Week Three: The Nativity

Nativity scenes and Christmas pageants abound annually as Christmas approaches. Such traditions date back to the early centuries of the Christian church, and they help Christians focus on the story that is central to the celebration of Christmas: the arrival of God as a human infant.

This week we focus on that story and some of the key components of Jesus' birth. We will discover that, even in the way in which this infant arrived, God was teaching us about His purpose for us in sending His one and only son - and of the sacrifice that Son one day would make on our behalf.

To download this week's lesson notes, click here.

God Bless You and Merry Christmas!

Matt

Week Two: Celebrating Advent

This Sunday will be the third of the four Sundays of the Advent season, and we will take the opportunity to explore the purpose of Advent celebrations and how to use Advent to help our families focus on the magnitude and life-changing significance of the first coming of Jesus, and His eventual second coming.

If you'd like a copy of this week's lesson notes, they can be downloaded here.

God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Matt

St. Nick, Advent, and the Nativity

This Sunday opens a brief, three-week Christmas study for our class. The series is titled: St. Nick, Advent, and the Nativity. The series centers around the traditions, themes, and rituals of Christmas and how, as believers, we can observe them through and reconcile them with a Biblical Worldview.

The date of our first lesson in the series (December 6) actually is celebrated in many Christian circles as a very special holiday. December 6 is St. Nicholas Day. Yes, THAT St. Nicholas. The one we know more commonly today as Santa Claus. Santa Claus is based partially on Christian principles and the example of a great Christian man. Today most Christians hold special childhood memories associated with the anticipation of Santa's arrival on Christmas Eve. And they would like very much to offer these same joyous holiday memories to their own children. But they are also rightly concerned about linking Santa Claus, who is now little more than a mythical figure, with the reality of the baby Jesus who was born in Bethlehem of Judea. They have good reason to fear they may weaken the validity of the Christmas story by mixing it with fantasy. What are Christians to do with Santa Claus?

That will be our study this week. To view this week's lesson notes, you can download them by clicking here.

God Bless You.

Matt

Evidence of Salvation

Preparing for this week's lesson on Becoming a Complete Christian and it occured to me that I had promised to share a summary of some of last week's points on how you can test yourself to see if you are truly a saved child of God. The Bible tells us we should test ourselves in this area, and the book of 1 John gives some very practical tests to apply.

I need to give a big thank you to Brad Bennett for sharing this with me in advance of last week's lesson. This handout, in fact, is his. He uses it in his ministry and mission work. I found it very helpful and hope that you will also. Here is the handout.

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow and hearing what God is revealing to you in this week's study. Please continue to lift your brothers and sisters up to the Lord in prayer. The needs in our class and in the circles touched by members of our class are many, and we were reminded of that again this week. Please don't be tempted to minimize the importance of your responsibility to intercede for your fellow believers in prayer. It is an essential part of becoming a complete Christian. We are commanded to do it, and we all desperately need it from one another. God bless you.

Matt

Genesis 44-47

Well, we didn't get all the way through the chapters we had planned to cover last week, so this week, we'll pick up with chapters 44 & 45 from last week's lesson notes, then go right into Genesis 46 & 47. Lots to cover, including Judah's emergence as the leader of Israel's sons, and the migration of what will be the nation of Israel out of the Promised Land and into Egypt. We also see Joseph's life-saving policies plant the seeds that one day will lead to the enslavement of the nation of Israel.

The lesson notes for the first two chapters of this Sunday's lesson can be found in the latter half of last week's lesson notes. For lesson notes on Genesis 46 & 47, click here.

God bless you. See you Sunday AM.

Matt

REMINDER: Sunday Night Recap of Chicago Mission Trip

Just a quick reminder that this Sunday night (July 26) the Elliotts and the Morrows will share more about our recent mission trip to Chicago with any members of our class who would like to join us. We'll show some pictures, tell some stories, and answer any questions you might have. We are so grateful for your prayer support while we were there. You were so active and supportive in so many ways that it truly was a full-class mission effort.

We will gather at 6pm Sunday, during the regular evening church hour, so small kids will have childcare already in place (older kids should feel free to join us). I think our plan is to meet in our normal classroom upstairs, unless it happens to be in use for something else (unlikely at 6pm on a Sunday, I suspect).

Genesis 42-45

A lot of ground to cover this week, as we near the end of Genesis. This week's lesson takes us through an elaborate deception Joseph uses to alternately test, measure, and even "mess with" his brothers as they come to him to both symbolically and literally fulfill the prophecy of Joseph's original dream (they would bow down to him).

We can learn a lot from each of the characters in this story, including Joseph, Israel, and more than one of Joseph's brothers. The climax of the whole story, though, occurs when Judah, referring to himself repeatedly as Joseph's "servant" offers himself as the substitute to pay the penalty for the theft Benjamin is accused of. This is the same Judah who had cooked up the scheme to sell Joseph into slavery for profit and subsequently fake his death. It also is the same Judah through whose lineage would come another servant who would offer himself as the substitute to pay the penalty of others. How beautiful is God's word to explore?!

To download this week's lesson notes, click here.

God Bless You.

Matt

Friday/Saturday: Wrapping Up & Heading Home

TODAY'S REPORT:

Last night I laid down next to Alex to help him fall asleep and guess what... I was out as fast as he was! Normally I post to this blog after he falls asleep, so it can show up in subscribers' email the next AM. As it is, I'm posting Saturday morning just as we pack the van to head home.

Yesterday was a long full day of prayer walking, VBS and the VBS Parents' Night party (followed by borderline gluttony at Connie's Pizza). The kids (the ones here and the ones we brought) all did great. As Rachael and I help teach Bible stories, it is amazing how many of these kids have never seen a Bible. Most do not own one. One little boy asked Rachael if he could touch my Bible. Then, when she looked up and showed a few children our memory verse, they acted as if they had just seen a magic trick: "Do another. Do another."

Another boy told Jim that he had looked up his Bible story from earlier this week in the one Bible in his home. When his older brother saw what he was reading from, he took the Bible away from him, threw it in the kitchen sink, and turned on the water, ruining the only Bible the boy had access to. The families in this area are mostly immigrants from southeast Asia, Africa or Latin America. A diverse mix of religious tradition & belief has accompanied them here, and not all are open to the truth we share.

However, the reactions of the children wanting to explore further are encouraging. We hope and pray their reactions mean they are hearing our message that this is no ordinary book. That it is written by the hand of God and therefore can be believed fully - unlike any work of man.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. As we complete our portion of this mission, our prayers remain with the people of this area. Please join us in praying for:

• God's Word in the hearts and hands of these families. For those who don't know, our group was the second in a series of three groups from Second Baptist to conduct this project in Chicago. The final group will arrive next week. With them will come a Bible for every child. I firmly believe the stage has been set for many of these children to pour over the pages of their Bibles when they receive them. Pray that, after our work here, they would be ready to receive God's word, and that their families would not be an obstacle to their study of it. Pray also that their families might be influenced by the quiet faith and study of their children.
• The Harvest. God's word reminds us: "Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor (John 4:37-38)." As the middle group of three who will be here on this mission, we get to do a little sowing for the third group and a little reaping from the work of the first. Most importantly, we will pray for a bountiful harvest at some point to come from the work God is doing here through His people. Pray that His name would be glorified and that these children would become trophies of His grace.
• Safe return home. For Jim, Heather, Rachael and I, this has been an incredible blessing. Even our kids seem to have connected with the children here in a very short time and the older ones understand that God is doing an important work. We all are excited also to come home, and we pray for save travel today. Please pray the same.

Tomorrow is Sunday and we will be back together for our ABF class at Second Baptist. I'm hoping to get some time in the van today to refresh my study of tomorrow's lesson (I honestly haven't looked at it in nearly a week). We so are looking forward to seeing you all and sharing more (Both the Elliott camera and the Morrow camera have lots to share as well - I'll work to get pictures up on the blog later in the week, once we've had a chance to share with each other).

We love you and are so thankful for you. Thank you again so much for your prayers and words of encouragement this week (even this morning I received another Facebook note from Amanda Booth encouraging us and sharing what she is praying for us).

God's bless you, and we'll see you tomorrow!

Matt

Thursday: Make Disciples of All Nations

I've included these pictures (above), but they are from my camera phone, so not the best. Tomorrow I'll work to remember to bring our actual camera and hope to have some better ones to share with you.

TODAY'S REPORT:

Yesterday I reported that we had planned for a max turnout of about 70 kids, and were excited to see approximately 135 on our first day. I neglected to mention that planning for 70 was expected to be overkill, as the largest turnout before this week had been 44 kids. The nature of the population is such that even over a three-day program, some kids come and go. Today we had about 110. Tomorrow could be more or less. Either way, God has blessed our work here beyond anything we could have anticipated.

Today's Bible story for the children was the story in John 21 of Jesus appearing to the disciples when they were fishing and telling them to throw their net on the other side of the boat (after fishing all night and catching nothing). Following the miraculous catch of 153 fish, the disciples recognized Jesus and ate with Him. Our Lord asked Peter three times if he loved Him, and each time Peter affirmed his love, Jesus responded by directing him to "feed my sheep."

Accordingly, our memory verse for the children today was the gospel of Matthew's account of the Great Commission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:16). Rachael put together an activity for the children where they constructed a map of the world and marked places on the map where they knew people. They keep the maps as a reminder that Jesus has called us to make disciples of ALL nations, and to share the love of Christ with their loved ones no matter where in the world they are. Many of these children have family in Asia, Latin America, or Africa, so that message was especially meaningful to many of them.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. We have so many praises already to report. Not the least among them has been the performance of the Elliott and Morrow children (as the youngest members of this mission trip). They really have been champs. The older kids are taking active part in the VBS activities with the local children. The younger ones are cooperating better than we could have expected (Alex today for the second day in a row napped through two of the four Bible story sessions - sleeping on a mat on the hardwood floor in the classroom!) Daily, new opportunities for prayer support become clear. As you continue to pray for our efforts, today please pray especially for:

• Receptive Hearts. Several of the children we are working with seem to really soak up the lessons we are teaching. Many have memorized key Bible verses. Eighteen have expressed interest in coming to know Christ personally as their savior. Please pray that all the children would come to VBS Friday in their very most sensitive and receptive state. Friday will be our last chance to share with them, and we don't want to miss the opportunity.
• Parents of the children. Friday night will be our parents' night. All the kids will come with their parents to show their crafts and VBS projects. We will be there to meet their parents and to share God's love with them. Pray that God will present opportunities for us to share our own testimonies, His gospel, and the salvation He offers with these parents. God may well have pre-ordained that some of these very people will become the core membership of City South Church as it begins its important work here in Chicago. More importantly, He may have marked Friday night as the night some of these parents come to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.
• Needs of our loved ones at home. Primarily to members of our Sunday School class: in your constant prayer for our efforts here, please do not forget one another. Reggie shared this week's prayer list via email a couple of days ago. Please remember, for instance, that Mendie's important doctor's appointment & echo are Friday. Pray for God's protection over her and for an encouraging prognosis. "Pray without ceasing" for one another.

I cannot begin to tell you how encouraged we are here to know that you are lifting our efforts to the Lord in daily prayer. We feel the strength of your prayers daily. Today was a critical day and there can be no explanation for how well things went except that the Lord delivered us and answered your prayers on our behalf. In addition to the immeasurable power of your prayers, I'm so grateful for your constant encouragement. Jeff Kallenberger called me yesterday to see how things were going and to encourage our efforts. Naomi called Rachael the day before that. I got a text from Greg Chadwell (from Dublin - by the way, we are convinced Greg doesn't really work for a video game company, but that his "vocation" is merely an elaborate cover for his double life as a secret agent for the CIA). This week we've received emails and facebook notes of encouragement from many in our class (many were mentioned in earlier blog posts). I am personally overwhelmed by the work God is doing in our Sunday School class - by the powerful sense of Christian community He has built among us in such a short time. I am so grateful for each and every one of you.

One side note: There are stories from this trip that simply must be told in person. A blog would never do them justice. Some just because they are funny (ask Jim to tell you about the nickname he was given by a little girl he helped across the monkey bars today, for one). When we return, Jim, Heather, Rachael and I promise to share stories with you. We so look forward to being back with our cherished brothers and sisters in Christ.

Once again, please share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for a succesful mission trip. We want to lift God's name and to share Him with those who do not yet know Him. Sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and thank God for you. Please know that you remain in our prayers daily as well.

Blessings,

Matt

Wednesday: VBS Opening Day & Prayer Walk

TODAY'S REPORT:

We started the day with a group Bible Study / devotional about of 2 Kings 5 (the story of Namaan, who was healed of leprosy by Elisha). Then we spent the morning prayer walking the streets of south Chicago, followed by opening day of Vacation Bible School at James Ward Elementary.

We had planned for a max turnout of about 70 kids, and were excited to see approximately 135 on our first day. That is a wonderful blessing, but it brought with it a fair amount of logistical and planning challenges. All in all it was a fairly exhausting day, but God was certainly in the center of it. Today's Bible story was on the resurrection of Jesus, and children were led through not only the dramatic story, but why Jesus made such a sacrifice. When given the opportunity, eighteen children marked down that they were interested in learning more about how to make Jesus their personal savior.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. Today especially, new opportunities for prayer support became clear. As you continue to pray for our efforts, today please pray especially for:

• Unity in Christ. Our team is diverse. The group that has travelled from Second Baptist represents pretty much every stage of life. And those helping us from other churches are from far more different backgrounds than most of us from Second. But it is so critical that we all remember that we are here for ONE purpose, God's purpose. An important lesson in the Bible study from 2 Kings is that God's answer to our prayer may not always look like we expect it to look - but that doesn't mean God isn't answering that prayer in His own, better way. Pray that we will have unity of purpose as one in the Body of Christ.
• Physical Endurance. This is one that was shared with me by one of our fellow workers. Her concern was for the physical endurance and strength to get through some pretty long days on her feet with the kids, after prayer walking all morning. But the need is for all of us. The Elliots and Morrows have small children with them that are overtired. That kind of makes their parents overtired, too... you know the domino effect of that. Pray for rest and phyiscal endurance.
• God's blessing on His children. For Jim, Heather, Rachael and I, this is our first real mission trip (at least as adults). All of us desire deeply to see the face of God in the work we are doing here. Pray that the work we are doing here will not simply be work, but that -through the work we are doing here - we will see attributes in the character of God that we had not before had opportunity to encounter. Pray also for affirmation that the work we are doing here makes a meaningful impact for our mighty and glorious God.

Once again, please share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for a succesful mission trip. We want to lift God's name and to share Him with those who do not yet know Him. Sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and are so thankful for you. Please know that you all remain in our prayers daily as well.

God's Blessings,

Matt

Tuesday: Preparing the Way

TODAY'S REPORT:

The rest of our crew from Second Baptist arrived in Chicago today. We all spent the afternoon over at the school preparing for the opening of VBS tomorrow (Wednesday). We worked on setting up the various rooms / stations for the kids (Bible story, crafts, recreation & games, music & dance).

Tomorrow morning we start by prayer walking the neighborhoods surrounding the school in the morning, followed by VBS in the afternoon.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. As you continue to pray for our efforts, today please pray especially for:

• Smooth Opening. Registration is tomorrow for the VBS program and many of us are new to this. We also will be working with volunteers from other area churches on this, and many of those people we haven't yet met. Please pray that all would go smoothly and that we will hit it off with our new partners in this effort.
• Making Connections. One of the goals of this mission is that each of us will make at least one lasting connection with someone who we can stay in touch with after we leave. That will be difficult, no longer than we are here, but we trust God. Please pray for success in this lofty goal.
• Expanding our comfort zone. Many of us (including me) will be asked to do things we haven't really done before as a part of this mission. Many of those essentials of this project will be outside our normal comfort zone. Among the things that will be new for some of us: teaching kids, prayer walking, witnessing, sharing testimony, etc., etc. Please pray for boldness and that God would expand the realm of that which we find "comfortable."

Once again, please feel free to share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for a succesful mission trip. We so desire to lift God's name and to share Him with those who do not yet know Him. Sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and are so thankful for you. Please know that you all remain in our prayers daily as well.

God's Blessings,

Matt

Monday Night: Long Day of Travel, Safe Arrival

All in all it turned out to be about ten hours on the road today. A special shout out to Reggie and Andrea Breshears for the mix CDs they burned us for the ride, and the goodie bags they packed for the kids to keep them entertained. Ten hours would have seemed like 50 without their thoughtful provision.

Also thanks also to all who prayed and passed along their encouragement yesterday via email, blog, and facebook. We heard from members of out Adult Bible Fellowship (Naomi Kallenberger, Amanda Booth, Vickie Windmiller, and Greg Chadwell from LONDON, of all places); past members of our ABF (great to hear from Suzanne Vest and Mark and Lee Ann Price - we cherish your prayers); and of course family (Rachael's sister Samantha and my mom both checked in). This certainly is what Paul had in mind when he wrote descriptively of the Body of Christ and how the church should serve as a Community of Believers.

TODAY'S REPORT:

Today was mostly about getting here, and preparing our kids for what is in store for them (as best we could). God answered our (and your) prayers for safe and bearable travel. And, of course, pizza at Gino's East.

After a full day, we didn't arrive at the hotel and get the kids in bed until almost 11pm. That's something we'll have to watch. It won't do anyone any good to have over-tired little ones demanding extra attention. It will be early to bed tomorrow night to be sure.

Tomorrow the rest of the crew from Second Baptist Church will arrive, joining us and the Elliott family here in Chicago. We will have our first organizational meeting at the school tomorrow afternoon after they arrive, then dinner together with the full group and Eric Arnall. This is Jim and Heather Elliott's first time in Chicago, so I suspect they will want to see a bit of the city tomorrow night, but for the Morrows (and our younger children), I suspect it needs to be an early night.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement. I can't tell you how cool it was to read your e-mails, facebook posts, etc. to Jim, Heather, and Rachael as they arrived in my inbox en route to Chicago. What incredible affirmation and encouragement!

As you continue to pray for our efforts, today please pray especially for:

• Preparation. Rachael especially has worked so hard to prepare for the Bible stories portion of our Vacation Bible School curriculum, and I'm eager to see how God uses her preparation. Please pray that we all would be well-equipped and prepared for whatever God brings our way. Also pray that God would prepare the hearts of the young people we and others we will encounter. We know from His Word that only God can touch a person's heart and make them fertile ground for the gospel.
• Safe and timely arrival for the rest of the group. Most of our group arrives tomorrow. Pray for uneventful travel.
• Finding a core membership for City South Church. One of the goals we have while here is to meet committed believers who God will lead to be a part of the core membership of the new church that He is planting here in south Chicago. On faith alone, we are trusting God to bring people who have a passionate heart for Him across our paths so we can encourage them and build a relationship with them. Without their even knowing it, we are confident God has prepared work for them in this calling, and we are praying He will bring these people into our paths. Please pray for the same.

I wrote yesterday to members of my Sunday School class (and I still do, as they are our primary prayer support for this mission). But I am so grateful and amazed at how others already have found this blog and are also praying for us! God is truly amazing! He grants us ten times what we ever ask!

So, to all, please feel free to share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for God's name to be glorified. You (or they) can sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and are so thankful for you. Please know that you all remain in our prayers daily as well.

God Bless You.

Matt

Sunday Night: Packing and Planning

Rachael and I have spent the better part of our evening packing and loading up for this week's mission trip to Chicago. Jim and Heather Elliott almost certainly are sleeping peacefully, having worked ahead on their prep. Shame on them for their failure to procrastinate!

I'll be keeping this blog up with daily posts at the end of each day of our trip. The purpose is to keep our ABF class in the loop about what is happening, what our prayer needs are, and to share the praises of what God most certainly will do to bless this mission.

TODAY'S REPORT:

For those who aren't familiar with the goal of this mission, it is really quite exciting. Second Baptist has been working with local people in Chicago to establish a church "plant" in the south side of the inner city (read more about that here). It is an area in desperate need of God's transformational power and of a true, Bible-believing church. It is our prayer that City South Church will be what God uses to meet that need. A quick browse through the City South Church website gives you a really good flavor for what the goals of the church are. I am particularly encouraged by the "Non-Negotiables" link in the upper right hand corner of the site. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself.

The most exciting thing to me about the whole project is that it is precisely the model described in the New Testament for church growth. I have nothing against big churches (I love being a member of one, in particular), but the New Testament model for church growth was never for a single church to grow to the size of a stadium. Rather, it was for small church-plants to take hold all over the place, receive God's blessing, and bring Him glory, honor and praise as they spread and grew. A lot of people say the believe in God's word. But the best way to demonstrate that is to actually follow the Biblical model, in spite of what popular opinion and the latest trend (even in church circles) might otherwise suggest. I love that Second is doing this!

So, what is our role in this important mission? Well, God has granted us an unbelievable opportunity to penetrate the surrounding neighborhoods in the city-south area. This year, funding was cut for the area's summer school program, so the program was reduced from its normal full-day schedule to half-days. Parents and students alike wanted to keep the full-day program, but there appeared to be no options. Eric Arnall (Second Baptist member who has moved to Chicago to plant this new church) offered to provide a Vacation Bible School program for the kids in what would be the second half of their days as a sort of "after school" program. The school jumped at the chance. This in an environment where the church can't even get a permit to host a picnic or recreation ministry in a public park in the same city! Instead, we actually are inside the public schools, sharing God's love and hope! Only our sovereign God could providentially orchestrate such an amazing opportunity, and we are so honored to help carry out His mission with these kids (K-5th grade) this week!

Rachael and I will be part of the Bible story team & Jim and Heather will be part of the recreation team (although I suspect there may be some trading around). There also is a crafts team and a music team. The kids will bounce to all four "classes" each afternoon.

PRAYER NEEDS:

Perhaps the most important reason for sharing this blog daily is because we are counting on your prayers to support and strengthen our mission. Please continue to pray for us daily! There are many challenges facing this effort and it is only through God's grace that any success will come. So, each day I will share a few specific items that we would ask you to pray over for us. Thank you in advance for your commitment.

As we prepare to depart, please pray for:

• Rest. I'm a better dad and husband when I'm rested. My kids are more agreeable when they are rested... well, let's face it - all of us are. With a nine-hour van ride ahead of us tomorrow, we could arrive exhausted or we could arrive ready to hit the ground running. Please pray for the latter.
• Cooperative kids. The adults are outnumbered! Jim, Heather, Rachael and I are outnumbered by our combined five kiddos on this trip. We are trusting God that they will cooperate and be blessed by this trip as well. Please pray that they will not be a distraction to the children we are trying to reach or to the others on this mission trip. Pray also that they (even as little ones) would grow closer to God through this experience.
• Safe travel. It is a nine-hour van ride, after all. And we are told that the part of town we will be in, while not the most dangerous we could have found, is also not an area where one would want to be found alone after dark. Please pray that God would protect His servants on His mission.

Finally, I know that each of you have friendships and circles outside of our class where you may also know people who you can count on to pray. While I'm blogging primarily for you, as our prayer support for this mission, please feel free to share these posts with others you know who will pray along with all of us for God's name to be glorified. You (or they) can sign up at http://ourabfclass.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner) to receive this blog via email. You can also share it on facebook, twitter, or just by plain old e-mail via the links that appear at the bottom of this (and every) post on this blog.

We love you and are so thankful for you. Please know that you all remain in our prayers daily as well.

God Bless You.

Matt

Genesis 39-41

This week we'll pick up the last chapter (Genesis 39) from Lesson 13 in our Genesis study, and move directly into the first two chapters (Genesis 40 & 41) in Lesson 14. We are probably going a little faster than I would prefer, but working toward completion in time for the start of the fall schedule and our "Cultural Delimmas" church-wide curriculum, which will explore the fundamentals of our faith.

As we study the life of Joseph, I am struck by how well and consistently he lived according to God’s standard in the present. His life and future were in God’s hands, and he was at peace with that. Whether he was in the highest of worldly positions or in the lowest, his character and his desire to serve God faithfully was always the same. We should seek to pattern ourselves the same way. God often uses our “waiting” periods to prepare us for what he has in store next. We don’t need to know what that future is, in order to be sanctified and used by God today.

To download this week's lesson notes, click here.

God Bless.

Matt

Genesis 37:12 - 38:30

I trust everyone is having a great Fourth of July weekend!

This week when our class meets, we will continue working through chapter 13 in the study guide. Last week we left off in Genesis 37 with Joseph receiving dreams of prophecy from God. These dreams were not well received by his brothers and father. This week, we'll pick up in verse 12 of chapter 37. Chapter 37 notes can be downloaded by clicking here.

Then, we'll move to the story of one of Joseph's brothers, Judah, and his rocky family relations. Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar is mistreated in various ways in the story. Ultimately, Judah comes to terms with his own sin... which is the first step toward his transformation under God. For Chapter 38 notes, click here.

God bless you.

Matt

Genesis 37

This week we will begin class by wrapping up the remainder of last week's lesson (we ran out of time), including the deaths of Rachel and Isaac and Esau's lineage to the Edomites. Then, we will focus on Genesis 37 and the transition to Joseph as the next central character in God's covenant people.

Up to now, most of the good and bad that has happened to God's people can be pretty directly attributable to their own actions. When they act in accordance with God's instruction, they are blessed. When they don't, the suffer negative consequences. The story of Joseph shows us a different perspective.

Joseph was a good and righteous man. Perhaps the most ‘Godly’ of all the characters we’ve met in Genesis. At times, Joseph clearly represents an early view of the role Christ would later fulfill in a more universal way. Yet he still experiences great struggles and trials. In fact, many times we will find that the trials he faces are BECAUSE he chooses the Godly path.

Can you relate? Joseph remains faithful. He knows that, even in challenges, God’s plan would not be deterred. God is sovereign and He works providentially through all things to achieve His ends.

For Genesis 37 lesson notes, click here.

God Bless You,

Matt

P.S. I don't know if there is any photographic evidence of what went on at our class social Friday night, but if there is I will do everything in my power to get those pics up on this blog!

Genesis 34-26

Lots of ground to cover this week, including:

• The brutal violation of Dinah by Shecham
• The massive overreaction and vengance plot of her brothers
• Jacob's return to Bethel
• Jacob's recognition that God is a personal God to be sought out
• The birth of Benjamin
• The deaths of Rachel and Isaac

... just for starters! There is a lot we can learn in these chapters, with striking relevance to Christians these thousands of years later. For this week's lesson notes, click here.

Genesis 32-33

Today's lesson follows Jacob as he confronts his fear of confronting his brother Esau. In the process, he wrestles all night with God, only to realize he has been wrestling with God all his life, and that sometimes God has to break us to bless us.

To download this week's lesson notes, click here. See you Sunday.

God Bless,

Matt

Genesis 29:31 - 31:55

We had this very nice family tree up for last week's lesson and didn't have time really to get to it. So, this week we'll pick up right there where Jacob starts having sons in Genesis 29:31 and try to cover a lot of ground, getting him and his family on their way back to his homeland for next week's encounter with brother Esau.

For this week's lesson notes, click here.

Genesis 27:41 - 30:24

A TON of ground to cover this week as we follow Jacob in the aftermath of his successful schemes to take Esau's birthright and blessing. Esau is so enraged that he is actually able to comfort himself with thoughts of eventually murdering Jacob, but he intends to wait to carry out his revenge until after his father Isaac has died. Meanwhile, Rebekah decides now might be an opportune time to send Jacob far away to look for a bride. God speaks to Jacob in a dream as he begins his journey and changes Jacob's perspective for the better.

And that is when things start getting strange. Lots of fascinating things happen in this week's lesson, including some that might make you laugh out loud. For a look at this week's lesson notes, you can download them here. I'm posting (above) a very basic outline of the developing family tree, up through Jacob's children. I think that can be helpful as the names and lists get a little confusing. God bless you and I hope to see you today in class.

Matt

Genesis 27:1-40

This week we'll stop short of completing chapter 27 of Genesis, because verses 41-46 are really more closely connected with next week's text in chapter 28, than they are connected to this week's lesson in chapter 27. 

This week's lesson is a case study in family dysfunction. Four characters, four scenes, many many character flaws. Yet still, God's sovereign will is done - in spite of (and in some cases, actually using) human failures everywhere. To see this week's lesson notes, click here.

Genesis 25:19 - 26:35

This week, we begin our study of Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau. Lesson 10 in our study guide should take us two weeks. In this week's "part one" of Lesson 10, we'll focus on stories that emphasize some very important and applicable lessons for modern-day believers:

• As heirs, test the habits of our parents against scripture. Keep the good, throw out the bad.
• As parents, avoid favoritism in all its forms.
• As believers, avoid the temptation to “force” a promise of God through our own scheming.
• As believers, don’t expect fulfilled promises from God to always be affirmed by being “easy.” Even when God is fulfilling promises, it can be amid serious struggles and challenges along the way.

To read this week's lesson notes, click here.

Lesson 9 (Genesis 23:1 - 25:18)

Better late than never! It took us three weeks to get through Lesson 9 in our study guide, and I have the lesson notes for those three weeks all consolidated into one document. If you've missed some and would like to catch up, you can review those notes by clicking here. If you looked at the notes from week one of Lesson 9 (the last post before this one), the first part of these notes are the same. Keep reading to get the additional content in the latter part of these notes.

Genesis 23:1 - 24:27

This week we come back together after an Easter Sunday when our class did not meet. We pick up our study in Genesis 23, with the death of Sarah and the establishment of one of the most sacred and holy sites in all of Jewish history. Then we follow Abraham's servant as he heads out on an important mission back to the homeland of Abraham's extended family to seek a bride for Isaac. For a look at this week's lesson notes, click here. 

There also is quite a bit of geography involved in this week's lesson so I'd strongly encourage you to thumb through the maps in the back of your Bible. If you need help finding a good one for this week's lesson, this one is pretty good.

Genesis 22

From the study guide:

“Every time God revealed Himself to Abraham, the patriarch progressed in his fellowship with and his understanding of God. Many timies when God revealed Himself to Abraham, the results were a test. The same process happens with us today, except we meet God in His Word and not in personal appearances. Every time we meet with God in His Word, we have the opportunity to progress in our fellowship with and our understanding of God.”

Consider God’s six direct encounters with Abraham before chapter 22:

1)      Genesis 12:1-3 – God tells Abraham to leave Ur and move to a place He would show him.

2)      Genesis 13:14-17 – God reveals His plans and promises to Abraham and asks him to move under God’s direction.

3)      Genesis 15:1-6 – God reveals His patience with Abraham’s attempts to “help” God fulfill His promise of an heir.

4)      Genesis 15:7-21 – God reveals that He provides hope when things look impossible. God sealed His covenant with a sacrifice.

5)      Genesis 17:1-21 – God reveals His sufficiency to keep His promises.

6)      Genesis 18:1-33 – God reveals His justice and His mercy in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In today’s lesson, God reveals the fellowship of His suffering. Click here to download this week's lesson notes.

Genesis 21

In this week's lesson, God' fulfills His unlikely promise to Abraham and Sarah to make them first-time parents when each is around a century old. We also get a picture of God's mercy toward Hagar and Ishmael when they were in desperate circumstances, and we see a treaty reached between Abraham and Abimilech. A busy chapter. To see this week's lesson notes, click here.

Looking forward to Stephen Curtis Chapman / Michael W. Smith concert tomorrow!

Genesis 19:30 - 20:18

Since we didn't quite get through all of the study guide's "Lesson Six" last week, we'll pick up at the end of Lot's adventure (immediately following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah), before moving into Genesis chapter 20 (part one of "Lesson Seven" in the study guide).

In Genesis 20, Abraham falls into the familiar and comfortable habit of sin when his circumstances become uncomfortable. This time, God intervenes before the victim of Abraham's sin (Abimelech) inadvertantly commits a serious sin of his own. Abraham is first given the role of "prophet" in his interaction with Abimelech, and he fulfills the first role of a prophet of God: intercession.

To brush up on last week's lesson and to read notes on the first few verses that we will cover this week (Genesis 19:30-38) click here for lesson notes intended for last week's class. To see lesson notes for this week, click here.

Genesis 18:16 - 19:38

This week's lesson has a mixture of the scary, the perverse and the astonishing. As far off as this time may seem, much can be learned from Lot, his wife, his daughters and the wicked people they chose to dwell among - even today. 

In addition to my lesson notes for this Sunday, I wanted to also post a couple other good resources. If you're interested in the phenomenon of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the reality of the existence of these cities, the archeological evidence for the Biblical account of their destruction, and an interesting take on fire, brimstone, and pillars of salt, try this link. You also can take a look at a map of the Dead Sea area and the archeological discoveries that may well be the very "Cities of the Plain" described in the Bible.

Victory Mission Bake Sale Project (PART TWO)

More pics from the January 22 bake sale gathering at the Morrows to help Victory Mission.

Victory Mission Bake Sale Project (PART ONE)

Better late than never. Here are pictures of those members of our ABF (and their kids) who participated in the Bake Sale project to benefit Springfield Victory Mission. These pics were taken at the Morrows' house on January 22, 2009.

Genesis 17 - 18:15

This week's lesson covers several big turning points in the early narrative of the Old Testament's original patriarch, Abraham. We see the covenant reiterated again. We are introduced to the covenant of circumcision as a reminder of God's promise. God changes the names of Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah. God puts a specific timeline and name to His promise of an heir to Abraham and Sarah. And the preincarnate form of Christ, the second person of the Trinity, visits Abraham and Sarah with an important message. 

To see this week's lesson notes, click here.

God bless you and I look forward to seeing you all Sunday. 

Guys, bring your guns and your appetite for fun. After class (barring rain) we'll take anyone who wants to go to the shooting range north of Springfield. Meeting at Jeff and Naomi Kallenberger's house at around 1pm. 

Genesis 15-16

This week's lesson highlight's God's covenant with Abram, and Abram and Sarai's attempts to "help" God achieve the promise He made. God, of course, needs no help, and we can take a lesson that His plans are the only ones that matter. Our own feeble efforts to control outcomes generally only complicate our own lives, as was the case with Abram and Sarai. To read this week's lesson notes, click here.

I've also posted what I think is a fairly handy timeline of the lifespan of Abram as a pdf document. I think it can help give some perspective about how much time is passing between God's promise and the fulfillment of His promise. That timeline can be found by clicking here.

God bless you.

Genesis 12-14

Since we ran a little short on time last week, we'll begin this week's lesson with a brief discussion of the Tower of Babel. We'll then quickly proceed to the text explored in chapter 4 of our study guide (Woodrow Kroll's Genesis: a God of Purpose, A People of Promise). Chapter 4 of that book covers Genesis chapters 12-14.

Chapters 12-50 of Genesis encompass what are known as the "Patriarchs" of the Old Testament. Abram (later renamed "Abraham" by God) is the first of the Patriarchs, and this week we study the beginning of his story. This week's lesson demonstrates a couple of precious aspects of God's word:

• God's word doesn't pull any punches. When heroes of the Bible foul things up, when they sin, the Bible tells about it. Unlike other ancient religious texts, God's Word shows human beings (even the heroes of our faith) as they are: warts and all.

• God's word - being supernatural in origin - never ceases to amaze with its ability to interpret itself. Who would have thought that an obscure, brief appearance by a priest named Melchizedek would be just the picture God would use to later explain the priesthood of His Son Jesus Christ? 

To see this week's lesson notes, click here. God bless you.

Genesis 6:1 - 11:26

An awful lot to cover this week. We'll see if we can get through it in one class session. If not, we'll just hold onto some of it for next week. This week's study covers the story of Noah, the worldwide flood, and the Tower of Babel. 

The world scoffs at the Biblical notion of a global flood, but there is quite a lot of evidence to support it. In fact, a worldwide flood like the one described in Genesis answers scientific roadblocks like fossils atop mountains and presents a reasonable theory for a younger earth than many secular scientists ascribe to. All of this, of course, points to our Creator as the originator of the universe rather than random chance and evolution. I've discovered some very interesting resources online if you have questions about Noah and the flood. www.nwcreation.net is one that I found particularly interesting. For this week's lesson notes, click here. To take a look at a one-page handout on the timeline of the flood, click here.

Genesis 4-5

I hope everyone who attended last week's class was as blessed as I was by the testimony of Josh about the mission field and church planting in Boise, Idaho. His message should inspire all of us to find our next opportunity to go on mission for God somewhere!

This week's lesson is Genesis 4 & 5. We'll learn about the further deterioration of a mankind that has been corrupted by sin and the snowballing consequences of that sin. We'll also see a picture of God's plan for redemption and reconciliation to Him. For my lesson notes, click here.

Genesis 3

It is good to be back home! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at church tomorrow. This week's lesson is on Genesis 3, and it highlights the temptation, sin and fall of man, along with the subsequent consequences (curse) that falls on mankind as a result. There is much we can learn from the method of temptation, the stages of falling into sin, and the pathetic excuses human beings make in the aftermath of their own sin. To see this week's lesson notes, click here.

Also, if you don't yet have your copy of William Kroll's Genesis: A God of Promise, A People of Purpose, it is now available in the Second Baptist Bookstore. I'd like to really challenge everyone to spend an hour or two each week preparing for class by using this study. I think there is a lot to be gained from the study, and I know our sessions together benefit from a prepared and engaged group. Thanks for your commitment!

Genesis 2

This week we study the second chapter of Genesis, the conclusion of the creation story. In this week's lesson, God's Word delves deeper into the crown of His creation: mankind. 

This week's study contains the fundamental reason it is so important that believers defend the Biblical doctrine of creation against the many attacks it receives. Genesis 2 describes man as a purposeful creation of God, in God's own image, for God's specifically-designed purposes. My lesson notes can be downloaded by clicking here. 

Rachael found a very good article and shared it with me this week. It should prove helpful for those who would like to read more on the subject of what creationists believe. It is titled "Don't Creationists Deny the Laws of Nature?" and is written by Dr. Jason Lisle. A PDF can be downloaded by clicking here. She found it among a LOT of other interesting resources on the website of Ken Hamm, a well-known creationist and Biblical apologetics scholar. The site is answersingenesis.org, and is worth a read if you'd like to study more on the topic of creation.

Just a quick reminder that I will be out of town next weekend, so Brad Bennett will be filling in as our substitute teacher. Please make Brad feel welcome. He is a great guy who has been very helpful and supportive of the work our class is doing. I'll be back the following Sunday (January 25), and we will resume our study of Genesis. Remember, we are using our study guide (William Kroll's Genesis: A God of Promise, A People of Purpose) by dividing each of the sixteen study chapters into two-week studies. So, on January 25, we'll look at Genesis chapter 3. Then, on February 1, we'll study Genesis 4 & 5.

Genesis 1

Nothing like starting the new year off with a VERY meaty Bible Study series! We begin our study of the book of Genesis this week with Genesis, Chapter 1.

The book we will use as a guide is William Kroll's Genesis: a God of Purpose, a People of Promise. To take a look at one place the book can be ordered online, click here. My hope is that we can have it available soon in the Second Baptist Bookstore, too. Copies also are available at CPO. It is a sixteen-chapter study guide, and we have 32 weeks for this study, so my plan is to spend two weeks on each study guide chapter. For instance, chapter one in the guide covers Genesis 1 & 2, so I'll teach on Genesis 1 this week and Genesis 2 next week. I'll work to keep everyone posted of specifically how we will break up the study as we go.

Since the first lesson is on creation, I've taken the liberty of compiling a sort of "primer" handout that will be available in class, but also can be accessed as a PDF file by clicking here. The handout covers the very basics of "new earth" and "old earth" theology, the four main Christian views of the creation timeline, an explanation of the "gap theory," and a few other items that make for pretty good groundwork for the study. I'm also posting this week's lesson notes here. Some have had trouble downloading the files posted in the past as lesson notes in Microsoft Word, so I'm trying to save everything as a PDF now, in the hopes it will work better. Let me know if you have difficulty.