Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

Here are links to my church's YouTube channel containing Pastor Alvis's sermons and lessons from September 2023. I know they will bless all those who area able to watch them. Bob  

Below is a link to my church's YouTube Channel. Pastor Alvis asked my to teach Sunday school for several weeks.  This is the third in a series of lessons titled "Every Good And Perfect Gift." This lesson focuses on worshiping God in Spirit and in truth. We learned about a command not to let the holy fire of God go out in our heart. This connects to the work of the Holy Spirit and the fire and zeal He brings to us. I hope this video  will be a blessing to all who are able to watch it. Bob

Pastor Alvis asked me to teach Sunday School for several weeks.  Below is a link to my church's YouTube channel, and the second of a series of lessons titled Every Good And Perfect Gift.  This lesson focuses on worshiping God His way. I hope it will be a blessing to all who area able to watch it. Bob 

Pastor Alvis has asked me to teach Sunday School for the next several weeks. Here is a link to my church's YouTube channel. I am teaching a series titles Every Good And Perfect Gift, based upon James 1:16-17. The first lesson is about the good and perfect gift of the Word of God. I hope this video is a blessing to all who area able to watch it.  Bob  

Help from the indwelling Spirit and the scriptures.   1 John 2:20-21  But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.  21)  I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.  Let's pick up where we left off in our last post. John has told us about the "unction" of the Spirit of God, and how His indwelling presence ministers to us.  Specifically He is our Teacher in the Word, and He brings texts of scripture back into our minds when we need to recall them. He helps us discern between truth and error.  The Spirit of God is the Holy Author of the Bible and John teaches us that the Spirit's ministry with us is connected with the Word of God.  We have a book of truth from God and the scripture is the filter that separates truth from falsehood. The antichrist will deny that Jesus is the Christ.  1 John 2:22-23  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is th...

John was guided by the Spirit of God to include some strong and clear warnings about the antichrist.  This truth is important for us to study and absorb. We will find that there is a connection with John's warnings and how modern Bibles are translated.  In future posts, I will provide a few examples, as we dig deeper into this issue. Generally speaking, the King James version was translated using a widely accepted Greek text. That Greek text can be carefully traced back to the early church. Modern Bibles generally follow a different Greek text that was not published until 1881. Why does this matter? Because all of the apostles warned about false teachers, false doctrine and heresy.  Because God established certain litmus tests for scripture that are violated in certain ways by modern translations. It is clear when comparing the two Greek texts, that the modern text is different, because it was altered by heretics, to make scripture conform to their distinctive views....

The apostle John was guided by God's Spirit to finish chapter 2 with some words of warning for the church. We will use one post to look at each warning. The first warning concerns how we live for God and our relationship to the world at large. The second warning concerns sound doctrine in contrast to early heresies that sprang up.  A much needed warning: Love not the world! 1 John 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  16)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  17)  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, John gave a strong exhortation regarding the world and how Christians should live.  The word "love"  means to be overly pleased and well conten...

1 John 2:13-14  I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.  14)  I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.  John had 3 groups of Christians in mind as the Spirit guided him to write this letter. First were the "fathers."   The fathers were men who turned to Jesus Christ with repentant faith, when the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Samaria, to Judea and beyond. Some fathers were eyewitnesses who heard Jesus teach and preach.  Some fathers were among the earliest believers in Christ, after Pentecost (See Acts 2).  Some had passed on to glory and some were still alive (See 1 Corinthians 15:6). God has good...

The eternality of the inspired scriptures.  1 John 2:7  Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.  As the Spirit of God guided John, the aged apostle reminds us that the truth he is urging us to live out, is the same truth God gave us from the beginning.  Twice, John used the phrase "old commandment" and he emphasized that the old commandment is the Word, the holy scriptures. It was ever the command of God that men should receive His light, walk by that light, in order to love Him and one another. Loving one another leads to serving one another and meeting needs in other people's lives, as we are able.  Each generation of believers living out God's love afresh.  1 John 2:8  Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. This ...