Newsletter: 2011-12 National Bible Week

Bible Week Greetings from HomeWorship 101™

“A thorough knowledge of the Bible
is worth more then a college education.”
- Theodore Roosevelt

National Bible Week starts Sunday. Although the Bible is the textbook that America was founded on you probably won't hear much about it in the media, or from our politicians and churches. National Bible Week has been celebrated each year from Sunday to Sunday the week of Thanksgiving since 1941. The date for this year is November 20-27 and it simply encourages everyone to read the Bible. A special event will be Monday November 21 as a day to publicly read the Bible. The inspiration for the day is taken from I Timothy 4:13, “give attention to the public reading of scripture.” If you want some tips on how to celebrate Bible Week here is a web page with some tips: http://www.howtodothings.com/religion-spirituality/how-to-celebrate-national-bible-week.

FYI: The 400^th anniversary of the King James Bible is winding down, if anybody missed my article on it in the beginning of the year log on: http://www.homeworship101.com/NL_2011_01.htm

Bible Week is a good time to pause and consider, as a nation that used the Bible as one of its founding cornerstones, how are the Bible studies going today? The above quote from President Roosevelt was in the 1950’s, and it means a basic familiarity with the Bible’s contents was once considered the mark of an educated person, sadly one would be hard pressed to find that sentiment today. The paradox is that today as a society we are more intelligent, but we are also generally Biblically illiterate in spite of the fact that the Bible is still the best selling book of all time. Since its first printing back in 1450, it has sold over six billion copies. The question is, are people reading it, or are they just using it as a decoration for a table or shelf? Is it the laity that does not want to learn, or is it the religionists that really do not want to teach it?

“The Bible definitely is infallible,
how else could it survive so many years of bad preaching?”
- Leonard Ravenhill

Real truth is found in the Bible not religion, and I am a ‘Biblical’ evangelist. My passion is Biblical archeology and I teach the ancient ways - I do not teach any religious tradition. There is much Hebrew prejudice among some Christian teachings, which is why a lot of my writings probably sound strange. I do not teach traditional Christianity, some of them look at me as a traitor. I do not come from any specific church but my teachings could be called Hebrew Christianity “101” – “101” means just the simple basics without the mishegoss added by man. Religious labels can be troublesome, I prefer saying I follow the Ancient Path or a Thinking Persons Religion. I am not here to win theological debates (I don’t have that much energy), if I can get one to start thinking about the Bible then I have already won.

The idea is to return to “Biblical” Christianity (see link at end of this article). I’m not sure if the term “return” is proper. I have spent a lot of time studying the Bible and church history and I’m not really sure if there ever was a time when Christianity was purely Biblical. For sure, today churches are generally further from Biblical Christianity then ever before. One of the more disturbing movement in some so-called “progressive” churches (aka, Apostate churches) is something called the “Chrislam Movement”. I’ll quote:

The Chrislam Movement in Many Christian Churches

Many Christian churches across the United States began a series of sermons aimed at bringing about reconciliation between Muslims and Christians. These misguided Presbyterian ministers are trying to focus on a relationship between the Holy Bible and the Koran they call "Chrislam." They are saying that because the Koran mentions Jesus that there is common ground with Christianity. To prove their point, they are placing Korans along side the Holy Bible in their pews. And they are teaching that you can be a follower of Christ without necessarily believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who died for our sins offering the gift of eternal salvation.

> http://www.tldm.org/News15/ChrislamMovementIsInManyChristianChurches.htm

> http://standupforthetruth.com/2011/02/chrislam/

Promoted by mega-church Rick Warren

Chrislam, started part by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, and Robert Schuller embrace of the joining of Christianity and Islam, has grown dramatically and now has infected many hundreds of churches and denominations all across America. The Chrislam movement has gained impetus by statements from President George W. Bush and that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the same God and by Rick Warren’s reference to Isa (the Muslim name for Jesus) in his prayer at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. A new group called Faith Shared is now spearheading the move to merge Christianity with Islam, and in the process provoking the very judgment of God down upon us as a nation.

> http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=5441

> http://revolutionradio.org/?p=11678

Faith Shared is the group spearheading the movement.

Faith Shared asks houses of worship across the country to organize events involving clergy reading from each other’s sacred texts. An example would be a Christian Minister, Jewish Rabbi and Muslim Imam participating in a worship service or other event.

Suggested readings will be provided from the Torah, the Gospels, and the Qur’an, but communities are encouraged to choose readings that will resonate with their congregations. Involvement of members from the Muslim community is key.

> http://faithshared.org/

I am trying to think of the right word here, idiotic, moronic, or ridiculous? I’m sorry I just don’t get it. The Faith Shared group says we should hold “interfaith events intended to highlight respect among people of different faiths… a proud and longstanding tradition of religious freedom, tolerance and pluralism. In communities across the United States, this project will not only serve as a model for tolerance and cooperation…” Are they kidding me? People in this country can worship however they want, that is true, but open up my doors of worship to other religions – I think not. Do the Muslims reciprocate? Do they show more tolerance to Jews and Christians in their Mosques? No! In Africa, and the Middle East they are killing Jews and Christians at every opportunity. And just try to bring a Bible into Saudi Arabia and see what happens to you. To me it sounds like they are playing on our good nature, they are using us and it will come to no good end. Hello the new humanism of the Tribulation Era.

“So the hammers of infidels have been
pecking away at this Book for ages,
but the hammers are worn out,
and the anvil still endures.
If this book had not been the book of GOD,
men would have destroyed it long ago.
Emperors and popes, kings and priests, princes and rulers,
have all tried their hand at it;
they die and the Book still lives.”
- H.L. Hastings

IMHO – in my humble opinion studying and learning the Bible is what’s important. As I have mentioned, I have spent much time studying church history and I am a Bible only kind of guy. It might not bepolitically correct to state but IMHO the Bible is superior to all religious books. Books like the Koran, the Book of Mormon, and books by the Jehovah Witnesses, etc. rewrite the Bible into their own terms and that is wrong. The Bible is a compilation of books, but they do not change what the original Torah or first five books of the Bible says, they only add more information that compliments the Bible theme. Bible related books such as the lost Books of the Bible, Bible dictionaries, the dead Sea Scrolls, add to the Bibles information and help us understand the context in when it was written it does not change what is written and that is the difference.

The Bible is hated and is pushed to the back by the so-called progressive thinkers because knowledge is power, and Divine knowledge is the most powerful - that is what political and religious leaders fear. The spirit of ancient Babel is to dumb-you-down, enslave and control you, YHWH promises knowledge and freedom. There are mysteries at the heart of the universe, but it’s no secret. In our CREATOR’S Kingdom, information is available to all, and all are encouraged to research - with sophistication - and qualify the spiritual truths they accept as righteous.

"Watch your life and doctrine closely."
- 1 Timothy 4:16

The Bible is hated because Satan and his dark minions hate YHWH’S Words. Through the centuries his tactics are so similar it is a wonder why more people do not see it. One can see it in the Sabbaths 7th day rest. The idea of resting 1 day in 7 only comes from YHWH. In the ancient pagan world there is no profit in such idleness. When the Hebrews kept it and promoted the concept, the dark side wanted them dead in order to suppress the information. In time, once the word about the Sabbath rest was out, then Satan slowly began to use the day as a wedge to divide people, by promoting the idea that Sunday is a better worship day, not Saturday. It was one of the issues that tore ancient Israel in two. Soon after the civil divide, the Sunday keeping northern kingdom of Israel was wiped off the map, never to be heard from again. And today after all the torture, murder, and bloodshed, to bring this information to the world, most think it is irrelevant. In our 24/7 world, the idea of resting and not working, is inconvenient, does not seem important, and is generally ignored – in reality our modern “progressive world” is really going backwards to ancient pagan times. It is the same with the Bible, after all the countless controversies, torture, and murders to suppress it, today few people - really - care about the Bible and it’s message. Mostly the words of the Bible are twisted to alter the originally intended message, because it’s message is generally considered inconvenient, the so-called progressive leadership (then and now) ideals are promoted so the idea that the “old ways” of the Bible (or YHWH’s Words) are not as important as to what “the new” enlightened modern day leadership dictates, and the Bible generally is ignored.

“…For the LORD giveth wisdom:
out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”
- Proverbs 2:1-6

The keyword in the above verse is “wisdom, knowledge, understanding”- not religion! The Bible is the textbook of spiritual warfare. The Bible is a library of books: It is a history book. It is a book of healthful living. It is a philosophy book. It is the Book of the Covenants. It is a Book of Prophecy. It is the Book of our CREATOR’S plan for humanity. The Bible illuminates YHWH's Ancient Path which is more relevant today then ever before (Jer.6:16 ESV; Pro.3:6;Ps.25:4 ).

One of my Bible pet peeves is that Christianity has taken the Bible hostage. When I register my website with Internet search engines it is usually in the Bible studies, or Bible history, which is a sub-category under Christianity. Regular readers of my work know I do not teach standard Christianity, nor is it standard Hebraic or Messianic Judaism. That is why I have a hard time with my ministry because it is mostly churches – Messianic or Christian - that hold Bible study classes with a predetermined agenda, and they do not want independent free-thinking teachers. (The spiritual – new age – groups do not care to hear me either.) In my strange way of seeing it, the Bible should be its own main category and the religions should be subcategories under it because the Bible spawns the various religions, not the other way around.

"As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him."
- 2 Samuel 22:31

It’s a good time to be a Bible believer!

Dig the Bible! When discussing the Bible, many times people will tell me that you cannot trust the Bible translations, because some translators made changes to it, either from ignorance, Hebrew prejudice, honest mistake, or for the purposes of deception. Sixty years ago that was a good argument, but today Biblical archeology has been flourishing since the nation of Israel was reborn, and nothing has been found that contradicts the Bible. Many archaeological discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls do more to prove the general integrity of the Bible, then to disprove it, and it’s causing some nervous hand ringing around the tables of the Bible critics.

Computers are also being used to dig the Bible. The Torah, or Books of Moses, have long been assumed by skeptics to be the work of multiple authors. Scripture scholar Moshe Katz, and computer expert Menachem Wiener of the Israel Institute of Technology, analyzed the Masoretic text through sophisticated computer analysis, and discovered an intricate pattern of significant words concealed in the canon, spelled by letters separated at fixed intervals. Such recent discoveries called codes in the Hebrew Bible contain coded messages are proving its Divine authorship. So don’t only just read your Bible in the shadows, but log on to my website and teach your family, friends, and critics, to see it in a renewed light. Remember the believers are the salt of the Earth, and it only takes a little bit of salt to purify.

“I am the LORD, I do not change!”
“The word of the LORD endures forever.”
- Mal 3:61; Pet 1:25

Enjoy the journey of learning:

Ø Richard Rives Biblical Christianity: Click here

Ø Biblical Archeology: http://www.homeworship101.com/links.htm - Biblical Archaeology

Ø Dead sea Scrolls Online: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219572138771&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Ø World Oldest Bible online: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/24/online.bible/index.html

Ø Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. Its heavily corrected text is of outstanding importance for the history of the Bible and the manuscript – the oldest substantial book to survive Antiquity – is of supreme importance for the history of the book.http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/

Shine on (Mat.5:16)!
Peace and blessings, Errol.
**********************************************
Errol Mueller, chronicler extraordinaire
e-mail: errol@homeworship101.com
website: www.homeworship101.com
**********************************************
WSC Newsletter 2011-11, posted 11/18/11.

Copyright © 2011 Errol Mueller. All rights reserved. Short quotations, page copying, or redistribution for personal or non-commercial group study is permitted and encouraged, provided they are copied in total with no alterations or deletions. Author’s name, website address, and copyright notice must be included. If any other use is desired, written permission is required.
For information, email or call (334) 678-0913. White Stone Communications (Rev.2:17), Dothan, AL.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Back To Index

National Bible Week - 2011

The Chrislam Movement in Many Christian Churches