Emmaus Blog

Sunday at Emmaus: "For your Joy" Ezra 6.13-22

eraymond — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:59:05 -0600

It is hard to believe that this will be our last Sunday at Bellevue West High School. Amazing. God has truly blessed us over these last years. Let us be thankful for his kindness to us as we look back and ahead. I know people will probably bring their cameras next week to capture pictures of the new building but I encourage you to do so this week so as to capture a memory of what God has done at BWHS. You may not know that many people took pictures on the first Sunday there a few years back. It is good to take these snapshots of God's providence.

This Sunday we come to the dedication of the temple for the people of Israel (how's that for timing?). And when we find our former exiles in the land of promise they are busily engaged in worship. As you read through Ezra 6, particularly verses 13-22 you will notice that the writer reminds on a few occasions us of their joy. That is, he reminds us of their emotional response, their disposition. It is this response, this attitude that I want to drill down upon in light of what is happening in the passage and our life as a church.

Here is the outline for Sunday. Make sure to read through and prepare your minds and hearts for Sunday morning. We will be celebrating the Lord's Table also.

Scripture: Ezra 6.13-22
Outline: 3 mustard-seeds for your joy

1. Establish God's Priority (Ez. 6.13-18)
2. Eat the Passover Lamb (Ez. 6.19-21)
3. Exalt in God's Providence (Ez. 6.22)

Expository Listening Part 2, "Listening to the Sermon"

eraymond — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:24:28 -0600

In a previous post, we offered some tips for preparing for the sermon. Now, as we practice “expository listening” here are some tips for while the word is preached. The following suggestions are adapted from Expository Listening, a helpful book by Ken Ramey.

(Please note, we are not saying that anyone has to do any of these things but merely highlight some suggestions that seem to be helpful in achieving the goal of expository listening)

1. Greet one another warmly when you arrive at church.

2. Sit down a few minutes before the service starts, and spend a few moments in silent prayer to prepare your heart for what you about to hear.

3. Follow along in your own Bible when the Scripture is read, taking special note of the verses that most apply to you.

4. Sing joyfully and enthusiastically, thinking about the words and considering them personal prayers of praise or petition.

5. Listen attentively to the prayers that are prayed, and respond by affirming what you hear.

6. Take notes during the sermon so you have something tangible to take home and reflect on. Write down the outline and any key principles and implications you want to remember.

7. Seek to encourage the preacher by your attentiveness while he is preaching (maintain eye contact, smile, nod your head, say “amen”, etc.)

8. Fight off all distractions (concentrate, sit up front, etc.) and make sure that you are not a distraction to others.

9. Exercise discernment by making sure what the preacher says matches up with what God has said by comparing everything to the Scriptures.

Dave Pugh

A Couple of Notes for Emmaus Ministry

eraymond — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:23:09 -0600

Good morning! I trust you are doing well today in the grace of Christ. I just have a couple of notes about ministry that I wanted to pass along.

1. As you know if you were there on Sunday morning, the elders brought Matt Fudge forward to you the congregation as an elder candidate. After a lengthy season of testing we have concluded that Matt is a guy who loves Christ, is gifted to teach, has a desire to serve as an elder, meets the moral requirements, and loves the sheep at Emmaus. Therefore we bring him before the church with confidence that you too will be encouraged. Please talk to one of the pastors if you have any questions or concerns.

2. We are about a week away from closing on the new building. Please continue to pray and rejoice in the goodness and specific kindness of God to us as a church. I have had people from other churches contact me and remind me that this type of thing doesn't "just happen." That's exactly right! We rejoice in how God has providentially worked.

3. Please remember that there is a work day at the new building on Saturday 3/3 and then a potluck after service on Sunday 3/4. Maximum participation always maximizes encouragement.

Have a great week!

Erik

Sunday at Emmaus: “But the Eye of Their God was on them…” (Ezra 4-6)

eraymond — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:28:52 -0600

It is great to hear of many people being encouraged as we study the book of Ezra. This is an exciting time for us as a church. It is as important as ever to remember God's faithfulness to his mission and those whom he dispatches in this world on his behalf.

This Sunday we find ourselves parachuting into a conflict story. In the midst of this conflict we find some very encouarging principles for us as a church.

Here is the outline and direction for Sunday. Please note, we'll be covering chapters 4, 5, and half of 6. As you might imagine you will only help me help you if you read the passage in advance of Sunday.

Title: "But the eye of their God was upon them..."

Scripture: Ezra 4-6

Outline: Timeless encouragement for weak missionaries

1. God has opponents (4:1-24)
2. God uses ordinary means (5:1-2)
3. God always has the last laugh (5:3-6:15)

Volunteers Needed: Cleaning Ministry

eraymond — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:54:51 -0600

The new building brings great opportunities for ministry. One way we can serve together is in the upkeep of the building. Instead of paying for the service we want to serve together in this ministry. I am currently putting together ministry teams for building cleaning. The teams will serve once every two months and consist of 8 team members. Sign-ups will be available on this Sunday morning.

This is a great ministry for couples, families, and singles to do together. This is a terrific opportunity to serve alongside of other brothers and sisters whom you may not get to spend such quality time with. Take advantage of this new ministry.

Contact me with questions.

Sam Greenwell

First Sunday in the New Building--I think we should celebrate with some lunch.

eraymond — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:49:27 -0600

As you know we are slated to be in the new building on the 4th of March. We are planning to enjoy the new space by having a potluck lunch in the fellowship hall after the morning service.

Please see the list below for the food assignments:

Potluck after church on 4 March - our first Sunday in the NEW Emmaus Bible Church
Please Bring the following and plan to help as assigned
Atkins Care Group: Salads/Side dish - Clean Up
Fudge Care Group: Desserts - Set Up
Martina Care Group: Main dish - Clean Up
Pugh Care Group: Main Dish - Clean Up
Raymond Care Group: Main Dish - Set Up
If you are not yet part of one of these Care Groups: Bring a Main Dish or a Side Dish or a Dessert

Bob Atkins

Work Day at the New Building

eraymond — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:58:50 -0600

We are planning to close on the Wheeler Memorial Presbyterian Property at 4501 S 23^rd St, South Omaha, on Wednesday, February 29.

As noted in last week’s announcement, we need to have a work/set up day in order to be ready for services on Sunday morning the 4^th of March – which will be our first Sunday at the NEW Emmaus Bible Church.

At this point, we will plan to run the trailer to EBC on Saturday, 3 March at 10:00 AM. We will unload and set things up in the appropriate rooms so that we are able to have a smooth transition on Sunday the 4^th.

Everyone who would like to come is invited on the 3^rd – there is a lot to do, but this is not a painting time – we will be cleaning and setting up (bring cheery hearts, elbow grease and cleaning materials – leave the painting materials on alert – we will be using them in the relatively near future). Then on Sunday the 4^th it will business as usual, same time, new place for Emmaus Bible Church. As an added feature, we would ask everyone to bring a roll of toilet paper to get a good start on a needed stock.

If you seen Henry around the High School thank him for his help and the use of Bellevue West High School for the past 3-1/2 years.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Bob Atkins

Our Plans to Plant a Church in Gretna

eraymond — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:18:48 -0600

As we announced on Sunday morning we are moving forward with plans to plant a church in Gretna.

This is truly an exciting time for us at Emmaus!

Here are some of the details:

*Pastor Josh Thiessen will lead the church plant. This has been the plan from day one with Josh and so we are thankful for how God has prepared him for this.

*Josh will begin meeting with interested people on Sunday nights this Spring to build a core group.

*Josh will not be leaving us at Emmaus just yet. Most of his current responsibilities will remain alongside of this new ministry to Gretna.

*We have been able to acquire space at a new school in Gretna once the core group is ready to begin meeting on Sunday mornings.

*There is already significant interest in this new plant among people in Gretna and Southwest Millard.

What you can do:

Pray. Pray for Josh, Ashley, their new baby, and this developing core group.

Serve. If you live in this area or feel like God is calling you to get involved in this church plant, then talk with Josh.

Give. As we are moving into a building and a new community we have a lot of moving parts, adding a church plant to this just adds more of a need. We rejoice that we are meeting our current budget needs and are in a position to pursue this church plant but know that that our gospel-ambition is at the end of the day funded by gospel-sacrifice. Let's continue to pray as we partner together.

Encourage. Remind Josh & Ashley of the privilege of being on mission for the purpose of showcasing the greatness of Christ:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (2 Pet. 2.9-10)

This truly is an exciting time for us at Emmaus. We have been independent as a church plant ourselves now for less than a year, for us to have an opportunity to make an impact like this in our city is humbling and awesome. We need to continue to remind ourselves to think and rejoice in terms of God's "Big-Kingdom" vs any aspirations of our own "Small-Kingdom" as a church or individuals. We are thankful for other like-minded churches who have encouraged us in this ministry to Gretna. Let us therefore do the ordinary and hard work of personal delight in Christ as missionaries sent by God into the Omaha area.

Sunday at Emmaus: (re)Building the Community (Ezra 3)

eraymond — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:47:16 -0600

It was great to start the Book of Ezra this past Sunday. If you missed, here is the audio: The Sovereign Pursuit of Worship Ezra 1 & 2. We saw how God stirs people, from kings to slaves, to accomplish his priority of worship. This week we look at what the people did once they returned home. If God stirred them for the purpose of worship then it would follow that worship would be their chief priority when they return. And so it was.

The exiles return to rebuild the community. At the heart of the rebuilding is the priority of building the temple and observing what God commands concerning worship. In this narrative we can observe some timeless priorities for God-Centered worship.

Here is the outline:

Scripture: Ezra 3

Sermon Outline: Timeless priorities for God-honoring worship

1.) Respond to God's Word (Ez. 3.1-9)
2.) Rejoice in Covenant faithfulness (Ez. 3.10-11)
3.) Refuse to minimize "small" things (Ez. 3.12-13)

Remember that we will be reviewing the sermon in our Care Groups later on that Sunday, so it will be helpful to read chapter 3 prior to Sunday morning.

We are Having Sunday Service (5 Feb) ...see details

eraymond — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:44:44 -0600

Quick details: Corporate worship at 10:00 is on, not Sunday School hour (09:00).

With the roads in pretty good shape and sunshine and light winds forecasted for Sunday morning we are going to meet together tomorrow morning. Our parking lot will be plowed and the sidewalks shoveled.

There are a few notes related to the tomorrow however:

The only caveat is with regard to Sunday School. We will *not* be having the Sunday School hour but will begin at 10:00 for corporate worship (nursery and children's church included). This gives our set up teams and all of our families a little bit more time to get there safely.

If you are planning on being at the Getting Started Class, we will begin next week.

We are also planning to make a significant announcement tomorrow morning while also beginning the book of Ezra.

We'll see you at 10:00. Drive safe!!

Sunday at Emmaus: The Sovereign Pursuit of Worship (Ezra 1 & 2)

eraymond — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:32:02 -0600

Quick note: If the weather is so bad that we have to cancel service on Sunday, we will have an announcement right here on the blog. It will also post on Facebook and Twitter, if that is easier for you. We'd like to have the call made by Saturday night so check before bed if there is a question.

This week we start our series in Ezra & Nehemiah. We begin in the first two chapters. Take a few minutes to read through and come prepared. The first chapter is a short narrative of events and the second mainly identifies people who were brought home. In light of our recent studies on God's mission and how he uses ordinary people to accomplish his ends, I think you'll be encouraged in Ezra.

Here is the outline:

Sermon Title: Sovereign Pursuit of Worship (Ezra 1 &2)

Scripture: Ezra 1 & 2

Outline: 5 Footprints of God's Pursuit of Worship

1. God's Word Drives History (1:1-4)

2. God's Priority Stirs Believers (1:5)

3. God's Supremacy is on display (1:6-11)

4. God's Compassion is personal (2:1-68)

5. God's Faithfulness is unrivaled (2:68-70)

Practicing Expository Listening

eraymond — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:27:10 -0600

"We are told men ought not to preach without preparation. Granted. But we add, men ought not to hear without preparation. Which, do you think, needs the most preparation, the sower or the ground? I would have the sower come with clean hands, but I would have the ground well-plowed and harrowed, well-turned over, and the clods broken before the seed comes in. lt seems to me that there is more preparation needed by the ground than by the sower; more by the hearer than by the preacher." C. H. Spurgeon

As we continue to practice “expository listening” and discuss the sermons in our Care Groups, it might be helpful to think about preparing yourself for the sermon. The following suggestions come from Expository Listening a helpful book by Ken Ramey.

(Please note, we are not saying that anyone has to do any of these things but merely highlight some suggestions that seem to be helpful in achieving the goal of expository listening)

Spiritual Preparations

1. Spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word every day in personal devotion

2. Men, lead your wife and children in regular times of worship throughout the week (family worship, Bible reading, prayer, and singing).

3. On Saturday night or Sunday morning, take time to get your heart ready for worship.

4. Read a portion of God's Word that focuses on worshiping God and/or personal cleansing from sin.

5. Thank God that through Christ you can come boldly into His presence to worship Him.

6. Seek God’s forgiveness for any sins you have failed to confess and repent of during the week.

7. Express to God that you understand that your best, most fervent attempts at worship are nowhere near what He deserves, and beg Him to help you worship Him wholeheartedly in spirit and in truth.

8. Plead with God to make your heart soft and receptive to His Word so that it will take root and grow up to bear lasting fruit in your life.

9. Ask God to graciously illuminate your mind to understand what the Word means and how it applies to your life that you might be a doer and not just a hearer of the word.

10. Pray for those who will be preaching/teaching God's Word, that His spirit will empower them to speak clearly and boldly and be powerfully used by Him to accomplish His work in your life and in the life of your church.

11. Take the initiative to make things right with anyone you have sinned against or has sinned against you (your spouse, parents, children, sister, fellow church member, etc.)

12. Come to church with a spirit of anticipation, fully expecting God to speak to you through His Word in ways that will change your life forever.

Physical Preparations

1. Make it a habit to be home on Saturday night (Sunday morning starts Saturday night).

2. Be careful not to do, watch, or read anything that will cause lingering distractions in your mind the next day.

3. Get things ready on Saturday night to alleviate the typical Sunday morning rush (lay out clothes, set the table, write offering check, prepare diaper bag, load car, etc.).

4. Get a good night's sleep so you can be sharp and energetic to worship God and listen to what He has to say to you.

5. Eat a good breakfast that will adequately hold you over until lunch.

6. Work hard at helping one another get ready.

7. Seek to establish and maintain a godly atmosphere on the way to church (listen to praise music, sing, pray, etc.).

8. Arrive at church ten minutes early instead of ten minutes late (plan ahead!).

Some EBC Notes

eraymond — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:43:02 -0600

It was a great encouragement on Sunday with corporate worship in the morning and then the open house in the afternoon. It was such a blessing for me to see and hear so many people so full of joy as we toured the new building. God is indeed good.

Here are a couple of notes:

1) There are pictures up on the Facebook page (link). Take a spin over there and take a look. (If you use Facebook then 'liking' the page will show these updates in your newsfeed).

2) We are beginning our study on Ezra-Nehemiah this Sunday morning. The plan is to be in Ezra chapters 1 & 2. I am looking forward to this and smiling upon the Lord's timing for it!

3) As you have no doubt noticed, we have several new families joining us. You may remember this challenge awhile back (it's worth restating): Here is the challenge, try to introduce yourself to and encourage 3 people that you don't know on Sunday morning. Spend some time getting to know them, hear their story and point them to Christ. Even if they are Christians, they (we) all need to be reminded of the greatness of Christ. One of the common things I hear from new people is that the people at EBC are very friendly. So I 'challenge' you not in shame, but by way of encouragement and reminder, so that we all continue to strive together for the advancement of Christ and his gospel in this community.

4) Some have asked for more information on the Valley of Vision prayer that I read on Sunday morning. Here is a link to my blog that has it in full. Enjoy!

Have a great week!

Erik

Sunday Morning: "The Missionary God"

eraymond — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:06:36 -0600

Januarys are a helpful time to remind ourselves of big priorities and concepts. This Sunday we have the opportunity to grab ahold of both. This sermon has been running laps in my mind for a couple of years now. I think this is a good time for us as a church to consider it together.

We will look at several passages (Gn. 1-3; Jn. 14-16; Ga. 4.1-7; Mt. 28.18-21) but the point is the same: God is a missionary God who actively engages in the mission of making worshippers. He does this for his glory and our good. This truth of God's identity and purpose helps clarify and calibrate what are to be about. In other words, God's mission shapes our own.

Here is the outline: 3 Components of God's Mission
1- Sending of the Son of God to Accomplish Redemption
2- Sending of the Spirit of God to Apply Redemption
3- Sending of the People of God to Announce Redemption

Open House this Sunday

eraymond — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:50 -0600

Please note that we will have an open house at the (potential) new building this Sunday from 1:30-2:30. Make plans to come and take a look at the place as we rejoice together in God's gracious provision.

Omaha Bible Church Men's Conference

eraymond — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:22:27 -0600

OBC has invited Emmaus men to come and join them at their upcoming Men's Conference. Having read Byron's book and knowing him personally I know this will be an encouraging and refreshing time of fellowship. Here are the details if you are interested in attending.

MAN-CAMP Febr. 24th & 25th at Mahoney State Park

Come Join us for MAN-CAMP on the evening of Friday, Febr. 24th and all day
Saturday, Feb 25th as the men of Omaha Bible Church gather at Mahoney State
Park for the study of God's Word under the leadership of author and pastor
Byron Yawn of Community Bible Church in Nashville. He will be speaking on
the topic of "What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him" which is also
the title of his most recent book.

We'll have great fellowship, great music, great MAN food and snacks, and of
course great teaching and preaching from the Bible.

(More Details on the OBC Website)

A Couple of Notes for EBC Ministry

eraymond — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:08:26 -0600

Here are a few quick notes for this week:

1) OPEN HOUSE: We are set to tour the new (potential) building on January 29th from 130-230. Directions and information will be in the bulletin this Sunday morning. Just mark it on your calendars for now. We would love to have everyone come and take a look at the (potential) new place.

2) GETTING STARTED: A new Getting Started Class begins on February 5th. We have several new folks coming and this class will be a great way to get them introduced to Emmaus life. If you know someone for whom this class would benefit, please let them know.

3) MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS: Membership Interviews will continue through February and March. If you have not had a meeting please take a moment to sign up this Sunday morning by the Bookstore.

4) EMMAUS PHOTOS: There are a number of photos uploaded from the baptism and fellowship meal to the EBC Facebook page. If you would like you can hop over there and take a look.

Sunday: "The Odious Sin of Partiality"

eraymond — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:00:49 -0600

Here is the information for Sunday morning's sermon:

The Odious Sin of Partiality
Scripture: James 2.1-13

Outline: 3 ugly footprints of partiality

1.) It showcases evil & corruption (2.1-4)

2.) It violates God's Law (2.5-11)

3.) It ignores the Gospel (2.12-13)

EBC New Nursing Home Ministry

eraymond — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:37:16 -0600

Please give prayerful consideration to your role in the new EBC nursing home ministry in Council Bluffs. This is an excellent opportunity for EBC individuals and families to minister to older adults with the good news of the gospel.Contact Dave Pugh (staceydave@yahoo.com) to volunteer for this new ministry.

Date/Time/Location:

Dates: The first Tuesday of each month (beginning February 6th)

Service Time: 6:30pm

Location: Risen Son Christian Village

3000 Risen Son Boulevard, Council Bluffs , IA 51503-1911

Chaplain of the facility: John Hanson

Required Ministry Volunteers:

1.) EBC Members: We need all kinds of individuals and families (including children…they LOVE having children there) to simply be there to befriend and talk with the residents. Again, one hour each month to impact someone with the gospel. It would be great to have many people that come regularly each month so that you establish deep relationships with the residents over the next year.

2.) EBC Music: We need someone to lead music. There is a resident of the facility that likes to play the piano. There are hymn books that we can use on-site. There are also opportunities for solos and/or special music.

3.) EBC Preachers: Preachers will work through the book of John. We’ll do John 1 in February, John 2 in March, John 3 in April, and so on. Speakers only have 20 minutes so they should select and preach from a small but strategic portion of the particular chapter. This is a great opportunity for those men that will be enrolling in EBC's newly-designed leadership program.

The Freshly Cut Wood in the Church

eraymond — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:24:35 -0600

Freshly cut wood. Even reading those words makes you want breathe in through your nose. For me the dominating scent of the wood brings my mind to consider warmth, coziness and family. I also really like the smell.

As I went out for an early morning run today I came upon a few homes with fresh wood. As my nostrils enjoyed wooded bouquet my heart and mind were drawn to another scene. I mused upon this past Sunday night with Emmaus. We were truly blessed. We enjoyed a rich time of fellowship together. The meal and extended time of talking and ministry updates were punctuated by baptisms.

The fragrance of grace is the fresh cut wood of the church. We enjoy the blessings of warmth and family in Christ. We lay ahold of Christ and His benefits, finding ourselves so richly encouraged together.

It is this bouquet, the fragrance of grace that we want to continue to breathe in. It is good for our souls.

Sunday Review

akennedy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:44:40 -0600

--note: several people have asked for this list from Sunday morning. It is a cut and paste from my notes so it may be a) incomplete and b) unpolished, having some spelling or grammar issues. Hopefully it is helpful.

In Zechariah we have God visiting a discouraged man through his word. Do you see how tender, compassionate, personal and powerful this God is? Do you see how he works to strengthen, encourage and sustain his people in the gospel? As believers we must be calibrated and anchored to the eternal truth that God's work for us is complete!

You may say, "That is well and good, but you don't know what I'm going through." Listen, you may not be realizing what God has done! Let's think about this...

1) There is no one left to fear because Christ has conquered all of your enemies:
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Col.2.13-15)

2) There is no one left to cower to because God, the all-powerful one, is for you:
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom.8.31)---In other words, "The judge is your friend!"

3) There is truly nothing left that you "need to have":
You have everything in Christ! all are yours, 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. (1 Cor. 3.23)

4) There is no reason to try to atone for personal guilt because Christ, the Branch, has removed it:
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1Jn2.2)---Yes, you may be a brand plucked from the fire, still blackened & smelling of smoke, but you are his!!

5) There is no reason to be downcast & discouraged bc in Christ God ordains your happiness:
Gladden the soul of your servant for to you, O LORD do I lift my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.(Ps.86.4-5) This happiness isn't God giving u all you think u want but God giving you himself & governing you--and you loving it!

6) There is no reason to be anxious about tomorrow because the Sovereign & Good God works all things together for your good:
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.(Mt 6.34)

7) There is no reason to question your value because God doesn't value your merit but his grace:
He will use you despite your weakness to showcase his power. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor. 12.9)

8) There is no reason to question God's love for you because he has given the greatest treasure for you:
There is nothing greater or more loving thatGod can do for you than to give you his beloved Jesus. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Rm8.32)

New Sermon Series for Sunday Mornings

eraymond — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:58:03 -0600

As I have already said a few times, I am excited about the new study for Sunday mornings. We will be considering the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah. These books were originally grouped together as one. We'll see why as we work through them.

I had been planning to study this next for the last several months. I can only now begin to see God's providence as we are looking forward to a new building and various ministry opportunities. The story of God's faithfulness to his people and priority of worship and holiness is communicated on a road paved to Calvary. It is truly an encouraging, and I pray a life and church-changing study!

Sunday Morning: "Plucked from the Fire" (Zechariah 3)

eraymond — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:50:40 -0600

As I continue to study and prepare for our next study in Ezra - Nehemiah (beginning 5 Feb), there are a few items that I think are helpful for us to consider. This week we will be considering God's work for his people from the book of Zechariah. Incidently this passage is a corralary to what we have in the early chapters of Ezra. So it is helpful in terms of groundwork for our next study.

One of the chief issues addressed in this passage is guilt. How do you deal with it? Where do you go? How can you continue when you are honest about who you are and have been? This passage gives us very encouraging answers.

I've included the outline below. As always it is encoruaged that you read through the passage before Sunday. The outline helps to develop the flow for you.

I'm looking forward to our time together worshipping the risen Christ!

"Plucked from the Fire"
Emmaus Bible Church | 01.08.2012

Scripture: Zechariah 3
Outline: 4 Truths that must calibrate believers

1- God's Choice of You is Unconditional
2- God's Defense of You is Unwavering
3- God's Work for You is Complete
4- God's Will for You is Holiness

Combined Care Group This Sunday Night

eraymond — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:12:49 -0600

Please remember that this Sunday night we are having a combined Care Group from 5-8.

Here are the details:

We will be meeting at Cornerstone Church (map) at 5pm.

5:00 - 6:30 Eating and Fellowship
6:30 - 7:00 EBC updates and a look ahead
7:00 - 7:45 Baptisms and Singing
7:45 - Fellowship and Clean Up

Also, here are the meal assignments based upon Care Group:

Martina: Dessert

Raymond: Salad

Atkins: Main Dish

Fudge: Main Dish

Pugh: Dessert

Looking forward to the time together!

Bible Reading Plans for 2012

eraymond — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:04:00 -0600

Here are several option available for Bible Reading this year. I don't want to overwhelm you but I figured that this post is a great 'catch all' of what is out there. The key thing is that you are reading the Bible. Make this the priority and get after it.

(This post is copied in full from Justin Taylor's blog on The Gospel Coalition)....

There are lots of ways to read the Bible in a year, and I won’t try to capture all of them. But here are numerous options, in no particular order. You may want to look through it and see what you think would work best for you.

First off, if you’re not persuaded that having a plan is necessary and biblical in some sense, then here’s a helpful piece from John Piper, written in 1984.

Stephen Witmer has a helpful introduction—on the weaknesses of typical plans and some advice on reading the Bible together with others—as well as offering his own new two-year plan.

The Gospel Coalition’s For the Love of God Blog takes you through the M’Cheyne reading plan, with a meditation each day by D. A. Carson related to one of the readings.

George Guthrie has a very helpful Read the Bible for Life Chronological Bible Reading Plan. Guthrie has also made a a booklet version of the Read the Bible for Life 4+1 Reading Plan. The plan is similar to the Discipleship Journal plan, but in addition to reading in four different places in the Scriptures, you also read a psalm a day, cycling through the psalms twice in the year. This plan is semi-chronological, placing the prophets and the NT letters in rough chronological order.

The Bible Reading Plan for Shirkers and Slackers (Pastor Andy Perry explains the plan and why he recommends it.)

Before I mention some of the ESV plans, here are a few other options that aren’t one-year-plans per se:

Don Whitney has a simple but surprisingly effective tool: A Bible Reading Record. It’s a list of every chapter in the Bible, and you can check them off as you read them at whatever pace you want.

For the highly motivated and disciplined, Grant Horner’s plan has you reading each day a chapter from ten different places in the Bible. (Bob Kauflin read the whole Bible this way in five and a half months and explains why he likes this system a lot.)

Joe Carter and Fred Sanders explain James Gray’s method of “How to Master the English Bible.” My pastor, David Sunday, told me that “the plan they recommend is, from my vantage point, the most productive way to read and to master the Bible’s contents (or more importantly, to let the Bible master you!).”

There are 10 Reading Plans for ESV Editions, and the nice things is the way in which Crossway has made them accessible in multiple formats:

web (a new reading each day appears online at the same link)
RSS (subscribe to receive by RSS)
podcast (subscribe to get your daily reading in audio)
iCal (download an iCalendar file)
mobile (view a new reading each day on your mobile device)
print (download a PDF of the whole plan)

Reading Plan	Format
Daily Reading Bible Daily Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
Outreach Bible Daily Old Testament, Psalms, and New Testament	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
Outreach Bible New Testament Daily New Testament. Read through the New Testament in 6 months	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
M’Cheyne One-Year Reading Plan Daily Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
ESV Study Bible Daily Psalms or Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch or the History of Israel; Chronicles or Prophets; and Gospels or Epistles	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
Literary Study Bible Daily Psalms or Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch or the History of Israel; Chronicles or Prophets; and Gospels or Epistles	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
Every Day in the Word Daily Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
Through the Bible Daily Old Testament and New Testament	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
Chronological Through the Bible chronologically (from Back to the Bible)	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print
Book of Common Prayer Daily Office Daily Psalms, Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospels	Web	RSS	iCal	Mobile	Print

You can also access each of these Reading Plans as podcasts:

Right-click (Ctrl-click on a Mac) the “RSS” link of the feed you want from the above list.
Choose “Copy Link Location” or “Copy Shortcut.”
Start iTunes.
Choose Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast.
Paste the URL from step three into the box.
Click OK.

The entire Bible on audio is usually about 75 hours (or 4500 minutes). If you commute to work 5 days a week, that’s about 260 days a year. And if it takes you, say, 17 minutes to commute each way to work—and if you listen to the Bible on audio during your drive each way—you’ll get through the entire Bible twice in a year. This probably isn’t the only way to do Bible intake—but it’s one most of us should take advantage of more.

Here’s some more detail on these plans (some from Crossway, some from elsewhere).

ESV Study Bible (The ESV Literary Study Bible contains the same plan)

With this plan there are four readings each day, divided into four main sections:

Psalms and Wisdom Literature
Pentateuch and the History of Israel
Chronicles and Prophets
Gospels and Epistles

The introduction explains:

In order to make the readings come out evenly, four major books of the Bible are included twice in the schedule: the Psalms (the Bible’s hymnal), Isaiah (the grandest of the OT prophets), Luke (one of the four biblical Gospels), and Romans (the heart of the Bible’s theology of salvation).The list of readings from the Psalms and the Wisdom Literature begins and ends with special readings that are especially appropriate for the opening and closing of the year. The list of readings from the Pentateuch and the History of Israel proceeds canonically through the five books of Moses and then chronologically through the history of the OT, before closing the year with the sufferings of Job. The list of readings from the Chronicles and the Prophets begins with the Chronicler’s history of the people of God from Adam through the exile, followed by the Major and Minor Prophets, which are organized chronologically rather than canonically.

You can print out this PDF, which is designed to be cut into four bookmarks that can be placed at the appropriate place in your Bible reading. There are boxes to check off each reading as you complete it.

M’Cheyne One-Year Reading Plan

With this plan you read through:

the NT twice
the Psalms twice
the rest of the OT once

The plan begins with the four great beginnings or “births” of Scripture: Genesis 1 (beginning of the world), Ezra 1 (rebirth of Israel after her return from Babylonian exile), Matthew 1 (birth of the Messiah), Acts 1 (birth of the body of Christ). John Stott says of this reading schedule: “Nothing has helped me more to gain an overview of the Bible, and so of God’s redemptive plan.”

If you go with this route, I’d recommend D.A. Carson’s For the Love of God (vol. 1 and vol. 2 are available–vols. 3 and 4 are forthcoming). Carson’s introduction and preface—which includes a layout of the calendar—are available for free online.

Since there are four readings each day, it’s easy to modify this one so that you read through the Bible once in two years, by reading just the first two readings each day for the first year and the second two readings each day for the second year.

Here’s a plan from NavPress, which is used each year at Bethlehem Baptist Church:

The Discipleship Journal Reading Plan

With this plan you read through the entire Bible once.

With this plan there are “catch-up” days:

To prevent the frustration of falling behind, which most of us tend to do when following a Bible reading plan, each month of this plan gives you only 25 readings. Since you’ll have several “free days” each month, you could set aside Sunday to either not read at all or to catch up on any readings you may have missed in the past week.
If you finish the month’s readings by the twenty-fifth, you could use the final days of the month to study passages that challenged or intrigued you.

Bethlehem makes available bookmarks that you can place in the relevant parts of your Bible:

Bookmarks for 1st half of the year
Bookmarks for 2nd half of the year

The Journey Engage Scripture Reading Plan

The Journey, an Acts 29 church in St. Louis pastored by Darrin Patrick, did a church-wide reading plan last year.

This plan has you read whole chapters (a feature I like):

one New Testament chapter
two Old Testament chapters

They also have a couple of features designed to help those of us who have trouble persevering through a schedule like this: (1) there are lots of reflection/catch-up days; (2) they have pulled from the daily plan some of the slower-paced, harder-to-understand books. These then become “Monthly Scripture Snapshots” that are to be speed-read, along with online videos and overviews to put these books in context.