Articles
By Lindsey Adkins
Introduction to a Christian Tragedy
A quick search on the web shows Matthew 7:21-23 is regarded as one of the most terrifying passages in the Bible, shooting fear through the veins of Christians everywhere.[1]
7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
7:23 And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23) [2]
It’s easy to see why the notion of people who thought they were on their way to heaven, but were really on their way to hell, terrifies so many. But like a Greek tragedy, could the commonly prescribed remedy for avoiding this tragic fate, actually be what brings it about? Are the things we do to stop this from happening, the very things that bring it to fruition?
By Jacquie Wagner
Introduction
1 John 4:19 — We love because He first loved us.
John 15:12
—
“This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved
you.”
1 John 3:23 — This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
Mark 16:15 — And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all creation.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1
Not Optional
By Jacquie Wagner
I want to be a lake~
still, glass flat
reflecting, jade green,
His standing, multi-membered forest,
and flying friends in silver sky,
oh Majesty!
such loving message
in His creation~
to send out and back
praise for His awesome work!
Few Christians lived God’s grace as freely and openly as our brother Jonathan Simonson (1965-2022). Learning to love people for who they are and not who we would like them to be is a life lesson taught by our Lord over time… few mastered it as well as Jonathan. His fellow elders on The True Vine Fellowship Board will miss his gracious and wise leadership. Sadly, yet with great joy, he has departed for his calling and service in the direct presence of our Lord and Savior. This journal is dedicated to Jonathan.
Copyright © 2022 by The True Vine Fellowship
P.O. Box 682 Carlsborg, Washington 98324
All Scripture quoted from the Gospel of John is from the Living Water Gospel of John Logos 21 Version (Glide, OR: Absolutely Free Inc. 1996). All other Scripture is quoted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Dedicated to Pastor Grant Christensen
and
his lovely bride Nancy
PREFACE
This small booklet is a development from a recent 10-week class in evangelism. Originally, Grant Christensen was slated to co-teach this course. Unfortunately, health concerns did not permit him to do so. If for no other reason, consider this booklet a beginning and not a final product. Pray for Grant’s recovery. Much work remains and few are the workers. When the Lord restores Grant to health our hope it to resume work in earnest on revising and updating the Four Keys to Sharing Good News.
This booklet is a copy of the teacher’s guide to the course. The Calibri font forms the body; italicized Cambria font communicates the teacher’s answers to questions. The format of the class requires participants to answer each of the questions without the teacher’s answers prior to each class. Discussion and dialogue regarding the questions form the content of each of the 10 sessions.The True Vine Fellowship offers Four Keys to Sharing Good News free to the local church: Contact: P.O. Box 682 Carlsborg, WA 98324.
This course uses the Living Water Gospel of John Logos 21 Version extensively. Prior to starting, you may request 100 to 200 Living Water Gospels of John from Absolutely Free Inc: Mail: The Living Water Project, P.O. Box 2, Glide, Oregon 97443; Web: www.livingwater.org. To date, Absolutely Free Inc. will provide the Living Water for free including free shipping; in return this ministry asks that what is received freely is given away freely.
By Robert N. Wilkin
[Editor’s Note: Robert Wilkin and the Grace Evangelical Society permitted TTVF Journal to reprint “Chapter Sixty-Three” of Wilkin’s book, Faith Alone in 100 Verses (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2020).]
Chapter Sixty-Three
Salvation by Grace Through Faith,
Apart from Works (Ephesians 2:8-9)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast.
Saved by Grace Through Faith
Ephesians 2:8 is speaking of the past salvation of the readers. Paul uses a perfect tense (“you have been saved”). In Greek the perfect tense refers to something which occurred in the past and which has an abiding result. In Ephesians 2:8 the perfect tense means that the Christians in Ephesus were saved in the past; they are still saved now; and they will remain saved forever. Paul is saying that the readers have everlasting life that can never be lost.
By Shawn Lazar
[Editor’s Note: Now and again, an extraordinary example of grace surfaces within the body of Christ. For several years, the Grace Evangelical Society (GES) has been falsely accused of promoting a “cross-less” gospel. As Director of Publications for GES, Shawn Lazar answers these charges in his blog, not with vitriolic venom and accusations of heresy, but with grace and truth to clarify GES’s doctrinal position. In a nutshell, he argues that Jesus says what He means and means what He says: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).[65] Shawn Lazar graciously allowed us to reprint this 2018 Blog, updated on 8/20/21 ( https://faithalone.org/blog/genuine-disagreements-in-the-free-grace-movement/ ). May you enjoy both his exposition and Godly example.
Introduction
I’m sad to say there is a lot of “fake news” about GES online, where people have made outlandish claims about what we believe. Frankly, I think much of it counts as bearing false witness against GES. However, despite the fake news, there are some areas of genuine disagreement between GES and our critics in the Free Grace movement (many of whom I count as friends). We should be open about these disagreements, recognize them, and seek out the Biblical truth about them. In this blog, I summarize some of those disagreements as I see them.
by Frank Tyler
[Editor’s Note: This article was written in 2015 in honor of my wife Babbette; she remains my “Ruth,” God’s gift to me, and my vision of beauty.]
Introduction
Maybe it’s the sound of a powerful race motor or the sleek aerodynamic lines that communicate speed or just the brilliance of the Ferrari’s red paint, but even those professing a general dislike for cars turn their heads when a Ferrari drives past. Ironically, the image that the word Ferrari conjures up in our minds dwarfs the reality of the car’s size; the name towers over this small, low-slung racecar. The Bible never mentions automobiles much less Ferrari(s): How then can God love a Ferrari unless we speak in metaphorical terms designed to communicate the excitement, speed, boldness and brilliance of the racetrack? Surprisingly, in this brief overview, we identify one of God’s little red Ferrari(s) in of all places the quiet bucolic countryside surrounding Bethlehem. The all-important question remains: Does this kind of challenging metaphor describe God’s purpose appropriately and in a manner that glorifies Him? And if so, how should Ruth and the story of her race motivate us as husbands and brothers in Christ?