July 2007
Dear Partner,
Romans 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
The first thing any person is to do is believe the gospel. Romans 10:9-10 “9That if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” It is simply said that if you will say with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved (made right with God
through the blood of Jesus). If a person is not born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
False truths will breed false ideas. Religion and tradition are strongholds that must be broken before
we can be used in the kingdom of God. We must surrender our hearts and works to him. Religion puts a person
in position to make himself good enough for God, over and over again. They will do it because they are not
aware that Jesus has already done the work to please God. Through his death, burial and resurrection, he
has made us righteous before God (II Corinthians 5:21).
Tradition says “That’s the way we have always done it, we are not going to change.” People do things
because that’s the way it was always done. It may not make any sense at all. I went back to my hometown
church after being filled with the Holy Ghost. After preaching, I prayed for the sick. People fell out
under the power. They ran to get smelling salts to awaken them. An elder was healed of asthma. I asked
him who healed him. He said he had no earthly idea. They didn’t know that Jesus still heals today. The
leadership told the people to forget everything I had taught them from the Bible. They didn’t believe that way.
It is important that we believe that we are offspring of God. That belief puts us into a spiritual
kingdom. We were first born into this natural world to a fleshly mother and father. We had no choice
as to what family we would belong. However, we are the ones to choose the family of God by accepting
Jesus Christ as savoir.
There are rules for understanding scripture passages. First is looking at a passage in context. Read
the scriptures before and after the passage. For example, I Corinthians 12:29-30 “29Are
all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 30Have all the
gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” The obvious answer is no. But if
you read I Corinthians 12:27-31, clarity comes. These ministry gifts are set in the body of Christ. The
manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit is given to profit the whole body. I Corinthians 12:31 says “But
covet (desire) earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.” The next
chapter is called the love chapter. Love is the more excellent way. The five-fold ministry gifts are
given by the Lord for the perfecting of the saints (believers) for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:9-12) Everyone is not a five-fold minister.
The grace gifts are for everyone. The gifts mentioned in Romans 12:3-8, one or more will operate in a
person’s life. They are not earned, but freely given by the grace of God. There is a sense of satisfaction
and joy that goes along with the operation. When they are explained in detail, you can identify the one or
ones that operate through you. They not only bring pleasure to you but others. They are mainly to be used for others.
The next rule for understanding passages is parallel scripture. Look at another passage or two that are
about the same thing. For example, there are unknown tongues and known tongues. There is a public and private
side to tongues. (I Corinthians 14:12-19) Paul says in verse 18 “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more
than ye all:” Yet in verse 19, it seems as though he’d rather not speak with tongues at all. Let’s keep
in context. He says that in the church he’d rather speak five words with his understanding that by his voice
he might teach others also. Also is a key word. What he is saying is that in all that praying there has come
some knowledge straight from heaven to teach him. Now, in the church he’d like to teach (by his natural voice)
what he has learned to the church.
This was learned during his private time. As he teaches it to the church it will bring growth and understanding
also. (Jude 20, 21) The term praying in the Holy Ghost is the same as speaking in tongues. It is in our best
interest to pray in tongues much privately. It will propel you in your destiny and the miraculous.
I love you,
George Moss
