Themes of the Bible 

 1. Preparing the World for Jesus. (O.T.)

    Politically, Religiously, Economically, Geographically, and Prophetically

2. Presenting Jesus to the World. (Matt - John)

    Birth, Life, Sermons, Teachings, Parables, Miracles, Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Ascension.

3. Preaching Jesus to the World. (Acts)

    Peter, Paul, Stephen, and Phillip.

4. Platform of Doctrine. (Romans)

    Reprobate Mankind, Redemption, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Responsibility.

 5. Problem Involved & Resolved.  (1 Cor & 2 Cor)

    Contentions, Carnality, Corruption, Confusion.

 6. Possessing Christ. (Gal, Eph, Phil, Col,)

    Heavenliness & Happiness

 7. Predicting the Future. (1 & 2 Thess)

    Rapture, Resurrection, Review, Reunion, & Reward.

 8. Pastoral Care. (1 & 2 Tim. & Tit)

    Responsibility for New Babes in Christ.

 9. Practicing Our Faith. (James)

    Doers Not Hearers Only.

10. Practical Living. (1 & 2 Peter)

    Suffering Here & Reigning There.

11. Principle of Love.  (1, 2, 3, John)

    Fellowship, Faithfulness, Fullness.

12. Preservation of the Faith (Jude)

    Certain Men-Creeping Men-Condemned Men.

13. Prophetic Program. (Revelation)

    7 Churches - Jesus in the Midst.
    7 Seals - Jesus Worthy to Open the Book
    7 Vials - Jesus A Lion Not A Lamb.

Be Responsible and VOTE

 

“Bro Dave,” some have ask, “Who did you vote for?”

·        I voted for the most pro-life candidate, because God hates the shedding of innocent blood. (Prov.6:17)

·        I voted for the most pro-marriage candidate, because God instituted marriage between one man and one woman. (Matt 19:4-6)

·        I will vote for the most pro-Israel candidate, because God blesses those who blesses Israel & curses those who don't! (Gen.12:3).

·        I voted for the most pro-debt reduction candidate, because the borrower is servant to the lender. (Prov.22:7).

·        I voted for the most pro-work candidate because God says that if any would not work, neither should he eat. (2 Thess.3:10)

·        I voted as close as I can on God's Word. (2Tim.3:16).

·        Knowing that whoever gets elected, God is the one who puts all men in authority. (Dan.2:21).

For me, my decision has been made. Be sure you make yours by Election Day!

 

Basics to Prayer

 

Have you struggled with prayer? Does prayer seem like an exercise in eloquent speech that you just don't possess? 

 

Prayer is not a mysterious practice reserved only for preachers and the religiously devout. Prayer is simply talking to God. Believers can pray from the heart, freely, spontaneously, and in their own words. If prayer is a difficult area for you, learn these basics principles of prayer and how to apply them in your life.

 

1.      What Does the Bible Have to Say About Prayer?   The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. The first mention of prayer is found in Genesis 4:26

 

2.      What is the Correct Posture for Prayer?  There is no correct or certain posture for prayer. In the Bible people prayed on their knees (1 Kin 8:54), bowing (Exo 4:31), on their faces before God (2 Chr 20:18; Mat 26:39), and standing (1 Kin 8:22). You may pray with your eyes opened or closed, quietly or out loud—however you are most comfortable and least distracted.

 

3.      Should I Use Eloquent Words?  Your prayers need not be wordy or impressive in speech.  Mat 6:7  Ecc 5:2

 

4.      Why Should I Pray?   A.  Prayer Develops Our Relationship with God.  If we never speak to our spouse or never listen to anything our spouse might have to say to us, our marriage relationship will quickly deteriorate. It is the same way with God. Prayer—communicating with God—helps us grow closer and more intimately connected with God. Zec 13:9  Joh 15:7   B.  The Lord Instructed Us to Pray. One of the simplest reasons to spend time in prayer is because the Lord instructed us to pray. Obedience is a natural by-product of discipleship.  Mat 26:41  Luk 18:1  Eph 6:18

 

5.      What If I Don't Know How to Pray? The Holy Spirit will help you in prayer when you don't know how to pray. Rom 8:26-27

 

6.      Are There Requirements for Successful Prayer?  Yes, there are some requirements found in the Bible for successful prayer.  Successful prayer requires:

       • A humble heart  2 Chronicles 7:14
       • Wholeheartedness Jeremiah 29:13
       • Faith Mark 11:24
       • Righteousness   James 5:16
       • Obedience  1 John 3:22

7.      Does God Hear and Answer Prayer?    Yes, God hears and answers prayer. Here are several examples of this promise from the Bible.  Psa 34:17   Psa 91:15

8.      Why are Some Prayers Not Answered?    Sometimes our prayers are not answered. The Bible gives several reasons or causes for failure in prayer:

       • Disobedience - Deuteronomy 1:45; 1 Samuel 14:37
       • Secret Sin - Psalm 66:18
       • Indifference - Proverbs 1:28
       • Neglect of mercy - Proverbs 21:13
       • Despising the Law - Proverbs 28:9
       • Bloodguiltiness - Isaiah 1:15
       • Iniquity - Isaiah 59:2; Micah 3:4
       • Stubbornness - Zechariah 7:13
       • Instability or Doubt - James 1:6-7
       • Self-indulgence - James 4:3

Sometimes our prayers are refused. Prayer must be in accord with God's divine will.  1 Joh 5:14

 

9.      Should I Pray Alone or with Others?  God wants us to pray together with other believers.  Mat 18:19  Luk 1:10  Act 1:14   God also wants us to pray alone and in secret: Mat 6:6 Mar 1:35 Luk 5:15-16 Luk 6:12

Can A Christian Survive Apart From A Church?

 

Many people refuse to get near a church unless their nephew is playing the role of a sheep in the Christmas pageant! They claim they can get more out of a walk in the woods than from the typical sermon.  Some Christians have no choice. They are trapped in a hospital bed, or working in an isolated area where no church exists. And God is certainly sufficient to care for their needs. You can still get to heaven if you can't go to church. 

But even though it's technically possible to live the Christian life in isolation, it's certainly not the norm.  When you become a Christian, you are called into a relationship with God (1 Cor 1:9). But 1 John 1:3 makes it clear that we enter a fellowship that goes two ways: with God and with other Christians.

The New Testament never divides Christians into the church members and the non-church members. All the way through, it assumes that everybody participates in their local assembly. It gives no samples of Christians who belong to the “universal church” but have no link with a local church. Any idea...of enjoying salvation or being a Christian in isolation is foreign to the New Testament writings. Wherever Christians are within range of each other in the New Testament, they meet. Every time the apostle Paul comes to a town in the book of Acts where there are no Christians, he wins a few converts and immediately organizes them into a small group - a little church.

Acts 20:7 reveals the practice of the early church: "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached to them." For Christians in every location, regular gathering was a part of life.

It's illogical to say that you are merely part of the worldwide, universal church, yet refuse to gather with the segment of that universal church that exists in your geographical area. It would be like claiming you have a car, when the right fender is in Phoenix, the engine is in Tucson, and the wheels are in Paradise Valley! You don't have a car; you have the beginning of the inventory for a junkyard. It just won't function until the pieces are put together.

The church must be together to carry out many of its purposes.

Here are some irreplaceable pieces of the Christian that cannot happen when you live in isolation from the church:

1. USE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS - 1Cor 12 makes it clear that God has given spiritual gifts to every Christian. And verse 7 states unmistakably that these abilities are not provided to make you feel good; they are abilities to minister that should be used for the common good! I Pet 4:10 commands us to use spiritual gifts to help each other.

The same passage makes it clear that we meet with other Christians so they can use their gifts to strengthen us. God's gift of a preacher or teacher is wasted if no one comes to hear them speak.

2. MUTUAL MINISTRY - The church is pictured as a body in 1 Cor 12, and Paul explains that each part of the body exists to meet the needs of other body parts. In the same way, God intends each of us to meet the needs of other believers, using our strengths to help in their areas of weakness. 1 Cor 12:21 expresses it this way: "And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you." Neither can a Christian claim to be self-sufficient today.

The New Testament is full of “one another” commands. We are to comfort one another (1 Thess 4:18), build up one another (1 Thess 5:11), confess our faults to one another (Jam 5:16), pray for one another  (Jam 5:16), and many more. How can we obey these directives if we stay away from the gathering of believers? 

3. ACCOUNTABILITY - God designed the church as a place where spiritual leaders could watch out for our welfare, as a shepherd guards the sheep (1 Pet 5:1-4; Heb 13:17). A Christian who answers only to himself can easily rationalize sinful attitudes or actions; regular contact with other Christians can keep us sharp.

A single verse should actually be sufficient answer for this question: Heb 10:25 warns its readers against “forsaking the assembly of yourselves together, as the manner of some is.”

The Christian and His Children

Ps 127:1-5 

If someone could guarantee us ‘terrific kids’ we would all sit up and listen.

The Bible says in 3 John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

It is difficult to be a good man or woman

It is more difficult to be a good husband or wife

It is most difficult to be a good parent           

I.    You must be skilled and you must be strong.  Not every good parent has good kids.  Goals for myself, desires for my children              

II.    The arrow must be shaped and sharpened. 

A.    Start early  Pro 22:6  Why daddy why?

B.     Be creative  Deu 6:6-7  Ram it down their throat, You sit still while I instill, Like castor oil a dose a day keeps the devil away

C.    Work for character – Most parents greatest concern is: sports, grades, popular, and appearance. Who is going to teach your child character? Let me give you some words: contentment, courage, courtesy, discernment, fairness, friendliness, generosity, gentleness, helpfulness, honesty, humility, kindness, obedience, orderliness, patience, persistence, self control, tactfulness, thankfulness, thriftiness, wisdom.  What course in school gives that? Where are they going to get that? Television?  MTV?  Where are they going to get it?  It is your job to teach character to your kids!

D.    Set limits – When you set limits they, push against them, if they don’t move they have security. If you don’t set some limits on them they will find someone else that will.

E.     Assign responsibility –  “I don’t want them to have to work as hard as I did.”

F.     Be fun –  Let your home be a fun place cheaper than juvenal court

G.    Let kids see God at work in the home – Pray with them             

III.   The bow needs to be strong and bent. – prayer is the bow that thrust them out.               

IV.    The aim has to be true and clear. – Desire for them is that they serve God. Kids know that we aren’t phony they know we love God 

V.      The arrow has to be released and sent. – work yourself out of a job 

God has blessed you with children. Anyone can conceive but it takes real work to be good parents. 3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Mine and Jane’s pray has been that God would let us be a good momma and daddy to our girls.