Bible Study February 20, 2024

Jonah 1:1 – 4 (ESV)

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.”

Running away has its consequences. It’s always dangerous to go the wrong way, you may get lost or even worse be in an accident. Neither is a pleasant experience.

Jonah was that man who chose to try to get lost from the presence of God by going to Tarshish rather than where God had appointed for him to go. It has been said before but it so true “You cannot hide from God.”

What Jonah needed to do is what we need to go when we go against God’s plans for us. Repent. But it took Jonah some time and could have cost him his life had the fish that swallowed him not had a case of indigestion. Not everyone is so fortunate.

“Repentance is one of the most positive words in any language. It tells us when we can change direction. It assures us God will help us improve.” Robert J. Morgan. Repentance is the key to finding the perfect relationship with Jesus Christ. Repentance is needed and necessary for a fulfilling life.

We must seek forgiveness for what we think, what we do, what thoughts cross our minds, and what actions we take. We have heard the phrase the “the spirit is willing” that is where we need to take the next step and follow the Spirit.

God Bless.

Bible Study February 19, 2024

Acts 11:20 – 24 (ESV)

“20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.”

I read a joke the other day that went like this “I didn’t realize husbands came with unattached ears.” Sometimes I miss something that is being said because my mind is thinking about something else. If I am spoken to I should listen to the speaker. should listen to the Word of God.

The above passage was written to the church in Jerusalem and when they heard the good news they immediately dispatched Barnabas to Antioch. Barnabas encouraged those in Antioch to remain faithful to the cause of Jesus.

God sends ministers to churches to speak His Word and He has given us the scriptures that people will grow in their faith and the Body of Christ will grow and flourish. We find in the scriptures what He has spoken to the church. Will the church of 2024 and beyond follow His Word or will it fall away? We must accept the scriptures as God’s word for the day. We may not agree with everything but He has given it to us for a purpose and that is to bring us into the fullness of His image.

If we accept “In the beginning God” from Genesis 1:1 and we accept “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all” from Revelation 22:21 then we must accept every word found in between. He did not say you can be selective.

“Unity is necessary among the children of God if we are going to know the flow of the power … to see God do wonders.” A. W. Tozer.

God Bless.

Bible Study February 17, 2024

Colossians 3:12 – 16

“12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing
with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each
other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all
these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in
one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

One of the most difficult things to do is to forgive. The
reasons may be many but basically it likely boils down to we do not like to admit
we were wrong.

Charles Stanley wrote in one of his books “Forgiveness is
something each of us have to deal with one way or another.” The best way is to
do it is immediately when it comes to our mind. It may be a face to face meeting,
a call, or a note but it should be done and done quickly.

We may put it off because the damage was a deep hurt or maybe
we lost a loved one at the expense of another. I know that feeling and it is
not easy it took me some time to deal with the situation. I have come to find
peace after the loss.

Possibly the other party may not even know something needs
forgiveness as it lies with the one needing to forgive. The damage done by unforgiveness
can do us great harm. Make the decision, then make the contact. You will then
live in peace over it.

“Forgiveness is the economy of the heart. A Christian will
find it cheaper to pardon than to repent. Forgiveness saves the expense of
anger, the cost of hatred, the wast o f spirits.” Hannah More.

God Bless.

Bible Study February 16, 2024

Romans 5:1-8 (ESV)

5 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Have you accepted His forgiveness for the sin in your life when He sought you out? That is the question we all must ask ourselves before we die and enter into eternity – then the time has passed.

Paul told the church in Rome Christ has died for all sinners but what is a sinner? Simply said a sinner is a person who has rejected God. The greatest sin (if you can classify sin) is the ultimate rejection of Jesus as our Savior. Many people get wrapped in the things they have done wrong and it is important we recognize our sin (wrongdoings) but the sin that sends us into eternity to the lake of fire is the rejection of the saving grace of Jesus. Sound complicated let me reassure you it is not difficult.

We believe God seeks out everyone for a relationship with Him. When He does that then we find a place and simply ask Him in to forgive your sin, turn from what you have done in the past (He will be there to encourage you), make Him the Lord of your life, then go tell someone what just happened.

After this, find yourself a good Bible believing church and commit to attending and studying the scriptures with a good translation like the New Living Translation or the English Standard version. If you have a question simply respond to this with message and I will get in touch with you.

God Bless.

Bible Study February 15, 2024

Luke 22:39 – 44 (ESV)

39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.”

Yesterday many denominations set aside some time to share in an Ash Wednesday service a time of reflection and repentance. We find repentance through prayer but prayer is much more one time a year.

We have been going through a series on spiritual warfare at Asbury Chapel and Satan will attempt to beat a Christ Follower up for any reason. Along that line of thought he will condemn you for not praying “enough.” “Enough” is not determined by Satan. In our series we are currently looking at the armor that God has provided through the words of Paul in Ephesians 6.

Paul found his list most likely looking at the attire of a Roman soldier. He would not have found prayer in the armor of that soldier. But he adds this verse “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Stay in an attitude of prayer, repentance, and faith.

We should pray before the battle, not until we are in the midst of it. Preparation is one of the keys to victory over Satan.

God Bless.

Bible Study February 14, 2024

John 15:12 – 13 (ESV)

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

A commandment from Jesus to love. This is a good topic to share about today being Valentines Day. It is not always easy to love someone. There may be various reasons for it but there are no reasons given in our scripture today. It is unconditional love we are called to give.

I will admit it is not always easy and often I miss it but I still strive to find some good in everyone. The greatest thing we can do is to lay our life down for others, but we may not be called to that extreme. But what can we do? How about considering the desires of others before ours? Maybe allow a person with a different opinion some grace rather than offending them? What about laying down “our time and give some to others?

A popular movie from 1970 was Love Story. A line from that movies was “Love means never having to say I’m sorry.” I have found myself saying I am sorry but I said that because I loved someone.

I have conducted several celebration of life services where there has been malcontent in families; some may not have spoken for years. Let me encourage you this Valentines Day find them and make peace before it is too late. There is no better time than today to make amends for any wrongdoing you can go to someone even if they offended you the important thing is – do not wait until it is too late.

“Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.” Andrew Murray.

God Bless.

Bible Study February 13, 2024

Romans 12:1 – 2

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

It’s easy to be conformed to this world and it takes more than determination to avoid the pitfalls that beset people. How do you go about it? The best way to change your mind is to change your mentality.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.” God will provide the guidance we need to move forward and be transformed. Our mind is the key to renewal.

Our bodies often fall victim to poor eating habits, weight gain is the result, maybe obesity, heart issues, blood pressure spikes many things can happen if we do not care for ourselves as we should.

Our minds need spiritual support as well as our bodies. It is easy to avoid allowing some things to come into our minds because we avoid them. Other times thoughts come into our minds and we wonder where that thought came from. When this happens we need to cut it – renew our minds with thoughts that are positive, constructive, ordered by the Holy Spirit.

Paul said think on these things “whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.” (Phil. 4:8).

God Bless.