a fellowship group of West Shore Evangelical Free Church
In class on Sunday we were reminded of the ways in which Jesus Christ took our condemnation so that we could receive His grace. This short article reminds us to not mix grace with anything else! Enjoy.
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/2012/04/29/two-hundred-proof-grace/
Below is an article for a very interesting blog post dealing with Facebook and what we are to do as Christians with Facebook. What do you think about this? Should we as Christians have a moral obligation to engage and love our “neighbors” or “friends”?
Dear SixTen: Here are the notes from class last week on Psalm 91 – enjoy!
1. The peace you experience in your life depends on where you “live” (v1, v9).
2. We can singularly place and boldly attest to our faith in the living God (v2)!
3. “Surely” (NIV) means strong faith in the faithfulness of the LORD to you (v3-4)
4. You will not fear the most terrifying things (v5-6)!
5. You may see the ruin of all those around you, and you will see God’s judgment of wicked people, but neither will touch you (v7-8).
6. No harm (v10), no oversight (v11), no accident (v12), no charge/rush (v13), and no poison (v13) will effect you in a negative way.
Note: it’s not that harmful things will never happen to you; it is that harmful things will never come your way apart from God’s (good and ) sovereign decree, and that their effect upon you will not be permanent or destructive as to your relationship (living/dwelling) with Him. Read Romans 5:3-5 and see the note on suffering below. In Romans 5 Paul is not commanding us to rejoice as soon as something painful happens to us; he is testifying that we can reach the point where we realize that suffering accomplishes such good in our lives that we can actually, automatically rejoice in it.
7. God offers you a direct, personal, lifelong commitment inside a relationship with HIM (v14-16)!
Two more things to remember:
1. Suffering: we have all experienced it and most of us much more deeply and painfully than we have shared with others. People will mean evil toward you but God will turn it for good (Genesis 50:20); Bad things will happen to you but God will work them for the good (Romans 8:28); God will cause suffering in your life –to give you something in common, to share with Jesus- and you have the opportunity to entrust yourself to God and continue to do good (1 Peter 4:19).
2. Fear: when we are in need of deliverance, note how often God says to us, simply, “Do not fear.” See Exodus 14:10-14; 2 Kings 19:6ff; 2 Chronicles 20:15ff; Joshua 1:9; and Isaiah 41:10; etc. Read these texts and be encouraged!
Jesus taught. However, when we examine those passages highlighting Him as Teacher, let’s not only examine what He taught, but how He taught, and how He shared Himself with those He taught. It tells us something about Jesus that, on the afternoon of His resurrection, He chose to walk -without first revealing His identity- with just two men, on a road out of town. Take a few minutes and read Luke 24:13-35…
It is approximately 7 miles from Jerusalem northwest to Emmaus. Three men, walking side by side, at a good pace, would take an hour and a half to walk it. When did Jesus join them, how crowded was the route, how low in the sky was the sun? And why this meeting at all? This is what I find so fascinating: what kind of a person suffers so incomprehensibly, then experiences such eternally unprecedented deliverance, and then takes a hike with two depressed and bewildered men!? This narrative teaches us some things about the Teacher, His character and the ways in which He moves forward in ministry:
1. Jesus is pleased to “catch up” with those who are talking about Him. Even when we are saddened or confused by something to do with Jesus, Jesus shows up. We need to keep our honest, daily impressions of Jesus and His work on our lips and in our conversations; and by faith, in a growing relationship with Him, we will welcome His arrival and rejoice when we “see” Him!
2. Jesus does not have to be recognized in order to make Himself heard. These two men were kept from knowing Jesus’ identity at the beginning of their talk, but that didn’t keep their hearts from being effected while they talked. Jesus preached to them, an audience of two, all afternoon and into the evening…and their hearts burned from His presentation of Scripture to them!
3. Jesus may lead with questions that discourage (v17). Jesus already knew what they were discussing and how they were feeling about it. Nevertheless, He addresses them head on, straight up, clearly and forthrightly. He did not avoid their feelings, the expression of their feelings, or them having to experience again their feelings. Jesus loves us enough to push us past our sensitivities!
4. Jesus, undaunted by incredulity, may press for details (Luke 24:18-19a). In accord with the third point, Jesus can be a relentless friend. And as a mark of the maturity He brings into the relationship, He will remain undeterred by honest amazement. In our assessment of a situation and its effect upon us we may marvel, or be overwhelmed by aspects of it –but He is never overwhelmed!
5. Jesus, receiving an honest, accurate answer, may still rebuke for lack of faith (Luke 24:25-26). Honesty is always necessary but it is not “everything”! These men knew Jesus and His ministry intimately; even if they hadn’t they still knew God’s Word. But did they believe it? It spoke and speaks of Jesus. We have the Word of God…and we should know better!
For time’s sake, let me draw more immediate application from the second 5 points:
6. Jesus (a) started at the beginning and (b) shared everything, (c) from just one Source (Luke 24:27). To start where God starts, to say all that God says, and to speak only what God says: we could serve others so well by following this same course through the Bible!
7. Jesus may act as though He is moving on…but responds to “Please stay.” (Luke 24:28-29). When you know Jesus should stay with you for a little while longer, do you insist upon it?
8. Jesus cures blindness amidst the mundane (Luke 24:30-31). When your eyes are opened to something spiritually extraordinary in the middle of your daily routine, do you stop and take note?
9. Jesus explained in ways that left fire (Luke 24:32). Do we know the Scriptures well enough, and are we “in” the Holy Spirit deep enough, to pass along God’s Word in permanently scorching ways?
10. Jesus compelled extraordinary lengths… (Luke 24:33a). How soon would we leave to confirm good news?
Sunday, April 4th SixTen will hold an Easter Sunrise Service at 6:15 am. This will take the place of the regulalry scheduled class time. The event will be held at Nate & Kim’s house. For directions please email Dan Rohrer at doc7a@yahoo.com.
Coffee/juice/fruit/donuts type of breakfast will be provided. We will have a time of worship, prayer, and some scripture reading as the sun rises.
Here are the SixTen Announcements for the Week of Sunday, March 21.
Below are the verses that Craig and Rich used last Sunday when talking about God and what God is like. Enjoy!
God is Knowable: John 1:18, John 15:15b, Romans 1:19
God is Unchangeable: Numbers 23:19, Psalm 33:11, Malachi 3:6
God is Spirit: John 4:24
God is Invisible: John 1:18
God is Truthful: Jeremiah 10:10, Psalm 19:7, Romans 11:33, Proverbs 3:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Genesis 3:1, Proverbs 9:10
God is Righteous: Deuteronomy 32:4, Isaiah 45:19
God is Jealous: Exodus 20:5
God is Wrathful Toward Sin: John 3:36, Romans 5:9, Romans 1:18
God is Perfect: Matthew 5:48b, James 1:17
God Exists: Genesis 1:1 and Romans 1:25
God is Independent: Acts 17:24-25, Psalm 90:1-2
God is Eternal/Omnipresent: Jude 25, Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8, Jeremiah 23:24, Psalm 16:11(to bless), Amos 9:1-4(to punish/manifest justice), Colossians 1:17(hold all things together)
God is Omniscient/Wise: 1 John 3:20, Hebrews 4:13, Romans 16:27, Job 9:4, Job 12:13, James 1:5, Psalm 19:7, Romans 11:33, and Proverbs 3:5
God is Love: 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:10, 1 John 3:16-18. Matthew 22:37-39, and Romans 5:8
God is Holy: Leviticus 19:2 and Hebrews 12:10
God Wills What he Will: Revelation 4:1, Matthew 6:10, James 4:15, and Deuteronomy 29:29
God has Freedom: Psalm 115:3 and Isiah 46:9-10
I am teaching women’s bible study this semester on the Spiritual disciplines, and I would love for any of our SixTen women to join me in class.
Women’s bible study begins Tuesdays on February 9, at 9:00 a.m.
For more information, here is the link to the various studies – there is also an evening study option on Tuesdays.
http://www.westshorefree.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=935&Itemid=56
I wanted to share this article with you by Ray Ortlund. It is a great read and also convicting. I hope you enjoy it.
Intensely felt, openly demonstrated love between manly men of God – who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Three ways to create that culture in our churches:
One, “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). No flippant put-downs. No undercutting. Not even waiting for the next guy to make the first move. But me getting out of my self-concern to lift the next man up with high honor. Doing this verbally, unashamedly.
Two, “Bear with one another” (Colossians 3:13). Not trying to change one another. Who appointed us to that role? Our privilege is to bear with one another’s “weaknesses and oddities, which are such a trial to our patience, . . . to break through to the point where we take joy in [the other man’s quirkiness]” (Bonhoeffer, Life Together, page 101).
Three, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths but only such as is good for building up” (Ephesians 4:29). Nothing could be more unAmerican than denying ourselves our right of free speech. Men of God filter every word by a higher standard. Even if the words wanting to come out of my mouth are factually true, the real question is, Are my words positively helping the man listening?
Manly men of God loving one another intensely and openly are a life-enriching social environment.
Here is the clip of Peter Marshall that Nate mentioned in class Sunday. Wait for the climax of his sermon (end of the clip) to hear the entire quote. Hopefully you enjoy the clip and rent the movie.
Recent Comments