It’s in the Book? Where?!!!
Have you ever been struggling with an issue, only to go to church and hear the preacher say that the answer to your problem is “in the Book?”
You might be wondering what book or chapter deals specifically with your problem. After all, many Bibles (depending on font size) have more than 1,500 pages. How do I know where to look?
While there are specific passages that deal with specific issues in the Bible, scripture’s cure-all power comes not in finding the right remedy for the right problem at the right time. Scripture works more like an inoculation. By consistently reading the Bible and learning its message, you can set yourself up to be at peace when the storms of life rage.
The Bible tells us the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which demonstrates how Christ redeemed those who will trust Him as Savior and how He transforms them through His continual work in their lives. Through reading the Bible, you not only get the saving message of the Gospel, but you also learn about God’s nature, grace, power, and the nature of this world, and the role the events of your life play in your transformation.
If you have a specific issue that you are facing, and want to know what the Bible says about it, message us below. For ongoing Bible reading and teaching, feel free to join us on Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. at 599 Sunrise Drive in Early, Tex.
3 Things to Remember During VBS This Year
Life Point will break tradition this year when we hold VBS for six consecutive Wednesday nights, as opposed to holding it every night for one week. The plan is to foster Spiritual growth as a family by giving parents and children a week to consider the lessons learned and by providing resources to help.
This year’s theme verse is Jeremiah 29:13, which says “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
That verse falls right behind the often quoted Jeremiah 29:11, which says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
These two verses coupled together remind us that God is continually working in our lives to bring us into His presence. Everything that happens in our lives happens for that purpose.
With that in mind, let’s remember the following:
1. God is real. It might seem overly basic to make such a declaration on a church’s blog, but the simple truth is that God exists beyond our understanding and imaginations. Our belief does not define Him, rather He defines our belief. True science, research and archaeology proves His existence and truth. Scripture reveals it.
2. God loves. Not only does God exist, but He gave His only Begotten Son to redeem us from sin and death. Not only did God give His Son for our Salvation, but He made sure we knew about it by revealing it in the Bible. Not only did He reveal it in the Bible, but He uses the events of our lives to reveal His presence and draw us into His truth.
3. The Bible builds faith. The search for truth, and the desire for understanding doesn’t end when you come to know the Lord as your Savior. There are still tough questions to be answered.
Questions such as why God permitted the existence of evil, why a certain tragedy happened in our life, what our purpose is. While a pastor or mentor may be able to give you an academic answer to these questions, the truth is that you will not find peace until you understand how it all fits into God’s nature.
That’s where routine Bible study really helps. As Job said, “I have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.” Job didn’t say he saw God because God showed up and spoke to him. He said he saw God because of the experience he had with God. Our experience with God comes through reading the Bible.
We are going to have fun this summer, and we are going to grow in our faith. Come see us. VBS, Wednesday nights at 6 p.m. at Life Point Baptist Church.
Who Is This Jesus?
In Luke 9, Jesus sent the disciples out into the villages to preach the Gospel and heal the people. As His fame grew, Herod heard about Him and was perplexed. The last great prophet that drew a following was John the Baptist, and Herod had him beheaded.
In his exasperation, Herod asked, “Who is this?”
It’s possible that Herod had a guilty conscience and knew his day of judgment was coming. Or, maybe he was simply curious. Either way, his question stood, and it’s a question upon which the eternal destiny of every individual hangs.
“Who is Jesus?”
In Luke 9, we see that Jesus was many things to many people. Some saw Him as a great prophet, or the resurrection of one of the great prophets.
To those whom He miraculously fed, He was a free (and much needed) meal.
But when He asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter responded, “The Christ of God.”
In that confession, Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and the Savior and Redeemer of Israel, as well as all mankind. Jesus went on to discuss the Gospel with Peter, how that He would die and rise again to redeem man from sin.
We live in a world today where people are encouraged to define and live by their own truths… Their own beliefs. This freedom is essential in allowing us to worship the Lord in Spirit and in Truth, and to live our lives in peace and Godliness, which is God’s will for us.
However, our freedom to define truth and our own belief system does not mean that there are no wrong answers. The question of Who Jesus is must be correctly answered, and accepted, or the sinner is doomed.
For many, Jesus is a wise prophet or a great teacher. For others, He is merely a source of blessing. Some treat Him like a magic genie or a trump card to fulfill their desires in this life. To others, He is a culture warrior who shakes the foundation of the establishment and exacts social justice.
While some of these descriptions fit, the truth is that Jesus Christ is the only Begotten Son of God, who took on the form of man, lived sinlessly, and then went to the cross to pay for our sin, freeing us from guilt and reconciling us to God.
His resurrection conquered death and gave us hope for eternal life.
That is the true Gospel. That is the central message of Christianity. That is what we believe, and it’s what brings us hope.
In Luke 9, you see the people being distracted by the miracles and events surrounding the ministry of Christ. Today, we can be distracted by controversies, politics, debates and economic conditions surrounding the church. Let us tune out the noise and get back to what matters.
Who is Jesus?
He is my Savior and Redeemer, the one Who didn’t see the good in me, but rather put the good in Himself as He transformed me into the person He intended on me being. He is my source of hope, and the reason I live and minister today.
Who is Jesus to you?
Life Point VBS Kicks off Wednesday
Life Point Baptist Church is pleased to announce our new Wednesday night Vacation Bible School program! VBS will be held every Wednesday night June 23-July 28. All ages welcome, with classes from Pre-K all the way up to adults. Parents are invited to attend as well. Food will be provided as well as a host of fun activities.
Join us for the kickoff event at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, at Life Point Baptist Church, 599 Sunrise Drive, Early, TX, 76802. Register early by filling out the form below. Be sure to tell us how many and what ages will be attending with you.
Dreams vs. Reality
Each miracle that Jesus performs is simply amazing. From healing the blind man, to feeding 5,000 with just a few loaves and fishes, the miracles of Christ not only amaze us, but demonstrate His compassion upon those who are helpless and hopeless. Furthermore, each miracle has both the physical, and Spiritual application.
Such is the case with the miraculous catch in Luke 5:1-11. In it, Jesus demonstrates His power in a way that catches Simon Peter’s full attention. He makes Peter’s wildest dreams come true, but does so in a way that makes Peter leave them behind to follow the Lord.
Peter was a fisherman. He made his living dragging nets along the bottom of the Sea of Galilee, hoping to gather enough fish to be able to feed his family and make a living in the market place. History records that during the time of Christ, the fishing industry along Galilee was struggling.
If that were the case, the Peter, Zebedee, James and John were likely in need of a great catch. Such a catch had proven elusive, however, as when we find Jesus teaching along the shore of Galilee, the four fishermen were washing their nets after an unsuccessful night.
In reading this passage, we are reminded of the struggle of mankind. Man’s curse, brought on by Adam’s sin in the garden, is that work would be hard, and would pay off only after maximum efforts had been expended. As God told Adam in Genesis 3, “In the sweat of your face will you eat bread.”
The Lord sees this struggle. It’s real. And He’s sympathetic. It’s worth pointing out in Matthew 6:31-33 that Jesus promises to meet those needs for His followers.
After concluding His teaching, Jesus told Peter to take the boat out into the deep, and to cast the net one more time. When Peter did so, he pulled up a net so full of fish, that it filled both boats to the point that they began to sink.
If you read too quickly, you’ll miss what this really meant.
Everyone who goes into business does so with the dream that they will be wildly successful. What generally happens, however, is that the businessman struggles to make ends meet, and constantly has to worry about the consequences of a bad month.
Peter was in business as a fisherman. When Christ provided the miraculous catch, He made Peter’s wildest dream come true, and He placed that dream right in front of Peter.
At this point, Peter has a choice. Stay and count the fish and work out the logistics of getting them to market, or follow Christ. Peter chose the latter.
Peter was a skilled fisherman who built a business and supported a family. However, his purpose in life was not to be a great fisherman. It was to follow Jesus and become the lead apostle.
Dreams are good, and we never fault anyone for pursuing them. However, the lesson we learn from Peter is that our purpose is not always tied to our dreams. However, when we find the path of our purpose diverging from our dreams, what God has for us down the road of purpose will bring us greater fulfillment than our dreams ever could.
This passage gives us an opportunity to reflect on our priorities and make sure they are in line with God’s.
The Incomparable Christ II
Continuing our thought process on the Incomparability of Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Luke continues to show His divine grace, wisdom and power through His actions. In the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, we see how Christ responds to prayer. In the healing of the masses, we see how Christ responds to all who come to Him. In His preaching in Judea, we see that Christ’s mission is the spread of the Gospel.
In Luke 4:38-44, Jesus visits Simon’s (Peter’s) house. There, he finds Peter’s mother-in-law sick of a fever. In ancient times, fever was a dire situation. They had few medical options, and the best they could do was offer rest, water, nutrition, and trust God for the best.
When Jesus arrived, they appealed to Him. In essence, you could say they prayed for her. While there is a lot to be said for prayer, what we see in this passage is how Christ responded to their pleas. He responded to their appeals by healing Peter’s mother-in-law. The Lord brings healing.
As the sun set, those in the village who had sick relatives brought them to Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. This shows us that Christ will turn no one away who repents and turns to Him for salvation.
Finally, Jesus said that He was sent to preach the Gospel to all the cities of Israel. This shows us that the mission of Christ is to spread the Gospel throughout the whole world.
Check out Pastor Leland Acker’s message posted above, and see how the attributes of Christ make Him incomparable to anyone else, ever.
The Incomparable Christ (Luke 4:31-37)
In his book, The Incomparable Christ, J. Oswald Sanders explored the life, character and divinity of Jesus Christ in a way that left the reader in awe after every chapter. It’s definitely a book that should be on every Christian’s reading list.
In the same way, Luke captures the essence of Christ by recording His acts, teachings, and the teachings about Him. In Luke 4:31-37, several amazing attributes of Christ are on full display as He heals a demon possessed man in the synagogue in Capernaum. The three most prominent are the power (authority) of Christ, the vision of Christ, and the compassion of Christ.
The power of Christ is on full display as the demon has to obey the Lord’s command to come out of the man. Christ is so powerful that even His spiritual opponents must obey Him. He has power over all creation, yet He uses that power on behalf of His people.
The vision of Christ is such that He not only sees us at face value, but He sees our hearts, our inner-most emotional workings, our trauma and sin nature, and He sees what we could be if healed. That brings up the third attribute on display, His compassion.
The compassion of Christ is such that, not only does He see our hurts and scars, but He heals them. Physical, Spiritual and emotional healing are available to any who will believe.
Christ really is incomparable. For more, check out Pastor Leland Acker’s message on The Incomparable Christ.
Introducing the Christ
In Luke 4:16-30, Jesus returns home to Nazareth, where He visits the local synagogue and reads from Isaiah 61. His visit came after having spent time preaching and teaching along the shores of Galilee, near Capernaum. Those who had heard Him preach glorified Him, and He had apparently performed some miracles along the way.
The passage He read at the Nazareth synagogue was a Messianic prophecy concerning the healing and restoration that Messiah would bring, a reference to the power of the Gospel. The people, however, were unimpressed, wishing that He would rather perform some of the same miracles He did in Capernaum. When Jesus confronted their hardness of heart, they tried to kill Him, but He passed through them and escaped.
In reading the opening of Isaiah 61, we are reminded of the power of the Gospel. It is the Gospel that brings healing and eternal salvation. We are also reminded of Who Jesus really is, and why we should place our faith in Him. Ultimately, we are reminded of the hope that our faith brings.
The Temptation of Christ
Temptations are most powerful when we lose our focus on the Lord. In His conquering of Satan’s temptations, Jesus reminds us that there is more to life than bread, that we should only worship God, and that we should not try to force God’s hand.
The Point... 