Over and over again we are seeing the results of our culture’s rejection of God’s design. Does the Bible show us how to pray and order our choices to undercut the nearly ubiquitous pagan culture?
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How the Framework Helps in Thinking about the US Election
The 2024 US Election without question is one of the most crucial in American history
What are the citizenship responsibilities of Bible-believing Christian citizens during an election?
Let’s consult the model of Paul in Acts 16:17–39. The Apostle Paul and his traveling companion, Silas, were Roman citizens and Phillippi was a Roman colony in traditionally Greek territory. Let’s watch what happened. Paul disrupts the business of a demon-possessed slave girl employed by local businessmen who used her as a soothsayer to gain profit. Fearing that her public soothsaying would influence the Philippian public to dismiss his preaching as just another soothsaying business, Paul exercised his biblically based moral authority to cast out the demon. The businessmen thought their business was morally valid and forcibly brought Paul and Silas to the city magistrates.
The city magistrates, perhaps in their fear of inciting a major disturbance in the Roman colony, neglected to find out whether Paul and Silas had Roman citizenship. So, they hastily ordered some of their law enforcement staff to publicly and severely beat them and jail them for disturbing the peace. The jailer probably was a Roman soldier on duty at this Roman colony. The standing orders for a Roman soldier guarding prisoners carried the death penalty if he allowed his prisoners to escape.
At midnight Paul and Silas worshipped the Lord before the other prisoners. Look what suddenly happened! Lord had designed an amazing earthquake that would take advantage of the complex legality involving incompetent city authorities, two moral codes, the Roman standard operating procedure for a Roman soldier’s responsibility for holding prisoners assigned to him to face lethal punishment, and Paul’s and Silas’s Roman citizenship. The earthquake was so strong that it shook the very foundations of the prison, loosened the cell doors and the shackles that held Paul, Silas, and all the other prisoners. The jailer, realizing that the prisoners would escape, was reaching for his sword to commit suicide. In what must have been a confusing and chaotic situation, Paul and Silas had an opportunity to lead this soldier and his family to Christ.
Now, let’s look at the importance of a believer’s citizenship responsibility. Paul did not simply flee. Instead, he mercifully ministered to the jailer by remaining under his control, relieving him of a suicide attempt. The text tells us how Paul and Silas explained the Word of God to him. The jailer believed the biblical message and his household with him. The jailer invited them into his dwelling, ministered first aid, and was immediately baptized along with his family.
Then the text tells us how Paul gave us an example of publicly exercising citizenship. When morning arrived, the city magistrates sent some of their law enforcement staff to order the jailer to release the prisoners. The jailer obediently passes on the message to Paul and thoughtfully wishes him traveling mercies. But Paul refuses to leave. He now claims his and Silas’s Roman citizenship rights to the law enforcement officials who had followed the city magistrate’s orders to beat and jail them. Paul then leads what we moderns would call a public sit-in protest, demanding that the city magistrates themselves officially let them out publicly before all onlookers.
Now watch what happens: the law enforcement personnel go back to the city authorities who gave orders to beat and jail Paul and Silas and now to release them. Suddenly the city magistrates realize their mistake of not checking on Paul’s and Silas’s citizenship. Now they fear their sloppy management will get to their Roman bosses. Instead of sending their law enforcement personnel back to Paul, they realize the only way to get rid of Paul and Silas is for them to physically come to the jail and plead with them to halt their “sit-in” demonstration and leave Phillippi. Before Paul and Silas leave, however, they take time to encourage believers, presumably including the jailer and his family.
Our citizenship today:
Unlike Christians who lived in pre-Reformation times, we have explicit Constitutional rights, especially the freedom of speech. Notice the dialog between the authorities of that day and the apostles long before there was any thought of a constitution:
- “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” The authorities found no way to punish them because of the people. Acts 4:13–31
In the United States there is a major, long-range strategy to shift from an official Constitution with its “checks-and-balances” between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches as well as between the Federal level and the State level. Following the trend begun in Marx’s day, advancing under President Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and now under the extremist left-wing political leaders—a gradual move is underway to depart from the post-Reformation political design of checks-and-balances which recognized man’s fallen condition, and to move toward a one-world political plan to reach some vague man-made utopia. Of course, we know it is doomed to failure because of its denial of God’s historic revelation in human language and therefore ignorance of the nature of man (both his value as a creature made in God’s image and as a fallen creature who can be cruel also).
- We should recognize the transcendental infallible authority of the Word of God regardless of the political situation. Only Jesus Christ can bring about the true utopian Kingdom of God—not fallen, finite man.
- We should exercise our constitutional rights while we still have the Constitution, becoming informed and voting, and if necessary, utilizing one of the many successful Christian legal firms (e.g., Liberty First, Liberty Counsel, and Alliance Defending Freedom) to support and rely upon when our freedom of speech is challenged by the authorities.
- We should each have something like the Bible Framework to map out how we live and vote. Unfortunately, the bulk of our national journalism is almost entirely obsessed with the utopian delusions and the “danger” of stubborn Constitutionalism. This is an immoral dereliction of their duty. Compare them to their ancient counterparts in Israel (Ezek. 33:1–6). If the watchman of a city saw an approaching enemy and did not warn the people, the Lord said, “his blood will I require”. Negligence of journalists’ responsibility to warn his readers and listeners would have been a capital crime in Israel.
What’s Happening in Brazil with Artios Ministries?
At Artios Ministries, we wholeheartedly embrace the transformative power of God’s Word. We are deeply committed to the belief that Scripture serves as the foundation for a meaningful walk with Christ. Our mission is to equip pastors and church leaders to study and teach God’s Word verse by verse, following a literal, grammatical, and historical method of interpretation.
We currently have a training center in the city of Natal, located in Rio Grande do Norte, Northern Brazil. At this center, we have established and trained two local leaders who are now helping to train and develop pastors in and around the North of Brazil. Our training process involves five conferences a year, three of which feature a verse-by-verse walk through specific books of the Bible. We provide pastors with the curriculum used during these teachings, translated into their native language, so they can return to their congregations and continue teaching through the various books.
In addition to hands-on Bible study, we bring professors from Chafer Seminary twice a year to teach core courses that further equip pastors in their ability to study and teach God’s Word effectively. Each of these conferences is hosted at our training center, where we provide lodging and meals for the five-day events. During these sessions, we offer over 35 hours of intensive training, remaining with the pastors day and night to disciple, encourage, and train them.
In addition to our center in the North, we are excited to announce the opening of a new training center in Southern Brazil in 2025. We are grateful for the opportunity and all that the Lord is doing with His people in Brazil.
Our Needs
Go: We are in need of faithful men who are willing to teach others and invest in the next generation of church leaders.
Pray: We covet your prayers for wisdom, guidance, and divine provision as we continue in this vital ministry.
Give: Your financial support enables us to sustain and expand our ministry efforts, reaching more pastors and communities with the transformative power of God’s Word. We are 13,000 dollars short of our ministry expansion needs for 2025.
Please mail contributions to:
PO Box 609
Bellaire, TX 77402
Please make checks payable to:
Bible Framework Brazil.
Jeff Phipps
Jeff is a servant leader passionate about spreading God’s Word, verse by verse, both locally and internationally. He serves as the President of Artios Ministries and the President and Director of Camp Arete, while also holding the position of Vice President at Bible Framework Ministries. Through his servant leadership and dedication, Jeff continues to impact lives and inspire others to embrace the transformative power of God’s Word.
Rui Demasceno
Pastor Rui holds a ThM in biblical hermeneutics from Bethel Seminary and serves as the pastor of Dunas Bible Church in Natal, Brazil. He is also the Vice President of Artios Ministries and an affiliate missionary with Light in Action, actively spreading the gospel both locally and globally. Rui is a devoted father to Pedro and Zoe and a loving husband to Ariel. Through his servant leadership and commitment, Rui continues to impact lives and inspire others to embrace the transformative power of God’s Word.
Bible Framework at the Seminary Level – Part II
This Spring (beginning January 27, 2025), I will be teaching the Christian Framework II course for Chafer Theological Seminary (CTS). You can take it as either a credit or audit student. This course builds on the concepts taught in the first-semester course and covers mainly New Testament doctrines/framework.
Registration for the course begins January 1 and runs through January 24. This is a hybrid course, which means students will engage in learning through my prerecorded messages plus biweekly classes with me where we will discuss the messages viewed during the previous two weeks and then the application of the Framework to current events, etc.
Celebrating 50 Years of the Bible Framework
Did you know that Charles Clough began developing the Bible Framework materials 50 years ago? Over the years, this concept of studying the Bible and applying biblical concepts to every area of life has impacted thousands of people around the world.
In honor of this milestone, the theme for the 2025 Chafer Theological Seminary Pastors’ Conference is “The Framework at 50.” The conference will be held at West Houston Bible Church (Houston, TX) March 10–12, 2025. More details will be available in the coming months. Please start making plans to attend this free event.
Bible Framework web (in)sites
We’d like to thank you for your continued support through prayer and contributions to the ministry. You are helping us to reach souls hungry for the Bible Framework around the world. In the last couple of years through the Bible Framework websites we’ve received orders for our materials from the following countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, England, Gambia, Germany, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, and, of course, numerous locations throughout the United States. Thank you for helping make it possible to distribute materials to a global audience.
You can order Bible Framework materials on a Flash drive, DVD data disk, or CDs from our website as well.
For the Upcoming Generation
For those of you with children / grandchildren / Sunday School students, etc. who are looking for a family-friendly Bible curriculum (based on the Bible Framework), don’t forget to check out the outstanding Interlocked series developed by Jen and Amos Kwok.
Amos and Jen have added a podcast option which is based on them teaching through the Interlocked materials to a “class” consisting of students from all over the world.
Interlocked is also available in Español (Spanish) and Deutsch (German).
Once again, thank you for your prayers and faithfulness in supporting Bible Framework Ministries.
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Prayer Requests
For Charles' overall health and an increase in strength and endurance.
For Carol Clough in managing Charles’ medications and dietary needs to keep him in optimum health – both physically and mentally.
For Charles to formulate new features in Part 1 of the original Bible Framework series that will help users grasp the key features of the Bible Framework approach to the Bible from the beginning.
For Charles as he prepares to teach the Christian Framework course at Chafer Seminary in Spring 2025. For wisdom, time, and energy to update the course materials and impart that wisdom to the students.
For the staff at the West Houston Bible Church who work continuously to manage website issues, respond to orders for the many series available, and order the necessary supplies. They continue to make the entire Bible Framework available on one thumb drive in addition to the traditional sets of multiple DVDs and CDs – all free of cost.
Download complete Bible Framework Course ZIP file
Download complete Bible Framework Applied Lessons ZIP file
Announcements
33rd Annual Pre-Trib Study Group conference
December 9–11, 2024
at the Sheraton-Grand Hotel—DFW Airport, Irving, Texas
The ministry will be represented with a display table. Please stop by and say hello if you’re also attending. This would also be an opportune time to pick up media with the Bible Framework on it for quick access when you don't have an Internet connection. And start brushing up on the Bible Framework prior to the 2025 Chafer Pastors' Conference ...
Chafer Seminary Annual Pastors' Conference
Topic: The Framework at 50
March 10–12, 2024
West Houston Bible Church, Houston, TX
We Love Your Feedback
We are always willing to take your suggestions on how we can improve the Biblical Framework websites (both www.bibleframework.org/ and www.bibleframeworkapplied.org). Please provide your inputs on the Update Requests form.
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