Bread of Life Fellowship

In this session, we consider the nature of Christ- his deity, his humanity, the unity of his natures, and how this all relates to the gospel-

Right before entering the barracks under Roman captivity, Paul boldly address a hostile crowd with his testimony.

Join us as Pastor Bill preaches in the book of Colossians on the sufficiency of Christ and why we must set our minds on Him.

Having considered the Goodness of God, we now look at what the Bible says about man's fallen condition.

Paul is beaten and dragged out of the Temple, suffering for the cause of his Lord.

The goodness of God is the good news that the gospel begins with- Find out why in this first class in the series-

In Paul's letter to Timothy, we have read how he warns Timothy against false teachers, encourages him to pray for all people, lists qualifications for overseers, and now in verses 8-13 he lists qualifications for deacons. Very similarly to elders, deacons must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain, and they must be proven blameless. Deacons are called to meet the physical needs of the church. This selfless calling is a blessing to the local body of God and the church's ministry. For this reason, let us remember to keep our deacons and their families in prayer.

Psalm 39 begins with David holding back his complaint lest he be a stumbling block to the wicked -vs 1-3-. This preface leaves the reader anxious to find out what is troubling him so-- When he finally opens his mouth in verse 4, his complaint is not regarding any human being, wicked or righteous, but is laid against the Lord, Yahweh. We learn from this that it is wise to not voice complaints against God in the hearing of enemies- nevertheless, we should bring our troubles before God Himself. --What troubles David so, is the brevity and meaninglessness of human existence -vs 4-6-. The Selah at the end of verses 5 and 11 follow the Hebrew word hebel, translated -mere breath,- leading us to pause and meditate on this sobering thought. This is the key word of the book of Ecclesiastes, often translated, -vanity.- As perplexing as the brevity of life is, verse 5 affirms that God has made it this way. But why then does God bother with such an insubstantial creature as man-- What is His concern with me-- Why can He n

What would we do if we only had 24 hours to live-- Would we travel or indulge in earthly pleasures-- In this passage, we know that in just a short time Paul is be arrested as the Holy Spirit warned him before he went out to Jerusalem. Even though the end was near for him, Paul chose to continue his work for the Glory of God and His Kingdom just as Jesus did up until the moment He was crucified. In Jesus' final moments, He continued to teach in parables, share the truth in love, and even humbly washed the disciples' feet. Paul's love for Christ drove him to live for Christ until his very final moments as well. We are to remember that life is but a vapor, and we must live for Christ as He died for us for at any moment it could be our very last.

We see in this passage Paul's determination to go to Jerusalem to accomplish God's work despite the warnings of fellow believers and the foretelling of a prophecy warning him of the suffering that is to come. Although there is wisdom in a multitude of counsel, Paul knew that the Holy Spirit was guiding him to do this work and he was willing to give up his own life for the sake of the gospel just as our Savior Jesus did. Paul's determination was fueled by his desire to be more like Christ. He was willing to suffer for Christ even if it meant he'd have to do it alone. May we each take heart in knowing that if we are in God's will, we are never truly alone.

In this passage, Paul addresses specific qualifications for overseers in the church and emphasizes the importance of a man's character versus his competency, skills, or academic degree. These men must be blameless and above reproach, husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well and thought well of others. He must also not be a recent convert. Not every teacher will be an elder, but every elder must teach. Let us hold our elders up in prayer, remembering that their job is a fine work and one with much responsibility before the Lord our God.

While Psalm 38 has traditionally been categorized as a penitential Psalm, it is more of a lamenting prayer. David is crying out with words and sighs for relief from his physical affliction, emotional anguish, and ensuant isolation. The penitential aspect of the Psalm is evident in how David understands his trial to be a consequence of personal sin. He refers to -my iniquities- -v. 4-, -my foolishness- -v. 5-, -my iniquity,- -my sin- -v. 18-. Not every trial is the result of sin, however- this fact is clear in verse 20, where David prays- -Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.--Psalm 38 teaches us that we are not alone in our trials- our emotions under pain and suffering are important to God, even if we have brought things upon ourselves through our sin. God would never tell His child- -you made your bed, now lie in it.- Instead, He hears the prayers of sinners -contrary to the opinion of the Pharisees who announced- We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone