*Light*

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:17-18)

While I agree that there does come a time where people may be given over to a reprobate mind. I do not however believe because of Romans 1 that it somehow means homosexuals cannot be saved. This contradicts the scripture from Corinthians that I posted earlier today! 

I've heard a very popular and well respected bible teacher and Pastor make the claim that there is NO water, animals, blood or flowers in the Eternal State. I could not follow the logic of his response to someone who had asked him a question about eternity. What does the bible say?
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the WATER OF LIFE freely.  (Revelation 21:6)
The Greek word for "water" here is the same as the word for "water" in Greek everywhere else.  Is this the best water ever? Indeed!  It is the "water of life".  But saying it's not water is not something justified by any orthodox canon of interpretation. No animals in eternity?  Scripture doesn't say that -- anywhere. We know they have spirits.  We know that in the case of human beings and angels, no spirit ever goes out of existence.  Even the rebellious ones are preserved (albeit in the lake of fire).  I would argue that all animals are going to be somewhere in the new heavens and the new earth -- they did not have free will and so are not liable to the penalty of the lake of fire for rejecting the Gift of Jesus Christ.
No flowers?  The tree of life bears twelve types of fruit continually.  Fruit, in the experience God has given us by the way He has created things, is always preceded by flowering. That argues for flowers on the tree of life (which does have leaves), and if so, why would God not have flowers in eternity? We can't say for certain; but saying "NO" is definitely not authorized by scripture and runs against the evidence directly. No blood?  Perhaps. Our Lord told the disciples that He was not a "spirit" because a "spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Lk. 24:39).  So in other respects the resurrection body is like the old one -- only much better by far.
I would also contend that we can fly and move through walls. Our Lord did the latter and was able to move to the third heaven and from place to place instantly; our body will be like His. There is a GREAT deal about what is coming that we do not know and cannot say for sure. We are given enough to know that it will be wonderful beyond imagination; For now we see through a glass, darkly" (1 Cor. 13:12), that our motivation in this life to do what God wants us to do is not unfairly overwhelmed by thoughts of eternity. But we do know that there is much to learn and that it will be amazing. But as it is written:
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) 
God Bless!

I still use my KJV Bible that I've received over 20 years ago and it's still in almost mint condition. The amazing pliability and durability of it is beyond any other bible that I've seen and felt.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 KJV
[9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Some of the Corinthians were homosexuals who had been saved. 

The data is interesting. In fact, I am glad that you shared it. It piqued my interest in several ways.
If the data was a "stand alone" polling data from a neutral polling institute I think it would be more of a benefit to us all.
And, I think if they defined the terminology, "evangelical" in the first set of polling data it would be more beneficial. The definition of Sproul, and his associates, of who, or what, an evangelical is may be quite different from my definition. I did look at some of the authors on the website (not very many so my thoughts may be skewed), on the 'Devotional' section of the website and I found that most of them are Presbyterian or Independent Presbyterian.
As I stated before, after reading more of the ligonier.org website, I am of the persuasion they organized the polling data to promote R. C. Sproul and the Ligonier ministry.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The home page of this article, "American Theology," is the home page of R. C. Sproul and the, "Reformation Bible College." Here is the link: https://www.ligonier.org/
The percentage facts  presented in the "Biblical Knowledge" in the article is correct, "but," and it is an important "but," they are looking at the percentages in  an effort to get church members to accept Reformation Theology as accepted biblical fact.
Any IFB church, that has mature, spiritual brethren for members, for many years, has known by personal experience that the hypocrisy, and the lack of biblical knowledge is rampant in most churches, especially denominational churches, and in the evangelical leaders in America.
It is my thoughts that the article was written by the folks of "Ligonier" to promote the doctrines of Reformation Theology through the works of R. C. Sproul.

I don't know about other forums, but on this one if what you post is wrong, it will be called wrong, and rightly so. Let's see if Scripture agrees with what you posted.
 Act 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 
 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 
 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. 
 54 ¶ When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
1. Who is it that these people resisted? I believe that The Holy Ghost could be classified as a "Holy God".
2. Would you contend that they were not under conviction according to Verse 54?

On this site, a roll-out was implemented last week. Only users that are not logged in will see ads. In short, if you are logged in, you will not see ads.

That was just the first portion of my meal. I had three more servings of that afterwards.

That was just the first portion of my meal. I had three more servings of that afterwards.

I understand Jim.
Initially, I was hesitant to do a lesson on 3 John due to the problem with the leadership of the church. Almost all of the other lessons on individual churches were fine examples of the local church, members being added, and the apostle Paul, and the others mentioned, were all of a spiritual nature. In the example of the Jerusalem assembly, multitudes were being saved and as the disciples were scattered new congregations were established. With the previous examples, the leadership of the local church was exemplary and the problems that arose was outside the church. So, I was hesitant to include an example of an early church with the problem within the leadership of the church.
God bless you all!

Topical, textual, expository, they are all good in their place. Personally I don't think that any one method should preclude another. Some posters here have tried to make bold distinctions between the three methods and even asserted that one type would and should exclude others. I am not of this mindset. I am of the mindset that all three can and should always be focused in a teaching environment. I do know that this is not a popular or even accepted idea of what is normally believed, but I also know from personal experience that if you are not teaching, your people will be weak in doctrine.
My first missionary pastor was old school and taught his people from the very beginning in such a way that many became well able to go on to teach and preach the faith once delivered to the Saints, as outlined In Jude:1:3.
Many times in our services a doctrinal issue is spoken of, but not elaborated on either within the sermon or at other times when it can be taught as a stand alone lesson. For instance, in the course of a sermon you may hear the preacher mention doctrines like; The trinity, the security of the believer, the deity of Christ, Salvation by grace, predestination, election, or the local church. But if these things are not explained, we have not properly grounded our members. It is not enough to simply believe what we hear; we must prove it by God’s Word, this requires teaching. 
So, is there a remedy and if there is, what is it? The answer is yes there is a remedy; unfortunately the remedy is conditional in many cases. It is conditional simply because of the number of churches that have fallen prey to worldly devices, weak teaching institutions and the sheer number of new preachers that have been educated in an environment that focuses on all the wrong things. i.e. Easy believizm, a prosperity Gospel, feel good theology, contemporary Christian music and a drawing away from our historical, spiritual roots.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. If we fail to pass on what we have learned, there comes a gradual digression simply because future leaders have not learned these things. 
So then, the remedy is simple and like so many things “Bible”, it is so simple that it is often overlooked. The remedy is this; back to the basics, which is “the truth once delivered to the saints.”
If my sermon does not teach someone something I have failed. Stories are OK as illustrations, but to comprise a whole sermon based on stories is, in my opinion, wrong. Topical preaching has its place, but it can and should also teach the hearers.

In preaching, I like to see passages preached in their context, with accurate definitions of words, explaining the scriptures, and then making application to the hearers. 
I find it rather frustrating when there is a lack of attention to detail and an honest handling of the text of scripture. 
 

3 John 3-12, “Truth, Joy, Problems, Evil, Solution, Good, in the Local Church”
3 John 3-12, “For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellow-helpers to the truth. I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, If I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.”
The Local Church
The story, the individuals, and the events of 2 John, take place at a local church, or an assembly, or a congregation, at an unmanned location. Although the author of the epistle is not named, since early church history most historians agree that the apostle John is the writer. In my study I will take the position that in this case the historians are correct. Also, I will use the terminology church, congregation, and assembly, interchangeably, to mean a local, indigenous, group of saints assembled together in a local, or regional, location.
The apostle John is giving direction to a man named Gaius. He is presumably the same Gaius that the apostle Paul baptized in 1 Corinthians 1:14, the Gaius who traveled with Paul, Acts 19:29, and mentioned as the host of Tertius as mentioned in Romans 16:22 & 23.
Truth
The apostle John added this very important phrase in the introduction, “…whom I love in the truth.” 3 John 1. In this very short epistle the subject 'truth' is mentioned in verse 2, 3,4,8, and 12. Truth is mentioned in 2 John in verse 1, 2, 3, and 4, as the prerequisite for determining if a teacher is a deceiver, or an Antichrist, in the church. Also, the adherence to truth will determine our rewards in heaven and our relationship with the Lord Jesus. Truth is personalized in the person of Jesus Christ, written in book form, the Bible, and is the foundation of the doctrines and practices of the local church. The 'truth' of the scriptures is the only authority necessary for a local congregation.
Truth watered down in the Universal Church Movement
The doctrines, as written in the scriptures, are numerous and cover every aspect of the character of God, the character of the Lord Jesus, the character of the Holy Spirit, the history of the creation, the history of the Jews, the history of the world, the prophecies of the end times, the reality of heaven, the reality of hell, the Body of Christ, the local church, the eternal salvation of the soul by grace through faith, the future restoration of the nation of Israel, the inspiration of the scriptures, the preservation of the scriptures, details concerning the Spirit world, and love of God as expressed by the death of the Lord Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. All of these subjects are essential and the scriptures are the repository of all truth in every realm and subject.
The proponents of the Universal Church movement are not only supplanting the truths concerning the body of Christ as found in the book of Ephesians, they are watering down, neglecting, ignoring, so many other essential biblical truths.
Most para-church organizations are promoting the universal church so they can, like a business or a politician, reach as many people as possible in different churches of different beliefs to seek donations, sell their religious wares or program. I will give a case in point. Focus on the Family is a self-proclaimed para-church organization. On the Focus on the Family website, in an article called, “Looking for the 'Right' Church?” by Robert Velarde, Velarde quotes Robert M. bowman, Jr., “Although Christians are united on essentials such as the deity of Christ and His bodily resurrection, there is a lot of room for diversity on secondary issues, meaning different approaches and interpretations of Bible prophecy, varying means of baptism, differences regarding the details of communion, etc. There are also varying forms of church government such as episcopal, presbyterian and congregational.”i So, Robert Bowman lists only two essentials of the faith, “the deity of Christ and his bodily resurrection,” and regulates all other doctrines as, “secondary issues.”
Joy
3 John 3 & 4, “For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” The Apostle John rejoiced greatly when he received word of the faithfulness of Gaius in the truth of the doctrines of the scriptures. As discussed before, the local church is the bedrock of all biblical truth. I Timothy 3:15, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” The truth of the scriptures not only sets us free, John 17:17, but it brings true joy.
In the early church, the apostles were part of the foundation of the church; Ephesians 2:20. As part of the foundation, they were the personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ within the local assemblies. And, as an apostle, and as a personal well-loved friend of Gaius, the Apostle John is giving personal direction in the adverse situation that arose in the local assembly. As this epistle is written to a close friend, and the Apostle John is an old man, he refers to himself as an 'elder.'
The initial adverse situation that arose in the local assembly was that men, evidently missionaries, or evangelists, traveling from other areas, were not taken care of properly by the local assembly. The second adverse situation that arose was that when the Apostle John wrote to the leader of the church, Diotrephes, to rectify the situation the Apostle John was ignored and his leadership not respected. Diotrephes then had the gall to reject the admonition of the Apostle John but also to slander the Apostle John. This epistle was written in order to give instructions to Gaius to rectify both adverse situations.
Non-denominational and Local
The Apostle John did not instruct Gaius to appeal to a bishop over the church, a denominational headquarters, nor to the ‘universal church’ or to have a council to rectify the situation. The common practice of having a bishop over a local assembly is a man-made commandment started by the Roman Catholic Church, practiced by the Reformers, and is the foundation of every denomination since then.
In all of the New Testament assemblies, the bishop was the pastor of an individual, and local, church.
The Problem – Two in Number
Verse 9 & 10, “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, If I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
The apostle John clearly stated, “I wrote unto the church ...” Obviously, the church the apostle John was referring too was a local congregation of saints. Therefore, the context proves that 'church' cannot in any form, or fashion, mean a 'universal' church.
There were two problems in the church.
1. Diotrephes would not receive, or help, traveling ministers of the gospel and had cast them out the church. So, obviously since a saint cannot be cast out the body of Christ, the context proves that 'church' cannot in any form, or fashion, mean a 'universal' church.
2. Diotrephes verbally maligned, slandered, and refused the instruction of the apostle John.
 
  Diotrephes and his Character
“…but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.” Diotrephes loved prominence, fame, the applause of the church. Diotrephes is an example of the Pharisees in the life of Christ. Matthew 23:5a, “But all their works they do for to be seen of men.”
Starting from the Roman Catholic Chruch, the denominational churches, and the Charismatic Movement, churches are full of men like Diotrephes in the pulpit.
The Evil in the Church
3 John 11a, “Beloved, follow not that which is evil…” The evil that the Apostle John warns Gaius, and us, not to follow is the person, and deeds, of Diotrephes, and those men of like character.
In 2 John the apostle John is clearly warning all of the saints that many deceivers are in the world, in the churches, and all over the internet. I added the last phrase, “… and all over the internet” on my own accord. The apostle John added that the false doctrine of these deceivers are “evil deeds.” “For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” 2 John 11
Also, we must note the Diotrephes does not meet the full qualification of the pastor of the church. 1 Timothy 3:1, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach. Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.” Diotrephes was not blameless, was not given to hospitality, nor was he of good behaviour .
The Solution
Verse 11, “Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.” By insinuation, the apostle John stated that the deeds of Diotrephes was 'evil.' To follow God is to follow 'good.' This standard is a sound biblical standard. The Christian is to follow 'good' and not 'evil' in the church and in his daily life. Proverbs 11:3, “The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.”
The Good in the Church
Verse 12, “Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.” The apostle John is bearing record that a member of the congregation, Demetrius, is worthy of the leadership of the local assembly. In this short testimony, we can note that the reputation of Demetrius meets several of the qualifications for the position of the elder, or the pastor, of the church. 1 Timothy 3:1, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach. Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.” Also, Demetrius met the qualifications of a pastor as listed in 1 Timothy 3:7. “Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into the condemnation of the devil.”
I must repeat the words of Paul the apostle when he stated, “If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” The office of the pastor of a New Testament church is a 'good' work and the apostle John is cleaning the local church of an 'evil' pastor and selecting a 'good' pastor.
i Velarde, Robert “Looking for the 'Right' Church?” Focus on the Family. Founder. James Dobson. 2008. Sept. 26, 2018. <https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/becoming-a-christian/how-can-i-be-saved/finding-the-right-church>

Psalm 138: A Hymn of Worship

138 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Absolutely correct, Alan! I don't want to derail the thread, but the Sabbath being on a "Thursday" is absolutely true if one does their homework using exegesis and biblical hermeneutics. For starters . . . what many people fail to realize is that there were TWO sabbaths before Friday (cf. Mk. 15:42-43)

Brethren,
We will be looking at the local church in 3 John 3-9; the love thereof, the joy thereof, the problem thereof,  the evil thereof, the solution thereof, and the good thereof.
In order to obtain the full riches of 3 John 3-9 we will need to look at the context of the rest of the book of 3 John and the short book of 2 John
The Apostle John expressed the  joy of every true pastor in 3 John 4, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 
Alan
 

@Brother Stafford. I have not been here long, but I appreciate your wisdom on issues. I may not  have seen things the same  but you have given me things to ponder.  Thank you for that.   I agree with you about the internet.    I will miss reading your thoughts on things.  

How sad that our country has let all of this wickedness prevail in our country...Revive us again with the Son of Thy love, with Jesus who died and is now gone above.... God be with you brother.. If i had another source of news and weather I would leave this as well. I am only on facebook as my dearest friend wants me there....

We'll miss you. God bless.

My thoughts are much the same as Bro. Alan's. Please know that, although I will miss you, I wish you the best spiritually. May your walk with The Lord prosper and may He bless you as you have blessed others here at OB.

.

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)

PSALM 103
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.