"R.C. Sproul's Greatest Battle and How He Recovered | TheResurgence"

Watch this video.  RC Sproul is one of the greater men of God in our lifetime.  A great preacher and theologian.  Listen to a breif story on how he struggled with an addition and how he no longer struggles.  PS  if you struggle with smoking, this is a very good tesitmony to here.  There is victory in Jesus !!!
Sincerely,

Bookmark: http://theresurgence.com/greatest-battle

Sunday School Text for this coming Sunday: Also, remember we will dismiss earlier this Sunday for Worship Services

Luke 1:67-79 (New International Version)

Zechariah's Song

 ⁶⁷His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
 ⁶⁸"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
      because he has come and has redeemed his people.
 ⁶⁹He has raised up a horn^[a] of salvation for us
      in the house of his servant David
 ⁷⁰(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
 ⁷¹salvation from our enemies
      and from the hand of all who hate us—
 ⁷²to show mercy to our fathers
      and to remember his holy covenant,
 ⁷³the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
 ⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
      and to enable us to serve him without fear
 ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
 ⁷⁶And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
      for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
 ⁷⁷to give his people the knowledge of salvation
      through the forgiveness of their sins,
 ⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,
      by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
 ⁷⁹to shine on those living in darkness
      and in the shadow of death,
   to guide our feet into the path of peace."

Sunday School Text for this coming Sunday: Also, remember we will dismiss earlier this Sunday for Worship Services

Luke 1:67-79 (New International Version)

Zechariah's Song

 ⁶⁷His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
 ⁶⁸"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
      because he has come and has redeemed his people.
 ⁶⁹He has raised up a horn^[a] of salvation for us
      in the house of his servant David
 ⁷⁰(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
 ⁷¹salvation from our enemies
      and from the hand of all who hate us—
 ⁷²to show mercy to our fathers
      and to remember his holy covenant,
 ⁷³the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
 ⁷⁴to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
      and to enable us to serve him without fear
 ⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
 ⁷⁶And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
      for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
 ⁷⁷to give his people the knowledge of salvation
      through the forgiveness of their sins,
 ⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God,
      by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
 ⁷⁹to shine on those living in darkness
      and in the shadow of death,
   to guide our feet into the path of peace."

Where are the Faithful?

What Christmas is Really About.... like noone else can say it.

Sins of the Tongue

Sins of the Tongue

Much can be said of a person's character by the way they use their tongue. Sanaca once said, "Speech is the index of the mind." Jesus said that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." (Mat. 12:34) According to Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." In James 3:6, the Bible says that the tongue is "a fire, a world of iniquity", and James 3:8 calls the tongue a "deadly poison." As a fool would carelessly play and prank with a loaded gun, so many Christians today do likewise with their deadly tongue. If only we could fully realize the untold damage that we are doing to the body of Christ! If only we could see the full effect of the words we use! Perhaps a closer look into the Bible can help. God made man, and God made man's tongue, so surely God should be qualified to comment on the subject. Surely God should have some good counsel concerning the use and misuse of the human tongue. Let us consider some sins of the tongue as we find them revealed in God's word. The Lying Tongue Proverbs 25:18 says, "A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow." So a lying tongue is a misuse of a deadly weapon. It can be used to harm others near at hand (a maul), a few feet away (a sword), or a great distance away (an arrow). Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44), and God said that he hates a lying tongue (Pro. 6:17). All liars will have their part in the lake of fire, according to Revelation 21:8. The Flattering Tongue Flattery is also a sin of the tongue. The Bible speaks of flattery as a characteristic of the wicked, not the righteous: "For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue." (Psalm 5:9) Imagine the improvements which could be made in our nation if voters elected leaders on the basis of the RECORD rather than on the basis of the flattering speeches! Flattery is just a form of lying, and it has no place in the life of a Christian. The Proud Tongue The Bible also speaks of the proud tongue. Psalm 12:3-4 says, "The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?" The most annoying Christians in the world are those with proud tongues because a proud tongue usually comes with two closed ears! Proud- tongued Christians are generally so full of themselves that they learn very little from anyone else. A proud-tongued Christian will talk much of his knowledge and service, but very little about the Lord. In a church, a proud-tongued Christian will make all sorts of suggestions about how the church should function, yet his suggestions, if received, will place burdens on everyone but himself. A proud- tongued Christian is hard to teach or reason with because he thinks he knows everything. Friend, God hates a proud tongue. Allow the Holy Spirit to use your tongue in the way of humility and kindness because pride will only quench God's Spirit and damage your testimony. The Overused Tongue Some people sin by simply overusing their tongue. Ecclesiastes 5:3 says that "a fool's voice is known by multitude of words." People think they appear smart by much talking, but the Bible states just the opposite. Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few." God doesn't like a blabber mouth. You say, "Well, that's just the way I am!" Then REPENT! Confess your sin and repent. Stop justifying your wickedness and ask God to help you repent. The Swift Tongue Some people are guilty of speaking too swiftly when they really need to wait before saying anything. God's word says the following in Proverbs 18:13: "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." How many times have you had to "eat" your words because you spoke too swiftly? James 1:19 warns us to be swift to HEAR and SLOW to speak. Why do you suppose God gave us two ears but only one mouth? The Backbiting Tongue Proverbs 25:23 and Romans 1:30 make mention of a backbiting tongue. A backbiter is someone who uses their tongue against you when you aren't present, yet they will not face you with their charges when you are present. This is a cowardly backbiter who would rather stir up problems than solve problems. A backbiter would much rather talk ABOUT the preacher than talk TO the preacher. A backbiter would much rather talk ABOUT some weak Christian in the church than offer some words of encouragement TO them. A backbiter is of no use to anyone, and no one has ever been strengthened or edified through backbiting. Beware of the backbiters, especially the ones who sow discord among brethren (Pro. 6:19)! The Talebearing Tongue Proverbs 18:8 says, "The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." Leviticus 19:16 says, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people. . ." Every Christian has the duty to deny his own desires and seek to edify other Christians (Rom. 14:19; Philip. 2:3). Talebearing runs wholly contrary to Christian edification. Talebearing (carrying and telling tales) spreads all sorts of hurtful information around, and Satan uses such information to hinder and tear down God's work. A victim of talebearing, according to Proverbs, is a "wounded" person. God forbid that a Christian should wound another Christian, but it does happen all the time! Some Christians live as though they think God has "called" them to bear tales on other Christians. Many "Christian" newsletters are dedicated to informing the body of Christ on the latest news about someone's ministry or personal life. There are many nice words and phrases used to justify such conduct, but the Bible word is TALEBEARING. The Cursing Tongue Some people, Christians included, have a nasty habit of using their tongue for cursing. Romans 3:13-14 says, "Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." This passage deals strictly with unsaved people and their ungodly ways, yet there are a great many professing Christians who curse regularly. Friend, why would you want to identify yourself with someone whom God describes as being DEAD, DECEITFUL, and POISON? "As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones."(Psalm 109:17-18) Many people curse because their life is miserable. They are unhappy so they make it known with their degenerate speech. This text says that God keeps them unhappy BECAUSE of their speech! God curses those who curse! Christian, don't expect God's blessings when your mouth is filled with cursing. The Piercing Tongue Another sinful tongue is the piercing tongue. Proverbs 12:18 speaks of this tongue by saying, "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health." Some people have a sharp piercing tongue which Satan uses to offend and insult others. The Bible commands Christians to have their speech dominated by GRACE (Col. 4:6), yet most churches have a few people who use their tongue like a sword to pierce their brethren in Christ. It was Teddy Roosevelt who said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," but the truth is that if you speak softly you won't need a big stick! Titus 2:8 commands us to use sound speech which cannot be condemned. Friend, do you use graceful speech which cannot be evil spoken of, or do you possess a piercing tongue? Every Christian's prayer should be, "Lord, make my words gracious and tender, for tomorrow I may have to eat them." The Silent Tongue A silent tongue is also a sinful tongue because we have been commanded to speak up and witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." We, as Christians, have an obligation to tell others about the saving grace of Jesus. To be silent about Christ is to sin against Christ. Jesus said, "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38) Christian friend, if you do not want to be ashamed of yourself when the Lord returns, then don't be ashamed of Jesus today. Pray for opportunities to speak up for your Saviour. Don't be found guilty of having a silent tongue. "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." (James 3:2)

Copyright © 2001 James L. Melton

Sunday School Text for this Week - James 2:1-13

This weeks listen, we continue on in the Book of James.  James takes on a subject that seems to be almost timeless for all cultures. Prejudice,  but unlike our "western" way of thinking Prejudice involves much much more than a "pre judging of someone's race".  Pray for God to open our hearts as we see what He has for each of us this week.

Some things to consider:

1. Verse 1. What does favoritism mean?
2. How do you think someone not dressed so well  would be treated in our church? ^{... and what does well dressed mean anyway?}
3. In general, how do you think we treat visitors?
4. Verse 5. Why are the poor rich in faith?
5. What does the Bible teach about the poor?
6. Verse 12. What kind of judgment can we expect as believers?

Pray for Tommy as he prepares to bring us the lesson this week.

Pray! Pray urgently! Now !!!! This is not a random chain prayer email !!!

From: Judy <jhpuckett55@yahoo.com>
Subject: Pray! Pray urgently!
To:
Date: Friday, November 13, 2009, 9:51 AM

I am asking for prayer for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit upon a Muslim man named Mohammed.

 

     He came to my English class here in Mali over a month ago and immediately began challenging me on the message of the Bible.  He asked typical Muslim questions--things that Islam and the Qu'ran teach opposite of the Bible, such as the Deity of Jesus.

 I even sent some emails to some people back home asking for some thoelogiacal help on some of his questions but in all God gave me answers.  I surprised myself with the answers I gave. Had to be God.  He has continued coming to class, improving his English, and we have been reading the book of John, among other scriptures and Bible stories.  I have noticed a difference in him for several weeks.  He has not been challenging me but asking questions! 

  I just got a text message from him.  He wants to talk to me about something I said in class, "a phrase "the blood of Jesus'"!!  He said it "made him happy". I believe that God is drawing him and he is close to commiting to Christ. He is not young--probably late 30's and well educated. Please pray right now.  Then keep praying daily. Praise Him!   Judy

 

 

JUDy

"The Lord lives!!!  Blessed be my Rock. 

Let the God of my salvation be exalted!

Ps 18:46

Fwd: Thoughts to ponder (with permission from Regina)

From: Regina Daniel <rldanielusa@yahoo.com>

I just read this in a devotional magazine I use.  Below is a synopsis of the material.  (Of course I threw in my own comments) Jesus was addressing the end-time church in Revelation 3:19 - "You say 'I am rich - and have need of nothing' - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked - I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.  Therefore...repent"   Why would Christ say such strong words to us?  Here are some reasons. 1.  Instead of believing God for New Testament results, we say God doesn't do miracles anymore. 2.  We've tolerated division in the name of denominational loyalty.  (It's more important to be "Baptist" than to be a follower of Christ - and this comment is from a SOUTHERN BAPTIST to the core.) 3.  We've taught that Christianity is mainly about avoiding things.  As a result we've lost our joy, because intimacy with Christ cannot be achieved through performance.  (To me this is an incredibly truthful statement.  The world sees Christians as people who are not ALLOWED to do anything "fun" - therefore they think we have no joy in our life!) 4.  Many of our leaders have stopped modeling servant-hood and forgotten that Jesus washed feet and rode on a donkey.  (How blessed we are at Grace to have a pastor that is a servant!  Now if everyone would just follow the example of Christ as a servant - how far could we take the Gospel?) 5.  Instead of using our financial blessing to reach the world for Christ and care for the poor, we're acquiring and splurging on ourselves.  (OUCH) 6.  We get upset when somebody uses contemporary methods to reach the younger generation.  Instead of engaging the culture - we're hiding from it.  (AMEN and AMEN) 7.  Instead of "occupy till I come", we'd rather fly away.  We read rapture novels when we should be praying for those living on the verge of martyrdom all around the world.  I thought these were some incredible thoughts to ponder for all Christians. Love, Regina

James 1:1-18, God's Amazing Ways !!!

As you prepare for this weeks lesson, look at the text in God's Word and ask yourself these questions.  This lesson should be one of our most thought challenging of the year.  It is wonderful how God works.  Regina has been moved to sing a particular song for several weeks.  I heard it for the first time a few days ago.  She did not know what the lesson was about and I did not know what the song she was being lead to sing. As we look into God's word allow Him to minister to you this Sunday in class as well as the Service in Song.  I know this sounds like a plug for my wife (and it probably is) but it is amazing how God works.  See you Sunday.

James 1:1-18

1. How has pain brought you joy? How has pain made your life better?
2. Is pain really necessary if we are to have a rich, full, life?
3. How can we move in the direction of counting it all joy when we face trials of many kinds?

God Bless !!!!

Sunday Text and Thoughts for this week

Scriptures: James 1:19-25; 2:14, 18-26

Some thoughts for this week:

The Word of God is like a mirror, reflecting our true selves back at us so we can assess where we fall short in God's eyes. We are not to remain mired in guilt when He reveals our shortcomings, but move forward in faith, asking God to transform us more into Christ's likeness. This is a painful process. Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us that the Word is like a double-edged sword that pierces us down to the marrow of our bones – in effect, removing the facades we use to hide our faults and discovering the impurities within. Remember that our doing of God's Word is impossible under our own power. We must rely on God to enable us along this path of obedience.

Some questions to consider for this week:

1. Is anger a bad thing?
2. What does it mean to be swift to hear?
3. Verse 21. We sometimes see salvation as a one time transaction-something like setting up a reservation in heaven. How is being saved seen in this passage?
4. Verse 25. How does the law give freedom?
5. Do you think the world sees the law as the law who gives freedom?
6. Can you believe in God and go to hell? What all can you believe and still not make it into heaven?

Pray for our class, the leadership at our church and the many health issues plaguing people in our church this week.  Pray that God will speak through His word to us this Sunday in class and from the music and pulpit.

Mark 15 & 16 - Sunday School Text and Questions.

Sunday School Text and thoughts for this week.

1. Mark 15.1 - 15. Verse 1 says very early in the morning. What time did Jesus get up on the morning He was crucified?
   
2. What do you know about Pilate? 
3. Verse 3. What things did they accuse Jesus of?
   
4. Verse 5. Why do you think Jesus was silent?
   
5. Verse 6. What do you know about Barabbas? What is the story with him
6. Mark records one of Jesus seven sayings from the cross. What are the other six?
7. Mark 16.1 - 5. What do you know about each of these women?
   
8. Verse 4. Why was the stone moved?
   
9. Verse 6. What is a Nazarene? What is the significance of calling Jesus a Nazarene?
   
10. Verse 7. Why do you think it says, "and Peter"? What do we learn about God from this?

Sunday School Party at the Lee and Robin's Saturday

From Robin about Saturdays Party !!!

Hey Lee,

Many people have asked "what can I bring?"  please bring an appetizer or dessert to share...

Dress for cooler weather.  (Party is Outside)

Party is at 6pm Saturday.

Robin

This is why you need a calendar!

Judgment Day at Tenn Temple

The 15th Annual Walk-through Drama,

 

Judgement Day XV

"The Promise of Forever" 

 

to be held on the campus of

 

Tennessee Temple University.

 

Where: The 700 block of Orchard Knob in the old Elementary School building on the greens.

 

When: October 26, 27, and 31

 

Time: 7:00 PM until Midnight

 

Tickets: $7.00 each (Groups of 15 or more $5.00 each)

 

For more information about how to purchase group tickets and other discounts, please call 423-493-4100

The Lord's Supper - This Sunday, Please Read Exodus Chapter 12

Per the message from Pastor Doug, please read and pray about Exodus Chapter 12 in preparation for the Lord's Supper.

Sunday School Text and thoughts for this week (Mark 12)

The Core verses are Mark 12:13-40 but we need to cover th first 12 verses also. As you prepare consider the following.

1. What is a Parable?
2. What is the purpose of the parable Jesus is speaking of in verses Mark 12:1-12?
3. In verse Mark 12.13 - 17. How is this story a trap?
4. Matthew 12.18 - 27. What do we know about the Sadducees? What do we learn about heaven from this passage?
5. Mark 12.28 - 34. What are some things people worship today in place of God?
   
6. How do we express love to God with each of these: our heart, soul, mind, and strength?
7. Is Christian living hard?
8. What keeps us from loving others?
9. Verse 40. What did prayer mean to the Pharisees?

Also, don't forget to let Robin and Lee know via RSVP about the 10/24 Sunday School Party. 

October Sunday School Party Hosted by Lee and Robin Perry

Class

Lee and Robin would like to open their home up to our class for an October 24th Party at 6pm.

1. Their Home is at 29 Thoroughbred Lane in Cartersville. 
2. They will be providing the Chili and all the fixins and soft drinks.
3. Please bring a dish to share and your favorite bug spray. 
4. Please email back your RSVP ( RPerry@bartow.k12.ga.us ) so Lee and Robin will know how much chili to prepare. 

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day ........

I know its early but listen to the stirring words from Christian Artist "Casting Crowns" Peace on Earth Christmas CD. Extremely moving. The Truth in Song !!!

Re: Eight Habits to Be Spiritually Healthy (something to thing about)

If you have trusted God with your eternal life, shouldn't you trust Him with the details of your earthly life as well?

Let us learn to trust Him for who He is. 
Elisabeth Elliot

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 6, 2009, at 10:23 AM, Lee Daniel <ldaniel@hdins.com> wrote:

Eight Habits to Be Spiritually Healthy

Here is the question to ponder today, how hard is it to die when you have so much wealth? Consider this...

People who lay up treasures on earth spend their life backing away from their treasures. To them, death is loss.

People who lay up treasures in heaven look forward to eternity; they are moving daily toward their treasures. To them, death is gain.

Those who spend their life moving away from their treasures have more and more reasons to despair. Those who spend their life moving toward their treasures have more and more reasons to rejoice.

Is the passing of time causing you and me to despair or rejoice? God's ownership of everything is the reference point for all of us who serve the Lord.[1]

God's Word teaches us 8 habits that can keep us spiritually healthy until death. Wouldn't it be great to be in robust spiritual health, looking forward to Heaven? The habits recorded in Psalm 116 are not just for those who have one foot in the grave, they are actually good habits for all of our lives.

Here are the simple habits that make our death precious in the sight of the Lord. These are the marks of a healthy spiritual life that takes the sting out of death.

v. 1 Believe in Him that He is listening and watching and respond in love.
v. 2 Cry out to Him. Get used to talking to the Lord. Pour out your heart, your fears, your woes - share them with Him.
v. 9 Follow Him through your daily life. He is the Shepherd and we are His sheep.
v. 13 Drink Him. He is our cup of salvation. We thirst and He alone satisfies. Let Him into your life to meet your deepest needs!
v. 14 Obey Him. Do what He says. Give in and submit to Him.
v. 16 Serve Him. Tell Him that, say it aloud and offer it as an offering.
v. 17 Thank Him. Think through all the many blessings and benefits the Lord has heaped upon you. If you have troubles, listen to some children pray. They thank the Lord for eyes to see, warm "blankies" to sleep under, food to eat and all the other simple and sweet blessings of life.
v. 18-19 Live for Him. From now on live for His glory, talk of His blessings, come into His presence, worship and adore Him.

Do your plans and priorities for the rest of 2009 mirror what the Lord desires? His desires are clearly laid out in His Word.

by Dr. John Barnett

Dr. John S. Barnett has been teaching the Word of God for over thirty years. For five years he served as Associate Pastor to Dr. John MacArthur at Grace Community Church (Sun Valley, CA.)  He is now the teaching pastor at Calvary Bible Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Eight Habits to Be Spiritually Healthy (something to thing about)

Eight Habits to Be Spiritually Healthy

Here is the question to ponder today, how hard is it to die when you have so much wealth? Consider this...

People who lay up treasures on earth spend their life backing away from their treasures. To them, death is loss.

People who lay up treasures in heaven look forward to eternity; they are moving daily toward their treasures. To them, death is gain.

Those who spend their life moving away from their treasures have more and more reasons to despair. Those who spend their life moving toward their treasures have more and more reasons to rejoice.

Is the passing of time causing you and me to despair or rejoice? God's ownership of everything is the reference point for all of us who serve the Lord.[1]

God's Word teaches us 8 habits that can keep us spiritually healthy until death. Wouldn't it be great to be in robust spiritual health, looking forward to Heaven? The habits recorded in Psalm 116 are not just for those who have one foot in the grave, they are actually good habits for all of our lives.

Here are the simple habits that make our death precious in the sight of the Lord. These are the marks of a healthy spiritual life that takes the sting out of death.

v. 1 Believe in Him that He is listening and watching and respond in love.
v. 2 Cry out to Him. Get used to talking to the Lord. Pour out your heart, your fears, your woes - share them with Him.
v. 9 Follow Him through your daily life. He is the Shepherd and we are His sheep.
v. 13 Drink Him. He is our cup of salvation. We thirst and He alone satisfies. Let Him into your life to meet your deepest needs!
v. 14 Obey Him. Do what He says. Give in and submit to Him.
v. 16 Serve Him. Tell Him that, say it aloud and offer it as an offering.
v. 17 Thank Him. Think through all the many blessings and benefits the Lord has heaped upon you. If you have troubles, listen to some children pray. They thank the Lord for eyes to see, warm "blankies" to sleep under, food to eat and all the other simple and sweet blessings of life.
v. 18-19 Live for Him. From now on live for His glory, talk of His blessings, come into His presence, worship and adore Him.

Do your plans and priorities for the rest of 2009 mirror what the Lord desires? His desires are clearly laid out in His Word.

by Dr. John Barnett

Dr. John S. Barnett has been teaching the Word of God for over thirty years. For five years he served as Associate Pastor to Dr. John MacArthur at Grace Community Church (Sun Valley, CA.)  He is now the teaching pastor at Calvary Bible Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Sunday School Text and Thoughts for this week - Core verses Mark 11:12-25

Class

This weeks text may be very familiar to many of you.  The core verses in the lesson are  Mark 11:12-25, but we may take a venture into other verses in that chapter as well as some related scripture in the Old Testament that Jesus quoted.  Please read the entire chapter.  It is helpful from a contextual viewpoint, to fully see some things that are taking place in the core verses.

While reading and studying and praying, ask God to show you something you may have overlooked in the past.  This is a very compelling view of Christ that Mark presents us.

Chapter 11

The Triumphal Entry

1 When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the • Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples
2 and told them, "Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.
3 If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.' "
4 So they went and found a young donkey outside in the street, tied by a door. They untied it,
5 and some of those standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the donkey?"
6 They answered them just as Jesus had said, so they let them go.
7 Then they brought the donkey to Jesus and threw their robes on it, and He sat on it.
8 Many people spread their robes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields.[1] Other mss read others were cutting leafy branches from the trees and spreading them on the road
9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed kept shouting: • Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord![2] Ps 118:26
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!
11 And He went into Jerusalem and into the • temple complex. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The Barren Fig Tree Is Cursed

12 The next day when they came out from Bethany, He was hungry.
13 After seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.
14 He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!"[3] Jr 8:13 And His disciples heard it.

Cleansing the Temple Complex

15 They came to Jerusalem, and He went into the temple complex and began to throw out those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers' tables and the chairs of those selling doves,
16 and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple complex.
17 Then He began to teach them: "Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?[4] Isaiah 56:7 But you have made it a den of thieves!"[5] Jr 7:11
18 Then the • chief priests and the • scribes heard it and started looking for a way to destroy Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished by His teaching.
19 And whenever evening came, they would go out of the city.

The Barren Fig Tree Is Withered

20 Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up.
21 Then Peter remembered and said to Him, "• Rabbi, look! The fig tree that You cursed is withered."
22 Jesus replied to them, "Have faith in God.
23 • I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
24 Therefore, I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for—believe that you have received[6] Other mss read you receive; other mss read you will receive them, and you will have them.
25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.[7] These are the only uses of this word in Mk. It means "the violation of the Law" or "stepping over a boundary" or "departing from the path" or "trespass." [
26 But if you don't forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing."][8] Other mss omit bracketed text

Messiah's Authority Challenged

27 They came again to Jerusalem. As He was walking in the temple complex, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came and asked Him,
28 "By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority to do these things?"
29 Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
30 Was John's baptism from heaven or from men? Answer Me."
31 They began to argue among themselves: "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Then why didn't you believe him?'
32 But if we say, 'From men' "—they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was a genuine prophet.
33 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Please pray for the class and all the prayer requests and many people that are sick.

See you Sunday.



Thanks Lee

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Know Jesus - Mark 8:34-38; 9:33-37; 10:32-24 { The Results of Knowing Jesus }

As you review this weeks lesson, consider the following and questions related to the text.  Please pray for the preparation of the lesson, not only for the Tommy and I as teachers, but also for the class to really dig into God's word for what he wants us to see and learn. 

Know Jesus
Lesson: The Results of Knowing Jesus
Scriptures: Mark 8:34-38; 9:33-37; 10:32-24

1. What offer does Jesus make as He asks people to follow?
2. What does it mean to lose your life?
3. Is denying self the same as self-denial?
4. Is following Christ a free gift or is it costly?
5. Jesus was so clear in predicting his death. Yet, as we read the rest of the story, the disciples clearly didn't get it. How do you explain this?
6. Is following Jesus easy or hard?

This Sunday.... What a great Lesson and Class Time together

Thank you all for your participation today. Tommy, great job with the lesson.  The Lord really spoke through you today.  Steve, you were very sensitive to The Holy Spirit.  Prayer was indeed the correct response and I believe everyone felt the presence of The Holy Spirit today with your prayer. 

Continue to remember Guy and Laura Jo and the rest of their family in the coming days.  Loosing a parent is a very difficult time for anyone.  I know they appreciate your prayers.

Around Wed or so, I will post the text and thoughts for this week via, the blog, twitter, facebook and email.  In the mean time, be in much prayer for the direction of the lesson.  Ask God to speak through us as teachers.

Have a great week !!!



Thanks

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Lesson and Text for this Sunday

Mark 6.1 - 6; 45 - 52; 7.1 - 13

As you read this week, please consider some of these questions:

1. Verse 1. What was Jesus' hometown?
2. Verse 2. Jesus taught in the synagogue. What is the difference between a synagogue and the temple?
3. What do we learn about Jesus from verse 3?
4. Verse 3. Why did they take offense at Jesus?
5. Verse 5. Is there anything Jesus can't do?
6. Why did Jesus want to get away from the crowd?
7. Some have called this an acted out parable. What is the lesson of this story for us?
8. When has Jesus calmed the storm for you?
9. Mark 7.8 - 13. What is the fundamental difference between the commands of God and the traditions of men?

Volunteers needed for Grace for Life

Per Malynda Eger,

See below:  If you can help please contact her directly - malyndaeger@yahoo.com

Hi Lee,
How are you?  I was hoping your Sunday School class could do ours & Grace for Life a HUGE favor.  Since the dates for the fair have changed, we have an issue with our SS class's scavenger hunt.  The date for the hunt was planned around the fair, and now that the fair dates have changed, we have a conflict.  Since most of Grace for Life's members are in the Young Couples SS class, they had planned on going to the Scavenger hunt and I really don't want to keep them from that.  Do you think your class could help us with the fair on Saturday?

This is a great opportunity to get out into the community and have people see Jesus through the church.  All we are asking people to do is pass out balloons or give a bookmark to teens.  I have several types of literature so that if someone asks a question, for instance, "What about rape?", you can just hand them a pamphlet.  Simple as that. 

Here are the times left:

Wednesday, 23rd, 2:45 - 5; 7:30 - 10  (this is Kiddie day)
Friday 25th,  5:45 - 8 (need 1); 8-10 (need 1)        or if someone would like to watch my kids    Andrew can do 5:45 - 8 with me, or if a couple wants that spot, I can bump up to 8-10
Saturday 26th 2:45 - 5; 5-7:30, (if you are not planning on going to the Scavenger hunt)

Thanks for considering helping out.

Mid Faith Crisis?

Hebrews 12:1-3
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus....For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

Any runner will tell you that the toughest part of a race is not the end-it's just before the end. Most milers, for example, find that the third lap (of four) is usually their slowest. That's when you feel dog tired and wonder why you ever started running in the first place.

That's how faith is. At some point, after they've been Christians for several years, many believers encounter what I call the "mid-faith crisis." It's characterized by restlessness; a desire to return to the days of youth; a questioning of commitments, identity and personal values; and a loss of enthusiasm for work, marriage, family.

Have you lost your zest for life? Lost your love for people? Kind of bored with God and with church? Can't be impressed anymore? Do you have joy?

Is your job a chore or are you doing it as unto the Lord? Are you wondering why your circumstance seems so unfair?

Do you find you can't remember when you last confessed a sin to God? Are temptations becoming more alluring? Are you in a valley?

There are no simple answers for a time like this. Life is difficult. It isn't ever going to be easy. As Mick Yoder, a good friend who lost his six-year-old son in a plane crash four days before Christmas, said, "Life wouldn't be so hard if we didn't expect it to be so easy."

Some of us expect the Christian life to be one of endless prosperity, when we will feel little pain. This is called the "Prosperity Gospel." Well, Christ didn't enjoy this type of prosperity when He lived, did He? Whenever you are weary of the race, follow the advice of Hebrews 12: Keep your eyes on Him and keep on running to win.

– Dennis and Barbara Rainey (Campus Crusade staff members)

New Blog we will follow

Oh, ok, it is my sons, but hey they are just starting out and I want to encourage them. They are studying (At Tenn Temple) The Life and Letters of Paul this semester and they decided to write a blog about it.

Check it out.

Life and Letters of Paul

Sunday School Text and Lesson for this Week and some other items of note. Please read as soon as possible to begin preparing.

The Text for this week.  Mark 2.1 - 28

Some Questions to Consider

• Verse 4. What did roofs look like back in the day?
• Verse 5. Whose faith did Jesus see?
• Verse 14. What kind of reputation did tax collectors have back in the day?
• Do you think sinners today feel loved by the church as this sinner felt loved by Jesus?
• Verse 18. What was the Pharisees practice in fasting?
• What do we learn about the Christian faith from the wineskins?
• Sabbath-keeping is about resting. Why is rest so important?

As you prepare this week, consider this: 

• Try to create a culture where reading your Bible every day is normal.
• Model the behavior you want to see in yourself with your own quiet time with The Lord.
• Talk to others about how God is working in your life these days.
• People want to drink from a moving stream, not a stagnate pool.  Is your stream moving?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
God's Awesome Beauty !!!  

I came across something NASA released today that us just unbelievable.  Look at the beauty out there that we cannot see, but yet God sees everyday.  What does that say to you about the unseen things of God and His knowledge as it relates to ours.

NASA Hubble Newest Images

Changes to the Sunday School Blog

Starting this week, I will begin only posting Sunday School Lesson, Text and Talking points and related information on our Sunday School Blog. I still may post and occasional article to read or video to watch, but I will no longer post "news" related items to the blog unless it is relevant to what we are studing.

I will however, place a link to my news blog rukiddingme.org for such "news" worthy sites. If you choose to following that blog or occasionally look at it, that is great, if not, thanks for just following the Sunday School Class Blog.

I believe the blog should be relevant to our class and discussions. At times I have posted items, while, interesting to me, may not have been so interesting or relevant to the followers of our SS blog.

Stay tuned this week for Text and Talking points for this coming Sunday. Great input this week.

NIV Bible Being Revised - You decide

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2009/September/NIV-Bible-Being-Revised/

Lee Daniel

Update on Fathima Rifqa Bary - Convert from Islam

iphone.foxnews.com

Jesus the socialist? (OneNewsNow.com)

Jesus the socialist? (OneNewsNow.com)

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FIRST-PERSON: Viewing the world through an Acts 1:8 lens

FIRST-PERSON: Viewing the world through an Acts 1:8 lens
By James B. Law
May 27, 2009

GONZALES, La. (BP)--Imagine a camera with a huge lens and God giving you the privilege of looking through the viewfinder to see the world from His perspective. The image you see moves from where you are, all the way out beyond the horizon and into the unseen places of the world. And He sees people.

This is the kind of experience a committed believer has when their life intersects with the truth of the biblical text. This is particularly true when it comes to the mandate of Acts 1:8.

In this moving passage, the living, resurrected Christ commands His disciples to remain in Jerusalem where He promised they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Jesus went on to say that this power would enable them to be His witnesses concentrically, beginning in Jerusalem, and ultimately all the way to the ends of the earth.

These parting words of Jesus are clear. Those who follow Christ are to be global in their thinking. This message goes to the heart of one of life's greatest struggles: Namely, we are wired to forget the world ... not remember it.

Paul Borthwick illustrates this in his book, "Six Dangerous Questions To Transform Your View of the World." In this challenging work, Borthwick referenced a National Geographic advertisement which stated that "24 million Americans can't find our country on a map of the world."

"As a follower of Jesus Christ, I find that geographic knowledge follows my beliefs," Borthwick writes. "My Christian commitment demands that I be concerned about the world for which Jesus died. Yet I find that quite a few Christians are no different from the population surveyed for ... the National Geographic Society."

It's easy to be so fixated on ourselves and the maintaining of our Jerusalem ministries that we forget about the sea of lostness that Jesus Christ has called us to impact with the Gospel.

As a local church pastor for the last 21 years, 16 of those years in the same church, my primary pastoral labor is in my "Jerusalem" -- Gonzales, La. This is where I spend the preponderance of my time and energy. My pastoral journey to embrace global missions has been an incredible story of how God can use a small, ordinary congregation to make a global impact.

FBC Gonzales took its first mission trip as a church in 1999. Since that time the church has sent out over 45 teams on short-term mission projects. We've experienced God's calling on some of the people from our church who now champion the Gospel in faraway places. All the while we've maintained a strong commitment to Cooperative Program percentage giving.

In 2001, the church adopted an unreached people group. Since that time the church has experienced the purifying power of missions and celebrated many times as teams returned with incredible testimonies of divine appointments.

Perhaps you wonder, "How do I get started with Acts 1:8 obedience? How can I lead our congregation to view the world through the lens of Acts 1:8?" Consider the following to focus your vision of the world on God's purposes:

-- The priority of prayer.

Prayer is critical. People tend to be spring-loaded to go and do and plan and print materials and strategize, each having their place, but the top priority is to pray. The noted Methodist preacher Samuel Chadwick once said, "The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."

The entire book of Acts is a clinic on prayer. The disciples were told to assemble, to wait and to pray for the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 13, the church at Antioch engaged in missionary praying and fasting. Through this season of prayer the Lord spoke, and they sent out Saul (Paul) and Barnabas for the work. It is incredible to think of the impact of that prayer meeting upon the missionary labor of Paul and Barnabas.

To possess an Act 1:8 worldview, church leaders must call the people of God to prayer for global missions and allow God to surprise His church with a renewed vision and faithful provision.

-- The export of a healthy local ministry.

The health of the local church is critical to Acts 1:8 obedience. The early church (Acts 2) was functioning as a body of believers in such a way that the Gospel spread rapidly and the needs in the body were met abundantly. Worship, teaching, fellowship, prayer and evangelism were the commitments of their ministry.

Early in its missions worldview development, FBC Gonzales used the term "export" to describe its missions sending. In a real sense, it believed that by sending out teams, it was "exporting" its local ministry. Because of this process, we have a heightened sense of commitment to the spiritual health of "Bodylife" in our Jerusalem.

Our church is by no means perfect and a church does not need to have everything in order before obeying Acts 1:8. Obedience to the biblical mandate is definitely a process and there is the desperate need for God's ongoing sanctifying work in our lives. As a result, our church wants to export a healthy ministry: Christ-exalting, Kingdom-seeking, Bible-centered, church-planting, missions-mobilizing and family-building. This is the missions ministry we long to export to the nations.

-- Learn from others who are doing it.

Another important lesson for FBC Gonzales is that we did not have to "re-invent the wheel" with regard to doing missions. Resources and opportunities abound to help individuals and churches launch a global focus.

The first mission trip was by invitation from another church that had a developed ministry. We "piggy-backed" on their labor and they imparted invaluable "how-to" information to our church. In turn, the next year, we took our own mission trip and have returned on a yearly basis ever since. Part of what cooperative ministry is all about is churches helping other churches mobilize for Gospel ministry.

The strategies and ideas are endless. The more you are engaged with missions, the more you will experience more missions. Missions beget missions. If steps of obedience are taken, the Lord will open door after door of opportunity. Friendships and partnerships are forged in a common labor.

Experiencing Acts 1:8 missions is the most exciting adventure a Christian can know -- to make Christ known from neighbors to the nations. A worldview that begins here and goes there is the experience for those faithful to the Lord.
--30--
James B. Law is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Gonzales, La., and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee.


Copyright (c) 2009 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
901 Commerce Street
Nashville, TN 37203
Tel: 615.244.2355
Fax: 615.782.8736
email: bpress@sbc.net

The day the circus came to church

Thoughts anyone?

The day the circus came to church

The Gift of A Bible

Very thought provoking view from an atheist. It not important that a
man was called good. It is important to note that we as Christians
don't tell others about Christ.

Warning. This video is clean but many of his has some bad language.
You should hear him on this though.

The Gift of A Bible <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa9JE_ZVL88>

--
Sincerely,

Lee Daniel
www.hdins.com
770-382-8954 office
770-386-4081 fax

Please pray for this girl.. She is a new sister in Christ , Her entire family is Muslim and she may be killed as a result. Her family is in Ohio

Court Expected to Send Runaway Teen Home Despite Muslim Honor Killing Fears - Pray for this new sister in Christ !!!

Court Expected to Send Runaway Teen Home Despite Muslim Honor Killing Fears - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

Donations Needed for Reveal Weekend - Urgent needs

From: Regina Daniel <rldanielusa@yahoo.com>

Dear Class, We have an opportunity to put feet to the lesson we have been studying in Exodus.  Just as Moses asked the Israelites to bring offerings to help build the Tabernacle, we are being allowed to bring food offerings to build up our youth during Reveal Weekend (Aug. 29th-30th).  Please bring as many 2 liter drinks and bags of cookies as you possibly can this Sunday morning.  If we all chip in, we should be able to provide more than enough drinks and snacks for everyone.  We will also have a box and take cash donations for other items needed for the weekend.  The Youth leaders will use these funds to purchase pizzas for dinner on Saturday.  Any help will be greatly appreciated.  There are no funds whatsoever in the budget for this event.  Reveal Weekend was originally planned to kick off our Youth ministry for the entire school year.  It gives our kids a chance to invite unchurched friends in for a big event where they can hear the Gospel - The pure unadulterated Good News of Jesus Christ.  Let's do all we can to minister to these kids.  Some of them may hear the Gospel for the very first time next weekend.  For some, it may be their last opportunity to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit.  Isn't it awesome that the Lord is allowing YOU to take part in this event?  Bring all your offerings to class this Sunday.  If you read Exodus 36, you will see where Moses had to actually ask the people to STOP bringing offerings.  Wouldn't that be incredible to witness such a "problem"?   Please prayerfully consider what the Lord wants you to do this week.  Pray, pray and pray some more for this incredible outreach opportunity. Let all our thoughts and actions be focused in such a manner .... that ALL may know the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.    Love, Regina

Tea Party Commercial-awesome!!!

Tea Party Video

 

 

 

Do You Require Signs? Lesson for 8/23

The text for this week is as follows:

Judges 6:14-16,36-40; Matthew 16:1-4; Romans 12:1-2

What might prompt us to say to God, "Are you sure this is the way you want me to go? Something doesn't seem right."

What are some methods people use to look for God's guidance and direction as they make decisions today?

What advice would you give a friend who wants to follow the Lord but is afraid he or she has taken a wrong turn and gotten off track?

When God's Word says yes and the "signs" around you say no, how will you maintain your faith and conviction to do what you know God wants you to do?

Pastors Killed for their Faith

The Sun News On-line | News

Stephen C. Meyer

Stephen C. Meyer

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something fishy, better send it to the whitehouse - flag@whitehouse.gov

Say No to Government Health care !!!  Let your congressmen, friends, relatives , the man and women on the street know.  We have to protect our freedom.  No more government intrusion in our lives.

Is this Fishy and Suspicious enough?  You make the call.  Don't be afraid to speak up !!!

Please pull up this video from yesterdays Glenn Beck show. Scroll over to about the 6 minute mark and watch it. This is the kinda stuff we will have to deal with if it goes through. Just one aspect.

As Promised yesterday the WSJ.com article - Why Israel Is Nervous

AUGUST 1, 2009

Why Israel Is Nervous

Tension is escalating between the U.S and Israel. The problem: The administration views the Israeli-Palestinian issue as the root of all problems, while Israel is focused on Iran’s nuclear threat, says Elliott Abrams.

By ELLIOTT ABRAMS

The tension in U.S.-Israel relations was manifest this past week as an extraordinary troupe of Obama administration officials visited Jerusalem. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, National Security Advisor James Jones, special Middle East envoy George Mitchell and new White House adviser Dennis Ross all showed up in Israel’s capital in an effort to…well, to do something. It was not quite clear what.

Since President Obama came to office on Jan. 20 and then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 31, the main motif in relations between the two governments has been friction. While nearly 80% of American Jews voted for Mr. Obama, that friction has been visible enough to propel him to meet with American Jewish leaders recently to reassure them about his policies. But last month, despite those reassurances, both the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Anti-Defamation League issued statements critical of the president’s handling of Israel. Given the warm relations during the Bush years and candidate Obama’s repeated statements of commitment to the very best relations with Israel, why have we fallen into this rut?

U.S.-Israel relations are often depicted as an extended honeymoon, but that’s a false image. Harry Truman, who was a Bible-believing Christian Zionist, defied the secretary of state he so admired, George C. Marshall, and won a place in Israel’s history by recognizing the new state 11 minutes after it declared its independence in 1948. Relations weren’t particularly warm under Eisenhower—who, after all, demanded that Israel, along with Britain and France, leave Suez in 1956. The real alliance began in 1967, after Israel’s smashing victory in the Six Day War, and it was American arms and Nixon’s warnings to the Soviet Union to stay out that allowed Israel to survive and prevail in the 1973 war. Israelis are no fans of President Carter and, as his more recent writings have revealed, his own view of Israel is very hostile. During the George H.W. Bush and Clinton years, there were moments of close cooperation, but also of great friction—as when Bush suspended loan guarantees to Israel, or when the Clinton administration butted heads with Mr. Netanyahu time after time during peace negotiations. Even during the George W. Bush years, when Israel’s struggle against the terrorist “intifada” and the U.S. “global war on terror” led to unprecedented closeness and cooperation, there was occasional friction over American pressure for what Israelis viewed as endless concessions to the Palestinians to enable the signing of a peace agreement before the president’s term ended. This “special relationship” has been marked by intense and frequent contact and often by extremely close (and often secret) collaboration, but not by the absence of discord.

Yet no other administration, even among those experiencing considerable dissonance with Israel, started off with as many difficulties as Obama’s. There are two explanations for this problem, and the simpler one is personal politics. Mr. Netanyahu no doubt remembers very well the last Democratic administration’s glee at his downfall in 1999, something Dennis Ross admits clearly in his book “The Missing Peace.” The prime minister must wonder if the current bilateral friction is an effort to persuade Israelis that he is not the right man for the job, or at least to persuade them that his policies must be rejected. When Israeli liberals plead for Obama to “talk to Israel,” they are hoping that Obama will help them revive the Israeli Left, recently vanquished in national elections. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that Mr. Obama and his team wish former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni had won the top job and view Mr. Netanyahu and his Likud Party with some suspicion. The result, of course, is to make personal relations among policy makers more difficult, and to make trust and confidence between the two governments harder as well.

But the Obama administration has managed to win the mistrust of most Israelis, not just conservative politicians. Despite his great popularity in many parts of the world, in Israel Obama is now seen as no ally. A June poll found that just 6% of Israelis called him “pro-Israel,” when 88% had seen President George W. Bush that way. So the troubles between the U.S. and Israel are not fundamentally found in the personal relations among policy makers.

The deeper problem—and the more complex explanation of bilateral tensions—is that the Obama administration, while claiming to separate itself from the “ideologues” of the Bush administration in favor of a more balanced and realistic Middle East policy, is in fact following a highly ideological policy path. Its ability to cope with, indeed even to see clearly, the realities of life in Israel and the West Bank and the challenge of Iran to the region is compromised by the prism through which it analyzes events.

The administration view begins with a critique of Bush foreign policy—as much too reliant on military pressure and isolated in the world. The antidote is a policy of outreach and engagement, especially with places like Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and Iran. Engagement with the Muslim world is a special goal, which leads not only to the president’s speech in Cairo on June 4 but also to a distancing from Israel so as to appear more “even-handed” to Arab states. Seen from Jerusalem, all this looks like a flashing red light: trouble ahead.

Iran is the major security issue facing Israel, which sees itself confronting an extremist regime seeking nuclear weapons and stating openly that Israel should be wiped off the map. Israel believes the military option has to be on the table and credible if diplomacy and sanctions are to have any chance, and many Israelis believe a military strike on Iran may in the end be unavoidable. The Obama administration, on the other hand, talks of outstretched hands; on July 15, even after Iran’s election, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said “we understand the importance of offering to engage Iran….direct talks provide the best vehicle….We remain ready to engage with Iran.”

To the Israelis this seems unrealistic, even naïve, while to U.S. officials an Israeli attack on Iran is a nightmare that would upset Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world. The remarkable events in Iran have slowed down U.S. engagement, but not the Iranian nuclear program. If the current dissent in Iran leads to regime change, or if new United Nations sanctions force Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program, this source of U.S.-Israel tension will disappear. But it is more likely that Iran will forge ahead toward building a weapon, and U.S.-Israel tension will grow as Israel watches the clock tick and sees its options narrowed to two: live with an Iranian bomb, or strike Iran soon to delay its program long enough for real political change to come to that country.

Israel believes the only thing worse than bombing Iran is Iran’s having the Bomb, but the evidence suggests this is not the Obama view.

If Iran is the most dangerous source of U.S.-Israel tension, the one most often discussed is settlements: The Obama administration has sought a total “freeze” on “Israeli settlement growth.” The Israelis years ago agreed there would be no new settlements and no physical expansion of settlements, just building “up and in” inside already existing communities. Additional construction in settlements does not harm Palestinians, who in fact get most of the construction jobs. The West Bank economy is growing fast and the Israelis are removing security roadblocks so Palestinians can get around the West Bank better.

A recent International Monetary Fund report stated that “macroeconomic conditions in the West Bank have improved” largely because “Israeli restrictions on internal trade and the passage of people have been relaxed significantly.” What’s more, says the IMF, “continuation of the relaxation of restrictions could result in real GDP growth of 7% for 2009 as a whole.” That’s a gross domestic product growth rate Americans would leap at, so what’s this dispute about?

It is, once again, about the subordination of reality to pre-existing theories. In this case, the theory is that every problem in the Middle East is related to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. The administration takes the view that “merely” improving life for Palestinians and doing the hard work needed to prepare them for eventual independence isn’t enough. Nor is it daunted by the minor detail that half of the eventual Palestine is controlled by the terrorist group Hamas.

Instead, in keeping with its “yes we can” approach and its boundless ambitions, it has decided to go not only for a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, but also for comprehensive peace in the region. Mr. Mitchell explained that this “includes Israel and Palestine, Israel and Syria, Israel and Lebanon and normal relations with all countries in the region. That is President Obama’s personal objective vision and that is what he is asking to achieve. In order to achieve that we have asked all involved to take steps.” The administration (pocketing the economic progress Israel is fostering in the West Bank) decided that Israel’s “step” would be to impose a complete settlement freeze, which would be proffered to the Arabs to elicit “steps” from them.

But Israelis notice that already the Saudis have refused to take any “steps” toward Israel, and other Arab states are apparently offering weak tea: a quiet meeting here, overflight rights there, but nothing approaching normal relations. They also notice that Mr. Mitchell was in Syria last week, smiling warmly at its repressive ruler Bashar Assad and explaining that the administration would start waiving the sanctions on Syria to allow export of “products related to information technology and telecommunication equipment and parts and components related to the safety of civil aviation” and will “process all eligible applications for export licenses as quickly as possible.” While sanctions on certain Syrian individuals were renewed last week, the message to the regime is that better days lie ahead. Of this approach the Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid told the Wall Street Journal, “The regime feels very confident politically now. Damascus feels like it’s getting a lot without giving up anything.” Indeed, no “steps” from Syria appear to be on the horizon, except Mr. Assad’s willingness to come to the negotiating table where he will demand the Golan Heights back but refuse to make the break with Iran and Hezbollah that must be the basis for any serious peace negotiation.

None of this appears to have diminished the administration’s zeal, for bilateral relations with everyone take a back seat once the goal of comprehensive peace is put on the table. The only important thing about a nation’s policies becomes whether it appears to play ball with the big peace effort. The Syrian dictatorship is viciously repressive, houses terrorist groups and happily assists jihadis through Damascus International Airport on their way to Iraq to fight U.S. and Coalition forces, but any concerns we might have are counterbalanced by the desire to get Mr. Assad to buy in to new negotiations with Israel. (Is the new “information technology” we’ll be offering Mr. Assad likely to help dissidents there, or to help him suppress them?)

Future stability in Egypt is uncertain because President Hosni Mubarak is nearing 80, reportedly not in good health, and continues to crush all moderate opposition forces, but this is all ignored as we enlist Mr. Mubarak’s cooperation in the comprehensive peace scheme. As we saw in the latter part of the Clinton and Bush administrations, once you commit to a major effort at an international peace conference or a comprehensive Middle East peace, those goals overwhelm all others.

Israelis have learned the hard way that reality cannot be ignored and that ideology offers no protection from danger. Four wars and a constant battle against terrorism sobered them up, and made them far less susceptible than most audiences to the Obama speeches that charmed Americans, Europeans, and many Muslim nations. A policy based in realism would help the Palestinians prepare for an eventual state while we turn our energies toward the real challenge confronting the entire region: what is to be done about Iran as it faces its first internal crisis since the regime came to power in 1979.

Mrs. Clinton recently decried “rigid ideologies and old formulas,” but the tension with Israel shows the administration is—up to now—following the old script that attributes every problem in the region to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while all who live there can see that developments in Iran are in fact the linchpin of the region’s future. The Obama administration’s “old formulas” have produced the current tensions with Israel. They will diminish only if the administration adopts a more realistic view of what progress is possible, and what dangers lurk, in the Middle East.

Elliott Abrams is a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He was the deputy national security adviser overseeing Near East and North African affairs under President George W. Bush from 2005 to January 2009.

Do You See the Big Picture?

The Text for this week is from 1 Thessalonians 4.1 - 5; 5.15 - 22; 2 Peter 3.8 - 9

Some things to consider this week as you prepare for Sunday.

Do we see the big picture when we are searching for God's will in our life?

Is God hard to please?

How do we live a life to please God?

When you think of the question, "What is God's will?" what kinds of things come to mind?

Also, don't forget that our Sunday School Class has been asked to participate in the visitation. We will eat lunch after the service and go out from the church for visitation.

What is the 9:45 Prayer Time? - Nehemiah Prayer Room Instructions prior to our Sunday Morning Services

This is some information from Victoria on the Sunday Morning Prayer Time.

What is the 9:45 Prayer Time?

It is a time we gather together before the Sunday Morning service to
spend a few minutes in prayer for the Pastor, Bro Gary, and the service
that day.  No more than 3 people meet in the Prayer Room (Nehemiah Room)
NO LATER THAN 9:45 and wait for Pastor Doug to come in to the room.  He
sits on the little bench and we put a hand on his shoulder and pray for
him before he goes into the service.  Someone needs to ask him what his
prayer needs are for that day and he will tell you.  It is usually
something like clarity in speech, recall of what he studied, no
distractions in the service, etc.
At least one person needs to pray out loud.  If there is only one person
willing to pray out loud the others can pray silently while you open and
close the prayer time.  If there are those willing to pray out loud
designate someone to open and someone to close.  Pastor Doug does not
usually pray at this meeting.  The point is to surround him in prayer
before he stands before the church.
We do not talk to him about anything else at this gathering unless he
asks a question.  We are there to lift up our Pastor and the service.
If Pastor Doug is not speaking that day, then we of course pray for
whoever the speaker is.
We are in the Nehemiah Room no longer than 5 to 10 minutes.

Also on some occasions Doug may not make it in the room for whatever reason.  It doesn't happen often but if it does, pray without him for the Services and all of the above.

Victoria

Sunday Text and Topics - WEEK OF 7/26/2009

Text and Topic for this coming Sunday:

Key Questions About the Triune God

Matthew 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; Ephesians 1:3-14

Remember, Tommy will be bringing the lesson this Sunday.  Please be prepared for a great lesson.  Please lift him up in prayer as he prepares.

Living Confidently, Victoriously and Beyond Doubt - Lesson continuation from 7/12 to 7/19

We where unable to complete the lesson on Living Confidently, Victoriously and Beyond Doubt.  We made it to vs 13.  As mentioned in the class, please consider the question in order to open the lesson this coming week:

• What specifically prevents us from approaching God confidently?  What should we do about that?

The text for this Sunday:

1John 5:13-21 (NIV)

 ¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

 ¹⁶If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. ¹⁷All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

 ¹⁸We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. ¹⁹We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. ²⁰We 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.

 ²¹Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

The Sunday Lesson Text - 1 John 5:12-21

The text for tommorow - 1 John 5:12-21. Living Confidently and Victorious. Be beyond doubt. Also pray for others today. There have been so many needs presented via email and in class the last several weeks.  Pray about these.