Hi Mike,

I was hoping I could get your feedback on something I’ve been thinking about recently. In 2 Thes 3:10 Paul tells us this:

2Th 3:10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Traditional Christianity believes this to mean that if a person is not employed in a wage-earning job that they should not eat physical food. That may be true, but I’m focusing on the spiritual meaning of this verse, and here are the two scriptures the Spirit immediately placed on my heart.

Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Rev 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

So what Paul is really telling us in 2 Thes 3:10 is that if we refuse to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, we should not eat the spiritual nourishment of the Tree of life (Christ).

What are your thoughts on this. Mike. I would like to get your perspective, thanks for all you do for Christ and the Body of Christ.

Sincerely,
C____

Hello C____​,

I am very pleased to see the spiritual insights the Lord is giving you.

You are exactly right about the spiritual meaning of that verse.

We just naturally want to be spoon fed for years, and very few are given to personal Bible study. When we are doing nothing on our own to feed ourselves, then we will certainly have nothing to give to others as we are also admonished:

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

What Christ did, and what we must do under such spiritual circumstances, is to refuse to continue spoon-feeding them our loaves and fishes for which they have done no work:

Joh 6:24  When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus [loaves and fishes].
Joh 6:25  And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
Joh 6:26  Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Joh 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but [labor] for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Joh 6:32  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Joh 6:33  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Joh 6:34  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

Teachers have a God-ordained place in the experience of all who come to Christ:

1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Just like Christ feeding the multitudes twice with loaves and fishes, the time came for that to stop:

Mar 8:19  When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
Mar 8:20  And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
Mar 8:21  And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

The point Christ is making, as any good teacher knows, is that we as His students need to begin to support ourselves and to “work out [our] own salvation, with fear and trembling”, while at the same time acknowledge​ that in reality it is God who is working in us both to will and to do His good pleasure:

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

So while we acknowledge that it is God who works in us both to will and to do His will, we still tremble at all these admonitions:

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

1Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Tit 2:6  Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

1Pe 1:13  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

1Pe 4:7  But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

2Pe 3:14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

I will conclude our discussion with this admonition from the holy spirit which is found at the end of Hebrews 5 and at the beginning of Hebrews six:

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 
Heb 6:1  THEREFORE leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2  Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
Heb 6:3  And this will we do, if God permit.
Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5  And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
Heb 6:6  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Heb 6:7  For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8  But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Being a babe in Christ is as essential to our spiritual birth as is being “the first man Adam”. However, remaining a babe in Christ is spiritual suicide which is impossible for us to change or remedy.

Fortunately for us all, “with God all things are possible” even the “impossible”:

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

The Lord can and will melt the hardest heart, and He can also inspire and empower the least spiritually ambitious.

Your brother who wants to have to give to him who is in need,

Mike

Dallas, TX. Conference Video – February 5-6, 2007

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Marshall, MI. Conference Video – April 22-23, 2006

Study Topic: The Spiritual Meaning of Biblical Words by Mike Vinson

Flowery Branch, GA. Conference Video – 2004

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Nashville, TN. Conference Video – 2004
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Study Topic: All is One by Mike Vinson

Dear Mike,

I found this by searching my web. I found things in this material I never knew before. I want very much to learn more about God’s truths. I want to come out of this Babylon system. Could you help me to study more about the Word and God’s truths. I want to experience true freedom that only He can bring me. I don’t want to stay on milk. I Amo 57 yrs old. I have known the Lord for 23 yrs, but I never knew what you have revealed to me. I am a member of the Worldwide Church Of God. We have gone through a lot of changes. I was saved from a lot of those changes because I never went to the church till 5 years ago. I was a Baptist and also a Lutheran. And I was at the 7th Day Advent Church. But I feel that the Lord is showing me a new door. Can you help me to understand what my next step is?

Your Friend and Sister in Christ

K____

Hi K____,

It is rewarding to me to get e- mails like yours. I have been on the web since Oct. 1997, and I have heard from many WCG members over that period of time.

It is rare indeed to hear from someone who wants to come out from under the law of Moses.

The purpose of this site is help you to learn more about the truth of God’s Word. What will help you more than anything you can do is to download e- Sword through my site. e- Sword is the very best free Bible software that I am aware of. e- Sword has a Wigram’s type Concordance on a CD or downloadable from the internet. You will get the original words first, instead of some erroneous English translation, as you might very well get when you use just Strong’s or any other concordance. Wigram’s uses Strong’s numbers, but gives the original Greek or Hebrew first. This is an invaluable tool for learning more of the mind of God.

If you ever come to realize that the modern translations all have one denominational bias or another, you will demand to know what the original words in question are. Wigram’s (or e- Sword), will give you that original word. Then, right there before your eyes will be every instance where that original word was inspired by the spirit. Once you see how the spirit used that word, then the spirit itself will show you how that word is intended to be understood. You need no man to tell you that the word ‘aion’ has an end and a beginning and has nothing to do with eternity.

I would suggest that you first read How To Scripturally Study The Bible. This paper is the story of how I learned to use a Wigram’s Concordance. That knowledge was the beginning of an endless education for me. I began researching into every doctrine that I had ever been taught. What I have seen in the Word has no resemblance to the doctrines of any of the incorporated denominations.

Seven years ago I read a paper by Andrew Jukes entitled ‘The Mystery of The Kingdom’. In the footnotes on page 16 of that little book, Mr. Jukes pointed out that the prophecy of “weeping in Ramah,” which the New Testament writers apply to the slaying of the children by Herod, taken in context, could not possibly be forced to apply to the events surrounding Bethlehem two years after the birth of Christ. Ramah is about as far north and east of Jerusalem as Bethlehem is south and west of Jerusalem.

It turns out that most of the New Testament prophecies are given in just this way. When you check the context in the Old Testament, it appears that they have nothing in common. I came to see that there is a principal of understanding the scriptures that Christ had given to the apostles that every one of them applied in their writings. Not one of the apostles bothered to explain this principle, yet they each and every one demonstrated it in their writings. It is a mark of a man of God. Without understanding this principle you cannot understand the scriptures. Oh yes, you may understand the story being told, like the calming of the seas by Christ, but you will miss the point of that story!

I have written another paper on this principle entitled Biblical Examples Of Rightly Dividing The Word. If you read and understand that paper, you will know more about the Scriptures than all the TV evangelists combined. After reading that paper, you will see clearly what Paul meant when he said:

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Your ‘new door’ analogy is exactly what is taking place here. Christ is “knocking at your door.” You will now begin “supping with Him and He with you.”

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Let me hear from you again, to let me know how you are doing.

In His service,

Mike