James Reed's FORGE

Jesus gave a parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13:24-30. What we learn from that parable is that wherever the seed of God’s truth is sown, Satan will also be there to sow his seeds of lies. In the Book of Acts chapter 20, we find that Paul warns them to be on guard against wolves who want to come in and kill the flock. Paul claims that these wolves will say perverse things and draw people...

Dear Paul, We have heard some very exciting teaching in the churches of Galatia lately. The new teachers have shed new light on what you taught us. Some of us wonder why you didn’t know these things. In fact, the big question around here is where you really got the right to call yourself an Apostle. Furthermore, we didn’t realize until now that you and the Jerusalem Apostles—that is the real Apost...

We live in a world which seems to have no shortage of belief systems and religions. Indeed, there are cults which would call themselves Christian. I’m sure you have them wherever you are.  How do you know what you believe is correct? What if they are correct? Is everyone correct in what they believe? Do all roads end up going to the same place? Friends, a different gospel is not another gospe...

I wanted to study Galatians because this Book is full of instruction for the Lord's Church. As we go through this Book, ask our Lord exactly what God specifically has for your local church. Ask how He might use you.  I also want to challenge you to read the Book of Galatians at least once a week from now until we complete our survey. Here we are going to find instructions for each of us. We a...

This sermon was given on September 25, 2022, at Green Meadow Community Church, Helena, MT. The audio is not great, but I hope this is useful to you in spite of that. I would like to turn our attention to Acts 2:14-24, and then we will skip down to verses 36-39. As I read these verses aloud, and you follow along with me, I want to challenge you to examine yourself. Perhaps you think that God c...

This sermon was given at Green Meadow Community Church (CRC) on October 2, 2022. When Christians partake at the Lord's table it is a time for fellowship, thanksgiving, proclamation, self-examination, and remembrance. But what exactly are we to remember? This episode deals with that question as we remember our Lord's suffering, His life, and the new covenant.   Please consider supporting this...

Jude Verses 24-25  It’s time yet again for another exciting episode of the FORGE. Today, we will be looking at Jude 24-25, and following our inversion format we find that this is the theme from verses 1-2. We have assurance for the believer. Usually, I end each Book with an episode entitled “Final Thoughts on…” but this time, we’re going combine this final episode actually covering the verses...

Welcome back my friends to the FORGE and the Book of Jude. We’re going to pick it up today with our theme of the "Believer and the Faith" which is a mirror image of verse 3.  Jude 20-23: But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some...

So… how do we know the truth? How can we? Well, Paul gives us instructions in Galatians 1:8. He says, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” That last phrase “let him be accursed” literally means, “let him go to hell” or “to hell with them”. So, Jude tells us to learn from the historical figures he points to...

Welcome back everyone. Again, I have to say that this particular Book is taking me a lot longer to get through than what I had originally planned. However, I hope to get the rest of the episodes out by the end of this month. I’m not going to take a long time here with the introduction, but I do want to remind you of the inversion pattern that we are using as an outline for this Book. We’re now com...

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 “I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30, NASB). Jesus tells us that His sheep know His voice. Are you...

Hello everyone and welcome back. As I stated in my last episode, the summer months are upon us, and this humble podcast and YouTube channel of mine are truly a work I do on a part time basis. When I get the time, I drop an episode. Sometimes this can happen in rapid succession, and other times—maybe not so much. I am grateful for my listeners, and I truly appreciate your faithfulness. We’re going...

Sorry I was away for so long. I've been very busy. We're going to pick it up at Jude 11- "The Trio of Apostacy". Also, I thought that I would start this one off with the music and poetry of Shai Linne-- his tune "False Teachers". I highly recommend any of his tracks. The one I chose to share is relevant to our study in this episode. "I know that some will label me a Pharisee- because today the onl...

Welcome back everyone! I have been looking forward to this particular passage of scripture, because this is one of those places where we get a glimpse into the world of the unseen. I believe, as most Christians do, that there is a world beyond what we see with our natural physical eyes. There is a world of the spirit. There is a world where the rules of physics, science, and everything we think we...

So glad you’re here with me for another look at the Book of Jude. Today, we’re going to look at verses 5 through 8 and we call this section, “Apostates in the Old Testament”. So, as we have been going through this inversion pattern, be on the lookout for when this them gets repeated again in this short Book of the Bible. So, let’s get into it.

Welcome back friends of the Forge! In the last episode we only covered verse 3. We are working through this short letter following an inversion pattern, and I want to remind you that we’ve covered “Assurance for the Believer” in verses 1 and 2, and we’ve covered “The Believer and the faith” in verse 3. Now, as we focus on verse 4 we’re going to find “Apostates Described”. Just a short reminder—whe...

Several key points in this episode. First, we find in this single verse the overall theme of this wonderful and short Book. Next, we find that Jude started off with one subject in mind, and then changed his mind. We learn about shades of meaning in Greek words which draw our attention to the urgency in the subject change. We learn exactly what it means to be a part of this family of faith as we ex...

In this episode, we will be covering only 2 verses. In just 2 short verses, the Christian finds a "blessed assurance". One possible way to outline the Book of Jude is by following an inversion pattern. I have included this outline in the show notes. Don't forget to check out my YouTube channel by the same name. A. Assurance for the Believer v.1-2. B. The Believer and the Faith v. 3. C. Apostates D...

So great to be back with you once again! This is an introduction to the Book of Jude. You may notice that there are no chapters in this very small Book of the Bible, but as we will soon discover, it's packed full of God's truth for the Church. So, once again, pick up your Bible and prepare your heart and mind for the study of God's word.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK OF JAMES James was written to “exhort the early believers to Christian maturity and holiness of life” (Blue, J. Ronald. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Colorado Springs, CO, David C. Cook, 1983). As we read James, we find “54 commands” (Swindoll, Charles R. God’s Masterwork, Anaheim, CA, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc., 1998). As I mentioned before, I did not emphasize these 5...

The final test we find in James- The Test of Patience in Suffering. Up next we will have some final thoughts on the Book of James. Please consider subscribing and tell others about FORGE. 

We're going to get into another test... The Test of Trust. In whom or what have you placed your trust? Money? Retirement plans? Friends? The political system? Legal loopholes? There's only one you can trust with your eternal soul.

The Test of Submission- Do we submit to God? What does it mean to wash or cleanse our hands and our hearts? Read these passages to get an idea- Ex 20:16; 30:17-21; Lev 19:12; Deut 21:6; Ps 24:4; Jer 5:2; 7:9; Zach 5:4; Mal 3:5; Matt 5:8; Eph 6:11-18; 1 Pet 5:8-9. Cleansing of the hands has to do with our actions. Cleansing of the heart has to do with our motives.

The Host Gets Back On Script This is my second attempt at loading this particular episode. My editing skills need work, but stay with me. Production value will be getting better as we move forward. In James we have been thinking in terms of "tests". We've had the test of: Faith, Obedience, True Religion, Brotherly Love, Good Works, The Tongue, and now we get into the Test of Motivation. As always,...

The Host Goes Off Script God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. These words are found in James 4:6. James is reflecting here upon Proverbs 3:34 which states, "Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble." We preach God's Law to the prideful that they may see their violation of God's Law. We preach grace to the humble-- the ones who have been broken before God's Law...