Bless You O’ Discerners of Truth,             May 20, 2012

   Just like the angel spoke to scaredy-cat Gideon, calling him a valiant warrior man, when he was threshing his wheat in hiding because he was scared of being caught by the enemy, so do I call you “Discerners of Truth”. Yes, I know I’m sarcastically implying that sometimes you have trouble discerning the truth about different doctrines whether they are true or not. Within the last several weeks I have had several old time members of BJWC that had moved out of town call me concerning whether a doctrine or an interpretation they were wondering about was the truth or not. This past week two different people blessed me for being so knowledgeable about the Bible when I was able to immediately give them the answers that they needed. I commented to one person that I could have had several different Doctors degrees in Theology by now, but I would have had to quit studying the Bible the way I wanted to and go and study the Bible the way they wanted me to in order to get that Doctor of Theology degree. (A degree and five dollars can get you a cup of coffee...some more sarcasm...Ha! Ha!, ; ). Yes, I do have a lot of knowledge about the Bible, but I recognize that I certainly don’t know it all. I’m still learning every day. But as far as having a pretty fair knowledge of most all doctrines in the Bible I’m blessed to understand them fairly well. So, people, even those that now go to other churches will still, from time to time, call me in order to get a more clear understanding of some certain topic, doctrine, cult activity, living out the Christian life, or some other aspect of the Bible. I don’t try to push what I know about the Bible down people’s throats, but I do, if they’re amendable to hearing what I have to say, then I’ll tell them what I know and have learned to be true concerning this doctrine or another. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). In the study of God’s Word there will be those times where we as Christians may disagree concerning a particular interpretation or doctrine. We are called to love one another. So, there may be those times that we have to simply agree to disagree, go our way, and love each other anyway. We definitely are not to argue about the Bible. But, really get into it and study God’s Word. Studying is where you dig deep, carefully and slowly reading the words of the text in order to grasp the full meaning of what is written. Then going back over it again and again, letting scripture interpret scripture, until all the different shades of meaning become crystal clear. Where you fully understand what was written and you are then able to explain it in an understandable way to someone else. That’s real STUDYING of the Word of God. God bless you. We love you. I love you.                                                                       Pastor Lyle, Sister Jean, and your BJWC Church Leadership