Colossians: Post #4

Last week (Nov 14), we paused the study in Colossians to address a topic that people had brought up back in October.

This week, we will resume our Colossians study. And, the verses are powerful. I am going to aim for 5 verses, but these are so amazing, we may not be able to get through one of them. What are these verses? Here they are:


Colossians 1: 9-14

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

I don't want to share too much of the lesson before Sunday, but I would like to open with one question. Just think about this and post a response if you have one:

What are you supposed to do when you don't feel God in your life? What actions should you take? Should you be worried? Overall, what should you do?

-- Brent

Colossians: Post #3

Ok, this blog will catch us up from my laziness of not posting anything last week. This time, I am going to try something new. I am going to post part of the blog about what happened this past Sunday, and I will quickly introduce what we will be doing this Sunday, so you can read/study ahead if you like.

Last Sunday (Nov 7)
We entered a new set of verses. We studied Colossians 1: 6-7. Here they are:

Colossians 1: 6-7
6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf

With these verses, we discussed two main points.
First, from verse 6, we discussed how the gospel is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world. We also broke down common religions terms like "gospel" and "bearing fruit" and tried to define them in a way that anyone would understand it.

Second, from verse 7, we discussed how Epaphras was the one leading the church in Colosse, not Paul. We discussed how Epaphras was a convert of Paul and when on a trip to Rome, had visited Paul as he was on house arrest.

Question:
We see in verse 6 that the gospel is bearing fruit and growing. This can be translated in today's terms as saying that mission work is being done and the message of Christ is spreading. So, what does mission work mean to you? Are we all required to do it? If so, what do we need to do? (Answer as specific as possible.)


Next Sunday (Nov 14)
In our lesson two weeks ago (Oct 31), someone brought up a question about "judgments". They wanted to know how many we would go through, what the judgment(s) would be like, and what we should expect. I have studied and developed a lesson on this issue, and I'll be sharing it with you this Sunday. If you want to read ahead, read the following passages, as I'll be drawing most of my lesson from these scriptures:

* Ecclesiastes 12:14
* Matthew 12:36
* Matthew 16:27
* Matthew 25:31-46
* Romans 14:10-12
* 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
* 2 Corinthians 5:10
* 1 John 4:17
* Revelation 20: 11-15

I am looking forward to your response to the question on Missions, and I am excited for our lesson this Sunday on the judgments, which will relate to and lead us into the upcoming lesson(s) on Colossians 1:7-12.

--Brent

Colossians: Post #2

Ok, I apologize. I did not post last week. So, we are behind one week.
Consider this post the one for last week.

In week 1, on the first blog for Colossians, no one commented on Week 1.

However, someone did comment on Week 2, which dealt with Colossians 1: 3-5. When reading these verses, it appears that Paul is saying that we increase our faith and love because of our "hope laid up/stored up for us in heaven". So, do you believe that we get our motivation or our passion for our faith and love because of the treasures we have stored up for us in heaven? Please respond.

Here are the verses:

Colossians 1: 3-5 (NIV)
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—
5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel


Colossians 1: 3-5 (ESV)
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,
5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel

Again, here is the question:
So, do you believe that we get our motivation or our passion for our faith and love because of the treasures we have stored up for us in heaven? Please respond.

-- Brent

A New Study: The book of Colossians

We are starting a new study this week. We will be walking through the book of Colossians. This past Sunday, October 24, was the first lesson. We discussed where Paul was when he wrote the letter to the church in Colosse. We also discussed some facts about the town of Colosse. Finally, we ended by discussing why Paul always addressed his letters with a wish for the church to have “grace” and “peace”. I’d like to continue this conversation with anyone reading this blog. Why did Paul always wish for “grace” and “peace” in the churches in his letters?

* Was “grace” and “peace” just a nice way to open a letter?
* Does “grace” and “peace” have specific meaning to these churches?
* Or, does Paul have a specific reason to wish “grace” and “peace” upon these churches?

What do you think? I would love to hear your opinions!

Brent

Two Mysteries in Job

It has been a while since we have met back here. But, the time has come to do another topic. If you are in our Sunday School class, you will know that we have been studying the book of Job, verse by verse, since January. Now, we are nearing the end. We have two more lessons to go. And, for the next one, I need you help.

In the book of Job, chapter 40, verses 15-24, the author mentions a creature called the "behemoth". Many scholars say that this is a reference to either an elephant or a hippo. However, several verses do not align with this theory. For instance, Job 40: 17 says "He moves his tail like a cedar," which would not fit the description of a hippo or elephant.

Then, in Job 41: 1-34 (the entire chapter), there is a passage about another creature called the "Leviathan". Scholars say this is a reference to something like a crocodile. But, again, some of the verses do not fit the description. For instance, Job 41: 19-20 state references to fire shooting out of the mouth and smoke coming out of the nostrils.

For this week's blog, let's investigate these passages. Then, I'd like for you to post your best guess as to what these creatures are. If you have time, post any evidence that you may have found or read. I would greatly appreciate it!

So, have fun. Let's crack these two mysteries here in Job! If you are in Newnan, GA this Sunday, October 3, feel free to come to by Unity Baptist Church at 311 Smokey Road to join our class and discuss this topic. We meet from 9:30am-10:45am. Just ask anyone where the "Generations Rising" class with Brent Mayes is.

Hope you post something, and I really hope to see you in class next Sunday!!

-- Brent

Ever had such a day... (car + pruners = fun)

Ok everyone. I send my apologies. After posting 3 blogs in July, I have gone a month without posting. I will do my best to get more consistent.

So, let's go back to the subject of this blog. Have you "ever had such a day that you began fixing your automobile with a pair of tree pruners?"

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you what happened. About three months ago, my wife borrowed my car to drive to church for a woman's bible study. She never drives my car because it does not have a car seat. But, since I was keeping our son for her to go to church, she drove my car in case I need to drive hers (with the car seat).

As she pulled out of the driveway, I noticed something hanging down from the front bumper. I did not know what it was, but it looked like some weather stripping that had been pulled loose. I attempted to reattach it, but failed. To quickly resolve the situation, I put a bungee cord around it, so she could go ahead and drive it until I could fix it. (And, the "yellow" bungee cord looked great against the "dark blue" color of the car!)

I thought about fixing it several times, but I did not really know how to fix it. A day turned into a week and three months eventually passed, until today.

Today, I came home from work in a mood to "get things done". I was just determined to catch up some things and mark them off my list. When my eyes spotted my car's bumper, I decided to fix it then and there. I bent down under the car to see how the strip was attached. I tried to reattach it, remove it, and even tuck it under the bumper (don't ask). When these options failed, something snapped in me. I was not going to lose the battle. So, I went to my "wall of lawn tools", grabbed my tree pruners, and began clipping away. 14 seconds later, my problem was fixed. I picked up the shred of weather stripping, dumped it in the trash, and retreated back into my home, with a job well done!

In thinking about my day, my week, and my vengeance on my car, I was reminded about some of God's promises. When life stresses you out, God says to be still. When Jesus was with his disciples on the raging sea, he simply said "Peace, be still" and the waves rolled back into calm seas.

In the Old Testament, God gives us numerous promises around this same need for calmness in our seas of stress. Here are a few verses from the book of Psalm to remind you of His faithfulness to us:

Psalm 18:35

You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.

Psalm 89:21

My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.

Psalm 119:116

Sustain me according to your purpose, and I will live; do not let me hopes be dashed.

Psalm 119: 175

Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.

And my favorite one...

Psalm 55:22

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

I hope this blog encourages you. It seems that everyone I know is battling stress. This is not a battle that we should fight.

Our battle with stress is an indication of our reliance on God.

If we stress to the point of exhaustion, we are not relying on God and His perfect peace and power.

Share some thoughts here about a time when life overtook you. Share how God pulled you from the stress and restored your peace.

A Prayer Coming to Life

All last week, I prayed one prayer every night. It was a unique prayer. I had never prayed it before that week. And, to my knowledge, I had not heard it anywhere. It was just something that came to me one night when I went to bed. It is simple.

"God, first, please protect my family from temptation, sin, and evil of any kind. Lead us in all things. And, with evil out of our lives, lead us to seek you and do your work."

As I said, the prayer was simple.

I began the prayer on Monday night. I said it every night. Then, on Friday, I had to take my car into the shop for some minor work. On my way home, I took a short cut, which led me down this 1/2 mile stretch of residential highway.

As I started down this road, my phone drew my attention. I look down to see if I had missed a call or text message. When I looked back up, a car was in my lane. Basically, a car had backed our of a driveway. But, instead of straightening up quickly and getting in their lane, the car was just sitting in my lane. I don't know if it was just waiting for me to drive around it, stop, get off the road completely...I don't know.

Anyway, I looked up just in time to slam on my brakes and stop, nose to nose to this car. For whatever reason, this must have scared the other car because the car turned and pulled back into the driveway it had just came out of a second earlier.

My heart was beating fairly well by now. So, I put my phone in the seat beside me and decided I could wait 10 more minutes until I got home to check the phone any more.

So, I started back down the road. As I sped back up, I entered a curve. Sitting in my lane was another car! It had just backed out of its driveway. Once again, I slammed on the brakes and came to a safe stop quickly, as I had only accelerated to about 20 mph. The car got in its lane and drove on by me.

By now, I am thinking something weird is happening. Two cars in less a tenth of a mile had pulled out into my lane.

Not 1/4 mile down the road, I saw yet another car back out of a driveway and stop in my lane. Three times in less than four minutes! My approach must have paralyzed this driver as she decided to just sit in my lane and not move. I coasted around her and kept going only to have to stop a FOURTH time for a FOURTH car sitting in my LANE. Again, I pulled over and coasted past this car as well.

4 cars in less than a 1/2 mile stretch of road had pulled out in front of me and stopped in my lane.

Now, I my thoughts had quit; I was now in full, straight prayer. "God, just get me home safely."

I did home safely, and as I pulled into my garage, I remembered my prayer that I had prayed every night that week.

"God, first, please protect my family from temptation, sin, and evil of any kind. Lead us in all things. And, with evil out of our lives, lead us to seek you and do your work."

I did not see temptation, sin, or evil in those 4 cars, but I certainly see the first part of the prayer..."God, first, please protect...".

God protected me four times in a row. And, at either one of the incidents, I could have easily collided with someone head on into them. But, God protected.

I am compelled now to share that account because sharing it does two things. First, it gives praise to God. He protected me, and I give all credit of my safety to Him.

Second, it taught me on the obedience to pray. It does not matter if every word comes out right. You don't have to rehearse the prayer ahead of time. God simply wants to hear from you. You are His child. He longs to communicate with you. And, in that, He longs to watch over and protect you, which He did to me this past Friday.

Question: Have you ever had an experience like this one where a prayer came to life and you got to see God answer it? Share if you would.

Brent