Tomorrow, we get to go to church publicly. We are allowed to choose where we worship. We will open Bibles without fear of imprisonment. We will sing-loudly-without fear. We will wear our cross necklaces, rings, & t-shirts that identify us as Christians. STOP & THINK OF OUR FREEDOM. Now, may we get on our knees & pray for those who publicly & privately that suffer for the Gospel in ways we can’t imagine. Pray for them to have enough to eat, for jobs to care for their families, for homes to live in, for their health, their strength, their marriages, their children and for their freedom to worship God. There is more worldwide Christian persecution now than ever before in history. May we pray faithfully for our brothers & sisters, give to ministries that help them, and stand with them as they endure for the Name Above Every Name. #persecutedchurch #persecutedChristians #church #faith#pray#voiceofthemartyrs #heroes #realcelebrities #heroines
Amos Bible Study!
Many of us at Grace Bible Church have loved going deep into our Amos bible study! Many of us have studied much of the Bible but had never stepped into Amos. Why study this book? Amos is sandwiched into a section of Scripture called the “Minor Prophets”. Maybe it’s just me, but I think I avoided this book because it seemed so very “minor”. Can there be anything new to learn here?
YES! The 9 chapters of Amos portray a typical society in human history that had become consumed with its own importance and eventual abandonment of God’s preeminence. Throughout this book, God used Amos to call our attention to the PRIDE of Israel, the IDOLATRY of Israel, the SOCIETAL EVILS of Israel, and the impending JUDGEMENT on Israel. Amos is sent from Judah to Israel to point out the people’s sin and to point up to God’s constant mercy. God shows Himself in this book in fascinating ways. How?
- He is a LION who roars in response to His people’s disobedience.
- He is the divine JUDGE who will call to account His people’s idolatry and subsequent oppression of their fellow men.
- He is the CREATOR who sits above the vaulted sky and orchestrates the symphony of time.
- Finally, He is who He always is–the patient spurned FATHER who asks His people to return to Him because He loves them completely!
This book is so very timely for us.
Whether ancient Israel or Rome or America, the SOCIETAL CYCLE OF IDOLATRY AND OPPRESSION always follows a typical pattern: a society blessed with physical prosperity is often disregards God which leads to neglecting other people. We are forever ignoring what Jesus called the greatest commandments, “to LOVE GOD AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.” His judgment is consistently executed on disobedient civilizations. If we are to learn from the book of Amos, we must ask ourselves some questions: How much of the world’s values do we weave into our Christian faith, not realizing we’ve compromised the exclusivity of God and become idolatrous? How much of our society’s love of luxury has wounded fellow human beings made in His image? Finally, how do we get out of this cycle?
SEEK THE LORD. The most glorious and hopeful section of this book centers in Amos chapter 5 where three different times, God offers Israel a divine escape hatch and opportunity for cultural restoration. He offers FULL PARDON, FULL HEALING, and FULL BLESSING if they will seek Him and Him only. He is the Ever Patient One.
The book of Amos will challenge, convict, and renew our hearts. He will enable us to see our culture more clearly & guide us to responding appropriately to His loving leadership. We will see age-old patterns of human (and God’s) history dropped into these 9 chapters and boldly shared by the prophet Amos. Not bad for a “minor” prophet. 🙂
You ready for the challenge?
Download this FREE study at www.grace-bible.org!
Tristie Fisher, Abby Perry, Carolyn Jones, Buck Anderson
WANT better relationships? Say these things. Don’t Say these things.
ALL of us want great relationships! How can we change them? God can help us!
THINGS NOT TO SAY
1. Anything SARCASTIC. Sarcasm is the world’s attempt at humor by tearing another down and then applying the bandage of “Just Kidding!” I learned a quote from my hubby, “Sarcasm always contains a kernal of truth.” In every relationship, sarcasm always leads one person to think, “Do they really think that?”
2. Anything DEMORALIZING about an individual’s appearance or behavior. We can challenge ourselves to turn away from this age-old (and socially acceptable) form of bullying.
3. Anything impugning AUTHORITY. When my kids were little, I remember thinking, “Wow!The greatest example I can give my kids is to honor God, my husband, the governing authorities in my life, and other people. ” The Bible is very clear about following well. Great leaders always follow first .
THINGS TO SAY
1. Anything that is BUILDING. A great action verb! Let’s ask ourselves, “Am I an encourager?”. It seems like a discipline but over time, but “verbal building” becomes a language. Gather some gal pals and challenge yourselves to write down 3 positive things about people in their lives. REHEARSING TRUTH CHANGES LIVES! I’ve seen this rescue marriages!
2. Anything that UNITES. Many of us know how to do this!This is nearly natural. SHARED EXPERIENCES + SHARED GROWTH=DEEP FRIENDSHIPS. This builds lifetime friendships & encouraging relationships. This is the kind of positive habit that can actually heal.
3.Anything that LOVES. Maybe the greatest satisfaction in our lives will be that we left a LEGACY. We all to have a legacy that honors God, our marriages, our children, and our friends.
A legacy of kindness is truly a legacy of reward. God wants to give us this gift today!