Good Morning - September 2, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

Internet access is down again this morning, so this is coming out late.

 

Important note -- I will most likely not be at class on Sunday -- fall softball season has started.  I know that many of you may be traveling this weekend, but if not, don't let my absence keep you from meeting together, if nothing else other than just the fellowship time. 

 

Don't forget that you can find all of the back issues of the daily email on the web at www.leapclass.blogspot.com.  

 

The new unit for this week is Unit  18 - Salvation by Faith

 

Focus Scripture for the Week:   Psalms 51:12 

 

 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit 

 

Today's Scriptures:   Acts 4:1-12, Luke 19:1-10, 2 Corinthians 6:1-10    

 

Today's Discussion:   

 

-- focusing on the verse in Acts -- verse 12 -- "Salvation is found in no one else, for these is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved".

 

--  this verse was quoted in some TV report I saw this week about inter-religious understanding.  The gist of the report, if I remember, was talking about the reasons why the various religions have a hard time accepting each other.  The fact of the matter is that each faith -- Islam, Judaism, Christianity -- teaches that they are only way to salvation.

 

-- our culture -- our American culture -- has wired us in a way to be reluctant to say that the way we believe is correct, and the way that others believe is wrong.  We are raised to be tolerant of other thinking and ways of life and religions.  And that is very good, to a point, and I'm not talking about religious intolerance.  But the fact of the matter is that our scripture is very, very plain on the matter -- there isn't any way to heaven and salvation other than through Christ.  Peter's preaching is above is very, very plain, and his preaching is based on Jesus' teaching in John 14:6.  I personally don't see any wiggle room on that point.

 

-- even though that is our faith, and our believe, that point is scary and disconcerting to us, at least it is to me, because that means that a good portion of the world's population -- in the Middle East, in India, in China, Japan, etc -- are not going to be saved.  They are following the wrong faith.  That's a very hard thing for me to write.  Again, I have a hard time saying or thinking that someone is wrong in their faith -- it is just something that I have been raised not to do or to think -- but I as I get older and I study the Bible, I don't know how I can come to any other conclusion.  Surely, I like to think, that God has a another plan for all these people, another way that we don't know about.  If there is one, Peter certainly wasn't tuned into it, and he should know.

 

Question for Sunday:   

 

-- is it difficult for you to embrace/accept the fact that believing on Jesus is the only way to be saved?

 

Today's prayer request:     We have three for today:

 

Amanda and David Edwards' daughter Kasey.

We need to continue remember Kasey -- I haven't heard an update, but I don't want us to forget her -- she isn't sick, but she is having a terrible time adjusting to school -- she's been acting up a great deal, and Amanda and David have been called to school once already, and the school has said that they will suspend Kasey for a week if it happens again. Kasey has been diagnosed with ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), and they are still trying to find medication that works for her in treating this. This has been a very trying situation for all of them, and Amanda said that they could really use all of our prayers

 

Joey Harbarger

 

As Ron Ray wrote a couple of days ago, Joey is going (is gone) to Gulfport for relief and recovery work.  We need to remember him and Monica and the kids during his absence

 

The storm victims  of  Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama   

 

I think we need to continue remembering these people.  The leadership of these areas, the rescue workers and the survivors have all listed prayer as the first, most important thing we can do to help at this time, so let us continue to remember them. 

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

Wes Russell 

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay

Good Morning - September 1, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

Running behind this morning, so just a short note   

 

Don't forget that you can find all of the back issues of the daily email on the web at www.leapclass.blogspot.com.  

 

The new unit for this week is Unit  18 - Salvation by Faith

 

Focus Scripture for the Week:   Psalms 51:12 

 

 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit 

 

Today's Scriptures:  1  Thessalonians 5:1-11   

 

Today's Discussion:  

 

-- there is a lot in this passage and the section preceding it about the second coming of Jesus.  But for the purposes of this week's lesson, the key thought is the idea in verses 9 and 10, the idea of the "hope of salvation" and encouragement.

 

-- one of the things we don't dwell on, but that we should acknowledge, is exactly what are we being saved from?  Much of the encouragement that we receive in scripture is about God saving us from his judgment.  Not that we should be fixated on it, but I think that to fully get the encouragement from our salvation that is promised in the scriptures, we need to understand what the consequences of not being saved are.  Once we acknowledge more fully that salvation saves us from God's judgment, then the more we can react like Wesley at Aldersgate -- with joy -- with that 'strangely warmed' feeling.

 

Question for Sunday:   

 

-- how does the idea of being saved encourage you each day?

 

Today's prayer request:    The people of  Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama   

 

I think we need to continue remembering these people.  The leadership of these areas, the rescue workers and the survivors have all listed prayer as the first, most important thing we can do to help at this time, so let us continue to remember them. 

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

Kelly Thaxton

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

My cable is out again this morning -- it has been off and on all day - so this won't get sent to everyone till I get to the office.  

 

Don't forget that you can find all of the back issues of the daily email on the web at www.leapclass.blogspot.com.  

 

The new unit for this week is Unit  18 - Salvation by Faith

 

Focus Scripture for the Week:   Psalms 51:12 

 

 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit 

 

Today's Scriptures:  1 Peter 1:3-9   

 

Today's Discussion:  

 

-- Peter was writing to encourage Christians across the world to be strong in their faith in the face of persecution --- from the Romans, from Jews, from non-Christian family members and others opposed to our faith.  Though it is not part of our reading for the day, Peter begins the letter by addressing it to "God's elect, strangers in the world".  That is a status that we don't feel as often as other Christians do, because of where we live, but living as a Christian will often put you at odds with the world around you.

 

-- Peter's message is one of an encouragement, and reminds us to take encouragement from our salvation -- that our salvation will make all of the hardships and difficulties worth it.  I don't think that we have that view of salvation - in this day and age we tend to focus only on heaven and our life-to-come.   We don't really think about salvation from the standpoint of "I will survive this/bear this because I know it is worth it, because of what is waiting for me in heaven."   Of course, a huge reason is that we live in country where many people are Christians and the government doesn't officially persecute Christians.  But if we really look around, we are still "strangers in the world" ---  we should have a different set of values and priorities than the culture around us.  And if we hold to those different beliefs, we will be putting our self at odds with the culture, and thus opening ourselves up to some comment and possible ridicule.

 

-- So we many times tend to "go along to get along".  Peter's call in this lesson is that we should remember our salvation -- the great free gift that it is -- and to use that as encouragement not to "go along", but to stand strong, prepared to bear whatever difficulties come from not "going along".

 

 

Question for Sunday:   

 

-- can we recall a time where you did the right thing - that WWJD moment -- even though it was the unpopular thing?  What sustained you and encouraged you to do what you did?

 

Today's prayer request:    The people of  Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama   

 

I just can't get this story and these people out of my mind.  The coverage from that area is just terrifying and profoundly sad.  The leadership of these areas, the rescue workers and the survivors have all listed prayer as the first, most important thing we can do to help at this time, so let us continue to remember them. 

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

Brandon Herring 

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

Hope everyone is doing well.  My cable is out this morning, so I don't know when this email will get out today. 

 

Don't forget that you can find all of the back issues of the daily email on the web at www.leapclass.blogspot.com.  

 

The new unit for this week is Unit  18 - Salvation by Faith

 

Focus Scripture for the Week:   Psalms 51:12 

 

 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit 

 

Today's Scriptures:       Luke 2:22-35  

 

Today's Discussion:   

 

-- this passage is one of many that knocks down one of the requirements that some thought had to be met for salvation -- early on, many Jews thought that the Messiah was just for them.  That subject is addressed in the song by Simeon, as he notes in verse 32 that Jesus was to be "a light of revelation for the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

 

-- while this was a point of contention for the early church (were the Gentiles able to be saved), that is no longer a point for us -- we fully understand that Jesus came for all, that salvation is offered to all, and in other parts of the New Testament there are scriptures that expansively note that salvation is for Gentile and Jew, free or slave, rich or poor.

 

-- the main thing that this passage gets at, in the light of our scripture, is this idea that Christ came for all.  It is hard for us to understand what a bold statement that was for the early church, but the Jews of Jesus' time held Gentiles in contempt, and tried to limit their contact with them in everyway possible.  For them to be faced with the idea that the Gentiles were equally eligible for the salvation promised by God was a hard thing for them to accept.

 

-- while the Jew/Gentile squabble is something that is not part of our day, we do have a similar trouble sometimes in getting our arms around the idea that salvation is freely available to all.   In one of Wesley's writings for this week, he talked about having trouble with the idea of a deathbed confession -- the idea that someone could be saved at that last point in their lives.  The churches that he preached in had trouble with the idea that salvation was about faith alone, not faith and works, and asked him not to preach in their churches anymore.  These are just examples of how often we try to restrict who can be saved, and we just need to get to the point of accepting the fact that when God says it is available to all, he means all.

 

Question for Sunday:   

 

-- are you comfortable with the idea that God's salvation is freely available to all, based on faith? 

 

Today's prayer request:    The people of  Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama   

 

Still need to remember these folks who are in the middle of a major catastrophe, with a lot of loss of life.

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

 Danny Walker 

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay

Monday, August 29, 2005

Good Morning!

Don't forget that you can find all of the back issues of the daily email on the web at www.leapclass.blogspot.com.

The new unit for this week is Unit 18 - Salvation by Faith

Focus Scripture for the Week: Psalms 51:12

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit

Today's Scriptures: Phillippians 2:1-12

Today's Discussion:

-- new unit, and new Reflections section, which does a very good job of outlining the idea of what Salvation by Faith means. The first implication is that salvation is available to all, without price or precondition, except that we believe and accept Christ. The next implication is that salvation is open to all, regardless of achievement or accomplishment.

-- the second point that the Reflections section makes is that we are changed in response to our salvation, and that certain things flow from us as a result -- whether it be outreach to others or prayer and devotional activity of our own. I think one of the best thoughts I have seen on this subject is in the Reflections section -- "While we may receive the gift just as we are, we do not stay as just as we are."

-- I think that the idea of this class, this group, is to provide you a framework to express and explore the second part of that statement -- to give you opportunities to change, not to stay as you are, but to express your salvation through any number of means.

Question for Sunday:

-- how are you "working out" your salvation, as the term was used in the scripture for the day?

Today's prayer request: The people of Louisiana and Mississippi

Hurricane Katrina is moving on shore this morning as a powerful storm that will even effect us some later today. Let's remember all those in the path of this storm.

Today's class member prayer:

Jodi Findlay

Have a great day.

Jay