New Book: Seeing Christ In All of Scripture (Ch 1)

 

We will be beginning a new book. Seeing Christ in All of Scripture is designed to help people understand the beautiful, Christ-centered structure of the Bible. In this book we will learn the hermeneutics to the able to know how to properly interpreter the scriptures to see Christ as the center. We will be meeting at our new time at 5:30pm thus Thursday at PBC church building. Have the introduction and the 1st half of Chapter 1 read. We will do the second half next time. 

Ch 6: The Green Pastures

 This week we will be discussing chapter 6, as we conclude our book, Green Pastures. Jesus has accomplished our redemption, and he sends us the Holy Spirit to apply the benefits and blessings to us who believe, and the does so through the ordinary means. In this chapter we be bringing it full circle and discuss practical applications in light of the means of grace God gives to his church. We will discuss how we should then treat and observe these means given their significance. How often should we observe them and how do we see them in the context of worship. Have this chapter read and ready to discuss this Thursday. We will meet at the church building at 7pm on Thursday. Feel free to bring a snack to share. 

Ch 5: Prayer as a means of Grace

 

Prayer is one of the great privileges we have a believers. Prayer was something that the early church was devoted to. Prayer was central to the reformation and it ought to be central for us today. Not only as individual prayer but also in corporate prayer. It is by the work of Christ that we are reconciled and able to approach God our Father in prayer. As we read our bible we see prayer is something that characterizes the Christian life. But how can prayer be a means of grace when it seems that it is something we are doing? Isn't prayer our response to God grace not a means of God's grace? While it is our response to God's grace, it is also a means of grace because prayer is something Christ does for us continually and  prayer is something God uses in us to bring about his work in the church and in the world. Not only that but as we pray we get to see God at work as he answers our prayers and this strengthens and encourages our faith. We also have the privilege of prayer for others and having them pray for us. Tonight we will discuss prayer as a means of Grace from ch 5. Come meet at 7pm and feel free to bring snacks to share.

Green Pastures: Ch 4: The Lord's Supper

In our day it seems that the predominate way of thinking when we come to the Lord's supper is we are to remember what Christ has done on the cross. The Lord's Supper is then treated as merely a memorial as and something we do each month. When we think of it like that it is easy to see why some may think it would lose its significance if we did it more frequent. While the Supper is something we are to come to as we remember the death of Christ, it is much more then  merely that. The Lord's Supper is a means of Grace for us. Yes we remember but we are also nourished and strengthened in the faith and was anticipate what is to come. When we see it this way we ought to long for it and cherish it. When we see it this way we do not merely come mourning and remembering, but also thankful and celebratory as we anticipate the promises in Christ that are to come. Tonight we will be considering this in chapter 4. Please read it over and be ready to come to discuss. We will be meeting at the church building at 7pm and will be zooming it if you can not be there in person. 

Green Pastures: Ch 3: Baptism

Last time we saw in chapter two one of the means of Grace that the Lord gives to us is the Ministry of the Word. Another Ordinary Means of Grace that the Lord gives to his church is Baptism. This is something Christ instituted and commissioned his church to observe. It is easy to see Baptism as a means of Grace for the one being baptized, but baptism is also a means of grace for believers as they observe the baptism of others. While baptism is the washing with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as we partake and observe, our minds and hearts a reminded of the things that baptism signifies, our forgiveness of sin and our union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. For this week read chapter 3 on Baptism and come ready to discuss at 7pm. 

New Book: Green Pastures CH1

 

We are starting a new book for T4D called, "Green Pastures." Many churches seek to focus on different means like entertainment, skits, of the latest music to bring people in and to keep people there. However, church is meant to be committed to the very means God has given for his church. In this is a book, we will gain a better understanding to the provisions that God gives us as a church to help us grow and strengthen our Faith. Those means are, the Word, Lord's Supper, Baptism, and Prayer. These we call the ordinary means of grace. They are not ordinary because they are boring, but ordinary in that these are the normal ordained means.  This book will helps us under stand what scripture say about these means as well as what we confess in our confession of faith. We will be meeting this Thursday at 7pm and discussing the introduction and chapter 1. Please have this section read and ready to discuss.  

Here is a video clip to wetting your apatite for what is to come

None Greater Ch 12: Jealousy and Glory

 

As we read scripture we see that God is jealous for his own glory. Exodus 34:14 states, "For the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God." How are we to understand this? In our sinful humanity we can see jealous as a negative trait, but for God that is not so. There is such a thing as godly jealously. God being God deserves all our worship. He is our creator and that is our obligation. But we have hearts of idol factories and tend to worship other things. God is jealous for our worship, and that is right. We should have no other gods but the the true God, and God wants the worship of the hearts of his people. Spurgeon rightly said, "     God's glory is the result of his nature and acts. He is glorious in his character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy, and good, and lovely in God, that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from his character, the deeds which are the outgoings of his inner nature, these are glorious too; and the Lord is very careful that all flesh should see that he is a good, and gracious, and just God; and he is mindful, too, that his great and mighty acts should not give glory to others, but only to himself."
Tonight we will consider this thought for our discussion. Have chapter 12 read and we will finish our book and begin the next one.