It hardly seems that it has been seven months since I began writing this book, yet the first post to this series was published online on February 21, 2014. Today is September 12, 2014. When I set forth to begin this writing I had certain goals in mind. I was troubled by the vast amount of confusion and false teaching present among the body of Christ regarding the beginnings of creation. Whether the subject is the ages of the earth, the identification of Jesus Christ/Yahshua the Messiah as “the only begotten son of God,” the fall of angels and men, the beginnings of idolatry, the various doctrines related to the creation account of Genesis, or other topics related to the foundations of this present universe, one can find a myriad of conflicting and erroneous views.
One of my aims in addressing these foundational issues was to set forth the truth of each subject in a manner that is faithful to the testimony of the Bible. In an hour when so many authors, speakers, and Christian teachers are looking to extra-Biblical sources for their inspiration, including the occult teachings of Kabbalah, and numerous pseudepigraphal (falsely attributed) writings, my desire was to establish every matter by leading the reader back to the pages of holy Scripture. Every chapter of this book contains abundant Biblical quotations, enabling the student of God’s word to test everything themselves.
It has not been possible to address every point of reader interest relating to the beginnings of God, angels, man, sin, and the physical creation. I am satisfied, however, that attention has been given to many critical issues of foundational truth. Many of these topics had long been weighing upon my mind. Having a large correspondence with the saints of God from all across the world, I am aware of the confusion so prevalent in the church. My heart’s burden and desire is summed up in the words of the apostles Paul and John.
Hebrews 13:9
Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.
III John 4
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
It is certain that as we race forward to the end of this age and the next appearance of Christ, that deceivers and deception will be increasingly abundant. We live in an hour when every son or daughter of Christ who aspires to walk victoriously must be diligent to test every doctrine, every claim, every word of prophecy. Those who prove to be deficient in searching out truth and exposing error will be prey for the adversary. Satan’s chief weapons of destruction have always been deception and enticement to various lusts. Those who would overcome him must be on guard, and exercise great care. They must be as diligent in testing every doctrine as they are in ruling over the passions and desires of the flesh. A failure in either area can have tragic repercussions.
As I pen these closing words, I feel as if a necessary task has been accomplished. When the foundations of our beliefs rest upon solid rock, that which rests upon the foundation is able to stand the tests of time. I pray that this book has been a boon to you, the reader, and has helped you to divide between truth and error.
I can now move on to other duties and interests without the thought nagging at my mind of needing to address the topics which have been expounded upon in these pages.
May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days,
Joseph Herrin
Additional Items
You can now find the completed book available freely online in PDF format. The book can be read online, downloaded, or printed. You are also welcome to re-post or distribute the book, as well as any of my other books or writings.
http://www.heart4god.ws/index_htm_files/Foundations.pdf
I have already jumped into a couple of new projects. One relates to the practical matters of daily life. I am revamping and upgrading the solar power system that serves as an auxiliary electrical system for my bus. I will have a blog post on this project in upcoming days. I have also set it as my goal to have fully expanded the series of newsletters that I send out to men in prison to include all the recent books and other pertinent writings produced in the past three years. I anticipate adding another year's worth of reading material to the Parables Bookshelf series, amounting to approximately another fifty newsletters. I have been very eager to expand the newsletters for men in prison as there are some spiritually hungry individuals who are desperate for spiritual food as they daily wrestle with the challenges of the very dark environment of American prisons. I consider it a privilege to minister to these sons of God in the days of their confinement.
Matthew 25:35-40
"I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'"
Due to these two ongoing projects, I will be limited in the amount of new material to be posted to the Parables Blog for the next couple of weeks. The understanding of readers of this blog is appreciated.
Heart4God Website: http://www.heart4god.ws
Parables Blog: www.parablesblog.blogspot.com
Mailing Address:
Joseph Herrin
P.O. Box 804
Montezuma, GA 31063
No comments:
Post a Comment