Happy Thanksgiving!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

I just wanted to take a second and let you all know how much I really am thankful for the privilege of serving as your teacher in this ministry. God has been so gracious in his blessing of this class and ministry as a whole. I can remember back about 3 years ago when I was first asked to teach this class with its 3-4 guys each week. We've come a long way from The Monastery, as we jokingly called it, and it is so exciting to not only see all of you young men and women getting excited about Bible study, but also looking for ways to live out your faith on a daily basis. Thanks for being a blessing to me and I'm looking forward to what God has in store for us in the weeks, months, and years to come!!!
~~Johnny

Sunday School 11/23/2008

This morning we tackled Numbers Ch. 9 and the first part of Ch. 10. We saw how Moses responded to those Israelites who were to be excluded from the Passover because of being ceremonially unclean. As Bethany pointed out, when called upon to decide whether or not these would be able to observe the Passover with their people, he immediately seeks God's counsel instead of making a decision on the spot. We then saw how the Lord's presence in the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night determined when the nation would camp and when they would set out. This total reliance upon the Spirit of the Lord to lead them reminds us of the importance of always being ready to act upon direction from the Lord. Finally, we saw the creation of the silver trumpets to be used in signaling and coordinating the people of Israel.

Numbers 9-10a

Hope that all of you enjoy a great time of Thanksgiving this week!

~~J

Sunday School 11/16/2008

This week we dove into Numbers 7 & 8 and had a great discussion in our group. From a bird's eye view we see the themes of redemption and substitution, both of which foreshadow the coming Messiah in the New Testament, Jesus Christ.

Number 7&8

We also had a great time today at the Singles Thanksgiving fellowship. The food was excellent and the Turkey shoot....let's just say I hope I'm never on the receiving end of a paintball gun from anyone in the class!! (Way to represent, y'all!!)

Yes, I did just bust out a "y'all" on our blog and I'm not even going to apologize (except to Lauren, because I'm not sure if it's kosher to use y'all at all :))

Sunday School 11/9/2008

Today we studied Numbers Chapter 5, which addresses uncleanliness within the camp, restitution for wrongdoing to others, and the test prescribed for an unfaithful wife. The key theme of this passage is our uncleanliness and God's purity and holiness. All three sections of this passage address the depravity of man and appeal to the holiness of God and his justice. If you missed it and have questions, feel free to post a comment and I'll do my best to address it.

Outline for Numbers 5

On the Recent Election

I debated whether or not to post anything at all about the recent Presidential elections. I generally avoid politics as a discussion topic because I know that it is often a very divisive issue and, without going into a lot of my own opinions, I have a hard time clearly articulating my own thoughts on politics without getting into some kind of debate with others that rarely proves beneficial.

However, regardless of whether or not you voted for Obama, I think that we as Christians are naive if we think that non-believers aren't watching our reactions to this chapter in our nation's history to see how we'll respond. Most of the Christians I know were very clear as to their NOT voting for Obama and of the many reasons why, so now that he's been elected, there is a choice to be made: how are Christians to respond, especially if you find the majority of what our next president represents to be threatening or even worse for the Christian agenda (which is probably an entirely different post)?

A friend of mine, Caleb Camp, ran across an article from Charisma magazine (which I had never heard of) that does about as good a job as anything I've read in addressing this question. Here is the link:
10 Ways to Pray for Barak Obama

Regardless of your political views, if you're a Christian you've got to admit that the results of this election was no surprise to God and that, because God is sovereign, all things, good AND bad, must at the very least pass through his hands. Thus, Romans 13:1-7 reminds us that no authority exists except that which God has established and both Titus 3:1 and 1 Peter 2:13 remind us that we are to submit to them.

I believe that this election provides us all with an opportunity to glorify God in how we respond. If you voted for Obama, will you be gracious in victory and recognize the weight of the responsiblity that now rests on this man and his family? If you did not vote for Obama, will you still submit to his authority as the leader of our country? Will you reflect the glory of the God who is sovereign in all things, even elections? Regardless of which group you're in, will you pray for this man, his family, and our country?

Just a little food for thought...mostly because I'm tired of Christians who somehow are able to justify hatred, disrespect, and insubordination on the basis of politics.

Midweek Bible Study: 11/6/08

We began the 5th video in our 6-video study of Ruth tonight and I am constantly amazed at how actively the Spirit works in our midst during this time each week. The overwhelming majority of the time tonight was spent in recapping the book of Ruth up through Chapter 3, but what brief time we spent in Chapter 4 was very insightful.
One of the "light bulb" moments for me was in the realization that Mr. Whats-his-name, the Kindsman Redeemer ahead of Boaz was likely not an honorable man. Never had I thought of this character revelation until Mark mentioned it in the video, but the reality is that the previous text of Ruth strongly supports the fact that Ruth and Naomi's plight was well-known, yet while they were starving, this man who should have been the one to step in and take care of them is nowhere to be found....or so it would seem. Yet this very same "Kindsman Redeemer" who should have been taking care of Ruth and Naomi was easily found at the City Gates. I find it very hard to support any claim of this man's ignorance about their situation, yet he not only fails to act responsibly on his own, but chooses again NOT to redeem the land along with Naomi and Ruth, because of his own interests. Contrast that with Boaz, a man of action, who seeks this man out to settle the matter immediately, the very next day after Ruth comes to him at the threshing floor. Boaz, a man who was not the one legally obligated to take care of Naomi, constantly shows kindness to her and to Ruth, the Moabite, to whom he owes even less. Yet Boaz's character combined with his pursuit of righteousness and love for Ruth spur him onward towards ultimately stepping up and being the man of action that Ruth and Naomi need in their plight and, ultimately, to be the vessel through which the Lord will answer the prayers of Ruth and Naomi for His providence.

I love this guy!! Yet I find it incredibly humbling because I am confronted with my own shortcomings in being a man of action. So often I find myself leaning so heavily on my analytical nature and "need" to fully think through the options, that I fail to act swiftly. I would not characterize myself as one who is "swift to act." Yet there is something about the character of Boaz and his swiftness to do what the Lord places in front of him that inspires me to be more like him in this respect. However, this is a fine line, as Mark points out in the video, because although Boaz is swift to act, he is not foolish in his actions. To me, this is a sign of wisdom and maturity that I am still pursuing as a young man.

"Lord, may I be a man who wisely descerns your will for my life and who is swift to act in accordance with it. Let me be swift to do good to others when it is in front of me to do so, and may I always point others toward You with my character."