OUR GOD GIVES US THE VICTORY. 1 John 5:4 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Luke 1:37 For no word from God will ever fail. 1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 3:3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. THRU GOD WE WILL OVERCOME WHAT EVER IT IS THAT IS ATTACKING US. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
General Bible Teachings But there are many other things taught in the Bible as well as this. There are lessons of patience, forbearance, honesty, virtue, truthfulness, love, charity and a thousand other graces of character in the Book of Books. Starting at the beginning we learn of the creation of the world and man. God had a great purpose in view when He made man “in His own image.” He wanted man to live in a beautiful paradise, with every thing he could wish for at his command, but at the same time He wanted man to be good. So God gave Adam, the first man, certain commands. Had man obeyed them, all would have gone well. But man disobeyed and was punished, by having “to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow,” that is, by work, and by having to show God that he was worthy of the good things God had offered by being sorry for his sin and showing that sorrow by being righteous. But man continued to be sinful and God punished him again by sending the flood. Still man was given a chance, because Noah and his family were saved to re-populate the earth. Then, after a while God chose one of Noah’s descendants, Abraham, and made a promise to him and his children and their children. This was the choosing of the Jews. Next we find God doing all that He could be expected to do in helping the Jews. He saved them from the bondage of the Egyptians and aided them in their wanderings through the wilderness toward the land of Canaan, which He told them would be their own. He gave them the Ten Commandments, the greatest and yet the simplest set of laws ever made, but still man persisted in disobeying. Through hundreds of years we follow the Jews in the Old Testament as they disobeyed God. God was very patient, but finally he set His face against the Jews and punished them. He delivered them over to their enemies and sent them into captivity, because they had sinned. Then He had pity on them again and sent to them the great prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and the others whose words we read in the Bible. They exhorted the Jews to repentance, and told them what God would do if they were good and what He would do if they were bad. But the Jews did not heed and were further punished by losing their standing as a nation and being placed under the rule of their enemies. After several hundred years of this, God gave man still another chance. This time He was more generous than ever, because He sent His Son, Jesus, to live among men and to die for them. We find the story of Jesus’ life and teachings in the New Testament. Always sinless, always good, always thinking of His Father in heaven, always mindful of His human brethren, the Son of God lived His earthly life, and perished on the cross at Calvary, giving His life as an everlasting sacrifice for the redemption of the creatures God had made so many, many ages before “in His own image.” And then after the death and resurrection of Jesus we are told of the devoted band of apostles, chosen by Jesus Himself, to go out into the world and preach His religion. He set down only two or three rules, but they were great ones. “Believe in me and ye shall have everlasting life,” “Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you,” and “Love me and keep my commandments” were the things He ordered. Never did He turn a repentant sinner away, knowing that His Father would not do so. Thus is God constantly giving men chances to save themselves, as He has done from the time He first put Adam on earth. This, then, is the basic teaching of the Bible: that man always has a chance if he will repent of his sins and obey God’s laws. I HOPE YOU ARE ABLE TO RECEIVE FROM THIS QUICK REFRESHER. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
Foundation Teachings of the Bible Every denomination that teaches Christianity, or the religion of Jesus Christ, bases itself on the Holy Bible. No system or creed calling itself Christian has been able to live without the Bible. This is because of two reasons. The first is that without it it would be impossible to tell of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, and the second reason is that no written book has ever been able to set forth the folly of being sinful and the wisdom of being good as has the Bible. From first to last it points out that sin always meets with punishment and that goodness meets with reward. This is the basis of every religion that is really a religion, and the Bible teaches it better than any other book. In the Old Testament we are told that God chose the Jews as His own people, that is, the race of men He selected to do the things that He wanted them to do and to show others what a great and mighty God He was, so that they too might believe on Him. For doing this He promised to give them certain rewards. But they, in their pride and wickedness, failed. God then withdrew His promise and punished the Jews, sending them into captivity among their enemies and taking away from them their standing as a nation. Thus was sin chastised. In the New Testament we are told of a new promise that God made. This time, instead of picking out one race of men, as He had with the Jews, He made the promise to all races. This promise was that all who would believe in His Son, who would be sent to earth to mingle with mankind and to live mankind’s life, would have everlasting life. Under God’s promise in the Old Testament, man’s sins were wiped out in the blood of animals that were offered up as sacrifices. In the New Testament and under the new promise the Son that He sent to Earth was to be the sacrifice, once and for all. Therefore, God ordained that His Son, Jesus, was to die upon the cross, thus shedding His blood, as the animals had shed theirs, for the sins of the world. All that was necessary for man, under this promise of God, was that man should believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and to follow His teachings. Thus was goodness rewarded. This, in brief, is the whole of Bible teaching. Upon it the religious faith of all Christians is based. Following it no one can go astray, since it is God’s own word laid down in His most Holy Book. WE ARE NOW BEGINNING A SERIES OF QUICK BIBLE REFRESHERS, I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Evelastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
REPENT, RETURN TO GOD Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 2 Chronicles 30:9b For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him. Zechariah 1:3b Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 2 Chronicles 30:9b For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him. Zechariah 1:3b Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
THE BIBLE TEACHES US WHAT FAITH IS, DO YOU REALLY HAVE FAITH? 1. Faith is sure-footed, for it stands on The Rock—Psa. 40:2. He pulled me out of a horrible pit, out of the mud and clay. He set my feet on a rock and made my steps secure. 2. Faith is eagle-eyed, for it looks to Christ—Heb. 12:2. We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Now he holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. 3. Faith is quick-eared, for it hears Christ’s voice—John 10:27. My sheep respond to my voice, and I know who they are. They follow me, 4. Faith is firm-holding, for it clings to Christ—Acts 11:23. When he arrived there, he was pleased to see what God had done for them out of kindness.So he encouraged all the people to remain solidly committed to the Lord. 5. Faith is heart-loyal, for it loves Christ—1 Thess. 1:8-9. From you the Lord’s word has spread out not only through the province of Macedonia and Greece but also to people everywhere who have heard about your faith in God. We don’t need to say a thing about it. They talk about how you welcomed us when we arrived. They even report how you turned away from false gods to serve the real, living God. 6. Faith is resolute-willed, for it says “I will” (Isa. 12:2). Look! God is my Savior. I am confident and unafraid, because the LORD is my strength and my song. He is my Savior.” 7. Faith is keen-sensed, for it responds to Christ—Heb. 5:14. However, solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained by practice to know the difference between good and evil. CHECK YOURSELF, DO YOU HAVE FAITH. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS QUICK REFRESHER. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
God Knows All but Waits for Confession PROVERBS 28:13-14 Whoever covers over his sins does not prosper. Whoever confesses and abandons them receives compassion. Blessed is the one who is always fearful ⸤of sin⸥, but whoever is hard-hearted falls into disaster. HEBREWS 4:13 No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for him to see. We must answer to him. Let Us Not Be Ashamed to Confess Sin PSALM 32:5 I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt. I decided to confess them to you, O LORD. Then you forgave all my sins. Selah PSALM 38:18 I confess my guilt. My sin troubles me. The Lord knows all things, but He waits for your words, not that He may punish, but that He may pardon. It is not His will that the devil should triumph over you and accuse you when you conceal your sins. Be beforehand with your accuser: if you accuse yourself, you will fear no accuser; if you report yourself, though you were dead you shall live. SOME THINK THEY ARE GETTING AWAY WITH THEIR EVIL SINFUL WAYS, BUT UNDERSTAND GOD SAW YOU WHEN YOU DID IT, AND HEARD YOU WHEN YOU SAID IT. GOD KNOWS ALL. LET US CONFESS OUR SINS UNTO GOD, AND BE RESTORED BY GOD. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch
THE BIBLE SPEAKS TO US ABOUT HAPPINESS IN THIS LIFE MATTHEW 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God’s approval. They will be satisfied. PSALM 128:1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD and live his way. PROVERBS 16:20 Whoever gives attention to the LORD’s word prospers, and blessed is the person who trusts the LORD. ISAIAH 12:2 Look! God is my Savior. I am confident and unafraid, because the LORD is my strength and my song. He is my Savior.” PROVERBS 14:2 Whoever despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is the one who is kind to humble people. PROVERBS 3:13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and the one who obtains understanding. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES
“Lay Aside Your Old Nature” Romans 7:5 While we were living under the influence of our corrupt nature, sinful passions were at work throughout our bodies. Stirred up by the laws in Moses’ Teachings, our sinful passions did things that result in death. Galatians 6:14 But it’s unthinkable that I could ever brag about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By his cross my relationship to the world and its relationship to me have been crucified. Colossians 2:20 If you have died with Christ to the world’s way of doing things, why do you let others tell you how to live? It’s as though you were still under the world’s influence. Die to the world, repudiating the madness that is in it. Live to God, and by apprehending Him lay aside your old nature. We were not created to die, but we die by our own fault. Our free will has destroyed us; we who were free have become slaves; we have been sold through sin. Nothing evil has been created by God; we ourselves have manifested wickedness; but we, who have manifested it, are able again to reject it. CHECK YOURSELF. MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES, REJECT WHAT NEED TO BE REJECTED. PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM EVERLASTING SALVATION CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRIES PayPal.me/donatetochurch Church link: Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com
