Something Greater

A Bible study guide written by Milt Reynolds, January 2011 Taken from The Acts of the Apostles, by Luke the Apostle FRIEND OF GOD In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. Acts 1:1-2 (ESV) THEOPHILUS: Literally, "friend of God"; "theos", God, and "philos", friend; "philos" means a dear friend, one regarded fondly NOTE: Luke addressed two letters to his friend, Theophilus: The Gospel of Luke, and The Acts of the Apostles. In Luke 1:1 Theophilus is described as "excellent" , strongest or very honorable. Luke described Governor Felix as excellent (Acts 23:26, 24:3), as well as a later governor, Porcious Festus (Acts 26:25). WHAT DO YOU THINK? What characteristic would Theophilus, as a "friend of God", share with Felix and Festus as being "exc...

12 Steps to Identifying Your Functional Saviors In The Bookends of the Christian Life , Jerry Bridges offers twelve "questions" to help us identify our functional saviors. These are great questions to ask yourself to gain insight to the direction our inner attitudes and desires are pointing us. 1. I am preoccupied with ________. 2. If only ________, then I would be happy. 3. I get my sense of significance from ________. 4. I would protect and preserve ________ at any cost. 5. I fear losing ________. 6. The thing that gives me greatest pleasure is ________. 7. When I lose ________, I get angry, resentful, frustrated, anxious, or depressed. 8. For me, life depends on ________. 9. The thing I value more than anything in the world is ________. 10. When I daydream, my mind goes to________. 11. The best thing I can think of is ________. 12. The thing that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning is ________. Source: http://thinklings.org/posts/12-steps-t...

Broken, Wounded, and Hopeful | Psalm 119:166 Jeremy B lives in Israel and has a unique opportunity to explore the roots of Christianity while living in the reality of modern Jewish society. I appreciated a recent devotional he wrote. Jeremy has given me permission to reprint it here. Being in Israel on the Day of Atonement this year for the very first time left a deep impression on me, and caused me to give a lot of thought to the sacrificial system - especially its less appealing aspects. Watching some of the Orthodox slaughter chickens to provide some sort of atonement reminded me that salvation has always been a messy business and that looking deeply into it can be a shock for the faint of heart. This realization came at a time of interesting findings in the final stages of writing my thesis. Indeed, the sights and sounds of sacrifices took on a new and deeper meaning in light of a discovery I made a couple of weeks ago. This all may sound rather technical, but I wi...

Solving the Stepfamily Dilemma Biblical Counseling Center Don Hart writes a short article that is packed with interesting facts and practical advice for blended families . I want to put a spotlight on the most important parts, but you should read the entire article here: http://www.biblicalcounselingcenter.org Divorce Rate Take a survey of 100 married couples. 75 of the men and 60 of the women want to divorce and marry someone else . Most second marriages involve children. Out of every 100 divorces, 90 of the mothers will be the primary custodian. Survey 100 second-marriages. 67 of those marriages will also end in divorce. Don asks a good question: What can stepfamilies do to be one of the 33% of those whose second marriage succeeds? Problem 1: Time to Build the Marital Relationship It seems even more important for second-marriage relationships to spend as much time together as just husband and wife...yet it's even harder to do. The blended family tends ...

f(x) = x Line Equation of Suffering and Joy As x increases, so increases y. Let x = suffering Let y = joy This is true only as the suffering, and the joy, are in Christ. Psalm 91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place - the Most High, who is ...

Conversion, The Creation of a Christian Hedonist Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, Part 5 By John Piper - Copyright 2003 by Desiring God Foundation, www.desiringGod.org, published by Multnomah Books A Study Guide prepared by Milt Reynolds Part 1: Introduction Part 2: The Happiness of God Part 3: The Goal of God in Redemptive History Part 4: God Delights in His Glory Part 5: Conversion, The Creation of a Christian Hedonist (page 53) What do you think? Jay E. Adams writes that counseling others should emphasize the "what" of behavior, rather than the "why" of behavior. Do you think it's important to know why a person is caught in a habitual sin, before trying to help them out of it? Is the "why" of sin insignificant? (Competent to Counsel, Jay E. Adams, 1970 Zondervan, pages 48-49) God's quest to be glorified and our quest to be satisfied both reach their goal in one experience: our delight in God, which overflows in praise...