The Champions Spirit
Volume 69, Issue 5
Feb. 7, 2010
In This Issue
“Not Just Academic!”
By the time you read this, we have already been blessed by at least two lessons from Eric Lyons in our Reliability of the Bible Seminar. Today, we are privileged to hear three more lessons dealing with the accuracy and reliability of not only the Word but of our Lord Himself.
Some seem to think that a discussion of the Reliability of the Bible is merely “academic.” That it is a topic discussed and debated, but best left to the “scholars.”
Yet, the theme of our weekend hits as close to home to all of us as possible. If the Word is not accurate, if we can’t rely on the Jesus of the Bible, then we are all just wasting our time and effort. It would be as the apostle Paul said...we are “of all men, most miserable.” We would be most miserable not because we can’t “do what the world does” or that we have “missed out on something” by being religious. Rather, we could be said to be most miserable because we have had only a false hope in a Lord and for a heavenly home.
Now for the good news...we aren’t wasting our time, we aren’t “most miserable”—for we can stand strong on the Lord Jesus and His Word. We thank Eric for his work in once again pointing out to us the overwhelming and convincing evidence in this regard! We can trust the Lord! We can stand on His Word! We can be confident and sure of the faith! Now that we know, not only is our faith stronger, but we have more reason to share the Gospel—the truth—with our loved ones, friends, and others. You see, our faith is stronger, our hope is firmer, our vision is surer! We thank God; this seminar is ...“Not Just Academic!”
—Larry Keele
FAMILY MATTERS...
We welcome all of our guests to our “Fellowship Sunday” and our Reliability of the Bible Seminar. We are grateful for your presence. Please stay for lunch and the afternoon services with us. (No services this evening.)
Eric Lyons of Wetumpka, Alabama, is our speaker for this weekend. He is a family man (husband of Jana and father of Bo, Micah and Shelby), youth minister, author, Bible staff member of Apologetics Press, and more. We are blessed by his presence. May God bless him with a long life of service! Thank you, Eric, for coming our way.
Sunday, Marie Williams came forward placing her membership with us and also asking prayers in her behalf for spiritual strength. Also, coming to be added to this part of God’s family was Ron and Margaret Jensen, as well as Cassie Davis. We are blessed by their coming!
Our Sweetheart Banquet is next Saturday at 6 p.m. Please place a “X" by your name in the attendance book if you will be coming and a “B” beside that if you will need a babysitter. It will be a great occasion for sharing thoughts, poems and stories of life and love together. Men, be sure and sign up for the dish you will bring!
Parting Thought: Blessed are they who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.
Keep up your Bible Reading!
Finish Deuteronomy.
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!
Jeremy’s Junction
This weekend we have been blessed with several great opportunities of which I hope we all took advantage. We had a chance to hear Eric Lyons present a seminar on “The Reliability of the Bible.” Many people in today’s society have a problem accepting the Bible as truth in their lives. Part of this is due to the fantastic stories appearing throughout Scripture and a number of alleged contradictions. This weekend we have had a chance to see the ways that science and the Bible do support one another and gained new knowledge and insight into how to share this information with our friends and neighbors. I hope you will all choose to stay and fellowship with us during lunch and then hear Eric’s final presentation this afternoon.
Sunday evening, several people in the congregation, myself included, are having people over to watch the Super Bowl. I am excited about this opportunity to fellowship with my Christian friends and also hopefully have some of my non-church friends over to have fun and see what Christian fun can look like. So, try to make plans to get involved with one of these Super Bowl parties and have a great time together.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, did you know that a 30-second advertisement costs around 3.5 million dollars? This year, there is one commercial in particular that I am excited to see. I am a Tim Tebow fan, and what is happening during this year’s Super Bowl is a big reason why. He is starring in a commercial for Focus on the Family advocating his pro-life convictions. There were complications before he was born, and his family was told they needed to have an abortion because their son would not be normal and the mother would likely not survive child birth. They were overseas and the situation looked dire. However, they held to their convictions and had the child who grew up to become one of the greatest college football players ever. I am excited to see this commercial.
Have a great weekend while we grow together in the Word and enjoy fellowship with one another in our homes.
Praise God that we have so many freedoms that allow us to do these things.
—Jeremy Geurin
John’s Jogs
BIBLE BASICS #3
After the “Tower of Babel” the remainder of Genesis chapter 11 gives a genealogy from Shem to Terah. Terah had three sons: Abraham, Nahor and Haran. Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans. Thus Terah took Abram and set out for Canaan but settled in Haran.
“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and curse whoever curses you; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’” (Genesis 12:1-3)
God makes two promises to Abram here: 1) I’ll make you into a great nation and 2) Through you all the earth will be blessed (meaning Jesus the Messiah, the Christ).
Without hesitation Abram took his wife, Sarai, and left. At an advanced age and barren, Sarah suggested to Abraham to take her maidservant Hagar so “Perhaps I can build a family through her.” She conceived and bore a son (Ishmael). But he was not the child of promise. At age 99 the Lord appeared to Abraham again and told him Sarah would bear him a son and call him Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. On the day Isaac was weaned, Ishmael made fun of him. This irritated Sarah and she told Abraham to get rid of that woman and her son. With God’s assurance Abraham sent them away. Ishmael became the father of many Arabian nations.
Abraham sent a servant to Haran to his relatives for a wife for Isaac; he brought back Rebecca, granddaughter of Abraham’s brother Nahor. Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebecca. Rebecca gave birth to twin sons. When they jostled in the womb, she inquired of the Lord. He said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” Esau was born with Jacob grasping his heel. Isaac was 60 years old when the twins were born.
Esau was an outdoorsman and was favored by Isaac. Jacob was a quiet man and stayed around the tents. Jacob made a stew and Esau sold him his birthright for a bowl of it. Then he and his mother tricked Isaac in his old age and poor eyesight into believing he was Esau, therefore, Isaac gave him the elder son’s blessing. Esau became so angered that he threatened to kill his brother Jacob. Fearing for her son’s life Rebecca persuaded Isaac to send Jacob to her family in Haran. As far as we know she never saw Jacob again. Next week – Jacob’s family.
—John Qualls