In these times of great spiritual deception Satan is using well knowns and God is using unknowns. This current culture has created a gospel, and a church system, to suit its own image rather than the church confronting the culture in the image of God. We practice the exaltation of individuals over magnifying the glory of Christ by refusing to take our place among the royal priesthood of God’s chosen people. Have you forgotten?
If you are born again, you are a priest.
Last week Pastor Jerry laid out our five goals:
• To challenge believers to value and trust the Bible as the sole source of Veritas (truth) through intense Biblical training and discussion. (2 Tim. 3:16)
• To equip believers in how to creatively, and genuinely, evangelize a depraved generation. (Matt. 24:14)
• To point unbelievers to the eternal benefits of Christ's first coming (John 3:16)
• To encourage believers to adopt with eternal perspective in light of Christ's Second Coming. (1 Thess. 4:16-18)
• To consistently promote the concept of the priesthood of the believer. (1 Pet. 2:9)
This week he explained how we are going to do it.
The Global Vertitas Initiative
Veritas is an equipping center. Moreover, we are a globally minded equipping center and we are going to do an effective job of providing the Body of Christ with resources. Starting in Pakistan, we are developing curriculum and discipleship to Pastors and churches throughout our global network. Additionally, we are providing financial resources based on the individual needs of the churches and ministries we are partnered with. Thirdly, it is our desire to fly in the Pastors we work with into the United States for a one week period of intensive training.
The Veritas Book Club
This will be no light reading. In Veritas Book Club, we are going to cover a wide range of books that focus on teaching and bringing awareness concerning the issues we are facing. Each book will have a person leading in the research, discussion and development of a teaching for each book. This will be a tremendous tool for our forum and a lot of fun.
The Acts 20:20 Network
“Yet I never shrank back from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes.” (Acts 20:20 NLT)
It is our desire at Veritas to see real Christianity practiced among the body. We are promoting a return to a church that has all things in common that practices our faith in a family setting. Through the Acts 20:20 Network, Veritas is in the process of planting home churches. Do we need home churches?
Absolutely.
The leaders of these home churches will be solidly based in Veritas. In our Acts 20:20 Network we will provide:
• Accountability
• Sustainability
• Direction
These home churches will promote a concentration of relationships and support that you simply cannot receive in a traditional church. Through the intimate setting of the home, it is our belief that greater effectiveness will be achieved in forming the members together as Christ intended. It will also be a great tool in reaching out to those who have become completely disenchanted with the church.
Veritas TV
Veritas TV will be a weekly, 30 minute program that will reach across the entire globe. This program will appeal to people who desire to increase in knowledge and effectiveness. Currently, the majority of Christian television programs exist for four reasons:
- To promote self glory
- For money
- Some are genuine
- Most provide sugar that is both entertaining and rotten
Veritas TV has a five step plan in establishing our program.
Step One – To purchase air time in Tulsa, Ok and Colorado Springs, CO.
Step Two – Purchase time in Indianapolis, IA and Honolulu, HW.
Step Three – Take Vertias to Middle East Television. (METV)
Step Four – Take Veritas to Far East Television. (FETV)
Step Five – Bring Veritas back to the U.S. by purchasing air time in unchurched cities such as Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, etc..
By establishing a sound base in cities sympathetic to the Gospel we can raise awareness and funds to take this message to the 1040 window. We will be reaching and area that comprises of 60% of the worlds land mass an 80% of its population where 2.7 billion have never heard the name of Jesus. Once we have firmly established ourselves oversees, we will bring back this teaching and this testimony back to our own country and evangelize this secular nation.
By the way, all of this program time costs about the same as a luxury car per year.
Are you ready to this church? These are amazing times and God is doing a very real work through us in these troubling days. We are abandoned to His call.
Don’t miss next week as Pastor Jerry resumes the teaching by opening up the book to Genesis 6 and shows us some amazing things. We are looking forward to seeing you there.
Unfortunately, throughout the institutional church of the U.S., there is a trend of class warfare within our walls and we have an unbiblical basis of putting people up on pedestals. These are the last days and it is time for the Body of Christ, the true church, to regain a sound recognition of our image and our mission.
In these times of great spiritual deception Satan is using well knowns and God is using unknowns. This current culture has created a gospel, and a church system, to suit its own image rather than the church confronting the culture in the image of God. We practice the exaltation of individuals over magnifying the glory of Christ by refusing to take our place among the royal priesthood of God’s chosen people. Have you forgotten?
If you are born again, you are a priest.
Last week Pastor Jerry laid out our five goals:
• To challenge believers to value and trust the Bible as the sole source of Veritas (truth) through intense Biblical training and discussion. (2 Tim. 3:16)
• To equip believers in how to creatively, and genuinely, evangelize a depraved generation. (Matt. 24:14)
• To point unbelievers to the eternal benefits of Christ's first coming (John 3:16)
• To encourage believers to adopt with eternal perspective in light of Christ's Second Coming. (1 Thess. 4:16-18)
• To consistently promote the concept of the priesthood of the believer. (1 Pet. 2:9)
This week he explained how we are going to do it.
The Global Vertitas Initiative
Veritas is an equipping center. Moreover, we are a globally minded equipping center and we are going to do an effective job of providing the Body of Christ with resources. Starting in Pakistan, we are developing curriculum and discipleship to Pastors and churches throughout our global network. Additionally, we are providing financial resources based on the individual needs of the churches and ministries we are partnered with. Thirdly, it is our desire to fly in the Pastors we work with into the United States for a one week period of intensive training.
The Veritas Book Club
This will be no light reading. In Veritas Book Club, we are going to cover a wide range of books that focus on teaching and bringing awareness concerning the issues we are facing. Each book will have a person leading in the research, discussion and development of a teaching for each book. This will be a tremendous tool for our forum and a lot of fun.
The Acts 20:20 Network
“Yet I never shrank back from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes.” (Acts 20:20 NLT)
It is our desire at Veritas to see real Christianity practiced among the body. We are promoting a return to a church that has all things in common that practices our faith in a family setting. Through the Acts 20:20 Network, Veritas is in the process of planting home churches. Do we need home churches?
Absolutely.
The leaders of these home churches will be solidly based in Veritas. In our Acts 20:20 Network we will provide:
• Accountability
• Sustainability
• Direction
These home churches will promote a concentration of relationships and support that you simply cannot receive in a traditional church. Through the intimate setting of the home, it is our belief that greater effectiveness will be achieved in forming the members together as Christ intended. It will also be a great tool in reaching out to those who have become completely disenchanted with the church.
Veritas TV
Veritas TV will be a weekly, 30 minute program that will reach across the entire globe. This program will appeal to people who desire to increase in knowledge and effectiveness. Currently, the majority of Christian television programs exist for four reasons:
- To promote self glory
- For money
- Some are genuine
- Most provide sugar that is both entertaining and rotten
Veritas TV has a five step plan in establishing our program.
Step One – To purchase air time in Tulsa, Ok and Colorado Springs, CO.
Step Two – Purchase time in Indianapolis, IA and Honolulu, HW.
Step Three – Take Vertias to Middle East Television. (METV)
Step Four – Take Veritas to Far East Television. (FETV)
Step Five – Bring Veritas back to the U.S. by purchasing air time in unchurched cities such as Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, etc..
By establishing a sound base in cities sympathetic to the Gospel we can raise awareness and funds to take this message to the 1040 window. We will be reaching and area that comprises of 60% of the worlds land mass an 80% of its population where 2.7 billion have never heard the name of Jesus. Once we have firmly established ourselves oversees, we will bring back this teaching and this testimony back to our own country and evangelize this secular nation.
By the way, all of this program time costs about the same as a luxury car per year.
Are you ready to this church? These are amazing times and God is doing a very real work through us in these troubling days. We are abandoned to His call.
Don’t miss next week as Pastor Jerry resumes the teaching by opening up the book to Genesis 6 and shows us some amazing things. We are looking forward to seeing you there.
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Veritas Update 03.04.08
Veritas Theology Forum is official. On Sunday night we held our first session at our new location with tremendous impact. The music food and fellowship were all fantastic but the real treat was Pastor Jerry casting vision in this new hour.
Veritas is a ministry of Jerry Robinson Ministries International. Veritas is latin for truth and truth is what our ministry is after. We are:
“A fellowship of believers who desire to grow deeper in this knowledge of God and His precepts.”
“Challenging believers to think and thimkers to believe.”
“Confronting the lies of the age”
In the U.S., 80% of the population calims to be Christian. Do you believe that 4 out of 5 Americans are going to heaven? Let’s consider what Jesus said.
Jesus stated that it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. If a person makes $40,000/year they are in the top 1% of the world’s wealthiest citizens. If Jesus was accurate in His statement and the U.S. is as wealthy as it is, then how are most of us saved?
The problem with Americans is that “we desire the blessings of God but not the God of blessings.” The current culture of the American church is founded on the “Baby Boom Gospel” which is exemplified by the fiscal recklessness of 59 trillion dollars in national debt and an expectation of entitlements. The Baby Boom Gospel of this former generation in church leadership is completely focused on the sacrament of self and is a cancer upon the Body of Christ globally.
Moreover, this former generation has virtually ignored sound teaching on the second coming of Jesus Christ to the Earth. In His first coming, Christ brought forth redemption and ushered in an age of grace, of which we are now partakers. It is after the second coming, however, that we shall “ever be with the Lord.” While being held in the grasp of salvation wrought by Jesus’ first coming is, of course, the foundation of how we are here, it is the second coming we are driven on preaching.
These are the last days so ask yourselves; are we closer to the first coming of Christ or His second coming?
We are living right next to His second coming so why is this teaching being neglected?
The answer is plainly evident. We here in America are focused on a temporary gospel, caring only about the immediate and lazy when it comes to sound doctrine and solid teaching. At Veritas, we have this one goal; to focus on the Bible as the sole source of truth.
If the Bible is 100% the sole source of truth in the world then we want to dig into it completely and find out what it is all about. The Bible is life to us, it is health to us, it is great news to us and through solid teaching and application we will be employed by these benefits in seeing God’s work accomplished in us.
This is the Veritas vision:
• To challenge believers to value and trust the Bible as the sole source of Veritas (truth) through intense Biblical training and discussion. (2 Tim. 3:16)
• To equip believers in how to creatively, and genuinely, evangelize a depraved generation. (Matt. 24:14)
• To point unbelievers to the eternal benefits of Christ's first coming (John 3:16)
• To encourage believers to adopt with eternal perspective in light of Christ's Second Coming. (1 Thess. 4:16-18)
• To consistently promote the concept of the priesthood of the believer. (1 Pet. 2:9)
Historically, we see that culture affects the church. Ever since Constantine instituted the modern church in Rome during the 300’s this has been clearly evident. Unfortunately, one thorough aspect of this influence has been a gravitation towards separating church leadership from the church body. It is an inherent concept at this point that if you are on staff at a church, or have some sort of title, you are closer to God than the “sheep” in the body.
This is a backwards concept of ministry. If you are born again you are a priest!
The church is the primary vehicle for promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Leadership is here to equip. You exist to be a flame of fire, minsters of the manifold grace of God completed in Jesus Christ and revealed to a deceived world by you! The church.
Are we living in the last days? In the last days will there be false teachers? If you are saying yes then we have to ask ourselves; where are all the false teachers?
Could it be that they are on the radio, on our TV’s, on Christian television? How about our churches? If we are truly in the last days then we have no business not using discernment. This is dereliction of duty.
We are called and we need to know why. This all starts with knowing what we believe and why we believe it. We will not be afraid of the hard questions and hard topics. If the Bible is the sole source of truth as we state it is, then the only thing we have to fear is being transformed by the power that it contains.
Here is where we stand in the study plan God has given this ministry.
We started in Soteriology and learned about the full process of Salvation. Veritas went through an in depth study of the Calvinist and Armenian debate and influence upon the doctrine of the church. We have taken an in depth approach in exploring the “Word of Faith” movement, as well as its impact, and we are now in the middle of a expository examination of Genesis 1-12.
In two weeks we are going to pick right up in Genesis 6:1. As we have done in the first 5 chapters, we are going to continue to explore the Hebrew meaning of the text verse by verse. This has been an incredible journey up to this point. People who think that they already know everything about Genesis based on what they learned in Sunday school as children are just simply missing out.
Beyond Genesis 1-12 we are going to go into a full study on Eschatology. As we have admonished the Body of Christ to do, we are going to go into a full scriptural study on the second coming of Jesus Christ. Through this time we will get to a place of understanding with the prophetic text of the Bible and an ability to share it soundly with the world.
We are going to study Islam. This study will be tackled with the same tenacity and attention to detail as the rest of our teaching. Having a sound understanding of God’s word and full assurance in the Bible as the sole source of truth in the world enables us to this without fear. We are going to objectively reveal the history, precepts and eschatology of this religion and compare them to that of Christianity and Judaism.
In line with this we are going to study the nation of Israel. We are going to look fully into the culture, roots and traditions of Israel. This will include a trip to Israel which will be a tremendous benefit to bringing the teaching and direction of this forum to life. Additionally, Veritas will go through a verse by verse examination on the books of Daniel and Revelation.
Right now we are looking for leaders and teachers. If you feel like you have a call to teach you are in the right place. Let it be known, when you devote your life to lifting up the truth of God, your life will be blessed. At this point, we are receiving emails from all over the world asking for Veritas. People are asking us for the teaching you are partaking in. We will meet this need and we need your help to do it.
Next week, Pastor Jerry is going to fully explain the five phase plan God has for Veritas to go global. Don’t miss out on this exciting time and invite all of your friends. Shout it from it from the rooftops and go out into your world to bring people in. We are not ashamed to say that we are on the revolutionary edge of what God is doing in the earth and the opportunity He is giving us is huge.
We are looking forward to seeing you Sunday evening.
Veritas is a ministry of Jerry Robinson Ministries International. Veritas is latin for truth and truth is what our ministry is after. We are:
“A fellowship of believers who desire to grow deeper in this knowledge of God and His precepts.”
“Challenging believers to think and thimkers to believe.”
“Confronting the lies of the age”
In the U.S., 80% of the population calims to be Christian. Do you believe that 4 out of 5 Americans are going to heaven? Let’s consider what Jesus said.
Jesus stated that it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. If a person makes $40,000/year they are in the top 1% of the world’s wealthiest citizens. If Jesus was accurate in His statement and the U.S. is as wealthy as it is, then how are most of us saved?
The problem with Americans is that “we desire the blessings of God but not the God of blessings.” The current culture of the American church is founded on the “Baby Boom Gospel” which is exemplified by the fiscal recklessness of 59 trillion dollars in national debt and an expectation of entitlements. The Baby Boom Gospel of this former generation in church leadership is completely focused on the sacrament of self and is a cancer upon the Body of Christ globally.
Moreover, this former generation has virtually ignored sound teaching on the second coming of Jesus Christ to the Earth. In His first coming, Christ brought forth redemption and ushered in an age of grace, of which we are now partakers. It is after the second coming, however, that we shall “ever be with the Lord.” While being held in the grasp of salvation wrought by Jesus’ first coming is, of course, the foundation of how we are here, it is the second coming we are driven on preaching.
These are the last days so ask yourselves; are we closer to the first coming of Christ or His second coming?
We are living right next to His second coming so why is this teaching being neglected?
The answer is plainly evident. We here in America are focused on a temporary gospel, caring only about the immediate and lazy when it comes to sound doctrine and solid teaching. At Veritas, we have this one goal; to focus on the Bible as the sole source of truth.
If the Bible is 100% the sole source of truth in the world then we want to dig into it completely and find out what it is all about. The Bible is life to us, it is health to us, it is great news to us and through solid teaching and application we will be employed by these benefits in seeing God’s work accomplished in us.
This is the Veritas vision:
• To challenge believers to value and trust the Bible as the sole source of Veritas (truth) through intense Biblical training and discussion. (2 Tim. 3:16)
• To equip believers in how to creatively, and genuinely, evangelize a depraved generation. (Matt. 24:14)
• To point unbelievers to the eternal benefits of Christ's first coming (John 3:16)
• To encourage believers to adopt with eternal perspective in light of Christ's Second Coming. (1 Thess. 4:16-18)
• To consistently promote the concept of the priesthood of the believer. (1 Pet. 2:9)
Historically, we see that culture affects the church. Ever since Constantine instituted the modern church in Rome during the 300’s this has been clearly evident. Unfortunately, one thorough aspect of this influence has been a gravitation towards separating church leadership from the church body. It is an inherent concept at this point that if you are on staff at a church, or have some sort of title, you are closer to God than the “sheep” in the body.
This is a backwards concept of ministry. If you are born again you are a priest!
The church is the primary vehicle for promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Leadership is here to equip. You exist to be a flame of fire, minsters of the manifold grace of God completed in Jesus Christ and revealed to a deceived world by you! The church.
Are we living in the last days? In the last days will there be false teachers? If you are saying yes then we have to ask ourselves; where are all the false teachers?
Could it be that they are on the radio, on our TV’s, on Christian television? How about our churches? If we are truly in the last days then we have no business not using discernment. This is dereliction of duty.
We are called and we need to know why. This all starts with knowing what we believe and why we believe it. We will not be afraid of the hard questions and hard topics. If the Bible is the sole source of truth as we state it is, then the only thing we have to fear is being transformed by the power that it contains.
Here is where we stand in the study plan God has given this ministry.
We started in Soteriology and learned about the full process of Salvation. Veritas went through an in depth study of the Calvinist and Armenian debate and influence upon the doctrine of the church. We have taken an in depth approach in exploring the “Word of Faith” movement, as well as its impact, and we are now in the middle of a expository examination of Genesis 1-12.
In two weeks we are going to pick right up in Genesis 6:1. As we have done in the first 5 chapters, we are going to continue to explore the Hebrew meaning of the text verse by verse. This has been an incredible journey up to this point. People who think that they already know everything about Genesis based on what they learned in Sunday school as children are just simply missing out.
Beyond Genesis 1-12 we are going to go into a full study on Eschatology. As we have admonished the Body of Christ to do, we are going to go into a full scriptural study on the second coming of Jesus Christ. Through this time we will get to a place of understanding with the prophetic text of the Bible and an ability to share it soundly with the world.
We are going to study Islam. This study will be tackled with the same tenacity and attention to detail as the rest of our teaching. Having a sound understanding of God’s word and full assurance in the Bible as the sole source of truth in the world enables us to this without fear. We are going to objectively reveal the history, precepts and eschatology of this religion and compare them to that of Christianity and Judaism.
In line with this we are going to study the nation of Israel. We are going to look fully into the culture, roots and traditions of Israel. This will include a trip to Israel which will be a tremendous benefit to bringing the teaching and direction of this forum to life. Additionally, Veritas will go through a verse by verse examination on the books of Daniel and Revelation.
Right now we are looking for leaders and teachers. If you feel like you have a call to teach you are in the right place. Let it be known, when you devote your life to lifting up the truth of God, your life will be blessed. At this point, we are receiving emails from all over the world asking for Veritas. People are asking us for the teaching you are partaking in. We will meet this need and we need your help to do it.
Next week, Pastor Jerry is going to fully explain the five phase plan God has for Veritas to go global. Don’t miss out on this exciting time and invite all of your friends. Shout it from it from the rooftops and go out into your world to bring people in. We are not ashamed to say that we are on the revolutionary edge of what God is doing in the earth and the opportunity He is giving us is huge.
We are looking forward to seeing you Sunday evening.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The New VERITAS Theology Forum
The Veritas Theology Forum has now moved to our new location and time.
Veritas Theology Forum
3633 South Yale Avenue
Sunday Evenings 6:30 - 8:00
Veritas will meet in the Tulsa Junior League building which is on the southeast corner of 36th and Yale. Praise and Worship will start promptly at 6:30 followed by a break for snacks and teaching until 8:00.
For more detailed directions please visit http://jltulsa.org or call 827-2452 with any further questions.
Veritas Theology Forum
3633 South Yale Avenue
Sunday Evenings 6:30 - 8:00
Veritas will meet in the Tulsa Junior League building which is on the southeast corner of 36th and Yale. Praise and Worship will start promptly at 6:30 followed by a break for snacks and teaching until 8:00.
For more detailed directions please visit http://jltulsa.org or call 827-2452 with any further questions.
The Veritas Update 02.26.08
“Wow”
This seemed to be the coined phrase this week in Veritas. It was all Pastor Jerry could say before he introduced Sam Cupps and Ruby Bibbs up to tell us about the California trip and how we all felt upon hearing about it. More than anything, it is our fumbling attempt to express how incredible it is to witness what God is doing in this ministry.
It was great to hear firsthand about the Steeling the Mind conference. Pastor Jerry did a great job and was well received. “It’s so hard to categorize everything that happened,” said Sam. “It was like walking in a whirlwind of favor.”
Ruby had an equally great testimony. “The conference was phenomenal and Pastor Jerry was phenomenal. We heard things at this conference that you just don’t hear everyday.”
However, Pastor Jerry put it all in perspective by explaining the message he delivered in California was, “not about where to put your money, this is about where to put your heart.
His interview with Senator Chuck Grassley on the Jan Markel show went very well also. Pastor Jerry interviewed Grassley for about 30 minutes concerning his investigation into six ministries and spent the remaining hour and a half discussing the ministry of JRMI.
Beyond these wonderful testimonies Pastor Jerry cast some excellent vision for Veritas as we launch into our new work.
Did you know that if you make $40k or more you are in the top 1% of the worlds wealthiest? Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle so how can 80% of American’s be saved as they claim to be? Perhaps, we here in America have more deception than we can even realize.
Part of this deception is that of thinking we have been doing a good job of reaching this country for Christ. We live in a post-modern, information age where different movements have been spawned to reach this generation with little effect. For your reference, consider the Emerging Church movement which offers a very user friendly church at the expense of making the Gospel of Jesus look weak. The Prosperity movement of our previous generation has obviously had some rotten fruit in the basket.
So what approach does the Body of Christ take in reaching this post-modern age?
IRENE
POLEMIC
APOLOGETIC
These are three methods the church has used in reaching the lost, and even teaching the found. Picture a triangle with Irene at the top and Polemic and Apologetic at the bottom.
Polemic is the preferred method of the American church. Consequently, this is how most of the world thinks of the church. This is the war within the church. The Polemic method is dogmatic and demanding as it commands adherence.
The Apologetic method takes the message out of the church. This method seeks to explain specific issues of the faith. While a good method for debate, it rarely brings about conversion does not go far past lively conversation.
The Irenic method is the method of Paul. This method accurately considers and represents everything. While a majority of Christians think it is wrong to consider points that don’t relate to their specific doctrine the goal of Veritas is take a knowledgeable approach to defending and promoting truth. If God’s word is indeed true, what do we have to be afraid of?
Wow.
This seemed to be the coined phrase this week in Veritas. It was all Pastor Jerry could say before he introduced Sam Cupps and Ruby Bibbs up to tell us about the California trip and how we all felt upon hearing about it. More than anything, it is our fumbling attempt to express how incredible it is to witness what God is doing in this ministry.
It was great to hear firsthand about the Steeling the Mind conference. Pastor Jerry did a great job and was well received. “It’s so hard to categorize everything that happened,” said Sam. “It was like walking in a whirlwind of favor.”
Ruby had an equally great testimony. “The conference was phenomenal and Pastor Jerry was phenomenal. We heard things at this conference that you just don’t hear everyday.”
However, Pastor Jerry put it all in perspective by explaining the message he delivered in California was, “not about where to put your money, this is about where to put your heart.
His interview with Senator Chuck Grassley on the Jan Markel show went very well also. Pastor Jerry interviewed Grassley for about 30 minutes concerning his investigation into six ministries and spent the remaining hour and a half discussing the ministry of JRMI.
Beyond these wonderful testimonies Pastor Jerry cast some excellent vision for Veritas as we launch into our new work.
Did you know that if you make $40k or more you are in the top 1% of the worlds wealthiest? Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle so how can 80% of American’s be saved as they claim to be? Perhaps, we here in America have more deception than we can even realize.
Part of this deception is that of thinking we have been doing a good job of reaching this country for Christ. We live in a post-modern, information age where different movements have been spawned to reach this generation with little effect. For your reference, consider the Emerging Church movement which offers a very user friendly church at the expense of making the Gospel of Jesus look weak. The Prosperity movement of our previous generation has obviously had some rotten fruit in the basket.
So what approach does the Body of Christ take in reaching this post-modern age?
IRENE
POLEMIC
APOLOGETIC
These are three methods the church has used in reaching the lost, and even teaching the found. Picture a triangle with Irene at the top and Polemic and Apologetic at the bottom.
Polemic is the preferred method of the American church. Consequently, this is how most of the world thinks of the church. This is the war within the church. The Polemic method is dogmatic and demanding as it commands adherence.
The Apologetic method takes the message out of the church. This method seeks to explain specific issues of the faith. While a good method for debate, it rarely brings about conversion does not go far past lively conversation.
The Irenic method is the method of Paul. This method accurately considers and represents everything. While a majority of Christians think it is wrong to consider points that don’t relate to their specific doctrine the goal of Veritas is take a knowledgeable approach to defending and promoting truth. If God’s word is indeed true, what do we have to be afraid of?
Wow.
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