PRAYER REQUESTS--PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN MIND AS YOU PRAY THIS WEEK:
Higginbotham- Please remember the Mike Lindsey family in the loss of him this last week. He left behind a wife and 4 boys. Also pray for Steven as he has a minor heart procedure done on Thursday.
Gutierrez- Pray for Kathleen's mom as she searches for a job as it is hard to be motivated.
Please pray for the family of Jim Bob Helduser as he passed away this past week.
Please pray for the outcome of elections on Tuesday. There have been attack ads on the radio this past week against Christianity and local resident, Don McLeroy, who is running for the Texas State Board of Education. Please don't forget to vote on Tuesday!
Have a great week!
TODAY'S LESSON AND DISCUSSION
The following three paragraphs are quoted from "The Truth Project" website. They provide an excellent summary of the material which was covered during the DVD presentation in class this morning.
"In our discussion of the family, we saw that the apostle Paul likens the bond between Christ and the church to the oneness shared between husband and wife (Ephesians 5:31-32). This oneness, he concludes, is a "profound mystery" –a concept that is difficult to fully grasp. On this tour, we proceed to examine an even deeper and more mysterious aspect of this bond: namely, that it is experienced not only within marriage and the corporate context of the body of Christ, but also on an intimate, personal level by the individual believer. This, says Dr. Tackett, is the greatest of all the wonders we will contemplate during the course of our study: that the God of the universe has come to make His dwelling both with us and in us.
Dr. Tackett marshals an impressive array of scriptural passages and biblical images to illustrate both facets of this glorious truth. On the corporate side, he draws our attention to Jesus' discourse on the vine and the branches and the importance of "abiding" in Him (John 15:5); the high priestly prayer of John 17, in which Christ speaks again and again of the oneness shared between the Father, the Son, and the body of believers ("I in them and You in Me"); the several passages in which Paul emphasizes the importance of unity in the church and the mutual edification of the various members of the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:11-16; Galatians 3:28-29); and the many "one another" commandments with which Jesus and the apostles set forth their vision for our common life as Christians, including John 13:34-35, Romans 12:10, Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:16, and 1 Peter 1:22. On the personal, individual side, he cites Jesus' statement to Nicodemus about being "born again" (John 3:7); His promise of the indwelling Spirit (John 14:16-17); Paul's declaration that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17); and the apostle's astounding claim that "Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). In connection with this discussion, Dr. Tackett points out that we must be careful not to "blur the spheres" by applying the unique and particular social laws of one realm to another realm – for example, by assuming that we can meet our need for Christian fellowship by worshiping God individually, or that we can enter into the wonder of the UnioMystica simply by attending services at the local church.
As in all of the social spheres, there is potential here for the emergence of dysfunctions and pathologies as the effects of the Cosmic Battle make themselves felt at the very core of man's relationship with God. Interestingly enough, marital imagery arises again in this connection: the Lord warns His people many times in Scripture against the danger of "prostituting" themselves or "going a-whoring" after other gods and idols (see Deuteronomy 15:38-39). Just as spouses are to seek fulfillment of the sexual drive exclusively within the bonds of the marriage covenant, so we as believers are to confine our quest for significance to the covenant relationship with the Creator. For it is this powerful human hunger for significance, says Dr. Tackett, when directed outside of God's covenant relationships, that constitutes the single most formidable barrier to intimacy, communion, and oneness. All too often, we forsake the Lord and cut ourselves off from others in attempt to puff up our own sense of self-importance.
Points to Watch for
Especially important to the overall message of this lesson is the idea that oneness with God represents the heart of the Christian Gospel; in other words, that Christianity is not primarily a moral, philosophical, or religious system, but rather a deep, intimate, and living relationship with a personal Creator. This, to return to a point made in Lesson 4, is the essence of "eternal life" – i.e., knowing God just as intimately as Adam knew Eve. It is important to help students come to the place where they can not only begin to understand this concept rationally – something we can never fully achieve – but also feel the wonder of it in a profoundly affecting way. This is the point at which the transformational aspect of this tour will come home to participants most tellingly. Some students may also need to wrestle with the implications of Dr. Tackett's warning about the danger of 'blurring the spheres.'"
During our class discussion, we considered the "unfathomable" truth that God loves us so much as individuals that He was willing to send His own son to die a horrible death on a Roman cross and that He continues to love us enough to tolerate our weaknesses and failures and continues to forgive us and craves a close intimacy with each of His children. We also made reference to Dr. Tackett's comments to his own children in which he encouraged them to make their own petitions to God and to talk to Him personally. I mentioned that I could not ever remember encouraging my kids to do their own talking with God. We certainly read Bible stories and had discussions about scripture and Godly behavior and we prayed together, but I fear that I did not emphasize the need for them to initiate their own regular discussions with God. Yes, I encouraged our girls to turn to God in prayer when they faced challenges and obstacles, but I don't believe I did a good job of encouraging their own personal conversations on a regular basis. Hopefully, this is something they learned without my direct instruction. I hope you will consider such direct instruction with your kids this week.
We also made reference to the summary of the behaviors called for in scripture as Christians deal with others. Here are the behaviors and the corresponding scriptures as outlined in the presentation today:
THE FLOCK
Love one another 1 Peter 1:22
Bear one another's burdens Gal. 6:2
Pray for one another James 5:16
Forebear one another Eph. 4:2
Be kind to one another Eph. 4:32
Admonish one another Col. 3:16
Build one another up Rom. 14:19
Give preference to one another Rom. 12: 10
Live in harmony with one another Romans 12: 16
Encourage one another 1 Thess. 5:11
Submit to one another Eph. 5:21
Serve one another Col. 5:13
Accept one another Rom. 15:7
Be devoted to one another Rom. 12:10
Teach one another Col. 3:16
Comfort one another 1 Thess. 4:18
Forgive one another Eph. 4:32
Be of the same mind with one another Rom. 15:5
Regard one another as more important Phil. 2:3
Wow! Wouldn't the world be a better place if all Christians exhibited these behaviors in our treatment of our brothers and sisters?
Next week, we will begin to look at some of the pathologies in the church.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK and don't hesitate to call if I can help you in any way.
Jimmy
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