For His Glory
#1 Easter Changes Brokenness to SERVICE John 20:1-2
#2 Easter Changes Questions to FAITH John 20:5-8
#3 Easter Changes Grief to GLADNESS John 20:10-18
#4 Easter Changes Fear to PEACE John 20:19-20
#5 Easter Changes Fate to PURPOSE John 20:21
#6 Easter Changes Doubt to BELIEF John 20:24-28
#7 Easter Change EVERYTHING! John 20:30-31
It’s an old, old story. He lived. He died. He rose from the dead. What does that mean for you and your family today? In a world where we can command information with the click of a mouse or a touch of a phone, how do historical events still impact our lives?
Next month we will celebrate Easter. What do you think about when you think about Easter? Do you think about Easter egg hunts when your children were young, family meals after church, getting dressed up for your annual Easter family picture or chocolate bunnies? Easter is a precious holiday, and as with all things that are precious it must be protected. To protect this precious treasure we must keep Jesus at the center of Easter and truly take time to reflect and marvel at God’s great love for us.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is a truth that is worth celebrating at Easter and everyday of the year.
Consider these ideas to keep Jesus in the center of Easter this year:
1. Attend church with your family on Easter. Churches all across our community celebrate Easter and would welcome you and your family. If you don’t have a church home, I would like to invite you to attend First Baptist, Dalhart this Easter.
2. Watch a movie that depicts the sacrificial death of Christ. Decide on the movie based on the ages of those in your family. Possible movies would include: Passion of the Christ, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, The Bible or Veggie Tales: T’was the Night before Easter.
3. Spend time reading the Bible together as a family during the 40 days before Easter or the week before Easter. Free devotions for the Easter season are available at www.bible.com
4. Use Resurrection Eggs to explain the true meaning of Easter to children. www.resurrectioneggs.com
5. Travel to the large cross at Groom, TX and pray the stations of the cross. www.crossministries.net
The focus is not planning more things to do, but deliberately remembering Jesus at Easter. Look for opportunities to talk about Jesus with those you are closest to.
I hope you have a great April as you put Jesus at the center of Easter.
This article originally appeared in the Dalhart Texan and was written by Sean Vickers.
Joshua 6 records the Victory that the Nation of Israel had when God gave them victory at Jericho. From this chapter and other scriptures there are 7 ways to overcome the obstacles that keep you or your church from being where God wants you to be.
On November 7, 2013 Billy Graham will turn 95 years old. This incredible man of God has a final message for America. To get the message about Christ out to as many people as possible the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has provided a power tool for evangelism called My Hope for America. Their plan is great! It is based on Matthew 9:9-13. After he started following Jesus, the Apostle Matthew invited people into his home to meet Jesus. This is the plan for those who will be a part of this historic event and throw a party for Jesus:
The content of the video messages are evangelistic, inspiring, and compelling. Watch the videos here: VIDEOS
These messages are available in multiple formats to accommodate the variety of locations these meeting will take place in.
May God richly bless My Hope for America with a great harvest.
Power outages are tough, but spiritual power outages can be costly. Jesus’ disciples experienced a spiritual power outage. Jesus helped them understand why they came up short and the key ingredients for living with spiritual power.
ARVE Error: need id and providerThe Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery honors those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom whose bodies are not identified. The video below is a clip from the Stepping Up Bible Study – A Call to Courageous Manhood. It interviews some of the soldiers who bravely guard the tomb and the sacrifice they make. I highly recommend the Stepping Up Bible Study from Family Life. See samples of the Bible study at the link below.
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2 Timothy 3:1-17
The Textbook of Sunday School (Small Group Bible Study) is the Bible, the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:1-17 focuses on the importance of the Bible. What would our Small Groups be without the Bible as our focus? Would it be a support group, a civic club, a gathering of friends, or a prayer group? Even though a good Small Group will have some of these elements, the Bible is central to what a Small Group Bible Study is all about.
The Bible is not only our Textbook, It is the Test for the quality of our Christian walk. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
These powerful aspects of the Bible lead to completeness and competence in the life of a believer.
If you are not committed to a small group of believers that meet weekly around the Word of God, let me encourage you to find a group and dig in. Your Christian walk will be greatly affected when you connect with other believers and connect with God, through His Word.
There are many people giving and receiving advice today. In our culture, the idea of “coaching” is popular. People from every industry and station of life pay large amounts of money to their “coaches” to help them go to the next level. Through the study of the Scripture we can receive coaching that will encourage us to keep going, help us make course adjustments along the way, and take our place in God’s Kingdom for His glory.
God used the Apostle Paul to write a large amount of the New Testament. Paul was instrumental in spreading the Gospel about Jesus from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and ultimately to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) The books of 1st and 2nd Timothy are personal letters to Timothy from the Apostle Paul. These books contain Paul’s counsel to Timothy concerning issues of church leadership. By reading and studying these books, we will receive “coaching” from the Apostle Paul himself that will inform, encourage and challenge us.
Toward the end of his life, Paul wrote three letters (1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus) to Timothy and Titus to instruct them as they continued in the work of the church. 1 Timothy 1:1-2 identifies the Apostle Paul as the author of this letter and his “son” in the faith, Timothy, as the recipient.
As a young leader, Timothy was prone to discouragement. Paul is writing to encourage him to stay on the job and fight the good fight. The presence of false teachers in the early church was one of the reasons that Paul encourages Timothy to stay strong and fight against error. Little has changed in the church since Paul wrote these words to Timothy. We have the same charge to fight the false teachers of our day.
The motivation of Paul’s command to fight against error is love. Paul writes, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5) Paul has a genuine concern for those who have been deceived spiritually. A wrong understanding of the Old Testament Law is part of the false teaching. These false teachers were leading people to legalistic religion rather than a relationship with Christ. “The flesh loves religious legalism because rules and regulation enable a person to appear holy without really having to change his heart.” (New Testament Commentary, Warren Weirsbe) The Law is powerless to save. The purpose of the law is to reveal our need for a Savior.
Paul writes his personal testimony, describing the incredible work God has done in his life. It is not enough to fight false teaching, we must also proclaim the truth of the Gospel starting with our own lives. Paul summarizes the Gospel in one verse proclaiming the power of the Gospel, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
1 Timothy, chapter 1 ends with Paul charging Timothy to “fight the good fight” and hold on to his faith and not quit. It is always too soon to quit. The gospel and our spiritual lives are worth fighting for.
While reading and studying 1 Timothy 1 consider these questions:
1. Describe the most important letter or e-mail you every received.
2. How valuable is the content of the Bible in your life? If you did not have access to the Bible, how much would you pay to get it?
3. What are some of the false teachings of our day?
4. How does your testimony help you defend that which is true?
5. What can you do to strengthen your own understanding of the Scripture?
6. What will be the results of better understanding the Scripture?
7. If you could ask Paul any question, what would it be?
Living with Assurance
2 Peter 3:1-18
Assurance is hard to come by. We hope the economy will get better, but there is no guarantee. We hope for good health, but sickness comes. We hope our relationships will be strong, but many time we struggle and hurt those we care about. Some of the things we hope for either don’t happen or don’t happen on our time schedule. When Jesus was talking to His disciples about the hard times they would experience when He would be betrayed, falsely convicted, and killed on a cross He said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16: 33) Jesus is our source of peace and hope. Peter was there when Jesus said those words. Now at the end of 2 Peter, he is writing as “reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking” and to remind them what the Word of God says (2 Peter 3:1-2). By searching and studying the Word of God, we can live with assurance that God is in control and hold the future in His hand.
Peter warns the reader that there will be “scoffers” in the last days. Scoffers are individuals who show contempt for the Word of God and the people of God. During the time of the writing of 2 Peter, these scoffers challenged the second coming of Jesus saying, “Where is this coming he promised?” (2 Peter 3:4) Peter is continuing to defend the faith and the Word of God and offers the answer to this question. He reminds the reader that God created the Heavens and Earth. He is in control of creation and sets the timeline of history by His pleasure and plan. Peter describes how this creation is being reserved for a day of judgment and will see the destruction of ungodly men.
These scoffers question God’s timing and the validity of the claim that Christ will come again. The way we experience time is different than the way God experiences time. Peter writes, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) This verse is sometimes used to interpret the length of days of the creation account in Genesis. In the context of this passage, Peter is not explaining the length of creation, but how God is above time. We live in the confinement of time, but God does not.
Peter then writes, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) Once Jesus comes again, the opportunity for people to repent of their sins and place their faith in Him will be over. For this reason, Peter writes about God’s patience with those who don’t know Him. Believers in Christ live to share the Gospel with a lost and dying world while looking forward to His coming.
Peter describes the “Day of the Lord.” New Testament writers used the term “Day of the Lord” to point to Christ’s final victory and the final judgment of sinners. (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary) Pastor Hank will be describing this day during his series through the book of Revelation.
Since this day of judgment is coming, Peter describes the kind of people we should be when he asks the question, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?” (2 Peter 3:11)
Peter answers this question:
Believers ought:
Peter’s love for the church is evident as he writes to “stimulate” the church to wholesome thinking and action. Relying on the Word of God leads to assurance that God is in control. His is neither early nor late. He is perfectly on time and His purposes and His people will endure whatever future holds.
2 Peter 2: 1-22
Since the church began, there have been false teachers who would corrupt the church and the truth found in God’s Word. God’s Word is the standard by which one can confirm or reject the validity of spiritual teaching. Eternity for unbelievers and victorious living for believers hangs in the balance when truth is challenged by false teaching. The Apostle Peter wrote a strong rebuke to false teachers in 2 Peter chapter 2. He identifies the presence of false teachers, the content of their teaching, and describes the judgment that will come on them.
Peter starts this chapter by writing, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you” (2 Peter 2:1) He lets the reader know that false teachers exist and that the reader should beware. These teachers “secretly introduce destructive heresies”, and many will follow them and their teaching. Peter is issuing this strong warning to protect the reader from being captivated by these false teachers. The twisted truth of these false teachers is like a disease to the body. When false teaching is discovered, every means necessary must be taken to eliminate it so the body can return to health.
Throughout 2 Peter 3, Peter describes the content of the false teaching of his day.
False Teachers:
This list from 2 Peter 1-20 demonstrates the condemning words that Peter used to describe these false teachers. Any teaching that is described by this list is false and should be rejected. The most powerful weapon against false teaching is the Word of God. It is central in determining truth and conduct.
Peter also describes the judgment that awaits false teachers. He writes, “Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (2 Peter 2) Peter begins by giving Biblical examples of God’s judgment for false teaching and apostasy (2 Peter 2: 4-9) This passage describes how God judged the angels who sinned and rebelled against Him (2 Peter 2:4), the ancient world with the flood in Noah’s day (2 Peter 2: 5) and the city of Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Peter 2: 6-9). Peter also demonstrates how God is able to save the godly from these judgments when he writes, “if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” (2 Peter 2:9) God protects the godly, those who live according to His Word, while He judges the false, ungodly teacher.
Anyone who would endeavor to teach the Word of God and to lead people spiritually should pay close attention to 2 Peter 2. Consider the commitments a teacher of truth must make:
A teacher who makes these commitments about the Word of God need not fear the judgment of false teachers. A teacher who stays close to the Word of God can confidently proclaim and teach truths found there in. Paul wrote these words to Timothy, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2: 1-2)
