2011--A Year for a Closer Walk with Jesus

Challenge for the New Year

In Sunday School yesterday, I inivited the class to join Cindy and me in attempting to read the Bible thru in 2011 and in memorizing a new scripture passage each week. Completing a systematic reading plan on a daily basis and memorizing a new scripture passage each week will result in the Bible being read thru in 2011 and in the memorization of 52 new scripture passages. I trust you will join me in attempting to read God's Word this year and in hiding His Word in your heart through memorization. Let's try it together and let's hold each other accountable for our progress throughout the year.

I have attempted to send copies of these documents to each of you through the Sunday School e-mail list. If you did not receive it or if you were unable to download one of the documents, send me an e-mail to my home address, jimmycreel@suddenlink.net

I will try something else to get the documents to you.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Jimmy

A Sunday School Class Challenge for 2011

As we come to the end of 2010 and begin to look forward to 2011, it is appropriate to consider ways that we can strengthen our walk with the Lord. Psalm 119:1 says, "Thine word have I hidden in my heart so that I might not sin against thee." In order to "hide" God's word in our heart, we must READ His word and we must commit the principles and statements of God's Word to our hearts and minds....to our memory. Therefore, I am inviting our Sunday School class to join me in 2011 on a "Spiritual Odyssey" in which we attempt to systematically read through the Word of God and commit 52 scripture passages to memory. I hope you will use the "Read the Bible Through in 2011" plan to systematically read the Bible daily and to completely read the Bible in one year. In addition, I hope you will join Cindy and me in attempting to memorize one scripture passage each week for the next fifty-two weeks. I will send a copy of both documents, the Read the Bible Thru Plan and the 52 Memory Scripture Passages via e-mail to the class. We will talk about these plans more in Sunday School tomorrow. See you then. Remember, we have a potluck breakfast scheduled in the morning.

SUNDAY MORNING BREAKFAST--POTLUCK

Please bring your favorite breakfast dish (egg casserole, or breakfast tacos, or pastries, etc.) or just pick up a dozen donuts and join us for a Sunday School breakfast in our regular Sunday School Classroom this weekend (Sunday, December 19, 2010). We will provide drinks and paper goods and utensils.

This week, we will be making a plan for the coming Sunday School year and perhaps, reflecting on the past year. See you Sunday Morning.

Jimmy

Christmas Party

Our annual Sunday School Christmas Party is scheduled for this Friday evening, December 10, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. at Cindy and Jimmy's home at 8431 Turtle Rock Loop in College Station. We already have a good group signed up to attend. Please accept this message as a very special invitation to our members who are serving in other areas of Sunday School. We miss you guys and would love to have you join us for fellowship, fun, and food. If anyone can come and you wish to sign up to bring something, just give us a call at 979-695-1684 or you can just post a comment on this blog. Don't feel that you must be signed up to attend. Just come on over. We will have a good time together.

We will eat and visit and probably play a few games and give away a few prizes and door prizes. I hope you all will attend if you pssibly can. We look forward to seeing everyone.


Jimmy and Cindy

December 5--Muddy Water

Today's lesson was about simplicity. Andy Stanley used the analogy of a story about shark fishing to help us understand the dilemma that many people experience when they consider the Gospel Message. As Andy described, many people who say they reject Christianity are really rejecting some other aspect of religion that has nothing to do with the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. Andy says that we (Christians) have a tendency to make the Gospel Message complicated and that the complicated issues and answers to Biblical conundrums are often the things which cause people to reject "Christianity." He makes reference to some of Paul's writings that are indeed difficult to understand or to the Old Testament laws of the book of Leviticus. Even though there are many questions and many issues described in the Bible that are difficult to understand and decipher, Andy attempts to boil down the Gospel Message to a simple formula that we can share with others in today's lesson. He bases the lesson on perhaps the best known Bible verse in the New Testament, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

Andy suggests that the formula can be reduced to the following:

GOD LOVED

GOD GAVE

WE BELIEVE

WE RECEIVE

It really is a pretty simple solution and an easy formula to share with others. As Steven mentioned in class today, there may be questions about the meaning of "believe" or even about "receive", and certainly we can have a discussion about these terms and the different understandings that many people embrace for these terms. Andy tried to demonstrate the meaning of believe when he talked about putting one's full weight on a stool...in other words, depending completely upon the stool to provide support and foundation for one's body. Even so, there may be many different descriptions for this term and these various descriptions certainly detract from the simplicity of this message. Yet, as Christians, we probably can all agree that God sent His son and, as a result, He offered us an opportunity to live in His presence for eternity. Yes, this offer is contingent upon our "belief" and we all must define that word for outselves. Even so, this formula can be used to help us and those around us to understand in a very basic way the amazing Gift that God gave us at Christmas. We can be thankful that He loved us enough to give and that we simply must accept His gift through faith in order to benefit from the greatest Gift ever given to man.

November 14, 2010--"Fish Guts"

We had a nice diaper shower for the Collins' and a nice breakfast this morning. Thanks to everyone who prepared dishes.

We had the pleasure of having two couples join us in Sunday School today. Welcome to Chris and Rene Lawrence and to Mark and Kelli Thornton. Mark and Kelli visited a couple of weeks ago as well. I appreciate everyone in our class making every effort to make our visitors feel comfortable and welcome.

In today's lesson, Andy Stanley continued his theme of "Fishers of Men." Today's lesson came from Acts 4:23-30. He called the lesson "Fish Guts." While the title doesn't sound good, it is designed to help us understand the basic, intimate role that God has for each of us in His plan. Acts 4:23 begins the description of a prayer voiced by Peter and John as they became aware of God's sovereign plan and as they understood the opportunities that they had missed because they did not recognize God's hand at work.

Andy said that John and Peter's prayers before this time were much like our prayers. Oh, Lord, bless me, protect me, guide me, and take care of those whom I love. Think about it. If you were listening to your prayers, would you describe them as self-centered? Would you say that you were asking God for things that you wanted to see happen?

In this prayer, John and Peter open the prayer with the salutation, "O, Sovereign Lord." Andy describes this phrase as an admission that "God is large and He is in charge." The prayer goes on to recognize all of the recent events in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the perfect fulfillment of the predestined Will of God. In some cases, John and Peter recognized, they had actually been praying against the will of God. For example, when the crowd confronted Jesus, they were likely praying, "God, deliver Jesus and us from this threat." Yet, now they recognized that Jesus' death and resurrection was exactly what God had preordained and had orchestrated from before the creation of the earth. They recognized that God's sovereignty was at work and that He had simply provided opportunities for them to be "players" in His grand plan.

Andy makes the point that you and I have the same opportunity today. God is still large and He is still in charge. He is still active and his preordained plan is still being implemented. You and I should be praying for God to enable us to speak boldly on His behalf. I hope you will join me this week in making this our prayer.

Thanks to Beth Miles who has agreed to facilitate the Sunday School discussion next week. If things go as planned, I will be out of town on Sunday. Also, please remember that we will not have Sunday School on the Sunday of Thanksgiving Weekend--November 28.

Finally, how about that artist in church today? He looked like he was just throwing paint up on a wall and then, it looked like Jesus. Amazing. For people like me who have not ONE artistic bone in my body, this kind of talent is just phenomenal.

Have a great week.

Jimmy

Have a great week.

November 7, 2010--WHY FISH?

Here are the announcements and prayer requests from this morning:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Please remember that we will be honoring the newest arrival in the Collins’ household next Sunday morning with a diaper shower and breakfast during Sunday School. Please bring diapers and a breakfast item.

David Phelps will be in concert here at Central Baptist for a Christmas Concert on December 5, 2010. Tickets can be acquired at www.davidphelps.com or www.itickets.com .

An N-Vision Missions Conference is scheduled for November 12-13.

An adoption/foster care informational lunch is scheduled on Sunday, November 21 right after the worship service. Please e-mail Lisa at lmcdougald@cbcbryan.org if you plan on attending this luncheon.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

PRAISE: Jessica reported that her blood clot is gone. Thank the Lord for answered prayer. Please continue to remember Jessica in your prayers this week.
Craig and Tracey’s daughter Hallie is ill. Please remember her and her parents this week in prayer.
Bo has a construction superintendent whose father-in-law has melanoma. The father-in-law’s name is Clayton Ford. Please pray for Mr. Ford and for his entire family and for those who are ministering to him as it appears that the cancer is consuming his body.
Kerri’s mom, Ginger has Multiple Sclerosis and seems to be losing ground. Please pray for her this week.
Please pray for our daughter Jennifer as she makes final preparation to take the Physician’s Assistant Board Exams on November 17. She is nervous about the test and she is making every effort to be adequately prepared to do well on the exam.
Please pray for our youngest daughter Brittany as she is dealing with housing issues in Austin, Texas for the remainder of this semester.
Please pray for our country and our leaders.

Today's lesson asked the question, "Why Fish?"
Since we began the series last week, Andy Stanley addressed the question of why Christians should be "fishers of men" this week. Andy makes the point that early Christians such as Peter and John were sharing experiences that they had seen and heard and that contemporary Christians should also be sharing experiences in the Lord that we have seen and heard and felt first hand. As such, it should be difficult for us not to talk about our experiences and the things that we have seen God do. Andy points out that our beliefs are based on a point in history, on a significant event, on the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Christianity did not begin as a new belief system. It began as an event in history that is well-documented and described by eye-witness, first person narrative terminology. Andy also makes the point that Christians need to talk about Jesus because the message is so counterintuitive--if nobody tells them, they won't know. Lord, please do not let us be guilty of withholding the truth about Jesus from anyone with whom we come into contact. Help us to have the courage to share our own personal experience with Jesus with those around us. Here is the directive left with us by Jesus before he returned to heaven:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19

This is what God expects us to do. Will you "fish" this week? Let's all be prepared to share our own personal experiences with Jesus Christ when the opportunity presents itself this week.

Have a great week.

Jimmy

October 17, 2010--Personal Ministry

ANNOUNCEMENT: MEN'S NIGHT OUT--THIS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010 AT THE HOME OF BO MILES. BO HAS SOME VENISON AND DEER SAUSAGE THAT HE IS DONATING TO THE CAUSE. IT WILL BE A GREAT EVENING OF FUN AND FELLOWSHIP. BO WILL BE SENDING AN E-MAIL WITH HIS ADDRESS. I HOPE ALL OF YOU GUYS WILL MAKE AN EFFORT TO JOIN US. I FEEL SURE YOU WILL FIND IT TO BE AN ENJOYABLE TIME TOGETHER.

PERSONAL MINISTRY
Andy Stanley talked about another factor that he has identified as a contributor to the growth of "Big Faith" in our lesson today. That factor was called "Personal Ministry." Andy based today's discussion on the narrative in Matthew 14: 13-22. You will recall this story as one of the times in which Jesus miraculously provided for the feeding of more than 5,000 people on a desolate hillside. As you read the scripture, you will see that the disciples asked Jesus about sending the people away so that they could go into the nearby villages to buy food. Jesus responded with a directive for the disciples to feed the people. As Andy stated, He said, "You feed'em." Reading the scripture futher, we find that the disciples responded the same way you and I often respond when God gives us a job. They started listing the reasons why they could not feed these people. They were in the middle of nowhere. They did not have the resources. They were incapable of feeding so many people. Yet, they, like us, overlooked an important component of the equation. They overlooked the supernatural power of God. Despite the limited resources, the crowd was fed and left-overs were picked up after the meal. How did this happen? The disciples did what they knew how to do--distribute the food baskets--and God multiplied the food to provide more than enough.

This is the lesson for each of us. When God asks us to do something, we should do whatever it is that we know how to do and depend on God to take care of our insecurities, lack of knowledge, and other limitations. When God is involved, our limitations will not matter. He will take care of any shortcomings on our part.

God builds our faith through challenging opportunities for personal ministry--allowing us to serve others even though we may feel unprepared and inadequate. The key in personal ministry is simply to do what we know how to do, and trust God to do what only He can do. While personal ministry may mean teaching a Sunday School Class or coaching an Upward Bound Football Team or some other church ministry, it may also refer to a one-on-one witness with a non-believer or could refer to a charitable act in a hostile environment. God can call us to action in any of these situations. Remember, personal ministry is a grower of faith.

NEXT WEEK'S LESSON: PIVOTAL CIRCUMSTANCES

October 10 Private Disciplines

In today's lesson, Andy Stanley introduced us to the concept of "private disciplines." Private disciplines include those activities that God expects us to perform in the privacy of our own home or in the confidential pages of our own bank account or in a place where our actions are not advertised for the praise of others.

Andy points out that we trust God for everything that happens from the time we take our last breath. However, such trust is not difficult since we really have no choice. Since we have no control over what happens after we take our last breath, it is relatively easy to say, " I trust you, God to take care of everything after I take my last breath." However, Andy asks who we trust from the present until we take our last breath. Do we trust God explicitly during that time? Since much of our energy during that time is directed toward making a living, earning money, and supporting a lifestyle, Andy suggests that it is not surprising that God expects us to show our trust in Him by giving generously of our physical blessings. However, as the scripture directs, our giving should be done in the privacy and confidentiality of our own home or our own bank account and should not be done in a way that brings attention or recognition to us as the giver. Since time is our most valuable resource, Andy also suggests that the allocation of a daily quiet time with God is also a private discipline for which God will reward His children. If we spend time in prayer, talking with our Heavenly Father and spend time studying His Word, Andy points our the promise of scripture in which Jesus tells us that we will be rewarded for such activity. No, we don't engage in such action to gain a reward. Just the same, Jesus promises that the Lord will reward those who do these things.

We discussed private disciplines and ways that we were or were not taught private disciplines in our own childhood. We also considered ways in which we could encourage our own children to engage in the practice of private disciplines.
Andy Stanley suggests the following things occur as a result of us practicing private disciplines:
* Growth--even if we engage in these activities with a bad activity, we will see growth
* Freedom--we can experience freedom from the debilitating debate of whether or not to give, freedom from the argument of not having enough time, and freedom from prioritization of our activities in order to spend time in the Word--these decisions are already made when we practice private disciplines. They are part of our lifestyle.
* Peace--the practice of private disciplines brings peace into our lives. The private disciplines eventually become a joy to practice rather than an unpleasant task.

Let's all consider our own practice of private disciplines this week and evaluate whether or not we can improve these practices in our own lives. Best wishes for a great week.

October 3--Providential Relationships

During today's lesson, Andy Stanley discussed the importance of providential relationships in growing one's faith. Andy argued that there are no "neutral" relationships. All relationships either enhance our spiritual walk with the Lord or they detract from it. For this reason, as parents, we often attempt to manipulate and influence the relationships that our children create and nurture. We recognize the influence of relationships and we seek those relationships for our children that we perceive to be positive in nature.

Andy Stanley also points out the importance in placing our children in environments in which they have other adults speaking wisdom and influence into their lives. As we discussed, if your children have not already concluded that your advice is not always sound, they soon will. In such cases, it is important to have other Godly adults in whom your children are comfortable and confident and in whom you are comfortable and confident. Andy pointed out that waiting until your child is in the eleventh grade to place him/her in such an environment is too late. During our class discussion, we talked about the practice of some of our class in which they have purposefully attempted to create trusting, intimate relationships with other Christian couples in order to create other adult resources for their kids in a time of need when the kids may not have confidence in his/her own parents or when the kid simply feels the need to seek counsel from someone other than his/her parent. We also talked about the accountability that can be created among parents who have developed such a relationship with other parents. The idea of picking up the phone and calling a parent of a child who is observed speeding or driving recklessly requires a relationship of complete trust and confidence.

Finally, it is important to remember those providential relationships in our own lives in which someone has helped us to grow spiritually. I remembered the men and women who served as Sunday School Teachers and Vacation Bible School Teachers when I was a young kid. I continue to remember a special pastor when I was a young deacon in another church. All of these people were providential relationships for me.

In addition, I believe that Cindy was brought into my life as a providential relationship. She has taught me much about Christian parenthood, appreciation and respect for those who may be different, ways to disagree with people and still treat them with respect and dignity, and she has been a partner in Christian growth as we have worked toward spiritual maturity together.

Who has served as a providential relationship in your life? For whom have you served as a providential relationships? Indeed, providential relationships play a critical role in growing our faith. I hope you will think about those who play such a role in your life and I hope that you will be open and willing to serve in such a role for others as the Lord uses you.

Have a great week.

September 26--Practical Teaching

Class Fellowship and Swimming Party
Thanks to all of you who were able to join us for the class fellowship and swimming party after church. We had a great time visiting, watching the kids swim, and snacking on picnic foods.

During our Sunday School lesson, Andy Stanley addressed one of the five things that he has identified that God uses to grow big faith. The first topic to be addressed in detail was "Practical Teaching." Andy pointed out that most people who talk about their spiritual journey will make reference to their initial exposure to someone or some group through which they were taught Biblical truths in a practical, life-impacting way. The reason this is important is that such teaching makes the Bible meaningful, practical, and applicable to everyday life. Mr. Stanley refers to Matthew 7:24-28 in which Jesus uses the parable of the man who built his house on a solid foundation as compared to the man who built his house on a foundation of sand. He compares the man who built his house on a solid foundation to one who hears the words of Jesus and puts them into practice--applies them. The man who hears the words of Jesus and fails to apply them in his life is compared to the house that was built on sand. When the winds came and the water rose, the house with a flimsy foundation collapsed. Likewise, you and I will be unable to stand up when the winds of life and the rains of conflict strike if we have not learned the words of God and then applied them in our life.

Remember, the teachings of the Bible have the power to be soothing and disturbing in our lives, depending on the circumstances and situation in which we find ourselves. However, the most important thing for us is to be sure that we make application to our lives of the Biblical truths that we hear and lean from practical teaching. I hope we will all seek practical teaching of Biblical truths in our lives and that we will apply those truths when we learn them.

Next week, we will look at "providential relationships." See you in Sunday School next week.

September 19--Swimming Party Reminder & Lesson Review

REMINDER:
I apologize for forgetting to mention the swimming party scheduled for next Sunday during our announcements this morning. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us at the Emerald Forest Swimming Pool and Clubhouse after church next Sunday, September 26, 2010. We have rented the pool and clubhouse until 2:30 p.m. We chose that weekend because there is no Aggie game next weekend. I hope you will bring the kids and join us for a few hours of fellowship and fun with the family and with our class. Please bring a picnic lunch for your family and a little extra to share in case there are folks there who did not bring food. Also, please bring a salad item or dessert item to share with everyone. We will provide ice, water, and tea. We will be able to put our food in the clubhouse. We shall look forward to seeing you and your family at the party.

Jimmy


FIVE THINGS GOD USES TO GROW YOUR FAITH
We began our study of the Andy Stanley series, "Five Things God Uses to Grow Your Faith" today. In our class discussion prior to the lesson, I found it interesting that class members identified many of the same concepts as those identified by Andy Stanley--those things God uses to grow BIG faith. We talked about people in the church who demonstrate big faith as being good examples, we talked about learning from God's Word and prayer, we talked about good and bad experiences in our lives that often grow big faith, and we talked about learning from our children and from other important people in our lives.

As we watched Andy Stanley, he described the following five things God uses to grow our faith:

1. Practical teaching from the Bible
2. Providential relationships
3. Private disciplines
4. Personal ministry
5. Pivotal circumstances

I hope you will consider these concepts this week and contemplate their role in growing your own faith. I suspect you will find that all of these things have been at play in your life. While we may use other terms to describe some of these concepts, most of us would agree that these are significant influences in the development of our personal faith. Next week, we will begin looking at each of the concepts above in detail. I look forward to seeing you in Sunday School next Sunday.

END OF SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL SOCIAL

Well, the summer is over and school is back in session. Soon, the fall activities will be upon us. Before that time arrives, we would like to get together as a class one more time for fellowship and opportunities to get to know each other and our families better. Toward that end, we have scheduled an AFTER CHURCH SWIMMING PARTY on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at EMERALD FOREST SWIMMING POOL from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.--or later if you wish. We will ask everyone to bring a picnic main course (sandwiches and chips, sandwich fixings, barbecue, fried chicken, etc.--whatever your family likes--for your family and enough to share with someone else. Also, please bring a dessert or salad item to share with everyone. We will provide ice, cups, tea, and water and we will have the club house reserved for our food and drinks. If you prefer soft drinks, bring them as well.

Please mark your calendar and join us for fellowship and a picnic and swimming on September 26, 2010. SEE YOU AT THE POOL.

September 12--Marriage Part 3

As we begin this final session of "The Life" with Bill and Anabel Gillham, I would be remiss if I did not wish my lovely wife Cindy a Happy and Blessed Birthday. Yes, today is her birthday and I am so thankful for her. Growing in the Church and growing in Christ with Cindy has been a blessing beyond description. Like most couples, we don't always see things the same way, but our life together has been a great one and I have been blessed beyond measure to have her as my wife.

Many of the things taught by Bill and Anabel have been true in our marriage as well. As I think about our family and pray for my girls even now, I often pray that the Lord will introduce them to God-loving, God-worshipping, Christian young men when and if His plan calls for them to have a partner in life. I want my girls to experience the joy of growing in a Christian marriage relationship, growing in the Church, and growing in Christ along with a loving partner if that is the Lord's will. Therefore, I pray regularly for those young men, whoever they may be, wherever they are in the world, even before we know who they are. And, I thank God daily that He gave me such a person with whom to share my life. Happy Birthday, Cindy!




Bill makes the point in today's lesson that most of us enter into the most important human relationship in life, marriage, without adequate preparation. God knows that we need instruction and He gives it to us in His Word. Bill suggests that we must recognize and confess our inability to carry out His instructions, and then determine to trust Christ to express through us the knowledge we gain about marriage from His Word.

In comparing the decision-making process for males and females, Bill states that it is generally true that males base decisions on systematic logic while females tend to base decisions on intuition or at least arrive at the decision through intuitive processes. He points out that neither process is wrong--they are just different. Bill states that it is the husband's responsibility to make a final decision for the family only after much prayer and discussion and consideration of his wife's viewpoint. The wife should then honor the husband's decision and be supportive, especially in front of the children. How often do you undermine your spouse's decisions or points of view in front of the children? We must be careful. This undermining can be subtle and even can be inadvertent.

Anabel points out that the wife in a modern marriage is often influenced by cultural norms that tend to reduce her role in the marriage to a sex object or to minimize her influence on pre-school age children, or limit her responsibility in the home to cleaning and organizing the house. In reality, God describes and directs the role that women should play in the sex relationship, in the homemaker role, and in the social and spiritual development of children. I especially appreciated the statement Anabel made, "A woman is never in an inferior place when she is in the place God created for her." She also pointed out that women who work outside the home are not necessarily missing God's will, provided their responsibilities at home are not compromised. She made reference to the Proverbs 31 Woman. You may want to take a look at Proverbs 31.

Bill and Anabel also point out that "Agape" love is crucial in any marriage (John 13:34). They define "agape" love as "doing whatever is the most constructive, redemptive thing for your spouse, regardless of the situation or circumstances."

Bill and Anabel also review the six perceptual needs of the female in a marriage relationship as derived from the description of the relationship between Christ and the Church. Those needs are:

1. Listen to me.
2. Let me know that you are thinking about me.
3. Tell me that you love me.
4. Be aware of me.
5. Spend time with me.
6. Don't be harsh with me.

A key concept from today's lesson is this: "Satan is putting forth every effort to blur the roles that differentiate the two genders. Following the enemy's plan instead of God's guarantees a marriage vulnerable to destruction."

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION
Do you understand that your fundamental role is choosing to be obedient to Christ? Have you really tried to follow His plan for your marriage? Or have you been rebellious, believing you have the right to demand that your needs be met before you will meet your spouse's needs?

Perhaps you've viewed your marriage as a tangled mess that seemed impossible to realign on Godly principles? But now you see the Biblical foundation for marriage and have an understanding of where the power to begin loving your spouse comes from. Confess your need and unreserved dependence on Him to live His life through you and so make your marriage all He intended it to be."

I want to encourage you to read the book, "The Lifetime Guarantee" that the church provided with this curriculum. Cindy began reading our copy and she said it is an excellent supplement to the DVD Curriculum. I plan to read our copy after she finishes. Several class members testified regarding the relevance and impact that they have experienced from reading this book. If anyone wishes to obtain a copy of the book, shoot me an e-mail, comment on this blog, or let me know verbally and we will get you a copy. E-mail: jimmycreel@suddenlink.net

NEXT WEEK: We will begin a six week session with Andy Stanley called, "The Five Ways God Grows Your Faith."

REMINDER: END OF SUMMER SWIMMING PARTY--after Church on September 26 @ Emerald Forest Swimming Pool. Bring a picnic main course for your family and some to share and a dessert or salad entree to share. We will provide ice, tea, water, cups and a place for your kids to swim.....and you too if you like. We have the pool reserved from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. and if anyone wants to stay later than that, you can swim as Cindy and my guest.

WELCOME BACK TO SOME OF OUR CLASS MEMBERS WHOM WE HAVE NOT SEEN IN A WHILE

As you know, every year, there are members of our class who answer the call to serve in other capacities in our Sunday Morning Bible Study Program, making it impossible for them to be with our class on a regular basis. Also, there are class members who move to other classes or even some who move to other cities on a temporary basis and then return to our class. Even so, we are always glad to see our former class members again. In the past few weeks, including today, we have been honored to have Craig and Vicki Hillert, Dewayne and Leslie Whitten, and Rex and Leslie Woods joining us in class. I hope you will make a point to welcome these folks and, if you do not know them, to introduce yourself. At the same time, we need to be praying for those couples in our class who are serving in other capacities in our church this year and will not be able to join us on a regular basis. We will always make an effort to be sure they are aware of any activites scheduled for our class and that they are invited to join us in fellowship.

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!

Session 10 Marriage Part 2 September 5, 2010

It is hard to believe that we are already on Session 10 of our study with Bill and Anabel Gillham. Indeed, next week, we will conclude our DVD Study of "The Life". Fortunately, our church has provided each couple in our class with a copy of Bill and Anabel's book so that you can study their work in more detail.

The focus of today's session deals with each partner in a marriage union knowing the individual roles assigned to the husband and the wife. Such knowledge can be exciting and anxiety provoking. It is exciting in that we better understand our own needs and have the information we need to meet the needs of our spouse. It is anxiety provoking in that we are fearful that our spouse will fail to meet our needs, or that we can't satisfy the needs of our spouse.

Keep in mind that God doesn't expect us to persevere in our own strength to keep these assigned roles. His plan is for us to allow Christ to be our perseverance, our patience, our love, our gentleness. He wants to do it all for us.

The Emotional Needs of the Male
The basic emotional need of the male is found in Ephesians 5:33. He needs female praise. According to Bill, praise is a God-given need that is evident from an early age. A boy's mother will be the one who initially meets this need. A male's need for female praise is ultimately centered on his wife, who has been instructed by God to meet this need. Praise is accomplished through the wife by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and is to be exercised as an act of obedience. Keep in mind: It is not hypocritical to praise your husband when your feelings may not be in agreement.

The perceptual needs of the male include the belief that he is the head of the relationship. This is an innate need--not an ego problem. This is not an honor to be bestowed upon the male for good performance. Competition from his wife can be very destructive to a man. Marriage is not a competition, but a joint endeavor that brings glory to God.


The Emotional Needs of the Female
The emotional needs of the female are summarized by the list above. The twenty ways to love your wife are as vital to the female as praise is to the male. This performance by the husband can be accomplished only as he allows the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to do it through him.


Have a great week.

Session 9 Marriage--Part I

Welcome to our visitors this morning--Billy and Kelley Gable. The Gables have recently moved from Giddings, Texas and have two children, Tyler(7) and Amanda(5).

Today's lesson with Bill and Anabel Gillham changes the focus somewhat from our previous lessons. The focus changes somewhat from our relationship with God to our relationship with others as directed by God. As Bill asks a rhetorical question about how we are to build and maintain our relationship with our spouse, he says, "Let's turn to the manufacturer's owner's manual," as he holds up the Bible. Indeed, the Bible is the manufacturer's owner's manual for all issues and concerns. If our marriages are to be all that God intended them to be, then they must operate according to God's plan. As Bill said earlier in this series, "God's job description is that He runs things." He is the supreme authority figure and, as such, has established His plan for marriage.

Bill points out that the Bible establishes that men and women are equal with different roles assigned by God (Genesis 5:2). God made the woman and thus completed the whole man (Genesis 2:18 and Genesis 2:23).

Bill made reference in today's lesson to the world's view of marriage. He described four different world views--all of which are lacking. The world often views marriage in one of the following ways:
Casual view--no lasting commitment
Feelings view--based on current passion
Separate lives view--living like roommates
Dictatorial view--male is dominant and superior.
None of these views represent the Godly expectations for marriage.

Most of the remainder of today's lesson deals with the needs of the female and male. Spiritually, both the male and female need to know Jesus Christ. Emotionally, the husband needs praise from his wife. The wife needs tender loving care. Perceptually, the husband needs to believe that he is the head of the relatiohship. The wife needs the husband to listen to her. Physically, the husband and wife need a sexual relationship, but not surprisingly, they most often view the sexual relationship differently.

What a great lesson! I hope you will take a look at the book's parallel comments regarding this topic. Bill and Anabel suggest the following action before the next session: In the quietness of prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to help you focus on those areas where YOU can improve in your marriage. May the Lord bless your marriage and your family this week.

If you would like to study Biblical references to Bill and Anabel's teaching this week and for the next three weeks, take a look at the following scriptural references:
John 13:34
1 Cor. 7:1-6
Eph. 5: 21-33
Phil. 3: 8-10
Col. 3:18-19
1 Peter 3: 1-7

August 15 Overcoming Temptation & Giving Burdens to God

Our lesson today was made up of two parts. The first part dealt with overcoming temptations and focused on I Corinthians 10:13. The second part of the lesson dealt with a visual and emotional tool that Anabel discovered to help Christians learn how to cast their burdens upon God.

Part I: I Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure."

With every temptation, God provides doors of escape so we can say "No" to the enemy and thus endure his attack. However, if the initial door of escape is ignored, not only do subsequent escape routes become narrower, they also become more difficult to access. Failing to take the way of escape provided does not mean the temptation was too strong and that I Cor. 10:13 does not work. It simply means that we ignored our opportunity to escape.

Just as the Bible says, God is faithful and He won't allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist. However, we must use the escape plan that He intends for us to use. Calling out to the Lord at the edge of sin and asking Him to deliver us is a dangerous and costly habit. In so doing, we load ourselves with a heavier burden of temptation. Spiritual battles are won at the threshold of the mind, not in the mind.

Anabel shared the story of a high school girl on a date in order to illustrate the dynamics of temptation. Within every temptation, there are doors of escape. Thoughts come from the Holy Spirit, your sound mind, and the power of sin. All these thoughts are manifested in first-person pronouns. Subsequent doors of escape are narrower than the first door was. Anabel shared a story of a vacuum cleaner salesman who gained access to her home and how much more difficult it was to get rid of the salesman than it would have been if she had met him at the door of her house. The strongest defense against temptation is at the first way of escape, the threshold. Say "No" to the devil's temptation--and mean it. Prepare for Satan at the threshold of your mind, remembering that in Christ, victory is already yours.

PART II--How to Give a Burden to the Lord

Psalms 68:19 says, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden..."I Peter 5: 7 says, "Cast all your anxiety upon Him." Psalm 55:22 says, "Get rid of the burden. Throw it onto the Lord." God commands us to give our burdens to Him. It is not a suggestion. There is no need to package them nicely; just give them to Him.

Anabel suggests the following: Get a piece of paper, an envelope, a pen, a marker, a watch, a brick, and a helium balloon with string on it. Go somewhere where you can be by yourself. With your marker, write your burden on the balloon. Hold the brick and the string to the balloon in your hand--with your arm outstretched. Tell the Lord everything about your burden while holding the string and the brick in your outstretched hand. Hold this "burden" until you can't stand it any longer, then simultaneously drop the brick and let go of the balloon. Immediately, write on the paper the time and date that you gave God your burden, and write at the bottom of the page, "And He took it." Put the paper in the envelope and seal it. Put a few notes around the house, with the date and time on them, to remind yourself that you gave your burden to the Lord--and He took it. Continually thank God for taking your burden. This practical exercise will give you a solid reminder that you really did give your burden to the Lord. But, you must let go. Here is a poem Anabel shared to end the lesson today:

Just as my child brings his broken toys with tears for me to mend
I took my broken dreams to God because He was my friend.
But then, instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own.
At last I snatched them back and cried,
"How could you be so slow?"
"What could I do my child?" He said,
"You never did let go."

The enemy will ferociously tempt you to take your burden back. But it is no longer yours; you gave it to the Lord.


Cindy and I will be vacationing with our girls in the Seattle area next week. We hope to attend church next Sunday at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Thanks to Beth Miles for agreeing to bring the lesson next week. We shall look forward to seeing you again on August 29.

"Dealing With Your Emotions"--The Life by Bill Gillham

VISITORS TODAY
We were pleased to welcome Tim and Jessica Pierce to class this morning. The Pierces have three children: Mikagle McDaniel(2/7/2002), Sean McDaniel (9/19/2003), and Hailey McDaniel (7/21/2005).
We have been blessed all summer with a steady stream of visitors. Let's continue to welcome our visitors and make them feel at home. I always follow-up with a letter or e-mail to our visitors inviting them to join our class. If any of you would like to make contact also, just let me know and I will provide contact information.

In today's lesson, Dr. Gillham began with a story about a bear--a mean, man-eating bear in Alaska. He asked us to imagine that we were walking along the Alaskan prairie when we saw the bear galloping toward us at break-neck speed, intent on having us for lunch. As we consider our options, we run into a cabin made of railroad ties...in other words, it is sturdy and stable. We lock the door behind us and we notice a small window in the front of the cabin. The window is large enough for the bear to look through and to stick his front paw through. However, we are safe. The bear is unsuccessful in every effort to invade the cabin. The diagram above comes from the leader's guide to today's lesson and is the diagram that was shown during the lesson. It illustrates how our mind and our emotions influence our will and our actions.

Dr. Gillham states, "Emotions are a powerful force in our lives. We dare not ignore them, but neither should we be ruled by them. God intends that we 'walk by faith,'and faith is anchored in the mind, not the emotions." In this lesson, Dr. Gillham shares four steps to help us understand how not to be dominated by our emotions, but rather to walk by faith in consistent victory.

STEP 1--TRUTH
In the case of the bear story, you are safe in the cabin. But, unless you know that you are safe from the bear, you can still die from heart failure. All of our lives, we have heard the saying, "What you don't know won't hurt you." However, Bill helps us to understand that in the case of your spiritual walk, what you don't know can and will destroy you. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6)

STEP 2--FAITH
As the bear story progresses and as time passes, you eventually begin to realize that you are safe inside the cabin. Bill calls this "cabin faith." Whether you are talking about "cabin faith" or Christian faith, the issue is not the amount of faith. The main issue is the object of your faith. You can believe you are safe inside the cabin and not act on your faith and still die from heart failure.

STEP 3--WORKS (behavior, performance): Act like you are safe.
If you were in the cabin and the bear continued to ram his head against the door, shaking every timber in the building and he continued to growl and swat his paw through the window seeking to reach your body and you continued to see his bared teeth as he growls, your emotions would still have great difficulty buying the fact that you were safe. As I mentioned in class, I would still be looking for more protection, more insurance....such as a high caliber weapon or a long, sharp spear...anything that I might use to fend off the assault. However, Bill points out that regardless of what your emotions are feeling, you can choose to act like you are safe, lining your behavior up with reality. As Bill mentioned, you could even choose to lie down on the floor and catch up on your Bible reading. Remember from last week the definition of a hypocrite. If you begin to act like who you are, "feeler" will not like it and sin will accuse you of being a hypocrite; but you will be walking by faith, believing the truth, living in reality.

STEP 4--FEELINGS--You finally begin to feel safer, sort of.
You will never gain total control over your emotions. Even Jesus dealt with emotions at Gethsemane, but He still had peace. Some people say that they have lost their peace of mind when things go wrong, but they never really had peace of mind in the first place; they had peace of feel. True peace, the "peace that passes understanding," is knowing that the Father has everything under control and that He is conforming you to the image of Christ.

Here is a challenge from this lesson:
Pray, "Lord, begin a new work in me. I'm going to feel weird when I act differently than I feel. I am trusting You to make my identity in Christ a reality in my life. You, not my emotions, are the essence of my identity. I do not want the truths I am learning to be just information. Right now, as best as I understand it, I offer myself as a living sacrifice to You to do Your will in me."

Have a great week. Don't hesitate to contact me personally if I can help you in any way.

Jimmy

Why We Still Struggle; Channel 1 and Channel 2 August 1, 2010

This week's lesson with Dr. Bill and Anabel Gillham deals with the inner war that we all experience within our own minds and conscience as we struggle to honor God in a world where we face constant influences and suggestions and life options that are not Godly. Bill points out that many of us mistakenly believe that this inner war is between the old man which is symbolized by Adam and his decision to decide for himself what direction he wishes to take and the new man which is symbolized by our walk with Jesus in faith. However, as Bill states, such a struggle would mean that we are a house divided. The scripture clearly states that a house divided against itself cannot stand. So, what is it we are fighting against?

Dr. Gillham points to Ephesians 2:4-6

"Eph 2:4 but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved),
Eph 2:6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus:" (ASV)


Looking at these verses, Dr. Gillham points out the verb tense (past), emphasizing that this is a "done deal." God loved us, He raised us up with Him, and made us to sit in the heavenly places. You and I, as Children of God, are already sitting at the right hand of the Father. Then, why do we still struggle?

Dr. Gillham points out that the scripture says Heaven is up. But it doesn't say how far up. He suggests that we imagine heaven is one inch off the surface of the earth. If that were true, we would be standing with our feet planted on the earth, with our body extending into the realm of Heaven. You are united with Christ spiritually and are a partaker of His divine nature (See 2 Peter 1:4). Your soul and spirit are sealed in the Holy Spirit (See 1 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13, and Eph. 4:30). Then, why do we still struggle? How can we be standing with our body in heaven and still face temptation, and worse, still fail?

Dr. Gillham points out that Satan is a great counterfeiter. God is your father. However, Satan seeks to be God. Satan is the false god and the "father of lies." Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Satan's false messiah is the antichrist who will appear on this earth in the last days (See 2 Thess. 2:3-4). Satan counterfeits the Holy Spirit with the power of sin.

Consider how the Holy Spirit works: He indwells you; He interprets the circumstances of life to you; He dialogues with your mind. John 14:26 states, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." The power of sin is going to function in the same manner as the Holy Spirit, but with the opposite intent.

Genesis 4:7 is the first reference to "sin" in the Bible. Here we find that sin is a noun, not a verb. God's word is personifying sin. The word "sin" appears 41 times in Romans five thru eight. 40 of these occurences are nouns. Only 1 is a verb. Romans 7 gives a clue to the way sin, the noun, works. In Romans 7:20, sin is clearly identified: "Rom 7:20 But if what I would not, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me." (ASV) In verse 7:15, only the pronoun "I" is used: "Rom 7:15 For that which I do I know not: for not what I would, that do I practise; but what I hate, that I do." (ASV) What happened to sin in verse 15? Sin is masquerading in verse 15 as "the old you" that was crucified with Christ, and he's imitating the old man. In other words, according to Bill, the power of sin impersonates the old man, speaking to you--the new creation--with first person pronouns (I, me, myself), using your accent and your one of voice. (Wow! That is a scary thought--my accent and my tone of voice?)

That is why it seems like the old man is still alive, even though the Scriptures state clearly that he is dead. He was crucified and buried with Christ (see Romans 6:4-6 and Gal. 2:20). Here is how Dr. Gillham describes it: "Some versions of the Bible use the term "sin nature," but this is not a Biblical term and is not a literal translation of the original language. If you are born again, then sin is no longer your nature, but rather an alien power that works in you." The key concept is, "Nature" defines the essence of a person or thing. As a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17, you still have sin in you (Rom. 7:21-23); but it is not your essence (nature). You do not have a "sin nature; you have a new nature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). As a new creature in Christ, the law of God is written on your heart. You long to obey God (2 Cor. 3:3).

Bill describes two "television channels" that control our thinking. Channel 1 is described as the location of sin as identifed in Romans 7:23 "Rom 7:23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members." (ASV)

Bill uses the stimulus of a "curvy lady" to describe the process by which temptation and sin enter our lives. The diagram at the top of this blog outlines the process of how our eyes and our mind allow satan to influence and tempt us. Bill points out that temptation comes from the devil and your true desires come from God. In order to combat this powerful tempter, we must take every thought captive (see 2 Cor. 10:5) and say "No" to temptation (see 1 Cor. 10:13). Bring Christ on line to give you victory. You are dead to sin and alive to God, so act like what you are--dead to sin. James 4:7 states, "Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (ASV)

Bill suggests that we change our tuner from Channel 1 to Channel 2. Channel 2 is synonymous with walking in the Spirit and setting your mind on reality, determining to depend upon Christ, and declaring that you desire for Him to express His life through you.

People believe they are being hypocritical if they act contrary to how they feel. This is Satan's definition of a hypocrite. The true definition of hypocrisy is, "pretending to be what you are not." If you begin to act like who you are, your feeler may not agree and sin will accuse you of being a hypocrite. The truth is, you are walking by faith, acting like who you really are and aligning your life on the truths in God's Word. Bill stated, "Your old flesh patterns are like your high-school algebra; they will dissipate from lack of use."

Cindy and I both experienced this concept this week. Our old knowledge of high school algebra has dissipated. We had a young man come to our home one evening this week for assistance and tutoring in a college algebra class he is taking. Cindy taught math for more than 30 years and I took advanced math classes through integral calculus and differential equations during my early years as an engineering major. Surely, together, we could work these college algebra problems in a breeze. WRONG! We worked for hours. While we were finally able to work most of the problems, I doubt if we were able to explain them sufficiently to help the student learn what he needed to understand the concept. Lack of use had caused our skills to dissipate. Bill says the same thing happens when we stop using those "green highways" and old flesh patterns that lead to sin. Think about it. It makes sense!

Let's all try to live on Channel 2 this week.

Jesus Loves Me

Wow! What a lesson we shared with Bill and Anabel Gillham this morning in Sunday School. First, Anabel explained that God's Word is like a love letter written to the one He loves. I have never thought about the Bible as a love letter but I will from now on. Isn't it great to know that God cares for His children so much that He has given us "love letters" to help us know how to deal with the challenges of life. Of course, to benefit from that knowledge, we must be engaged in reading and studying the Word of God. Here is the BIG question: How often do you read and study the Bible? You can grade your own papger on this one. You know if your answer is adequate or not. If it is not, I encourage you to re-prioritize your schedule and be sure there is time for reading and studying the Word of God on a regular basis. It may mean that you have to get up thirty minutes earlier or it may mean that you have to do without the Starbucks on one day each week. Whatever it means to you, I believe that the investment will pay big dividends in your spiritual growth. Give it a try!

Next, Anabel showed a great illustration of the scriptural concept in John 14:20: "When I come back to life again, you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." She used envelopes to show how Jesus is in God, and how she and you and I are in Jesus, and how Jesus is in us. The critical teaching point of the illustration was the fact that Anabel had to let go of the envelopes for them to all be safely tucked inside the biggest envelope labeled "God." The key point is that we all have to let go and let God. We have to depend on God and not ourselves in order to experience the security of being in God and having Jesus in us.

Perhaps, the most powerful illustration of the lesson today was Anabel's story of her son Mason. Mason was a profoundly retarded little boy who was born into the Gillham household. As Anabel was preparing to take him back to the place where he was institutionalized, she finally came to that point where she admitted that she could not do it on her own. She had a need to communicate her love to her little boy and yet, he could not respond. She said that she stood before that little boy with grubby hands and a shirt with food all over it and saliva drooling out of his mouth and told him how much she loved him. Yet, he could not respond. It was at that point that he recognized the Lord telling her that He loved her the same way that she loved Mason. He loved her because she was His--nothing else was necessary. God loves us because we are His. We don't have to do anything....we can't do anything to earn His love. We are loved because we belong to Him. God loves you and me unconditionally. We are loved. "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. We are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so."

We had a visitor this morning: Kim Reynolds. Kim is married to a United States Marine and she has two children: Emalee who is six years old, and Danielle who is three years old. Please pray for Kim and her family this week.

It is a privilege and an honor to serve as your Sunday School Teacher. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can pray with you or help you in any way.

HAVE a GREAT WEEK!

Session 3--Our True Identity in Christ

Our lesson this week addresses our TRUE identity in Christ. We are asked at the beginning of the lesson to choose a number between 1 and 10 that represents our view of ourself. The lesson begins in the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:16, 17. Our identity is determined by birth, not by performance. When we are born into this world, we inherit the spiritual traits and nature of the old man, Adam, who, as we know, decided that he could be his own boss. He became the first lord of the ring. As humans, we inherited that broken nature.

However, God created ALL things for His purposes--including time. Faith requires the time dimension. When faith is no longer needed, time will cease to be. God is not controlled by His creation. He is not time dimensional. You and I are time-dimensional beings. Bill describes our timeline as shown in Figure 3-4 to the left. It is important to understand that God never allows a problem to come into our life for which He does not already have a solution. Isn't that a great thought?



As a descendent of Adam, you and I have inherited his spiritual characteristics. We are born with a dead spirit. Thus, we must be born again (see the story of Nicodemus, John 3: 1-15). As mentioned above, birth always determines identity. All we have to do to go to hell is show up on the planet as a descendent of Adam.
Salvation is a change in your nature and your identity from the inside out. When you enter into Christ's lifeline, you receive His nature (His spiritual characteristics) and His life. You receive a new present, a new future, and a new past.


Your heritage from Adam is history. God had to do away with your old identity in order to give you a new identity. God has no plan to make something beautiful of your life (in Adam). The plan is to kill it and start over again.

It is from the perspective of who you are in Christ that you understand your true identity and realize that Christ is your life. Review the information in "Your True Identity in Christ" to better understand who you are in Christ.

LINK TO LUNCH PICTURES JULY 11, 2010

Here are the pictures I took at lunch today. Sorry I couldn't name all the kids. I don't know if I got everybody (they were moving around pretty quick), but I got most of them.

Jimmy

You are invited to view Jimmy's photo album: Sunday School Lunch 7-11-2010

Lesson 2--Bill and Annabel's Flesh

We had a great time sharing lunch today at Fuddrucker's. Cindy and I enjoyed watching your little ones. While they did eat, they appeared to be more interested in the games. I especially enjoyed watching little Will Gutierrez. He stood in front of one of those games mesmerized. He would point the pistol toward the screen and periodically yell for himself. He was having a blast! And it did not matter to him that no one had activated the game with a quarter. He thought he was playing the game just like the big boys and girls and he was having a great time...for free. As Bo observed, it will be a sad day when he realizes that you have to put a quarter in the game for it to work. I also enjoyed meeting Kathleen's Mom. It is nice to meet folks for whom we have been praying. It was also great to see each of you who were able to make it. I always enjoy our fellowship time together.

As Craig reported, we have looked at the support materials that are available to accompany the DVD study series called "The Life." Beth passed around a couple of children's books available at the website and I passed around "The Life" Study Guide that accompanied the DVDs. Craig spoke with Karin Peters about the possibility of buying the book, "The Lifetime Guarantee" to accompany our study. We are going to explore the possibility of having the church provide each couple in our class with a copy of this book. We will keep you informed.

TODAY'S LESSON

In today's lesson, we saw both Bill and Annabell share their own personal versions of "the flesh" which weighed them down, enslaved them, and ultimately threatened to destroy their marriage. Even though it appears that many of our flesh patterns may have developed in response to our home environment when we were young children, Bill makes the point that our parents were playing "Lord of the Ring" just like we play "Lord of the Ring." However, our real enemy and the real culprit of our flesh development is satan himself.

One of the freightening things that I saw in today's lesson is the understanding that many of the things we do, the way we say things, the actions we take, and the attitudes we demonstrate could be impacting our kids in a negative way when it comes to the development of their own flesh. While Bill's flesh pattern was based on a need to be a "manly man" and to demonstrate strength and machismo, Annabel described a need to perform well, even a need to be perfect as her own flesh. Both of these flesh patterns worked against their marriage and both individuals fell victims to their own flesh patterns as well as those of their spouse. This destructive pattern drove Bill and Annabel to the brink of divorce.

In Bill and Annabel's story, we see that God used the incompatibility of their flesh to bring them to a place of trusting Him. Annabel shared that she reached the point when she cried out, "God, I can't! You are going to have to." God responded, "Thank you, Annabel. I will do it all for you!" And with this, Annabel began to grasp the truth of Galatians 2:20--that she had been crucified with Christ and that Christ would live His life through her.

Your flesh and my flesh may be different from Bill and Annabel's. However, we all have flesh and we all behave in ways that are fleshly. The sooner we recognize these patterns and the sooner we admit that we simply cannot defeat the enemy, the sooner we are in a position to be delivered from the slavery of sin. We must turn it over to God. He will do it all for us. In addition to freeing us from the terrible bondage of fleshly living, our freedom in our marriages and in our homes is likely to help our own kids to avoid some of the destructive behaviors, attitudes, and emotions that are often based on subtle messages that were received during upbringing. Probably, none of us can avoid passing on some negative thoughts, actions, or attitudes to our children. However, we can minimize such teachings if we are willing to lean on God completely--to be crucified with Him and to allow Him to live through us (Gal. 2:20). Amen.

The Life: Session 1 Programming of the Flesh

REMINDER: LUNCH WITH THE FAMILY AT FUDDRUCKERS NEXT SUNDAY IMMEDIATELY AFTER WORSHIP SERVICE

PLEASE ANSWER THE ONE-QUESTION POLL AT THIS BLOG SITE. THANKS. JIMMY

In Session I of "The Life", Bill Gillham pointed out that there are really only two ways for Christians to walk (behave) in this world: according to the flesh, and in the spirit. He helped us to understand this key concept: "The Christian life is not difficult to live; it is impossible. Jesus Christ is the only one who has ever really lived the Christian life. He is the only one who can live it today, and that is exactly what He wants to do--through you (see John 15:5 and Galatians 2:20). Dr. Gillham pointed out these three basic points:
1. God is love. You were created by God to be loved unconditionally. Only God loves unconditionally, therefore you need God.
2. God created laws (ways) to govern the universe. All of His ways are good.
3. Each of us showed up on planet earth with the need to be loved. Instead of getting our need met God's way, we developed our own ways of getting our needs met. This is what the Bible calls "flesh." The cardinal sin of man is independence from God.

The human design includes the body, soul, and spirit (I Thess. 5:23). The Spirit is the dimension of your being through which you relate to God. At the time of your physical birth, your spirit is dead to God. This condition is inherited from Adam, the first man, and that is why you need to be "born again" (see Jn. 3:1-15).

The soul is your unique personality and is comprised from three parts: 1) the mind, 2) the emotions, 3) the will. Your body, called your "earth suit" by Dr. Gillham, houses your soul and spirit while you are on earth. It is the vehicle through which you relate to people and the environment. You are a spiritual being with a soul in a body, not a physical being with a spirit.

Both the mind and emotions are quick to respond to stimuli, but the emotions are much slower to recover. When you are chronically exposed to harmful stimuli, your emotions can become "stuck." As the brain repeatedly receives the same type of information and interacts with the mind, will, and emotions in the same ways, those programs become deeply ingrained. Bill refers to these programs as "green highways." After you are born again, these "green highways" become your unique version of the flesh. Walking in the Spirit most often requires you to choose to walk by what God's Word says rather than by what you feel. Bill's working definition of the flesh: "Your old ways which you developed through independent living."

Before we blame our parents for the way our self-perception (programming) developed, we must look to see how our parents were raised and how their parents were raised and their parents were raised, etc. If we look back far enough, we will find the enemy of God, Satan, who originally deceived Adam into thinking independence from God was a good plan. The battle we face is not against your parents or any other human being. Our battle is against the power of the enemy and his principalities (reference Eph. 6:12). One of the biggest examples of flesh is performance-based acceptance. If you perform well, I will accept you. If you don't, I won't.

Bill referred to a "Flesh Inventory" in his comments today. I shall attempt to copy the inventory below for your review.


Questions for Personal Reflection
When you were a child, what people and experiences had the most significant impact on what you believe, think, and feel? Were the messages you received generally positive or negative? Work through the following "Flesh Inventory." Ask the Holy Spirit to use this inventory to help you identify your unique version of the flesh. Check the issues that you struggle with and put a number from 1-10 beside each check--with 1 being low and 10 high--to indicate the intensity of your struggle. Is your "feeler" stuck at the top of your emotional Richter Scale? In the following sessions of The Life, you will discover how to appropriate what God has done through Christ to free you from these patterns!

____Anger ____Envy ____Indifference to others'____Overly quiet ____Self-gratification
problems (obsessions)
____Anxiety ____False Modesty _____Overly sensitive to criticism

___Argumentative____Fear____Inferiority Feelings ____Overly submissive____Self-Hatred

___Attraction to astrology___Feelings of Helplessness ___Inhibited___Passivity

____Self-indulgence

____Bigotry ____Feelings of Rejection____Insecurity____Perfectionist
____Self-justification

____Bitterness____Feelings of Stupidity____Intemperance____Prejudice____Self-pity

____Boastful____Feelings of worthlessness____Jealousy____Pride____Self-reliant

____Bossy____Gluttony____Laziness____Profane____Self-righteousness

____Causing dissension____Greed____Loner____Projecting Blame____Self-sufficient

____Conceited____Guilt____Low Self-Discipline____Prone to Gossip____Selfish Ambition

____Controlled by emotions____Hatred____Low Self-worth____Quick to speak ____Sensuality

____Controlled by peer pressure____Hostility____Lust for Pleasure ____Racism____Sexual Lust

____Covetousness____Homosexual Lust____Materialistic ____Rebellion at Authority ____Slow to Forgive

____Critical tongue____Idolatry____Must strive to repay any kindness shown to you

____Resentment ____Stubborness

____Deceitfulness____If it feels good, do it ____Restlessness ____Temper

____Depression(non-organic) ____Impatience____Negativism____Sadness____Unlovely

____Dominance____Impulsiveness____Nervousness____Self-Centered____Vanity

____Drug Dependency____Impure thoughts____Occult Involvement____Self-confidence

____Withdrawal

____Drunkenness____Inadequacy____Opinionated____Self-depreciation____Workaholic

____Worrier


God Bless America on this July 4! Hope to see you all at the July 4 Celebration at Church in a couple of hours! Have a great week.

Jimmy

LET'S ALL PRAY THIS WEEK: 49 Pre-teens leave for camp on Monday morning. Let's pray for them to have a great week together and in spiritual growth. Let's pray for Brittany Parsons and for all the others who will be ministering and supervising for at least part of the week, including our own Steve Day and Marty Holmes. Let's pray for the bus driver/s who will be transporting this precious cargo to and from camp. Let's Pray!

Let's pray for the young missionary (Jessica Van Slyke) and her colleague, Sarah who will soon be in Russia doing medical missionary work. The following is an excerpt from an earlier blog in case you wish to make a contribution to Sarah and Jessica's missionary work.
Financial Support--Missionary to Russia

Our class was privileged to have Jessica Van Slyke join us last Sunday. Jessica will be traveling soon to Moscow, Russia where she will be serving as a missionary. If you have a desire to support Jessica's work, here is the address she sent. Just send a check to the following address:

And here's the address to the gatekeeping account(tax-deductable):
Agape Unlimited, Inc.
P.O. Box 50994
Midland, TX 79710
They just have to put "Sarah and Jessica" in the memo line!

Let's pray this week for mine and Cindy's friend, Annette Doucette who is recovering from a broken hip and hip replacement surgery. Let's pray for Wendy who recently underwent a colostomy and was fitted with a colostomy bag.
Let's pray for Gena Higginbotham's grandfather, L.T. L.T. has suffered a heart attack and is very weak. Let's pray for Kathleen's Mom as she continues to seek a new job. Let's pray for Clayton Jackson and his grandmother as they travel. Let's pray for the Scastas as they travel this weekend. As we approach the July 4 weekend, let's pray for our country and for our leaders. Let's Pray!



MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL LUNCH

On Sunday, July 11, we would like to have a time of fellowship over lunch at Fuddruckers immediately after the worship service. I hope that all of you will make an effort to join us for this time of informal fellowship and visiting. As I mentioned in class, it will be a great opportunity for those of us who do not normally have an opportunity to see your kids to have that opportunity. We will pull tables and chairs together and just enjoy lunch and each other.

TODAY'S LESSON:

Circumstantial Evidence for Christ

Today, we considered the circumstantial evidence to support Jesus Christ as the risen Son of God! Jesus' closest followers scattered in the wake of the crucifixion. They were not expecting Jesus to die at the hands of the Romans. When He died on a cross, they were unsure of His power, doubting that He could be the Messiah of all creation, and afraid that the authorities would come after them next. However, in three days Jesus rose from the dead and Jesus' followers were eyewitnesses that He lived and He walked and He talked after also being eyewitnesses to His death. Their relationship to Jesus changed forever. They were now convinced that Jesus was and is the Son of God. After all, they saw with their own eyes! They were committed...not just committed....but obsessed and completely sold out. They faced torture and martydom, but they never recanted from their commitment. They knew what they saw.

On the other hand, there were non-believers who made a complete 180 degree change of direction after encountering the risen Jesus. Jesus' half-brother James was not a believer--until he saw Jesus alive and well after the resurrection. He became a church leader and died a martyr's death as a result of his commitment. Saul of Tarsus pursued Christians with a vengeance. Yet, after his personal encounter with the living Christ, he became one of the greatest crusaders for Christ that the world has ever known.

If you have not read The Case for Christ, I encourage you to do so. The evidence will reveal the truth!

THE CASE FOR CHRIST--Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ: The Pivotal Point for All Human History

This morning, we considered the evidence that supports the hinge point on which all other human history and human endeavor rests: Did Jesus Christ actually die on an old wooden cross and if He did die, was he resurrected on the third day? If these things did not occur, then human life is meaningless and our faith as Christians is of no value and also meaningless. Therefore, the validity of these events is easily the most critical analysis that can be undertaken by Christian and non-Christian alike. Validation of these events verifies that Christ is who He says he was, the Son of God, and that He was and is capable of saving sinners from the consequence of their actions: death. Indeed, the critical importance of these events is emphasized in Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 15: 13-14, Paul writes, "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain."
As Mr. Strobel discusses in the book, there are those who try to explain the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by postulating that Jesus actually never died. He only fainted or was drugged and actually was alive when he was removed from the cross. This theory is popularly characterized as the "swoon theory." Yet, we examined the likelihood that a person could walk away from the kind of punishment that Jesus suffered at the hands of the Romans. We considered these fact: 1) The Romans were experts in administering the death penalty and inflicting pain on those whom they viewed as enemies, 2) Jesus was flogged prior to the crucifixion. Often, flogging in and of itself was sufficient to bring about the death of a victim. Flogging resulted in the exposure of nerves, muscles, and, in some cases the intestines of the person being flogged. As we discussed in class, there were no antibiotics at the time of Jesus. A person whose skin was torn from his body and who suffered extreme exposure in unsanitary conditions would not be likely to survive even this "minor" punishment. 3) The crucifixion of a person led to a victim being spread-eagled on a wooden cross and nails driven through the victim's hands and feet. In order to breathe while suspended on the cross, victims were forced to press down on their pierced feet and lift the body up so that the diaphragm could fill the lungs with air. In many cases, the victim became so exhausted and debilitated by the excruciating pain, that he simply asphyxiated on the cross. 4) While we did not discuss it this morning, Strobel refers to medical expert testimony that suggests that even if an individual was able to survive the flogging and the crucifixion, the extreme shock that the body would certainly encounter would be enough to bring about death, 5) The Romans, being experts in the administration of the death penalty, had the experience and the knowledge to determine when a victim of the cross was dead. The soldier who looked at Jesus determined that the breaking of His legs was not necessary because He was already dead. Just to ensure that his assessment was accurate, he pierced Jesus' side with the spear and, according to John, "blood and water came out." Again, based on the medical expert testimony, this observation was an indication that the pericardial sac which surrounds the heart had filled with fluid--the "water" that John referenced. Based on the medical testimony, such a condition would have precipitated the stoppage of the heart resulting in death. Clearly, the preponderance of evidence demonstrates that Jesus was indeed dead when he was removed from the cross.
Next, we must consider the allegation that Jesus' disciples stole his body from the tomb in which it was buried. Matthew reported that the chief priests paid the soldiers who were on duty a large sum of money to make the allegation that Jesus' body was stolen. Of course, we know that during that day and time, the soldiers who allowed a body to be stolen when they were assigned to guard the body would be facing torture and death as a consequence of this action. No such response is reported. While this may be the origin of the allegation that Jesus' body was stolen from the tomb, it is only a story that was fabricated by the chief priests to minimize the evidence that Jesus was indeed resurrcted from the dead.
Some of the experts in the DVD pointed out that if the early Christians were fabricating a story about the missing body and the empty tomb, they certainly would not have chosen a woman, Mary Magdelene to be the lead character in the discovery of the empty tomb. Women were second class citizens and Mary Magdelene was also a woman of questionable background. If this report of the Easter Morning discovery were not true, there is no feasible reason for Christian fathers to report it as it was reported. Yet, the report circulated soon after the death of Jesus and even in the face of severe criticism and questions about the credibility of women, Christian reports continued to reinforce this version of events.
Finally, we considered the appearanches of Jesus after his death and resurrection. Jesus appeared to more than five hundred followers as well as to the apostles after his death and resurrection. Again, the preponderance of evidence is overwhelming--Jesus Christ of Nazareth was seen time and again by those who would recognize him. He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today! Amen!

THE CASE FOR CHRIST--Analyzing Jesus

We were pleased to have Trey and Shelly Schultz join us in Sunday School this morning. Please join us in praying that the Lord will guide them to the Sunday School class that He has for them.

Here are the other prayer requests that Tracey published from this morning's class: Swope- Please pray for Zane's childhood friend. He has been in poor health the past few years and is on a heart transplant list and now is going through a divorce- The Haley family.

Higginbotham- Please pray for Gina's grandfather. He has diabetes and has had to have several toes amputated and is facing losing more. Also pray for her mom who is caring for him. Her mom and grandfather have had a very tense relationship over the years.

Miles- Please remember Messiah's Ranch. It is a local christian camp, and the lake which was their main attraction has dried up.

Scasta- Please pray for Craig's mom, Phyllis, as she undergoes outpatient surgery Tuesday.

Gutierrez- Please pray for them as they travel this week to El Paso and then on to Cloudcroft, NM.

Please remember Pastor Chris. He is at the Southern Baptist Convention this week and has a meeting on Monday that is expected to be very tense as it involves some churches having to give up receiving money that they had gotten used to having.

Please pray that God will stop the oil flow in the Gulf and for all those affected.


TODAY'S LESSON:

This morning, we looked at the material from Chapters 9 and 10 from the book, The Case for Christ. These chapters address what Lee Strobel calls the profile evidence and the fingerprint evidence. Mr. Strobel continues to use the metaphor of a court case and strengthens the analogy by referring to the common police investigator strategy of drawing a profile of a suspect in order to verify the suspect's identification. In the DVD presentation, we saw examples of police artists sketching a profile both free-hand and with the use of a computer in order to establish a picture of the alleged suspect. Mr. Strobel points out that The Old Testament creates a profile for the characteristics of God which are fulfilled in The New Testament as Jesus is described. For example, as we discussed in class, some of the attributes of God include His omniscience, He is all-knowing, His omnipotence, He is all-powerful, His omnipresence, He is present everywhere, and His immutability, He never changes, the same yesterday, today, and forever. We see this profile matched in the biographies of Jesus found in The New Testament.

As Dr. Craig Evans, one of the scholars we saw interviewed on the DVD stated, "Jesus' contemporaries--that is, people who liked Him, people who were indifferent, and people who opposed Him--all acknowledged that Jesus did extraordinary things." Such acknowledgements can be found in John 2:23, John 10:24-25, and Matthew 12:24. However, as we discussed in class, many of us had never considered the forgiveness of sins to be the most impressive miracle performed by Jesus. Yet, according to New Testament scholar Mark Strauss, the most astonishing miracle performed by Jesus was exactly that, the forgiveness of sins. The forgiveness of sins can only be accomplished by God. Therefore, even though Jesus performed other miracles to validate his authority to forgive sins, the forgiveness of sins is the ultimate validation of Jesus as God.

We further examined the fingerprint evidence established by the prophecies of The Old Testament as they identified the only person in all of eternity who could fit the fingerprint of The Messiah. We learned in the DVD presentation this morning that there are 48 ancient prophecies regarding The Messiah. Jesus fulfilled them all! The mathematical odds of one person fulfilling all of these prophecies in his lifetime bring further evidence to the case that there is only one individual in all of eternity who could fit this divine fingerprint. The following chart provides examples of some of the prophecies, the Old Testament reference, and the approximate years they were written before Jesus.

FULFILLED PROPHECY O.T. REFERENCE YRS. BEFORE JESUS

Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 700
Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2 700
Mocked, scorned, whipped, killed by Psalm 22 300--1,000
the piercing of his hands and feet,
bones out of joint, garments divided
by the casting of lots
Time of birth predicted Daniel 9: 24-26 600
Come from the seed of a woman Genesis 3:15 1,400
Descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,David Genesis 12:3, 17:19 700-1,400
Numbers 24:17
Isaiah 9:7
Heal the deaf and the blind Isaiah 29:18 700
Would teach with parables Psalm 78:2 300-1,000
Would be betrayed for 30 pieces silver Zechariah 11:12 500
Bones would remain unbroken Psalm 34:20 300-1,000
Would be resurrected on the 3rd day Psalm 16:10 300-1,000
Hosea 6:2
* For more information on prophecies fulfilled, see the book, The Case for Christ.

The overwhelming preponderance of evidence from the profile and prophecies created in The Old Testament points to only one person--The Risen Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth! Amen!

Please join us next week as we begin to consider the medical evidence, the evidence of the missing body, and the evidence of appearances. The case continues to build--The Case for Christ. Have a great week! Don't hesitate to call me if I can help you in any way or if I can pray for you or with you. 979-229-6606

The Case for Christ--Corroborating Evidence

This morning, we looked at Strobel's collection of corroborating evidence from Chapter 3 of his book and briefly at the rebuttal evidence from Chapter 6 of the book. We talked about the meaning of corroborative evidence. Webster defines corroborate: "To make more certain; confirm: He corroborated my account of the accident." Corroborative evidence supports other testimony; it affirms or backs up the essential elements of an eyewitness account. It can be a public record, a photograph, or additional testimony from a second or third person. It can verify a person's entire testimony or just key parts of it. In effect, corroborative evidence acts like the support wires that keep a tall antenna straight and unwavering. The more corroborative evidence, the stronger and more secure the case.

Chapter 3 from The Case for Christ makes reference to corroborative evidence found outside the Bible. For example, one of the "support wires" from the image described above could be the historical writings from various historians such as Josephus, Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Tertullian, and Phlegon. These writings verified and validated many of the events, actions, words, and characteristics that we find in the eyewitness accounts of Jesus in the Gospels of the New Testament. For example, the historical description of the darkened sky and the earthquake that occurred when Jesus died on the cross is referenced in the historical documents of the day. Jesus was described as a wise man who performed acts of amazement and who was a teacher to those who followed Him. An important fact to keep in mind is that these historians were not Christians. They had nothing to gain by embellishing the facts. In fact, they likely faced some criticism and persecution from those who were attempting to quell the Christian movement. Yet, they were compelled to record the facts for history and these historical facts clearly corroborated the Biblical version of the life of Jesus.

We took a brief look at Chapter 6, the rebuttal evidence. Most of the rebuttal evidence comes from the gnostic gospels. I did not realize that there were more than 80 gospels, 4 of which were eyewitness accounts that are included in the Bible. The gospels of the New Testament were all written relatively soon after Jesus' death and they are all attributed to the author whose name they bear. Not so with the other "agnostic" gospels. The agnostic gospels were written long after Jesus lived on earth and authorship cannot be attributed to the name listed as the title of these documents. In addition, these documents have many contradictory accounts that do not reflect the events as they were described in the eyewitness testimonies of the Gospels of the New Testament and they do not comply with the other evidence found in historical documents and other outside evidence.

The Holy Bible placed great emphasis on "truth." The emphasis on truth is verified by the following scriptures: Psalm 15: 1-2, Psalm 25:5, Psalm 40:11, Psalm 51:6, and Psalm 145:18. Our lesson today deals with the "Truth" of the Bible, the truth of Jesus, and the truth of Christianity. In John 8:32, Jesus is quoted as saying, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." AMEN.

The Case for Christ--Eyewitness Evidence

Memorial Day Weekend--what an impressive tribute to our armed forces during the worship service today! Please remember our armed forces who are serving around the world and their families and loved ones in your prayers this week. Also, please keep Kathleen's mom in your prayers as she seeks a new job and is being considered for a position that appears to fit her skills and experience well. Also, would you please pray for Rebecca Edwards, a friend of the Lovingshimers who sustained a serious knee injury while playing soccer this week. She is dealing with pain and a surgical repair and recovery.

During class today, we considered evidence of Jesus and the New Testament based on the direct and indirect eyewitness reports of those who were contemporaries of Jesus. The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are either statements of one who actually witnessed and heard Jesus or they are statements of one who talked to those who saw and heard Jesus. Matthew was one of the original twelve disciples and recorded the words and deeds of Jesus based on his own first-hand account. Likewise, John was in the inner circle of Jesus and wrote about his first-hand observations of Jesus and repeated the actual words of Jesus. Mark was a close confidant of Peter and appears to have recorded the personal experiences of Peter in his relationship with Jesus. While not mentioned in the DVD today, the book does mention an early church historian by the name of Papias who specifically affirmed that Mark had carefully and accurately recorded Peter's eyewitness observations. In fact, he said Mark "made no mistake" and did not include "any false statement." Irenaeus, another early church historian, verified that Luke, who has been called "the historian", was a companion of Paul and "set down in a book the gospel preached by his teacher."

Strobel's research and interviews with the top Bible scholars of our time clearly indicated that the first written records of Jesus acts and words came within a realtively short period of time after His death and resurrection and certainly within a generation of Jesus' life on earth. Until that time, the facts about Jesus were maintained through oral tradition. In the lesson today, we learned that the oral tradition of an ancient culture required those who would share this sacred information to actually memorize the information perfectly in order to ensure that the information was accurately transmitted to the next generation. As a result of the realtively short period of time between the life of Jesus and the recording of these eyewitness accounts, Biblical scholars have suggested that the accuracy of the data was actually enhanced since there would have still been eyewitnesses around who would most assuredly have challenged any false or blatantly inaccurate information that was written in the first manuscripts describing the life and words of Jesus.

We had a brief discussion this morning about the allegations raised by some non-believers that because the details of the Gospels are not perfectly aligned, its credibility is called into question. On the contrary, as we discussed, the fact that there are differences in the eyewitness accounts helps to assure readers that the writers were not acting in collusion. Also, as we mentioned in class, there are no discrepancies about the main themes and critical points of any of these stories.

We looked at a few perceived discrepancies of the Bible and discussed possible resolutions that could be simple explanations.
We looked at 1 Chronicles 21:25 and 2 Samuel 24:24 and the apparent contradiction between the amount of money that King David paid for the property and equipment where he was led to build an altar to make sacrifices to the Lord. We also made reference to Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10 in which there appears to be some contradiction about who asked Jesus to heal the child. Also, in Matthew 1: 1-16 and Luke 3: 23-38, different names are listed in the geneologies of Jesus. These contradictions and about 800 others are addressed in a book called "When Critics Ask" by Norman Geisler. Dr. Geisler says, "...in my experience when critics raise these objections, they invaariably violate one of seventeen principles for interpreting scripture." Now, I am on a quest to find out what those seventeen principles are. Have a great week. Jimmy