"And I'm tired. I'm frustrated. Things are crumbling around me. I cry out to God and He doesn't answer. My "friends" at church don't care. Heck, they don't even bother to call me and ask how I'm doing or take me for a cup of coffee."
"I go to church. I teach Sunday school. I sing in the choir. My kids are active in youth group. I'm in a small group, reading and studying the Bible. Things seem like they're finally leveling out and bam! I'm hit again. My spouse is clueless to the dilemmas and furthermore, they heap even more demands on me. They don't understand!"
How can you effectively pray if you don't know anything about to whom you are praying?
That may seem a bit harsh, and surely God answers the prayers of those who don't know Him but are wholeheartedly seeking Him, but knowing and understanding God and His Word are the first step in developing an effective and vibrant prayer life.
Throughout the Bible we read passages such as this, "The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them." 2 Chronicles 15:2-4.
Whether it's your high school or undergraduate or graduate degree, there's one thing you get to do at graduation: you move the tassel!
You move the tassel on your mortar board from one side to the other signifying your graduation and "completion" of your degree.
As we conclude this study utlizing Wayne Cordeiro's book "The Divine Mentor", I wanted to make a couple of final observations from God's Word. We looked at 2 Timothy 3:16, last week and it needs to be addressed in its fuller context. Then we can move our tassels.
2 Timothy 3:10 - 16, reads: "You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings — what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
From trees and people to journaling to bread and gas and back to trees. We may have come full circle, but we're not finished.
Like any good learning program, you never really complete it. The "smart" person (not necessarily the one with the highest test scores or IQ) understands and realizes that you are always learning. You may have a degree, but there's always "continuing education." Even those with PhD's have to continue to publish and refresh their education.
In fact, you could say that if you stop learning, you stop living.
But, we have to bring this study of "The Divine Mentor" in for a landing. Hopefully you've gained more insight into "why" you (I) should be in God's Word on a daily basis. I pray that many of you have been touched and have begun a daily reading and study program. More than that, it is my prayer that you are being prompted by the Holy Spirit to take and use what you are being taught and applying it in all of the facets of your life - personal, familial, and professional.
"But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
The context of that verse (1 Samuel 16:7) is the prophet Samuel was looking to annoint the man who would rule over Israel as king. He had gone through all of Jesse's sons. The tallest, the strongest, the oldest, etc. But none of them were God's choice. The verse had meaning 3000 years ago. And it has meaning today. It's the "core" of a person that matters, not the "outward appearance."
As our Sunday school class met this morning, we were looking at Week 9 of "The Divine Mentor" study series. We started to examine the question of how we look at one another. Are we solid wood to the core or are we cheap veneer? Is our reading of God's Word soaking down to the very core of our being with the purpose of transforming us to the image of Christ? 2 Corinthians 3:18. Or instead, are we picking and choosing from our Bible what we read, study and meditate on to "feel good" about who we are and how good God is?
Yes, we're back to talking about trees. Trees are not just "inanimate" objects. They are living, breathing organisms that serve a function.
Trees are kind of like people. Trees come in all different shapes and sizes. Different varieties. Like man, God created them for a purpose. Also like man, you can distinguish one kind from another. Like man, when you take a look "inside", you can learn an awful lot about the life of that particular tree.
The inside view of the tree pictured has a lot to tell us and we'll come back to it later.
But the question to address now is, why do we want "solid" wood as opposed to veneer? Veneer looks good and in some cases is even preferable to wood, but we know it's lacking; it's not the real thing.
Right away, we know that veneer is just a covering. It can be real wood veneer, but we don't know what is on the inside. We can't be 100% sure of its quality or durability. We don't know how it will last.
Wheat - or bread - is often referred to as the "staff of life." It is a staple in our diets.
Throughout the centuries, bread has been the main food of any society. Survival rations would be bread and water. None of us can survive for long without either. We are nourished on a daily basis.
When God provides nourishment for us, He provides the basics. When God brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt after 400 years, He provided them with "manna."
According to pastor and teacher Dr. Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, Dallas, Texas, "manna", when translated, really means, "what is it?" in Hebrew. When you think about it, it makes sense. The Israelites were out of food. They were grumbling. Their kids were making a fuss. And then God provided. Every morning for years it just appeared on the ground, waiting for the people. You can just picture them picking it up and saying, "what is this stuff? Tastes good, but what is it?"
Every man, woman and child is called to obedience to God. We are all called to love Him and to know Him better.
The only way we can do those things is through constant and consistent time spent alone with God through prayer and reading and studying His Word.
There are 2 ways we can come to know God. The first is through general revelation as we witness and experience the world and universe around us. The only problem with this method is that we don't and can't fully understand the sorry and sinful state that we, as human beings, live in.
The other way we come to know God is through direct revelation by His Word and through the Person of Jesus Christ. As He speaks to us through the pages of Scripture, our spirits are lead to Him. As we get to know God, He gradually peels away the layers of mystery and awe that surround Him.
Truth be known, we can never come to a full knowledge of God. He is infinite. We, as His creatures, are very finite. But in creating mankind, God created us in His Image. Nothing else in the universe was created in the image of God. Only mankind. And so we are specially called to know whose we are.
As I think about it, this is our "personal" Great Commission. God calls us to Holiness; "be Holy because I am Holy." Levitcus 11:44. That is our quest. As image-bearers of God, we are endowed with many of His attributes. One of those, believe it or not, is holiness. As we Christians become more Christ-like due to our submission to His will in our lives, we are sanctified and become holy.
I am on the same journey you are. God has called me to know Him. As I come to know Him better, He has put it on my heart to put some of these thoughts down in written form. God has called me to be an adult Sunday school or Bible teacher. And I love this task.
Knowing God is a Great Adventure! It is an adventure and a journey that will last your lifetime and into eternity. To get you in the mood, you may want to take a look at the music video below.
This page is dedicated to listing the past and current studies that God has called me to teach. The title, brief description and link to the main resource page of the study is listed for your convenience. The studies can be used for individual or group study.
It is my hope and prayer that you will not only get something out of these studies, but that you will be drawn to a deeper understanding of Who God is and what our relationship with Him is to be like. Although we will have an eternity to get to know Him, eternity for the believer begins now. Make the time to settle in with your Heavenly Father each day.
Let the Holy Spirit speak to you and teach you directly. Opening the Bible and studying His Words are vastly more important than any book written "about God" or any Bible study presented (even these), because they are His Words.
General Bible Study.
Living by the Book: Bible Study 101. An 8 week course in "how" to study the Bible. Based on Dr. Howard Hendricks classic book "Living by the Book". Click here for the How to Study the Bible Study.
The Divine Mentor: a Mentoring Study. We need to understand "why" we need to be in God's Word daily. Pastor Wayne Cordeiro puts forth the ideas of why personal Bible study and reading is so important to the life of the Christian. A 10 week study that's fun as well as interesting. We'll look at quite a bit of Scripture as well as the book "The Divine Mentor". Click here for the "Divine Mentor" Study.
The Bible in 90 Days. Here's a challenge for you and your church: gather as many people as possible to read the Bible from cover to cover (that's Genesis 1:1 all the way to Revelation 22:21) in 90 days. This is not a Bible "study". It is a simple reading of God's Word. This is life changing! Click here for the Bible in 90 Days Challenge.
Prayer 101. What better way to continue on your walk with God than to learn how to have a regular Prayer Life? Prayer sounds easy, but it's one aspect of the entire Christian Life that many of us struggle with. Sometimes it feels like our prayers seem to just bounce of the ceiling. We don't feel like they're getting anywhere. Using Daniel's prayer in Daniel Chapter 9, we'll look at the "hows" and "whys" of Prayer that help lead us to not only a regular Prayer life, but a vibrant and continual Prayer life. January - March 2012. Click here for the Prayer 101 Study.
Church History. Understanding how the Church came into being and the growth it has wrestled with over the past 2000 years. How did the Bible come to be assembled? How were the foundational and essential doctrines of our faith formed? Where is the Church headed in the 21st century? We better understand ourselves today when we understand our past. A 10 week study based upon the book "Perspectives from Church History" by James P. Eckman. Click here for the Church History Study.
Christian Doctrine.
The 4 Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith. What a Christian believes is paramount in his or her understanding of their personal relationship with God. A 10 week study looking at the doctrines of God (the Trinity), Jesus Christ, Salvation and Grace. Click here for the Essential Christian Doctrine Study.
The Attributes of Grace. It is by Grace that we are saved. It is by Grace that God "operates" His universe. A 10 week study of what I have considered the 7 basic attributes of Grace. Partially based upon Philip Yancey's book "What's so Amazing About Grace?" Click here for the Attributes of Grace Study.
The Trinity & the Passion: a Study of Easter. Without Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there can be no Christian faith. The focus of the Lenten season is upon Jesus and His Passion as He suffered and died for our sins. But what about the other members of the Holy Trinity? What was their role? We take a 6 week look at the God-head and their individual roles in the Passion. Click here for the "The Trinity & The Passion" Study.
The Attributes of Love. One of our pastors preached a sermon titled "Jesus is...Love". In wrapping up, he listed 7 attributes that "make up" Love. We discover how deep and rich God's love is compared to our understanding of this communicable attribute. A 10 week study coming Late Summer 2012.
Christian Theology.
Acts & Apologetics: a Bible Study. A look at the Book of Acts and how it provides great models and insights as to how we Christians should carry out and explain our Faith. What we believe forms our worldview. We also need to understand the unbeliever's worldview as well. A 13 week study following everyone from Jesus to Peter and Paul and how they created their "apologia". Click here for the Acts and Apologetics Study.
The Attributes of God. What ever Bible study you participate in, God must be at the center of it. In each of the studies mentioned above, some time is spent looking at the nature and attributes of God. Now it's time to spend real time studying the Person, nature and attributes of God. This is "Christian theism" and why understanding the Biblical teachings of Him are so important to our lives. A 12 week study coming Spring 2012.
Who is the Holy Spirit? The Church is most active and vibrant when we, the redeemed, allow the Holy Spirit to be active and vibrant in our personal lives. Let's take a 10 week look at the Third Person of the Trinity. Coming Winter 2012 -13.
Hidden Parables. Parables were an effective way that Jesus taught. In our modern world and lifestyle, we have perhaps lost some of the meaning because we don't understand the original context. Let's take a look at several of Jesus' parables that have been clothed in the "new skin" of 21st century western (American) culture. A video series in conjunction with ModernParables.com. Click here to begin.
Music Video: Steven Curtis Chapman - "The Great Adventure"
Using a Bible Reading Plan can be very useful as you start a serious study of God's Word.
Especially if you're new to the Christian Faith or maybe "old" but not "well-read". God wants us to get to know Him. We can get to know Him well or better by getting into all of His Word and then allowing those Words to get into us.
My advice: don't set yourself up to fail. You may be very excited about getting the Bible, but life comes along and wants to discourage you. Start slow. Gradually ramp up. You have an eternity to get to know God better starting today.
There are a variety of good, solid, easy to follow Bible Reading Plans available from a variety of good sources. Take a look at some. Use whichever one fits best with what you believe you can do.
How many remember "soap on a rope"? How many of you admit having or using "soap on a rope"? Raise your hand... Thought so.
"Soap on a rope" was a big thing back in the 1970's. In fact, it was "cool" to have soap on a rope. The two biggest names that I remember were English Leather and Aramis. Very cool. Very manly. Almost chique... for a guy.
In an earlier lesson we learned why Jesus only washed the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper. He demonstrated a servant attitude that any of us in whatever leadership position we may have need to practice. But Jesus also said that as believers in Him, we are already spiritually clean, although the world will dirty us up.
In order to keep clean, we have to bathe. God's Word serves to clean and cleanse us. As we spend time being Mentored by God's Word, it gets into us. Our act first gets cleaned up on the inside. The power of God's Word cleanses our hearts and our minds. As it scrubs and scrubs, it bubbles out and begins a cleansing of the outside or outward part of our lives. The part that others see. The part that helps draw others to God.
