A Day of New Beginnings

Many days mark the starting point of something new. Yet, today marks the start of multiple new beginnings.

• 2021 30-Day Prayer Challenge
• Shawna Cook of Brown Girl Bible Study releases pre-orders of her new book
• Jeremiah Journey Week 35 continues with Live @ Lunch Bible Study

2021 30-Day Prayer Challenge

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer

Romans 12:12 (ESV)

As we embark on this prayer challenge to pray more day by day, we must keep the latter portion of this verse in mind.

“. . . be constant in prayer.”

Let us stay constant in prayer and consistent in our prayer life. Let this challenge serve as a means for you to learn more about prayer and your own prayer life as well as deepening your relationship with God through prayer. Join the challenge today!

Orders Being Taken for Brown Girl Bible Study

View the broadcast recording

My recent guest on Coffee & Chat with Rev Bruce was Shawna Cook of Brown Girl Bible Study and she shared about her upcoming book which is a journal through the New Testament epistle of Philippians. Visit Brown Girl Bible Study to learn how to order your copy today.

The Jeremiah Journey Continues with Live @ Lunch Bible Study

We’ve been doing it chapter by chapter week by week. The plan is to continue doing it: chapter by chapter, week by week throughout 2021. It’s all 52 chapters of the Book of Jeremiah for all 52 weeks of the calendar year. It’s all about the weeping prophet and how he carried God’s message to God’s people despite their resistance and refusal to hear him openly. It’s all about getting a better understanding of what God’s Word says and what God’s Word has for you to learn and live out today.

Join us today!!

Word cloud of chapter 35

It all happens every Wednesday at 11 AM PST on our YouTube channel. Be sure to check it out today and visit our Bible Study & Beyond playlist to view past livestream episodes.

This week we look at chapter 35 and the rewards of obeying God’s commands. The chapter includes the Rechabites and their commitment to the commands of their forefather Jonadab. God uses this group of individuals and their collective dedication the commands of Jonadab to demonstrate a vital lesson to both Israel and Judah. Look further for more information on chapter 35 online beyond my own blog posts if that helps your Bible study and understanding of the text. There are other blogs with insights into the descendants of Jonadab and their obedience.

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Passion Week with the Weeping Prophet – Jeremiah Journey 2021 Week 13

The lips of the wise spread knowledge. . .

Proverbs 15:7

As we enter what many have become familiar with as Passion Week, we continue our week by week Bible study of Jeremiah. Although he is commonly known as the Weeping Prophet, Jeremiah remains grounded as a man of compassion and integrity.

In the midst of corruption, the Jeremiah who comes to life in the pages of the Old Testament would be aligned with a whistleblower in today’s terms. Using his prophetic calling to call out Israel and Judah on their wrongdoings, Jeremiah reminds us of a mere forecast of Jesus and John the Baptist in the New Testament as they called out the religious leaders of their own time period.

John the Baptist with the Brood of Vipers Reflects Jeremiah

In Matthew 3:7, John the Baptist becomes aware of the presence of Sadducees and Pharisees as he baptized in the Jordan River. He scolds them, even calling them a “brood of vipers,” and he commands them to produce fruit “worthy of repentance.” It is obvious why many of people suspected that Jeremiah or Elijah had been reborn and manifested in this New Testament prophet. It is reflective of the Book of Jeremiah’s constant call for making amends for wrongdoing by returning to God, i.e. repentance.

Jesus Calls Out Corruption Like Jeremiah

Look at Jesus when He turned out the money changers and turned over their tables within the temple. We often hear this incident referenced as the Lord “cleansing the temple.” In fact, in the Gospel of John, Jesus goes so far as to make a whip and urge folks to be on their way and to take their wares out of the temple because He openly states that His Father’s house is not a place of business.

How is this like Jeremiah?

Much like his contemporaries Zephaniah, Ezekiel, and Habakkuk, Jeremiah was dealing with God’s people on the basis of their broken covenant with God, even the priests and other religious leaders. Keep in mind that the prophet was to call out the transgressions and rebellion against the Lord. It is quite a comparison to see the Weeping Prophet and the Lord Jesus both compelled to reach out to God’s people to change their ways or expect nothing more than coming wrath of God in due time.

Jeremiah Journey Week 13: The Ruined Sash and So Much More

jeremiah-journey-week-13Download

Jeremiah chapter 13 opens up with an object lesson featuring the prophet’s sash (vv. 1-10). God is quick to point out to the prophet that the sash is “profitable for nothing” (v. 7). God also points out how this symbolic lesson with the sash is the same he will hand the “evil people” of Judah and Jerusalem.

The remainder of the chapter unveils more of how God will deal with Israel and Judah. It takes us through a plethora of prophetic warnings, but much of what is said hinges on a singular centralized theme of pride. In verse 15, the people are warned: “Do not be proud.” Verse 18 simply starts out: “Humble yourselves.” In the midst of everything that the Lord is spelling out and sharing in this chapter, he takes direct aim at their pride, their arrogance, and their coming shame as the Lord puts it in verse 26.

The LORD detests the proud; they will surely be punished.

proverbs 16:5 (NLT)

Watch on Wednesday 11 AM PST: Share Your Thoughts & Questions

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No Shepherds to Feed the Flock – Jeremiah Journey 2021 Week 10

For the shepherds have become dull-hearted,

And have not sought the Lord

Jeremiah 10:21 (NKJV)

jeremiah-journey-week-10-bible-study-outlineDownload

I want to circle back to Jeremiah 3:15 and help someone understand the complexity of what God says there in comparison to what we see here. Look at this week’s Bible study outline and see how it fits in, too. When we were in chapter 3 of Jeremiah, much of our attention was placed on the whoredom of Israel and Judah. However, it is in that same chapter where God promises to provided shepherds “according to My own heart.” But what is this that we’re seeing here where God is calling His own shepherds “senseless?”

jeremiah-journey-week-10-no-shepherds-to-feed-themDownload

God points out the lack of responsibility among the shepherds of God’s people. He even says: “The shepherds are senseless.” God shows that the shepherds lack of leadership left Him with no choice but to remove these shepherds and recover His sheep as in Jeremiah 31:10.

But He said that He would provide us shepherds, right?

When comparing Jeremiah 10:21 and Jeremiah 3:15, the problem that emerges comes in the form of contextual confusion. Keep in mind that Jeremiah 3:15 is a providential promise of God to Israel based on the conditional repentance of the “faithless children” in verse 14. Think in terms of prophecy. He says it in chapter 3, but that does not mean that He will fulfill that prophetic promise immediately. Failing to connect the dots right here will have you left with your mental wheels spinning out of control trying to figure out why God failed His flock. Like I said, think in terms of prophecy rather than immediate actions by God. Jeremiah 3:15 is an eventuality, while Jeremiah 10:21 is the status of the conditions as they stand at that moment. That’s the difference. That’s where we see the prophecy in comparison to the revelation of the current circumstances.

We’ll cover more about this on Wednesday at 11 AM as we dig into chapter 10.

You will find plenty of debate on the topic of shepherding God’s flock. Some will deem that it is the whole counsel of God or nothing at all except a compromised message. Countless interpretations use the contents in various contexts and plenty of communication has left numerous congregations in confusion. In essence, consider the role of the shepherd. Modern day Christians tend to mix and match many of the roles in the Old and New Testaments. We need to end the confusion and work with some sense of clarity on these concepts in order to clearly hear and accept God’s message through His Word with confidence.

I pray that you grasp the fact that we can mistakenly mislead others with our own misinterpretations.

#JeremiahJourney

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Jeremiah Journey 2021 Begins

Taking the First Step on the Journey

1. Read the first chapter of Jeremiah (Do not take notes, underline, highlight, etc.; JUST READ)
2. Download and review the mini guide for chapter 1
3. Go back to chapter 1 of Jeremiah again and feel free to use any notetaking technique during your reading
4. Pick a verse or passage that you feel is key to chapter 1 of Jeremiah
5. Walk away and focus on any key verse or passage that you selected as you go through your day
6. (Day #2) Return to reading Jeremiah chapter 1
7. Do you still feel that verse or passage is the key to this chapter? If no, select another as your daily focus.
8. Try to answer the questions from the mini guide and write a 1 sentence summary of the chapter in your own words.
9. Share your verse or passage on social media with #JeremiahJourney
10. Tune in on Wednesday at 9:30 AM PST for our Live @ Lunch Bible Study discussion on Jeremiah chapter 1 and to get a sneak peak ay next week’s guide.

TUNE IN WEDNESDAY AT 9:30 AM PST

God Gives Us Beyond Second Chances: Be Humbled

“Every Christian has a choice between being humble or being humbled.”

c.h. spurgeon

My heart is filled with hope along with humility. In 2017, I embarked on launching this study as an extended blog series for 2018. Circumstances got the best of me. Again, it happened to me in 2019 and 2020. God saw fit to never whisper that I had done enough or send a sign that I must move on, so I am sticking with my assignment and making the best effort to bring it to fruition again.

This time I have more working for me. I have the experience of previous trial runs with this and I have enough experience posting regularly doing shorter blog series recently for week-long seasonal projects and 10-day projects that required a daily postings. With much prayer and focus, I hope to see this through by posting weekly and hosting our Live @ Lunch Bible Study livestream to discuss the chapter and its message.

I am also humbled by God not snatching it from my hands. He has nurtured me. He has matured me. He has continued to develop me. All the while, unbeknownst to me, He was preparing me to come back and try it again. Even if I make a biblical donkey of myself in the process, I will have acted in obedience and I will have stepped out on faith. And someone else needed to witness that in order to gain what they need. And I am humbled to be used as a vessel by Him even for that.

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