CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH THIS SAME INTRO BUT PRESENTED BY PASTOR TOM!
Gleaning The Scriptures started in 2012 as a Devotion Hub for a budding Pastor to publish the Devotions God was sharing with him to bring to the saints. Now, GTS is turning into a community united not by Doctrine commonalities, but by God’s love! You might be asking yourself, What does that mean? How can you be united without a common Doctrine? That is an excellent question, friend. Technically, we do have a common Doctrine, but that Doctrine is short, consisting of two main tenants. All other personal beliefs and values, so long as they fall within the framework of our two main tenants, are welcomed with tolerance, love, respect and an excitement about the diversity each member brings to our community.
How does tolerating such a diverse set of beliefs in the same body do anything but cause division? That is another excellent question. Logic demands that conclusion, that division would be the result of such diversity, doesn’t it? While I too was once a victim of that logical fallacy, and oh the damage it caused, that seemingly logical conclusion couldn’t be further from reality. In fact, you already know this if your even slightly informed on Church history. Church history reveals the vital mistake of requiring strict adherence to a long list of Doctrinal beliefs. Today’s churches as well have taught us that division is what you find when requiring agreement on a calculated and deep set of Doctrinal tenants from members of a community. Maybe, hopefully, as I write this God is raising the heads and opening the eyes of the fathers in churches around the world to this error. Here at GTS we have learned from the mistakes of our predecessors, we listen to the voice of Our Father The Lord Almighty in the world around us, and we walk as Yeshua walks where He gives us strength to do so. Since GTS does in fact have members with such a diverse set of beliefs, it must be something other than belief that unites us. That’s right, it is something beyond shared belief that makes us one – sort of. Sort of? What do you mean by sort of? Let me tell you what is meant by sort of, my friend. In short, the flagship, the core, the bedrock, the ultimate thing that unites us is in fact belief – the belief that Yeshua HaMashiach is indeed God Himself.
Yeshua’s goal for those who trust this main tenant about Him is this – for us to unite not by everyone believing the same long set of Doctrinal tenants, but to unite by being really strong in loving each other in spite of our different beliefs. Our Father told us that “They will know that you are My Disciples by the love that you have one for another.“ It is in a community of people completely free and encouraged to labor in their personal relationship with God that love grows. This messy place, where every member is laboring in their personal relationship with God, where every member is supporting his brother where his brother’s Doctrine is different than his own, and each member is supporting the group as a whole that is the crucible that increases our capacity to love. In short, chiefly because our members have different beliefs, God is more able to teach us how to become stronger in loving one another – so long as those beliefs live within the framework of Yeshua being Elohim and His Word being The Bible. That’s the second tenant – The 66 Book Cannon, The Bible, is the only Word of God. In terms of this tenant, we lean heavily on the Hebrew, as it was originally penned over any translation of God’s word.
Let’s talk briefly about that second Gleaning The Scriptures tenant. In Hosea, God warns us that we, God’s people, perish for lack of knowledge. Now, the next best question is not a question you would likely ask without some guidance, so let’s ask a significant and divisive question about that word “knowledge” together. How is knowledge different from stupidity, deception, and filth? While both knowledge and deception live under the same umbrella, the umbrella called “information” – not all information is knowledge. Knowledge is true and trustworthy. Information is what you get from the news, from tabloids, from false Doctrines, from the Apocrypha, what Eve got from the snake at the tree, from a deceptive neighbor trying to ruin your marriage, or from the con artist twisting your reality so he can steal what is rightfully yours. The verse in Hosea does not mention lack of righteousness, faith or piety, which are all vital in themselves, but this verse mentions an often overlooked, but none-the-less vital part of the walk that must be purchased to find life and life more abundantly: knowledge. Not information, but knowledge. For instance, how can you love if you do not have the knowledge of what love truly is? You can try to love, but if your love is based on false information instead of knowledge, your love is not love but some other thing. Knowledge is vital. Knowledge comes from studying the 66 Book Cannon, The Bible, and applying it with faith in Messiah Yeshua no matter the storm that may come as a result.
With knowledge being so important, how can I gain it, and who can help guide me in gaining knowledge? Let me ask you a question, friend. Have you ever found yourself lost in God’s Word, unsure of how to interpret it? Have you ever asked people your questions you have after reading God’s Word, finding that the answers they give do not sustain you, but leave you feeling awkward and unfulfilled? Today’s churches provide answers to many tough questions that are accepted by everyone else, but those answers don’t line up with The Whole Word of God. Gleaning The Scriptures Bible Teacher and Founder Tom is an anointed and non traditionally or academically learned teacher who has dedicated his life, at God’s call, to provide non-worldy, and fully Heaven centered, sola-Scriptura guidance in knowledge for those on the journey. The Devotion effort you will find here is filled with the knowledge that you need to keep growing, to participate in fellowship with others around the world who have asked the same questions and found the church to lack completely in providing wholly sound answers. Not only do they provide inadequate information, but they require you to ascribe to their inadequate information or be ostracized. Truth and love, for the most part, do not behave this way. The knowledge found here at GTS, this truly Biblical knowledge, if you are obedient to the truth of it, will help you to start withstanding, in miraculous and unexpected ways, the absolute maelstrom of fiery darts our generation has the honor of facing and overcoming. You can live life, and live life more abundantly – no longer being dead in sin, but dead to sin.
Now, most of this talk is not concerning salvation issues. The churches of today are wholly and completely victorious in bringing as many lost loved ones from death and into the beautiful life of knowing salvation through God, through Messiah Yeshua. Instead, this minstry, GTS, focuses on an underserved part of God’s mission for His people, that is, issues of greater strength and ability to do God’s work. Gleaning The Scriptures, founded by God through Pastor Tom, and growing fruitful thanks to it’s faithful members – provides both a Digital and an IRL community of saints who are moving from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from love into love with love.
So how can you connect with us? There are a few ways to connect with us. If you are in the Central or Western Michigan area: lets meet in person! If not, consider planting a Gleaning The Scriptures chapter in your area. If a Digital connection is the best place to start we’ve got you covered. We livestream a Wednesday night Bible Study during the winter months on youtube and twitch, we stream a Sabbath service the first Shabbat of each Hebrew month, and we take three trips per year to Israel for the Pilgrimage Feasts of the Bible when God provides the means to do so. We provide one-on-one Biblical counseling both IRL and Digitally (found at www.GleaningTheScriptures.com). This Devotion Home Page is a good place to start your journey with us. If you give your email address below, we can send you our Devotions when they come out. This will keep you connected and mindful of the things The Father is guiding us to be mindful of on any given week, protecting us from costly spiritual mistakes. The archive of past Devotions has been made available here at this web-site for you as well, if you want to take a hike down a righteous Rabbi trail of study for awhile to catch up ; )
Gleaning The Scriptures, in the aforementioned ways, is a salubrious environment, blessed by God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, Who knit you together, oh man, in your mother’s womb, where healing takes place and God’s strength abounds. Don’t be shy – become part of our community where we focus on strengthening those who have been born again unto salvation. You are welcome to grow here. Drop your email address in the box below. You’ll be so glad you took that small step. A year from now you’ll look back and be either disappointed or thrilled with your spiritual progress. Make a lifechanging decision today, no matter how tiny that decision might be. We would love to welcome you into our Gleaning The Scriptures family with open arms. Elohim bless the work of your hands today. Go with God.
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