Some of Ray's words of wisdom

[Nelson Boils]

Temptation us usually translated from "peirazo" and it means to test, scrutinize, prove, examine, etc.  None of these things are "sin."  When a man sees a pretty girl, the first thing he does is look. This is not a sin, in and by itself.  However a temptation has been presented and the man's mind is now presented with a couple of options:  [1] continue looking and examining the lady's body in a sexual, lustful, self-gratifying way, or [2] realize that this is a temptation that could lead to lust and sin, and therefore LOOK AWAY.

The temptation is not the sin.  It is not rocket science to understand. Someone offers you a large amount of money to tell a lie.  You think to yourself "with that money I could pay off all my debts, but to get it I would have to lie and lying is a sin, and I refuse to sin." You then say, "NO, I will not lie for money."  You did not sin. The temptation presented itself, you understood it, you evaluated it and took the high road by not giving into the temptation to the point that you  [1] began to actually lust for the money, [2] agreed to offer, and [3] carried it out by telling the lie.  When James says "lust," the word really means "desire."  And so, notice what he says,

"Then when desire has CONCEIVED, it brings forth sin...." (James 1:14).

If there were zero desire attached to a temptation, then there would not BE a temptation at all, but Jesus REALLY WAS TEMPTED.  He just wouldn't allow Himself to begin fulfilling whatever the desire may have been.  I can always be tempted by a good chocolate cake or good ice cream, but I often do not give in to the tempation, because I know that I don't want to gain more weight or whatever the reason may be for denying it. Having a desire to look at a beautiful woman is not a sin unless one gives in to where that desire will naturally lead, and allows sin to conceive.

God be with you,
Ray   

[Nelson Boils]

and...

Everything that Jesus said and taught is true.  We, however, fail to see and follow all of the instructions. Is there a reason why we don't move mountains?  Is it because we don't sometimes ask (sincerely ask and beg?)  No, it is because there are other lessons to be learned.  "IF ye have faith, AND doubt not...."  That's a big 'IF' and and big 'AND.'  God is showing us that we DON'T have the faith necessary to move mountains (or even ant hills).  Notice the wording of Jesus:

Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matt. 21:22).

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses (Matt. 11:23-26).

This same teaching with the big 'IF' is found again in Matt. 17:20-21 ....

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, IF ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

So maybe by now you as thinking:  "Okay, if I lack faith, I'll ask for more faith."  The Apostles immediately saw the problem, that
they did not have the faith of Jesus nor could they do the miracles of Jesus, so they asked for MORE FAITH:

Luke 17:5--"And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith."  Now for Jesus' amazing and esoteric answer:

Jesus now reduces the necessary faith to move a sycamore tree into the sea, down to the size of a mustard seed:

Luke 17:6--And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Okay, so mustard size faith will accomplish miracles. But, big question: Just HOW do we get faith "as a grain of mustard seed?"  I'll be everyone reading this would give me a hundred dollars for the answer, wouldn't you?  I know I would.  Well, here's Jesus' answer:

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink.  Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.  So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:7-10).

Whad-e-say?  What in the world does Jesus' explanation have to do with increasing our faith? Everything.

We are the servants doing the plowing and feeding calttle in this parable.  Jesus is the Lord, and we will not be honored with
miracles producing powers before our Lord.  Jesus was tried and tested.  Jesus passed all tests (See His trials in the
wilderness against Satan).  Jesus went way way above and beyond in His service to humanity, and therefore His Father
always heard Him and always answered Him and always performed miracles for him. Most of God's servants today are merely doing the minimum of what is expected of them, and therefore, are not in a position to receive the miracle power of our Lord. We are all yet being tried and tested, but the day will come when we too will perform miracles.  We too will be "saviours" to the world (Obadiah 1:21).  Being a saviour to humanity requires many great miracles which God will provide THROUGH US!

Those apostles who went way above and beyond in their call to duty in Christ's service have already performed many such great miracles:  Imagine healing something of a terminal disease by merely having your shadow pass over him?  Jesus granted Peter just such miracle power:

"Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one" (Acts 5:15-16).  Notice that Peter's shadow only actually passed over some of these sick people, but:  "...they were healed EVERY ONED"!

Which is the greater miracle:  Uprooting a sycamore tree or healing multitudes of diseased people by merely having your shadow pass over them?  And Paul and others also performed just such marvelous miracles.  Does anyone who is really familiar with our ministry and work doubt that the spiritually DEAD are being raised back to a life of faith and obedience?  Here's an email that I received just yesterday:


Husband n I only known about you a couple of months.  Many, many thanks, regards, and encouragement.  My husband and I talked and would give you some of our years if we could so you could continue your work.  Long and short of it is we both were raised in WCG.  For me, I then moved on to Garner Ted.  By the mid 90's that was over.  Spent 7 years in hell after falling away until I met my husband.  We first ended up with John Rightenbaugh (freaky!) then (Merridith (nightmare!), then John Pinkston (same ole, same ole fluff), then Fred Coulter (ok but something underlying his whole paradigm doesn't feel right), almost said "the hell with it," then ran across you.  A weary traveler found comfort.  Thanks so much.  I truly, truly hope God grants you overflowing mercy, kindness, and comfort.  Thank you Ray.

Sincerely and God bless you,

April and Ken


So April says they, "almost said 'THE HELL WITH IT' then ran across you (bible-truths.com).  God is working miracles through His servants, but we need to have the eyes to see it.
Well, I could go on and on with this answer to your "short question," but I better leave it at that for now.  Most short questions do not, unfortunately, have short answers.

God be with you and my prayers are with you,

Ray

[Nelson Boils]

and...

Yours is a common frustration. Many write me with similar struggles
with the flesh after coming into a knowledge of the Truth. I did the
same. I left my First Love and went back into the world, all the while
knowing that I couldn't conquor my flesh. I was so happy for what I
'preceived to be "greasy grace."  Thank God for grace, because I knew
I wasn't going to be saved without it.
I still believe that that part of it is true (about saved by grace only), but
I also know that it is possible when God gets ready, to conquor your
major sins so that sin no longer "reigns over you."  You will not be totally
perfect and mature, but you will not be giving into every pull of the flesh,
for sexual gratification, lust for money, power, good looks, eternal youth,
perfect health, interesting job, travel and excitement, etc., etc., etc.  You
will learn to enjoy the simple pleasure of life like, breathing, sleeping,
walking, talking to your wife, eating a pizza, and going to bed early on a
Saturday night.
God will make you really WANT to stop sinning, long before you will
ACTUALLY stop sinning. It's part of the struggle; part of the good
fight of faith; part of overcoming the flesh.  Don't become discouraged, as
God WILL SEE YOUR THROUGH!

God be with you,
Ray

[Nelson Boils]

and...

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, in order that the person of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."


"...That has to do with all Scripture, to furnish you the man of God unto all good works. What good works? If I say write down the good works that you are doing to help the rest of the world see and know what you see and know about these truths of God, what good works are you doing to that end? Would you be a little embarrassed? Seriously would you be embarrassed? 

[Nelson Boils]

and...

If I were to tell you that I believe you should sell your vacuum (AND your car, and your furniture, and maybe even your house), and then give it all to the poor, I doubt that you would do it.  Jesus said that "the poor your always have with you." You cannot solve the worldwide poverty problem. I have been personally criticized for not starting soup kitchens, finding homes for the homeless, and such things. It matters not to some that I have dedicated my life to this ministry.  I am able (on an absolute shoestring budget) to reach hundreds of thousands of spiritually starving people with real spiritual food (the body of Christ), and there are fewer of my readers interested in helping to do this than there are those who would contribute to one or two homeless people by buying them a burger and fries.

When David said that He never saw the "righteous begging for bread," I think that we can conclude that those we reach with God's Spiritual Truth and God's Spiritual Food, will be blessed with the physical as well, once they begin to live righteously.

Don't get so out of balance by selling your vacuum cleaner to feed the poor, when there are many many times more spiritually poor people out there than those needing physical food. I am all for those who provide physical sustenance for the needy, but that is not my particular calling.  Yet I would never refuse anyone who would ask of me, food and clothing. It is part of God's plan and purpose for the present that this world be a world of the have and have nots. It is amazing to me how many millions of poverty-stricken people just adore the multi-millionaire stars and celebrities who live in such gaudy luxury that it is embarrassing--five to ten THOUSAND dollar-a-night hotel suites, and the like.  Even Benny Hinn has no problem living in Hotel Rooms costing enough to feel a family of six in some countries for a lifetime. And then has the unmitigated gall to go on international television and say "...there are people out there that will GO TO HELL b ecause there isn't enough money to reach them with the gospel" [paraphrased].

Anyway, don't work up great anxiety over owning a vacuum cleaner, but then fail to do ANYTHING for those less fortunte. Let me give you a little wisdom from Ecc 7:16--"Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?" God doesn't expect you to "save the poor," but just maybe He does expect you to "give a little."  Maybe not TEN percent of your salary, or five percent or three percent or one percent, but maybe.....just maybe..... one half of one percent?

Four years ago we had about a dozen contributors to our site. Four years later, after reaching nearly two million visitors with our site, we have LESS than a dozen contributors to our site. I'll not ask people for money to save the spiritually starving people of this world. I'll not have a "pay-pal" link on our site, but I wonder what the tens of thousands of people who have told me how blessed they have been by our site, will say to Jesus, IN THAT DAY, as to why they felt it totally unnecessary to help others as they had been helped?

I am not writing this just for you, John, but for the tens of thousands who are SOOOOO happy that they have found the truth,  but who could give a hoot about anyone else learning these thruths.  We pay thousands of dollar a month to search engines buying key words which tens of thousands of people search looking for answers.  Tens of thousands have been helped, but we have less contributors today, than we did four or five years ago, when only a thousand people a month were coming to bible-truths.com.  Today we have up to 60,000 a month coming to our site, but we have less contributors than when we had when but one thousand a month were coming to our site. If we had but ONE TENTH OF ONE PERCENT of the two million people who have come to our site, contribute regularly, (that's only 2 thousand people), we could have an impact on this country and on the world like you wouldn't believe.

But virtually no one cares.  Why are you concerned about vacuum cleaners and your own conscience when millions (billions) could be reached with the truth?  When will we replace our FEAR OF HELL, with a LOVE OF GOD, and start doing the right thing?

"...He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions." (Matt. 19:22).

"Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew that thou art an hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering whre you have not strawed: And I wan afraid, and went and hid my talen i the earth...Thou WICKED AND SLOTHFUL servant, ...take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which has ten talents...and cast you the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:25-30).

"Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, kDeaprt from Me, ye CURSET, into eonian fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was [spiritually] hungry, and ye gave me NO [spiritual] meat: I was [spiritually} thirsty, and ye gave me NO [spiritual] drink...And these shall go away into EONAIAN CHASTENING..." (Matt. 25:41-42 & 46).

"Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:08).

Just WHO do you suppose these verses are talking about?

May God grant all who read this, the spiritual eyes to see what is wrong with them,
Ray

[Nelson Boils]

and..

You are making something difficult and mysterious out of something that is quite simple (for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear).

"Faith" is not a "Bible" word, or a "religious" word: it is a WORD, and it has a meaning.  Here is a definition of faith from my American Heritge College Dictionary:  "faith--1 CONFIDENT BELIEF in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.  2. BELIEF that does not REST ON LOGICAL PROOF OR MATERIAL EVIDENCE....." etc. Those are very good definitions of faith, but as one can clearly and instantly see these definitions go totally contrary to the way that the King James defines faith in Heb. 11:2, "Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen." Hogwash. Faith is the diametric opposite of "evidence and substance."  When one possesses absolute "substance and evidence" regarding any matter, the last thing on earth such a person needs is "faith!"

Just days ago I heard Rod Parsley quote that definition of faith from the King James Bible. No wonder they have not a cluse as to anything SPIRITUAL.

Now then, faith is a word that has a definite meaning. Muslims have "faith" in Allah, and Christians have "faith" in the "God of Abraham," and some few have "faith" in the Scriptures that tell us how we are to have faith in God.  They are all "faiths" as you suggest, so are they not all the same?  No, of course not. The qauality or kind of faith one has is graded by what that particular faith accomplishes.  Do you rely on the God you have faith in, do you live a godly life because of it, do you love God and all humanity, are you overcoming the sins that God says He hates, etc., etc.?

Maybe a "tangible" example will help:

Money--you have money and I have money. It all "looks" like the same money.  But one can buy food for his family with his money and another can buy booze with his money and let his family go without. Is there a difference? You bet.

Guns--you have gun and I have a gun (both made by the same manufacturer). So our guns are the same, correct? There is no difference in your gun and my gun, correct?  Not at this point, but what do the two guns produce? One man shoots game to feed his family with his gun, while the other SHOOTS HIS FAMILY.  Is there a difference? You bet.

James has great and simple wisdom in this matter:  "Even so faith, if it has not works, IS DEAD...Yea a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me YOU faith [this is one kind] without works, and I will show you MY faith [this is a second kind] BY MY WORKS"  (James 2:17-18).

Two faiths, two entirely different manifestations of that faith.

It's a huge subject and deserves a whole paper on it.

God be with you,
Ray

[DEJI]

God couldn't have chosen a better vessel to teach us at BT than Ray, he uses words and teaches in a unique and easy-to-understand way. when God brought me to BT and I began to learn God's truths, I had no idea that Ray had passed away long before. I felt very very sad when I learnt he was dead.

[Extol]

Glad you're here with us, DEJI.

Here are some more words of wisdom from Ray:

    Dear Randy:

    You sound a little bit like every other person who has been forced to come out of Babylon. Maybe we should change our name from "Bible-Truths" to "The Last Resort Religion." Or how about this: "The First Church of Dropouts for Jesus"?

    You wonder why it is so hard to find God?  Well, for one thing, you have been "looking for love in all the wrong places."  You went from the JW's to the Living Church of God. I'm surprised you weren't a member of the Worldwide Church of God--many of us have been, you know? Here's a spiritual truth that might help you: "Howbeit the Most High dwells NOT in temples made with hands" (Acts 7:48).  That will eliminate a lot of looking right there--stay away from church buildings, synagogues, and temples--that's where Satan dwells (Rev. 2:13).

    We're not any different on the outside than the JW's or the Church of God. I'm just a normal guy.  When I walk down the street people don't point and laugh, women don't lust, children don't run, and dogs don't bit me. But inside, I think that we are a good bit different from most. And I think that is maybe what you are really looking for--that difference on the inside. As Dirty Harry once said: "A man (or a woman) has got to know his limitations."  Once God has shown you your limitations, He will find you--you won't have to go looking for Him. Randy, listen to me:  God isn't lost: you don't have to try and find Him.  YOU are the lost one, but God knows where you are.  Don't worry about the "right religion" or the "right doctrines."  If God wants you to read the material on our site, you will  read it--you won't be able to not read the material on our site.  And as you read you will begin to see and under stand things that you never saw or understood before.

    Read my paper at the top of our home page: "YOU FOOLS! YOU HYPOCRITES! YOU FOOLS!"  If it makes sense and you understand it, go to the next one, and the next one....  If they don't make good sense to you, you can always turn to another web site.  There are a couple of hundred million of them dealing with religion and doctrine.  Don't look up "hell," however, because although there are nearly ten millions sites under hell, bible-truths.com is the first one, and you'll be right back with us again.

    God be with you,

    Ray


http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,3151.0.html

[Nelson Boils]

Something's that Ray says are a bit confusing.Like:"God doesn't expect you to "save the poor," but just maybe He does expect you to "give a little."  Maybe not TEN percent of your salary, or five percent or three percent or one percent, but maybe.....just maybe..... one half of one percent?"

I wonder what did he mean by "one half of on percent?"

[skip]

Perhaps it means give what you can afford.