Good morning, saints. In this video from August of 2000, I continue defending my teaching that not everyone who claims to be a believer, IS a believer.
The body of Christ consists of individuals chosen from before the disruption of the world who, sometime in their lives, will believe truths concerning God and Christ, and not falsehoods. Is there a way, in this life, to prove who is a believer and who isn't? It should not be surprising that Scripture itself presents a way to sort out spiritual posers from the genuine articles. The reason
you have probably never considered these passages of Scripture is because we have been taught to believe that embracing Satan's boldest lies is no deterrent to being a member of Christ's body. How could we have been deceived into thinking something so patently absurd?
Thanks to Rodney Paris of Texas, who has taken cassette tapes made twenty-one years ago, digitized them, and put them to highly watchable video clips. To hammer home the teaching, he has also inserted helpful text frames, emphasizing the most important points of the audio.
This message was given in Baldwin, Michigan, at the Grace and Truth chapel, in August of 2000. I commend this work to you, thanking at the same time the Lord Jesus Christ, Who inspired it.
I would like at this time to thank EVERYONE who has contributed financially to this work. I can't thank you enough for your graciousness. It bothers me a lot that the work is such, today, that I must resort to this corporate THANK YOU instead of writing everyone personally. But God has not only put more projects into my lap (including these resurfaced audios, and ongoing typesetting
projects for books), He has also, over the years, rubbed me down to the nub, emotionally. I think that most of you would be shocked at how close to the ragged edge I sometimes operate. Some days I think that this whole enterprise is barely being held together. But then I remind myself that through Christ all things consist—including this work. If it pleases God to do this work, through me, with an emotional margin as thin as a strip of duct tape (sometimes my peace and resolve seem held together
by the metaphoric version of this flimsy adhesive), then this is how it must be. God is in charge, not me.
It would be nice if God spoke in an audible voice, wouldn't it? But for me, He speaks THROUGH YOU. He lets me know, through your help, that He wants me to keep doing this work. And this I certainly will do, as long as He provides. Whatever He gives me for the day—either emotionally or financially—is enough. Each day is a miracle, and it has been this way from the beginning. So I thank
God and I thank YOU, through whom He speaks.
Remaining yours from the edge of the bottom of the Floridan peninsula,
—Martin
