Sunday, December 31, 2017
Friday, December 29, 2017
Bible Reading Plans
F260 Plan - The one recommended by Robby Gallaty
5 Day Bible Reading Program
Read through the Bible in a year, with readings five days a week.
Duration: One Year | Download: PDF
52 Week Bible Reading Plan
Read through the Bible in a year, with each day of the week dedicated to a different genre: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, and Gospels.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
5x5x5 Bible Reading Plan
Read through the New Testament in a year, reading Monday to Friday. Weekends are set aside for reflection and other reading. Especially beneficial if you’re new to a daily discipline of Bible reading.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
A Bible Reading Chart
Read through the Bible at your own pace. Use this minimalistic, yet beautifully designed, chart to track your reading throughout the year.
Duration: Flexible | Download: PDF
Chronological Bible Reading Plan
Read through the Bible in the order the events occurred chronologically.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan
Four daily readings beginning in Genesis, Psalms, Matthew and Acts.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
ESV Daily Bible Reading Plan
Four daily readings taken from four lists: Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
Every Word in the Bible
Read through the Bible one chapter at a time. Readings alternate between the Old and New Testaments.
Duration: Three years | Download: PDF
Historical Bible Reading Plan
The Old Testament readings are similar to Israel’s Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament readings are an attempt to follow the order in which the books were authored.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
An In Depth Study of Matthew
A year long study in the Gospel of Matthew from Tabletalk magazine and R.C. Sproul.
Duration: One year | App: Accessible on YouVersion. Download the app.
Professor Grant Horner’s Bible Reading System
Reading ten chapters a day, in the course of a year you’ll read the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul’s letters four to five times, the Old Testament wisdom literature six times, the Psalms at least twice, Proverbs and Acts a dozen times, and the OT History and Prophetic books about one and a half times.
Duration: Ongoing | Download: PDF
Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Read the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once.
Duration: One or two years | Download: Website
Straight Through the Bible Reading Plan
Read straight through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
Tabletalk Bible Reading Plan
Two readings each day; one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
The Legacy Reading Plan
This plan does not have set readings for each day. Instead, it has set books for each month, and set number of Proverbs and Psalms to read each week. It aims to give you more flexibility, while grounding you in specific books of the Bible each month.
Duration: One year | Download: PDF
Two-Year Bible Reading Plan
Read the Old and New Testaments once, and Psalms & Proverbs four times.
Duration: Two years | Download: PDF
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Friday, December 22, 2017
From the Shepherd's Heart...Friday, December 22, 2017
This Sunday I am continuing to preach through Genesis 4 and 5 and will do so with a Christmas message. That's right...Christmas in Genesis.
This Sunday is the last message in the series in Genesis this fall with the third message from Genesis 4 with a message "The Beginning of the Family: A Baby Changes Everything." Two times in Genesis 4 and 5 it notes how the birth of a baby changed a father.
We will examine the stories and impact of a baby to a family. Also, we will have a baby dedication in the service.
Looking forward to a wonderful morning in worship on Christmas Eve. No other services this Sunday: no Sunday School, no evening services.
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Forgiveness After Adultery: What It Is and Is Not by Brad Hambrick
(This post is from Brad Hambrick from May 12, 2017 - see the original here)
This post is an excerpt from Step 7 of the True Betrayal seminar manual. If you read the content and feel like it is “ahead of where you are” or “too heavy for you,” then it is recommended that you start at the beginning of this resource.
What is the first thing you need to “do” with all you have learned, understood, and processed to this point [Steps 1-6]? Forgive. Before now forgiveness would probably have been only a well-intentioned promise. When we forgive we absorb the cost of someone else’s sin. But forgiveness should not be a blank check or it easily becomes foolish enablement or willful naivety. Jesus knew the cost of saying the words “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48) or “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:11). Wise forgiveness, especially when it potentially leads to restoration, knows the cost of the check it writes.
Read Matthew 18:21-35. Notice that precise amounts are given for what is forgiven. Part of the benefit of Steps 2-4 was that you could know what you are forgiving. Too often a passage like this is used to imply that because the offenses against us are small compared to our offenses against God (which is true) that all offenses against us are small (which is false). In reaction to that logic we often resist forgiveness because the act of forgiving seems to minimize the offense. The act of saying, “I forgive you,” assumes the statement, “You wronged me in a way that should not be overlooked or minimized.” It should also include the assumption, “I am only able to assume the debt of your sin against me because God has assumed my debt against Him and promised to cover whatever losses I incur by forgiving others.”
“The fact is, what your spouse has done against you and God may be inexcusable, but it is not unforgiveable (p. 30).” Mike Summers in Help! My Spouse Has Been Unfaithful
So what is forgiveness? Forgiveness is the choice to no longer require someone to receive the punishment that their sin deserves. Forgiveness is an act of faith that trusts that the penalty for sin was sufficiently paid by Christ on the cross or will be paid by the sinner in Hell. Forgiveness is a willingness to treat the offender as gracious wisdom would allow given the offender’s response to their sin.
“Forgiveness is not a human function. You may have to begin by asking God to give you the desire to be obedient. There’s no sense in pretending (p. 170).” Gary & Mona Shriver in Unfaithful
Forgiveness vs. Restoration: These terms are distinct but have significant overlap. All restoration is rooted in forgiveness, but not all forgiveness will result in restoration. In the discussion below the tone of forgiveness implies a movement towards restoration. However, if your spouse is unrepentant of his/her sin, then your personal recovery may involve applying these principles without the particular applications made towards restoration.
Gary and Mona Shriver in their book Unfaithful describe five things that forgiveness is not (p.165-166; modified, bold text only). As you read these use them to calm the fears of “I could never forgive because…” You will likely find that many of the things you say you could not do are not actually what forgiveness requires.
1. Forgiveness is not containing or restraining hurt and anger.
If this is how we conceive of forgiveness, then forgiveness becomes a synonym for being fake. Forgiveness becomes a form of self-imposed silencing rather than other-minded expression of grace. With this bad definition of forgiveness, we resist godly self-control in the name of resisting hypocritical forgiveness.
“There are a couple of principles that can help you deal with unresolved anger. Don’t allow your anger to control you. If we are out of control verbally or physically, we are in sin. And the truth is that no real work gets done in that atmosphere… Additionally, it is important to understand that processing and venting are two different things (p. 152).” Gary & Mona Shriver in Unfaithful
Forgiveness is what allows us to express hurt as hurt rather than hurt as anger. Even after forgiveness the hurt still hurts. It is just that after forgiveness the penalty for that hurt which anger tries to generate has already been relinquished by the forgiver. When you forgive you are not making a commitment not to hurt. You are making a commitment about what you will do with hurt when it flares.
2. Forgiveness is not letting someone off the hook.
Forgiveness is the complete opposite of saying, “That’s okay.” If the action being forgiven were “okay” then no forgiveness would be needed. Forgiveness is not the same as saying, “This is finished. Nothing more needs to be said about this.” Forgiveness is the start of restoration not the culmination. When God forgives us He does not assume we are a “finished product.” God remains active in our life to remove the sin He forgave. Similarly, when you forgive your spouse that is the beginning of restoring the marriage to what God intended it to be and which may involve continued dealing with fall out of his/her sin.
“Forgiveness is an important part of recovering from adultery, but forgiveness isn’t God’s way of ‘dropping the subject’ (p. 18).” Winston Smith in Help! My Spouse Committed Adultery
3. Forgiveness is not an excuse.
Forgiveness does not reclassify the offense from a sin to a mistake. Mistakes are excused. Sins are forgiven. Sometimes we resist forgiving because we do not want to ratify this perceived downgrade in the significance of the offense. Forgiveness is not a downgrade. Forgiveness inherently classifies an offense at the top level of wrongness.
On the opposite side of making an excuse for your spouse’s sin, is over personalizing his/her sin. While your spouse’s sin was absolutely against you, it may or may not have been about you. As you seek to express forgiveness by not dwelling on your spouse’s sin, you may have to battle against validating each way your imagination can conceive that your spouse’s sin was “meant” to harm or insult you.
4. Forgiveness is not forgetting or some kind of sentimental amnesia.
Forgiveness is not the culmination of a journey but the commitment to complete a journey. Forgiving does not require a rush of warm emotions towards your spouse that are consistently stronger than the emotions of hurt you feel towards his/her sin. This conception would make forgiveness a state of being to achieve rather than a promise being given.
A naïve-amnesia view of forgiveness implies that your spouse’s struggle with lust is over and that any future offense can/should be responded to without reference to past/forgiven sexual sin. Forgiveness does mean that you will allow unclear facts to be examined before making accusations and that progress would be considered in determining how to respond to a relapse. The social network each of you have built while working through False Love and True Betrayal, should allow for these assessments to be made in a wise, healthy manner.
So what does forgiveness mean you are committing to do with your memories, fears, and imagination? Forgiveness does not add anything new to how you respond to your memories, fears, and imagination that wisdom did not already advise before you forgave. The patient honesty that was outlined in Step 2-6 is the kind of response you should give. Forgiveness is not a commitment to become non-emotional ; but honoringly emotional.
5. Forgiveness is not trust or reconciliation.
The next section will talk about the process of restoring trust. But, for the moment, know that forgiving and trusting or forgiving and saying things are “back to normal,” are not the same thing. If you feel like you have to be “there yet” in order to forgive, then this belief will impair both your ability to forgive and progress towards restoring the marriage.
Read Ephesians 4:31-32. This passage describes where you should be at this stage in the process. There should be a commitment to put away “all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander (v. 31).” Forgiveness is when you make this commitment, not the declaration of its completion. After reading this section on forgiveness in light of the journey you have been on, how do you understand the phrase “forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (v. 32)” differently? What is different in how you view your forgiveness from God? What is different about what you believe God is asking of you towards others?
If this post was beneficial for you, then consider reading other blogs from my “Favorite Posts on Adultery” or “Favorite Posts on Pornography” post which address other facets of this subject.
From the Shepherd's Heart...Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Just a brief reminder of our Holiday schedule here at Rainsville First Baptist Church:
Wednesday, December 20 - no services
Friday, December 22 - Church office closed
Sunday, December 24 - 10:15 Worship Service only
Monday, December 25 - Church office closed
Wednesday, December 27 - no services
Friday, December 29 - Church office closed
Sunday, December 31 - 9:00 Sunday School and 10: 15 Morning Worship
Monday, January 1 - Church office Closed
Wednesday, December 20 - no services
Friday, December 22 - Church office closed
Sunday, December 24 - 10:15 Worship Service only
Monday, December 25 - Church office closed
Wednesday, December 27 - no services
Friday, December 29 - Church office closed
Sunday, December 31 - 9:00 Sunday School and 10: 15 Morning Worship
Monday, January 1 - Church office Closed
Sunday, December 17, 2017
P. S. From the Sermon this past Sunday, December 17, 2017
First, let me say I have never had to deal with a murder in my family. I can not image the pain a family goes through if someone has taken the life of a family member.
It is hard enough to lose a family member or friend due to sickness or an accident, but for someone to purposefully take another's life leaves a family with not only the loss of a precious life, but the anger toward a person who would be so cold-blooded to do this.
But Genesis 4 spoke to me and I believe speaks to families and friends of those who have experienced such.
God tells Cain (who had murdered his brother, Abel) in verse 10 "Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground!"
God heard the blood cry for justice from the ground of Abel. The murder was private. Maybe Cain thought nobody would ever know what happened. Would he try to cover it up like Joseph's brothers would later in Genesis? What would he say to his mom and dad? Would the "truth" ever be revealed? Would justice ever done for Abel's life?
But WOW - God saw and hears the cry of justice!!!!
Over and over again in the Old Testament, God and the prophets pleaded for leaders and judges who were just and truthful.
This is the "ideal." But due to absolute truth not always being known and the frailty of humanity (even the best of us), true justice may never happen in this life.
But take heart...we have a God who sees all in absolute truth. AND the blood of the victim never stops crying out for justice until justice is done. Even in the life to come.
Then one other note. What about those who literally "have no voice." Those who are murdered at the hand of money-craved doctors, uncaring mothers, weak fathers and wicked politicians. The sixty million babies killed due to the legalization of abortion in America alone since 1973 are crying out for justice. And God hears and will act. (Look here for more information about the number of abortions.)
In fact, God is already acting. We see it in increased crime in our streets, anger in our hearts, and more disfunction in our government. But the final reckoning has not come. While these babies are in the sweet arms of God, all unrepentant of the sin of abortion will be dealt with eventually in truth and justice by an angry God.
(Psalm 106:35, Deut. 19: 10, 13; 21:8-9; Proverbs 6: 17; Isaiah 59:7; Jeremiah 22:3, 17)
For God still hears the cry of innocent blood.
But one last note...God still hears the cry of innocent blood - the blood of His innocent Son. The blood of Jesus still cries out, "There is healing in my death. Healing for your souls. Healing for your bodies. I died so you may live. Come and be washed clean in my blood."
Even if you have had an abortion, God can forgive. Even if you have killed someone, God can forgive. For in truth, we all killed Jesus. And yet Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23: 34)
"Whosoever may call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Thankful we have a God who hears the cry of innocent blood.
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