Bible

1 John Recap

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BIBLE 1John

A few months ago, we looked at the calendar and needed to plan how we were going to end the series on 1 John – “Knowing That You Know Jesus.”  I had this random idea.  I began to tell Jeff what I was thinking, and he said, “I was thinking the exact same thing.  Let’s go with it.”

So, anyway, that “go with it” happened this morning. It was powerful and unexpected.

We simply read through the Book of 1 John.  At the end of different sections, we worshiped according to the truth read.  It was so simple and powerful just letting the Word speak.  No commentary.  No need for explanation.  And we know it did not return void.

Gus Burgdorf did a great job sharing his work with the Gideon’s ministry.  The Word is powerful (getting the theme yet?).

Today, we worshiped to a lot of music:

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Day 88 of M’Cheyne

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I started the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan on January 1st of this year.  The goal is to read through the entire Bible once, the NT and Psalms twice.  At first I was unsure of the format, but I have grown to love this plan.

It is a simple format reading through 4 different of sections each day, and it is not geared around any holiday.  That’s why Day 88’s reading was so powerful.

It so “happenned” to be Good Friday.  It so “happenned” to be on the day we were starting our “Knowing Jesus” presentation.  It so “happenned” to be after a very rough dress rehearsal on Wednesday where everything you could possibly imagined that could have gone wrong did.

And I wake up that Friday morning and I pull out the day’s reading and I was overwhelmed by what I found:

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The Love Dare for Parents

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I’m honored to have been asked by LifeWay and Sherwood Pictures to partner with them again on another Bible study curriculum.  I’ve been very humbled to play a very small part in their ministry over the last couple of years, and I was humbled again that I was thought of to come alongside the latest

Keep His Commandments

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The above picture is a shot of my sermon notes today.  1 John 2:3-6 is so plain, there isn’t a ton to unpack there.  It’s pretty simple.  If you really know Jesus, you will keep his commandments.

There really wasn’t a lot to add to that Scripture, so I didn’t try to add a bunch to it.  God’s Word is sufficient.  It doesn’t need frills, it just needs to be heard.

So that’s what we did.  We ended my message early and let God speak.

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Teaching an Old Dad New Tricks

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Want to be a better father?  Join me for the course Courageous: Honor Begins at Home.

Derek was a “good enough dad.” He provided for his family. He stayed faithful to his wife, never committed any of the “really bad” sins, and took his children to church. Most people would look at him and think he was a model father.

In his late 60s, something changed. As a retired grandfather, he become exposed to biblical teaching concerning a father’s responsibility to teach the truths of the Bible to his own children. Through the conviction of God’s Word, he began to seek out how exactly God had called him to live. As he watched the movie Courageous, he realized he too didn’t want to be just “a good enough dad.”

But it was too late. His children were out on their own, married with their own children. While all of his children were fine members of society, God was a part of their home and not the central piece. He realized that his children were simply repeating what they had seen.

His children were out of the home, but they were not beyond his influence.

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Would My Life “Fit” in the Bible?

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Is my life biblical?  Is our church biblical?  In 50 years from now, what will people look at us and say was weird by the way we followed God? Great message clip to make you think:

Greater Works

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What a wonderful day to be a part of North Side!  We still have the Last Supper table setup on stage.  Strutton did a great job recreating this scene for our stage.  For weeks, Jeff will be preaching from the teaching that Jesus gave all from the Last Supper table.  It’s surreal for me listening to this powerful Scripture and realizing that Jesus dropped all of it while he was eating a meal.  And his dinner conversation could be the content for weeks and weeks of sermons!

Today, we worshiped to:

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“I Got All These Trees”

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Our little family is growing.  Not only in number or size, but we are slowly getting things.  Our minds are growing.  One of my prayers for my children have been, “God, give them a mind to comprehend your nature and help them develop a big heart with which to love you.”

We use different types of teaching plans or Bibles with the children during family worship.  I have contended for a while that the best way to bring my kids up in the Lord is not the best church programs, but what we do in the home.  Lately, I have been retelling the Old Testament narrative over and over to the boys.  I have them repeat different elements to me, and we keep stacking more of the story each time.  They know the days of Creation, the 10 Commandments, and the big picture with the main characters involved.

Sometimes, you wonder if they are getting it, and then, you have a moment like I did last week and you remind yourself that you might be on to something.

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Have You Read Every Word in the Bible?

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Decisions become very simple when you put them through the lens of Scripture. God’s Word is more than adequate to provide direction and focus for every aspect of your life (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Read Hebrews 4:12 and look to see how powerful God’s Word is: For the word of God is living and active and

When Is Divorce Permitted in the Bible?

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Marriage should be a one-way ticket. You don’t invest in one side of this journey. It is more than starting the journey, finding out along the way that you don’t like the accommodations, and deciding to turn back around. No two-way tickets should be issued.

That’s why you need to resolve that divorce will not even be an option for your marriage. Take the word out of your vocabulary.

Does the Bible make allowance for divorce? Under certain circumstances, yes. While the Bible does permit divorce in some situations, it never promotes divorce.

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