Memorial Day

This holiday weekend we celebrate something that I think is sometimes hard for many of us to comprehend: the sacrifice of soldiers’ lives for the sake of our freedom. In recent years I’ve heard many conflicted views on this matter. But I think it would be a mistake to see these brave men and women as merely victims. While each fallen soldier has a unique story, each soldier is a hero who willingly laid down his or her life for a greater cause.

I think part of our struggle to understand the fallen soldier comes with our difficulty in accepting sacrifice, especially when a sacrifice seems so final and appears to hold no obvious reward. The idea that anyone could give up everything – for people he doesn’t even know – is hard to process. We spend so much of life trying to gain, to acquire, to win. Our country is home to the American Dream, the land of opportunity. So contemplating the fallen solider can feel uncomfortable, even confusing. (Sarah Jennings - Crosswalk )

What does it mean to give your life for our country ?

Let's talk in class.

Behold His Glory

One day this week I stopped by my mom and dad's house after work and learned we had a cow trying to give birth to a calf. She was in labor and was having some problems. My dad and I moved her to the barn ( The Reeves Labor and Delivery Ward ) and called Dr. Ken for help. After a few minutes Ken was able to help bring the new life into the world. What a site !!! No one can tell me that there is no God when you get to witness the birth of one of His creatures. I take for granted God's glory. A rainbow, the flight of a bird, the bloom of a flower all are just a witness to God's greatness.

How can we slow down a little and behold His Glory ?

Let's talk about his glory.

The Last Week

As we start the week before Easter, I wondered what this week was like in the life of Jesus. He knew what was ahead for Him. Jesus was the only one who could understand the importance of this journey.

Let's walk the road of Jesus during this time.

What was that last week like?

See you in class.

When The Light Goes Dims

Our society glorifies youth and beauty. Billions of dollars are spent every year to deceive us into believing we are still young. But there is no way to deny the effects of gravity on your body. Every moment you are on on earth 14 pounds of pressure per square inch is pulling your skin and vital organs toward the center of the planet. Every time earth completes one rotation on its axis we call it a day. When earth completes one rotation around the sun, we call it a year. We make less than a hundred trips around the sun and call that life. Aging is nature's way of reminding each of us how many times our body has been around the sun!

Let's face it: Trying so hard to make ourselves look younger is just another way our culture attempts to deny death. God does not want us to be in bondage to our fear of death. Jesus died to make us ready for death. He rose from the grave to give us hope.

We should not make an idol out of this life. We should worship God, not life. If we worship God, He will be glorified in our body and our spirit. Paul said, "My earnest expectation and hope [is] that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness . . . Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:20,21, NKJV).

What does one gain?

See you in class.

Safe Worship

Isaiah 8: 11 The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said:
12 "Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy [f] ;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,
14 and he will be a sanctuary;
but for both houses of Israel he will be
a stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.
And for the people of Jerusalem he will be
a trap and a snare.
15 Many of them will stumble;
they will fall and be broken,
they will be snared and captured."
16 Bind up the testimony
and seal up the law among my disciples.
17 I will wait for the LORD,
who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him.

In light of what happened to the pastor of a Maryville, Illinois last Sunday, one has to ask:

Is the church a safe place?

Let's discuss in class.

God's Beauty

Will Work For Food

2 Thessalonians 3 : 6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

With the new national bail-out program in place many Americans are wondering why should we pay to help some who refuse to help themselves. Blog site postings are on fire with comments about the unemployed young lady who has 14 kids and lives at her mother and father's home. This week she went shopping for a 1.2 million dollar home.
Also our tax code benefits those couples who choose to live together unmarried and not work through the unearned tax credit.

How do we as Christians follow the above verses and still show compassion ?

This should be a great discussion.

Testing The Faith

TESTING THE FAITH
Where does your state rank in religious belief?
Gallup poll reveals 'Bible Belt' for real
Posted: February 15, 2009
4:39 pm Eastern

By Drew Zahn
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

A recent poll of more than 350,000 Americans on the importance of religion revealed that the nation is separated into enclaves of widely divergent viewpoints on faith, with some states and regions clearly religious and others significantly secular.

Gallup conducted a telephone poll of 355,334 U.S. adults, asking the question, "Is religion an important part of your daily life?"

As one might suspect, states from the "Bible Belt" scored the highest, with 85 percent of Mississippians and 79 percent of Tennesseeans, for example, answering yes.

The poll also revealed, however, that in addition to the Bible Belt, the U.S. also has a pair of "secular strips."

The New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine scored the lowest in the nation, with only 42 percent of Vermont residents – or less than half the percentage of those in Mississippi – answering yes.

The other "secular strip" can be found in the West, where Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Nevada all scored in the bottom 10 states for affirming religion's importance in daily life.

Get Ray Comfort's latest book, "You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence but You Can't Make Him Think" – signed by the author – exclusively from WND Books!

Across the country's entirety, 65 percent of the respondents affirmed that religion is an important part of their lives.

Stand Firm And Wait

2 Thessalonians 2
1 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

There is coming a day when "the man of lawlessness" will be revealed and he will claim to be God. He will sway many people and win their hearts. He will do the work of Satan.

What are some of the charactics of this man ?

When will he be revealed ?

What is holding him back ?

Wow, we have alot to talk about in class. Hope to see you there.

Safety First

2 Thessalonians 1:
6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

Do you feel safe in this world ? I have to tell you I do not. I read the news of murders and car-jackings in Memphis. I see gang signs painted on the side of buildings as I drive to work. I wonder is this the day my house is going to be broken into. As the economy get worse this may increase. This is the world we live in.

Why does God allow this to happen ?

Have we as a church failed ?

Can we as a church turn this around ?

Let's talk about it Sunday in class.

Self-Controlled

1 Thessalonians 5: 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

We live in a world where self-control is sometimes hard to develop. It keeps in check self-destructive, addictive, obsessive and compulsive behavior. It enables to control moods and reject negative feelings and thoughts. Self-control strengthens self-esteem, confidence, inner strength, self-mastery and willpower.

How do we develop this self-control ?

See you in class.

Living to Please God

1 Thessalonians 4 1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control his own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

9 Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10 And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody

The bible tells us to lead a quiet life and to mind our on business. In this fast paced world how are we to do that ? How can I show concern for others and mind my on business ? How can I lead a quiet life ?

Lets talk about this in class.

The Coming of the Lord

13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

What does all this mean ? Ever since I was a little boy in church I have always heard of the rapture. Jesus is coming for the church. Jesus is coming soon. The dead in Christ will rise first.

This week we will look at the rapture of the church.

What is the rapture of the church ?

Who does it effect ?

What will happen to those who will be raptured ?

See you in class.

Psalm 83

I believe every word of the bible to be true. For the last week we have witnessed God's chosen people trying to protect their own from attacks launched from the line of Ishmael. This is a hate that has brewed for thousands of years. A tale of jealousy not only by the the Ishmaelites , but also satan's jealousy of God.

Are current Mideast events involving the Hamas and the Israelis prophetically significant?

Are we seeing the fulfilment of Psalm 83 unfolding before our eyes ?

We are living in exciting times.

We Three Kings

In Christian tradition the Magi (Greek: μάγοι, magoi), Three Wise Men, Three Kings or Kings from the East are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts. They are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 2) , which says that they came "from the east to Jerusalem" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Because three gifts were recorded, there are traditionally said to have been three Magi, though Matthew does not specify their number. Upon meeting Jesus, the Magi are described as handing over gifts and "falling down" in joyous praise. (Wikipedia)

What were these gifts and what did they symbolism ?

These gifts were ordinary gifts for a king but they were prophetic gifts for the King of Kings.

Let's discuss these gifts in class.

Why Us ?

The Shepherds and the Angels

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Why the shepherds ?

What made them important enough to be the first to hear the news ?

Let's talk about it Sunday.

Why Me ?

As the father of two girls I often wonder what Mary the mother of Jesus had to endure as she carried the Savior of the world in her womb. The young girl's life must have been full of stress as she received the gift from God for this sinful world. Why me must have been the question she asked herself.

This week I want us to look at some words I found to describe what Mary had to go through as she was choosing to be the mother of Jesus.

Pledged
Virgin
Troubled
Believer
Truth seeker
Humble
Cherished
Lawful
Loving Mother

As we read we will find other words that will describe the most famous mother whoever lived.

I will see you Sunday.

After The Leftovers

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. The food was great. The weather was beautiful. The break from work was fantastic. The entertainment was interesting as my 94 year old grandmother sang to us hymns after lunch.

Now our thoughts turn back to the norm. Work, ballgames, meetings and our daily lives will fill our time. Will I remember to thank God for these things that fill my life? Will I remember to turn to him for my needs? Will I remember Thanksgiving after the leftovers are gone ?

In class we will listen to a prayer from David thanking God for never letting him down. This is a heart felt prayer of thanksgiving. I just hope I can learn from his example.

See you in class.

All In The Family

As we prepare for Thanksgiving our thoughts turn to our families. This Thursday many of us will pass the sweet potatoes or turkey to someone in our family. We will laugh at some members for something funny they said and hug some we have not seen in a while. Many of us will share how we have been blessed during the last year.

David has some family troubles this week. Rape and murder plague his home. We will see a true dysfunctional family because God is not invited to their Thanksgiving meal.

As we share a meal with our families this week let's remember how blessed we are to have them. Also remember to invite God to your family gathering.

The Tangled Webs We Weave

In Proverbs 6 we read:

16 There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

" The Lord hates " are strong words. Surely I am not guilty of any of these sins.

This week we will read about the sins of David as he lust after his neighbor. God hated what David did and made him pay a high price for these sins.

I may not have shed innocent blood but I have said hurtful words to people. I know I have not started a riot but I have pasted along information that may have made one think less of someone else.

Does God hate these actions ?

If He does am I any different in my actions than David ?

This lesson has humbled me greatly. See you in class.