T.J.I.F.A.
THANK JESUS IT’S FRIDAY AGAIN!
PASS IT ON… & ON… & ON… & ON.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2009
HAVE A WONDERFUL, WARM, AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
READERS, WE’RE GOING ON OUR WINTER SABBATICAL, AND WE PRAY FOR YOUR BLESSED AND SAFE HOLIDAYS.
SUBJECT: ‘PRACTICE’ WE MUST STUDY TO SHOW OURSELVES APPROVED.
NOTEWORTHY: STILL HUMAN: BY OSWALD CHAMBERS.
TJIFA’S BOOK SHELF: PROFILE OF ANTI-CHRIST
REVELATION? THE KINGDOM THAT IS YET TO COME.
QUICK QUOTES: DANIEL 4:17: WHERE IS THE BASEST MAN?
MILL STONE…FORBID THEM NOT! THANKSGIVING THOUGHTS
TESTIMONY TIME: READERS IN HEAVENLY PLACES.
FRIDAY’S WORD: ‘PERSEVERANCE’
IN THE MIRROR: QUESTION: CAN YOU TRUST THE BIBLE?
O TASTE AND SEE! HONEY, BUTTERMILK, CORN MUFFINS THESE ARE LIGHT, SWEET EASY MUFFINS. A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO YOUR DINNER. ENJOY!
LOOKING FORWARD
SEE YA NEXT TIME! (FEBRUARY 2010 – THE FOURTH FRIDAY)
TER & TJIFA STAFF, GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS.
Practice
“Study to show thyself approved” (2nd Tim. 2:15).
“Wurlitzer” This brand was written in gold on the wooden keyboard cover right in the middle of the piano. “Wurlitzer.” My fingers were playing the scales
as fast as they could at the monotonous beat of the metronome…Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
I only had four more days to practice this music before I had to go to my dreaded piano lesson. “Keep your head, girl. Count. Count. Don’t look at your
hands. Look straight ahead. Count. Tick. Tock. Count. Count! Don’t be excited. That double bar is coming. The metronome is slowing down; it probably
needs a battery or more electricity. I’m on my way. I feel the end coming. Coming. It’s in sight…Whoops, just a little fingering mistake, or was it?
That metronome is really slow. Here it comes. Oh forget the ticking metronome, just finish just get to the…”
My hands were raised off the keyboard. I heard my name. “I must be dreaming. Please let this be a dream.” I opened my eyes focusing on the spot where
the Wurlitzer sign was located. It had been erased, and in its place loomed the mighty word… “STEIN WAY.”
Mrs. Gwen gently closed the top of the keyboard, and placed my still moving fingers on the lid. My head found my arms, and the hot tears flew out of my
eyes.
“Failure!”
There is nothing like the feeling of not being able to accomplish something, and feeling the hot disappointment of ineptness, as well as self hatred.
My Mother gave me 25 cents. Ten cent for the bus going and coming, and 5 cents to buy a treat after my music lesson. “I didn’t even deserve that five
cents. Failure!
The bus arrived at my final destination. Gladly I hopped off the bus, and ran home. I was so angry. What could I have done differently? I practiced
every day. Well, almost every day. I made sure the metronome was set for the right speed. Well, it was a bit faster than the music had called for, but
I could play it a bit faster so that I could go out and play before it got dark. I practiced my fingering, over and over. Well, there were some places
that I didn’t really get. Mrs. Gwen was too picky. She probably couldn’t even play that difficult music. Well, that wasn’t really true, because Mrs.
Gwen would play the piece all the way through, and her fingers, and hands flowed across the keyboard like mechanical feathers.
She would always point out the areas where I should practice little trick fingering. She would put a little dot over the area. She would then, send me
home with my music assignment, giving me all the encouragement and helps that she could render.
I felt my feet slowing down. I was almost at home. I could see the porch, and my mother waiting for my good report.
Good report? How about failure? I’ll give her five cents back to her. My Mother’s beautiful silver hair glistened in the sun. I knew she was probably
picking beans or crocheting as she waited for me to show up through the tree branches. If I was Houdini, I could disappear. What a dumb thought. Wonder
why we never have earthquakes on this street? All of a sudden a loud rumble with earth shaking accompaniment. Instinctively I began to run again. Oh,
it was just a motor cycle. I saw her when she stood up, colander in hand. She was going to have the door opened by the time I reached home.
The door flew open, no need to knock. Arms wide open, smelling like uncooked vegetables, green beans and green peppers and onions.
“Mom, here’s your five cents. I didn’t spend it. I could have done better.” Silent tears ran down my cheeks. Where do Mother’s get handkerchiefs to
blot away tears, and brush away soils? She pulled out the handkerchief, wiped my tears, and asked. “How is Mrs. Gwen?”
Mom always asked about the music teacher. I answered favorably, and truthfully began to tell on myself concerning my lesson. My Mother smiled. I noticed
that you were playing at break neck speed, and wondered if you were going to be able to slow that down. I believe that the metronome was running hot after
all of your practices.”
I thought about what she was saying. My Mother knew that, according to my practice sessions my lesson would reveal. No one was fooled by my impatient,
giddy-up and go practice sessions; because Mrs. Gwen possessed my life for 30 minutes every Saturday, and those 30 minutes were going to be spent with
her, whether they were spent playing or listening to her lecture. Now, I had to make a decision. Would I spend another week of my life playing practice
or would I ‘practice’ and ‘study’ to show myself approved.
Readers, we are all in ‘practice’ mode, waiting, watching, and working toward a goal of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Is it reasonable to think that
we can all just live any kind of a way, and eventually bring that to King Jesus?
He has gone over every measure of life with us. He even played it out in its worse scenario…The Cross. He took away the bad stuff, marked it out in His
Word, and explained to us that if we would just pick up our Cross and follow Him, we can expect excellent results. Jesus even set the metronome, so as
not to go too fast. We are the ones who speed up life to get finished faster; then when we see the end looming up before us, we want to finish any kind
of a way. Jesus, in His Omniscience, however, gently picks our mistake ridden hands up off the keyboard of life, and refers us to the ‘play book.’
DO NOT FAIL!
Giving back a few moments of our lives still won’t get us into the place where you truly desire to go. Just like giving back the five cents, I’m sure
that my Mother would rather have seen a gold, silver or even a blue star on my music.
Readers, don’t shut off the metronome, don’t be consumed with playing the world’s games and neglect so Great Salvation.
You can do it, if you just PRACTICE.
LOOKING FORWARD
SEE YA NEXT TIME! (February 2010)
TER
NOTEWORTHY:
Still Human!
“… whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
In the Scriptures, the great miracle of the incarnation slips into the ordinary life of a child; the great miracle of the transfiguration fades into the
demon-possessed valley below; the glory of the resurrection descends into a breakfast on the seashore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation
of God.
We have a tendency to look for wonder in our experience, and we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly,
yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If
we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!” or, “What a great woman of
devotion she is!”
If you are properly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice you personally. All that is noticed is
the power of God coming through you all the time.
We want to be able to say, “Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!” But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the Almighty God
Incarnate working in us. To be utterly unnoticeable requires God’s Spirit in us making us absolutely humanly His. The true test of a saint’s life is not
successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display
the glory of God in human life, to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” in our everyday human conditions (Colossians 3:3). Our human relationships are
the very conditions in which the ideal life of God should be exhibited.
From: “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers
TJIFA’S BOOK SHELF: DANIEL 11:37; THE ANTI-CHRIST
THE HOLY BIBLE.
Readers, we are preparing for our Winter Sabbatical. This hibernation is good for all, for it causes us to look back and evaluate messages, their content,
and what could have been said or left out. It also allows for great growth and introspection time with Our Lord. We encourage you to take this time and
value it with your families, and loved ones. Time is a precious commodity that, once spent can never be regained. That is why this time of year, fraught
with Christianity’s sacred observances; TJIFA slams our brakes to the floor board, and shuts down our presses, removing any inference that TJIFA should
be a prominent distraction during this period. A Sabbatical, however, doesn’t mean that you have permission to place your Sword in its sheath, on the
shelf to collect dust; but quite the contrary, keep it sharpened, polished, and ready for the battle.
The Bible Bus with Dr. J. Vernon McGee will continue to roll on your local radio program. We will depart this week, in the last two chapters of The Book
of Daniel, and when we return we’ll probably have completed Hebrews, and come back to the Old Testament.
Daniel Chapter eleven gives a good profile of the Anti-Christ; here are just a few of those characteristics:
.Anti-Christ is self willed. Jesus came to do the Will of His Father…GOD.
.He exalts himself. (This exaltation is against GOD.)
.Anti-Christ will come in his own name. Jesus came in the Name of His Father; but it is written that we would not receive Jesus Christ, but the one who
comes in his own name (Anti-Christ).
.He has an absolute lack of humility. He possesses pride and egotism which was, in the beginning the undoing of Satan.
.He is the typical representative of that which is against GOD; that which was our old nature.
.He represents humanism, the carnal mind, and many will turn to him, instead of GOD.
.He will not regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god, for he shall magnify himself above all.
.The Anti-Christ rejects everything about Jesus Christ.
.He also opposes all religions, except himself.
.Anti-Christ promotes one religion in which he is worship worldwide.
.His total ambition is self adulation.
.He will control the market place, and no one will be able to buy or sell without his knowledge or permission.
.He will enforce Satan worship, and he will wear multiple crowns, representing the various kingdoms of the world.
.He will be the first World Dictator.
.He will rule over multitudes and dispose of their properties as he pleases.
.His aim will be to rule from the Throne in Jerusalem; but just as he thinks his ambition will be finalized…Jesus meets him, and…THE FINAL COUNT DOWN!
We are told again and again that only the coming of Christ will save any on the Earth, because evil has taken over and only Christ can and does deliver.
At that time Christ comes and establishes His Kingdom
From: “Through the Bible” Commentary and Teaching on the Book of Daniel. By Dr. J. Vernon McGee
Readers don’t linger around doing nothing as you wait for Jesus to return. Some have said that they think He is coming soon…but their actions speak “No
rush.” Be in a hurry. Anticipate His soon, and quick arrival. He may come while we’re on Sabbatical, morning noon or night…Be Ready! Tidy up your house.
Keep an extra place setting on the table so it can remind you that you have an expected visitor coming but the time of arrival is unknown. Read His Word,
so that you will know His Language, so that when He starts a sentence you will know what the end is going to be. Be sure that you have no deadly substances
in your house; like unforgiving thoughts, harsh words, angry actions, deadly looks, ugly photographs, bad wine instead of water. If He wants wine He will
turn your tap water into something drinkable. Check your oil can and trim your lamps.
THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH!
SEE YA IN FEBRUARY 2010
TER
REVELATION? ‘THE KINGDOM THAT IS YET TO COME’
The Spiritual Blessings of the Millennium: Peace.
The Millennium is going to be the first time that there will be world peace on this earth. That is when the Prince of Peace rules this Earth.
Isaiah 2:4 (KJV)
4”And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
Holiness
In the Millennium, Holiness will rule. We’re not going to see True Holiness until Jesus Christ rules.
Isaiah 4:3 (KJV)
3”And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among
the living in Jerusalem:”
Isaiah 4:4 (KJV)
“4When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit
of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.”
Joy.
Today there is sorrow and heartbreak in the world. Joy does not characterize this world. Not until Jesus comes will Joy characterize the world; and then
everyone will have Joy in their hearts.
Isaiah 12:3 (KJV)
3”Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
Isaiah 12:4 (KJV)
4”And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.”
Isaiah 12:5 (KJV)
5”Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.”
Isaiah 12:6 (KJV)
6”Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”
Comfort.
In the coming Kingdom, is a time when GOD will comfort, especially His people Israel.
Isaiah 12:1 (KJV)
1”And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.”
Isaiah 12:2 (KJV)
2”Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.”
Full Knowledge.
Today, we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face.
Isaiah 11:1 (KJV)
1”And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:”
Isaiah 11:2 (KJV)
2”And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the LORD;”
Time of Teaching and Learning.
In that day there will be a great deal of knowledge and also instruction.
NOTE: (We won’t have to wonder if the Teacher is biased toward wrong. I believe that the instruction will be pure and easy to grasp. TER) In that day,
there will be a great hunger and thirst for GOD, and to want to know about Him.
Isaiah 2:2 (KJV)
2”And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted
above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.”
Isaiah 2:3 (KJV)
3”And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his
ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
Jerusalem shall be the Capital of this Earth.
(See Isaiah 2:2-3; above.)
The One who establishes the Kingdom is never the Church, never an Organization, never a Movement, and the World will not grow into this; but He is the
Only One, The Messiah, who is to come. He is the Stem of Jessie.
Fullness of the Spirit.
The Seven Fold Spirit, the Fullness of the Spirit, was upon Him. GOD gave Him the Spirit, not by measure. 1.The Spirit of Wisdom, 2. The Spirit of Understanding,
3. The Spirit of Counsel, 4. The Spirit of Might, 5. The Spirit of Knowledge, 6. The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, 7. And shall make Him of Quick Understanding
of The Fear of the Lord.
Special Features and Physical Facts:
He shall make Him of quick understanding in the Fear of the Lord. The IQ of the people of the Kingdom will be lifted. (There will be no Feeble Minded.)

The Poor will be judged in Righteousness. They have never had a Righteous Judgment. He will reprove with equity The Meek of the Earth. (“Blessed are
the Meek: for they shall inherit the Earth.” Matthew 5:5.)
He shall smite the Earth with the Rod of His Mouth.
With the Breath of His Lips will He slay the wicked. (He will make no Treaty with the wicked.)
Righteousness shall be the girdle of His Loins; and Faithfulness the girdle of His Reins. (See the rest of Isaiah 11:6-16, for some of the Physical Characteristics
of the Millennium.)
Right now, the following things are out of place:
Israel must be back in the Land.
.The Devil is in the wrong place: now he goes to and fro in this earth seeking whom he may devour; he has to be in the bottomless pit.
.Christ is out of place today: He’s at GOD’S Right Hand; He’ll be on the Throne of David reigning on this Earth in the Millennium.
.The Church is out of place today: It is to be with Him, in the New Jerusalem.
.Again Israel is out of place today: it is scattered throughout the world; and Israel must be back in the land. There will be no Millennium, as long as
Israel is not in the Land and everything gets into the place in which GOD has ordained.
Read the physical characteristics of the Millennium in Isaiah 35.
Readers,
Apology for the length of this article is not forthcoming. The New Jerusalem; The Millennium, our departure, and our New Life with Him, is the carrot
that keeps us moving in the right direction…
LOOKING FORWARD!
TER
QUICK QUOTES:
Daniel 4:16 (KJV)
16”Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
Daniel 4:17 (KJV)
17This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”
MILL STONE…FORBID THEM NOT! ‘THOUGHTS OF THANKSGIVING’
Our Father, we are so grateful for this Thanksgiving Day. Many have gone on ahead of us; but You have seen fit to allow us to celebrate our gratitude
to You for Your Grace and Mercy. Is there no other word except ‘Thank--You?’ Well then, “Thank-You. Thank-You. Thank-You.”
Thank-You for every one of our children. Those who have our blood running in their veins, and those that You have supernaturally given us, making our
family on this side of Heaven extraordinary– and oh so beautiful. Lord, I pray for those who have no family or loved ones at this time of year, that
someone will allow those who are alone to be comforted at their tables. I pray that the Spirit of ‘Thanksgiving’ will permeate the very atmosphere of
the world, and that many will come to know the Saving Power of Your precious Son, Jesus Christ.
In Jesus’ Name I pray that the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Strength, and My Redeemer. AMEN.

A Child’s response to the question, “Why do you like Thanksgiving?”
“I like the special prayer when everyone gathers around the table, holds hands and tells what they are Thankful for.
I like the fact that you can eat as much as you like on Thanksgiving Day.
I like the cranberry sauce.
It reminds me of Heaven, but I believe that in Heaven, when you cut the turkey, a new slice will grow back in its place.
I like the marshmallows. You only get them after Mommy finishes the turkey.
I like the turkey and rice. That’s really good.
Everything is good at Thanksgiving time.”
May GOD Richly Bless Your Thanksgiving Celebration. TER
TESTIMONY TIME: TJIFA READERS SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES
“FAREWELL TO TJIFA READERS SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES”
There are Saints in Heavenly places,
On Earth, we’ve never seen their faces,
But in Reward, we’ll know their tale,
All were recipients of TJIFA mail.
They looked forward to Friday’s gone by,
When letters made them laugh and cry.
Some were sad and some were fun,
TJIFA can be read on the run.
These letters made the Readers long,
For this Place full of Heavenly Song,
Where tears are all wiped away,
And Jesus is the Light of endless day.
Savory topics on Creation and New Birth,
Heaven, Hell, and the New Earth,
Calling on GOD in divers circumstances,
Learning new walks, and Holy Dances.
Always keeping Him foremost,
Our Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost.
And now TJIFA must bear,
Being alone, in the Reading Chair,
And not being placed in purses, pockets, pillows, and BOOKS,
Riding cars, busses, planes, and trains, getting strange looks,

Hearing familiar words played like a song…
Pass it on, &on, & on, &on!
And to them TJIFA will not again roam,
Subscription’s been cancelled to their Earthly home.
TJIFA feels they’ll always be nigh,
Looking forward from Reading Chairs in the sky,
TJIFA’S farewell will not be in the sign,
“Readers, We’ll See Ya… Next Time!”
TER

TJIFA bids farewell to our Precious Readers who have gone ahead off to their Heavenly Homes. The following is a quick synopsis of what we briefly knew
about our Readers.
Carolyn S. 1-09; She was an avid reader of Christian material, was beginning to memorize key passages in the Bible, and loved every aspect of the Newsletter.

Moreland A. 5-09; Was legally blind in her last days; but continued in a beautiful Prayer life; loved the songs of the Baptist Hymnal.
Mr. Roberts 4-09; Prayed for strangers in the Market Place, on purpose. His later years Mission was to pray for anyone in the Market Place. He loved
the TJIFA Recipes. Claimed that he cooked every one of them. (His daughter, however, said that she cooked them, and he thoroughly enjoyed them.)
Jerusha 4-09; This ninety plus year old Reader allowed us to use her beautiful name for one of our Characters in BFF, and she was thrilled with the resultant
episodes.
Chief John F. 11-09; A Naval Officer, Uncle to TER, stock piled TJIFA, and then read them in his leisure, enjoyed the antics of Frederick in BFF; and said
he loved the story telling attitude of TJIFA. Salute Unc.
When you know that they are well read,
Tuck them in and go to bed… Good Night Readers.
TER
FRIDAY’S WORD:
PERSEVERANCE Maintaining Christian faith through the trying times of life. As a noun the term perseverance occurs in the New Testament only at Ephesians
6:18 (proskarteresei) and Hebrews 12:1 (hupomones). The idea is inherent throughout the New Testament in the great interplay of the themes of assurance
and warning.
The background setting for the idea of perseverance blossomed out of the context of persecution and temptation. The believer was expected faithfully to
endure and to remain steadfast in the face of opposition, attack, and discouragement. The New Testament writers were forthright in advising believers to
be consistent in prayer (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6), and they employed athletic imagery to remind Christians to be effectual as they trained in the ways of
God (1 Cor. 9:24-27; Rom. 12:11-12; Heb. 12:1-12). Israel’s failure of faithfulness in the Exodus was also a haunting picture for Christians, and the inspired
New Testament writers found it to be an important basis for warning (see 1 Cor. 10:1-14; Heb. 3:7-19). They were committed to making absolutely clear that
the requirements of Christian living were recognized as an essential element of Christian believing. Authentic life and true belief are both necessary
parts of being a Christian.
While the warnings are very stern, especially in Hebrews (2:3; 6:1-8; 10:26-31), the New Testament writers were firmly convinced that those who truly committed
themselves to Christ should persevere to the end because they had gained a new perspective and become a people who would not treat lightly the biblical
admonitions (compare Heb. 6:9-12; 10:39). They believed Christians would finish the race because Christians would focus their attention on Jesus, the lead
runner and model finisher of their faith (Heb. 2:10; 12:1-2).
In the early church Christians wrestled with the problem of the renouncers during and after periods of persecution.
Christians found in the model of Peter’s restoration (John 21) an important clue. Restoration for Peter was possible, but restoration still meant his death.
Restoration for Christians, therefore, could be possible, but it demanded absolute seriousness for defectors. They would be expected to persevere thereafter
even in the face of death. As time passed, however, baptism became regarded by some Christians as a bath which would provide cleansing from all types of
sin, including renunciation. Some would thus delay baptism almost to the time of death to guarantee that all sins in life would be expunged. The need was
seen by these Christians for a final rite to care for such post-baptismal, unconfessed sins. Others found such views of baptism and extreme unction to
be foreign to New Testament perspectives.
But the perseverance of the saints is one of the great theological ideas that needs to be reaffirmed in this era. It is the human side of the salvation
equation, and it deals with faithfulness of Christians in matters of God’s will (Jas. 1:25). It encompasses the taking seriously of human weakness, without
denying the mysterious nature of God’s patience with His people. It permits of judgment concerning the way people live in this world, but it does not exclude
God’s abundant graciousness.
Persevering Christians take prayer seriously as a reflection of life. They recognize the way of love and forgiveness because they understand the nature
of human weakness and divine help. They know they have experienced grace beyond their human capacities. Persevering Christians recognize that the warnings
of the Bible are meant for them to obey and that Christ gave His life to transform their lives. Perseverance is thus a call to faithfulness, but it is
also an affirmation that somehow, in spite of our failures, God will bring His committed people through the difficulties and concerns of life to their
promised destiny in Christ.
Gerald L. Borchert
From: “Holman’s Bible Dictionary”
IN THE MIRROR: The following two paragraphs came from a book titled, “Can I Trust the Bible?”
Previously published as, Explaining Inerrancy: A Commentary (1980) by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and as Explaining Inerrancy (1996)
by Ligonier Ministries.
Published by Reformation Trust, a division of Ligonier Ministries; 400 Technology Park; Lake Mary, FL 32746
www.Ligonier.org
or
www.ReformationTrust.com

Inerrancy and Authority
“In our affirmation of the authority of Scripture as involving its total truth, we are consciously standing with Christ and His apostles, indeed with the
whole Bible and with the mainstream of church history from the first days until very recently. We are concerned at the casual, inadvertent, and seemingly
thoughtless way in which a belief of such far-reaching importance has been given up by so many in our day.
We are conscious, too, that great and grave confusion results from ceasing to maintain the total truth of the Bible whose authority one professes to acknowledge.
The result of taking this step is that the Bible that GOD gave loses its authority, and what has authority, instead is a Bible reduced in content according
to the demands of one’s critical reasonings and in principle reducible still further once one has started. This means that at bottom, independent reason
now has authority, as opposed to scriptural teaching. If this is not seen and if for the time being basic evangelical doctrines are still held, persons
denying the full truth of Scripture may claim an evangelical identity while methodologically they have moved away from the evangelical principle of knowledge
to an unstable subjectivity, and will find it hard not to move farther.
We affirm that what Scripture says, God says. May He be glorified. Amen and Amen.”

I find myself in a very familiar place once again where my desire is to share that one vital piece of information, or pass along that one thought or idea
that will surely take that Reader over the edge where any doubt or unbelief in the Person of Jesus Christ, or the Bible will be gone forever. When I ordered
this small ‘easy to read’ book, I didn’t imagine that before I could get half-way through its contents I would find myself (and its happened a number of
times) thinking, “If people only had this understanding of the Bible, oh how much it would change the way they see God forever.”

The small paragraphs that were quoted to you is nothing compared to the comprehensive way in which this book is formatted. We can help ourselves by the
realization that when we read and study the Bible, we still end up more than likely short of what scripture is saying to us, without the type of materials
that are offered to us such as, “Can I Trust the Bible?”

In an effort to encourage you, I hope to remind you of some very clear and simple facts about seeing how the Bible should never be underestimated. (1) The
Bible is the Word of God because it originated out of the Mouth of God. (2) It’s ‘inerrant’ not because there are no grammatical mistakes, but because
there are no ‘mistakes’ in God’s intended purpose for giving us His Word. (3) When reading and studying the Bible, “The main things are the plain things,
and the plain things are the main things.” That which you find repeated in scripture, is that which you will find most reliable when you need clear understanding.
(i.e. God’s Love; God’s Forgiveness; Redemption; the life and purpose of why Jesus had to come, etc. . . .) God allows it to be your choice as to whether
you live by obedience, or disobedience because in both instances you will experience the results in life, and in death.

“Suppose I can’t, or don’t chose to buy every book that comes out on the market?”
You’re still in a ‘win-win’ situation. If you possess a Bible at all, the work of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for you to understand the essentials
of the Christian life, and the confidence of the Believer. I’m still in favor of, “The Bible is the best interpreter of the Bible,” but when you learn
that people like those of “The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy” would come together and make available ‘Nineteen Articles of Affirmation and
Denial,’ you just find it irresistible not to read about their findings, and grow that much stronger in our love and affection for Jesus Christ. Can you
trust the Bible? I say, “We can!!!” God Bless, SLC

O TASTE AND SEE!

HONEY, BUTTERMILK, AND CORN MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
¾ CUP CORN MEAL
1 ½ TSP. BAKING POWDER
1 TSP. KOSHER SALT
½ TSP. BAKING SODA
2 LARGE EGGS
1 CUP BUTTERMILK
1/3 CUP HONEY
4 TBLSP. UNSALTED BUTTER MELTED

DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES F. COAT 12 CUP MUFFINS TIN WITH COOKING SPRAY.
WHISK TOG. ALL DRY INGREDIENTS IN MEDIUM BOWL.
IN LARGE BOWL WHISK TOGETHER THE EGGS, BUTTERMILK, HONEY AND MELTED BUTTER.
ADD FLOUR MIXTURE AND STIR TO COMBINE.
DIVIDE BATTER AMONG THE MUFFIN CUPS.
BAKE UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN, OR UNTIL TOOTHPICK INSERTED INTO CENTER COMES OUT CLEAN.
APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 35 MINUTES.
THIS IS A PLEASANT ADDITION TO YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER.
ENJOY! TER

FROM: 2009 ISSUE OF “REAL SIMPLE”