General Invitation Instructions:
Begin by reading the Invitation Notice. As you go through this note, work with the document, "Invitation Notice; Scriptures Cut Sheet" along side. In the notice [as well as a few passages from this document, of instructions], whenever you come to [bracketed], or} references, refer to the cut sheet along side, and you will find the passages, listed in the order they appear on the notice document. For many who are new to the Bible, it can take a long time looking up the passages; this will make that work out easier.
If you come to a passage in (parentheses), it is too long to print out, taking up too much paper for printouts. You must look that one up in the Bible [we use only the New King James Version, to save confusion]. The Scripture references are vital: we must understand that this is not the author’s [mr.bill’s] opinion; this is God’s position on these matters. mr.bill is merely an errand boy being led by the Spirit of Jesus, bringing forth those perspectives as led, when He breaks open the Scriptures for all of us, new golden manna each day.
For those without a printer, the cut sheets can first be downloaded onto your computer, for your Adobe Reader, your browser, or your compatible Word Processor. Then load that on your program, in one pane; then as you look over the base files online, you can click the program holding the cut sheet of Scripture references, to bring up the passages referred to as needed. This is just one of many ways to take advantage of these useful cut sheet addendums.
The "New Vow Study" works the same way, with a convenient companion document, the "New Vow; Cut Sheet For Scripture References," to be used along side the main document.
Bible software may be available to many of those who begin the studies [limited copies are available]. Eventually we hope to make the study books into add-on modules within that software, with hot links to the passages; this may be a dream, but it is an exciting one to consider.
We also will try to locate or establish a web site that will have Bible software to look up passages in. A short internet search this day of writing this document brought me to www.biblegateway.com , a site with a NKJV™ version, and various languages offered, and searchable, with easy to use toolbar buttons [roll over for explanation]; it may not be the best site, but it worked okay for me. There are a lot of Scripture references, which are necessary. Readers are not required to look up every passage, but it is recommended; people need to see always that these words are not my own, but of Him Who sent me. And His Word is the Authority, not mine; as such, as we read it the Words of God, it washes away all the darkness of the doctrines we have picked up from living in this world [2 Cor 10:5]. In this way Jesus washes our feet of this filth. Yet God knows few of the people of this world are heavy Bible mechanics, and so this can be an impossible task for many; He will provide, at least to a sufficient degree. The rest will require effort on our parts [welcome to the real world!].
A word of wisdom: some may feel that this is not the kind of style or terms they wish to deal with. Before the studies are completed there is no way to understand the magnitude of our condition, and thus our very real jeopardy; nor can we fully appreciate just how kind and merciful God is being in all these things He is doing this day. But, through these studies we are moving to a new level of understanding, which will result in a totally new view of all that has transpired, even to this very day; and that final understanding will result in a new disposition about ourselves and our God, somewhat summed up in these few verses:
Ezek 16:62-63
62 And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, 63 that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done," says the Lord God.'" NKJV™
Isa 66:1-2
1 Thus says the Lord:
"Heaven is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
Where is the house that you will build Me?
And where is the place of My rest?
2 For all those things My hand has made,
And all those things exist,"
Says the Lord.
"But on this one will I look:
On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,
And who trembles at My word. NKJV™
Luke 14:31-33
31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
NKJV™
Ezek 36:22-23
22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord," says the Lord God, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. NKJV™
Eccl 5:6-7
6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God. NKJV™
Luke 18:13
13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' NKJV™
Rev 14:7
7 saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." NKJV™
This entire day will be His way, His terms, for His glory and His honor. All our own agendas and attitudes must be restrained, holding our tongues. We really messed up, all of us; and the worst ones were the people of God. Those who submit to His very kind requirements of us this day will be blessed, but what I call as "collateral beneficiaries." We are quite blessed to be alive to see this day, to even be allowed to have this second chance under any terms; we surely should have died in judgment. So, everyone needs to move to a more silent mode, helping to figure this all out, rather than demanding our own agendas, no matter how significant they may appear to us. Why should any of us add to the already overwhelming shame we all will come to know, by speaking things which we do not yet fully understand; be meek, and not demanding or grumbling. Instead, joy at the grand show the Lord is going to be doing, to His great honor and glory.
Pray without ceasing for your servant/writer before the Lord, mr.bill, that he might be enabled by the power of the Spirit to accomplish this otherwise impossible work. He labors in behalf of us all, but the work is so far beyond one as weak as he is; so please consider this example:
Ex 17:8-13
8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand." 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. NKJV™
This is a war we are entering into; the enemies of God want to keep us enslaved to them forever, so that they might always have their way with us, to our great harm and shame. So fight the good fight, with your prayers; fight with your reading of the Word; fight with these studies; fight with your discipline, for the honor and glory of the name of our Lord. Our weapons never were ultimately to be carnal swords; those were only symbols, metaphors:
2 Cor 10:3-6
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. NKJV™
And always remember that the Word of God is our Shield, and our Exceedingly Great Reward, so that we no longer need to fear these ‘giants’ [Gen 15:1]; so we must wash in the Word of God daily to cleanse ourselves of the darkness and defilement of this world [Eph 5:26].
May the Lord profoundly bless all His called servants, to greatly glorify and justify His name,
mr.bill
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