KEY SCRIPTURE FOR PAULINE EPISTLES TO PASTORS

I Timothy: Keyword - Leadership Manual

(Leadership Manual For Church Organization)

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 3:15 (NIV)

if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's

household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

II Timothy: Keyword - Combat Manual

(Endurance In The Pastoral Ministry)

KEY SCRIPTURE; 2 Timothy 3:16-17…

The Overview of the New Testament

The New Testament is the completion of the Scriptural masterpiece. The Old

Testament without the New Testament is like a story without an ending, like a bud that never flowers. The Old Testament prepares for the New; the New Testament fulfills the Old. In numerous ways, sometimes clearly, sometimes vaguely, the Old Testament points ahead to Jesus Christ. He is the thread of hope that winds its way through the first half of the Bible.

That…

Early Pictures of God - Part 1

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:8)

Someone reading the Bible for the first time might notice some things about God that are easily overlooked by longtime readers. For instance, in the story of God's relationship with Adam and Eve, there is a note that God walked in the garden during the cool…

The Foolish Truth

"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him' God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe it'" (l Corinthians 1:21)

Sometimes the truth about God isn't what philosophers might imagine. God become a man and die? Ridiculous!

There are many declarations of knowledge; few are trustworthy. In fact, different authorities are constantly proclaiming different "truths" based on…

Like Father, Like Son

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true - even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." (1John 5:20)

If God had not become a man, we would not know Him as well as we do. But because God came to earth as the God-man Jesus, we saw God functioning in daily human life. We saw Him interacting with humanity as if He was one of us.

The…

To Really Know Him is to Follow Him

"The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (I John 2:4)

Growing in the knowledge of God is growing in the knowledge of the Master of the universe and of our hearts. God is not an astronomical phenomenon to be observed through a telescope. He is not a

philosophical concept to be studied. God is King. To know Him is to

follow Him.

We simply can't follow God without…

The Essence of Eternal Life

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

You don't have to understand the intricacies of the Trinity to have eternal life. You do, however, have to have a personal relationship with God - to really know Him.

When you

become a Christ-follower, you accept the Bible's teaching that God saves, loves, and makes Himself known to humanity. Learning about the Trinity…

Behind the Scenes

“The spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor 'knows

him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:7)

We know God the Father created the world. We know His Son, Jesus Christ, died as a

sacrifice for our sins. But what about the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is often the least discussed member of the Trinity, yet He is the divine person

who interacts most closely with us. lf…

He's From Where?

"But we know where this man is from; when the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from." (John 7:27)

To a lot of people;" Christianity doesn't make much sense. They wonder how Christians can base their faith on some special man who can supposedly take away sins. "How," they ask, "can a man take away sins?"

ln Jesus' day, people wondered the same thing. Jesus was from an unimpressive town

called Nazareth. How could He be the Messiah? His…

What's My Motivation?

"The Priests did not ask, 'Where is the Lord?' Those who deal with the law did not know me." (Jeremiah 2:8)

Some priests in lsrael merely went through the motions. While they may have been sincere in taking care of God's holy places, many were lighting incense, offering sacrifices, and even teaching the law of God without truly knowing Him.

Religious activity is not evidence of genuine spirituality. And God does not consider service or worship…

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who Seek you." (Psalm 9:10)

With some people, the more you know them, the more you distrust them. Many are

minefields of character flaws, hidden agendas, and selfish motivations. God alone is

completely trustworthy. He will never let us down.

In fact, the more we know about God who is a Trinity, the more we realize we can depend on Him. God's motivation is purely love. No strings…

“you were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him

there is no other.” (Deuteronomy 4:35)

For some it might come through a painful experience that puts life in perspective. For others

it might arrive through deep study or a spiritual growth experience. Still others might

discover it in an inspiring nature-scape or through the words of a trusted friend. God is

absolutely incredible. No one can compare to Him.

Have you ever…

THE PARABLES OF JESUS

Prayer

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luke 18:1-­8 (NIV)

[1] Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

[2] He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.

[3] And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

[4]For some time he refused. But finally he said to…

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

THE POTTER and THE CLAY’

Jeremiah 18:1-4 (NIV)

[1] This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

[2] "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."

[3] So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.

[4] But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Isaiah 45:9 (TLB)

[9]…

But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. Matthew 6:3-4

The church has a lot of critics, but no equals. If you want to encounter Jesus, then you need to be a part of the church. Jesus is always aware of what is going on in the lives of His people and in the church.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus addresses the…

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

The sentence of eternal separation from God is on Adam. Every human being born is automatically “in Adam,” because he is the first biological parent. We all go down in flames with Adam unless we can be transferred to another. That’s what God does in Jesus Christ. Adam was the rebel, Jesus the obedient Son. He reverses the curse Adam brought on himself and his race. Jesus brings us into the new race, destined for…

JOB: Keyword - Sovereignty

Job is perhaps the earliest book of the Bible. Set in the period of the

patriarchs (Abraham, lsaac, Jacob, and Joseph), it tells the story of a man who Lose everything - his wealth, his family, his health and wrestles with the question, why?

A number of facts indicate a patriarchal date for Job, perhaps between Genesis 11 and l2 or not long after the time of Abraham: (1) Job lived 140 years After the events in the book (42:16) his lifespan must…

Exposed to Christ

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, [who] were uneducated and untrained men, . . . they realized that they had been with Jesus.

- Acts 4:13, emphasis added

The transformation Christ brought about in the apostle John is remarkable. He manifested symptoms of intimate, personal exposure to Jesus, such as the following traits, which reflect the character of Christ. Ponder whether or not these traits are also in your life:

Authenticity: John…

Know That You Know Christ

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves . . . that Jesus Christ is in you.

- 2 Corinthians 13:5, emphasis added

Perhaps your name will be called today, and your life will end here on earth. Are you ready? Do you want to make sure you are going to heaven? Be sure you know that your sins are gone. Be sure you know that God has justified you. What does it mean to be "justified"? In popular everyday language justified…

Know That Christ Knows You

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

- John 10:27, emphasis added

There is an unforgettable illustration in the funeral ceremony of Empress Zita, the last Hapsburg Empress:

Thousands fell in line behind the coffin drawn by six black horses. The procession came to a stop at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, and there, a long-observed tradition was enacted. As a member of the funeral party knocked on the closed door…