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Recap of 5/23/10:
Kurt DeHaan in his pamphlet entitled, “How Can I Know What God Wants Me to Do,” suggests the following five basic principles to knowing God’s will:
1. “Go to the Lord” – Proverbs 3:5,6. As we grow in our knowledge of God, intimately knowing Him, He will give us direct us in His path.
2. “Understand God’s principles” – 2 Timothy 3:16,17. Some things are always right, some are always wrong. We must know His commands, precepts, and principles, especially to navigate the gray areas. We must study the Bible in its entirety, not just pick and choose verses to our liking.
3. “Investigate your options.” Consider the result of each decision. DeHaan suggest asking: “Which alternatives would make a positive impact on my spiritual well-being?”
4. “Discuss it with others.” We should consult with those who are spiritually mature, asking for their advice, drawing on their wisdom.
5. “Express your freedom.” If we have done the preceding, God gives us freedom to choose what to do. DeHaan quotes Haddon Robinson who said: “The Bible does not provide a map for life-only a compass.”
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
It's Not About Us
No Audio File This Week.
Recap of 5/16/10:
1. Five Biblical observations concerning God’s will:
- To Paul, God’s will was not something he sought out but something that he assumed was active in His life. Acts 18:21; Romans 1:10; 15:32.
- Before God’s will involves an action, it involves an attitude. 2 Corinthians 8:5. God’s will is not a place or thing or person as much as it is an atmosphere in our live.
-Renewing our minds is foundational to knowing God’s will for us. Romans 12:2
-Prayer is essential to knowing the will of God. We should be praying for spiritual wisdom and understanding for ourselves and other believers. Colossians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
-the flesh (the sinful nature) and Satan seek to deter us from the will of God. 1 Peter 4:2; 2 Timothy 2:24-26
2. Every young person must make three crucial decisions in their lives: Master, Mission, Mate, in this order. Who will be the Master of their lives, what will be the mission of their lives, with whom will their share their lives.
Recap of 5/16/10:
1. Five Biblical observations concerning God’s will:
- To Paul, God’s will was not something he sought out but something that he assumed was active in His life. Acts 18:21; Romans 1:10; 15:32.
- Before God’s will involves an action, it involves an attitude. 2 Corinthians 8:5. God’s will is not a place or thing or person as much as it is an atmosphere in our live.
-Renewing our minds is foundational to knowing God’s will for us. Romans 12:2
-Prayer is essential to knowing the will of God. We should be praying for spiritual wisdom and understanding for ourselves and other believers. Colossians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
-the flesh (the sinful nature) and Satan seek to deter us from the will of God. 1 Peter 4:2; 2 Timothy 2:24-26
2. Every young person must make three crucial decisions in their lives: Master, Mission, Mate, in this order. Who will be the Master of their lives, what will be the mission of their lives, with whom will their share their lives.
The Queen of the Epistles, Part 2
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1. The occasion which prompted Paul to write Ephesians was the specter of future infiltration of the church by false teachers from within and without (see Acts 20:29-30). It appears they succeeded against false teachers but failed to love Christ and the church as they had done at the start (Revelation 2:1-4). Dr Charles Ryrie writes in the Ryrie Study Bible: “More than thirty years before, this church had been commended for its love (Ephesians 1:15-16). Most were second generation Christians whose purity of doctrine and endurance in service were unquestioned, but they had abandoned that eagerness to please and devotion that characterizes first love.” This should prompt us to ask ourselves “Have I failed to maintain the fervency of my first love for Christ?”
2. Chapters 1-3 of Ephesians are primarily doctrinal/theological, whereas chapters 4-6 are primarily practical concentrating on duties and responsibilities of the Christian life based upon the doctrine in the preceding section. This is a common practice in Paul’s epistles. However it would be a mistake to think that doctrinal sections have no practical application or that practical sections are devoid of doctrine.
3. The following is a great summary of the Book of Ephesians. “It has often been suggested that the contents of the epistle can be summarized by the three words sitting, walking, and standing. By position, the believer is seated with Christ in the heavenlies (2:6); his responsibility is to walk worthier of the calling wherewith he has been called (4:1); and this walk is further seen as a warfare in which he is engaged against Satan and all his hosts and in which he is exhorted to stand against the wiles of the devil (6:11). (Dr. Alfred Martin)
1. The occasion which prompted Paul to write Ephesians was the specter of future infiltration of the church by false teachers from within and without (see Acts 20:29-30). It appears they succeeded against false teachers but failed to love Christ and the church as they had done at the start (Revelation 2:1-4). Dr Charles Ryrie writes in the Ryrie Study Bible: “More than thirty years before, this church had been commended for its love (Ephesians 1:15-16). Most were second generation Christians whose purity of doctrine and endurance in service were unquestioned, but they had abandoned that eagerness to please and devotion that characterizes first love.” This should prompt us to ask ourselves “Have I failed to maintain the fervency of my first love for Christ?”
2. Chapters 1-3 of Ephesians are primarily doctrinal/theological, whereas chapters 4-6 are primarily practical concentrating on duties and responsibilities of the Christian life based upon the doctrine in the preceding section. This is a common practice in Paul’s epistles. However it would be a mistake to think that doctrinal sections have no practical application or that practical sections are devoid of doctrine.
3. The following is a great summary of the Book of Ephesians. “It has often been suggested that the contents of the epistle can be summarized by the three words sitting, walking, and standing. By position, the believer is seated with Christ in the heavenlies (2:6); his responsibility is to walk worthier of the calling wherewith he has been called (4:1); and this walk is further seen as a warfare in which he is engaged against Satan and all his hosts and in which he is exhorted to stand against the wiles of the devil (6:11). (Dr. Alfred Martin)
Thursday, May 06, 2010
The Queen of the Epistles
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Recap of 5/2/10:
1. “The gospel has been diluted to ineffectual pabulum and so garbled by cultural trappings that it bears little resemblance to the pages of the New Testament…. We need nothing less than a new reformation, and Ephesians is the document to bring it about….The understanding of the gospel in Ephesians challenges and redefines the superficial understanding of the gospel prevalent in our day. This gospel requires people to act, this faith works. Believers have a responsibility to make choices and to change the pattern of their lives. An easy believism or passive faith cannot survive under the penetrating message of this letter.” (Klyne Snodgrass)
2. Ephesians is one of four prison epistles written by Paul (Ephesians 1:1; 3:1; 6:20) from Rome during his two year imprisonment there (Acts 28:30). The others are Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians. It was written in 60 - 61AD and carried, along with Colossians and Philemon by Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21-22). Tychicus not only delivered Paul’s letters but accompanied Onesimus (the subject of the Book of Philemon) back to Colosse. The Book of Ephesians was written primarily to Ephesus but was meant also to be a circular letter circulated among the other churches of the area, thus the lack of personal greetings as in his other letters.
3. Paul’s ministry of the gospel in the three years he was in Ephesus had such an effect that believers were purified of their compromise with sin; and the idol manufacturing business was severely affected by the many who came to Christ and stopped buying idols of the false goddess, Diana, also called Artemis. So many people had turned to Christ that there was a shrinking market for idols. When Christians purify themselves and turn from sin the culture around them is affected (Acts 19).
Recap of 5/2/10:
1. “The gospel has been diluted to ineffectual pabulum and so garbled by cultural trappings that it bears little resemblance to the pages of the New Testament…. We need nothing less than a new reformation, and Ephesians is the document to bring it about….The understanding of the gospel in Ephesians challenges and redefines the superficial understanding of the gospel prevalent in our day. This gospel requires people to act, this faith works. Believers have a responsibility to make choices and to change the pattern of their lives. An easy believism or passive faith cannot survive under the penetrating message of this letter.” (Klyne Snodgrass)
2. Ephesians is one of four prison epistles written by Paul (Ephesians 1:1; 3:1; 6:20) from Rome during his two year imprisonment there (Acts 28:30). The others are Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians. It was written in 60 - 61AD and carried, along with Colossians and Philemon by Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21-22). Tychicus not only delivered Paul’s letters but accompanied Onesimus (the subject of the Book of Philemon) back to Colosse. The Book of Ephesians was written primarily to Ephesus but was meant also to be a circular letter circulated among the other churches of the area, thus the lack of personal greetings as in his other letters.
3. Paul’s ministry of the gospel in the three years he was in Ephesus had such an effect that believers were purified of their compromise with sin; and the idol manufacturing business was severely affected by the many who came to Christ and stopped buying idols of the false goddess, Diana, also called Artemis. So many people had turned to Christ that there was a shrinking market for idols. When Christians purify themselves and turn from sin the culture around them is affected (Acts 19).
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