Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Friday, October 20, 2017

HIGH NOON IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL

We're in a Sunday school class and in that class are some who are hostile to grace. Their gifted, gracious, and humble teacher has been teaching that salvation comes by faith alone in Christ alone,  but they aren't buying it.  Instead of accepting the Bible's clear teaching, they're angry and their anger shows. It's growing weekly.

HOW TO EMPTY A CHURCH

There's one way to empty a church and a Sunday school class--start teaching what salvation is and what it is not. The what-it-is-not-part will especially do the emptying and leave those who don't leave marinating in their anger. To explain what the gospel is not, the teacher makes it clear that salvation does NOT come by faith in Christ PLUS a hodgepodge of works such as abandoning sin, baptism, putting Christ on the throne of your life, walking an aisle, praying through, confession of sins, and making this or that vow. It is when some hear what the good news is not, then the clash begins.

One lady in the class has had enough and already left the class. Another has sworn that the youth under her auspices will never be exposed to such teaching.

Many of the ones who remain in the grace class sit there every Sunday thinking, "Surely a person has to do something for salvation, doesn't he? Surely he has to abandon his sins, doesn't he?" (Somehow, it never occurs to them that neither they nor anyone else in this life has ever abandoned sin.)

THE REAL ISSUE

One Sunday, what's really bothering them craw-deep finally comes boiling to the surface, and, like Mt. Vesuvius hurling rocks and ash 20 miles into the atmosphere in 79 AD, two people in the group express why they're so angry.

They fume, "Our parents never believed this [faith alone in Christ alone]!" By that admission, they're expressing the sentiments of others (not all) in the class.

There we have it--their parents! They're middle-aged (or above) and their parents are still controlling them. Way down deep inside, they have a really huge problem--their authority isn't the Bible; it's their parents, not Christ and His word. Instead of imitating the noble Bereans and searching the New Testament to see that Christ and the Apostles condition salvation on faith alone over 150 times, they've rejected the grace message out of hand because their parents are ruling them from the grave.

Although they've memorized John 3:16, they're so spiritually blind that they can't see there are no works in the verse. Not one. Some have the New Testament requirements for discipleship mixed into the gospel. Others have the Ten Commandments and the Golden rule in it. They can't even discuss the matter because the "discussion" consists of their repeating the same memorized phrases over and over again. After that, they begin to level personal attacks. Brush fires are erupting all over the place.

Like a pack of Ismaels on the loose, they're attacking Isaac and it all goes back to their parents and, upon examination, to their grandparents, truth be told. Mom and Dad rule them from the grave.

Their number is legion inside and outside the church, they are the tares among the wheat. Grace sounds foolish to them, even moronic; they ridicule it (I Cor. 1:18, 23).

The question: Is someone ruling you from the grave?


No comments:

Post a Comment