Get plugged in to a Bible Study Fellowship Class this week!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Making Wise Decisions
We make many decisions as Christians on a daily basis. Our challenge is to make choices which will bring glory to God and honor Him. The will of God can be discerned by pursuing the wisdom of God. When faced with a decision, we should put the choices through three tests:
1. The WORD Test - Does the Bible speak specifically for or against a choice? See Psalm 119:9-11
2. The WISDOM Test - Is it the WISE thing to do? [Not just "Is there anything wrong with the choice?"] 1 Corinthians 6:12
3. The WITNESS Test - How will my decision affect may family and the other people in my life?
1 Corinthians 1-:23-24
1. The WORD Test - Does the Bible speak specifically for or against a choice? See Psalm 119:9-11
2. The WISDOM Test - Is it the WISE thing to do? [Not just "Is there anything wrong with the choice?"] 1 Corinthians 6:12
3. The WITNESS Test - How will my decision affect may family and the other people in my life?
1 Corinthians 1-:23-24
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Take It to the NEXT LEVEL
The the theme for Bible Study Fellowship during the next year is: TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. By the end of this year, our desire is that each of you will be able to confidently make the following statements in these areas:
Faith:
- I know more about Scripture than I did a year ago.
- I spend more time in prayer and Bible study than I did a year ago.
- I am closer to God than I was a year ago.
Fellowship:
- I am more consistent in my church attendance than I was a year ago.
- I am witnessing /inviting visitors to church more than I did a year ago.
- I am more involved in service in my church than I was a year ago.
Family:
- I am closer to my mate than I was a year ago.
- I have a better relationship with my children than I did a year ago.
- I am fulfilling my role in my family better than I did a year ago.
Friends:
- I have deeper relationships with the members of my BSF class than I did a year ago.
- I have developed an accountability relationship with a Christian brother or sister that I did not have a year ago.
- I trust, support, and pray for the members of my small group more than I did a year ago.
Faith:
- I know more about Scripture than I did a year ago.
- I spend more time in prayer and Bible study than I did a year ago.
- I am closer to God than I was a year ago.
Fellowship:
- I am more consistent in my church attendance than I was a year ago.
- I am witnessing /inviting visitors to church more than I did a year ago.
- I am more involved in service in my church than I was a year ago.
Family:
- I am closer to my mate than I was a year ago.
- I have a better relationship with my children than I did a year ago.
- I am fulfilling my role in my family better than I did a year ago.
Friends:
- I have deeper relationships with the members of my BSF class than I did a year ago.
- I have developed an accountability relationship with a Christian brother or sister that I did not have a year ago.
- I trust, support, and pray for the members of my small group more than I did a year ago.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
God's Sovereignty
WE HAVE HAD SOME GREAT LESSONS RECENTLY ON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. THE PASTOR HAD SOME EXCELLENT THOUGHTS ABOUT AN ILLUSTRATION USED IN THE LESSON BOOK ABOUT A FATAL ACCIDENT, AND HOW GOD'S WILL FITS IN WITH OUR CHOICES. HERE ARE HIS COMMENTS:
This opening illustration is confusing at best. Sadly, it reflects the general lack of theological understanding so prevalent in all areas of the church when it comes to the will of God. Sadly, it also reflects the class "free-will" explanation of God's will. Were we to send out an explanation to the introduction, it might look like this:
1. God is sovereign over all things, including the time and circumstances of our death (Ps. 139:16; Heb. 9:27);
2. Man is responsible before God for his sinful choices (Ez. 18:4, 20);
3. God's will of decree, as determined before the foundation of the world, is what He has determined will be accomplished in every person/facet of his creation (James 1:17-18; 4:13-16). This is not fatalism. By definition, God knows what is the best thing to occur in every person/facet of his creation, and He works within the scope of human choices, both sinful and holy, to accomplish his sovereign will of decree. To deny this truth is to deny the sovereignty of God. To doubt God's will of decree is to deny his omniscience.
4. God's will of command, as determined before the foundation of the world, is what He desires from every person/facet of His creation. "Thou shalt not murder" (Ex. 20:13) is an example of God's will of command. He does not desire that one person murder another, yet sinful men and women violate this command every day. Yet, God is neither the source of their choice nor the cause of their choice, Here is another example. "It is not the will (desire) of the Father that any perish" (2 Pet. 3:9), and yet people perish every day. In each of these examples, and there are many more, God works within the choices people make to accomplish His eternal will of decree. These choices result when people deny His will of command for their life, and the consequences can be devastating.
Take the example of the DUI driver who kills two innocent people. He has violated God's will of command to "not be drunk with wine" (Eph. 5:18). As a result of his choice to disobey God, an accident occurs which takes two lives. While God had nothing to do with his choice, He is still sovereign over the outcome, and in His eternal will of decree, two people entered eternity (Ps. 139:16; Heb. 9:27). Remember, there are no accidents with God!
There is a tension here in the midst of this mystery about the working out of God's will of decree and will of command. At its core, we find the truth that God is sovereign over every circumstance of life. Rather than being frightened by this, we find great hope in knowing that God has a plan for our life that he will bring to pass. He will bless us when we obey him; He will discipline us when we disobey him; He will work "all things together for good to those who love Him, to those called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). He will sovereignly protect us until the day He has ordained to call us home to heaven (Ps. 116:15).
This opening illustration is confusing at best. Sadly, it reflects the general lack of theological understanding so prevalent in all areas of the church when it comes to the will of God. Sadly, it also reflects the class "free-will" explanation of God's will. Were we to send out an explanation to the introduction, it might look like this:
1. God is sovereign over all things, including the time and circumstances of our death (Ps. 139:16; Heb. 9:27);
2. Man is responsible before God for his sinful choices (Ez. 18:4, 20);
3. God's will of decree, as determined before the foundation of the world, is what He has determined will be accomplished in every person/facet of his creation (James 1:17-18; 4:13-16). This is not fatalism. By definition, God knows what is the best thing to occur in every person/facet of his creation, and He works within the scope of human choices, both sinful and holy, to accomplish his sovereign will of decree. To deny this truth is to deny the sovereignty of God. To doubt God's will of decree is to deny his omniscience.
4. God's will of command, as determined before the foundation of the world, is what He desires from every person/facet of His creation. "Thou shalt not murder" (Ex. 20:13) is an example of God's will of command. He does not desire that one person murder another, yet sinful men and women violate this command every day. Yet, God is neither the source of their choice nor the cause of their choice, Here is another example. "It is not the will (desire) of the Father that any perish" (2 Pet. 3:9), and yet people perish every day. In each of these examples, and there are many more, God works within the choices people make to accomplish His eternal will of decree. These choices result when people deny His will of command for their life, and the consequences can be devastating.
Take the example of the DUI driver who kills two innocent people. He has violated God's will of command to "not be drunk with wine" (Eph. 5:18). As a result of his choice to disobey God, an accident occurs which takes two lives. While God had nothing to do with his choice, He is still sovereign over the outcome, and in His eternal will of decree, two people entered eternity (Ps. 139:16; Heb. 9:27). Remember, there are no accidents with God!
There is a tension here in the midst of this mystery about the working out of God's will of decree and will of command. At its core, we find the truth that God is sovereign over every circumstance of life. Rather than being frightened by this, we find great hope in knowing that God has a plan for our life that he will bring to pass. He will bless us when we obey him; He will discipline us when we disobey him; He will work "all things together for good to those who love Him, to those called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28). He will sovereignly protect us until the day He has ordained to call us home to heaven (Ps. 116:15).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
