I Then Shall Live

What a powerful song! But More, a powerful way to live.

Here are the words if you would like to sing along:

I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven;
Ill walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, Ill forgive another;
The law of love I gladly will obey.

I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion;
I’ve been so loved that Ill risk loving, too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then Ill be there to care and follow through.

Your kingdom come around and through and in me,
Your power and glory, let them shine thru me.
Your Hallowed Name O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world thru me.

Silence

Have you ever felt that God was silent at the very moment you most needed Him to speak? You wanted Him to speak…You needed Him to speak…but all you heard was silence. You heard Cancer or “I can’t hear the babies heart beat”. You heard, “I can’t take it anymore, I am leaving you.” You cried out…but only silence.

Have you ever felt that God was silent at the very moment you most needed Him to speak?

Job did.

David did.

Israel in Egypt did.

But God is not forever silent…Remember the Resurrection?

God’s silence is not indifference or a lack of compassion, but an eloquent silence. His silence sets the stage for His most eloquent and powerful speaking.

Wait, trust and have faith in the silence…

Huckabee…A Politician That Tells It Like It Is.

Who Wrote It?

I am really enjoying studying for our class on Hebrews. I probably said that before, but I really am! One of the age old questions that always has to come up in preparing for this study is, “Who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews?” I still don’t know, but I do have a different slant. Here is what I think.First I think it was someone who so loved the Lord and the people he was writing to that he did not want his name and life to take away from the message. I believe that the group that received this letter knew who it was from, as there are clues through out that the writer was well aware of there situation in life and that they were not only not growing, but were in danger of falling away from the Lord all together.

Second, it may well be that this group was apart of a larger group, and this message was just for these Christians where they were in their struggle. Some believe that the Hebrews could have been the group of priests that were converted, that are referred to in the Book of Acts. (Acts 6:7) This group may be a little early for the time of writing the letter, but I am sure there were other priests like them whose hearts had been touch by the Gospel.

Whoever the writer was he was eloquent in word, bold in confidence and faith, and unquestionably devoted to Jesus Christ. I know, I know it does sound like Paul, and it may well have been, but the truth is we just don’t know. And you know what? I kind of like it that way, because regardless of who He used, it was God’s spirit that inspired this powerful message.

We Are Off To A Great Start

Well our Study of Hebrews is off to a great start. We had between 20 and 25 in attendance and that is a great number when you consider that there is a large auditorium class being taught by the Senior Minister and a long time Pray and Praise assembly going on in Bixler chapel and a few other classes as well.

I am doing something a little different in that I have established a study site on-line with links to study help sites through out the web. In addition I plan to use this site to share information that we may refer to in class, but just not have time to cover during class. This will also allow for class feed back other than class time. Take a look “Be Confident…a study of Hebrews”.

I received an offer some time back to collaborate on the Hebrews study from Steve Miller at Vade Mecum. Steve is Pastor for the Center Grove Baptist Church in South Carolina. Steve is a great guy and I am really enjoying sharing notes, ideas etc with him. He is going to be preaching through Hebrews as opposed to a classroom setting. He has been tossing around an idea from his small group to call the series, “He Brews” as in coffee brewing. Here is how Steve describes the idea, “Hebrews is about waking up the sleepy church, establishing them in the “grounds” of faith. Isn’t that a hoot!?” Yep that is a hoot…and it just might work.If you would like to join us in a collaborative effort, or if you have suggestions concerning material that has been meaningful to you when you have studied this book in the past, please pass it along.

I am finding a lot of similarities between those who received this letter and the church of today. Churches today are a mile wide and an inch deep when it comes to Bible knowledge. The result is a dreadful lack of maturity and inability to distinguish between truth and error. It is not just our tribe. Look at those who have bought into the “Health and Wealth” Gospel and are being fleeced of everything they have…including their faith when God doesn’t provide that Mercedes and half a million dollar home. Those to whom this letter was written were being pulled back into Judaism, folks today back into materialism, greed and outlandish imagines of the God of heaven as a heavenly ATM machine.

Well time to run, I have started preaching…Help me Jesus!

The Power of Drama

Drama is becoming a powerful teaching tool. Check out the following video my daughter sent. Powerful message. Click here.