Lesson 4 – Let God Lead (Genesis 13:1-18) Introduction When we last looked at Abram he was being run out of Egypt for being deceptive (Genesis 12:11, 18-19) and for indirectly causing the plagues upon Pharaoh’s household (Genesis 12:17). His wife is beautiful to behold (Genesis 12:11, 14). So beautiful that, in that time and
Lesson 3 – Count on God (Genesis 12:10-20) Introduction Abram is a man of faith. He does not have to have fine-grained details in order to do God’s will (Hebrews 11:8). By faith he is able to work with vague directions and set out from what is familiar for an unknown country. For what? For
Lesson 2 – Obey Immediately (Genesis 12:1-9) Introduction From the pages of Scripture Abram gives us advice on being successful with God. In the notes that follow I attempt to convey his counsel to us in three areas: (1) obedience, (2) learning, and (3) worship. Brevity, although I strive for it, has often eluded me
Making Room for The Truth (Luke 24:1-35) Introduction As I read the gospel narratives I am struck by the inability of the apostles and surrounding company to comprehend (John 2:18-22) or accept (Matthew 16:23) the truth. Figure 1 – Me being astounded by the apostles not receiving the truth. Although it is presented repeatedly (Luke
The Master’s Plan – Supervision (Mark 6:30; Luke 9:10) Introduction Are we seeing the big picture of the Master’s plan? By itself the example of Jesus praying and selecting the twelve is powerful instruction on prayer and selecting people to work with (Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16). But selection is not, when taken by itself, a
The How of Spirit Filling (Ephesians 5:15-21) Introduction Darlene, the boys, and I were walking a paved path in Walker Ranch Heritage Park. The boys (Roderick Jr, Caleb, and President) were small and were either being pushed in a stroller, or were trying to learn to ride their bikes. Roderick Jr. had learned the
The Master’s Plan – Demonstration (John 13:15) The Pervasive Place of Prayer (Luke 11:1-4; Matthew 6:9-13) Jesus did not hide the fact that prayer was an indispensable part of His ministry. He advised all men to always be in prayer (Luke 18:1-5). And He prescribed prayer as the only effective counter to the weakness of
The Master’s Plan – Impartation (John 3:16; 15:13; 1 John 3:16) The Son reveals the Father (John 1:18). Insofar as the disciples look at the Son they behold the Father and become familiar with the Father’s character (John 14:6-9). One aspect of the Father that is disclosed and depicted by the Son is the graciousness of
The Master’s Plan – Consecration (Matthew 11:29) Jesus did not shoot from the hip. His goal of reaching the world with enduring help and eternal hope was not based on random acts of kindness or sentimental moods. He had a plan for defeating the devil, dealing with human depravity, and developing His church. At first
The Master’s Plan – Association (Mark 3:14) Before meeting Him they were fishermen — men professionally engaged in catching fish. (Why? Perhaps for the halibut.) Jesus’ goal was to make them fishers of men (Mark 1:17; Matthew 4:19; Luke 5:10) — men equipped, empowered, enabled, and trained to catch something immeasurable more important to the
