Double-Diaper Dinner: 3/14/17

The double-diaper dinner for Jamie Crook and Deanna Sowell was a BIG SUCCESS!!

 

 

 

Continue to pray for these two ladies, their husbands, their families, and especially for the children that are about to be born. God has wonderfully and mysteriously shaped each child for a specific purpose.

 "After all, God is the one who gave life to each of us before we were born." (Job 31:15, CEV)

God is the giver of life. Life is not the result of chance. It is not an accident or fluke. Life comes about because God gives. He grants life to each baby before birth. These babies have been filled with His life. You can rest in His peace!

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: he alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. he will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection." (Psalm 91:1-4 NLT)

DNOW: Lesson 2

 The Holy Spirit is very, very important to Christian life--not like anything else. He is sent to "...teach you all things..." (John 14:26)

If we are going to become a mature disciple of Jesus Christ we need to cultivate the skill of being lead by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God." (Romans 8:14)

Once He departed, Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit (Comforter). He said, "It is expedient (advantageous) for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." (John 16:7) Think about what Jesus was saying. He was saying that it would be better for us to have the Spirit than it would be to have Jesus. Why? Because the Spirit lives within every believer, whereas Jesus is only one person and could only be at one place at the time.

At the moment a person becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in that believer's life. "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13-14)

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for spirit is ruach, which means breath, wind, or God's Spirit. The "breath of God" is responsible for creating and sustaining all life--humans, animals, and plants. Without God's ruach, there would be no life.

God's ruach is also responsible for influencing and empowering people of the Old Testament such as Joseph when he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams; such as Bezalel when he used his skills "...to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts." (Exodus 31:1-5) Bezalel was the chief artisan of the Tabernacle and was in charge of building the Ark of the Covenant.

In the New Testament, the Greek word for Spirit is Pneuma. Paul mentions the Spirit (Pneuma) 149 times in his 13 letters. The Holy Spirit is responsible for many key events in the New Testament: Jesus' birth (Luke 1:35); Jesus' baptism (Mark 1:9-11); Jesus' resurrection (Romans 1:3-4); the appointment of the disciples (John 20:21-22), and many more.

There is a war constantly raging within every believer between the flesh and the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17; Romans 8:6-8). We must choose to partner with the Spirit and stay in step with His leading. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25)

When we sense the Spirit leading, we must say "Yes!" It might be a gentle nudge to talk with someone, to pray for someone, to avoid someone, to turn the TV or radio off, to disconnect from social media for a period, or to simply be quiet and listen for God. "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalms 46:10)

When we sense the Spirit guiding us to do, or not do, something, we must obey. If we don't, we "quench" the work that God wants to do in our life that is designed to bring us closer to Him. "Do not quench the Spirit." (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

The Bible is the source of all Truth. The Holy Spirit was given to us to teach us and grow us in wisdom; to fulfill God's purpose and will for our lives; and to ultimately bring glory to Himself.

The next key discipline that must be a part of the disciple's life is PRAYER. We will review that topic next week.

DNOW: Lesson 1

Today we began our new series I'm calling D-NOW. Why not? It only seems appropriate that we use the same annual theme as our youth group: "Discipleship Now".  This will be a 5-6 week study of the importance of discipleship and where to begin. We either need to be discipled, or we need to be discipling others--or both.

Disciple: A disciple is a person who is becoming more and more like Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our chief end goal is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. How do we glorify God? Jesus our Lord said in John 15:8, "My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples." God's ultimate plan for your life is to bring glory to His name as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

As a new believer in Christ, the first thing I wanted to do was read the Bible. I wanted to know all about Jesus. I wanted to read the Bible stories that were vaguely familiar to me from my childhood. Reading the Bible seemed to connect me with an alternative view of life that was so refreshing. More than ever before the Bible became a living book. So this is where I though we should start this series; take a look at the shape of the Bible and how it is composed.

As a new believer begins his/her journey to become more and more like Jesus, the three pillars of our walk are the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and prayer. During the next two weeks, I will teach a similar review, as I did today on the Bible, on the Holy Spirit and on prayer. Then we will cover a three-week summary of discipleship.

Below is an excellent animated summary of the Bible produced by the Bible Project.

SONG OF SOLOMON: Lesson 2

This past Sunday, we completed Song of Songs (Solomon) and the Wisdom Book Series. During these past few weeks we have all seen that the wisdom literature books are replete with valuable principles, truths, and instruction aimed at helping us live our lives with God's blessings. We will forfeit much loss if we let apathy and disinterest  keep us from further pursuit of the riches found in these five books.

In our last lesson in SOS we looked at LOVE. We looked at the physical love that is emphasized in SOS; the spiritual love that is reserved for the believers who are walking in God's will; and the eternal love that the regenerated believers will enjoy once "...the marriage of the Lamb has come..."

Next week we will begin a new and exciting study. Here are a few questions to prime the pump.

1. Can you be a Christian forever and never become a disciple of Christ?
2. Why are the number of Christians and cultural strength of Christianity both declining in the United States, even in the Bible Belt?
3. Why do only 35%, on average, of Southern Baptist's show up for their church's primary worship meeting (usually on Sunday morning)?

Pictures from the "prayer walk" on Sunday afternoon. We had a good group to walk through the school and pray for teachers, students, staff, and every need.

TABLES OF LOVE

Tonight, the You & Me Class sponsored two TABLES OF LOVE.

1. The Busy Mom
2. Passionate Relationship with Jesus

It was a BIG success with over 150 women in attendance... even with the messy rain!

 The Busy Mom

  

Passionate Relationship with Jesus

 

SONG OF SONGS: Lesson 1

In our introduction to the short little book, Song of Songs (SOS), we learned that of King Solomon's 1,000+ songs (poems), this is considered to be the finest of them all!

The Song of Songs is one of the most beautiful books of the Bible. The beauty of this theatrical song is greater than that of the words of Shakespeare.

There are four main perceptions of this book. Two are literal interpretations that look at the young woman who is at the center of this theatrical song. The most common understanding is that this is a courtship and marriage of Solomon and the Shulamite woman. The name Solomon and Shulamite are similar and have a common meaning of "peace." The other interpretation pictures a love triangle between the beloved woman, her beloved shepherd, and the king appealing to her. The other figurative interpretations of the book include either the relationship between Israel and God and, or the Church and Christ.

The video created by The Bible Project is the best, and fastest way to summarize this book.

 Surprisingly, Song of Songs has a very strong messages for both those that are married and for those that are not married. Firstly, sex is good, not bad, but ONLY when it pleases God. Therefore, we must guard the beauty of sexual love. We must guard each other in any way that might lead another to sin. We are cautioned three times in the book (2:7; 3:5; 8:4) that sexual love is only for the time which God has set: "...that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases [God]."

When released, love and it's passions hold powers stronger than any man or woman can resist. This is why we are cautioned NOT to stir it or awaken it until such time that it pleases God. The Message Bible states this in a clear way: "Love is invincible facing danger and death. Passion laughs at the terrors of hell. The fire of love stops at nothing--it sweeps everything before it. Flood waters can't drown love, torrents of rain can't put it out." (8:6-7)

Secondly, for those that are not married, SOS is about true love and choosing the right mate; about waiting for love; and teaching our young women and men what is most important about marriage.

Next week, by popular request, we will hear Helders Part II. Nolan and Kasey will complete their introduction... and more. The following week we will complete Song of Songs and the Wisdom Books Series.

In our last lesson on SOS, we will unpack more specifics in this amazing little book that will point us to the wisdom God wants to show us.

I'll leave you with the short clip I showed in class from the Disney/Pixar 2009 animated film, "Up". In this scene not a word is said for almost five full minutes. Only a haunting musical theme plays as we watch two people (Carl & Ellie) build a life together. As short as it is, these five minutes are some of the most emotionally powerful ever committed to film, certainly in any Disney picture.

Entering my 60's and having been married for 40 years, I found this short little scene to be most effective in capturing the journey we call "life". It is never predictable and not always easy. As we learned in Ecclesiastes, without God, life is nothing but a vapor/smoke. Everyday is a gift and an opportunity to get to know our Savior better as we prepare for our eternal home.

"Jesus wept."

"When Jesus saw her [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, 'Where have you laid him [Lazarus]?' They said to him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept." (John 11:33-35)

During the past few weeks we have seen tragedy [from our perspective] disrupt the lives of two of our dear families in our class: Justin & Jacqueline Smith and Malcolm & Tilly Brooks.

On Friday, January 20th, Justin and Jacqueline Smith were given the heart-breaking news of the sudden death of Justin's step-brother, Jonathan Murray. After graduating from Northview High School in 2002, Jonathan attended Huntington College before joining the U.S. Army. By the age of only 32 years old, Jonathan had sacrificed a part of his short life defending our freedoms as a soldier twice-deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. We owe all of the veterans and those who are currently serving in our military our sincere gratitude for their bravery and sacrifice.

In the early hours of Saturday morning on January 28th, God unexpectedly took Jurnee Makayla Brooks from Malcolm and Tilly Brooks. Less than three months old, precious Jurnee returned to be with Jesus.

Today [February 4th] we stood by the Brooks family as they mourned the loss of baby Jurnee in one of the most moving, Spirit-filled services I have attended in some time. My heart was blessed by being there.

It is times like these that we often ask "Why, Lord?" We must remember that God's sovereign plan is much bigger than we can see. He is always in control. Psalms reminds us, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." (Psalms 34:18)

As these two families grieve the loss of their loved ones, let us all "...weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15b) and be in prayer that God might comfort them. God has placed them in our fellowship for a purpose. Ask God what He would have you do to show love to these families. Jesus commanded us that it is our responsibility to "...love your neighbor as yourself..." (Mark 12:31). In doing so, you will be blessed through your obedience.