This Bible study was originally considered during Midweek Connection on November 19, 2014. ![]()
This Bible study was originally considered during Midweek Connection on November 12, 2014.
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![]() 20 Things I Wish I'd Known in My Late Twenties Well-written and really practical advice! Worth the five minutes it takes to read and consider these key principles the writer wishes she had known when she was our age. At least we all have #19 down! And, here's a sneak peak at one of them: "18. Live loved. — Wake up every morning and—before you put your feet to the floor—let your mind and heart linger on the fact that the Creator of the Universe loves you passionately, completely, unconditionally and eternally. Nothing matters more than this. This one truth can change absolutely everything." 20 Ways to Be Refreshing in the Local Church Some really good suggestions here! I'd encourage you to read through and highlight 2 or 3 that you could start doing this coming week. Put them on a notecard or on your phone; sticky tac them to your mirror; pray for God to help you refresh your church family in this way; and then work to do so! Here's why — (excerpt) "There are few epitaphs I would rather have engraved on my tombstone than Paul’s words of commendation to Philemon, 'the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you' (Philemon 1:7). Oh, how I love Philemons and want to consistently be one!" A Christian’s Guide to Reading the News: Five Rules to Remember "If you have been following the news recently, you probably have noticed a lot of discouraging headlines about war, disease, immorality, and economic uncertainty. People are protesting in streets from Hong Kong, China to Ferguson, Missouri. From Moscow to Washington D.C., leaders seem to be more interested in drinking vodka and playing golf than helping the people they serve. How should a Christian react to all of the bad news in this world? Here are a few thoughts that might help us read the news in a redemptive way. ..." If you are a news-reader or news-worrier, this is a helpful article! The Deadly Deception of Sexual Atheism in the Church "The love, sex and dating forecast among adult single believers for the foreseeable future is this: cloudy with a chance of fear and pride." Don't allow your fear of missing out or your pride over knowing better excuse, empower, or embitter you in this crucial area! A Letter to the Caliph Worried about the rise of militant Islam. You have nothing to fear ... really! Read this open letter from Tim Keesee (director of the "Dispatches from the Front" DVD series) to the ISIS commander and self-declared Caliph. "...I think it’s best that you know that you will not succeed. You and your Caliphate are destined for failure. Of course, all empires, caliphates, and reigns of terror eventually come to an end, but something else is happening — another kind of failure in your command over the Islamic world. It’s that Jesus Christ is building his Church, and he said that “even the gates of hell” (which sounds a lot like Mosul right now) cannot stop its advance." This was originally shared during Midweek Connection on October 22. ![]()
I recently watched the following video in which Ryan Anderson, who researches and writes about marriage and religious liberty as the William E. Simon Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, responds to this question, "Why should I, as a gay man, be denied the same right to file a joint tax return with my potential husband that a straight couple has?" It is obvious throughout the course of this conversation that the gay man believes he has played the trump card by showing how he has been denied equal rights. What is just as obvious, but yet somehow missed by the one asking the question, is the logic that Mr. Anderson uses in answering the question. Watch the video yourself, not only to listen to the dialogue between a homosexual and a defender of traditional marriage, but also to remind yourself of the benefit simple logic can be in your conversations with people...that is, assuming they are willing to be logical. (Find Mr. Anderson's fuller remarks here.)
In case you missed it, Mr. Anderson's logical answer was, "The same-sex couple isn't a marriage, and we want marriage equality to treat all marital relationships in the same way, and...[the] same-sex relationship isn't marital. ... It's not discrimination because everyone is equally eligible for entering into the marital relationship. ... If you are not interested in entering into that sort of a union, you're not being discriminated against. What you're asking us to do is to redefine marriage to include the adult relationship of your choice. ... Your position ultimately leads to simply the disolvement of the marital union. ... It's not that you don't have a right to get married; it's that you aren't seeking out marriage." By the way, this really helps us see why a definition of marriage is so important, if on no other level than a mere legal one. Again, I've posted this, less to draw your attention to the homosexuality debate, and more to help you see the value of just thinking and responding logically. TELLING THE STORY ![]() THE SETTING Jesus returns to Capernaum (probably to Peter’s home—cf. Matthew 4:13 and Mark 1:21, 29; important to note that this would have been a relatively small and simple home made with stones with a flat roof that would be frequently used for relaxation, oftentimes with an exterior staircase providing access), and the people discover that He’s back. They gather at the house to hear Jesus teach the Scriptures. The crowd of listeners was so large that people were crammed outside against the house. THE PROBLEM A group of men carrying their crippled friend arrive on the scene, trying to get to Jesus. They were unable to, because of the great crowd. THE INCITING MOMENT The friends, insistent on getting their needy comrade to Jesus, are not ready to give up. They climb up the stairs to the roof, and begin tearing up the clay roof above where Jesus was teaching. When they had created a large enough opening, they lowered their friend down into the house near where Jesus was. This was pretty bizarre considering that this wasn’t their house and considering that teaching below would have been interrupted as debris began falling upon those inside. This would have created quite the scene…embarrassment and social awkwardness. THE RISING ACTION When Jesus saw the faith of these friends (and apparently of the paralytic himself) so clearly demonstrated in their aggression, persistence, and boldness (they weren’t embarrassed) in getting their needy companion to Jesus, He responded by performing an invisible, and yet most important, miracle (more important, in fact, than the physical healing of this man, which was, of course, what these men had desired in brining their fellow to Jesus)—the salvation of his soul. Jesus would later actually respond to his initial request and heal him physically, too. THE CONFLICT When the religious leaders heard Jesus forgive this man’s sins, they were troubled. Their doctrine correctly taught them that only God could forgive sins, but their evaluation of Jesus incorrectly led them to conclude that He was blaspheming. The other valid option—that Jesus was God—was never even considered. I’m not sure that my conclusion would have been any different, especially since I’ve been trained as a good Bible student to live by the book. Yes, a logical conclusion was that this man Jesus was God, even the Messiah, but there was so much practical and convention wisdom that went against that idea. It “made more sense” to be doctrinal and conclude that He was a heretic. Any good pastor would have concluded the same; so, I’m not going to fault the scribes here in verse 7. Jesus, knowing this internal conflict within the scribes, begins to help them understand that the option they so readily dismissed (i.e., He is God) was the truth. He asks them whether it is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Obviously, it is easier to say the first because it is invisible and cannot be visibly proved. The latter can be verified immediately through physical and visible evidence. So, Jesus now determines to effectively say the latter in order to prove that He had effectively said the former. THE CLIMAX: THE MIRACLE The man “immediately” got up and walked “in the sight of everyone.” THE RESPONSE The people were “amazed” and “glorified God.” They also continued to come and listen to Jesus. At this point, however, I believe that a reproof again the scribes is in order. Jesus had sought to correct their legitimate, but incorrect, conclusion—the physical healing proved the veracity of His claim and power to forgive sins, and should have caused the Scribes to change their conclusion and submit to Him as their God. We know, however, that this was not their response. APPLYING THE STORY PRINCIPLE 1 — Jesus knows and can meet our greatest (and perhaps unknown) needs when we have faith in Him.
This man had faith in Jesus’ ability…this was more than knowledge about Jesus, belief in Jesus’ existence. I believe that this man sincerely and earnestly believed (as revealed in tearing the roof up) that Jesus could meet his needs and fix his problems. However, I don’t think that his faith was fully mature, correctly focused, or fully taught. His faith in Jesus is unquestioned, but it seems that he’s overlooking some things that we would consider integral, like Jesus’ purpose to save people from their sin. However, when he came in confident expectation to Christ to fix the problem, Jesus in His omniscience and grace honored his unwavering faith, by meeting his greatest need. The content of saving faith has changed throughout the ages (e.g., “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness”), but saving faith is always rooted in the ability and promises of God. Today, saving faith is a confident belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and in His ability to completely fulfill His promise to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by Him. This man demonstrated saving faith by unwaveringly and desperately clinging to the truth that if he just got to Jesus, Jesus would know what to do. He didn’t have all his theology worked out; He hadn’t thought through all the details of who Jesus was…but He confidently believed in Jesus’ ability to meet his need. And he discovered that faith in Jesus gets all of Him—Jesus met his physical and spiritual needs. This is grace – He didn’t give them only what they asked for. Faith in Jesus, even though not fully mature (i.e., they believed in His ability to physically heal, but perhaps they hadn’t considered His ability to spiritually heal), was what pleased Jesus and caused Him to respond by meeting the need, not just the request. PRINCIPLE 2 — Christ honors our faith when we bring other people to Him. And, considering that He alone really knows the true needs, He may do more than we ever expected. Had they allowed the circumstances to deter their perseverance to get their friend to the only One who they believed could help him (e.g., embarrassment from the situation), their friend would not only have never walked, but he also would have never experienced salvation. Their faith was in some way catalytic to the spiritual healing of their friend. This would have been one of those sobering “wow” moments, in which they would have been very thankful for God’s grace in overlooking their limited faith and using it to draw this man (and perhaps themselves) to Himself. From the paralytic’s perspective, he had done nothing (except believe). His friends had been tools. God had orchestrated everything (i.e., He had given the crippled man these friends and stirred within them this faith in Jesus’ physical-healing ability). Jesus saw and met the true need though these friends. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, this passage cannot be teaching that a man can be saved by someone else’s faith. However, the passage is emphasizing how influential your faith can be in the salvation of someone else. Application: How can we demonstrate faith by bringing people to Jesus? Not bringing people to Jesus reveals a lack of faith. 1. Bringing the unsaved to Jesus:
PRINCIPLE 3 — I don’t need any other proof from Jesus; I just need to trust Him. Dear church family,
This has been an amazing summer. I have seen God work in so many ways – both in my campers’ hearts and in my own. To God be the glory for all He has done! This past week in Junior Boot Camp was so much fun. I love JBC because you can do things like eat a whole piece of cake in one bite (which I did!) and play “don’t step on the cracks” everywhere you go. One of my campers this week was hilarious. She wrote me her life story, which consisted of the following in messy kid handwriting: “I love pie and bacon and Jesus. I am at the Wilds Christian Camp. The End.” It was so cute! I thoroughly enjoyed JBC and am moving back to teen camp this last week. It was such a blessing to see God save two of my girls! One raised her hand in the service on Monday night saying that she wasn’t saved. I talked to her on Tuesday morning, first asking about her family, and then asking her about salvation. As soon as I brought it up, she clammed up and started crying, saying she wouldn’t talk to me or anyone else about it except her mom or dad. On Thursday, I tried again to talk to her about her salvation, but she wouldn’t budge. On Friday, I told her she didn’t have to talk, but I was just going to show her how she could be saved. Later that night, I asked her if she died where she would go, and she started crying and wanted to talk to me. She trusted Christ as her Savior Friday! It was such an answer to prayer. My God is truly mighty! She was so hard all week and would not open up, but God’s Word is as sharp as a double edged sword and pierced her heart. God has continually been working on my heart this summer to show me my selfishness. Through studying Romans, God has helped reveal to me the ugly sinfulness of my heart and reminded me of the rescue I have in Christ. He has been so good to me in saving me! But it doesn’t stop there, He wants to change me, and when we let Christ change us, we have a purposeful, satisfying, and joyful life! I am so thankful to have watched God work this summer. It has been truly life changing and I can’t wait to get back home to put into practice some of the lessons I’ve learned. To God be the glory for everything He has done! Brittany Dear Church Family,
It's hard to put into words what this week brought. It was the hardest week of the summer for me, but it was definitely exactly what I needed. I'm coming out of the week more in love with my Savior and realizing even more His strength compared to my weakness. Going into the week, there were just a lot of "life things" that were either disappointments or burdens on my heart. Last weekend I began having trouble with my sinuses and getting sick, which continued throughout the week. I also found out I would be in Junior Boot Camp again, which is a whole lot of fun, but I was disappointed that I would not be in teen camp with our youth group. As I got my campers on Monday afternoon, I soon realized I would be doing a lot of refereeing, trying to keep them from arguing and hurting one another's feelings. In one-on-one time, it became obvious that a few of them weren't saved. I shared the gospel with them and had them explain each part back to me, but at the end they just lacked understanding and wanted to go back and play. On Wednesday morning, I was convicted that I was letting some of these things steal my joy. During cabin devotions that night I apologized to my girls...but they just laughed. I read Isaiah 53 to them, describing what Christ did on the cross for us, but again, they just laughed. On Friday morning, I was so burdened and discouraged in seeing many of them lack any desire for God that I began to question what I was doing wrong. I felt like I was totally failing, and it was then that I was reading in Romans 7 and 8 and the truth of God hit me. Romans 7:24-25a, 8:15 - "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord...For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." I may not have been as joyful at the beginning of the week as I should have been, but I am forever grateful that my standing with Christ is not based on my "results" as a camp counselor. Servants weren't allowed to use the word "Abba" in the house, but God made us His children! My God adopted me, and that is a forever thing! If I share God's truth with His love, God is just as pleased with me this week as He would be if every one of my campers got saved, got assurance, and surrendered to preach in the same week (which would be interesting since we're all girls). Going forward with that in mind, Friday was an awesome day. We had a ton of fun as a cabin and I was able to follow-up with some of them and go back through the gospel. I still didn't see any of my campers get saved, but they went home having heard the truth. Isaiah 55:8-11 has been an encouragement to me - "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater: So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." My way would be that my girls would have accepted Christ this week, but God has a plan in mind and promises to use His Word. He is so good to us! Please pray for my health. Late Friday night one of my eardrums ruptured, and I am much sicker than before. I know that God is using it to show me even more that He is enough, that He will give strength, and that He should be my only desire. I can't wait to be back with our church family! I have been laboring over our church in prayer this week and was overjoyed to see that our youth group made it home safe and rejoicing. God has been so good to us this past year! May He continue to use this "tragetunity" to bring Him glory. In Christ, Brittany Sherrill Dear Church Family,
I got to mix things up a bit this week by being in Junior Boot Camp. It was great! The schedule is different, the games are different, and the kids are different, but the goal is still the same: to point kids to Christ. The beginning of the week was very difficult because I didn't understand where things were and was having a hard time grasping the schedule. I was frustrated and struggling to get where I needed to be at the right time. However, I realized that my need to know everything and have everything go perfect and according to my plan was just pride. Instead of being humble and okay with asking for help, I was determined to try and do everything myself...which never works. God is so gracious to forgive and guide when we mess up! Once I made peace with not having it all together, things went much smoother, we had more fun, and I was able to build more bridges with my campers. Sometimes, you just have to jump in the huge puddles — you can't give up that perfect opportunity! On Monday, I asked each of my campers to write down on a scale of 1 to 10 how sure they were that they would be going to heaven. After seeing their answers, I started praying that a couple of them would be saved or gain understanding and assurance of their standing with God. I was able to get some one-on-one time with one of the girls on Wednesday, who I read had written a 0, while we were walking back to our cabin. She started telling me about her family and I asked her if there was ever a time where she had gotten saved. She responded with a yes and I asked her to explain to me the plan of salvation. Like any kid who grew up in a Christian home, she was able to give me a clear gospel message, but I still wasn't convinced. Finally, I asked her what salvation meant to her, and she got very quiet. After a minute she looked up at me and said, "It's just amazing. God's love is just amazing. I know my parents love my brother and I, and they would do anything for us; I can't believe that God would send His only Son to die for me. I could never earn it and I don't deserve it. It's amazing how much He loves me." What a blessing! This teeny-tiny nine-year-old totally understood the gospel in a very real and moving way. She wasn't too young to understand or apply the gospel to her life. I looked back later at her card, and she had written "10.0," of which I had only seen the last "0." She's definitely saved, but what a great reminder. May the gospel never get old, whether we're nine, nineteen, or seventy-nine. This weekend, I've been meditating on Isaiah 1:18 which says, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." I love that Christ washes us completely clean — there's not even evidence that there was ever a stain! It's such a privilege to be here and see kids come to Christ and be washed with the blood of the cross. I so look forward to seeing some of our church family this week. I will be in JBC again, so I don't think I will have any Colonial campers, but I hope to run into as many as I can! Thank you so much for your prayer and support. I am praying for our church family also this week, as I know it will be a week of remembrance, tears, and joy. Brittany Sherrill Keep praying for Hannah Carroll, Bob Rankin, Hillary Rankin, Brittany Sherrill, Becca Spencer, and Courtney Wydo, all of whom are serving in various ministries abroad this summer. Here's a recent note from Hillary.
Dear Single Focus Friends, I am excited for the opportunity to serve at Northland Camp for the fourth time. Through much prayer and planning, the Lord has led me to be a part of this summer’s camp staff and help campers take their next spiritual step. While I worked A/V in other summers, I am enjoying my new job as one of the Camp Office Receptionists. I also serve as an assistant to the Music Coordinator. So, I answer the phone and emails and relay messages to the important folk, as well as putting together song books for the musicians and song PowerPoints. In addition to my responsibilities in the office, I will also be leading a Power Group. These groups are designed for small-group discipleship and study of the summer’s theme passage. The spiritual theme for this camp season is ‘Living Worthy of the Gospel’, based on Philippians 1:27-2:18. My group will be composed of 4 girls who are serving as counselors / op-staff workers, and I have the exciting, but scary opportunity to lead these girls through the passage each week as well as be used in their lives for discipleship and encouragement throughout the summer. I’m thankful that I am able to minister at a place like Northland Camp. I want to be in full time ministry someday, but I have to make money and there are very few places that pay women for ministry. But, Northland has a program called “Laborer’s Together,” which raises money for the staff expenses (like paychecks). (If you would like to know more about donating to this fund, more information can be accessed online athttp://northlandcamp.org/partnering/laborers-together.) While your financial support is appreciated, I would really appreciate if you would come along side me in prayer. I am enjoying the learning curve of a new job as well as new opportunities to be used in the lives of others so I am very excited to see what God will do, but I also recognize my need for His work in my life so that I am able to minister as He has asked me to. So, would you please pray with me? Pray for humility, transparency, and the ability to love with Christ’s love – not selfishly, but out of the love that Christ has shown to me so freely. I am thankful for the grace that I have seen in your life through the Single Focus ministry, and I am looking forward to seeing more of God’s grace in mine during these next few months! ~Hillary And here's Brittany Sherrill's latest update My cabin this week was great. I had seven girls who all came from totally different backgrounds and all colors of personalities. In one-on-one time, I was able to lead one of my campers to salvation - it was amazing! Hearing her cry out to God for forgiveness and seeing her excitement for the rest of the week brought so much joy. It's neat to see how God can break down barriers between people and bind them together with His kind of love. We had lots of fun with improv acting games and epic rock, paper, scissor tournaments, but most importantly, by the end of the week each girl had gotten right with God and we were eager to get in God's Word together. In the past few weeks, I have been studying Romans in my devotional time and reading Rand Hummel's book "Gratefully Yours". It has been an awesome study seeing how we've ruined our lives in sin, but God sent Christ so we could live. Seeing the totality of our depravity against God's mercy gives a needed and beloved wake-up call exactly when we need it! I was so nervous coming into the summer, but now I can't imagine spending my summer any other way. God has been so good to me to put me in a place where I am constantly stretched so that I can see my weakness contrasted with His strength. I have many stories about being a city girl out here in the boonies, but I love it! I even bought my first camouflage purchase this weekend (a coffee mug), but don't worry! It was also pink, so I'm still the same Brittany. Thank you for your continued prayer and support, it is a joy to be a part of the Colonial family and I can't wait to get back! ~ Brittany |
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