Did you hear the Dow Jones dropped 777 points yesterday? After hearing the financial news from yesterday there were many people who went to bed last night filled with "anxiety and worry." We have a great opportunity to minister to those around us, the One Person who can solve all worry, and that One Person is King Jesus! The most concentrated teaching I can find on the word "worry" in the New Testament is in Matthew 6:25-34. The Lord Jesus speaks to this issue of worry in His sermon on the Mount.

He gives us this teaching in an argument style that moves from the lesser to the greater. Jesus says in essence if My Father can and does take care of a bird and a flower then how much more will He take care of you! We have a tendency to read these words spoken from the and just move on to the next section of Scripture. But I would ask you to stay with this for a few minutes and think. You and I are being watched over by a sovereign God who knows everyone of our needs. And we know from Psalm 139 that He knows them before they even come out of our mouth. Therefore notice today the birds in your neighborhood and some of the flowers. They are a testimony to the fact that even more so God is going to take care of you! Read More...

This week Romans 9 has been part of my reading and devotion. Do you remember I said that sometimes in your devotion it may be a verse or one basic thought that captures your meditation.

Read carefully Romans 9:1-3:
I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,
2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,

Do I have the same attitude as the apostle Paul did toward those who are lost?

We know that Paul is a brilliant theologian and a great apostle but he seems to be saying something that he knows he cannot do. However if he could, Paul would trade his very own salvation in order that his Jewish brethren could be saved. Bring that thinking over into your own world for a few minutes. Even though it is Biblically impossible here is the question for consideration. Would you trade your salvation so that those are presently lost from God in Charlotte might be saved? Again where is our heart when it comes to those who are lost?

It doesn’t take much Scripture to bring me under much conviction regarding areas of my life that need to be prayed over and acted on in a more intentional way.

First of all let me thank each of you as we have come through these first 6 weeks in our start up class. This is quite a bit of information and at time I know that you are trying to take a sip from a fire hose. I look forward to more discussion and wrestling together through these wonderful and precious truths of God’s word. My passion is to bring us back to the Bible in such a way that our lives are radically transformed into Christ likeness. You are an attentive and responsive group and I thank and praise God for an opportunity to share with you weekly!

You have probably heard the expression “The Bible will keep you from sin and sin will keep you from the Bible.” The single greatest hindrance to our study of God’s word is known sin or sin that we have come to tolerate in our lives. As sin continues unconfessed, the heart becomes more and more calloused toward the things of God. In the parable of the sower we come to understand more clearly three specifics that ultimately toward the very sin that separates us from God and His word. Those three specific are:
1. The devil snatching the word of truth
2. The flesh
3. The world

Each of those things listed above have a tremendous impact on “how” we hear the word and “what” we hear when the word is read, taught or preached. In only one soil in this parable did we find the bearing of fruit 30, 60 and 100 fold. And since Jesus said that this was the “parable of all parables” I want us to be diligent in getting the main point, not only in our heads but also our hearts. Do you see, hear and understand the main point of this parable? Let me be clear on what I am NOT asking and then restate what I am asking. I am NOT asking do you see the words, and hear physically what the main point of the parable to the point that you can repeat it due to memory. However I am asking you do you see with spiritual eyes, spiritual hears the point of this parable? Read More...

As we walk through understanding “how to” read and study the Bible it may help you to see the some of these study techniques via a video. Therefore I am going to try and create some short video segments that will go through a few of the basics.

In this first short video I show you how find, and look up some helpful information regarding verbs. Many times people will ask in Bible study how do you how to find the verbs. Well here is an easy way that you can do it with an online web site called www.blueLetterBible.org.

Here is a short video on what it means to “CHASE” the verbs:

We are beginning the next step called “explanation to the head.” I will try to give as many articles and downloads as necessary to give you the tools you need to apply these principles of Bible study. Remember if you are new to the technical end of Bible study, please be patient. This is a skill that needs to be developed over the years but it is so exciting and rewarding! If you have any question please let me know and I will be glad to help in any way that I can.

The following is an article from Wayne Grudem whose book on Systematic Theology is taught today in most seminaries. He has an excellent reputation and provides much helpful insight into the study of God's word.

Keeping the “Big Picture” in Mind: Some Observations about the Whole of Scripture

Big Picture 1

The Bible is a historical document. Therefore, always ask, “What did the author want the original readers to understand by this statement?”

Big Picture 2

The original authors wanted the original readers to respond in some ways. Therefore, always ask, “What application did the original author want the readers to make to their lives?”

Big Picture 3

The whole Bible is about God! Therefore, we should always ask, “What does this text tell us about God?”

Read More...

At this point in our class we are dealing with the obstacles to Bible reading, devotion and study. In checking the poll results from our class here is what the data so far indicates:
1. Priority - 50%
2. Skills and Tools - 25%
3. Spiritual Condition - 19%
4. Motivation - 6%

The Biblical solutions to the problems listed above are as follows:
Heart (preparation)
Head (explanation)
Feet (application)

Now that we have covered the heart we are ready to move on to the head. This means in the next few weeks the teaching will focus on skill and tools of "how to" read the Bible. However before we cover some specific skills and tools I would like to give an overview of what the Bible says about learning and living the Christian life. It seems in the evangelical church we can quite easily move to extremes when it comes to these things. For example I once heard a pastor say "if you get a church where people are just studying, learning and exegeting the text the people will only "show up." And to the other extreme if you have a bunch of excited people who want to live out of experiences then these people will "blow up." But should you find a compromise between those two extremes where people want to learn correctly in order to live correctly then you have people that will "grow up." Read More...

Here is a graph of the poll results from the question “what is the primary factor that has kept you from reading, devotion time and studying the Bible?”

Please keep in mind I do not know who specifically responded as this graph only shows the results. If you have participated yet all you need to do is click on this LINK and vote. Blessings

This week I am encouraging you to have a daily devotion as you come to God's word with a prepared heart. If you are going through the 52 week Bible plan then this week you have read Genesis 12-15. As I said in yesterday's blog article you might end up focusing on a word, phrase, sentence, paragraph or chapter in your devotion time. Also remember on Sunday we talked about the word "rhema" which means a specific word from the entire counsel of God's word. Therefore I think it will help to write and capture some of your thoughts in a notebook or journal book. You don't need to be theological or complicated just get into habit of getting quiet before the Lord and listen as you meditate on His word.

Here is my devotion for Genesis 12. Look at the phrase "I will" it occurs 6 times in Genesis 12:1-7. What is God saying? Specifically He is telling Abram what He will do.
1. I WILL show you the land (12:1)
2. I WILL make you a great nation (12:2)
3. I WILL bless you (12:2)
4. I WILL bless those who bless you (12:3)
5. I WILL curse those who curse you (12:3)
6. I WILL give you the land (12:7)

What did Abram do to deserve these "I WILL'S" from God?
Was it something that his parents did?
Could it be that Abram in some way merited these things from God because of his good behavior? Read More...

Now, let's gather up what we have learned to date and make application. Go to the Bible reading plan for this week. Since you are on the website just click on the Bible reading plan tab on the right hand side of this page and scroll down to week #4 where you should see the following:
Romans 7-8, Genesis 12-15, Joshua 16-20, Psalm 9-11, Job 7-8, Isaiah 18-22, and Matthew 8-10.

Your homework for the week is as follows and I would like you to commit to this reading on this particular week. If you are on another Bible reading plan just consider this extra reading for the week.
1. Find a quiet 1 hour of time during the day. It has been my experience that morning is best but you pick what works for you.
2. As you sit down be sure to have Bible, notebook, highlighter and pen with you.
3. Start with prayer and ask God to reveal any sin, then pray diligently that He would open your eyes in such a way that you would desire His word. Don't rush this part of getting your heart right before the Lord. This needs to be unhurried time as you sit quietly before Him.
4. Now read the section of Scripture and be very attentive to a word, sentence or chapter that God may impress upon your heart.
5. Highlight certain areas of Scripture that specifically speak to you. Remember the word "rhema" that we talked about yesterday. This is a specific word from the whole word of God.
6. Write down any thoughts or impressions from what you read. What is God saying to you and what are you saying to God? Just write!
7. Close with a prayer of thanks and ask God to continue transforming you through His word into the likeness of the Lord Jesus. Read More...

As already discussed next week we begin teaching on the head (explanation) and feet (application) as it relates to our Bible reading, devotion and study. But let me emphasize again that we can never leave behind this all important principle of HEART PREPARATION.

I found it very interesting that the "parable of all parables" according the Lord Jesus (Mark 4:13), deals with the relationship between the word and our hearts. It has been very beneficial for me over the years to find Scripture to pray that my heart would be passionately inclined toward God's word. This is how I apply this truth to my life as I wake up in the morning "Dear Father please give me a desire for You today as I come to Your word. Lord please, please, please open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things from Your word. Keep me from those things that would turn my heart from you therefore satisfy me and delight me with Yourself this morning!" In essence each day starts with a desperate need for the Lord Jesus and His word. And yes I am aware of those forces that are constantly working to dull and callous my heart toward the Bible.

Nancy and I have had the opportunity to spend lots of time at the beach around Charleston. Many times when you swim in the Atlantic Ocean during the summer there is a strong current. If you don't resist and go with the flow in just minutes you will be a hundred yards from your original location. Just like swimming in the Atlantic we are in the middle of a strong spiritual current in America. This current is composed of the evil one, culture and our flesh. Can you imagine how quickly and how far one can drift from the very living word of God and yes while even in the church? I have talked to many people over the years who are casual and even apathetic about the Bible. Folks hear me, we can't be casual about our relationship to the Lord Jesus and His word! Listen to what Moses says in Deut. 32:46-47 he said to them, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. “For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life.." Please take this to heart, the words from God Himself, that He desires to speak to you tthrough the Bible are not just casual, idle words these words are your life!

Good afternoon “learning and living the God-centered life” class. Thanks again to Pat and Kay, Bruce and Lyn who made arrangements for our lunch and social after the 11 AM service. The food and fellowship was great and please put this is on your schedule for the third Sunday through the end of the year.

This was the last week in our study of preparing the HEART for Bible reading, devotion and study. This morning we looked specifically at Mark 4:13-20 and how “the evil one” snatches the word from the heart.
I am counting on you to study the other two types of soil which we have labeled, the shallow heart and the thorn-invested heart.
Below I have included the Power Point Presentation from today’s lesson.


The audio of this mornings class is also available just click on this LINK, and look for the mp3 September 21 Class.

The word devotion in the English dictionary is a noun that means a love, loyalty or enthusiasm for a person, activity or a cause. When we think of a devotion time with our Bibles it is good to frame that as a love, loyalty or enthusiasm for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Before I discuss my devotion time this morning I want to share “how” I have a devotion time. Please hear me clearly regarding my next statement. This is not “the” way but rather it is “a” way for you to structure a devotion time. I will give you the specifics (those that are first born really like details) however I would suggest you learn the principles and adjust them to your own personality and temperament.

First I get settled into the same place each day that I have my devotion time. Some people have a certain chair in a certain room. I have found over the years that a specific place tends to put your mind into a certain mode when you go there day after day.

The next thing is prayer and my heart. Early on in my devotion life two verses were constantly on my heart and mind:
Psalm 119:18 - “Open my eyes that I might observe wonderful things from Thy law”
Jeremiah 33:3 - “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you (B)great and mighty things, (C)which you do not know.”

Also there is a time of searching my heart in order to confess sin that the Lord may bring to my mind. Here are a couple of verses in this regard:
1 John 1:9 - “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and (B)to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Psalm 139:23-24 - Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. Read More...

We have one more week as it relates to the heart in our Bible reading, study and devotion. And then Lord willing, we move from heart to the head. Did you continue reading in Luke 24? Guess what the Lord Jesus shows us later on in that story? Remember our two disciples who leave Emmaus and go back to Jerusalem, knock on the door and insist on telling the other disciples that Jesus is alive! Again Jesus identifies an initial problem (those who were behind locked doors) in Luke 24:38 - “And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?" We see in verse 44 that Jesus gives another Bible study and look carefully at the next verse, Luke 24:45 - "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." Class we need heart prepared and minds opened as we come to the very word of God!

But here is where the issue becomes somewhat complicated among professing evangelicals. Allow me to over simplify in order for us to see the problem. It seems that there are three basic groups that endorse three different ways to come to the Scriptures.

1. Orthodox - the Bible is the word of God. As you know Carmel Baptist Church is considered to be Orthodox as are many churches in Charlotte.
2. Liberal - the Bible contains the word of God. Here we have the grocery store approach to the Bible. Pick what you like and leave what you don't like.
3. Neo-Orthodox - the Bible becomes the word of God. I am seeing this is a real battle ground today because of the post-modern culture in which we now live.
This is hard to sum up in a sentence or two but let me try. In the Neo-Orthodox view I read a verse of Scripture and then you read the same verse. When we discuss it we have two entirely different views on that verse. I would simply say "well I am happy for you because this verse means that to you." And the other person would basically say the same thing to me. The interpretation of the verse within the Neo-Orthodox view is left up to the reader of the text. And whatever it means to them is what it in fact means or becomes to them.
Do you see the danger with this kind of Bible reading? No one is wrong because with this view everybody gets to be right! Read More...

Have you ever taken a trip to the mountains during the fall? Nancy and I love to travel across the Blue Ridge Parkway during peak season. It seems that we are constantly stopping every few miles at the designated overviews to catch another glimpse of the vibrant colors. I think you could say that our class is on a God-centered journey. We are on a journey back to the word of God in such a way that lives are transformed into the very likeness of Christ. And the first area we have stopped to take a look is called the overview of the HEART. There are lots of Bible study methods that start with the “how to” study the Bible but we must never leave behind the “why to” of Bible study. There are few people that will endure the how if they aren’t aware the “why.” The “why” is connected directly to the heart. I have said it before and I will continue to say it again, this principle is the NON-NEGOTIABLE when it comes to proper reading, devotion and study of the Bible.

Do you remember King Solomon in the Old Testament? Can you imagine the Lord Jesus stopping by your home tonight, knocking on the door and then coming in and granting a prayer request for you? What do you think would come to mind and what would you ask for? This happened to King Solomon and of all the things he could have asked for, do you remember what he specifically asked for? Some would answer that he asked for wisdom but let’s look and see exactly what the Scripture says.

1 Kings 3:5 - In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "Ask what you wish me to give you."
1 Kings 3:9 - "So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

The word for understanding in Hebrew could also be translated as hearing. Therefore we could say that King Solomon prayed for a HEARING HEART! Read More...

If you are in the market for a study Bible then check out the ESV Study Bible coming in October 2008. I have it on good authority that this will be one of the best study Bibles ever written. Here is the website where you can get all the information you need on this Bible.
Also I have included the ESV Study Bible “quick tour” video that is narrated by Pastor Tullian Tchividjian (Billy Graham’s grandson). Download the video in “glorious Quicktime”

Dr. Poplin in his message on Sunday (September 14) mentioned J.I. Packer and his book “Knowing God.” He also read a wonderful article that Dr. Packer has written regarding the church and worship. Therefore I am including in this blog article the video that highlights Dr. Packer and his endorsement of the ESV Study Bible.

For those who want to dig a little deeper on this subject of the heart then grab your Bibles and turn to Mark 8:1-21. Allow me to set up the context. This is the section of Scripture where the Lord Jesus has just fed the 4000. The disciples are gathering up the basketfuls of bread and they are getting in the boat with Jesus. As they get ready to leave the Lord says to them “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.” And when the disciples hear this they immediately think of the bread because Jesus mentioned the word leaven. Between all twelve they had only managed to get one loaf of bread and so they started to discuss that among themselves. Once again we come to a critical point of “how” to understand the Bible. Jesus now is talking figuratively and not literally to his disciples. But we see how the Lord goes right to the source of the problem. In Mark 8:17 Jesus speaks these words “Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? Is there a connection here between the leaven of the Pharisees and a hardened heart? If you have a study Bible then look in your cross reference for Mark 8:15 and you should have as one of them Luke 12:1. As a side note DO NOT ignore the cross references as they can bring much clarity to what you read. Remember the Bible is the best commentary on the Bible. If you go to Luke 12:1 then you understand exactly what Jesus meant by the “leaven of the Pharisees.”

Now for the application of what Jesus spoke to his disciples. Do some study on the word Jesus uses to describe the leaven of the Pharisees? What does this word mean? Look it up in an English dictionary and then do so in a Greek lexicon if you have that as a study tool. Can you think of anywhere in Scripture Jesus may have addressed the Pharisees in regard to this particular leaven. (Hint: Matthew 23)
Could this be a significant issue in your own life that may be hardening your heart to the point that you are prevented from clearly hearing the words of Jesus?

Remember we are learning to read, devote and study correctly in order that we may live correctly before God!

Blessings

We are learning the importance of the heart as it pertains to Bible reading, study and devotion. And when the Lord Jesus spoke to those disciples on the road to Emmaus He recognized they were sluggish of heart. As we read the “parable of the sower” we get a deeper look into the problem of the heart. There are three specific obstacles that cause the heart to be hard.

Suggested study for September 21
Review the parable of the sower and list the three basic obstacles to the heart. Specifically let’s dig a little deeper as it relates to obstacle #1:
• Observe the three different names given for Satan by each of the gospel writers of this parable. And look up the various names and write out the meanings.

• What are we told from Scripture that we need to be aware of when it comes to the ways of the devil?
(Hint:it involves the word - schemes)

• What type of instructions are we given from the Bible in regard to dealing with “the enemy?”
(Hint: look up the following verses)
James 4:7
1 Peter 5:8-9
Ephesians 6:11

• What is your Biblical strategy when it comes to dealing with obstacle #1 in the parable of the sower?
(Hint: Does your strategy match the strategy of the Lord Jesus when dealing with Satan while He was in the wilderness for 40 days?) Read More...

First of all greetings to the new people in our class this past Sunday. For those who are the veterans (3 weeks) I did a little more review to bring the new folks up to speed. In the next few weeks it will be full speed ahead but until then I ask for your patience. Today we were also adjusting to a new classroom and a new setup. We have already received feedback and from all indications this is going to work out great!

Due to technical difficulties there in no mp3 download for this week’s lesson.

As I mentioned the church in America is facing a dilemma when it comes to learning and living the God-centered life. When you look at the statistics, unfortunately we look very similar to the world. For example I understand that the divorce stats within the church equate to those who are outside the church. My former senior pastor, Glenn Wagner, was a former vice president in the Promise Keepers Organization. Glenn said that as men would come to cities, fill up football stadiums and stay at the local hotels, the pornography room rentals would almost quadruple the normal. I could go on but here is the point, we who are inside the church don’t live much differently from those outside the church. Therefore even if we know what the Bible says is true and yet we don’t do it, then what we know to be true, isn’t true for us. Read More...

My plan this Sunday is to continue with the importance of the heart in regard to Bible reading, devotion and study. As we will see later on, there are many different “how to” methods of Bible study. But there is one essential principle or one non-negotiable when we come to the reading and study of God’s word and that is the PREPARATION of our heart. A couple of weeks ago you may remember we looked briefly at Luke 24:13-35 and then covered it in some more detail last week. This week I want us to look in more detail at Mark 4:1-20 which is commonly referred to as the “parable of the sower.” Actually a better name for this might be the “parable of the soils.” Let me give a quick review from last week and why this focus is so important to our class right now.
There are four basic reasons people have given me over the years as to why they don’t read, have consistent devotions or study the Bible.
1. Motivation
2. Priority
3. Skills and Tools
4. Spiritual Maturity

It may be good to have some time to meditate on the four reasons above and see if any of these apply to you over this past year. Also as I have approached and studied this subject there is a three part solution to this four-fold problem listed above.

We went over these last week but let me put them back up for your review:
1. HEART (preparation)
2. HEAD (explanation)
3. HANDS AND FEET (application) Read More...

Do you know the leading cause of death in the United States? If you have been in our class for the last two weeks you might answer heart disease and that would be correct. Now let me move that fact right over to Bible reading, devotion and study. Do you know what the number one killer of Bible reading, devotion and study? Yes, the answer to that is also heart disease. When I started growing in my understanding of the word I was taught and exhorted in these three basics:

1. Preparation of the Heart
2. Explanation to the Head
3. Implementation with the Hands and Feet

However the most important basic is that of the HEART. There will be no proper application for what we don’t understand, and in order to understand our hearts must be prepared to receive the truth of God’s word. Isn’t that the whole point of the parable of the sower that we briefly touched on Sunday? The success of the seed (God’s word) is dependent upon the condition of the soil it finds (the heart). Unfortunately many today have the word snatched away, or wither away or have it choked out by things of this world.

Questions for our meditation and application this week:
1. What things or issues have you allowed to harden your heart?
2. When is the last time you remember repenting?
3. What does your Bible reading, devotion and study look like over the past year?
4. Can you think of and find other important Scriptures that reference the heart?
5. Are you praying consistently and diligently that the LORD would give you a heart that is passionately desirous for His word!

Hopefully this will get you started in the application of our teaching this past Sunday. May I encourage each of us “not only to be hearers but also doers of the word.”
(James 1:22)

The teaching yesterday centered on getting back to the Bible. We live in a culture that is constantly vying for our time, money and attention. Unfortunately for many in the church they try and work the Bible around their schedule instead of their schedule around the Bible. Folks the thoughts that we think about God are the most important thoughts we will ever think! When we study our Bibles, we have the living word of the living God before us. In essence, when we read the Bible we handle and hear from the very mind of God Himself. Buck Hatch a former professor at Columbia Bible College used to say “studying the Bible is the closest thing to touching the Lord Jesus Christ you will ever have this side of heaven.” And yet year after year I find people who say they are not motivated, other things are a priority, or they just don’t know how. Listen to the words of the Lord Jesus in John 8:31 “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” The Greek word for continue is “meno” and it means to abide, endure, stay or remain. This also is the same word that appears in John 15:4-16 eleven times (the vine and the branches).

Do you remember the conclusion we reached from Luke 24:13-35? If we are reading the Bible and it is dull and unexciting then it means that we have a dull heart when it comes to the things of God. And then in the verses we read yesterday we see further evidence that God hides His word from those whose hearts are dull. For a more complete understanding as to why our hearts are dull study the “parable of the sower” Mark 4:1-20.

But before we continue a quick word of warning. Read More...

A couple of questions over the years has been what are good Bible study internet sites and what some good Bible study softwares.

Here are some helpful internet options when it comes to studying the Bible.
1. Net.Bible
2. E-Sword
3. BibleGateway
4. BlueletterBible
5. Precept Austin

When it comes to Bible study software I have only used two and they are Logos and Accordance. However I have included a third option and that is Bible Works which has received great reviews.
1. Logos - check out this site and feel free to give them a call. The customer service people are great and will get you to the best option for the level of study you plan to do.
2. Bible Works - I have not used this particular software but am including a blog article that reviews this sofware.
3. Accordance - if you using a Mac with Tiger or Leopard then I would suggest this software package. As you know, if you are using a Mac with VMware Fusion or a Parallels windows option then Logos or Bible Works would also be available.

Obviously there are many other good options out there on the internet and Bible software but hopefully this will give you a good start.

This past Sunday I gave an overview of our “learning and living the God-centered life”
class. For years I have been concerned that those within the church have forgotten or
possibly have never learned the basics. This particular class teaching will focus on the
following doctrines which we are calling “BACK TO THE BASICS”
Bible
God
Man
Christ/Spirit
Faith
Please don’t be intimidated with the word doctrine. Doctrine is simply what the Bible has to say about a particular subject. The initial emphasis in our class will be to exhort people back to a consistent and exciting time of Bible reading, devotion and study.

If you will, grab your Bibles and turn to Luke 24:13-35. In this encounter between the Lord Jesus and two disciples you will notice the following:
1. The situation
2. The problem
3. The solution
4. The results

First lets take a look at Luke 24:13-17 (the situation) and see if we can relate. We have two disciples heading to Emmaus (seven miles north of Jerusalem) talking about the events of that day (resurrection day). Then the Lord Jesus shows up and starts walking with them and asks them about the words they are “throwing around.” There are two interesting things we learn about the meeting these disciples had with Jesus.
1. Their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him
2. As He met with and talked with them they looked sad Read More...

This past Sunday I gave an overview of our “learning and living the God-centered life”
class. For years I have been concerned that those within the church have forgotten or
possibly have never learned the basics. This particular class teaching will focus on the
following doctrines which we are calling “BACK TO THE BASICS”
Bible
God
Man
Christ/Spirit
Faith
Please don’t be intimidated with the word doctrine. Doctrine is simply what the Bible has to say about a particular subject. The initial emphasis in our class will be to exhort people back to a consistent and exciting time of Bible reading, devotion and study.

If you will, grab your Bibles and turn to Luke 24:13-35. In this encounter between the Lord Jesus and two disciples you will notice the following:
1. The situation
2. The problem
3. The solution
4. The results

First lets take a look at Luke 24:13-17 (the situation) and see if we can relate. We have two disciples heading to Emmaus (seven miles north of Jerusalem) talking about the events of that day (resurrection day). Then the Lord Jesus shows up and starts walking with them and asks them about the words they are “throwing around.” There are two interesting things we learn about the meeting these disciples had with Jesus.
1. Their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him
2. As He met with and talked with them they looked sad Read More...