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 Newsletter Archive December 2009 Friday, December 25 Friday, December 18 Wednesday, December 9 Wednesday, December 2
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  December 25, 2009 Thinking about Happiness
One of the "inalienable rights" of Americans is the Pursuit of Happiness. In Scripture, we are told to pursue peace, righteousness, faith, and love, among other things. Paul said, "Pursue what is good," and in another place, "Pursue things by which one may edify another." However, nowhere does the Bible suggest that we should pursue pursue happiness. That is not to say that God does not want us to be happiness. Over and over again we are told that a man is happy (translated "blessed" in many versions) who does the will of God. That is because happiness is a by-product, not something to be sought for itself. Does the Christian believer, American or otherwise, have the right to pursue happiness? Or is the Pursuit of Happiness, as I believe, one of the things that actually hinders a believer from a truly happy life? Linwood Kemp, Web Admin December 18, 2009 Mary's Song (Part 1)
Mary, while she was pregnant with Jesus, went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. We are told in Luke 1 that the Holy Spirit came upon Elizabeth and that she blessed Mary and her unborn child. In response, Mary sang a song (Luke 1:46-56) that paraphrases many of the prophecies of the Old Testament about the coming Messiah. We don't often pay much attention to the content of Mary's song, but it contains many words of hope and encouragement. Here are some of those thoughts. 46 And Mary said: “ My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. God's importance is not dependent upon our praise, but our praise "magnifies" him in our own hearts, relative to our cares, concerns, and obsessions. Notice that even Mary recognized that God was her savior. This truth is the key to salvation. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. God did not chose Mary for her poverty of goods but for her humility of heart and soul. Psalm 138:6, "He regards the lowly," tells us that this is a characteristic that God places great value on. It is hard for the self-sufficient man to come into the kingdom. Mary understood the significance of what was being done through her and knew that future generations would regard her as special, but... 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. God did not do just one "great thing" for Mary. She was already living a life that recognized the great things that he did for her daily. When we have a habit of thanking God for his daily deeds, he is more likely to do even greater things through us. His name, that is, he himself is "unique, pure, special, set apart"; there is no other being like him. 50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. God is not simply just, he is also merciful. He extends grace to all who respect his power and love his being. His mercy does not change. Food for thought: - Do you magnify the Lord? How and why? (Do you need a reason?) - When you came to God, what kind of state were you in? What is you state now? - Will you be known to future generations for your own deeds or for the deeds that God has done through you? Linwood Kemp, Web Admin How to Study Any Scripture on
Your Own
In the 2000 years since Jesus, the period of time in which the Scriptures have been available to all has been relatively short. Even so, they remain closed to many people simply because the Bible seems too deep and complex to tackle on one's own. It's reeeally not, though. By asking just a few simple questions, you can begin to reveal the treasure that is the holy Word of God. 1. Select any short passage of Scripture. Ask who, what, when, where, why, and how. For example: Who is writing or speaking and to whom? What is the passage about? When does this take place? Where does this take place? Why does the author write what he does? What problems were the recipients facing? How does this passage ? How does this passage fit in with the context? (What goes before and after?) 2. Additional questions: What are the commands? What are the promises? What are the cause/effect relationships? What are the repeated words and ideas? What do I learn about God? What do I learn about Jesus? What do I learn about the Holy Spirit? What do I learn about myself (or mankind)? 3. Answer the questions you have raised. 4. What is the one "big idea" of the passage? 5. Application: What did you learn? How do your questions and answers apply to you personally? What actions should you take? - Adapted from "Inductive Bible Study Method'" by GodSquad. See http://www.godsquad.com/discipleship/inductive.htm for more. - Linwood Kemp, Web Admin The Majesty of Jesus's Beginning
The book of Mark begins with the ministry of Jesus's cousin, John the Baptist. Matthew takes us as far back as Abraham. Luke traces his ancestry all the way back to Adam. But only John starts at the real beginning--the beginning of time! The Gospel of John does not depict Jesus as a baby, but rather as the majestic creator and maker of things, and as the message--the Word--to all the things he created. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." - John 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. . . . And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light." - Genesis 1:1,3 At the word "said," Jesus, the Word, spoke and called all things into existance. "In him was life, and that life was the light of men." - John 1:4 "In the fullness of time," i.e., at the right time, "the Word [the Life, the Light] became flesh and made his dwelling among us." - John 1:14a However, John does not see the humble baby in the manger. Instead, "We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14b It is good to reminded at Christmas about how God humbled himself to become our Saviour. The danger, though, is that we can easily forget his power and majesty. This Christmas, don't limit your vision just to the babe in swaddling clothes. Remember also the one who died on the cross, rose again, ascended into heaven, and who now sits in majesty at the right hand of God the Father. Make this vision from Hebrews 1:2,3 a part of your Christmas celebration: "But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son [the Word!], whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Amen! - Linwood Kemp, Web Admin
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