Notes From My Study

"The Effective Invitation" by R. Alan Street. Chapters 8 and 9

2012-01-27T11:01:00.000-08:00

Chapter 8 of The Effective Invitation: A Practical Guide To The Pastor by R. Alan Streett is called “How to Prepare and Deliver a Public Invitation.” Street states that the ideal conclusion serves three primary purposes: it serves as an effective closing, it applies the truths spelled out in the sermon to the lives of the listeners (What does the sermon mean to me?), it calls upon the listeners to take immediate action in response to what they have heard. Streett quotes L.R. Scarbourough: “The invitation is the logical climax of the evangelistic sermon. Without it the message is incomplete and its effects unknown.” As the conclusion is the most important part of the sermon, the invitation is the most important part of the evangelistic sermon. But it is here that most ministers fail. Reasons vary as to why most fail, but one major reason is that most do not know how to give a good invitation. Relying on the Spirit’s power, one must learn to prepare and plan the invitation with the same care as the rest of the sermon. Prayer is the key. Communion with Christ gives us Christ’s own burden for souls (Rom. 9: 1-3). After reaching this point, much of the battle will have been won. We must rely on the Spirit as we prepare and deliver an effective invitation. How does one transition from the message to the conclusion? One way, utilized by Billy Graham, is to ask an appropriate question, such as “What are you going to do about it?” You can ask scriptural questions (Mt. 22:42, 1Kings 18:21, Acts 16:30). Or you can close with a statement of promise (2Cor. 5:17, Jn. 3:3, Col. 3:10, Ezk. 36:26). Then the evangelist must give theological instructions; Peter did not allow the question “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37) to go unanswered. People must be called to repent, believe, and follow Christ openly, unashamedly. These terms must be clearly defined and given scriptural support. The proper use of persuasion must be present. Streett quotes Dr. Robert Dale: “To leave the truth to do its work, and to trust the hearts and consciences of our hearers to apply it, is a great and fatal mistake.” Streett also quotes J.I. Packer: “[ Evangelism is] is communication with a view to conversion.” (See Lk: 14:23, Acts 17:4, 18:4, 19:8,26, 28: 23,24). To persuade successfully, one must be persuaded one’s self that Christ is the only path to salvation, make the appeal personal (with plenty of personal pronouns), use appropriate scriptures (see Heb. 4:12, Ps. 119:30, Rom. 10:17, 2Tim. 3: 15), if your invitation moves the will of your hearer and brings it into submission to the person of Jesus Christ. There are two avenues of approach to the will: the intellect and the emotions. A man can be motivated to specific action if his mind is convinced it is reasonable and his heart is convinced it is necessary. Use of a motivational theme is a highly effective method of reaching the will through the intellect and emotions. A topic of interest, interspersed with appropriate scriptures and exhortations, will lead to appropriate responses. One set of scriptures and exhortations should reach the mind, the second set the heart, all with the goal of moving the will. But the conclusion does not end here. There must be a call to public commitment, a response to what one has heard. Says Streett: “Emotions can be roused and the intellect stirred, but unless the sinner is challenged to exercise his will and given the opportunity to do so, it is unlikely he will do it on his own. This is why the public invitation is the hub of the evangelistic sermon.” One must choose one’s method of public invitation. It should be simple and personal. People are ready to act; keep it short. Memorize the appeal so as to maintain eye contact. Have a conversational tone, you are speaking to individuals here. Be serious, showing the depth of your concern. Don’t rush, weigh your words carefully. Don’t engage in distracting mannerisms or behavior that attracts attention away from the message. Introduce no new material. Wait for the Holy Spirit to produce results; pray after the message as Satan will be actively trying to prevent people from responding (Eph. 6:12, 2Cor. 10:4). After prayer, one must be ready to accept the results. Wait until the people have stopped responding. If there is little, or no response, wait a few minutes before closing.

Chapter 9 is entitled “Invitational Models.” Invitational models fall into two categories: those that call for an immediate response and those for a delayed response. All have a record of success, all have drawbacks. Through trial and error, the pastor/evangelist must learn which one suits his personality and theological interests as well as his church setting (ex.- is the church large or small?)

THE DELAYED RESONSE:

The After Meeting- It eliminates the pressure to make an immediate decision, eliminates the embarrassment of coming forward, it eliminates the dramatic element and circus atmosphere of a public invitation, it separates the sincere seekers from the curiousity seekers, it gives a quiet place for the pastor to speak to enquirers.

Special Appointments- Allows the pastor and seeker a mutually convenient meeting time, it shows the pastors concern for the individual, and provides privacy in dealing with the seekers spiritual needs.

The Signing of Cards- It allows the pastor to meet with the seeker in the seeker’s own home, eliminating the distractions of an altar call or a noisy room, allowing both to be more open with each other.

Special Classes- Allows time for a relationship to build between pastor and seeker, guarantees that the instruction will be thorough.

The Delayed Altar Call- The Holy Spirit is given time to work without the pressure of time, the people will know what to expect, they will not be caught off guard.

The Dangers of the Delayed Response- God calls sinners to be saved immediately (2Cor. 6:2, Mt. 4:17, Mk. 1: 16-20, Mt. 8: 21-22), allows the convicted person to quench the workings of the Spirit to get their minds off the issues at hand on onto the things of the world, it gives Satan an opportunity to snatch away the word placed in the sinner’s heart, the Holy Spirit may not draw that person in the future.

THE IMMEDIATE RESPONSE:

The Altar Call- Calls for an immediate decision, motivates the new believer to confess Christ to others in the future, eliminating fear of public testimony, his open confession places his lifestyle in public view.

The raising of hands and standing at the seat- Allows for a immediate, public response when coming forward is impractical.

The Act of Public Confession- No one knows who has made a decision until they have publicly responded, eliminating pressure.

The Progressive Invitation (The weakest model)- It calls upon responders to take steps they never intended to take. Some would not raise their hands for prayer if they knew they would be called forward. They feel trapped and embarrassed.

Baptism- Many churches consider baptism to be the initial act of public confession after conversion. Many pastors testify to successful responses to public invitations when the service is opened with baptism. Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it reinforces the gospel message preached immediately afterward. Many unsaved relatives are present that would not normally attend church.

The Private Decision- Instead of calling responders forward, the pastor asks that people let him know of their decision before they leave the building. It is immediate, but eliminates pressure. Informing the pastor is an indicator of sincerity.

The Dangers of the Immediate Response- It is susceptible to gimmickry, the tendency to number all inquirers as converts, lack of follow-through counseling. Counselors should have the gift of exhortation.

"The Effective Invitation" By R. Alan Streett. Chapters 6 And 7

2012-01-18T15:27:00.000-08:00

I have read the next two chapters of The Effective Invitation: A Practical Guide to the Pastor by R. Alan Streett. Chapter six, “Answering the Critics”, deals with objections to the practice of extending a public invitation during the service. Streett deals with nine objections from David Martin Lloyd-Jones. Streett lists nine objections from Lloyd-Jones (LJ) and then answered them. Streett’s answers are in caps:

1. An invitation puts pressure on the human will; the will must be approached indirectly through the intellect and the emotions. LJ IS CORRECTLY CONCERNED THAT AN INVITATION NOT BE GIVEN WITHOUT A CLEAR PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL GIVEN FIRST. HE IS CONCERNED ABOUT GOSPEL PRESENTATIONS THAT SEEK TO MANIPULATE PEOPLE RATHER THAN MOVE THEM BY A CLEAR PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL.

2. Many who come forward are responding to the personality of the preacher, general fear, or psychological influences rather than for spiritual reasons. THIS DIFFICULT TO PROVE OR DISPROVE. AGAIN, LJ IS CONCERNED WITH ABUSES OF EXTENDING AN INVITATION. THESE ABUSES DO NOT NEGATE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE INVITATION.

3. The invitation is tacked on to the end of the sermon, thus dividing the proclamation into two parts. TO COME FORWARD IS A PUBLIC DECLARATION THAT AN INWARD CHANGE HAS OCCURRED IN RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL MESSAGE. THIS IS THE BIBLICAL PATTERN. AFTER PETER PREACHED ON PENTECOST HE CALLED ON THOSE WHO REPENTED IN RESPONSE TO HIS SERMON TO PRESENT THEMSELVES FOR BAPTISM.

4. The practice implies that those who respond have some power to save themselves. LJ IS CORRECT, MAN HAS NO POWER TO SAVE HIMSELF. BUT “THROUGH THE POWER OF THE WORD AND THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, MAN’S MIND IS ENLIGHTENED TO RECEIVE THE GOSPEL AND HIS WILL FREED TO RESPOND.” STREETT QUOTES LEITON FORD ON THIS; FORD POINTED TO JESUS COMMANDED A MAN TO DO WHAT HE COULD NOT DO PHYSICALLY, STRETCH OUT HIS HAND (MT. 12: 13) AND COMMANDED LAZARUS TO LIVE (JN. 11:43). “AT THE INVITATION TIME GOD SPEAKS THROUGH THE EVANGELIST, CALLING THE SPIRITUALLY DEAD TO COME TO LIFE (2COR 5:20). IT IS GOD, NOT MAN, WHO RESURRECTS THE SOUL AND ENABLES MEN TO LIVE.”

5. Most evangelists who issue public invitations are attempting to manipulate the Holy Spirit. This objection may spring from LJ’s Calvinist understanding of election that only those chosen by God will be saved. THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION HAS NO BEARING ON THE PRACTICE OF PUBLIC INVITATIONS. THE PREACHER IS COMMISSIONED TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AND ISSUE THE CALL TO ALL PEOPLES. HE/SHE GIVES THE MESSAGE AND WAITS FOR THE REPLY.

6. People who come forward are not responding to a conviction of sin, but are hoping for some benefit, such as acceptance of others or escape from judgment. WE CANNOT DISCERN THE PRIVATE MOTIVES OF INDIVIDUALS. THE EVANGELIST MUST GIVE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS THAT THROUGH THE INVITATIONS GOD IS CALLING SINNERS TO REPENT AND PUT THEIR FAITH IN CHRIST FOR SALVATION. THOSE WHO COME FORWARD SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO TRAINED WORKERS WHO CAN ASCERTAIN WHY THE PEOPLE CAME FORWARD.

7. A public invitation encourages people to think they are saved if they came forward. This objection is linked to objection #6 and can be answered in the same way.

8. The public invitation supplants the Holy Spirit and His work. The evangelist preaches the sermon, then the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and draws people to Christ. An evangelist who issues a public invitation co-opting the work of the Spirit. “THE MINISTRIES OF THE EVANGELIST AND THE SPIRIT CANNOT BE SO NEATLY CATEGORIZED AND SEPERATED. RATHER THAN WORKING EXCLUSIVE OF EACH OTHER, THEY ARE UNITED. THE EVANGELIST IS A FELLOW WORKER WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. TOGETHER THEY PREACH, CONVINCE, PERSUADE, AND CALL MEN TO CHRIST. THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID TO TIMOTHY, ‘THE LORD STOOD WITH ME THAT ALL GENTILES MIGHT HEAR’ (2Tim. 4:17).” SEE ALSO COL. 1:28,29, MK. 6:20, REV. 22: 17. THE EVANGELIST IS DEPENDENT UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT AND LOOKS TO THE SPIRIT TO DRAW MEN TO CHRIST.

9. No one ever “decides” for Christ. LJ IS HUNG UP ON TERMINILOGY AND IS INFLUENCED BY THE DOCTRINE OF IRRESITABLE GRACE. GOD DOES INDEED CHOOSE MEN, BUT GOD HOLDS MEN ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR RESPONSE TO GOD’S CHOOSING THEM.

Chapter seven is called “Extending a Public Invitations—The Reasons Why?” Streett gives scriptural reasons which were gone over in chapter four. He also gives historical reasons which will not be gone into here. He then gives practical reasons:

1. The public invitation is a practical way to accomplish the main task of evangelism: winning people to Christ at the earliest possible moment.

2. People under the conviction of sin miss half of what is said, all they know is the need to be saved and they have no clue about how to be saved. A public invitation helps clear up their confusion.

3. A call to come forward offers help to those who have heard the entirety of the Gospel message but are confused as to its meaning.

Psychological Reasons:

1. Man needs an outlet for response. When the heart and mind are stirred, there has to be an avenue of expression. The inward workings of the soul seek physical manifestation. Failure to provide an outlet leaves souls burdened and psyches frustrated.

2. People are mentally conditioned to expect it. To extol the benefits of receiving Christ and not give an opportunity leaves people confused and disappointed.

Consequential Reasons:

1. Christian observers recall their own walk forward and are motivated to rededicate themselves to Christ.

2. Christians who bring their unsaved friends to Church will be assured that their friends will have an opportunity to be saved.

3. People will be stirred to become soul winners.

4. It builds up Christian observers spiritually.

Affects on Pastors and Evangelists:

1. They witness the lost being saved.

2. They can measure the effectivenss of their presentation.

3. They have immediate access to new converts, thus being in a position to disciple them.

Word Study: Righteous

2012-01-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

From God’s Strategy In Human History by Roger T. Forster and Paul Marston:

The words “justify” and “righteous” are from the same Greek root.

To quote Dr. Leon Morris on the word justify, “When we turn to these passages where the verb ‘to justify’ occurs, there can be no doubt that the meaning is to declare righteous rather than to make righteous.”

Morris states that the modern western conception of the word righteous is not at all what the biblical term means. Today we think a righteous person is someone who lives up to a code of conduct; a perfectly righteous man would be one who lived according to some moral law. This understanding of the term righteous makes it an ethical term. This understanding is similar to the Greek understanding of the term. But this is not the Hebrew understanding of the term. To quote Morris, “The Hebrew concept is not grasped by making a facile equation with the Greek…or the English ‘righteousness’, it is not an ethical term but a religious.” Why is the term religious? To the Hebrews the term righteous meant primarily that a man was right with God and only secondarily that he would act in a manner befitting this position. The righteous are those acquitted at God’s bar of justice and righteousness is the standing of those who have been acquitted. This concept of a great assize was developed and elaborated by the rabbis. All men would be tried by God; some would be accepted as righteous, others condemned as wicked. It was from this mindset that the New Testament terminology concerning righteous and righteousness was derived. The righteous man is one who is accepted by God , the one who conforms to His way. To the Hebrew, being righteous meant, by primary definition, being right with God and ethical behavior was the expected result and reflection of this.

God’s righteousness: (How can God be righteous if righteous means to be right with God? The word means slightly more than this. It is used five times as an adjective referring to God) Jn. 17:25(General reference), Rom 3:26, 2Tim 4:8, 1Jn. 1:9 (God’s forgivness is in accordance with the laws of His holy nature) , Rev. 16:5 (Here the Lord is shown to be righteous by the process of just judgement, which is in accordance to the meaning in 2Tim. 4:8).

Job and Righteousness: In view of the Hebrew concept of the term righteous, Job was righteous before God in that he was in right standing before God. (The same could be said of Lot and Noah.) Job’s claim was to be in a fundamentally right standing with God, and because of the Hebrew concept of the term, God condoned what he said. See Job 13: 18, 40:8. It is this background that gives understanding to the questions asked in Job 9:2, 15:14, 25:4. In each case it is one’s standing with the Lord that is in question and the implication is that one cannot earn that standing in his own strength. To quote Morris, “The Bible does not necessarily condemn the claim of a man to be righteous. What is wrong is a claim to be able to make oneself righteous, i.e., to earn God’s acquittal.”

Gentiles, Jews, and Righteousness: The Hebrew understanding of the term righteous must be applied to verses such as Rom. 9: 30-32. If we applied the ethical understanding of the term, the verse would seem to say, “The Jews were trying very hard to lead moral lives but the Gentiles were not. Then the Gentiles found themselves acting morally and Jews could not.” This is certainly not the intended meaning. Paul was referring to the Jews attempt to achieve right standing with God through their intense quest to keep the whole of the Law. Its not that the Gentiles had no interest in being right with God, but their interest was small in light of the obsession of the Jews to keep the Law. The Gentiles were acquitted, had right standing with God through faith, not the works of the Law.

Word Study: Chosen And Elect

2012-01-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

From God’s Strategy in Human History by Roger T. Forster and Paul Marston.

Chosen and Elect- From the Greek word eklektos. Does imply unmerited favor, but the main idea conveyed is that God has bestowed an office, has given a task, a responsibility to perform. Those chosen have a calling, a vocation. We cannot “uncall” ourselves, but we can refuse to perform the task. Used in 6 different contexts (This list includes verses containing the adjectival or verbal forms of the word as well as the noun [eklektos]. The verses many are called but few are chosen will be dealt with below. The only other uses of this word are Lk. 10:42, 14:7, Acts 6:5, 15:7, 22, 25, Rom. 16:13, 1Cor. 1:27, 28, 1Tim. 5:21, James 2:5, 2Jn. 1, 13. None of these are important to this study.):

1. Of Christ: Lk. 9:35, 23:25, 1Pet. 2:4, 6 (Is. 42:1). Jesus is the only eternal Son, the only candidate to be the Messiah, but chosen in the sense of fulfilling a task (Is. 42:1, 49:3, 5, 6 [see also Lk. 2:32]). There is a link between Christ’s chosenness (eklektos) and his belovedness (agapetos)- Mt. 17:5, Mk. 9:7 (“This is my beloved Son…”)and Lk. 9:35 (“This is my Son, my chosen…”). We see that when either “elect” or “chosen” are applied to Christ, its primary meaning is not one of selection, but one of belovedness. See Lk. 23:35, 1Pet 2:4, 6 where the connection between chosenness and belovedness is made. Since Church is elect in Christ, the same connection between the two words is made.

2. Of the Church in Christ: Rom. 8:33, Eph: 1:4, Col. 3:12, 1Thess. 1:4, 2Tim 2:10, Titus 1:1, 1Pet. 1:2, 2:9, 5:13, 2Pet. 1:10, Rev 17:14. (Mt. 24: 22-31, Mk. 13: 20-27, Lk. 18:7?) Central idea in Eph. 1:4-we are chosen IN Christ. The Church is elect because it is in Christ and He is elect. Also, the Church’s election involves a task: WE have been blessed in every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies with Christ(Eph. 1:3, 2:6) , but in the heavenlies, there is a battle against the powers of wickedness(Eph. 6:12). Being elect means we are to fight in Christ’s armor, Eph. 6:2. We take up Christ’s task. We are to be the light of the world as he is the light of the world, Mt. 5:14, Jn. 8:12. Words about Christ in Is. 49 eventually applied to our task as Christ’s body. God will be glorified in Christ (Is. 49:3) and in Christ’s body, the Church (Eph. 3:21). God did not select who would repent and who would not. We were not chosen to be in Christ but we are chosen because we are in Christ. Our election is not separate from His election. What the Church has in Christ: Eph 1:3 and 2:6, 1:4, 1:6, 1:7, 1:11, 1:13, 2:13, 3:12. We share in His belovedness (Eph. 1:6 [only a hint here], Col. 3:12, 1Thess. 1:4, 2Thess. 2:13, Acts 15:25, Rom. 11:28, 2Tim. 2: 10-12, Rom 8: 1 [No condemnation for those IN Christ Jesus], 17,18, 32-34). Is. 49:7-the words speak of Christ, in Rom. 8: 31, 33, 34, Paul applies words to the Church. As those who are descendants of Jacob are chosen, those who are in Christ are chosen-as Christ’s death is ours, so is His election. Our election in Christ is a corporate election-We are living stones as Christ is (1Pet. 2:4,5) and we are elect as He is (1Pet. 2:4,6,9). You are God’s building (1Cor. 3:9) and you are the Temple of God (1Cor. 3: 16). “You” is plural, “Temple” is singular. The Church is collectively God’s Temple, built on the foundation of Christ. The Church is an organism of living stones with Christ as head. To become part of the building by God’s grace is to share in its election. Noah was chosen, Noah’s family was chosen in Noah.

3. Of the nation of Israel: Acts 13:17, Rom. 9:11, 11:28. (Is. 45:4, Dt. 7:7) God chose them from among all other nations; the whole nation was chosen. Israel’s task was to prepare the world for the Messiah, to bless the whole world. Some fell away from God’s purpose for them. God knew in advance what their reactions would be. The choice of the nation had nothing to do with the eternal destiny of individuals. Paul attacks belief of national selection as a guarantee of heaven in Rom. 2 and 9. God put His name on Israel (Num. 6:27), the name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles when Israel failed to live up to her calling (Ezk. 36:20, Rom. 2: 24), yet God used Israel’s disobedience to stir the Gentiles to repentance. This was a corporate election. God did not chose certain individuals to be Jacob’s descendants, it was because they were descendants that they were elect. Birth was not only way to experience this election. One could chose to become an Israelite, Ruth 1:16. She entered Israel’s choseness so that she was in the linage of the Messiah. Choseness of Israel linked to task of servanthood (1Chron. 16:13, Ps. 89:3, 19, 105:6, 42,43, Is. 65:15).

4. Of believers within the nation of Israel: Rom. 11: 5, 7. Elect according to grace. Two groups, saved and unsaved, in Israel (Rom. 1:16-18, 2: 6-11, 3:19). Faith/grace verses works under the Law, Rom. 4:2-6. Can divide Romans into chapers 1-3-distinguishing the two groups, chapters 4-8-the mechanics of justification and salvation, finishing with thoughts on the future of the Church, chapters 9-11-returns to issue of two groups in Israel. Its not that Abraham had no choice but to have faith. Abraham’s faith earned him nothing, but God reckoned it as right standing. Faith brings right standing only because God in His grace reckons it as such on the basis of Christ’s finished work. Grace/faith inseperable, to be contrasted to works/debt.

5. Of the 12 disciples: Lk. 6:13, Jn. 6:70, 13:8, 15:16, 19, Acts 1:2, 24, 25. Apostles chosen, including Judas, who Peter said fell from his office. (Acts 1:17-25) God alone chooses. Unmerited. But not an irresistible blessing. A privilege, an opportunity for blessing, but also for condemnation. Same applies for the choosing of Israel. Salvation or condemnation came first to the Jews, then the Gentiles. Jesus had foreknowledge that Judas would betray him, but did not cause Judas to do so.

6. Of Paul: Acts: 9:15. See also Acts: 22:14, 1Cor. 9:1, 15, etc. Paul occupied a special position as an Apostle with the other Apostles and is thus called “a chosen vessel.”

Note: Augustine, in maintaining that God chose who would repent and go to heaven while the rest went to hell, incorrectly applied #’s 4 and 5 to the eternal destiny of individuals.

"The Effective Invitation" by R. Alan Streett. Chapters 4 & 5

2012-01-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

I have read the next two chapters of The Effective Invitation: A Practical Guide For The Pastor by R. Alan Streett.

Chapter 4 is entitled "Evangelists and Invitatons." Here the author points out that contrary to the insistance of the critics of the public invitation, the public invitation predates Charles Finney by about 1,900 years. 1st century preachers publicly called on sinners to make a public witness of their repentance, faith, and baptism. With the legalization of Christianity in the Roman empire and its later becoming the state religion, membership in the empire came to be seen as membership in the Church and so the public invitation fell into disuse until the Reformation. Still, there were those who still preached for a public response. In the early Church, Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostum preached in this way. St. Patrick of Ireland was another; it is recorded that during his ministry 120,000 converted to Christ and 365 churches were formed. In the middle ages, Boniface and Bernard of Clairvaux carried on the practice, as did Peter Waldo and his followers, the Waldensians. The Waldensians would travel in twos and preach in the streets for a public response. The first person in modern times to practice mass evangelism was the Jesuit Jacques Bridaine (1701-1767). Jonathan Edwards exorted those who wished to respond to his messages to meet him privately. In one account he writes, "I received into one communion about a hundred before one sacrament, and fourscore of them at one time, whose appearance, when they presented themselves together to make an open explicit profession of Christianity, was very affecting to the congregation: I took in nearly sixty before the next sacrament day." George Whitefield followed a similiar method: "Preached at six in the evening from the Court House stairs to about six thousand people. I find the numbers that came Tuesday to my house [seeking spiritual instruction] greatly increased and multiplied." John and Charles Wesley ended all their sermons with an appeal to come to Christ. They used four basic methods to extend a public invitation:
1. Exorters were to be on the lookout for anxious souls.
2. Seekers were enjoined to attend the mid-week service to join in public prayers as a sign of public faith.
3. Those that repented were encouraged to step forward and publicly seek membership. These were formed into local societies for prayer, Bible study and evangelism.
4. Those anxious about their souls were encouraged to make their way to the mourners bench, or anxious seat at the front.
It was Charles Wesley who first coined the phrase "anxious seat," but it was Finney who popularized the practice. Yet in Finney's ministry, the attendance to the anxious seat was not an end in itself. Those who went were incouraged to make their way to the inquiry room for private instruction. William Booth, Spurgeon, and Moody followed a similiar practice. Someone wrote of a Moody sermon: "...it was organized to counsel the hearers to act, not just listen; they had either to agree to what Moody was asking them to do, or deliberately refuse to do it. This was the essential structure of all his sermons."

Chapter 5 is called "Billy Graham's Use of the Public Invitation." Streett provides a history of the development of Graham's practice in extending the invitation. Then he discusses how Graham transitions from the body of the sermon to the invitation. Graham begins an invitation with a key transitional question such as "What do I have to do?" Graham makes sure this question is raised in the hearts of the hearers by audibly expressing it. Then he answers the question. Graham explains why he wants people to come forward. People, according to Graham, want and deserve to know why the appeal is made. Examples of such explanations include that man sins publicly and needs to be forgiven publicly, or Christ died publicly on a cross and wants us to live publicy for him. The central theme of Graham's sermons is the cross of Christ. While Graham's sermons are logical and well structured (he rarely employs emotion), Graham depends on God's power alone, mediated through the Holy Spirit, prayer, and God's Word, to draw men to God. "I used to think in evangelism I had to do it all, but now I approach evangelism with a totally different attitude. I approach it with complete relaxation. First of all, I don't believe any man can come to Christ unless the Holy Spirit has prepared his heart...I don't believe any man can come to Christ unless God draws him. My job is to proclaim the message."

Teaching Activities

2012-01-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

I am still teaching a class at church on Wend. mornings at 10 a.m. For the past couple of months we have been studying Mark's gospel. We left off last time at Mk. 7:23. While I do prepare beforehand, discussion is open to all and so one never knows how far we will go beforehand.

Last Fall I preached on the Ten Commandments in Carrolton, OH.

Advent Studies

2012-01-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas I read Classic Sermons on the Birth of Christ, edited by Warren Wiersbe, as an aid for meditation upon the Christ's birth. I have read it before and it is interesting to note that the sermons I enjoyed the most the first time I read it are not the ones I found spiritually helpful this time around. This is not to say the former do not have material good for the heart and the head. But some of the sermons I dismissed as not particularly helpful the first time around have I think been of lasting spiritual impact this time around. Particularly some of the preachers whose sermons were considered to appeal to the heart rather than the head. I specifically refer to the sermons by George H. Morrison, Clarence Mccartey, Clovis Chappell, George Truett, and Walter Maier. I remember reading the long sermon by Spurgeon and thinking it was boring; this time it excited me as well as fed my soul. There were three sermons that I felt were duds during the first reading and still consider them so: those byAlexander Whyte, A.T. Pierson, and H. P. Liddon. A secondary motive for reading these sermons is to get ideas for short advent messages of a minute or two to be given during services. An added benefit to this volume is that it introduces us to sermon collections we would never have heard of otherwise. Next Christmas I plan on reading my copy of Augustine's sermons.

What Is The Church?

2012-01-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

The following scripture study is from "The Church of God, or What is the Church and What is Not" by D.S. Warner. While I classify this with my ordination reading, this small pamplet was not required reading. This was read to show that I am exploring past writings of the Christian affiliation I am a part of.

1. What is the Bible definition of the Church? Eph. 1: 22-23, Col. 1:8, 24. "The Church is the body of Christ. And being the body of Christ, it necessarily includes all his members...No sect contains all the body of Christ, therefore no sect is the Church of God. Then as honest men, who expect to be judged by the Word of God, let us never call anything the Church but the body of Christ;i.e., all the saved, either universally, or in any given locality."

2. Who Is The Founder Of The Church? Christ purchased, founded and built the Church. Heb. 11:10, 22-24, Heb 3: 3-4, Acts 20:28, Eph. 5: 25-27, Mt. 16:18.

3. When Was The Church Built? Mt. 16:18 speaks of the Church being built in the future; 1Cor 3:9 speaks of the Church being already built. See also Eph. 2: 20-22, 1Pet 2:5. "In A.D. 29 Christ said, 'I will build my church.' In A.D. 56, and after that the apostles said, 'Ye are God's building'; 'are built up a spiritual house.' So the Church was built between 29 and 56 A.D. It is true that the church began under the labors of John the Baptist, Jesus and the Apostles, before the day of Pentecost. Many beleived and entered the kingdom then, and constituted material for the Church. But the coming of the Holy Spirit was the point of time when the church was really built and set in order as seen in 1Cor 12:6, 11-13, 18, 24. The church is defined as 'his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all' (Eph. 1:23). The church proper then did not exist until the fulness of Christ came,which was on the day of Pentecost..."

4. Who Is Its Foundation? Is. 28:16, Ps. 18:31, 1Cor 3:11, Eph 2: 20-21. "In the last text we see that the apostles were the foundation-stones. If we were held to apply 'the rock' in Mt. 16:18 to Peter, there is nothing in such an application of the text that conflicts with the Scriptures. The apostles all being foundationstones, of course Peter was one of them. He does not single out Peter here because he had any preeminence over the rest, but because he was conversing with him, and his name, Cephas--a stone--called out the assertion. For evidence that all twelve were foundations, see Rev. 21:14. Christ is the all-underlying foundation. The apostles, being first chosen and inspired to give us the New Testament, were foundation-stones occupying a connecting position between Christ the Rock, and the rest of the building. Christ is then the only Rock. 'Other foundation can no man lay.'..."

5. Who is the head of the Church? Christ. "The head of an institution is its lawmaker. 'For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us' (Is 33:22)" See Eph 1:22, 4: 15-16, 5: 23-24, Col. 1:18, 2: 18-19, James 4:12.

6. What is the door of the Church? Christ. Jn. 10: 7, 9, Eph. 2: 18. "In these scriptures we see clearly that Christ is the door of the church and salvation the mode of induction, and that it is a door that stands open continually, and no man can shut. Christ is not the door of any sect, therefore no sect is the church of God. The experience of salvation does not constitute a person a member of any sect on earth; therefore they are not the church of God. All sects have a door, a manner of admitting members, that is open and shut by men; hence they are unlike the church of God, whose door no man can open and shut. They are therefore not his church." (This is not to say that any specific Christian fellowship is not part of the universal Church. No particular fellowship can claim to either constitute the entirety of the Church or can declare someone to be saved or unsaved based on membership in that fellowship.)

7. Who takes members into the Church? The Triune God. Acts 2: 46-47, 1Cor 12: 13, 18. "Here the setting of the members into the body, or adding to the church, is ascribed to God, to Christ, and to the Spirit. Of course these are one, the Triune God."

8. Who are members of the Church? "If, as we have seen, salvation is the process of entering the Church, it follows that no one is in the Church who has not salvation." See Eph. 3:15, 2:19. "Then it follows that only the sons of God, such as are born of the Spirit, are in the Church. See 1Jn. 3: 8-10, 5:18.

9. Who organizes the Church? Answer: The Holy Spirit. See 1Cor. 12: 8-11, 27-28, Acts 20:28, 2Cor. 3:5-6, Eph. 4: 10-13, 1Cor. 12: 18, 24-25. "Other scriptures also show the harmonizing of the body of Christ by the hand of God and through the Spirit. But those given are sufficient. One thing, however, we shall mention, and that is the laying on of hands by the elders in ordaining elders, etc. That this pertains to the organization of the Church, we freely allow. But it is never called organizing the Church. God ordains a way of qualifying and choosing, and his ministers ordain in the sense of recognizing the divine call and dedicating thereunto. This order is clearly seen in Acts 13: 1-4...The Church, then, is organized by the Lord, who sets all the members in the body as it pleases him and distrutes the gifts and callings through his own wisdom to all the members of the body. Men may organize a human compact, but never the divine body which is the Church..."

10. How many Churches has God? Answer: One. "Every description of the divine church shows its oneness. 'Other sheep [Gentiles] I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring...and there shall be one fold [church], and one shepherd.'" (Jn 10:16) Rom. 12: 4-5, 1Cor12: 12, 13,20, Eph. 2: 14-16, 4: 4-6, Col. 3:15. For verses comparing the Church's relation to Christ to the relationship of a wife to a husband, Hos. 2: 19-20, Rom. 7:4, 2Cor. 11:2, Jn. 3:29, Is. 54:5, Eph. 2:19, 3:15.

11. But does the Bible speak of more than one Church? Answer: No. "The word 'church' frequently occurs in the plural form, but never in the sense of sects or denominations. When more than one church is spoken of it is always the one church of the living God in different localities." Acts 9: 31,14: 21, 23, 15:41, Rom. 16:4, 1Cor. 4:17, 7: 17, 16: 1, 19, 2Cor. 8: 18, Rev. 1:11.

12. Does the Bible teach the unity of all believers? Answer: Yes. Jn. 17: 11-12, 20-23, 1Cor. 1:10, Gal. 3:28, Phil. 1: 27, 2: 2, Rom. 15: 5-6, Acts 4:32.

13. What is the basis of union? Gal. 3:28, Rom. 12:5, Jn 17: 11-12, Is. 62:2, Eph. 3:15 ("From whom the whole family in the heavens and on earth is named."), Acts 20: 28, 1Cor. 1:2, 2Cor. 1:1, 1Cor. 10:32, 1Cor. 11:16, 22, 15: 9, Gal. 1:13, 1Thess. 2: 14, 2Thess. 1:4, 1Tim. 3:5, 14-15. "Here are twelve instances of the title, 'church of God.' This corresponds with the Saviors prayer, and is the common appellation. But as there was but the one church, the qualifying part of the name was not needed in every instance."

14. What is the bond of union? Answer: Love. Col. 3:14, 2: 2, Rom. 8: 35-39.

15. What experience perfects us in oneness? Answer: Entire sanctification. "In connection with his prayer for oneness, the Savior prayed the Father to sanctify the disciples and all that would believe in him through their word, which includes us. 'And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfect in one.' Jn. 17: 22-23. Sanctification, perfection, or the glory of Christ, each relates to the same experience, and this makes God's children one. 'For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them bretheren.' Heb. 2:11." See Eph. 4: 11-13, 1Pet. 1: 18-19. "The salvation of the Lord, which qualifies us for heaven, makes us one on earth...All efforts at union but that of God's holiness is as pounding cold, crooked pieces of iron against each other to make them fit together. The more blows the more crooks and differences. Put them into a furnace of white heat and they will lose their cold, stiff , crooked individuality, and flow into one mass. That is God's way of uniting his people in the fire of the Holy Spirit...Freedom from sin knits together in love...On the plain of Bible holiness no outward observances are made a test, in fact, nothing is made a test of fellowship. For holy men 'judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.' 'If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin' 1Jn. 1:7. Fellowship is of the Spirit (Phil. 2:1) and exists where heart-purity exists. It is the conscious blending of hearts filled with the same Holy Spirit...One may have been lead into all truth; the other not. This does not interupt fellowship. Nevertheless it is the duty of such as 'know the truth' in meekness to instruct those who do not. Ignorance of some truth does not destroy fellowship, but resisting the truth does because it forfeits salvation. We must not sanction people's errors, but if they are saved show our love and fellowship to them so long as we do not get the evidence that their wrong doctrines have become wilfil, or they have in some way lost salvation. Then fellowship ends, but love and kindness still continue in faithful efforts for their salvation.To ignore fellowship simply because of some doctrinal error is bigotry.To agree to disagree, or to put on equality truth and error, is Babel confusion."

16. What does the Bible say of sects? 1Cor. 12:25, Rom. 16: 17-18, Titus 3: 10-11, 1Pet. 2: 1-3, 1Cor. 11: 18-19 ("Here we see 'heresies' means the same thing as division.' "), 1Cor. 3:1-4, Gal 5:20.

17. Can we observe the ordinances outside all sects? "The New Testament clearly shows that Christ enacted certain ordinances, namely baptism, or in plain English immersion; the washing of the saints' feet; and the Lord's Supper. But we need join no sect to observe these. They do not belong to any sect on earth; but they are placed in the body of Christ for the exclusive observance of its members."

18. Can we meet to worship without a sect? "Is it so that God's children cannot meet to worship him unless they meet in some sect name, some name other than the one Christ told us to meet in? Thank God, we find no difficulty in assembling together outside all sect names and inclosures. But sectarians are actually so blind that they think holy men cannot convene together to worship God and enjoy any means of grace unless they join some eartly craft; as tho all grace were in a sect, and nothing in Christ."

19. Is the Church visible without a sect organization? Answer: Yes. 1Cor. 6:15.

20. In coming out of sects do we have to form another sect? Answer: No. "When a non-professing sinner is converted to God and born of the Spirit, he is thereby made a member of the Church of God, but is in no sect at all. And since there is no command in the Bible to join any sect, he can obey all the Word and keep salvation in the church without ever joining a sect, and so can every saint of God on earth do the same...The question is not , What system is most practical for all Christians to adopt as a basis of union? but, What foundations do all Christians actually and necessarily stand on? By abiding only in Christ, his body the church, we stand on the foundation which includes all Christians in heaven and earth; and not as a member of any sect, or cut-off faction...But since the Word of God commands us to abide only in Christ and declares us 'all one in Christ Jesus,' 'one body in Christ,' by staying in him only in whom all Christians must abide and in whom there are no sinners, we are joined to all saints and seperated from all sinners and stand free before God of the great transgression of sectism."

"The Effective Invitation" by R. Alan Streett. Chapter 3

2011-06-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Chapter 3 of R. Alan Streett's "The Effective Invitation: A Practical Guide For The Pastor" is called "The Public Invitation--Is It Biblical?" Streett points out that the early Church, when it evangelized, always issued an invitation to repent and believe. But this was not all; the Church's invitation also exhorted new converts to witness to their new found faith through the public act of baptism. Streett provides a biblical case that to be in right relationship with God one must acknowledge in public their alligience to God. After Adam and Eve sinned, in order that God could clothe them in animal skins indicating their righteousness through blood sacrifice, Adam and Eve had to come out of hiding. When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai and discovered that Israel had made and worshipped the Golden Calf, he stood in the entrance of the camp and said, "Who is on the Lord's side?" All the sons of Levi then gathered themselves around Moses (Ex. 32: 26). In Joshua 24, Joshua declared, "...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Josh. 24:15) The people responded that they would serve the Lord. Joshua wrote their words in the Law of God and memoralized the event by setting a large stone under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. This stone was to be a witness against the people if they denied God (Josh. 24: 26-27). When Elijah proved that the Lord is God, the people publicly proclaimed that the Lord is God and obeyed Elijah by executing all the prophets of Baal. The people obeyed despite the fact that Jezebel was a Baal worshiper (1Kings 18). According to Streett, the greatest Old Testament example is the public repentance of Nineveh in response to Jonah's preaching. New Testament examples include the public responses to Jesus by Zacchaeus, the woman with the blood disease, the sinner's confession in Jesus' parable of the publican and the sinner and the Philippian jailor in Acts 16. The Great Commision includes the public act of Baptism.

Streett points to the gift of exhortation (Rom. 12:8) as evidence of scriptural support for giving a public invitation. The word "exhort" comes from the Greek word "parakaleo." "Para" means to the side; "kaleo" means to call. This word, meaning to call to one's side, to call for, to summon, appears 108 times in the New Testament. Rom. 10: 9 states, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." The word confess comes from the Greek word "homologeo," meaning to say the same thing, agree with, assent to a thing. In relation to salvation, the mouth confesses what God's Word says about the subject. It is presupposed that the truth has already been embraced by the heart. As we confess to the Lordship of Christ (Mt. 10: 32-33, Mk. 8:38), Jesus Christ, the High Priest of our profession (homologeo, Heb. 3:1) confesses to the Father that we are indeed beleivers.

Chapters 4 and 5 will be considered together.
All scripture quotations from the NKJV.

Back In The Saddle Again

2011-05-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Its been about 3 months since I have posted here. The reason is that I had a deadline looming: I wanted to finish reading for my ordination process and write the required papers before a scheduled meeting with the Credentials Committee. I found that I could not meet that goal and blog on what I read (I am a slow typist). I have now completed all the reading and writing. The scheduled meeting, however, was cancelled and has not been rescheduled. I no longer teach at my Church on Wednesday evenings; I teach seniors on Monday morning. I have been posting old articles on my main blog for a couple of months and will continue to do so until I finish long delayed projects on Wesley. But starting next week, I begin regular posts here on this blog. I will continue reviewing "The Effective Invitation," finish the last two volumes of Thomas Oden's "Classical Pastoral Care," and begin again to read articles concerning the origins of scripture and inerrency.

The Revelation Of God In The Old Testament

2011-02-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I finished Adam Miller's Introduction to the Old Testament. I enjoyed it tremedously, though the scholarship is a bit dated and I don't agree with Miller's agreement with certain aspects of the JEDP theory. The book is a survey of all the Old Testament books with an overall theme of God's revelation of Himself throughout the Old Testament period. Here is a summary of that revelation as outlined by Miller:

Gen. 11: 10- 50:26- The preparation of a chosen family set apart from the pagan world and eventually to bring salvation to that world. The selection of Abraham to start unfolding God's purpose of redemption. God promises Abraham that he would possess a land, would become a great nation and he would be a blessing to all peoples. The beginning of a new kind of history, sacred history.

Exodus- God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The emergence of God's chosen people as a redemptive people, chosen as a people to bring redemption to the whole world. God reveals Himself to them; they in turn communicate this knowledge to other peoples. Shows how God established Israel as a community, placed them under the Mosaic covenant and set up religious institutions and regulations. Moses and Israel were to discover the meaning of God by what God does. The attributes of Yahweh were discovered by Yahweh's actions.

Leviticus- In Exodus, the Israelites were called a kingdom of priests, Ex. 19:6. This kingdom of priests were to communicate to the world God's historical manifestation- Lev. 11:44, 19:2, 20:7, 26, 22: 31-33.

Numbers- Further social organization of God's people. Further revelation of God through continued acts of deliverance of Israel and His preserving them as a community. Also, God's presence is manifested by the Tent of Meeting which contained the ark of the Covenant. God dwells in heaven and, without any limitation upon His sovereignty, dwells in the midst of His people, leading them.

Deuteronomy- Commentary or explanation of Israel's laws and history from the standpoint of the law of Love, Dt. 6:5. The study of God's Word is to define the nation of Israel. The Word is to be the central part of the people's life. Dt. 6:5-9. God's unity revealed. Ethical monotheism. Actions always in harmony with highest attributes and ethics. No place for heathen practices. As God is one, there is only one central location where He is to be worshipped, the sanctuary. The worship of the one true God leads to social righteousness, or social holiness. Dt. 12-26. See Dt. 15:1-18, 16:18:20, 13:1-18, 22:13-25.

Joshua- God fulfills one of His covenant promises. It was God and God alone who brought Israel into Caanan. God reveals Himself, His power and faithfulness, in mighty deeds. Israel's conquest of Caanan accomplished only because God was present with Israel, God actively participated in the struggle on Israel's behalf. This sense of God's presence molded Israel into a unified fighting force full of zeal.

Judges- God is revealed as a God who is displeased with sin and punishes His people for their sins to lead them to repentance and restoration. God was recognized as the ruler of His people.

1 and 2Samuel- David set the standard for a godly king, yet fell short of that standard himself so that human rule was revealed as inadequate. None of the other kings lived up to David's standard and the people began to look elsewhere for the one through whom Israel would fulfill God's purposes for them. God's forgiveness of David reveals God's willingness to forgive repentant sinners. The planning of a permanent Temple to provide a central location of worship and bring stability to the nation.

1 and 2Kings- Repeats the lessons of 1,2Sam. concerning human rule. Kings became less and less divine in receiving their office and the charasmatic, God annointed leadership was invested in the prophets.

Prophecy- Though there are prophets in other religions, none but the prophets of the Old Testament linked the prophetic impulse to spiritual religion. They made Israel's religion a permanent force in the world and a preparation for the Gospel. They communicated God's mind and will for His people to His people. Their messages had a great deal to do with the political events of the day as God is the God of history. The prophets originally operated in bands, but later God seperated out from the bands individuals, beginning with Elijah and Elisha. These prophets were charasmatic, under the annointing of the Holy Spirit. They did not originate a new religion, but called Israel back to a covenant relationship with God. Judgement is not God's final word as there is always a remnant of those who do not forsake the true worship of God. The writing of prophecy begins with Amos and Hosea.

Amos- God is no respecter of persons. The moral standards by which he judges other nations apply to His people. Israel's rejection of God's standards signals her doom. Ritual purity is no substitute for moral purity.

Hosea- God's relationship of love for His people revealed by the analogy of marriage. This relationship is defined by the word "hesed" which means loving kindness and mercy. This love is also seen as long suffering. One's knowledge of and relationship to God is to be inward.

Isaiah- In no other prophet do we get a sense of the "otherness" of God. God is "other" in sovereignty and holiness which when we come in contact with Him makes us realize our sinfulness. The divine-human encounter is the foundation of God's call to serve Him. Faith is the foundation of true religion and Israel is not to rely on alliances with other nations. God will judge His people, but He will preserve for Himself a remnant. Isaiah gathered around himself a spiritual community. This was the first time true worship of God in Israel was disassociated from national forms, maintained without ritual services and bound together by faith in God's word alone. This was the beginning the conception of the Church, the first emancipation of spiritual religion from political life. The rule of God will be realized in the Messiah who will rule in the hearts and lives of men. The Messiah is seen as the suffering servant.

Micah- "He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly before your God?" Micah 6:8. Israel's religion was no more than ritual with pagan practices added. Micah declared that morality and justice were inseperable from true religion. Israel had forgotten the social holiness of the 10 commandments and the Law.

Nahum- God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice who stands within history ready to punish the cruel, rebellious nations of the earth.

Jeremiah- The reforms undertaken by Josiah did not penetrate to the hearts of the people. The Temple had become nothing more than a fetish. Jeremiah realized that no reformation could be affected through legal means. He proclaimed that the Temple would be destroyed and true religious life would go on without it. Those already in exile need not accept institutional worship in place of real worship. True worship must move beyond a central locality, the realization that God is one and the moral law as embodied in the covenant. True worship must affect a man's soul. In Lamenations, Jeremiah reveals that the God of history was using Israel's exile as punishment leading to repentance.

Ezekiel- In exile, Israel formed a new way to worship that was the beginning of the synogogue: they met in homes to learn from God's Word and to worship informally. They discovered that God was just as present with them in Babylon as He was in Jerusalem, that God was God of the whole earth. Israel was not God's favorite, but chosen to be Yahweh's suffering servant used to regenerate the whole world. This is the birth of personal religion. Also, while innocents suffer for the sins of others, God punishes individuals for their own sins. Awareness of individual responsibility brought with it the awareness of individual repentance and God's concern for the individual. Redeemed individuals rightly relating to each other in a redeemed community replaces the idea of a holy nation. Steps to forgiveness in Ez. 36:25-27- forgiveness and renewal with the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Malachi- Temple worship had been so corrupted that it was better that the Temple were shut down than for worship to continue. In its place, God promises a universal sacrifice for all nations.

Psalms- There is too much to comment on here, so the briefest of summaries will have to suffise. To Psalms speak of God's existance, His nature and character, the nature of His self revelation, Man's relationship to Him and the future.

Wisdom literature- As the prophets were God-enabled to interpret God's will to the people by explaining God's actions, the writers of wisdom literature were enabled to explain life's meaning and human existance in light of what the Law and the Prophets taught. Miller assumes here that Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job were written later than traditionally maintained.

Now I move on to Miller's Introduction to the New Testament.

Smith's View of Revelation

2011-02-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

I have read F.G. Smith's view of prophecy in What The Bible Teaches. Smith's view represents the view of the Christian movement of which I am affiliated with. How much of it it is still adhered to today I am not sure. I don't identify that affiliation simply because I have made it a policy not to do so. There has been at least one attempt to ascertain my location because of what I have written, so I try to make it as difficult as I can to be traced. This view of prophecy is certainly not what I have been taught in the past, but I find it intriguing, especially the representation of the Protestant religious system, as opposed to the Reformation itself.

Old Testament references to pristine, early Christianity: Dan. 2: 34,44, Is. 60:2-3, Mal. 4:2. This light will be ushered into by John the Baptist: Jn. 1:7.

The woman in Rev. 12: 1-2 stands for the pure Church. War on the pure Church is made by the dragon and she flees. Rev. 12: 3-6. Symbols drawn from human life refer to ecclesiastical affairs, those drawn from nature refer to civil or political affairs. The dragon. The dragon in Rev. 12 and the beast of Rev. 13 and 17 refer to the Roman empire, first under the pagan form and the second under the papal form. The 7 heads stand for the 7 distinct forms of government that ruled sucesively in the empire. 5 had already fallen when John wrote: the regal, the consular, the decemvirate, the military tribunes and the triumvirate. The 6th is imperial. The 7th will be identified later. The 10 horns, or kingdoms, which had not yet arisen were the 10 minor kingdoms that grew out of the western Roman empire during its decline and fall: the Ostrogoths, Visogoths, Surevi, Vandals, Franks, Burgundians, Heruli, Anglo-Saxons, Huns and Lombards. The tail of the dragon "drew the 3rd part of the stars of heaven and did cast them to earth." Not symbolic. The stars- Christian ministers refered to in Rev. 1:20.

The child born of the woman in Rev. 12 is not Christ but the Church as there is still a remnant of the woman's seed is left on the earth. The woman is not Mary, but the Church; the woman and the child of the same substance. The child perpetuates the race. The woman brought forth "children" (Is.66: 7-8).

The Holy War- Rev. 12: 7-11- not a literal conflict fought in heaven, but symbolic of persecution of early Church by paganism. They overcame by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. Christians lost their lives, Rev. 12:11.  The dragon employed civil power to persecute Church.

Apostasy in early Church prophesied: 2Pet. 2: 1-2, Mt. 24: 4-5, 11-12, 2Thess. 2:3-4. Apostasy mentioned as already occurred: Rev. 2:4, 14-15, 20-23, 3:1,15-16. The man of sin in 2Thess. 3-4,7- the papacy. Woman in Rev 12 flees during period of apostasy. The papacy as the beast arising, the papacy taking power of the Roman empire, persecute the Church- Rev. 13: 1-8. The 7th fallen head- Holy Roman Empire. The healed head was the tranformation of Civil power into papal. Rev 17:3-6. The beast represents civil power, the woman riding the beast is ecclesiastical power which makes war on the saints. The civil-ecclesiastical power is worshipped as God-Rev 13: 3-4. The "blasphemies" and "great things" in Rev. 13:5- perogatives and rights belonging to God alone claimed by the apostate church. Old Testament prophecy- Dan. 7:7-8, 19-25. The time of the papal apostacy: Dan. 4:25, Rev. 12: 14. 1,260 days, each day a year. Latter part of 3rd century till 1530, 1st Protestant creed- The Augsburg Confession.

Protestantism in prophesy- organized sectarianism, a political and religious system. It is the beast of Rev. 13: 11-18, 16:14. Rev 17:16- the 10 horns, civil power, persecuting power (persecuting the saints) which rebels and overcomes the papacy. The false prophet- the beast- a religious system- Rev. 16:13, 19:20, 20:10. Human organizations with human doctrines worshipped instead of God. The mark of the beast- religious worship of these organizations. Those that refuse are persecuted.

The two witnesses: the Word and the Spirit. Rev. 11:1-4. Refer to Zech. 4:6. See Jn. 5:49, Mt. 24:14, Heb. 10:15, Rom. 8:16, 1Jn. 5:6.

This of course is not a full restatement of the nearly 100 page treatment Smith gives. This is posting is mainly for my own reference. I have never been a student of prophecy. After my ordination readings are over, I will make a deeper study of all the major views of the book of Revelation.

Teaching On True Christian Unity

2011-01-28T17:43:00.000-08:00

Two Wednesdays ago I taught on Christian unity. Later I published a devotional piece based on what I taught. See here. I made use of F.G. Smith's "What The Bible Teaches" and Arlo Newell's "The Church of God as Revealed in Scripture."

I am still reading Smith as well as Adam Miller's "An Introduction to the Old Testament."

Last Wednesday snow prevented the Church from meeting, so I did not teach.

Baptism

2011-01-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

Scripture references from F.G. Smith's "What The Bible Teaches."

The observance of Baptism and other ordinances rests upon the Great Commision. (Mt. 28: 19-20, Mk. 16: 15-16). Ordinances were not done away with at Christ's death. Misapplication of Col. 2:4. What was abolished were the ordinances of Mosaic law (Col. 2: 16-17, Heb. 9:10).

Baptism is for believers- Mk. 16:15-16 limits baptism to those who are capable of hearing and believing. See Acts 8:12. No mention of children. Only believers- Acts 10, 16: 31-34. Baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God (1Pet. 3:21).

Baptism conditioned on repentance- Mt. 3: 1-8, Lk. 7:30, Acts 2:38, 8: 21.

Baptism is a burial- The English word for baptizo is immerse. Believer dies to sin, is crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20), buried with Christ in baptism, rise with Christ through faith (Col. 2:11-12). An outward sign of an inward work. Rom. 6: 1-4. Jesus went into the water at His baptism in the Gospel accounts.  See Acts 8: 36-39.

Baptism a purifying ordinance- Jews considered it a purifying ordinance (Link Lev. 14: 2-7[a double cleansing, ceremonial and actual] and Mt. 8: 1-4, see also Jn. 3: 23-25).   See Acts 2: 38, 22:16. Baptism does not actually cleanse us from sin but is a testimony. Figurative nature of baptismal cleansing- 1Pet. 3: 20-21- the answer of a good conscience toward God. How is this good conscience obtained? Christ's blood cleanses us: Heb. 9:14, 1Jn. 1:7, Rev. 1:5.

Single Immersion- Acts 2:38, 10:48, 8:16, 19:5.

Women In Ministry (And A Definition of Prophecy)

2011-01-28T16:50:00.000-08:00

Scripture references from F.G. Smith's "What The Bible Teaches."

Equality of Men and Women In The Church: In Old Testament, some women rose to prominence, such as Deborah (Judges 4). Christ delivered one of his greatest sermons to one woman (Jn. 4). A woman was the first messenger of the resurrection. Paul recognized equality of men and women (Gal. 3:28).

Women in official positions: As deaconess (Rom. 16:1). This position was a public position; those who held it were ordained by the laying on of the Apostles' hands (1Tim 3: 8-13 with Acts 6: 1-6).
As Ministers- Priscilla and Aquilla (Acts 18:26). Anna preached the first sermon concerning Christ (Lk. 2: 36-38). The Samaritan woman proclaimed Christ so that Samaritans beleived (Jn. 4:39). The Holy Spirit was poured out on men and women at Pentecost and they all prophesied (Acts 2). Philip's daughters prophesied (Acts 21: 8-9). What is prophesy? To speak forth, to tell out the message or the mysteries of God. The gift of prophecy is to understand all mysteries, all knowledge (1Cor. 13:2) of God. These are spiritually discerned (1Cor. 2: 7-14) To preach the Gospel under the Spirit's inspiration is to proclaim the hidden wisdom, or the mysteries of God-to prophesy (1Cor. 14:3). Prophecy is the public proclamation of the Gospel (1Cor. 14: 23-25) when the Church is in one place (verses 23-24). Joel prophesied the pouring out of the Spirit on men and women (Joel 2: 28-29) and Peter declared that at Pentecost this prophecy was fulfilled (Acts 1: 14-15, 2: 4, 14-18). Paul spoke of women as "fellow laborers," laborers together on the same plane and the same work (Phil. 4:3). The words of Tertullian: "Together they pray, together prostrate themselves, together perform their fasts; mutually teaching, mutually exhorting, mutually sustaining. Equal are they both found in the Church of God." Part IV, Book II, Chap. 8.

Exceptions based on the reality of cross-cultural ministry (1Cor. 9: 20-23). In pagan areas, women were considered inferior, so in that situation women were to keep silent in Church (1Cor. 14: 34).

1Tim 2: 11-15 does not cover women's official positions in the Church but the relationship between a wife and her husband. In domestic matters the husband is the head of the wife (Eph. 5:23). The husband is not the head of the wife in spiritual matters, but Christ is the head of both (Eph. 5: 23-24). Wives ought to obey God rather than men. Sapphira was accountable directly to God, not to her husband, in a matter which concerned the Church.

Teaching On Sin And Infirmities

2011-01-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

Two Wednesdays ago, I taught on discerning the difference between sins (deliberate acts in violation of God's known will) and infirmities (limitations present in fallen man as the result of the Fall which are not sins but can lead to sin). I based my teaching on "Holiness and Human Nature" by Leon and Mildred Chambers. I wrote a review of the book on my main blog where you can read much of what I taught. Snow forced the cancellation of Church last Wednesday.

Reading For Ordination

2011-01-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

I have read more of F.G. Smith's "What The Bible Teaches." I quote a passage from my reading in the previous article. I am half way through Dr. Adam Miller's "Introduction To The Old Testament." I have finished Dr. Arlo F. Newell's "The Church of God as Revealed In Scripture." I will do some teaching from this book on Wed. evenings at Church.

Does Romans 7 Demonstrate That Paul Was In A State Of Sin

2011-01-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

The following is taken from F.G. Smith's "What The Bible Teaches: A Systematic Presentation of the Fundamental Principles of Truth Contained In the Holy Scriptures":

"That the sin experience described in Romans 7 was not the experience of Paul the Christian at the time he was writing this chapter, is shown also by other facts. This Epistle was written about the year A.D. 60. Six years before this time, or in A.D. 54, he was living a much better life than that; for he declared to the Thessalonian bretheren, 'Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily, and justly, and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe' (1Thess. 2:10). Was he a backslider at the time he wrote the Roman Epistle? No; for about the same year, A.D. 60, he testified before a council, 'I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day' (Acts 23:1. And a few days later he said, 'Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men' (Acts 24:16). Neither did he dishonor God and his cause by departing into sin after this time, for in his dying testimony, given about six years later, he said: 'The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith' (2Tim. 4:7)"

"The Effective Invitation" by R. Alan Streett. Chapter 2

2010-12-31T10:56:00.000-08:00

Chapter 2 of R. Alan Street's "The Effective Invitation: A Practical Guide for the Pastor" is entitled "The Theological Content of the Invitation." Street warns us that we cannot preach the Gospel without issuing an invitation to our hearers to respond. The aim of 1st century preaching was the conversion of the lost. The invitation is the act of the preacher in exhorting and instructing hearers in appropriating the content of the message (kerygma) in their individual lives. Streett quotes Roy J. Fish concerning the nature of the Gospel: "...it is obvious that it represents an offer. God makes man a concrete offer of forgiveness of sin on the basis of the saving acts of his Son. Such an offer demands a decision." Streett is critical of the practices of substituting a trip to the altar or the raising of hands for the inclusion of the theological content of the invitation. Scriptural models of the invitation all contain theological content. In Mk. 1:14-15, Jesus preached the Kingdom of God which is entered through repentance and faith. (see also Acts 3: 12-26, 20: 20-21) Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin, says Streett, but the preacher must clearly define the terms for his listeners. Repentance must be preached first in the Gospel invitation (Acts 20:21, Heb. 6:1). The Greek verb matanoeo is translated in English as repent. It means a change of mind toward someone or something. It denotes a rational rather than an emotional response. Repentance is not the message of the Gospel, but the intitial response, and its origin is with God, not man. (Ps. 80:19, Jn. 6:44, Acts 5:30-31, Rom 2:24, 2Tim 2:24-25) Faith is the second component of the invitation. The Greek verb pisteuo is translated as believe, commit, trust. It means to rely one someone or something. The noun pistis is translated as faith and the object of this faith is the person and work of Jesus Christ. Faith is a gift of God (Phil 1:29, 2Pet 1:1, Heb. 12:2, Rom. 10:17), it is more than mental assent (James 2:14) and does not focus on the visible world (2Cor. 5:7, Jn. 20:29, Ge. 12:3, 15:6 and Rom. 4:19-25).

Preaching And Teaching

2010-12-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I preached a sermon entitled "Something New Under The Sun." I had found a message I had written under that title and when the pastor asked me to preach this Sunday, I decided to use that message as the basis of the sermon. In the end, all that survived of the original message was the title. In the very near future, I will post the sermon on my audio blog. Over the next couple of weeks I will finally get that blog going. I will also post the original written message on my main blog. All this will be done if God permits it.

I have almost finished teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. It took me longer than anticipated to teach both the Sermon on the Mount and the book of Philippians. I am going to have to refine my teaching style. Next month I hope to take time to post some of what I taught from Philippians on both my main blog and audio blog.

"The Effective Invitation" By R. Alan Streett. Chapter 1

2010-12-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

Recently I began reading "The Effective Invitation: A Practical Guide For The Pastor" by R. Alan Streett, chairman and professor of Evangelism at The Criswell College and editor of the Criswell Theological Review. Chapter 1, "Tell Me, What Is The Gospel," deals with the theological content of the Gospel message. I will briefly summerize the chapter's contents.

Streett cautions against making an appeal to others to accept Christ as Lord and Savior when a clear proclamation of the message of the Gospel has not been preached. There are two parts to the Gospel message, proclamation and invitation. Proclamation must always precede an invitation to listeners to respond to its truth. Three New Testament words deal with proclamation: kerygma, kerysso and keryx. Kerygma, appearing 8 times in the New Testament, refers to the content of the Gospel. It is translated in English translations as "preaching" (ex. 1Cor. 1:21). Kerysso, appearing 61 times, means "to proclaim" or "to preach"; it refers to the act of preaching. Keryx, appearing 3 times, refers to the preacher. Paul used the word twice to describe himself (1Tim 2:7, 2Tim 1:11). The word also includes the concept of an ambassador in its meaning. (1Cor. 1:17, Eph. 6:19-20, 2Cor 5:20) The preacher does not proclaim merely for the sake of doing so. An inseperable component of his motivation is an expectation of response. Three New Testament words deal with evangelism: evangelion, evangelizo and evangelistes. Evangelion, appearing 77 times, simply means good news and is a synonym for kerygma (Rom 16:25). Evangelizo, appearing 55 times, means to bring or announce glad tidings. Evangelistes, appearing 3 times, meaning bringer of good tidings, is translated as "evangelist" and is a synonym for keryx.

Two-Fold Nature of Man

2010-12-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

Taken from F.G. Smith's "What The Bible Teaches", chapter 2, "The Nature of Man."

Man is a compound being

1Cor. 6:20, 1Cor. 7:34, Job 14:22, 2Cor. 4:16
The outer man is mortal- Rom. 6:12, Rom. 8:11, Gen. 1:29,2:7,15,3:19, Ps. 8:4, 5 with Heb. 2:6-7, 1Cor. 15:53, Lk. 20: 35-36, Job 19:26, Mt. 10:28, 2Cor. 4:16.
The inner man is spirit- 2Cor. 4:16, Job 32:8, Is. 57:16, Zech. 12:1, 1Tim. 1:17, Mt. 10:28, Ps. 22:26, Mic. 6:7, James 2:26, Rom. 6:12-13, 2Cor. 5:1-9, 2Pet. 1:13-14, 2Cor. 12:2-4, Phil 1: 21-24, Mt. 22:32, Rev. 6: 9-10, 20:4, Lk. 23:43,46, Acts 7:59, Ps. 90:10, Ecc. 12:7, Rom. 3:4.
Christ is first-begotten of the dead- Rev. 1:5, Col. 1:18, 1Cor. 15:20, Acts 26:22-23.

God's Attributes In General And Who Each Person Of The Trinity Is

2010-12-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

From F.G. Smith's "What The Bible Teaches", Chapter 1- "The Doctrine of God":

God's Attributes

1. Self Existence: Jn. 5:26, Ps. 36:9
2. Eternity: Ps. 90:2, Is. 57:15
3. Spirituality: Jn. 4:24
4. Unity: Is. 45:21
5. Immutability: Mal. 3:6, James 1:17
6. Omnipresence: Jer. 23:24, Acts 17: 27,28
7. Omniscience: Acts 15:18, Heb 4:13
8. Omnipotence: Rom. 1:20, Mt. 19:26
9. Wisdom: Dan. 2:20, Rom 11:33
10. Holiness and Truth: 1Pet. 1:16, Hab. 1:13, Titus 1:2
11. Justice: Ps. 89:14, Acts 10:35
12. Goodness: (Benevolence, love, mercy,grace) Rom. 2:4, Jn. 3:16, Ps. 136:26, 1Pet. 5:10,
13. Faithfulness: 2Thess. 3:3, Heb. 11:11

1. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are represented as special personsdistinct from each other.
2. They are clased together, seperate from all other beings.
3. Divine titles are aplied to each.
4. Divine attributes are ascribed to each.
5. Divine works are attributed to each.
Yet There is only one God.

God The Father

The word "Father" applied in 2 senses, to God without any personal distinctions (1Chron. 29:10, Ps. 89:26, 2Chron. 6:18, Jn. 4: 21,23,24) and to distinguish the Father from the Son (Mt. 11:27, Jn. 5:17, Acts 2:33, Rom. 15:6, Gal. 1:1-4)

God The Son

1. Divine Titles Applied to Him the same as the Father- Heb. 1:8, Is. 9:6, Mt. 1:23, Jn. 1: 1,14, Acts 20:28, Jn. 20:28, Rom. 9:5, Phil. 2:6, Col. 2:9, Titus 1:3, 1Jn. 5:20, Rev. 17:14

2. Divine Attributes are ascribed to Him.
a. preexistence or eternity-Jn. 8:58, 1Cor. 15:47, 1Jn. 1:1, Phil 2:6-7, Jn. 17:5, Col. 1:17, Mic. 5:2, Rev. 22: 16,13
b. Omnipotence- Is. 9:6, Mt. 28:18, Jn. 11:25, Phil. 3:21, Col. 2:10, Jn. 10: 17-18, Heb. 1:3, 2Tim. 1:10
c. Omnipresence- Mt. 18:20, 28:20
d. Omniscience- Jn. 2:24-25, 21:17, Acts 1:24, Col. 2:3, Mt. 11:27, Rev. 2:23

3. Divine works are ascribed to Him.
a. Creation- Heb. 1:1-2, 10, Jn. 1:3, Col. 1:16
b. Redemption- Eph. 1:7, Heb. 9:12

4. He is Preeminent--Above All Things- Acts 10:36, Rom 14:9, Phil 2:9, Col. 1:18, 1Pet. 3:22

5. He is a proper object of Devotion and Worship- Heb. 1:6, Jn. 5:23, Lk. 24:52, 1Cor. 1:2, Phil. 2:10, Rev. 5:13, 2Tim. 4:18

God The Holy Spirit-
Also divine and distinct from the Father and the Son. Called the Spirit of God (Rom 8:9)because He was sent from God (Jn. 15:26). Also called the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9) because He is sent to do the work of Christ.
1. His divinity- Mt. 10:20, Ez. 36:27 cf Acts 2: 17-18, Acts 28:25, Rom. 8:14, 1Cor. 3:16, Eph. 1:13.
2. His personality-
a. Associated with Father, Son as their equal- Mt. 28:29
b. The personal pronoun "He" is applied to Him, Jn. 16:13
c. Personal acts are ascribed to Him- Jn. 14:26, 15:26, 16:13, Acts 13:2,4.
d. Particular attributes are ascribed to Him- for example- knowledge (1Cor. 2:11), will (1Cor. 12:11), Power (Rom. 15:13)

All three are classed together, seperately from all other human beings, as divine- Mt. 28:19, 2Cor. 13:14, Jude 20:21, 1Pet. 1:2, Rom. 8: 14-17.
3. His works-
a. In creation: Gen. 1:1,2, Job 33:4, 26:13, Ps. 104:30.
b. In redemption: 2Thess. 2:13, Acts 15:8,9, Titus 3:5, 1Jn. 3:24, Rom 8:9, 14, 16

Divine Authority of Scripture And The Words Of the Apostles

2010-12-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

Taken from F.G. Smith's "What The Bible Teaches" , Preliminary- The Divine Authority of The Scriptures:

The Holy Spirit as the author of Scripture- 2Pet 1:19,21, 2Tim. 3:16, Is. 1:10, Jer 1:7, Ex 1:3, Jn. 5:39, 46, Lk.16:31, Heb 10:7.

The Holy Spirit as the author of the words of the Apostles- Mt. 10:19-20, 1Thess. 2:13, 1Cor. 14:37, 2Pet. 3: 15-16

Scriptures Illuminating The Meaning Of The Beatitudes

2010-11-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

From background research for a sermon delivered on the Beatitudes. All word definitions from Greek reference works. This material was used for the last 15 minutes of the sermon. Of course I only shared only a few of the verses listed here. These and other verses unpack the meaning of each attribute, they give a fuller meaning than what we might expect. +'s indicate verses that show these attributes originate in the Holy Spirit and are the picture of one filled with the Spirit, a test of whether one is Spirit filled.

MATT 5: 3-10.

3. Blessed- fortunate, happy, free from daily cares and worries.
    Spirit- Greek word pnema-refers to sight unseen, not physical poverty-gives
    sphere of poverty spoken here.
    Poor in Spirit- Mt 11:25, 18: 1-3, Lev. 26:41, Dt. 8:2, 2Chron. 7:14, 33:12, 33:23, 34:27, Ps. 34:18, 51:17, 147:3, Ec. 7:3, Is. 57:15, 61:1, Mic. 6:8, Lk. 18:14, 2Cor 6:10, Ja. 2:5.

4. Mourn- takes possession of person, a quality that cannot be hid. Future reward.
    Ps. 32: 3-7, Ec 7:3-4, Is. 25:8, 35:10, 61:2, Ezk. 9:4, Zec. 12: 10-14, Lk. 7:36, 2Cor. 1: 3-7, 7:4, Rev. 21:4.

5. Meek- Humble, gentle attitude which expresses self in patient submissiveness to
     offense, free from malice, desire for revenge.
     Mt. 11:29, Ps. 25:8-13, Ps. 37 (whole), 149:4, Pr. 14:29, 15:1, 18, 16:32, 19:11, Ec 7:8, Is. 29:19, Zeph. 2:3, +Gal 5:23, +Eph 4: 2-3, Col. 3: 1-14, Titus 3:2.
      Inherit the Earth- Gen: 22:17, Ps. 25:17, 37:9-11, Is. 54: 16-17, Dan. 7: 14, 18, Rom. 4:13, Rev. 5:10.

6. Hunger- A continual attitude.
     Righteousness- That God gives, or or comformity to God's will (Mt.5:20) Here, God is the agent, we are passive. Hunger and thirst-Ps. 41: 1-2, 63: 1-2, 107:9, Is. 26:9, Amos 8: 11-13, +Jn. 6:27, +36, +7:37. Filled- Ps. 8:10, Jn. 4:14, Rev. 7:16-17.

7. Mercy- Indicates moved by pity, compassion at tragedy, includes fear this could
    happen to me. Mt. 6: 14-15, 18: 34-35, 25: 34-36, Ps. 12:5, Pr. 11:17, Ezk. 16:49, Dan. 4:27, Mic. 6:8, Gal 6:9, Eph. 4: 26- 5:1-2, Col. 3:12, +James 3:17, Mt. 7:2, 2Cor. 4:1, 2Tim 1:16, +Heb. 4:16, 6:10.

8. Pure- Mt. 23:25-28, 1Chron. 29: 17-18, Ps. 18: 25-27, 24:3-4, 51: 6,10, Ps. 73, Ezk. 36: 25-27, +Acts 15:9, +2Cor. 7:1, Titus 1:15, +Heb. 10:19, +James 1:8, 3: 17-18,+Heb. 12:14, +1Jn. 3:2, 3. Heart-Center of the inner life of the person where all the spiritual forces and functions have their origins.

9. Peacemaker: Ps. 34: 12-14, Prov. 12: 20, Rom: 12:18, +14:17-19, +2Cor. 5:20, +Gal 5:22, Eph. 4: 1-3, Col. 3: 12-15, James 1: 19-20. The Hebrew word for Son often denotes the character of the parents as expressed by the child.

10. Persecuted- cause of persecution, righteous conduct. Mt. 10:39, Ps. 69: 7-9, Is. 51:29, Jn. 15:20, Acts 5: 40-41, 9:4, Rom. 8:17, 37, 2Cor. 4:8, 2Tim. 2:12, 3:12, Heb. 10:34, James 1:4, 1Pet. 4:12-16, 2Thess. 1:4-7, James 1:12.

Update

2010-11-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

I am still teaching on The Sermon on the Mount on Wednesdays at Church.

Starting Monday I will begin reading for the Ordination process.

"A Plain Account Of Christian Perfection" by John Wesley

2010-09-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

This week I reread John Wesley's "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection." I plan to do a major series on it at my main blog. This reread has been very helpful to me spiritually. The rational of the series is to state what Wesley meant by perfection and to deal with the misconceptions that surround the doctrine. I may include my background notes, which consist of excerpts from "A Plain Account..." here on this blog.

Bible In 90 Days: Acts

2010-09-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year the church I attended in Illinois participated in the "Bible In 90 Days" program. I completed the program in 86 days reading the NLT. I wrote down my impressions as I read and posted them on this blog. (See the link at the right-hand side to access my comments) I stopped posting my comments after reading John because my upcoming move made time scarce. However, I did write down my impressions of Acts. I am taking the opportunity to post these impressions now. For 1- 1076, click the "Bible In 90 Days: Impressions" link below:

1077. Jesus continued to preach through the power of the Holy Spirit.
1078. Jesus continued to show proofs that He was still alive.
1079. Jesus taught during those 40 days on the Kingdom of God.
1080. The Apostles asked when God would restore the kingdom of Israel. They were still unfocused.
1081. Receiving the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father.
1082. After Pentecost, the use of lots ceased.
1083. Peter's 1st sermon- 3 points- What the crowd witnessed was the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, that David prophesied Jesus' resurrection and ascention and that they had crucified the Lord and Messiah.
1084. The crowd's response- repentance leading to forgiveness followed by baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
1085. The Church devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching, fellowship, the Lord's Supper and prayer. They shared their possessions.
1086. They enjoyed the goodwill of the people.
1087. God added daily to the Church.
1088. The 1st Christians worshipped in the Temple.
1089. It was faith in God that healed the lame man at the Temple.
1090. Peter tells the crowd they were complicit in Christ's death.
1091. From Samuel onward, every prophet spoke of Christ.
1092. Through Abraham all the families of the earth will be blessed. Christ was in Abraham's descendants.
1093. Christ went to Israel first to turn Israel from its sinful ways.
1094. Peter and John were arrested because they preached the Resurrection in Jesus's name.
1095. The lame man had been lame for 40 years. Jesus must have passed him when going to the Temple.
1096. The Church was filled with the Holy Spirit and they preached boldly.
1097. Their message focused on the Resurrection.
1098. The Apostles were of one mind and did not think their possessions were their own.
1099. There was no poverty among them.
1100. After Peter and John were arrested, the threat of arrest for following Jesus was real. So why didn't insincere followers like Annanias and Saphira stay were it was safe?
1101. Annanias allowd Satan to fill his heart.
1102. Before Pilate the religious leaders said let Jesus' blood be on them and their children. Now they were angry that the Apostles charged them with killing Jesus.
1103. Gamaliel was couseling a political approach, not a godly one. Worldly wise.
1104. Possible racial conflict arose as more were added to the Church.
1105. The Apostles needed to be free to preach and teach.
1106. The 7 workers had to be filled with the Holy Spirit and with wisdom.
1107. The solution to the food distribution problem increased the number of saved, even among the Jewish leaders.
1108. Stephen was charged with violating the Law of Moses. Stephen demonstrated that it was Israel that had done so. He charged Israel with always resisting the Holy Spirit.
1109. When Stephen related his vision of Jesus, he was stoned.
1110. Saul was a witness to Stephen's death, seeing him forgive his killers.
1111. The persecution allowed the message to spread. The Apostles stayed in Jerusalem.
1112. Were those in Samaria who accepted the message saved even though they had not received the Holy Spirit?
1113. Simon thought that the receiving of the Holy Spirit was like magic. He believed, but he still had mixed motives.
1114. Philip went where God told him to go, including a desert.
1115. Apparently Philip's baptisms were considered legitimate, even though he was not an apostle, but a lay leader.
1116. Apparently baptism was part of Philip's message.
1117. It was humbling for Saul to be led by the hand into Damascus. He had planned to enter it with authority.
1118. Saul was God's chosen instrument to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles, Kings and the people of Israel.
1119. Annanias took issue with the Lord.
1120. Paul's message- Jesus is the Son of God. And since Paul was trained in the Scriptures, no one could refute him.
1121. It was Barnabas who allowed Saul to gain credibility with the Church.
1122. The miracles in Peter's ministry added many to the Church in Lydda and Joppa.
1123. God heard the prayers of unsaved Cornelius.
1124. Peter was still thinking in terms of Judaism's attitude toward the Gentiles that the Lord had to repeat the vision of the sheet and the food 3 times.
1125. Peter didn't understand the vision until he was summoned by Cornelius.
1126. Peter brought the other witnesses so the Church would accept Gentile Christians.
1127. The Gentiles received the Holy Spirit while Peter was still speaking.
1128. The Lord used Peter to convert the first Gentile Chrisitians so later Peter could give credibility to Paul's ministry to the Gentiles.
1129. Many Jewish Christians thought the Gospel was only for Jews, or that Gentiles had to become Jews first.
1130. Peter said the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit in the same way as the 1st disciples.
1131. The Jerusalem Church rejoiced specifically that the Gentiles repented and received eternal life.
1132. The Church in Antioch began providing famine relief for the Judean Church before the famine began.
1133. Barnabas and Saul's journey to deliver famine relief set the stage for their missionary journey.
1134. When Peter is rescued from prison, he thought it was a vision.
1135. The soldiers paid with their lives for the Lord's rescuing Peter.
1136. Herod died because he accepted the people's worship.
1137. Just as Elymus the sorcerer had to be neutralized, so do evil forces that try to keep people from accepting the Gospel.
1138. In Acts 13, Paul comes to the forefront.
1139. When Paul preached to the Jews, all he had to do was prove Jesus was the Messiah spoken of in the Scriptures.
1140. Paul pronounced judgement on Pisidia even though many became believers there.
1141. When they preached to Gentiles involved in idol worship, such as at Lystra, they had to start from scratch, proving there was only one God.
1142. Paul was stoned in Lystra, later returning, carrying the marks of the stoning on his body as he preached warning believers they must enter the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.
1143. Paul and Barnabas were summoned back to Jerusalem. They were not free agents, but under Jerusalem's authority. When the findings of the Jerusalem Council was sent to Antioch, official represetitives were sent from Jerusalem to Antioch. The Jerusalem Church also declared that the Judaizers were not sent by the Jerusalem Church.
1144. What was Peter's evidence that the Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit? God cleansed their hearts through faith.
1145. Paul felt it was necessary to circumsize Timothy.
1146. The journey was directed by the Holy Spirit- 16: 6-10.
1147. Luke has joined Paul by 16:10.
1148. The Gospel was opposed by those who were threatened by it economically, like the master of the demon possessed slave girl who told fortunes.
1149. When Paul and Silas told the Philippian jailer that all he had to do was believe to be saved, the jailer's subsequent actions proved his faith.
1150. Paul told the Athenians they had to repent of idol worship.
1151. Paul spent over 1 and 1/2 years in Corinth.
1152. Paul found believers who had only heard of the baptism of John and were not baptized in the Holy Spirit.
1153. Paul spent 2 years preaching in the Hall of Tyrannus.
1154. Pauls message- the Kingdom of God.
1155. The incident of the 7 sons of Sceva showed many believers that Jesus was not magic and many repented of their practice of magic.
1156. Paul reminded the Ephesians how he conducted himself among them.
1157. Paul said false prophets twist the truth to gain a following.
1158. It was prophesied that Paul should not go to Jerusalem.
1159. The Jews of Jerusalem reacted violently when Paul said he preached to the Gentiles.
1160. Paul set the Pharisees and the Sadduces against each other.
1161. Paul said the reason he was on trial was because he preached the Resurrection of the dead.
1162. Paul said to Agrippa that he preached repentance proved by fruits, and that he preached nothing more than what Moses and the Prophets said would happen.
1163. Acts 28 claims that the 1st 5 books of the Old Testament were writtten by Moses.
1164. In Rome, Paul preached the Kingdom of God.

Finished Philippians, Starting The Sermon On The Mount

2010-09-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Wednesday of last week we finished our study of Philippians; Wednesday of this past week, I began teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. We managed to get through the Beatitudes.

Biblical Insights For Understanding Grief

2010-09-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

(From a presentation at a Creditials Retreat for those seeking ordination)

The Bible dignifies grief by presenting it as a God-given, theraputic response to loss.

God grieves

The Father grieves over evil in Noah's day (Gen. 6:6)
The Son grieves over the death of Lazarus (Jn. 11: 35-36) as well as over Jerusalem. See also Is. 53.
The Spirit grieves over believers sin (Eph. 4:30)

God responds to our grief

Recording our tears (Ps. 56:8)
Symapthizing with our weaknesses (Heb. 4: 15-16)
Eventually ending our griefs (Is. 65:19, Rev. 21:4)

Grief measures the meaning of our attactments

Our attatchment to friends (Jn. 11:36)
Our attachment to family (Gen. 50:1)

Grief potentially interupts life's routines

Leaving mourners with little appetite (2Sam. 12:17)
Causing mourners to wish for death (2Sam. 18:33)
Multiplying mourner's illness and death (1Sam. 4: 18-22)

Grief potentially persists over an extended period of time

7 days (Gen. 50:10)
30 days (Num. 20:29)
70 days (Gen. 50:3)
Time does not heal, it's what you do with that time.

Grief is potentially expressed in a variety of ways

Before a loss (Mt. 26: 37-38)
By shock, numbness or denial (Mk. 8:31-32)
In anger (Job 10:9)
Through bargaining (Is. 38: 1-22)
With depression (2Sam. 12: 16-18)
With acceptance (Phil. 1:12, 21-24, 4:11-13)

Grief is potentially facilitated by various expressions

Through songs (2Sam. 1: 17-27)
Through poetry (Lam. 1-5)

Other Scriptures

Is. 43:2-3, Ps. 23:4, 46:1, 147:3, Jn. 14:1, Is. 41:10, Prov. 3: 5-6, Dt. 31: 5-6.

Credentials Retreat

2010-09-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago I attended a Credentials Retreat for those going through the Ordination process. Here are a few quotes from the various presentations:

Ordinances of the Church:

Is it a good thing that we make baptism something that is added to the regular worship service? Shouldn't it be a time of celebration for all of God's people at a special time?

It may be better to record or video baptismal testimonies before baptism so that the people will know more about someone's journey to faith before they are baptized.

Let different persons share communion thoughts so that the people will gain fresh perspectives.

When one partakes of holy Communion, one sees three faces in the cup: Jesus', mine and those who are lost. This is a good idea for a communion meditation.

The Making of a Leader:

1. Nothing Happens until someone provides leadership to make it happen. Nothing of eternal significance happens until God raises up a leader. Judges 21:25. "Everything rises or falls with leadership." John Maxwell

2. Leadership is influence for good or bad. 1Tim 4:2. The Biblical definition of leadership: A "leader" is someone with God-given ability and responsibility to influence a group of God's people to accomplish God's purpose for that group. To be a Biblical leader, you must know what God is calling you to be.

It is true that when we say no to God, God will raise up someone else to accomplish His purpose. But when we say no to God, we say no to those God knows only we can reach.

Positions of influence have changed over the past couple of generations. Age and official position have nothing to do with leadership now; since Watergate authority is considered suspect. In Churches, often influencers do not hold an official position, especially when the pastor is new. How do pastors determine who are the influencers? By seeing who the people look to in meetings. Pastors need to build relationships with these people, letting them to see your heart and getting to know theirs.

If you are on staff under a lead pastor, you are a direct extension of that pastor.

If a senior pastor has no input in the hiring of staff, this is a recipe for disaster.

Start in small things; make sure you lead at home.

3. The test of leadership: is anyone following? Jn 10:27, 1Cor. 11:1. If you have to remind people that you are the leader, you are not the leader. Are we as leaders listening to God, or other voices. Who are those we are trying to lead listening to?

A leader will be a person of eternal significance if they are the same in their personal as well as their public life.

4. The foundation of leadership is character, not charisma. 1Tim. 3: 1-13, Heb 13: 7-8. Paul told us to do as he did. We can't be like someone else. God called us to be who we are in a particular place.

Three characteristics of good leaders: a. They have a message worth remembering, b. They have a lifestyle worth considering (who they are, not what they have), c. They have a faith worth imitating.

You know you are influencing someone for Christ when they start asking you questions.

5. Leadership can be learned; not all are born leaders. Mk. 3: 14, 2Tim. 2: 2. Let them learn the difference between head knowledge and wisdom.

6. If you stop learning, you stop leading. Ecc. 10:10. If a pastor stops growing, he/she can no longer feed their congregation. Learn as much as you can, work all that you can, pray all that you can.

On Grief:

Tears are the words the heart cannot express.

The ability to grieve is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Grief is a natural, normal reaction to loss of any kind. It is the most powerful emotion God gives us.

Grief hurts. It operates differently in different persons. Everyone heals in a different way.

Time does not heal ; it is what you do with that time. There are no stages of grief, but their are common responses. Initial shock is God's gift, a shield.

Grief is a steady companion with ministers.

The presenter shared scriptures concerning grief. I will write a seperate entry for those.

What one should wish a pastor would know at the beginning of his ministry:

Don't rush ordination.

Ask pastoral search committees what is expected of you and inform them what you expect of them.

When things go wrong, ask self what am I doing I shouldn't be doing and what is it I should be doing I am not.

All "Yes" persons will get you into trouble.

Opinions and beliefs can change; your certitudes never die.

When someone gives you a compliment such as "That was a good sermon, pastor," don't fully trust them. They may not know what else to say.

Be careful when things go wrong who you blame the former pastor to. Also, there will come a time that you can no longer put the blame on the former pastor but on yourself.

Drat!

2010-09-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

Not long ago I wrote of an opportunity to engage in hospital ministry. Unfortunately, that opportunity has been denied. Apparently the ministry had many interested in the program and so those who applied first made the cut.

I finished teaching Philippians on Wednesday evening. I will post teachings based on what I presented on my audio blog in the very near future.

About This Blog

2010-09-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

This blog is a record of my pastoral studies, preaching and teaching activities and any other activities I engage in to prepare myself for pastoral ministry. While I sometimes express opinions on the subjects covered, this is not an opinion blog. Because this is merely a personal record, the effort towards good grammar and personal style is not as great as on my main blog. This blog exists mainly to aid myself and to let those in authority over me as well as my friends in the ministry know that I am engaged in continuing education. I do welcome your comments.

Scriptural Evidences of the New Birth and Its Outworking in Our Lives (Undivided Heart,Sanctification, Perfect Love)

2010-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

From Dennis F. Kinlaw's "Let's Start With Jesus: A New Way of Doing Theology":

Scriptural Evidences of the New Birth: Titus 3: 4-7 (Holy Spirit initiates a new life within us, the very life of God), Rom. 5:8 (Holy-love of God poured into our hearts), IJn. 3:1, 11 (tyranny of self-absorbtion broken, the love we receive from God is lavished upon others). Proof of this change 2-fold- We experience a consciousness of reconciliation with and belonging to the Father again (Rom 8: 15-26, IJn. 3: 1-2) and experience change in conscious concerns, a divine love for God and Man (2Cor. 5:14-15). We are to walk (keeping in step, walking) in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25); it is the Spirit we live by, not the flesh- (Gal. 2:20, Phil. 1:21, 1Cor. 4: 16-17).

It is possible for disciples to have an undivided heart (sanctification): Dt: 30:6, Mt 5:8, Mk 12: 28-34, Rom 6: 1-4, 8: 1-15, 12: 9-15, 13: 8-10, 1Cor. 12:3, Phil. 2: 1-11, 2: 19-23. (Compare the verses in Phil. to Phil. 1:17 and Rom. 2:8- these verses indicate that a believers love can be tainted by selfishness. The word for self seeking in both these verses is eritheia). Paul demonstrates how he looked out for the interests of others: 1Cor. 3: 3-9, 8: 9-13, 9:12, 15, 18-19, 22-23, 10: 31- 11:1, 15: 1-6. See also 1Jn. 1:7. Paul begins Rom. by boasting of the Gospel's power to save; at the close of Rom. ( Rom. 12-15)Paul demonstrates how salvation works itself out in a disciple's life. Rom 12:1-2, Paul speaks of a New Testament sacrifice, not of animals, but of self. The grace that God gives in response to this self-sacrifice is the agape of God which is other oriented: Rom. 12: 3-5, 10, 14-20, 13: 4, 13: 1-7, 8-10, 14: 7-8, 15: 1-3, 23-32. This is not a state obtained in our own strength: Gal 2:21. The Spirit works through faith: Gal: 5:6.

Why do we need sanctification in addition to salvation? Only after we walk with Jesus in intimate fellowship for a while do we realize the fullness of our sinfulness. The Holy Spirit reveals this to us. We must trust the Lord to do this and that it is for our eternal good. Failure to trust God in this is the final evidence of our sinfulness. (1Jn. 4: 18.)

Scripture References on The Flesh, Forgiveness And Salvation

2010-09-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

From Dennis F. Kinlaw's "Let's Start With Jesus: A New Way of Doing Theology."

From my main blog: For Paul, the flesh is not evil. The moral character of a man or woman is determined by their relationship to the Holy One. If they are centered on God, their flesh is infused with the Holy Spirit and they are characterized by agape love. This is to be the pattern of life for all believers. (Gal. 5: 13-17, 2Cor. 5: 14-15) The life Jesus had on earth in the flesh was not just a moral/ethical example for us to follow, but a pattern of true personhood. None of us is complete if the Holy Spirit is not living within, liberating us from self interest. (Rom. 8:6-8) "Our completeness, our healthy personhood as it was created to be, is found not in ourselves, but perichoretically in God's Spirit. The person who knows that completenessis truly a new creature, as human as God intended the human creature to be." (Kinlaw, p. 122)

God's own arm is God's solution for restoring fellowship between Himself and Man- (Is. 59)-God's own arm executes divine will (Is. 40:10, 48:14, 51:5, 62:8). God's own arm is the means of our salvation (Is. 59:16). God's own arm is not power to impose a solution or declare the problem solved, but the power to take into Himself the very problem He wants to solve. Identity of God's own arm, the suffering servant (Is. 53:1, 3-6, 11, 12). See also Rom. 5: 6, 8, 15).

To be forgiven, to be bourne- Ps. 32:1-blessed is the man who is forgiven can read blessed is the man who is bourne. OT words conveying bourne- nasa (to bear), he' amin (to confirm, support) and batach (to lie extended upon, to repose oneself on- found mainly in OT worship lit, mainly the Psalms). We bear others on our hearts, their welfare more important than our own, ex. Moses lived to intercede for Israel, Israel, all humanity blessed- Num. 11:1-3, 12: 1-6. see Gal. 4:17, 6:2. Lose life, find it- bind on earth, bind in heaven, loose on earth, loose in heaven- bear others, possibilities open up for others- Mt. 16:16-28.

Scriptures Relating To Man's Rebellion and Sinful State

2010-09-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

From Dennis F. Kinlaw's "Let's Start With Jesus: A New Way of Doing Theology."

Mans rebellion- Gen. 6:5, Is. 53: 3, 6, 10, 13, Ezk 22 (see v. 30), Rom. 2:8 (eritheia- self seeking),5:12-18

Man's sinful state- Rom 3: 10-18 with Old Testament parallels- 3:10-12 (Ps. 14: 1-3), 3:13 (Ps. 5: 9, 140:3), 3:14 (Ps. 140:3), 15-18 (Is. 59:7-8, Ps. 36:1). All creation, including Man, groans for redemption- Rom 8:19-22.

On the meaning of flesh/sarx from my main blog: This seperation is so total that Paul uses one word as a metonym for this: flesh (sarx). When Paul writes of the flesh, he is not referring to some Greek dualism such as the flesh v. the Spirit. Adam and Eve experienced life in the Spirit before they sinned. Life in the flesh is life lived in our own strength and desires. Kinlaw quotes Lesslie Newbigin to illustrate this: "The words 'flesh' and 'Spirit' do not refer to parallel and analogous realities in our experience, such as 'visible' and 'invisible' or 'lower nature' and 'higher nature.'...Flesh...denotes the whole of our creaturely being insofar as it seeks to organize itself and to exist in its own power apart from the continually renewed presence and power of God 'from above.' " (Kinlaw, p. 119)

Teaching, Preaching And A Possible Hospital Ministry

2010-08-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to update you on my activities. Here is the run down:

I am still teaching from Philippians on Wednesday evenings. We are in chapter 3. I had planned to give a brief overview of the lessons here but instead I will feature that on my audio blog. When they are posted, it will be announced here.

This Sunday, I preached on the Beatitudes. I haven't decided whether to post the sermon on my audio blog. If I do, only the first 30 minutes will be posted. I will post my background notes here. I have found some old sermons of mine on tape. I may post one or two on the audio blog.

There is an opportunity for me to participate in a hospital ministry. The training is 18 weeks. Many are interested and they may not accept all who go through the training process. I am hoping to make the cut.

A couple of weeks ago my pastor officially introduced me to the state organization of the religious affiliation to which I belong. (I do not identify my state nor my religious affiliation. I try to be as anonymous as I can. My religious affiliation is Wesleyan in theological orientation.) This introduction is the formal beginning of the process of ordination. I was told that the state organization would like to have the process completed in one year's time.

After I finish the series I am working on on my main blog, I will again be posting regularly here.

Three Metephors Describing God's Relation To His Creation And His Ultimate Purposes For Us

2010-07-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

These scripture references are from Dennis F. Kinlaw's "Let's Start With Jesus: A New Way of Doing Theology." I am currently reviewing it on redemptivethoughts.com There are 3 metephors that describe God's relationship to His creation and His ultimate purposes for redeemed mankind.

The Royal/Legal Metephor

God as King: Ps 93:1-2, Ps. 95:1-5, Ps. 23 (God as shepherd King. Israel attributed the this psalm to refer to David and this belief provides the background for Israel believing that the Messiah will come from David's linage.)

God as Judge: Ps. 96:10-11, 13 (God as judge guarantees righteousness). Theme developed in the New Testament in proclaiming the Kingdom of God- John the Baptist, Jesus (the parables, "The Kingdom of God is like...), Paul (Acts 19:8, 28:23), Revelation ("...All of creation is pictured as standing before the throne of God. In the center of that throne stands none other than Jesus, who is now recognized as Lord and Judge. Every knee is bent to him in acknowledgment of his soverign lordship as all creation awaits his judgment. Every creature faces its Creator Judge." (Kinlaw, p. 50)

The Familial Metephor

God as Father- Of Israel: Ex. 4:22-23 (indicates God's family will extend beyond Israel's borders), Dt. 32:6, Hosea 11:1-2, 4, 8. Of David (Ps. 2:7 [Another scripture applied to David in OT times which provides background for the belief that the Messiah would be from David's line, see Mt. 21:9, Lk 19:38]), Of Solomon (2Sam 7:14.
To be in God's family requires a change of heart: Lev. 26:41, Dt. 10:16, 30:6, Jer. 4:4, 9:25-26, 31: 31-34, Ezk 36:24-28, Jn 3:5-8.
Jesus is God's Son- Jn 8:41, Jesus is the eternal Son- Jn. 8:58.
God as our Father- Eph. 3:14-15.

The Nuptial Metephor

God as Israel's husband and Israel's sin as adultey: Ex: 19:4 (Mt. Sinai not just a legal covenant but a marriage cov.), Song 2:16, Jer. 2:2-3, Ezk. 16, Hos. 1:2, Is. 54, 62:4-5 (In Hebrew, Hephzibah means "My delight is in her" and Beulah means "married." Beulah land is married land). Rev. 18:3,9. (Babylon's sin called adultery; this indicates God wants a covenant marriage with all peoples. Babylon's judgement described in marital terms- 18:23, cf. Jer. 7:34, 16:9, 25:10, 33: 10-11) Idolatry as prostitution- Ex 34:15, Lev. 17:7, 20:5, Dt. 31:16.
NT teaching- Mt 22:2, Mk. 2:19-20, Jn 3:37-30, Eph 5:22-33, Rev. 19:6-8, 9-10, 20:4, 11-15, 21:2, 9, 22:17

God Is One And Is To Have Our Complete Undivided Devotion. Jesus The Son Is God

2010-07-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

The following Scripture verses come from the book currently covered on my main blog: Dr. Dennis Kinlaw's "Let's Start With Jesus: A New Way of Doing Theology."

God is the only one God: Dt 6:4, Is 45:5, 43:10, 44:8, 45:6, 14, 18, 21.
Jesus and Moses both affirm the oneness of God (Jn. 5:45-46) and we are to give God our undived love (Mk 12:29-30)
Paul teaches the same (ICor 8:4-6). He Paul teaches that God is both Father and Son. Christianity's difference with Judaism and Islam: Jesus, a stumbling stone(IPet. 2:8, Rom. 9:32-33). The difference between Christianity and other monotheisms: Jesus' own self-understanding as God's Son. In John, Jesus speaks of God as His Father twice as many times as in Matthew, three times as much in Luke, six times as much in Mark. The Father is mentioned by Jesus so much in John that the Father becomes the main character of the book. The Father is spoken of no less than 170 times in the New Testament. In Jn. 5, Jesus heals on the Sabbath and states that His Father works on the Sabbath. Jesus is accused of blasphemy for claiming to be equal to the Father. Jesus states He does nothing but what He sees His Father doing. (5:19). Jesus states that the Father has given all judgement to Him (5:27). Jesus should be recognized for who He is by His works. John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Messiah (5:33,36), Moses prophesied of Him (5: 46-47). This means that Jesus is to be honored as the Father is honored. Failure to recognize who Jesus is is to miss out on the life Jesus offers (5:39-40). See also Jn 17, Mt. 10:40, 11:27, Mk 12:1-2, Lk 10: 22.

To see Jesus is to see God. Jn 1:18 (He has "exegeted" Him to us (KJV), compare with Mt 11:27. See also Col. 1:15, Heb 1:1-4, Rev. 5:5, 22:1-5. The unity of Father and Son seen in familial terms. Prefigured in the Old Testament. Israel spoken of as God's first born- Ex. 4:22, Israel as God's son- Hos 1:11, Jer. 3:4-5.David spoken of as God's son- IISam 7:14 (with this bckground Israel understood Ps. 2:7 as refering to David), Ps. 89:26-28. The vulnerable spoken of as God's children- Ps. 68:4-6. See Pauls' introductions in his epistles. See Jn. 10:7. Jesus is the door (KJV) not only to salvation but into participation in the very fellowship of the Father and Son which is spoken of in familial terms.

Whats Been Going On

2010-07-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I continued teaching through the book of Philippians at Church. As there were a good many more than last time I reviewed a few key points and then moved on. We had an excellent discussion; we still haven't finished chapter 1. When we do, I'll begin posting the key points made.

This past week I participated in Vacation Bible School, helping out behind the scenes Monday-Friday.

After I have finished reviewing Dennis Kinlaw's "Let's Start With Jesus: A New Way of Doing Theology" on my main blog, my posts on "Notes From My Study" will increase.

Teaching on Philippians

2010-07-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

Last night I began teaching through the book of Philippians. We did not get very far as discussions led to a wide ranging dialogue. Also I think I let things get bogged down. I am a bit out of practice. I need to remember to keep things moving even as comments and questions are allowed.

Taking notes on Wesley is going very slow.

Soon I am going to begin reading some books on preaching by James Earl Massey.

Pertinent Scripture References (To Be Updated Regularly)

2010-06-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Scripture:

Divine Origin of Scripture.
Genesis: Its historicity, its unity, its geneologies.
The Meaning of the Beatitudes.

Specific Scriptural Topics:

Submission To Authority.
Man's Rebellion and Sinful State.
The Flesh, Forgiveness and Salvation.
The New Birth And Its Outworking In A Disciple's Life (Sanctification, Christian Perfection, Perfect Love, Undivided Heart)
Two-Fold Nature of Man
Women In Ministry
Prophecy
Baptism
CHOG View of Revelation

God:

The Oneness of God, Jesus is God, Jesus reflects the Father.
Three Metephors Describing God's Relationship To His Creation And His Ultimate Purposes For A Redeemed Mankind.
God's Attributes in General and the Attributess of Each Member of the Trinity
God's self revelation in the Old Testament
Life Issues:

Grief.

Holiness:

Was Paul in a state of sin when he wrote Rom. 7?

The Church:

http://www.aworkerapproved.com/2012/01/what-is-church.html

A Select List Of Books And Articles Covered On Notes From My Study (To Be Updated Regularly)

2010-06-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Bible In 90 Days: A Record of my reading and impressions of reading the Bible in 90 days.

New Testament Studies:
Dethroning Jesus by Darrell L. Bock and Daniel B. Wallace.
Jesus And The Eyewitnesses by Richard Bauckham.

Wesleyan/Methodist Studies:
The Way To Pentecost by Samuel Chadwick

Preaching:
Preaching To A Shifting Culture, ed. by Scott Gibson.

Meeting Tonight

2010-06-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

This evening I met with two members of the state credentials committee for the Christian fellowship of which I am a member. The meeting went well as I discussed my call to ministry with them. Soon I will travel to the state capital for a state-wide camp meeting and in August will hopefully be presented to the General Assembly.

You may notice that the preceding paragraph lacks specifics. Since I have just moved from Champaign, Il, I have made the decision not to reveal where I now reside on my blogs. The reason is simple. There has been one attempt that I know of to ascertain my exact whereabouts. In May of 2008, I wrote a review of the documentary "Expelled." Apparently someone took exception to what I wrote. This person managed to find my parents number and demanded that they give him my phone number. He asked them if I had actually graduated from college. My parents had no clue what he was talking about as they do not read my blog (nothing personal, they are in their 80's and are just not into blogs). They were understandably upset by the experience. I also managed to draw the ire of an unstable person on Christianity Today websites. (This person's comments are no longer published on these sites.) Now that I have changed locations, my profile states only that I reside in the USA. I also no longer reveal my age. For these reasons, I do not state which Christian fellowship I am now involved with, or where I attend church. I am willing to disclose my location on other venues, but for the time being, not on my blogs. I hope this doesn't seem too strange, but I think this is a prudent decision.

The Kingdom Of God

2010-06-16T20:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight I taught on the Kingdom of God. We had a lively discussion as we did for last week's lesson. I used a lesson I developed for an education class in seminary. It had a lot of scripture but those in attendence did not mind. In the past, some have complained about how much material I sometimes include in my lessons and sermons. However those that attend Wednesday night at this church appear to enjoy the lessons and participate in discussions. The Kingdom of God is the main pillar of what I teach and preach and this church appears to be of the same mind.

Devotions Written

2010-06-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

I have written more devotional pieces that will appear on my main blog redemptivethoughts.com These devotionals are short impressionistic looks at various Scriptures which can be later developed into sermons. They will appear on the blog feature "Monday Morning Devotions." I have almost enough for six months worth of entries, though I may decide some may not be good enough to publish. I will now work on other forms of Scripture studies that will appear on redemptivethoughts. The first will be a study of Jn. 12-17.

One project that is long overdue is to take notes on Part II of Wesley's "Original Sin." It must be nearly a year since I read it. It needs to be finished so I can read the rest of it and do a series on it on my main blog. This will be a slow process considering the manner in which this is written.

Those other projects that appeared on this blog, such as Thomas Oden's "Classical Pastoral Care" and articles on Scripture and its origins will continue.

The Ten Commandments

2010-06-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I taught on The Ten Commandments at Grafton Road Church of God.

Teaching On Eternal Life

2010-05-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight I taught on Eternal life at Grafton Road Church of God (Anderson).

Teaching On Heaven

2010-04-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I taught on Heaven at the Grafton Road Church of God. I have also been working on devotions that will appear on my main blog.

Lesson Taught On Hope

2010-04-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I taught on hope, what it is, what Christian hope is based upon and what it produces in our lives in terms of action and character. I taught at Grafton Road Church of God. I am thinking of taking some of the individual scriptures cited and make a sermon series out of it.

Comment Policy

2010-03-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

All reader comments on Redemptive Thoughts and Notes From My Study will not be posted without prior approval by me. Blogger may send your comment to the spam file, so I might not see it right away. I check the spam file twice a week, so please be patient. All comments must adhere the the following policy concerning comments:

1. Abusive, foul and threatening language is forbidden. Those who I have observed displaying un-Christlike behavior towards me or others on other websites will not post here.

2. I will not post any comments branding me a heretic, one who does not honor Scripture, etc. Nor will I approve any comments questioning my motives. In the past, I have been so grateful for any comment on my humble little blog that I approved all comments. When accused by some poor, deluded soul that my posts were heretical, I tried to reason with them. It did not work; I only was showered with more abuse. Such people are not interested in reasonable dialogue. Why should I allow myself to be subject to such ignorance. Therefore no such comments will be posted. For an example of such unacceptable comments, see here, from an earlier post on this blog. If you want to apply an adjective, adverb or any other English grammatical construction to me, it had better be nice.

3. The opinions of all will be respected and not maligned. No legitimate Christian tradition, whether mine or someone elses, will be labeled as heresy.

4. No insulting language concerning God the Father, God the Son or God the Holy Spirit will be posted. This is a website that honors the Triune God. Those who practice other religions, agnostics, or atheists are welcome to comment just so you follow this rule. Show respect for my beliefs as I will try to show respect for yours. No insulting language concerning the world wide Church will be permitted, although if someone wishes to challenge Church positions on cultural issues or its past conduct, if those comments are not in violation of the Comment Policy, they will be posted and responded to.

5. All comments must relate to the subject matter of the post.

6. No "information dumping" will be tolerated. While lengthy comments are permitted, I do know when someone is saturating the Comment section with lengthy posts simply to waste my time in reading and responding, to change the focus from the point of the original post, to encourage other readers to give up following the comments any further, as well as to discourage my continuing the conversation.

7. All comments must be in English.

8. If a person posts a comment to promote their blog or product, I have no objection as long as the comment appears to be a legitimate response to a blog post. These comments will be considered on a case by case basis.

9. I welcome those who wish to post comments disagreeing with any position I have taken on a particular issue. However, I will not tolerate those who post negative comments on nearly every post. Those who do so will be warned. I will not allow anyone to become "The House Critic" who chases away other readers. Use discretion in determining how often you post contrary comments here. I exercise the same discretion when I comment on other websites. Failure to honor this policy will result in being banned from this site.

10. The purpose of this blog is for public interaction; all interaction between readers and myself will take place in the comment section of this blog. I will not give out my personal contact information to anyone I am not acquainted with. If you do not want to identify yourself, blogger gives you the option to comment anonymously.

If a reader's comment is in violation of this Comment Policy, his/her comment will not be posted. However, that person will be given one chance to amend their ways. If they still fail to abide by the policy, any comment they send will be rejected without being read.

Posted by Mr. Guthrie at 8:40 PM

90 Days: Day 86, The Final Day

2010-03-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Today I read Revelation. Finished. I posted a short article on my experience reading the Bible in 86 days on my main blog which can be seen here. I will finish posting impressions from Acts-Revelation later this year.

90 Days: Day 85 Continued

2010-03-27T14:17:00.001-07:00

Last night I finished the General Epistles.

90 Days: Day 85

2010-03-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

Read Hebrews and James. I will read tomorrow's assignment tonight and the book of Revelation tomorrow to finish.

90 Days: Day 84

2010-03-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Read I and IIThess., I and IITim, Titus and Philemon.

New Blog Address

2010-03-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

This blog's new address is http://aworkerapproved.com/ . Its title is still "Notes From My Study." My audio blog can be found at http://johnguthriesaudioblog.com/ .

90 Days: Day 83

2010-03-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Read Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians.

Main Blog, New Name

2010-03-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

The Right Hand of Fellowship has been renamed. It is now entitled Redemptive Thoughts. Its address is http://www.redemptivethoughts.com/ I chose this time to make the change because Blogger is making all those on FTD swich to Custom Domain. If you are unaware of the change, which is supposed to be complete by 3/25 or 3/26, consult the "Blogger Buzz" section of your dashboard. Right now I am going to change the address of this blog and my audio blog. I will keep the same names for these blogs. Their new addresses will be posted tomorrow.

90 Days: Day 82

2010-03-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Finished I Cor. and read both II Cor and Gal. In finishing Galations, I read part of tomorrow's reading assignment.

90 Days: Day 81

2010-03-22T16:24:00.001-07:00

Finished Romans and read I Cor. 1-14.

90 Days: Day 80

2010-03-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

Read Rom. 1-14. As the end of this 90 day Bible reading endeavor is approaching, I am going to forgo posting impressions on the remainder of my reading. I am about to move to a new location and I just do not have the time to type these impressions with all that I have to do. I may return and finish them later this year and post them here. In the meantime, I am current with my reading and will finish on time and will continue posting on my progress.

Bible In 90 Days: John

2010-03-20T19:48:00.000-07:00

For 1- 994, click the "Bible in 90 Days: Impressions" link below.

995. Jesus is spoken of as the Creator.
996. For those who believe in Jesus Christ, they have the right to become children of God.
997. John the Baptist testified so that ALL may believe in Him. Sorry Calvinists.
998. Although John was born before his cousin Jesus, Jesus existed before John.
999. When John the Baptist says Jesus takes away the sins of the world and that He is the lamb of God, John's disciples did not yet understand that Jesus would be the final sacrifice for sin.
1000. Nicodemas was focused on Jesus' miracles. Jesus, in telling him he must be born again to see the Kingdom of God, was trying to get Nicodemas to focus on the right things.
1001. Jn. 3:10- "Jesus replied, 'You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things?' " Nicodemas should have known what Jesus was talking about.
1002. Those who still want to sin in secret do not want to trust in Jesus. They don't want their actions to come to the light that they may be forgiven.
1003. John the Baptist identifies Jesus as God's Son who must be obeyed to receive eternal life.
1004. The Samaritan woman was unfocused; Jesus tried to get her rightly focused as He tried with Nicodemas.
1005. Salvation comes through the Jews, Jesus said.
1006. God is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
1007. The Harvest is ready now; why wait? Many will harvest souls where others first planted the seed.
1008. The Samaritans believed Jesus after hearing His message.
1009. The people in Cana believed Jesus could do miracles, but they did not believe in HIM.
1010. In chapter 5, the NLT leaves out v.4. But does the whole passage make sense without it, especially v. 7?
1011. The religious leaders saw the man healed with his mat walking. They should have realized he had been healed, but they were angry that he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath.
1012. Jesus told the man to stop sinning. Was his lameness due to sin on his part?
1013. The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus because He called God His Father, making Himself equal with God.
1014. The Father reveals to the Son what He is doing because He loves the Son.
1015. Jesus will raise people from the dead.
1016. The witnesses to Jesus are John the Baptist, Jesus' own teachings and His miracles. The last two are greater than the first.
1017. The Old Testament speaks of Jesus. And Moses will accuse those who don't believe because Moses wrote of Him.
1018. The people wanted to make Jesus king after He fed the 5000, but they would not accept His teachings.
1019. Those that demanded Jesus show a sign that He was sent from God were the ones who ate when Jesus fed the 5000.
1020. God's will- all that believe in Jesus shall have eternal life, that Jesus will raise them from the dead on the last day.
1021.  Jn. 6:44- "For people can't come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me..." Prevenient Grace.
1022. When Jesus taught that those who were His partake of His flesh and blood, the crowd of disciples thinned out. The 12 disciples had a hard time accepting His words, but they knew He alone had the words that give eternal life.
1023. When Jesus' brothers urged Him to go to Jerusalem, were they hoping He would be killed? After all, it couldn't have been easy being the brother of Jesus.
1024. Jesus said those who preach their own ideas are seeking praise from men.
1025. When Jesus told the Pharisees to think through what is lawful on the Sabbath, Jesus was trying to get them to use their reason to discern the truth.
1026. When Jesus spoke of living water, He was speaking of the Holy Spirit that will be given to believers after Jesus enters His glory.
1027. When the woman was caught in the very act of adultry, it was because she was set up so that Jesus' enemies could set Him up.
1028. If we obey God, God is our Father. Otherwise, we are of the Devil.
1029. God is always with Jesus because Jesus always does what pleases the Father.
1030. The parents of the man healed of blindness did not want to say that Jesus was the Messiah. They must have known only the Messiah could make the blind see.
1031. The Pharisees condemned the man born blind as one born in sin. Obviously they thought they were not born in sin.
1032. Satan's purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus came to give life in all its fullness.
1033. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
1034. Jesus has other sheep not of His sheepfold- the Gentiles. He will bring them in and be their shepherd as well.
1035. No one kills Jesus; He lays down His life voluntarily. He lays it down and takes it up at His own will.
1036. The Pharisees tried to kill Jesus because He said He and the Father were one.
1037. In Jn. 10:36, Jesus claims to be the Son of God.
1038. When Jesus saw Mary, the sister of Lazarus mourn, He was indignant at death itself.
1039. To raise someone dead after 4 days made some want to kill Jesus.
1040. Ciaphas prophesied concerning Jesus, but still was not of God.
1041. Many feared that Jesus would threaten not only the religious establishment but also the nation of Israel itself.
1042. In the Synoptics, Jesus' annointing by Mary took place at the home of a Pharisee. In John, it happened at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
1043. Instead of praising God for raising Lazarus, some wanted to kill him because he was drawing people to Jesus.
1044. Those who follow Jesus will go where Jesus goes, even in death.
1045.  When Jesus washed the disciples feet, he was demonstrating how they ought to treat each other. The disciples love for each other will show the world they are His disciples.
1046. Jesus said if you see Him, you see the Father.  When He washed the disciples' feet, they saw the Father's love in action, and will do what the Father does.
1047. The disciples will do greater works than Jesus when He goes to the Father because Jesus and the Father will send the Holy Spirit to indwell believers.
1048. Jn. 14:15- "If you love Me, obey My commandments."
1049.  Those who don't produce fruit will be cut off because they seperated themselves from Jesus.
1050. We can't do anything apart from God.
1051. How do you measure love? Laying down one's life for his friends.
1052. Jesus calls His disciples friends, not servants, for He shared with them all His Father taught Him.
1053. Jesus chose the disciples, including Judas.
1054. Because the people saw Jesus' miracles, they had no excuse for their sin.
1055. The world will hate the disciples because it hates Jesus and the Father.
1056. Jn. 15:27- "And you must tell others about me because you have been with me from the beginning."
1057. Jesus spoke of these things so the disciples will not fall away.
1058. Some will persecute the disciples thinking they are doing God a service because they know neither the Father or Jesus.
1059. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of its sin (unbelief in Jesus), righteousness being available because Jesus goes to the Father and sends the Holy Spirit, and future judgement.
1060. Jesus wanted to tell them more, but they were not yet ready to bear it.
1061. Soon the disciples, then and now, can ask for anything in Jesus' name.
1062. Jn. 17:3- "And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth."
1063. Jesus prayed that the disciples would not be taken out of the world, but that they would be protected from the evil one."
1064. Jesus prayed His disciples would be made pure and holy by being taught the words of truth.
1065. Jesus prayed for all believers for all time.
1066. Jesus prayed that all believers would be one as the Father and Son are one, so the world will know the Father sent Jesus and loves the disciples as much as He loves the Son.
1067. Jesus revealed the Father to the disciples and will keep on revealing the Father to them through the Holy Spirit.
1068. In the Garden, Jesus identified Himself and those arresting Him fell back. Was Jesus demonstrating that He had power, but voluntarily submitted to arrest? Perhaps He revealed His power to give authority to His request that the disciples be let go.
1069. The religious leaders had heard Jesus teach, so there was no need for them to ask Him what He taught. They were only trying to trip Him up so they could accuse Him.
1070. The religious leaders would do anything to see Jesus killed. They gave their alligience to Caesar.
1071. To fulfill religious requirements, the religious leaders demanded that those crucified have their physical pain increased.
1072. Jn. 19:34- John appeals to his credibility as an eyewitness.
1073. Joseph of Arimethea and Nicodemas overcame their fear of the religious leaders to place Jesus in the tomb.
1074. Jn. 20:23- The disciples received the Holy Spirit before Pentecost when Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them. Whether they forgave or not would be guided by the Holy Spirit.
1075. Jesus expected Thomas to believe based on the testimony of others. We are to accept their testimony today.
1076. Jn. 20:31- "But these are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him, you will have life."

90 Days: Day 79

2010-03-20T15:18:00.001-07:00

Finished Acts.

90 Days: Day 78

2010-03-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Read Acts 8-16.

Bible In 90 Days: Luke

2010-03-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

For 1- 928, click the "Bible in 90 Days" link below.

929. John the Baptist will cause many Israelites to turn to God, turn many disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom and and turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, fulfilling Malachi's prophecy.
930. A priest such as Zechariah should have remembered what God did for Abraham and Sarah.
931. The people were not going to listen to Elizebeth as to what the boy will be called. The status of women, including mothers was low.
932. Mary spoke of God making wrong things right.
933. The NLT reads "...peace on earth to all whom God favors," instead of "...peace on earth, good will to men."
934. Anna's speaking of Jesus helped to prepare hearts to accept Him later.
935. "And a sword will pierce your soul." Jesus will die for His mother's sins.
936. Jesus was obedient to His parents, even though He was the Messiah.
937. John warned not to feel secure because one was descended from Abraham.
938. John's message of good news came with warnings.
939. People asked John what specific actions would prove repentence.
940. The glory of earthly kingdoms belong to Satan.
941. After Satan failed to tempt Jesus, he went away to wait for a more opportune time.
942. At Nazerath, it appears the people were not mad at Jesus for His claims of being the Messiah, but teaching that Israel would not receive special treatment when God judges the nation.
943. Jesus received a better welcome in Capernaum and stayed a while.
944. Jesus is constantly asked whether He wants to heal; He always does.
945. Jesus often withdrew for prayer even when others needed healing. Jesus knew He had to maintain communion with the Father at all costs.
946. Lk. 5:39- "But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the fresh and the new. 'The old is better,' they say." Is Jesus critisizing attatchment to traditional religious practices?
947. Jesus' ministry was already underway when He called His disciples.
948. Lk. 6: 35-36- "Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionite."
949. The parable of the blind leading the blind is in the context of a passage on forgiveness.
950. The Roman officer first used his reason to understand Jesus' authority, then put his faith in Jesus.
951. Whether one accepted or rejected God's plan depended on whether one allowed themselves to be baptized by John.
952. In Luke, the picture of putting a light under a bed is linked to the parable of the soils. If no fruit is produced, what one has from God will be taken from them.
953. Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus concerning Jesus' death.
954. Jesus saw Satan's expulsion from heaven.
955. The disciples, despite all their shortcomings, saw much that the prophets and kings wished to but did not.
956. The scribe who knew which were the 2 greatest commandments still wanted to justify his actions. Even those who do wrong can have some spiritual insight.
957. When Jesus used the analogy of the house divided against itself, He was appealing to human reasoning to make people understand a spiritual truth.
958. The religious leaders put burdens on others they do nothing to lift.
959. The religious leaders will be held responsible for the murder of all the prophets.
960. By refusing to setle the brothers' estate, Jesus was telling us to work things out ourselves according to the teaching we have already received from Him.
961. In Jesus' parable of the master wanting to cut down the unfruitful fig tree and the master's gardener asking that the tree be given one more year, Jesus was illustrating His intercession for us and the patience of the Father toward us.
962. In the parable of the great feast, those who were invited but refused to attend were preoccupied with good things which they loved more than their king. Their priorities were wrong. That is why Jesus tells us not to love anyone more than Him. Before we become disciples, we must count the cost.
963. The Law still has a place in the Kingdom.
964. The one leper who returned to praise Jesus was a Samaritan. Good traits are part of the ungodly's characters. They still need to be saved.
965. When Jesus said the last days would be as the days of Noah and Lot, He was saying people will be too preoccupied with their own lives that God does not enter into their thinking.
966. Zaccaeus was a son of Abraham because once he knew what the Lord wanted of him, he did it. Repentence in action.
967. In chapter 20, Jesus states that Moses wrote Exodus and that David wrote the Psalms attributed to him.
968. Before the End Times occur, the Church will undergo a great period of persecution. The persecution will end before the End Times.
969. Lk. 22:19- "By standing firm, you will win your own souls."
970. Jerusalem will be conquered and trampled down until the Gentile age comes to an end.
971. Jesus tells us to pray that if possible, we can escape the horrors of the End Time.
972. Satan entered into Judas, then Judas went to the priests to betray Jesus.
973. Jesus was resurrected with a real body. That is why He will be able to drink wine in the coming Kingdom.
974. Kings order people around, and then are called 'the friends of the people.' Not so Jesus, who came to serve, not to be served.
975. When the 12 disciples sit on 12 thrones with Jesus, they will judge the 12 tribes of Israel.
976. Peter's faith will not fail, even though he denies Jesus (Lk. 22:32). Peter will repent and turn to Jesus again. This is because Jesus prayed for Peter.
977. Did Judas choose to greet Jesus with a kiss because he was bitter at Jesus for not conforming to what Judas thought the Messiah should be?
978. The Pharisees and the religious leaders wanted Jesus killed because He claimed to be the Son of God.
979. Herod was only interested in a religious show. He didn't care what Jesus had to say; he just wanted Jesus to perform a miracle in his presence.
980. In Matthew and Mark, the veil is torn when Jesus dies. In Luke, before Jesus dies.
981. The crowd came to enjoy the show, but Jesus' conduct in death caused them to leave in sorrow.
982. Joseph of Aramethea had been waiting for the Kingdom of God.
983. God kept the 2 men on the road to Emmaus from recognizing Jesus.
984. Jesus spoke from Moses and the Prophets to speak of Himself.
985. The men recognized Jesus when Jesus broke the bread.
986. Within the hour, they were back on the road to Jerusalem.
987. When the 2 men returned to Jerusalem, Jesus had already appeared to Peter.
988. Jesus showed He had a physical body. They saw His wounds, touched Him and He ate food.
989. The message of the Gospel is repentence.
990. Jesus opened the disciples' minds to understand scripture.
991. Jesus said Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms spoke of Him.
992. The sending of the Holy Spirit by the Father and Jesus is the promise of the faith.
993. Jesus told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit.
994. The disciples worshipped openly after Jesus' assention into heaven.

90 Days: Day 77

2010-03-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

Finished John, read Acts 1-7.

90 Days: Day 76

2010-03-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

Read Jn. 6- 15.

90 Days: Day 75

2010-03-16T16:11:00.001-07:00

Finished Luke and read John 1-5.

90 Days: Day 74

2010-03-15T16:46:00.001-07:00

Read Lk. 10- 20.

Bible In 90 Days: Matthew And Mark

2010-03-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

For 1- 814, click the "Bible in 90 Days" link below.

Matthew:
815. The geneology includes both godly and ungodly characters. It is completely honest. Women are included too, including Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Ruth and Rahab were Gentiles.
816. Joseph could have had Mary stoned, but he was a just man, not wanting to disgrace her publicly. To have obeyed the letter of the Law with bad motives, such as revenge, would have made Joseph unjust.
817. How could people seek answers concerning prophecies of the Messiah, then try to thwart God's stated purposes?
818. John the Baptist preached repentance and the Kingdom of Heaven.
819. John warned that repentance must be demonstrated by actions, the bearing of fruit.
820. Jesus' obedience led to His baptism by the Spirit.
821. Satan, twisting God's Word, was trying to get Jesus to reveal who He was in illegitimate ways.
822. Jesus responded to Satan using Old Testament scripture.
823. Jesus preached repentance and the Kingdom of Heaven.
824. Jesus told Peter and Andrew they would be fishers of men. They must have desired this already in their hearts and then responded to Jesus' invitation.
825. People from all over came to Jesus. This benefitted the Apostles on their missionary journies later on.
826. Mt. 5:6 is usually translated "...those who are hungry and thirst for righteousness..." The NLT renders it "...those who are hungry and thirst for justice..."
827. Mt. 5: 10-16 go together as one unit.
828. The Law will remain until its purposes are fulfilled.
829. One must follow the Law better than the Pharisees to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
830. Mt. 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43: Jesus was dealing with corruptions of God's Law, not criticising the Law itself.
831. Jesus is raising the standards of following the Law.
832. Mt. 5:48- "But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." To be interpreted in light of 5: 43-47. A good Wesleyan proof text.
833. Chapter 6:1-18- Deals with following God with pure inward motives rather than concerning oneself with what the perceptions of others- in giving, prayer, forgiving from the heart and fasting.
834. Interpret 6: 1-4 in the context of 5: 11-16.
835. Mt. 6: 19-24- We are not to seek treasures on earth. Then in v. 25, Jesus transitions to trusting God for all that we do need, like food and clothing.
836. Mt. 5: 27, 34 controls the interpretaion of 5: 25-34.
837. Mt. 7: 1-5 does not teach that we must not confront others about sin, but that when we do, we must deal with our own sin first so we can counsel correctly.
838. Mt. 7:6 must be interpreted in light of 7: 1-5.
839. Mt. 7:11 shows that there is goodness in men and women, but not a goodness that saves.
840. Mt. 7:12- "Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is the sum of all that is taught in the Law and the prophets."
841. Mt. 7:15-20- To identify a godly person, look at the fruit.
842. Mt. 7: 21-23- Obedience to what God says is the test of discipleship.
843.  Mt. 7: 24-27- Hard times come to the wise and the unwise. Only the godly will stand.
844. Jesus touched lepers, a violation of the letter, but not the spirit of the Law.
845. The Roman Centurion used his own reason to understand Jesus's authority.
846. Israelites will not enter the Kingdom because they are Israelites. But many Gentiles will enter.
847. Concerning the man who wanted to bury his father before he followed Jesus, Jesus refered to the father as spiritually dead, not physically dead.
848. The Pharisees understood that Jesus was claiming to be God when He forgave sins.
849. The power to heal was proof of Jesus' authority to forgive sins.
850. The parables of the wineskins and the cloth was to show that the Jesus' teachings were to be followed in a new way, not by way of the religious formalism of the past.
851. Mt. 9: 37-38- Shows that God will not do certain things unless we first ask Him.
852. Jesus told the 12 disciples to go only to the lost sheep of Israel, which is a different command than in Lk. 10 when Jesus told the 70 to speak to all.
853. Judas was given the same power the other disciples were given.
854. The disciples were to practice relying totally on God on their journey.
855. The student and the slave share their master's fate.
856. The world can kill the body, but only the Father can send the body and the soul to Hell.
857. Its not that we are to actually hate our loved ones, but our love for them cannot be greater than our love for Jesus.
858. How do we prove that Jesus is the Messiah? See Mt. 11: 4-5.
859. All believers have in them the Kingdom of Heaven. That is why they are greater than John the Baptist.
860. The violent take the Kingdom, those that give their all to possess it.
861. Jesus describes the generation He was addressing as one which tries to make God respond to their religious activity.
862. Only the truly child-like will understand the Gospel.
863. Jesus healing on the sabbath led to the 1st discussions among the Pharisees on killing Jesus.
864. Anyone who performs the Fathers will is in the family of God.
865. The parable of the farmer scattering seeds is to show that the most important element in Evangelism is the quality of the soil the seeds are planted in.
866. Peoples' hearts are closed to the message of the Kingdom of God because they themselves have chosen not to see or hear. So God cannot heal them.
867. The Kingdom will have evil purged from it and then the righteous will truly shine.
868. Unbelief on the peoples part prevented Jesus from performing miracles in Nazareth.
869. Mt. 10: 34- 39 must be interpreted in the context of Mt. 15:1-9.
870. Jesus expected the disciples to understand more than they actually did.
871. Jesus's feeding of the 4 and 5,000 should have proved to the disciples that Jesus would protect all who trust in Him.
872. After Peter's declaration as to who Jesus actually is, Jesus prepares them for what will happen to Him in Jerusalem.
873. The motives of the disciples were mixed.  They had selfish ambition.
874. Mt. 16:28- "And I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see me, the Son of Man, coming in my kingdom." The Transfiguration.
875. Mt. 17:5- "...This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him. LISTEN TO HIM." (caps mine) God was telling Peter and the others to believe Jesus when He speaks of what will happen to Him in Jerusalem.
876. The disciples should have had enough faith to cast out the demon in the boy in chapter 17. That is why Jesus is exasperated with them.
877. Jesus speaks of cutting off members which cause us to sin in context of not tempting other people.
878. When a fellow believer listens to counsel and confesses sins, that person is truly forgiven.
879. The message of the unforgiving debtor- refusal to forgive will put you in your own prison.
880. The disciples' reactions to Jesus' teaching on marriage worries them. They still share the same attitudes toward women and marriage as the Pharisees.
881. Jesus tells the rich young man only God is good. Since Jesus is good, it follows that Jesus is God.
882. Jesus only lists the final 6 commandments to the young man.
883. The rich can be saved, but only by God.
884. When Jesus spoke of His disciples sitting on 12 thrones, the disciples heard this with mixed motives. That is why Jesus told them the least important will be the greatest. 20:1-16 is linked to 19: 27-30.
885. When Jesus was praised by the little children as the Son of David in the Temple, they were speaking of Him as if He were God. This is why the Pharisees were upset by the childrens' praise.
886. When the Pharisees refused to answer Jesus' question concerning John the Baptist, Jesus refused to answer theirs. He was not going to argue with them since their arguements were not rooted in sincerity.
887. Jesus, in speaking of who the Messiah is, says not only is He the Son of David, but He is God as well.
888. The Pharisees obey the letter of the Law, but ignore justice, mercy and faith.
889. Mt. 23: 34- Here Jesus speaks of sending prophets Himself, claiming to be God.
890. The disciples asked Jesus when the Temple will be destroyed and the End come. In their minds, it is one question. But are they really asking two seperate questions?
891. The key of endurance- LOVE.
892. The End will come only after the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached over the whole world.
893. When Jesus was annointed by Mary in Betheny, she understood that Jesus was to die, more so than the 12 disciples. The events of the annointing drove Judas to betray Jesus.
894. When the disciples saw that Jesus would not resist arrest, they were siezed with fear and fled.
895. The shedding of innocent blood by Manasseh was the stated reason why God sent Judah into exile, so the land could be healed. When Judas confesses that he has betrayed an innocent man, the priests respond-"Why do we care?...Thats your problem."
896. If the wine mixed with bitter gall made one suffer less, perhaps that is why Jesus refused it.
897. "Eli, Eli, lema sabacthani." Said in Aramaic. The Hebrew speaking Jews perhaps did not understand?
898. The NLT leaves out the verses depicting Jesus' body being speared.
899.  After Jesus was raised from the dead, the priests were more concerned about covering it up rather than responding to the Resurrection.
900. Jesus will be with us to the end of the age- the Holy Spirit in us, the promise of the Father.

Mark:
901. People publicly confessed their sins and repented. Baptism was a public sign of repentence.
902. Jesus taught every Sabbath in the synagogue. He taught like one who has authority, not like the teachers of the Law.
903. Because Jesus had no sin, the demons knew who He was.
904. Jesus commanded the demons to be quiet concerning His identity. It was not yet time to make a full and public pronouncement concerning His identity.
905. Jesus expelled the demons and the people responded: "What new teaching is this?" If theses acts are part of Jesus ministry while on earth, how does this affect our ministry?
906. If Jesus expelled demons everywhere, just how widespread is demon possession?
907. Jesus knew it was more important to spread the Gospel message rather than minister in just one place.
908. Jesus' family thought He was insane, even Mary, who knew the Father's promises concerning Him.
909. The Parables describe the Kingdom of God.
910. In the parable of the soils, each individual has the ability to determine the quality of the soil he/she has. Otherwise, why would Jesus tell a story about the soil of our hearts if we could do nothing about it?
911. Jesus expected His disciples to understand the parables and have faith.
912. The more openness to Jesus' message, the more understanding you will have.
913. Jesus' hometown was offended that He performed miracles rather than being amazed and grateful.
914. Herod liked to hear John the baptist, but John's message disturbed Herod. How typical is this among those we evangelize today?
915.  Jesus feeding the 5,000 with the loaves did not cause the disciples to exercise faith. Their hearts were hard and they did not believe.
916. When Jesus healed the man with a speech impediment by spitting, Jesus wanted to keep the healing secret. Is this because Jesus was concerned the crowd would put their faith in the method?
917. Satan wants us to look at everything from a human point of view.
918. When Jesus told the disciples He had to die and be raised again, they did not understand.
919. We must have the qualities of salt and live in peace among each other.
920. Children and the blind were looked down upon, which was why the disiples and the crowd thought they were a bother to Jesus.
921. When James and John claimed they were able to drink the cup of bitter sorrow, they were boasting about their strength. Little did they realize the Holy Spirit within them would enable them.
922. The 12 disciples and the other followers had a dreadful feeling as Jesus went to Jerusalem. They did not understand His message concerning His death, but they knew it was dangerous to go to Jerusalem.
923. When we prays, one must forgive those we have a grudge against or else God will not hear our prayers.
924. The Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus for chasing the money changers out of the Temple as well as for speaking parables against them.
925. When the Pharisees asked Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar, they didn't try the direct approach but tried to trick Him through flattery.
926. The Sadducees didn't know Scripture or the power of God.
927. Jesus was more sorrowful for the seperation from God's precense while on the Cross than for the physical suffering.
928. To end at v. 8 in chapter 16 is not to conclude the theme of the Resurrection as Jesus makes no personal appearence. The shorter ending provided by the NLT is too abrupt an ending.

90 Days: Day 73

2010-03-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Read Lk. 2- 9.

90 Days: Day 72

2010-03-13T13:36:00.001-08:00

Finished Mark, read Lk 1.

90 Days: Day 71

2010-03-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

Finished Matthew and read Mark 1-9. Impressions on Matthew and Mark will appear on Monday. Remaining posts on my impressions of my reading will only appear on Mondays.

90 Days: Day 70

2010-03-11T15:41:00.000-08:00

Read Mt. 16- 26.

90 Days: Day 69

2010-03-10T14:26:00.001-08:00

Read Mt. 5- 15.

Bible In 90 Days: The Minor Prophets

2010-03-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

For 1- 723, click the "Bible in 90 Days: Impressions Link" below.

Hosea:
724. Hosea received these messages from God during the time of Isaiah in Judah.
725. The Lord will punish Israel but deliver Judah.
726. Both Israel and Judah will be reunited under one ruler.
727. God was avenging Jehu's killing of Ahab's family at Jezreel. But I thought God ordered Jehu to act as he did.
728. God will punish Israel, then redeem her. Israel will call God her husband instead of master.
729. Just as Hosea buys back Gomer, God will redeem Israel.
730. The Lord's anger at Israel is directed toward the priests. 4:6- "It is all your fault, you priests, for you yourselves refuse to know me..."
731. Hos. 4:8- "The priests get fed when the people sin and bring their sin offerings to them. So the priests are glad when the people sin."
732. Hos. 8:10- "But though they have sold themselves to many lands, I will now gather them together. Then they will writhe under the burden of the great king!"
733. Hos 8:11- "Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places of sinning!"
734. Israel will be banished to Assyria and Egypt and cannot offer sacrifices to the Lord because all their food will be unclean.
735. The people hate the prophets, even in the Temple, because the people are full of sin and plot to entrap the prophets.
736. 11:1- A prophecy of Christ in the midst of a history of Israel's sins.
737. Hos. 13:11- "In my anger I gave you kings, and in my fury I took them away."
738. 13:13- Israel has been offered new birth, but Israel acts like a child resisiting its own birth.
739. 14:2- "Forgive our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you the sacrifice of praise."

Joel:
740. Never again will God punish Israel with locusts.
741. When the locusts destroyed all the crops, there was nothing that could be offered as a sacrifice in the Temple.
742. God asks for a repentence in which hearts, not clothes, are torn.
743. Joel 2:28-32- God's promise of sending the Holy Spirit upon all, and all who call on His name will be saved.
744. All the armies of the nations will be judged for attacking Israel in the Valley of Decision.

Amos:
745. Amos was a shepherd. He received messages from God during the time of Isaiah.
746. A pronouncement of judgement upon Israel's neighbors.
747. Israel caused the Nazarites to sin by making them drink wine.
748. Amos 3:15- "My people have forgotten what it is to do right," says the Lord.
749. Despite all the judgements God brought upon Israel, Israel would not repent.
750. God is going to judge Israel for injustice.
751. Israel thinks the Day of the Lord will be a triumph as the Lord destroys her enemies, but Israel doesn't know her own judgement is coming.
752. The idle rich will be the first led away as captives.
753. Amos asked the Lord not to destroy Israel with locusts or fire and the Lord relented.
754. When Amos was ordered by the people to leave Israel, he refused.
755. The Lord swore by His own name that He will punish Israel for injustice.
756. Israel can't wait for the Sabbath to end so it can resume its evil ways.
757. Israel will suffer a famine of hearing God's Word.
758. God asks Israel if she is more important than other nations. Has not God worked for other nations as well?
759. God will sift Israel like wheat; not one true kernal will be lost.

Obadiah:

760. Edom will be destroyed for what it did to Israel. History will no longer remember Edom.
761. Israel will be a place of refuge for those who escape God's wrath on other nations, as well as a refuge for God's people.

Jonah:

762. The sailors experience turned them to God.
763. The whale swallowing Jonah was God's way of saving Jonah.
764. The Assyrian king understood repentence.
765. Jonah knew God was merciful, but did not want mercy for Israel's enemies.

Micah:

766. Who does God blame for idolatry in Israel and Judah? Samaria and Jerusalem, the capital cities. Lachish was the first city in Judah to introduce idolatry, so it is to blame for Jerusalem's apostacy.
767. The prophets will be punished and will admit they did not hear from God.
768. Israel will one day defeat her enemies and give the plunder to God.
769. What does the Lord require of us? To do what is right, to love mercy and walk humbly with our God.
770. No one can trust their own family members.
771. Micah confesses that he has sinned and will be punished. But the Lord will restore him and punish his enemies.
772. The Lord's restoration of Israel will show surrounding nations just how powerless they really are.
773. The Lord will not be angry at His people forever because He loves mercy.

Nahum:
774. Judgement against Nineveh. Its wealth will be plundered. It enticed other nations into idolatry. All who suffered its cruelty will celebrate its downfall.

Habakkuk:
775. No matter what punishment God inflicts on His people, Habakkuk will praise the Lord.
776. Habakkuk's prayer in chapter 3 was to be sung and accompanied by musical instruments.

Zephaniah:
777. Zeph 1:12- "I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem's darkest corners to find and punish those who sit contented in their sins, indifferent to the Lord, thinking he will do nothing at all to them"
778. Zeph. 2:1-2- The Lord warns Judah to repent before He brings judgement upon her. The Lord's appeal is directed at those who are humble and uphold justice.
779. The few surviviors in Judah will live in the houses of the destroyed Philistines as the Lord will visit His people with kindness and restore their prosperity.
780. Moab and Ammon, the descendants of Lot and his daughters, will become as Sodom and Gomorrah.
781. The Lord punished other nations so they would repent and follow the God of Israel, but they would not repent.
782. Zeph. 3:9- "On that day I will purify the lips of all people, so that everyone will be able to worship the Lord together."

Haggai:
783. The people do not prosper because they have rebuilt their homes before rebuilding the Temple. The rebuilt Temple will be smaller, but it will be more glorious.

Zechariah:
784. The nations used by the Lord to punish Israel and Judah went beyond what the Lord intended, incurring the Lord's wrath.
785. Jerusalem will have so many people that many will live outside the city gates. The Lord will be their gate of protection and the Lord will be the glory inside the city.
786. Many nations will become the Lord's people after the Lord restores Israel.
787. Chapter 3- The Lord rejects the accusations of Satan against the high priest Jeshua. The Lord takes off his filthy clothes, as taking away his sins, and gives him clean ones. This is a prophecy of good things to come, the coming of the branch, Jesus.
788. Zerubbabel laid the cornerstone of the Temple and he will complete it. The Lord tells us not to despise such small beginnings.
789. Chapter 6- A prophecy of Christ. He will rule as priest and king with no disharmony between the two roles.
790. Chapter7- A call from God to be more concerned about justice than religious formalism.
791. Among the nations, Israel is a symbol of what it is to be cursed; now it will be a symbol of blessing. The Lord did not change His mind concerning judgement; He will not change his mind concerning this.
792. When the Philistines are punished, they will no longer eat meat with the blood still in it or other forbidden foods. Then they will join God's people as the Jebusites did.
793. Zech. 9:9-10- A prophecy of Christ entering Jerusalem and of His kingdom extending over the whole world.
794. Zech. 10:2- "Household gods give false advice, fortune-tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce comfortless falsehoods. So my people are wandering like lost sheep, without a shepherd to protect and guide them."
795. Zech. 11:4-17- A prophecy of Judas?
796. Zech. 12-13- A prophecy of Christ.
797. The Lord will punish all of Judah's enemies by making Judah a stumbling stone for them. No one who comes against Judah will remain unscathed.
798. When the Lord comes, the natural sources of light will disappear, but there will be continuous light. Zech. 14:7- "...Only the Lord knows how this could happen..."
799. Life giving waters will flow out of Jerusalem into the Dead Sea and into the Mediterrianian.
800. The Lord will be king over all the earth and only His name will be worshipped.
801. All nations that refuse to worship in Jerusalem will be denied rain.
802. All pots and pans in Jerusalem will be made holy for the preparing of sacrifices.
803. There will no longer be traders in the Temple.

Malachi:
804. The Lord demonstrates His love for Israel by loving Jacob and turning Esau's land into desert. Edom says it will rebuild, but will be stopped by the Lord. Then Israel will realize God's power reaches beyond Israel.
805. The Lord will not answer the prayers of priests who offer unworthy sacrifices (the lame, blind and sick).
806. Mal. 1:11- "But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name..."
807. God made a covenant with the Levites which required right living on their part. They once turned sinners to God. But later, the Levites showed partiality in their interpretation of the Law, leading people into sin.
808. The Lord will judge those who married women who worshipped idols.
809. The Lord will punish the inhabitants of the land for divorce.
810. The purpose of marriage is to produce godly offspring.
811. The Lord says divorce is as cruel as putting on a victims bloodstained coat.
812. The people cheated the Lord by failing to bring their tithes to the Lord so there would always be enough food in the Temple.
813. The Lord reminds the people to obey the Law of Moses.
814. Mal 4: 5-6- A prophecy of John the Baptist: "His preaching will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the hearts of children to their parents. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse."

90 Days: Day 68

2010-03-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

Finished Zechariah, read all of Malachi and the first four chapters of Matthew. Impressions for the Minor prophets will appear tomorrow.

90 Days: Days 64, 65, 66 and 67

2010-03-08T17:36:00.000-08:00

Day 64: Read Dan. 9- Hos. 13.
Day 65: Missed this day.
Day 66: Read the previous days assigned reading, Hos. 14, Joel and Amos and the assignment for this day, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah and Nahum.
Day 67: Read Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai and Zechariah 1- 10.

Impressions on all the Minor Prophets will appear together.

Bible In 90 Days: Daniel

2010-03-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

For 1- 692, click the "Bible in 90 Days: Impressions" link below.

693. Daniel went to Babylon during the 1st exile of Judah.
694. Daniel made up his mind to follow God in Babylon.
695. God gave Daniel his abilities and gave him favor with Babylonian royal officials.
696. Daniel stayed in Babylon until King Cyrus' 1st year as king. Did Daniel return to Judah?
697. Daniel gave God the credit for his knowledge of the King's dream.
698. Daniel was able to save all the wise men of Babylon, gaining their favor.
699. David was made ruler over all of Babylon.
700. The 4th person with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego- Jesus!
701. After the Lord's rescue of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, no one in Babylon was allowed to speak against the Lord.
702. The King's dream was to show him that all rulers get their power from God, but the King continued to oppress the poor, so the King had to learn the hard way.
703. Belshazar's reign ended when he worshipped idols while drinking from the Temple cups.
704. Daniel was still honored by the King despite God's message.
705. Daniel did not hide his worship of God, even if it cost him his life.
706. King Darius hoped God would rescue Daniel, but he had no sure faith God would do so.
707. After God rescued Daniel, Darius issued a decree that all should fear God. Is this the introduction of monotheism into Babylon?
708. In Daniel's vision in chapter 7, the holy ones will receive the power of earthly kingdoms and rule forever.
709. Chapter 8- a vision of the end of time.
710. Daniel declares the prophets' writings God's Word.
711. Daniel had a copy of Jeremiah.
712. Daniel, while a great man of God, includes himself in confessing Israel's sins.
713. Daniel 9- a prophesy of the end times.
714. Visions from God to Daniel and answers to his prayers came during periods of mourning by Daniel.
715. In chapter 10, is it Jesus Daniel is talking to?
716. Chapter 10 refers to the Spirit of Persia, a kingdom which did not yet exist.
717.  Spiritual battles unseen by humans are refered to.
718. Chapter 11- A prophecy of Greece and its history of interaction with Israel.
719. Is this partly a prophecy of Alexander the Great?
720. Are chapters 10 and 11 linked? Or are they totally seperate prophecies?
721. In the last days, the wise dead will arise to glory, the unwise to punishment.
722. A prophecy of the afterlife.  In the meantime, the wise will be tested and purified by these trials.
723. Dan. 12:10- "Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand..."

90 Days: Day 63

2010-03-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

Read Ez. 48 and Dan. 1-8. Tomorrow I am going on the road and will not be in front of a computer until Monday. I will be able to keep up with my daily readings but not able to post my progress until Monday.

Bible In 90 Days: Ezekiel

2010-03-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

For 1- 647, click the "Bible in 90 Days: Impressions Link" below.

648. Ezekiel went to Babylon during the 1st exile that included Daniel.
649. What Ezekiel saw in his first vision was powered by the Spirit.
650. If Judah does not listen to Ezekiel, at least Judah's inhabitants will know they had a prophet among them.
651. Ez. 3:10-11- "...Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says...' "
652. God will give Ezekiel messages, but Ezekiel is not to pray for the people.
653. The years of Israel's sins- 390; Judah's- 40.
654. After these things come to pass, Israelites will hate themselves for their sins.
655. Ez. 7:13- On the coming judgement: "...No one person whose life is twisted by sin will recover."
656. Those who sin say "The Lord doesn't see it."
657. The Lord had a mark placed on the forehead of those who did not sin secretly.
658. Some in Judah will be spared so they can confess their sins to their captors.
659. Judah thinks the passing of time proves prophecies of destruction are lies.
660. God will punish those who set up idols in their hearts, fall into sin and then ask a prophet for help.
661. The presence of Noah, Daniel and Job would not save Judah.
662. When Ezekiel meets the survivors who join him in exile, he will see how wicked they really are and then he will know that the punishment inflicted upon them by God was right.
663. Judah wasted the beauty God gave her on others like a prostitute.
664. Ez. 16: 61-62- Samaria and Sodom will be Judah's daughters, even though they are not part of the Lord's covenant with Judah.
665. King Zedekiah will be punished for violating the treaty he made with Babylon in God's name.
666. No one dies for their parents sins, only for their own. This indicates that we are not punished for Adam's sin in the Garden but only for our own sins.
667. God does not like to see the wicked die, but wishes they would repent.
668. The Lord argues that He, God, is just and Israel is unjust.
669. Ez. 20: 12 and 20- "I gave them my Sabbath days of rest as a sign between them and me. It was to remind them that I, the Lord, had set them apart to be holy, making them my special people." "and keep my Sabbath days holy, for they are a sign to remind you that I am the Lord your God."
670. Ezekiel complained to God that the people sayed he spoke in riddles.
671. Ez. 21:27- "Destruction! Destruction! I will surely destroy the kingdom. And it will not be restored until the one who appears who has the right to judge it. Then I will hand it over to him."
672. Even the common people of Judah oppress the weak and vulnerable.
673. Ez. 22:30- "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one."
674. Ezekiel's wife died and he was not to mourn. This was to show how Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia will be punished for their attitudes towards and mistreatment of Judah.
675. God will give the plunder of Egypt to Babylon, a reward for destroying Tyre.
676. Egypt will be restored, but will be a minor kingdom. Then Israel will learn never to put its trust in Egypt again.
677. The watchman is to warn of impending attack. If he fails to warn, he is responsible. If he is not heeded, the people are responsible.
678. Those that repent will not be punished. Those good people who turn to evil, the Lord will forget their former goodness.
679. The people listened to Ezekiel's messages to be entertained.
680. Ez. 34- The Lord will destroy the shepherds who failed to care for the people. Then the Lord Himself will be their shepherd. A prophecy of Christ.
681. God will remove Israel's stoney heart of sin and write His laws on their new obedient heart.
682. God is not returning Israel to the land because they deserve it, but to bring honor to His own name.
683. God will reunite Judah and Israel and they will have one king, David- Jesus.
684. Gog will attack Israel, but God will display His own holiness in defeating Gog. The bodies will be buried to cleanse the land. Then the world will know that it was the Lord who exiled Israel because of sin.
685. No uncircumsized foreigner will be allowed in the new Temple. Perhaps this was one reason the Lord was angry at Hezekiah.
686. The descendants of the Levites who caused Israel to sin by encouraging idol worship cannot minister in the new Temple. They will have maintenance positions. Those Levites descended from Zadok will serve as priests and they can only marry virgins from Israel or priest's widows.
687. Only gifts of land from the Prince to his sons are permanent. All other gifts revert back to the original owners during the year of Jubilee. The Prince can only give gifts of land from his own property. No one is to be ejected from their land unjustly.
688. The river that flows from the Temple will provide healing for the Dead Sea.
689. Foreigners living in Israel will remain in the land given to Israel as an inheritance.
690. The land allotted to the Levites can't be sold; it belongs to the Lord, set apart as holy.
691. The name of the city will be called "The Lord Is There."
692. I'm not sure how Ez. 40-48 fits into the prophetic scheme.

90 Days: Day 62

2010-03-03T18:44:00.000-08:00

Read Ez. 36- 47.

90 Days: Day 61

2010-03-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Read Ez. 24-35.

90 Days: Day 60

2010-03-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I read Ez. 13- 23, but I did not get any computer time.

90 Days: Day 59

2010-02-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

Finished Lamentations and read Ez 1-12.

Bible In 90 Days: Jeremiah

2010-02-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

For 1- 609, click the "Bible in 90 Days: Impressions" link below.

610. Jeremiah began his prophecies during Josiah's reign. Jeremiah spoke of death and exile while Israel was ruled by a good king.
611. When Israel is restored, it will no longer mourn for the "good old days" when it possessed the Ark.
612. Like in Isaiah, Israel's idolatry is likened to adultery.
613. God is not just concerned about Judah and Jerusalem; if they repent, all nations will be drawn to Him.
614. Judah's punishments a message for all nations.
615. Judah thought the Temple's presence would save Judah from destruction.
616. Jer. 8:8- "How can you say, 'We are wise because we have the Law of the Lord,' when your teachers twist it so badly?"
617. Boast in the Lord alone, who is just, loves forever and delights in these things.
618. The Lord will punish all who are circumsized in body, but not in heart.
619. The Lord will uproot all the nations surrounding Israel, but if they repent, they will be given a place among God's people.
620. Even Jeremiah's own family turned against him.
621. The Lord continually orders Jeremiah not to pray for Judah.
622. In the future, Israel will remember returning to the land after the exile more than being brought out of Egypt.
623. Only the Lord knows how wicked our hearts are.
624. The people mock Jeremiah because judgement has been delayed.
625. The Lord will judge Israel for doing business on the Sabbath, treating it just like any other day.
626. The people plotted against Jeremiah, even though he pleaded for them.
627. The Lord gave Judah a choice- death by war, plague or famine or captivity.
628. If Judah repented and justice prevailed, God would not have brought judgement.
629. The Lord would make sure the first exiles to Babylon would be treated well and return to the land and recognize that the Lord is God. Those in Israel during the second exile will face utter destruction. This was prophesied before the 1st exile.
630. Did the Lord Himself cause the Kings to drink from the cup of the Lord's anger?
631. King Jehoiakim is the only King of Judah or Israel to actually kill a prophet with his own hands- Uriah son of Shemiah.
632. Israel and all the surrounding kingdoms were ordered by God to submit to Babylon. Israel's later refusal to pay tribute to Babylon was rebellion against God.
633. The Lord promised the exiles in Babylon that they could find Him if they sought Him, but they must stay in Babylon 70 years.
634. Jer. 31:30- "All people will die for their own sins..." We are not punished for Adam's specific sin in the Garden.
635. Jer. 31:38- "And I will give them one heart and mind to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their decendents."
636. Jer. 31:40- "...I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me."
637. Jer. 33:17-18- There will always be a king on David's throne (Jesus). There will always be Levitical priests to offer sacrifices. Are these priests those who follow Jesus, the royal priesthood?
638. King Zedikiah freed the Hebrew slaves, but the people changed their mind and took them back.
639. The Recabites didn't drink because their ancestor, Jehonidab, forbad them. Yet the Lord repeatedly commanded Israel not to worship idols and Israel would not listen.
640. It took one year for Jeremiah to dictate the Lord's messages to him onto a scroll.
641. King Johoiakin and his officials showed no repentance when they heared the scroll read to them.
642. King Zedikiah wanted Jeremiah to tell him what the Lord said, but had no intention of obeying. He vowed not to kill Jeremiah, then told Jeremiah he would kill him if he told anyone the Lord told Zedikiah to surrender.
643. The Judeans who fled to Egypt failed to trust in the Lord by staying in Judah.
644. Jer 46:10- On the Lord's destruction of Egypt using the Babylonians- "...The Lord, the Lord Almighty, will receive a sacrifice today in the North country beside the Euphrates River."
645. The Philistines will finally be destroyed by Egypt.
646. Jer. 48:10- This is what the Lord says to those He uses to destoy Moab: "Cursed be those who refuse to do the work the Lord has given them, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!" Still the Lord says He will restore the fortunes of Moab and the Ammonites. The orphans and widows of Edom will be cared for by the Lord, even though Edom will be destroyed. Babylon, which destroyed the Lord's temple, will not be restored.

Leviticus:

647. Written in Jerusalem by Jeremiah after the exile. Repentance for injustice, reliance on foreign allies. The priesthood is condemned. Laments the loss of Jerusalem's former glory.

90 Days: Day 58

2010-02-27T15:51:00.001-08:00

Finished Jeremiah and read the 1st chapter of Lamentations. Impresions for both books will appear together either today or tomorrow.

90 Days: Day 57

2010-02-26T19:18:00.000-08:00

Read Jer. 34- 47.

90 Days: Day 56

2010-02-25T19:02:00.000-08:00

Read Jer. 24-33.

Lesson Taught

2010-02-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight I taught at the Grafton Road Church of God in Morgantown, WV. I taught on praying in the name of Jesus and reflecting the nature of Jesus. Perhaps I will post the lesson on my audio blog.

90 Days: Day 55

2010-02-24T20:58:00.001-08:00

Read Jer. 11- 23.

90 Days: Day 54

2010-02-23T18:34:00.000-08:00

Read Jer. 1- 10.

90 Days: Day 53

2010-02-22T18:13:00.001-08:00

Finished Isaiah.

Bible In 90 Days: Isaiah

2010-02-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

For 1-572, click the "Bible in 90 Days: Impressions" link below.

573. The Lord wonders why Israel rebels after experiencing so much punishment.
574. The sins of Israel consisted of crimes against the innocent as well as idolatry.
575. Judgement will be felt first by the leadership and the women of Judah.
576. Israel and Judah are pictured as an unfruitful vineyard.
577. Isaiah was first cleansed and then ready for service.
578. The prophesy of Immanuel was made in response to Ahaz's unbelief.
579. Although the Lord uses Assyria for His purposes, He will destroy Assyria's army.
580. Chaper 11- Prophecy of Christ attracting the nations.
581. After Ethiopia experiences God's judgement, it will later worship in Jerusalem.
582. Egypt, Assyria and Israel will worship God together.
583. Tyre will be destroyed, then 70 years later, rebuilt, its wealth will provide fine food and clothing for the Lord's priests.
584. Is. 25: 7-8- "In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears..."
585. Is. 26:3- "You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you."
586. Is. 26:10- "Your kindness to the wicked does not make them do good. They keep doing wrong and take no notice of the Lord's majesty."
587. Is. 26:19- "Yet we have this assurance: those who belong to God will live, their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For God's light of life will fall like dew on his people in the place of the dead."
588. The kingdom of Israel is run by drunkards. It was angry that the Lord repeated His messages in simple terms, so now God will speak to them through the language of conquerors.
589. Is. 29:18- "Destruction is certain for those who try to hide their plans from the Lord." The wicked think God cannot see.
590. The Lord's anger burns against Israel because Israel relied on Egypt instead of on Him.
591. Is. 40: 27- Israel believes God does not hear of its troubles.
592. What is it to be blind? To see and understand what is right but refuse to act on it. What is it to be deaf? To hear but not really listen. Israel was deaf and blind to what the Lord required.
593. The Law was to show the world that God was righteous, but Israel disobeyed.
594. Idol makers never reflected that what they were making was a lie.
595. God says in Is. 45: 19-"...I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner so no one can understand what I mean..."
596. The Lord is the source of our salvation, our righteousness, our strength.
597. Even though Babylon was used to punish Israel, Babylon was punished for mistreating Israel. Babylon felt it was self sufficient and accountable to no one.
598. Isaiah prophesied of Cyrus to demonstrate that God is the only true God.
599. A day of final vindication for Israel is coming.
600. Is. 53- Prophecy of Christ as the suffering servant.
601. Come to the Lord while there is still time to receive His abundant pardon.
602. God will bless the Gentiles who keep His Sabbath.
603. Is. 57:8- Idolatry is adultery. Idolators search world wide for new gods to worship.
604. True fasting is treating workers and the weak rightly, not accusing them falsely and keeping the Sabbath.
605. Is. 58:13- "Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don't pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord's holy day."
606. Is. 59:20- The Redeemer will buy back those who turn from sin. The Lord's covenant is that His Spirit will never leave them.
607. All the world will honor Jerusalem.
608. Is. 61 read by Jesus in Lk. 4.
609. Is. 65- There will be a new creation.

90 Days: Day 52

2010-02-21T15:38:00.001-08:00

Read Is. 42- 52.

90 Days: Day 51

2010-02-20T18:45:00.001-08:00

Read Is. 29- 41.

90 Days: Day 50

2010-02-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

Read Is. 14- 28.

90 Days: Day 49

2010-02-18T18:35:00.001-08:00

Read Is. 1- 13.

90 Days: Day 48

2010-02-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

Finished Ecc. and read all of Song of Solomon.

Bible In 90 Days: Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

2010-02-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

I wrote nothing down for Song of Solomon.
For 1- 537, click the "Bible in 90 Days: Impressions Link" below.

Proverbs:
538. These proverbs give wisdom and discipline to all. They make the simple minded clever and give knowledge and purpose to young people.
539. Obedience to what parents teach is what allows grace to operate in your life and you receive honor.
540. Wisdom reaches out to all, but the wicked reach a point of no return.
541. Wisdom is to be actively sought after.
542. Wisdom protects us from evil people.
543. Trust in the Lord's wisdom, not your own.
544. Wisdom brings honor, wealth and health.
545. Do all the possible good to others that you can.
546. Pr. 4:23- "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do."
547. Mark a straight path for your feet, stick to it, don't get sidetracked.
548. Stay true to your spouse.
549. Work hard to avoid debt.
550. The Lord hates haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who sows discord among brothers.
551. Pr. 8- The advantages of wisdom are for all to see.
552. Rebuking the unwise results in abuse, but the wise will love you for rebuking them. The wise are able to grow in wisdom, the righteous in righteousness.
553. Pr. 12:1- "To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction."
554. Pr. 16: 1-2- "We can gather our thoughts, but the Lord gives the right answers."
555. Pr. 16:33- "We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall."
556. Pr. 19:21- "You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail."
557. Pr. 20:11- "A simpleton can only learn by seeing mockers punished; a wise person learns from instruction."
558. Pr. 22:3- "A prudent person foresees the dangers ahead and takes precautions; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."
559. Pr. 24:11-12- "Rescue those who are unjustly sentanced to death; don't stand back and let them die. Don't try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn't know about it." This verse implies that there are those justly sentenced to death.
560. Pr. 24: 17-18- "Don't rejoice when your enemies fall into trouble. Don't be happy when they stumble. For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them"
561. Pr. 25:20- "Singing cheerful songs to a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing one's jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in a wound."
562. Pr. 26:2- "Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an unfair curse will not fall on its intended victim."
563. Pr. 29:7- "The godly know the rights of the poor; the wicked don't care to know."
564. Pr. 29:25- "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but to trust the Lord means safety."

Ecclesiastes:
565. Without God, no one is truly happy.
566. Ec. 5:19- "...To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life--that is indeed a gift from God."
567. Ec. 6:10- "Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny."
568. Ec. 7:10- "Don't long for 'the good old days,' for you don't know whether they are any better than today."
569. Ec. 7:21- "Don't eavesdrop on others--you may hear your servant laughing at you. For you know how often you yourself have laughed at others."
570. Ec. 9:18- "A wise person overcomes weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good."
571. Ec. 11:4- "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done."
572. Ec. 12:1- "Don't let the excitment of youth cause you to forget your Creator..."