February Newsletter and Article

February Newsletter and Articles

Breaking News for February 1, 2003 — The February 2003 Newsletter and the articles "The Secret of Ancient Religion Revealed! (Part 1)" and "Where is God" by Ernest L. Martin (from 1978) are now available on the NEW formatted ASK Website.

The article "The Secret of Ancient Religion Revealed! (Part 1)" discusses the development of religion for those peoples of ancient times to whom God did not reveal Himself. God was absent from their experience (as far as they knew) and He did not communicate with them in any way. This is the experience of almost every person throughout the world, throughout history. It is so easy to forget that important point because most of you reading this are “chosen” by God to understand your place in the divine schema of history and within God’s divine plan. You know you are children of God.

( If you do not know this fact, what God has DONE for you through the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, of how God has already saved you, then you need to read Dr. Martin’s excellent book Essentials of New Testament Doctrine [Ask, 2001]. )

A second short article, "Where is God" deals frankly with God’s apparent absence in our lives. God directly communicates with us through his written Word, the Bible, and through His Spirit—Christ’s Spirit (Romans 8:9–10) — with unutterable (inarticulate) groanings communicating our needs to God and guiding us to pray for what we need (and not merely what we “want”). This is what is meant by Christ’s role as mediator, both in the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:6, 9:15, 12:24) and in the mystery of God (1 Timothy 2:5) in ways that we will only realize looking back from our future resurrection (Romans 8:26–32). The evidence of Christ’s resurrection and God’s Spirit as gift to us are our guarantee that we are the Sons and Daughters of God (Romans 8:14–17).

We are not alone. God’s seeming absence is temporary, however painful.

ALSO: Chapters 7 through 9 of The Tithing Dilemma listed in the “Books Online” section at the center middle of the new ASK Webpage.

ALSO: The Introduction of the booklet ABCs of the Gospel is now on the ASK website, presented free with a new chapter put up each week. Again, the printed version of ABCs of the Gospel is available for sale in the “Books Online” section at the center middle of the new ASK Webpage.

ALSO: See the next commentary about the updated ASK Homepage. The good stuff is in the details!

David Sielaff
david@askelm.com

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