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Fitting In
Over the last couple of morning lessons, we’ve been considering our way as a congregation. We’ve looked at the Jerusalem church, the obstacles they faced, and the unity of spirit that existed there despite these challenges and differences. Acts 4 says they were of one mind and soul. Also, we looked at our purpose of good works – both individually and as a congregation. We examined teaching, benevolence, and edification, focusing on how we can emulate those New Testament Christians and better emulate the pattern set for us. As individuals, we like being associated with something bigger. We feel comfort… Continue reading
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Working Good Works
Tying to our last lesson about the Jerusalem church and the basis it provides for us in terms of conduct and unity, we’re going to give consideration to our being New Testament Christians that God would have us to be. Titus 2:7 tells us to be an example of good works in all things, and Titus 3:14 reinforces this life of good works. If we are individually the Christians we should be, then we will be more likely to make of the church God wants. Our Good Works In Ephesians 2, Paul is speaking primarily to Gentiles and he speaks… Continue reading
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Daniel’s Seventy Weeks
Daniel 9 has been called the “dismal swamp of Old Testament criticism.” There are numerous takes and explanations to the vision of Daniel 9, including a church-age approach, among these being various Messianic approaches, millennial and pre-millennial interpretations, and various church-age interpretations. In this lesson, we’re going to look at this prophecy in context of Jesus statement that He had fulfilled all things written concerning Him and His kingdom and look for a simple, valid explanation to these difficult verses. The Vision of the Seventy Weeks The vision comes during the first year of the reign of Darius. Some scholars… Continue reading
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Unity & Jerusalem
In a recent lesson, we looked at how we deal with a lack of satisfaction in our spiritual lives and how we can break that pattern and set a new direction. Another way of putting this is, “How do I start again?” We’re going to look at this as a congregation in this lesson. In being a local church, how can we return to square one? Returning to Our Pattern In Isaiah 2:2, the prophet speaks of the House of Jehovah towards which many nations will flow, an eternal kingdom built on peace and spirituality. This is how God’s church… Continue reading
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Ezekiel & the Messiah
As we’ve been studying books like Ezekiel and Daniel in our Bible classes, and it can be easy to lose sight of the real driving message of these books behind the various visions in their vividness and imagery. That message is this: the Messiah is coming. In this lesson, we are going to look at four prophecies in Ezekiel that dramatically anticipate the arrival of the Christ. Four Messianic Passages in Ezekiel In Ezekiel, one of God’s driving points is that He is the God of time and space. He controls the future. He drove the past, and He is… Continue reading
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Changing Old Patterns
Sometimes we are the cause of our own unhappiness. We might blame exterior reasons like our job or our family, but it often comes down to ourselves, the approach we take to our lives, and the attitudes we carry. Einstein once said that doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results is insanity, but we often live this way. Spiritually, we may want to have better Christian lives, but we follow old patterns that may be ineffective and unsatisfying. Setting New Patterns Are we drawing closer to God? Do we find ourselves committing to God at times… Continue reading
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Keeping Resolutions
On New Year’s Eve, we can be pretty enthusiastic about the topic of resolutions, but, two weeks later most have fallen by the wayside. In fact, we sometimes jokingly talk about the resolutions that we know we haven’t kept. We tend to either make very general resolutions, or we are resolute about generalizations. “Someday, I’m going to lose weight.” “Everyday, I’m going to exercise somehow.” Daniel made a resolution to abstain from unclean food in Babylon (Daniel 1:8). The authors of II Corinthians 13:5 and Hebrews 6:1 challenge us to take stock of where we need to improve and then… Continue reading
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Words to Live By
In this lesson, we’re going to look at four “lines to live by” that are trusted by the world but will not produce eternal life. (This, of course, is inspired by Reader’s Digest old Lines to Live By feature.) We are bombarded with messages, ideas, and values that are not consistent with God’s words, but these are ideas that we may be comfortable with at a secular level. Unwise Words to Live By “God is Like Me.” We have a tendency to create God in our own image. We are told to measure ourselves and others by our own standards,… Continue reading
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Esau’s Error
In Jeremiah 49:7-8, while the prophet is speaking against the nations, some interesting words are brought up about Edom – that the “calamity of Esau” would befall them. This is likely a reference back to Genesis and the choices made by the father of their nations. In Genesis 25:23, God tells Rachel that two nations are in her womb and that the younger will be stronger than the elder. One would be worldly minded and the other spiritually minded. We are familiar with the story of Jacob and Esau, how each parent favored one. Esau is also called Edom, meaning… Continue reading
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Waiting on the Lord
We don’t like waiting around – in traffic, in a doctor’s office, at restaurants, in grocery lines, at the license branch, etc. Things are never fast enough for us, and we make ourselves miserable with impatience when we are forced to wait, effecting our health and our attitudes. However, the Bible tells us to “wait on the Lord” over 50 times. Waiting on the Lord Isaiah 40:31 is probably the most famous scripture in terms of “waiting” on God, but this concept is a challenging one. Patience does not bring about wealth and celebrity in our society, but it can… Continue reading
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