“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55: 6-7
_____________
#####
Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee is the Best Christian Ministry I Have Ever Seen or Heard
On several occasions, I have mentioned that Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee (TTB) is a great Christian ministry. Now, I am prepared to say that I think it is the best Christian ministry I have ever seen or heard. McGee died in 1988, but TTB is taking off like a rocket all over the world right now.
TTB’s motto is “The Whole Word to the Whole World,” and that is exactly what the folks at TTB are doing. They are taking all of Yahweh’s word to people in every country on the planet in their own language or dialect and making disciples. That, my friends, is the Messiah’s Great Commission:
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
TTB has roughly 1350 hours of messages covering ever book in the Bible. Each message is 26 minutes long. For the past few months, I have been listening to the messages every time I go anywhere in my car. At home, I try to listen to at least 2 or 3 messages a day. I have made great progress, but I still have a long way to go before I complete my mission.
Many factors entered my thinking before I drew my conclusion. Some of them are listed below:
- J. Vernon McGee was a great Bible teacher. He had decades of experience as a pastor before he retired and started the TTB ministry. It is obvious that he saw and understood the weaknesses in the traditional church model that is so prevalent today, and he also understood the gravitation toward church as a form of entertainment and socializing. He discusses those problems frequently in his messages.
- TTB is reaching people all over the world in more than 200 languages and thousands of dialects. Each message begins with the host giving updates on the progress TTB is making, and regularly, he reads letters and emails that are sent to TTB from listeners and watchers in countries like India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, etc. — countries that are not particularly friendly toward Christianity.
- McGee understood that true Christianity is not a religion. It is a faith in Yahweh that is accompanied by a willingness on the part of believers to follow Yahweh’s teaching and the leading of His Spirit. I have never heard a preacher who is more candid about the problems we see in churches today.
- The home church model that is just beginning to develop in the United States is the most prevalent model being adopted in countries around the world by people who listen to TTB. First, someone hears or watches TTB, and he asks his friends to come to his home and listen or watch with him. McGee’s messages are played, and then there is discussion about what they heard. After people reach a certain point in their understanding, they form other groups in their homes. That’s the same model that the early church used, and it worked marvelously. The idea of hiring a pastor who pontificates while church members sit and listen would have been anathema to the early church. I think the evidence is clear. The models we are using in the United States are ineffective.
- TTB has a free app that you can download onto any device, so you can carry McGee’s messages with you wherever you go. TTB spreads the word in many other ways, too. For example, there are thumb drives that contain all the messages, a YouTube channel, and radios that require no batteries. If you listen to McGee’s messages, you will learn about the other ways TTB is getting Yahweh’s word out, because the host of the show and the President of TTB talk about them.
- TTB is not a fundraising operation that is being used to make pandering preachers rich. It is committed to one thing: Teaching the content of the whole Bible to the whole world. I know from personal experience how important that is, because Yahweh started leading me by opening my eyes to His truths while I studied His word.
- McGee makes clear that what we call Christianity is not a deviation from Yahweh’s word that is spelled out in the Old Testament. That means no Jewish person should ever been asked to convert to Christianity. Instead, Jewish people need to understand that they need to return to Yahweh’s word. I can’t overemphasize the importance of that point. It is the same point that the Messiah made in John 8:31-32:
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
I will stop there, but there are other reasons why I believe TTB is the best Christian ministry in the world today. Each day, I am amazed at what McGee accomplished, and I am not surprised that Yahweh is using his teachings to bring His people home to Him.
Below are two of McGee’s messages from Acts. They will give you a very good idea why we should join others in sharing TTB with people we know. Just click on the message, and you will be on your way. At TTB, they call it “getting on the Bible bus.” I love that phrase:
For more information about TTB, see Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee.
#####
_____________
#####
“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
John 10: 14-18
