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2 Peter 1:12


March 2000

Dear Readers,

“Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:2) We are happy to announce that we now have Present Truth available on the Internet at http://www.present-truth.net. You can read every back issue of Present Truth online. In addition you can download each issue in PDF format which enables you to print it on your printer and it will look just like the original. We also have several other tracts and booklets available online. Beginning next month we will be including a special feature entitled “Questions and Answers” in which we will use the Bible to try to answer questions you send us. When you send your questions please take heed to Paul’s counsel in 2 Timothy 2:23. We pray this new feature will be a blessing to you.

Don’t Trust in A Guide

by Lynnford Beachy

The Lord has instructed us through the prophet Micah that we should never trust in a guide. “Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.” (Micah 7:5) The prophet Isaiah tells us one reason that we are not to trust in guides. He writes, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.” (Isaiah 9:16) Historically, many leaders have led God’s people in the wrong direction causing them to go astray. Jesus describes the tragic result of following blind leaders. He says, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And (Matthew 15:14) God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that we would not have to perish! He has given us His word to study to guard us against falling into error.

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” (Psalm 118:8) If we trust in a man to tell us what the Bible says, and means, then we will learn the hard way that it is far better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in men.

“Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” (Proverbs 25:19) Please, put not your trust in man, in whom there is no help. “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.” (Psalm 146:3)

If we are just accepting everything the pastor tells us without checking it out in the Bible for ourselves to see if it is true, then we are blindly following a guide. Often the guide we are following is blindly following what someone else has told him. The terrible result of following someone like this is that both the leader and the followers will fall into the ditch and ultimately be destroyed. God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,…” (Hosea 4:6) Be sure not to reject knowledge.

Possibly you have been blindly following what someone else has told you. God’s Word tells us that He will personally lead each one of us: “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16)

How Can We Keep From Being Led Astray by False Teachers?

God has instructed us that we are to test the teachings of prophets or teachers by the Word of God: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isaiah 8:20) If what the preacher is telling us does not agree with what the Bible says, then it is proof that what he is saying is not the truth.

The Bereans have given us a good example to follow in studying the Bible. “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.” (Acts 17:10-12)

The example of the Bereans teaches us that we should not accept what the preacher is saying simply because he has studied for a long time and probably knows the truth. Paul certainly had a good grasp on the truth, yet the Bereans did not accept what he was saying without first checking it out for themselves. Satan will have little chance of getting us to doubt the foundation of our faith if it comes from a “thus saith the Lord” instead of from man.

We have been instructed to study for ourselves, examining thoroughly each Bible verse that relates to the subject in question. God’s counsel is: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

The Lord commanded what should be written, and His Spirit filled the Bible writers as they wrote the truth. “Seek ye out of the book of the (Isaiah 34:16)

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” or “God breathed,” as Jay P. Green’s Greek Interlinear Bible puts it. We have no need to doubt that the Word of God was inspired by Him.

“What is truth?”

Pilate asked Jesus one of the most probing and important questions when he asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) What a pity that Pilate did not give Jesus an opportunity to reply. Jesus gave His disciples the answer as found in John 17:17: “Sanctify them through thy truth: The word of God is truth, and if we want to know the truth we must diligently study the Bible!

Paul wrote these words to Timothy, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13-15)

Paul told Timothy to continue in the things which he had learned. Was Paul telling Timothy to continue in the things which he had learned from Paul? No! Paul goes on to tell Timothy that he had been assured of what he learned, knowing Whom he had learned them from. Timothy could be confident that what he had learned was true because he learned it directly from God through His Word. Paul continued to explain that Timothy had known the holy Scriptures since he was a child. The things that Timothy had learned, which he could be certain were true, he learned by diligent study of the Bible. “God is no respecter of persons.” (Acts 10:34) Timothy learned them and so can you!

If Timothy had learned what he knew about the Bible from Paul only, then Timothy could not have been completely sure that what he had learned was true. Since Timothy studied the Bible for himself to see if what Paul was teaching was the truth, he could be confident that he had learned the truth. Whenever we blindly accept what a preacher is saying as truth, without studying the Bible for ourselves to see if it is true, then our faith is grounded in a man instead of God. Surely you can see how unstable this kind of faith would be. Sadly enough, many people ground their belief in no higher authority than in the man standing behind the pulpit. Let us always study diligently for ourselves to see what is truth, by comparing what the preacher is teaching with the Bible.

Diligently Study the Bible

When we study the Bible to find out what is truth, we must examine every verse that pertains to the subject in question. If we only look at a small percentage of the verses dealing with a particular subject, we will have a distorted view of what the truth of that subject is. When only a few pieces of a jigsaw picture puzzle are viewed, the picture is distorted. However, when all the pieces are used and put in their proper position, the picture becomes clear.

Suppose you wanted to know which day the Sabbath is. In your study you read, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” (Revelation 1:10) Maybe somebody had told you that the Lord’s day was Sunday, the first day of the week, because Jesus was raised from the dead on that day. So you read this in Luke 24:1-3 “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.” Then to get you to believe that the Sabbath is the first day of the week, someone may tell you about Paul meeting with people on that day. So you read this in Acts 20:7, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” From these few verses you may conclude that the Sabbath is Sunday, the first day of the week.

If we accept these few verses concerning this subject without examining all the rest of the verses talking about the Sabbath, we could walk away with a misunderstanding of what God requires of us. We must also read Exodus 20:8-11: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the

We can see from these verses that the Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. As we continue reading the rest of the verses concerning the Sabbath, the picture becomes even clearer.

As you can see, if we just look at few verses concerning a particular subject, we could believe just about anything and think that it is taught in the Bible. Some people say, “You can prove anything you want from the Bible.” That is one of the most repulsive statements I have ever heard. The only way someone could prove anything he wants to from the Bible is if the one he is proving it to does not diligently study the Bible for themselves to see if what that person is saying is true. The one thing that person is proving is that he or she does not “know …the scriptures, neither the power of God.” (Mark 12:24)

No matter what has been told to you, it must have it’s foundation firmly planted in the Word of God, in your own experience, to be able to withstand scrutiny. If you cannot find plain proof, in the Scriptures, for what you believe, then it is evident that you should not believe it. No matter what source you got it from, whether from books or other written literature, or by word of mouth, you must base your beliefs in the Word of God, and not in the sayings of men.

If we just accept whatever someone tells us, we will be carried about with every wind of doctrine, never coming unto the knowledge of the truth. Paul exhorts us to keep from doing this: “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” (Ephesians 4:14)

Conclusion

I pray that we would all continue to study, and not let another man’s interpretation of the Scriptures become what our faith is built upon. We must weigh each doctrine upon the sure scales of the Scriptures, so that we will not be led astray.

  • Don’t allow anyone to tell you what the truth is without studying the Bible for yourself.
  • When you study the Bible, you must examine thoroughly each Bible verse that pertains to that subject.
  • Hold the preacher accountable for what he is teaching. If in your Bible study you find that what the preacher says is not the truth, then you must let him know.

May the Lord bless you as you study His Word to find out the truth for yourself. ?


You Are What You Think

by Lynnford Beachy

Do the thoughts you choose to dwell upon have an affect upon you? If so, what kind of an affect do they have? Do the thoughts you choose to dwell upon change your character or personality?

You have heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” More accurately, it could be said that you are what your body assimilates, or what enters your blood stream. Not everything you eat is assimilated by the body; part of it is expelled as waste.

Your mind works in a similar way, and, in fact, the Bible refers to the mind as “belly” several times. Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39)

Many thoughts enter your mind, but only those you choose to think upon, and dwell upon, will become a part of you. Those thoughts you choose not to dwell upon are expelled and do not become a part of you; much like your digestive system.

The thoughts you choose to dwell upon will make up who you are. You are what you think. Do not confuse this with, “You are what you think you are.” That is not what I mean. Your character and personality is made up of the thoughts that you chose to dwell upon throughout your life.

The wise man once said, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” (Proverbs 23:7) Your whole character, or personality, was made up, day by day, by the things that you chose to think about, and dwell upon. The thoughts that you choose to dwell upon have an affect upon you, and change your character and personality.

John instructed us to dwell upon God’s love. (See 1 John 3:1) Paul counseled us to dwell upon pure thoughts. (See Philippians 4:8) If every impure or vain thought that ever entered your mind had been immediately dealt with, or not allowed to take root and become a part of you, then you would have never sinned. Christ never allowed an impure or vain thought to dwell in His mind, and therefore He never sinned; not even in thought.

Christ was presented with impure thoughts throughout His life on earth, yet not one of those thoughts were allowed to linger and become a part of Him. An example of this is given in the book of Matthew.

The Temptations of Christ

Shortly after Christ’s baptism He went into the wilderness, “Then the devil taketh Him [Christ] up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” (Matthew 4:5-7)

When Christ was confronted by this evil suggestion, His immediate response was, “It is written.” Christ wasted no time in dealing with this unholy influence. He did not wait and think about it to determine whether it would give Him some satisfaction. As soon as this suggestion was recognized as an unholy influence, or a vain thought, Christ immediately combated it with God’s Word.

Christ knew that He would be presumptuous to expect His Father to save Him after He had done something like throwing Himself off of a wall. This is why He said, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Christ was not immune from temptation for the Bible says, “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) Christ was tempted like as we are, yet without sin. What does it mean to be tempted like as we are?

A Biblical Definition of Temptation

James wrote, “every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:14,15) We are tempted when we are drawn away of our own lust and enticed. This enticement is done in the mind. When we allow that enticement to take root in our minds, then we have sinned; even before any outward manifestation has occurred.

Christ felt these enticements like as we do yet He never, even in thought, allowed these enticements to determine, for evil, His next thoughts or actions. Truly, Christ was without sin even though He has suffered being tempted.

Jesus expounded on God’s law, explaining that God’s law is broader than the restrictions of an outward act of sin. He said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27, 28)

Sin begins in the mind and, if we hope to overcome sin, we must begin in the mind. Solomon wrote, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) We are admonished to diligently guard what we think, because out of our mind (or heart) comes the issues of our lives.

Jesus said, “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” (Mark 7:20-23)

Guard Against Evil Entering Your Mind

Whatever we put into our minds will come out. If we are putting evil thoughts into it, then evil thoughts will proceed out of it. Moses gave us good instruction when he said, “take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.” (Deuteronomy 4:9)

Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:35-37)

Before your mouth ever speaks it, your mind thinks it. Every idle thought that we choose to dwell upon, we will give an account thereof in the day of judgment.

God holds us accountable for the thoughts of our heart, and we are required to repent for vain and unholy thoughts. Peter said, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” (Acts 8:22)

The reason God gave for the destruction of men by the flood was that the thoughts of their hearts were evil continually. It is written, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

Evil thoughts have been a problem since the time of Adam and Eve, and certainly are no less a problem today. Jesus beheld some scribes of His day and “knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” (Matthew 9:4) Why do you choose to think evil in your hearts? You do have a choice.

Forsake Evil Thoughts

David wrote, “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” (Psalm 119:113) God hates vain or unprofitable thoughts. He said, “wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?” (Jeremiah 4:14) How long shall your vain thoughts lodge, or remain, within you?

Isaiah wrote, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6, 7) God pleads with us to forsake our ungodly thoughts of sin and turn to Him for mercy and forgiveness.

Isaiah recorded what could be applied to many in our day when he wrote, “their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.” (Isaiah 59:7)

Clean the Inside of the Cup

Jesus said, “Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” (Matthew 23:26-28)

Many of us are in need of a change in our lives. We need a deeper consecration to God. We need to submit our lives more fully to God than we ever have before. This will not be accomplished by making the outside of our lives appear clean. We cannot be truly clean unless the inside of our lives is clean. A man may appear to be the most upright man alive and yet be filled inside with evil thoughts. This man is not truly clean. Jesus said if we first clean the inside of the cup, the outside will become clean as well. If we first seek for a change of heart in the inward man, the outward will naturally become clean also.

This change of heart cannot come by striving in our own strength to obey a list of regulations. This will never work, for we would be striving to clean the outside of the cup while the inside is still filthy. The change must come from within, which can only be accomplished by the transforming power of the love of God, and the abiding presence of Christ and His Father. (See John 14:23)

James wrote, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:7, 8)

We are entreated to cleanse first the inside of the cup, or our minds, so that the outside may be clean also. Jesus said, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3)

Dwell on God’s Word

It is the words from God that cleanse us inwardly. If we expect to forsake our own vain thoughts, we must fill our minds with pure thoughts, inspired by God. God’s Word will so mold us and shape us that we will be fit subjects for the kingdom of God.

The thoughts that we choose to dwell upon, whether pure or unholy and vain, will alter and change our character. Diligently watch and guard what you allow your mind to think about and dwell upon, because those thoughts will change you, and you will become what you behold or think about.

This truth was expressed by Paul when he wrote, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) What we behold, or dwell upon, is what we will become changed into.

Paul gave us good instruction as to what we should dwell upon when he wrote, “the love of Christ constraineth us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14) The Greek word that was translated “constraineth” means “to compel, to preoccupy.” (Strong’s Greek Lexicon) Let the love of Christ so rivet the attention that it will be your preoccupation throughout every day of your lives, to the end that you will have that same kind of love.

May God continually make us aware when a vain thought threatens to crowd our mind so that we can choose, at that point, to call upon God for help in casting that thought out of our mind with “it is written.” God’s Word will act as an elevating influence to draw the attention from idle thinking. Isaiah wrote, “thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21) ?


@   Letters from our Readers /

We appreciate and encourage your comments and suggestions. The following are a few letters that we have received from the readers of Present Truth and some of our other literature.

“I would ask if you might make one edition of your periodical nothing but letters from readers. I think it would be of great interest to see your answers to their queries as well as the regular thanks for your scriptural articles. Might you try to do this? I often wonder if my letters and others enter into a big black hole. I would like to see what others are saying and thinking about your articles. Well, it is just a suggestion.”    Marylandmail

(I really appreciate your suggestion. I think it is an excellent idea to include letters from our readers. I don’t believe we can devote a whole issue to it, but here is a large section.    Editor)

“I wanted to thank you for the letters that I have received the past year. I know if it wasn’t for a friend that had these sent to me I wouldn’t have the blessings that I get from reading them all… The last letter about Creation or Evolution was very interesting… Here’s a check for helping to get the letters out to people.”    Ohio

“If you have any other books, papers, tapes, videos, please send them to me. I love reading your material. I will try to send you a donation to help you spread the Gospel.”     North Carolina

“Please send Present Truth.”    West Virginia

“Please put my name on your mailing list to receive Present Truth. If you have back issues concerning the Holy Spirit would you please send them to me.”    North Carolina

“I would like to copy and pass around your August 1999 issue of Present Truth called ‘A Time to Choose.’ …I love Present Truth.”
    “PS How do you explain that Jesus was not a created being, yet came after the Father and is God’s literal Son?”
        Tennessee

(That is an excellent question and one which we will address next month in the new “Questions and Answers” feature of Present Truth as mentioned in the greeting of this newsletter on page 1.    Editor)

“This is my request to cancel Present Truth. It is well done and I appreciate your preparation and mailing but we get so much mail at our place all it does is stack up. Thank you for this courtesy.”    Arizona

“Thank you very much for your prayer and concern on me. I have learned about our God a lot from the brochure the Present Truth you edit. We used to share the messages in the brochure among Chinese Christian Fellowship in ______, and discuss some of them with the elder here in ______. I am so sorry not to tell you the change of my mailing address, actually the place did not change. I would be very happy to receive it again. Thank you. If I can continue to receive it, I would be very happy.”    Kansas

(We certainly appreciate it if you send us your new address if you move. Thank you!    Editor)

“I have been enjoying your Present Truths.  They sure are a blessing and insight for my walk with the Lord. I recently saw two studies offered that I’m interested in and wondered if you could make them available to me. They are: ‘The reward of the wicked,’ and ‘What the Bible says about hell.’ May God bless you in the work He has set before you! Thank you again!”
        North Dakota

(We have recently printed several small tracts containing studies that were printed in back issues of Present Truth. These tracts include: “The Love of God,” “God’s Plan to Save You,” “What the Bible Says About Hell,” “The Reward of the Wicked,” “The Truth About God,” The Importance of Knowing the Truth About God,” and “The Holy Spirit,” If you would like copies of any of these tracts please contact us. They will be sent to you for a requested donation of $5 for 100 tracts. Any amount of tracts is available.    Editor)

“Please send 2 copies of America in Prophecy. Also a book on last day events. Thank you.”    Indiana

“Please send a free copy of America in Prophecy.”
        Iowa

“We appreciate the dedication and hard work that goes into the preparation of these periodicals. My husband and I wish you many blessings this coming year as you continue to work for Him.”    North Carolina

“Please send me a copy of the book Steps to Christ. I really enjoy reading Present Truth. I just want to thank you for the wonderful issues of Present Truth.”    Missouri

“We continue to appreciate receiving Present Truth and may this new year bring added success and blessing in sharing the good news of God’s Word. We share our papers with others.”    Tennessee

“I’ve read your leaflet titled ‘100 Bible Facts on the Sabbath’ and I’m glad to know that there are others who believe that the Sabbath is still holy and that no man has been given the right to change any law or commandment.”
        Florida

(This tract is available for a suggested donation of $5 for 100 tracts. Any amount is available.    Editor)

“Gentlemen, Please send me a few more copies of your excellent pamphlet ‘One Hundred Bible Facts on the Sabbath Question.’ ”    California

“I just read the large sheet of ‘The Truth About God.’ That’s a masterpiece. Would you kindly send me 6 more. Also, please send the free book on last day events and 6 sets of Bible studies.”    Minnesota

“Please send me Present Truth. I would really appreciate reading the publication as I do devotional materials.”
        West Virginia

“Thank you for your letter and receipt. I liked the little pamphlet you put in too and would like more; 25 or 30 if you can spare. I have several new families that I’m sharing with and I use up my literature quickly.
    “The article in the Present Truth magazine on ‘Rome’s Arraignment of Sabbath Breakers’ was very good. I made copies of that article and shared it with all my faculty.”
        California

“I would like to have the Bible study on the subject, ‘The Reward of the Wicked’ as in the August 1998 issue. We do not have that issue. Also we would appreciate the book on last day events.”    Pennsylvania

“I would like to know what denomination your Publication is associated with. I am a United Methodist and do not always agree with everything you write, but always enjoy reading Present Truth each month and look forward to getting it. Keep up the good work and may GOD bless you.”
        Alabama

(Present Truth is not affiliated with any denomination. This is one reason the messages are plain and to the point because we do not need to defend any denominational positions. This question will be addressed in more detail in next month’s issue in the “Questions and Answers” section.    Editor)

“In the July 1999 issue of Present Truth it was stated that a book was being offered for $1; the book being Steps to Christ. I’m enclosing $1 to cover the cost of shipping. I thank you for sending Present Truth to me. It has been eye-opening. I would also like to let you know that my address has changed… I look forward to seeing more reading material. God Bless!”    North Dakota

“Will you please send each one of my kids America in Prophecy?”    Pennsylvania

“Thank you for the tracts… Read both tracts; like the one ‘The Truth About God’ the best. It is excellently done; God blessed you in its making. I would like to suggest a few things for your consideration regarding it for the next edition, which I feel would be an improvement…”    Alabama

“You recently sent ______ and me a small brochure entitled, ‘The Truth About God,’ with the December 1999 edition of Present Truth, both of which I find very helpful in developing a clear Biblical perspective that is not so easy to find in many churches. If you could spare us perhaps five more copies of ‘The Truth About God,’ it might enable us to share that perspective with other seekers. You also mentioned a free book on last day events, which I would very much like to study. Thank you for making these resources available.”    Texas

“The fliers arrived and are really excellent. The one titled ‘The Importance of Knowing the Truth About God’ is especially good, and probably would be the one I would give first to someone who wants to learn more about the trinity doctrine, which in my experience is simply assumed, yet hardly ever really taught or preached. My first glimpse of the truth was the result of taking a rather dismal church history course, in which the Arian ‘heresy’ was briefly presented.
    “The problem one always finds is that the eternal truth Jesus spoke as quoted in Mark 7:13 is no less binding and blinding as it was when first spoken. There are not many who would be willing and able to say what Paul said to the Philippians (3:7-9), lest they be put out of the modern day synagogue, and lose their position. We expect those we evangelize to forsake their traditions, yet how willing are we to forsake our traditions when confronted with the truth of the Scriptures? When we sing, ‘Holy Holy Holy,’ for us the chorus ends, ‘God in one person, blessed Unity.’ Thanks again for being a good Berean.”    Texas

“I would like to request copies of ‘The Importance of Knowing the Truth About God.’ If it is possible, do you have this pamphlet in Spanish? If not I would like to request 200 copies of this pamphlet in English.”    New Jersey

(Unfortunately at this time we do not have this tract in Spanish. Hopefully we will have it soon.    Editor)

“We continue to appreciate the newsletters as they are a blessing to us. Enclosed is some tithe for the work of the gospel ministry.”    Tennessee

(We never solicit tithe money, but we appreciate it when it comes. It is used to support gospel ministers so they can give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word.—Acts 6:4. All costs for mailing and printing literature comes out of donations.    Editor)

“The Present Truth that you have been sending is greatly appreciated! Do you have a Bible study also? So that we could read and then answer questions? If so, please send it to us. We could do these on the Sabbath. It would be wonderful. Enclosed please find $ to help with cost. God be with you.”    Wisconsin

(We have a set of Bible lessons in a question and answer format entitled “Christ our Righteousness.”    Editor)

“I received your address from a friend and I would very much like to be on your mailing list for your newsletter Present Truth.”    Oklahoma

“I prepared on my new computer my first number of Present Truth about 144,000… I read your papers regularly and I can see that up to now all your teachings are in accordance with my opinion. It’s great! I’ll translate some of your articles and I’ll print it in my paper. So you can see there are two Present Truth; one in USA and one in Poland… I have another request; can you send to me some your materials and papers with your teachings, especially about Trinity. I have friends in many countries and I can send it to them.”
        Poland

“I would like the monthly publication Present Truth.”
        Australia

“We are very thankful to you for sending us some literature… When we received this we were shocked with joy because we don’t know about you and the Smyrna Gospel Ministries till when we received the parcel, but now we are very happy. God gave a good and new brother and new path to share about the eternal kingdom. In future, if possible kindly send me the monthly issues of Present Truth and some useful literatures to prepare and stand for everlasting life. Really we are very thankful to you and for the literature. We are praying for your ministry by literature work. Kindly remember us in your prayers. May God bless you everywhere.”    India

“I write to ask for more information and/or written Bible studies on the subject of the Trinity… I got this address from a photocopy of a brother who also was not yet through studying it.”    Zimbabwe

“Last year one brother has receive from you one package with a lot of material about trinity. It seems to me very interesting and I’d like to know if it’s possible more about this issue. If it is possible please send me more material on this topic of trinity. I can not pay it because the life condition are terrible in our country. Thank you very much for your understanding.”    Romania

“I happened to come across a certain pamphlet on the subject of Trinity and I felt some urge to read it. Could you please send me some of those booklets and many more on the same subject… Please do find me a lot on Trinity.”
        Zimbabwe

(These letters have been encouraging to me, and I pray you have received a blessing from reading them. Thank you for sending your letters to us.    Editor)

 


To view or print this issue of Present Truth in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) click here.

Present Truth is published monthly by Present Truth Ministries. It is sent free upon request. Duplication of these papers is not only permitted but strongly encouraged, as long as our contact information is retained. Present Truth is available online at www.presenttruth.info.

Editor: Lynnford Beachy, PO Box 315, Kansas, OK 74347, USA. Phone: (304) 633-5411, E-mail: webnewsletters@presenttruth.info.

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