Our Bible study group is studying Acts and we just discussed our homework Acts 6:8-8:3. Our study book asked the question 'What lessons for us does 6:8-8:3 offer?' with regards to the sins of the Jews to avoid. Some of us wrote down hard heart, legalism, disobedience, resisting the Holy Spirit, unbelief, and stiff-necked. (I like the imagery of "stiff-necked." I don't want to be stiff-necked.) With regards to legalism we mentioned doing rituals out of routine without having the heart for God. I mentioned to the group about visiting a church and during the service the people repeat things together. First of all I could not understand what they were saying. Not a clue. And I noticed they were just saying it kind of rote, in a monotone voice, without meaning. Of course, not everyone. I'm sure many people were saying what they were saying with conviction. Four or five rows in front of me was a young couple with a baby who caught my eye. They appeared to be of middle eastern descent which interested me and I noticed them being demonstrative. Having come from a very stoic traditional church I appreciate this! This young couple seemed to be truly worshipping God. And the baby was adorable. I spent most of the service taking my cues from them and smiling at their display of faith. But for most of the people sitting in the pews it seemed like they didn't care about what they were saying, whatever it was they were saying. But that wasn't unique to that church. How often have I witnessed people saying the Lord's Prayer, the Apostle's Creed or Nicene Creed or singing the doxology without any meaning to it? How often have I done that very same thing - barely paying attention to the words? Remember when you first came to faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and your Lord? Remember that fire for the Lord you felt? Remember being filled with gratitude and thankfulness? That is called awe. And somehow as we walk this life with Christ that awe fades some. And then something reminds us. We remember. And our hearts swell with awe again. Jesus Christ came to earth, was crucified, died, and rose again all so that we could be reconciled to God. We go to church to be with other believers and be in community to give glory to God for all He has done. He is the Creator. He is the Deliverer. He is the Redeemer. He is Mighty. He is Powerful. He is Merciful. He is Holy. He is Loving. He is Good. He is Just. He is our Provider. He is our Protector. He is our Healer. He is our Forgiver. He is the Great and Awesome God! We had just studied about the Acts 2 church. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe. (Reference Acts 2:43.) This morning I sat here and I thought about that and our discussion last night. God is worthy of our praise. And yet we hold it back. I don't think we purposely do it. It is like an unintentional sin we commit. I went to Bible Gateway (biblegateway.com) and entered the Bible I read from (NASB 1995) and searched the word "awe." It also pulled up verses with the word "awesome" in them. I opened my Bible and went to each verse and highlighted and underlined the word "awe" or "awesome" that were referring to God or to God's actions. I highly recommend doing this. I noticed something. In eleven verses (if I counted correctly) it described God as "great and awesome." I said, “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, Nehemiah 1:5 Let them praise Your great and awesome name; Holy is He. Psalm 99:3 I cannot think of "my God is so great" without this kids' song coming to my mind. Smile. My God is so great Kids Song And of course when you say, "awesome God" you think of this song. No verses. Just a chorus repeated over and over and over and over. Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above With wisdom, power, and love Our God is an awesome God Awesome God In looking for the song Awesome God, I found this song and I love the words to it! Praise be to God! My God is Awesome When studying the verses with awe and awesome in them I also saw - honored and awesome If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the Lord your God, Deuteronomy 28:58 dominion and awe Dominion and awe belong to Him Who establishes peace in His heights. Job 25:2 reverence and awe Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; Hebrews 12:28 holy and awesome He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. Psalm 111:9 But I noted something else in studying the awe verses. I noted the phrase "stand in awe" of God. This I am meditating on. You who fear the Lord, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. Psalm 22:23 Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Psalm 33:8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy. Psalm 65:8 But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob And will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Isaiah 29:23 Do we have to physically stand in awe of God? I think what He wants from us is for our hearts to stand in awe of Him. Princes persecute me without cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your words. Psalm 119:161 We go to church to be with our brothers and sisters in Christ to lift our voices in praise and give glory to our great and awesome God. Our words, our actions, and our demeanor should not be one of going through the ritual; mundanely saying the words with no conviction. Let us be purposeful to remember the great gift we have been given. The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us stand in awe of Him.

Today is the eighth anniversary of when I started the webpage PassiontoKnowMore! I've published 243 articles in 8 years! And so I'm reminiscing. I'll let you in on a little secret. I didn't know what I was doing then in creating a webpage and after eight years I still don't. Ha. My webpage isn't fancy and I don't know how to make it fancy. Any technology glitches it has probably still exist as technology and I aren't friends. Sometimes I try to fix things, but that eats up so much time and I get very frustrated and usually give up. Passion to Know More website greatly needs a facelift, but I just don't have the energy to do it. So it is what it is. But the purpose for the website hasn't changed in all of these years. I'm kind of a nerd and I like to read and research and dig deep for answers. As I learn something, I share it on here. I truly have a passion to know more about the Bible and I hope I'm passing that on to you. That first year I wrote and wrote and wrote! I originally set up social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. People were so mean on Twitter (not to me, but just in general) that I quit using it. I tried to make a go of Instagram, and I still do occasionally post a picture or a story, but I never really could figure out how to do cool videos and have a real presence on there - that whole technology thing gets me. I never did the Pinterest thing although many have told me I should. Most of what I post about is on my Passion to Know More Facebook page. I post a lot on there - at least two to three times a day on average. Last Spring I posted a lot about Luke as we studied it and now I'm posting a lot about Acts as we study it. I keep meaning to make those posts on my Facebook page into articles, but I never seem to find the time. I just don't check analytics on my webpage any more. Frankly, I really don't care how many people are reading what I write. In the online world someone is valued by how many followers, likes, comments, shares, hits,... That is the goal for most; to have a wide audience. And they turn that endeavor into a money making enterprise with advertisements. Nothing annoys me more than to go to a Christian website and have a lot of ads and pop-ups. I don't like Christians trying to sell me things. So that has never been my intention to garner a lot of readers to make money. My website has an outflow of money, not an inflow. And I never cared about the recognition. I've tried very hard to keep the "me" out of this. At first I really did want to reach a lot of people though. And I became a bit obsessed with checking the analytics. I was spending a tremendous amount of time in researching and writing and I thought a lot of readers would justify the time I spent. I really wanted something I wrote to pique peoples' interest and for them to begin reading their Bible. At some point I realized I'm not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Perhaps I'm boring. Perhaps I'm too scholarly. I like to think of myself as vanilla ice cream. Just kind of plain. Plain is good though. Normal is good. Ha. People that are interested will read. Those who aren't interested, won't. I always thought if God wants people to find Passion to Know More, He will bring them to the site. But if I'm just in my own little corner reading and researching and sharing; then who am I accountable to? I've thought about that a lot. It is kind of freeing to not have to answer to anyone. I can write about what I'm interested in. No one tells me what to write about - the latest cultural trend or what the next series at church is on - or how often to write. But what if I say something that isn't true or is harsh or not worded correctly? I have no accountability on this website. All I can say to that is my heart is in the right place. I don't want anything from you. I'm making no money off of you. I have no agenda except to share what I'm learning about Scripture. I promise you I do my due diligence and read and do considerable research on a topic before I write anything. Have I made mistakes? Oh yes. I guess I expect others to point out if I do make a mistake. And when I've found something later that is not worded clearly or is a mistake; I immediately correct it. And at times I sound harsh and perhaps convicting. I'm not really a touchy-feely kind of person. I think very analytically. So sometimes I'll read something I wrote awhile ago and think, boy that sounds unkind. And I'll try to reword it softer and kinder. I guess I'm asking you to trust I am being truthful to the best of my ability. You need to have discernment when reading any Christian article anyone writes though. I do welcome feedback and I've received some in the past. Because it is the eighth anniversary I did go look at my analytics for Passion to Know More. They have changed how they do my analytics. It used to be they told me what percentage were male readers and female readers and age of my readers. (It used to be predominantly male and young people in their 30's.) Now I can't find that information. It might be there, but I couldn't locate it. Most of my readers are in the United States and most read from their mobile device. It told me what articles were the most read. That always surprises me because they aren't the ones I would think would be popular. I checked and in the past 365 days I've had 17,379 site sessions. That sounds really good to me! But maybe those are mostly bots bouncing off my site. I can't find the bounce rate in my analytics anymore. I have been going back in and trying to tag my 243 articles so they are easier to find. https://www.passiontoknowmore.com/blog If you want to read what I've written about Christmas just type that in the search on my blog page. Or type in Easter and see the many articles on it. Or type in "books" or any other key word. I am still working on it though and I don't have them all tagged. And what is the agenda for this website? The same as it was on day one. For us to grow. Thank you for joining me! Blessings to you.

I've been leading a Bible study group for about seventeen years. I think I have it down because they keep showing up. Smile. Here's what I've learned. Schedules: Realize that people are extremely busy and for them to commit to Bible study or a Christian class is a really big deal. Honor their commitment. Too often the people doing the planning put out something like "Six week study on the Gospels begins September xth from 7:00-8:00pm." No. Put out a detailed schedule for people to see. Holidays come up, they have vacations, they have business trips planned. Their anniversary is coming up. Their child is in a play. No one wants to sign up for a study if they are going to miss weeks of it. This is important for any group, but especially if you are meeting every other week. My recycling bin has to be put out every other week and I can never remember if it is recycling week or not. I have to look at what the neighbors are doing. Our group meets every week and they like doing this because you get more coherence in the study. Now with regards to schedules, it is a good idea if you are meeting weekly to give them a break every 4 to 5 weeks. And break for holidays. I try to do two weeks break at Christmas and two weeks at Easter. If you are meeting in the evenings, you will definitely want to break around Valentine's Day and Saint Patrick's Day and Trick or Treat night (parents have those costumes to get together). They will need an occasional break. On the schedule put what you are discussing or going over each time. I like to give the page numbers from the study book for Bible study or the topic if it is a class I'm teaching. People want this information. Let them know it is a tentative schedule because snow storms, thunderstorms, sicknesses, etc. happen. If you have to cancel a week and you have put a break or two in the schedule, it is easy to get back on schedule. Try to finish a study before a major holiday. We always have a Christmas party early December and a Christ in the Passover Seder before Easter. We begin our group with fun. And we always have an end of study party/ game night/ outing at the end of the study. If your group decides to do a service project or a social outing, add it to the schedule. I highly recommend doing these. We are about to start the LifeChange series study on Acts. (The LifeChange series studies are great!) At 20 weeks this is the longest study we have ever done. We did the LifeChange Luke study last year and the group asked to do the Acts one! I told them it was long, but they were pretty hyped. Here's our tentative schedule to show you how we break and the information I give them on the schedule. (You are welcome to follow along with us on PassiontoKnowMore's Facebook page as we study Acts. Here's an affiliate link to the study book. Acts, LifeChange Bible Study) People like structure. Introduction Night/ First Meeting: I don't like to jump into the Bible study the first time the group meets. If it is a new group this is the format - name tags/ introductions/ icebreakers/ hand out study books and go over how to do the study/ go over covenants, how we will communicate, prayer requests. Nametags - New group or new people joining your group? You need name tags. I have someone coming back to our group after years. I'm not sure she knows everyone in the group now. So I'm making them do name tags the first couple weeks. Some people find it very awkward if they have been meeting for weeks and still don't know everyone's names. OK, I'm 'some people.' Just do the name tags at least for a little while. Introductions/ Icebreakers - The point is to get to know each other a little. Study - Looking at the schedule, briefly go over how you are going to do the study. Covenants - We have group covenants to know what to expect from each other and to nurture a safe environment. You can use this. As part of number 7 in the covenant when we agree to be patient, sensitive, accepting, and nonjudgmental of group members; we mention that politics have no place in our Bible study group. Any group is going to have people on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Even brief mentions of politics will change the way one group member views another member. It will change the tone of the group. It will cause discord within the group. Instead, we focus on why we are there - to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are agreeing to allow God to work in each of our lives. If someone's heart needs changing or to grow in a certain area, He will change it. My group is composed of people who go to different churches, but we still stress the importance of upholding the unity of the church. By "church" we mean all believers, the body of Christ, and our individual churches too. We will be peacemakers, not conflict makers. Communication - With a group of people communication can be a challenge. We do it with a private Facebook group. Of course everyone in the group needs to be on Facebook for that to work. I've just found this is the best way for us to communicate. I have one person that is on Facebook, but rarely checks it. As admin of the group I can see who has seen what has been posted. If I see this person missed something important, I can text or email it to them. I find group text messages with a lot of people in them to be annoying and I use them sparingly. And a lot of people don't check their email very often. It doesn't really matter how your group decides to communicate; it just matters that you tell them which way you will communicate. Prayer Requests - Our group covenants promises we will pray for each other. And we ask for prayers for others too. On the introduction night is when we go over what is an acceptable prayer request and what borders being gossipy. We do not gossip. I always give the example: Someone says, "My neighbor Jane is going through a rough time because she just found out her husband Stan has been cheating on her for a year." NO! This is not an acceptable prayer request because it is gossip. Instead the person should say something like, "Please pray for my neighbor Jane as she is going through a difficult time." It is best to write prayer requests down or you will forget them. Our group uses this Prayer Diary. We like to write down praise reports too. Feel free to use it. My group has been meeting for years and we know each other. We don't do all of this in detail on the Introduction week. Before we start the study we get together for a pot luck dinner, or go out to dinner, or have a game night - do something fun. See the above schedule? Everyone is bringing a dish from their heritage/ ancestry for a potluck dinner the first night. And we will be playing a game and visiting with each other. The next week we start the study. That week we start the study, I will briefly go over the covenants just to refresh them of what we are promising each other and remind them about how we communicate and about prayer requests and no political discussions. Pray: Every Bible study time should open in prayer and close in prayer. Honoring their time: People have full time jobs. They may have kids at home to get to. Remember this is a really big deal that people signed up to do this Bible study. Stay on topic. They have committed to doing a Bible study and that is what the group needs to focus on doing. Start on time and end on time. Watch the clock. Wrap up the study discussion at least 15 minutes before end time (even if you haven't gotten through all of the discussion questions) to ask for prayer requests. If you run over time, apologize to them and commit to doing better in the future. And then actually do better. Our meeting time is an hour and a half long. I offer for them to come a little early or hang a half hour after if they want to visit with each other. But guard the allotted time you are doing the Bible study. People want structure. They want to know what to expect. Be consistent. Create a safe space to discuss spiritual matters. Honor their time. Pray as you prepare, pray during the weeks of the study, pray, pray, pray. Spiritual growth will happen. Strong Christian bonds will be formed. Lives will be changed.

I highly recommend having a covenant for your Bible study group. A covenant is a binding agreement; a solemn promise; a testament between God and His people. He made a series of covenants with us. "Covenant" is a key word in the Bible. We have had the same covenant for our Bible study group for about seventeen years. The purpose for our group covenant is for us to all be on the same page. With the covenant we know what to expect from each other in the group. I print them off and give each person a copy. We go over these items the Introduction night of each study. We promise each other 9 things: How often we will meet (and I list what day of the week and time). Making attendance a priority. We will actually do the homework so we can participate in the discussion. Foster genuine Christian love. To pray for and encourage others in the group. Let others talk. Allow God to work in each others' lives. Keep the confidence of others in the group. Uphold the unity of the church. [I know number 6 says "sisters" and that is because I have women in my group. James 1:19 in modern versions reads "brothers and sisters," but when we made this around 2006, we used a masculine language Bible which read "My dear brothers, take note...".] When my friend and I developed this covenant, we wanted to nurture a safe environment for people in the group to share and grow spiritually. Go ahead and copy this covenant if it would serve your group.

You may not be aware of this but American churches are closing at an alarming rate. We have never seen anything like this in our lifetime nor do I think it has ever happened in the history of America. Attendance is down. Giving is down. And when that happens the church is faced with difficult decision making. Do we continue to keep the same level of giving to missions and community service programs? Do we even have the volunteers to run the community programs? Do we eliminate raises for staff? Can we even pay staff this month? Do we get behind in our bills? Do we sell off some of our land? Can we renegotiate loans? And suddenly what was once a thriving vibrant church doing the work of Christ in the community and world and growing the kingdom of God becomes riddled with problems. It becomes a juggling act to keep the doors open every week. And finally it can no longer be sustainable. The final sermon is preached. The doors are locked. The for sale sign goes up. FOR SALE Source: https://www.cityfeet.com/cont/north-carolina/churches-for-sale?sk=e177144ef11e4b92a818a78271c54f48 It is incredibly sad. There seems to be three contributing factors to the closing of churches. And let's list them in reverse order. 3.) The pandemic. We had a pandemic that lasted a lot longer than we thought it would. Some churches went online and some tried to keep their doors open. Many people chose to stay home. And when the pandemic ended and stores and restaurants re-opened, strangely the people did not return en masse to the church. They liked this online thing. The idea of getting up early, and getting a shower, and driving to the church became unappealing when they could sit there in their pajamas with their coffee and watch the service online. It was time efficient. It was convenient. It freed up their Sunday. Watching church online affects giving to the church. It just does. We lost something by not attending church in person. Worship was not the same. The Lord's Supper was not the same. Church community was not the same. Giving was not the same. Ministries dwindled. The church suffered. But that isn't really why churches are closing. The pandemic only accelerated the problem. Attendance being down and giving being down started long before the pandemic. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, more Protestant churches closed than opened in the U.S. 2.) Culture/ Doctrine arguments. This is not new, but it has escalated over the past decade to a deafening roar. I grew up in the Presbyterian Church the first 42 years of my life. I don't know if you know this but the Presbyterian Church has divided up into about fourteen different separate denominations. You think I'm kidding? Check this out! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presbyterian_and_Reformed_denominations_in_North_America I grew up in a traditional Presbyterian Church (USA) and they are very liberal on their stances. I then went to a community church where I came to believe different things on some of those issues. Later I attended and looked into membership at PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) who are very conservative on their stances and I found out they do not allow women to hold any roles in their church governing body or to teach men. That Presbyterian Church (USA) I grew up in is now ECO (Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians)! Who can keep up! Several years ago I was working on a family history project and my entire ancestry on my dad's side was staunch Presbyterians and I did a lot of research on the denomination. My heritage is Presbyterian. I found out why they split off into so many separate Presbyterian groups. It mainly had to do with cultural/ doctrine issues. Do we ordain women? Can women have leadership roles in the church? Do we ordain homosexuals? Where do we stand on abortion? And now the big argument on transgender. People within the church began arguing and when they couldn't come to an agreement, then they broke off. It happened years ago in the Presbyterian Church, more recently in the Methodist Church, and now it is happening in the Baptist Church. The Southern Baptist Convention just voted on whether women can preach. They voted no, they couldn't. In 2015 I wrote three articles on Presbyterians for my family history. At the time of the Revolutionary War about 30% of the population of the colonies was Presbyterian. In 1965 the Presbyterian Church (USA) had 4.25 million members. Then the great break-ups started happening. By 2014 that number was down to 1.67 million members. By 2022 membership in the Presbyterian Church (USA) was down to 1.14 million. Today members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) make up 0.3% of the United States population. I remember when researching the Presbyterian Church I went onto the Presbyterian USA national page and if you clicked through on the site, you got to where it specifically said where they stand as a church on several of the hot issues. I was shocked and appalled at where they stood on some issues. But then I went to Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and did the same thing and I was shocked and appalled that they too specifically said where they stand on each of the issues. And what does this do putting it out there where you stand on each issue. It is a divider. What if you agree with them on their ordaining women stance, but not on their ordaining homosexuals stance? Or what if you agree on their pro-life stance, but disagree on not allowing women to hold any leadership position? What if you agree on their ordaining women and homosexuals, but not on their pro-choice stance? I once looked at the membership requirements for a local church that I have attended several times. They required that in order for you to join their church you had to sign a document that had many points. I think it was 23 points. That number could be wrong though. Anyways I read each point closely. Check, I agree. Check, I agree. Then I get to like number 17 and it says something to the effect of I believe in the sanctity of life. I do. And I am pro-life. I am. Now I am, but I wasn't when I first started investigating what it was I believe. It took me years to change my viewpoint on this subject. Another point on the list was: I believe in believer baptism. I do. But I wasn't on board with that for a long time. That is why I regularly attended and gave to that community church for five years before I actually joined it. Believer baptism was required for church membership. I wasn't on board with that. It seemed like I was turning my back on my Presbyterian heritage. In that Presbyterian Church I was baptized as an infant and went through confirmation classes to join the church. I didn't believe I had to be baptized as an adult as I was already a believer. There was another issue I had with this church's list of about 23 things required that you had to believe to join their church. It was on the issue of male authority in the church. I am a Christian and I could not have signed this document and joined this church. Seriously? I believe church membership should be based on the essentials of the Christian faith. What are the essentials? I'd say they are if I can profess the Apostle's Creed in faith. That I can do. It did not take me any time at all to believe in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. But it did take me a long time to get on board with some other things like believer baptism. I do believe in it now and I would feel uncomfortable, at least at first, belonging to a church which doesn't practice it. Can a church which practices infant baptism still be chock full of Christian believers? It can! News flash to the Baptists - there will be a lot of Catholics, Presbyterians and others in heaven with you. So this tells us that churches are basing membership on things which are not essential to being a Christian. It is as if they are saying you can be a Christian, but you can't join us as members of this church. Should a church publicly take a stance on everything? I don't know the answer to that. But if they are going to do that; how about taking a stance on people with prideful hearts and people who commit adultery and people who live together before marriage and how about those sinners who cheat on their income taxes? They've picked what they deem the "big sins." I know I'm finding it very difficult to find a church that I agree with on all their stances. Is a person who is pro-choice and a person who is pro-life equally welcomed into the church? Can we not give liberty to people on the non-essentials? Can we agree to let God sort it out? Can we just look at sin as sin without listing them all? Some would say no. Taking a stance on certain issues matters to those people. Is that what Christ established the church for though? Non-believers see this arguing in our churches. They want no part of it. 1.) There are less Christians in America. In 1972 92% of Americans considered themselves Christian. In 2007 the number had dropped down to 78%. In 2021 only 63% of Americans consider themselves Christian. Where did they go? They didn't go to other religions. Other religions only increased 1% from 2007 to 2021. Just 6% of the American population is some religion other than Christian. They went to NO religion. They are called the "Nones." About three in ten U.S. Adults are now religiously unaffiliated. What made them leave the faith? I imagine the reasons are numerous. They see no value. They had no good example. Mostly every one they associate with has no faith. Perhaps they have been hurt by the church. Perhaps they have been abused in the church. Perhaps they feel unwelcome. In today's society Christians have a very unfavorable image - one of being judgmental and condemning, angry and unforgiving. We are considered hypocrites to a large group of our population. We did a poor job of passing on our faith - explaining what we believe and why we believe it. We are so focused on the sins of society, we've lost sight of the bigger picture. "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10 Our Lord's mission should be our mission. We represent Him. Sin has always existed since the Garden of Eden. Do we really think our culture is any worse off than mankind's hearts have always been? Ever heard of Manasseh? He was the king of Judah for 55 years. He did evil in the sight of the LORD. (2 Kings 21:2a) He erected altars for Baal and made an Ashrerah. (2 Kings 21:3a) He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD provoking Him to anger. Then he set the carved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of the LORD. (2 Kings 21:6,7a) "He made his son pass through the fire" means Manasseh performed child sacrifice. He put idols in the LORD's house! You don't get much more evil than that. Manasseh was the most wicked king of Judah and he ruled the longest. But now turn to 2 Chronicles 33 and read the whole account of Manasseh. God brought the Assyrian army against them. They took Manasseh to Babylon where he was humbled and prayed to God. God returned him to Jerusalem and Manasseh removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD. He ended up to be a good king of Judah. God had that situation under control. Rest assured He has our cultural wars under control too. God is in the heart changing business. He wishes no one to perish. Our churches should have the exact same mission too. Let God do His thing. And we are to do our part too. We are to witness the living Christ to world. Jesus clearly told us how to do that. Follow Him. Love God with our whole being. Humble ourselves. Serve and love others as ourselves. We are saddened so many churches are closing and struggling right now. Christ established the Church and it has a clear purpose. We see the church's value. However, it appears we are witnessing the demise of the American Church in this generation. This could make us feel hopeless right now. But we are never left without hope! God is unchanging. God is in control. God is at work in the hearts of people in ways we cannot comprehend. Sometimes the demise of one thing leads to revival in the hearts. (Have you read the kingdom books in the Old Testament? Great evil - sometimes for generations - is followed by revival in the hearts of the people.) We keep our mission in focus to seek those which are lost and tell them about Jesus. We do that by loving God; and serving and loving others as ourselves. We trust the Lord. We pray fervently for the lost and for the opportunity to witness our Lord to them. We are people marked with joy and with great hope. Let us show that to a suffering world. Some additional reading: The faithful see both crisis and opportunity as churches across America close, 5/17/23 Churches across Carolinas forced to sell as they grapple with low attendance, 2/17/23 Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline, 1/22/23 Modeling the Future of Religion in America, 9/13/22 Twenty Years of Congregational Change: The 2020 Faith Communities Today Overview #churchesclosing

Over the years I've had many conversations with atheists about various topics. I used to be on a Bible forum in the Quiz Up game app for years and for some reason the atheists liked to go there and argue with Christians. One time I remember asking an atheist why he cared what I believed. He went on a rant about Christians are influencing law and policy. I don't feel like I have much influence over law and policy. As the years progressed I started learning how to reply in these conversations. I could tell I was improving. I think I gave some of them something to think about. I think I planted some seeds. In the beginning I noticed some tendencies with the atheists on Quiz Up. They were arrogant. They immediately attacked your intelligence. They would tell Christians we were deceived, we were ignorant, and resort to name calling pretty quickly - you idiot, you moron. This I think upset me the most. First of all I probably have decades of age on many I was talking to and I was always taught to treat and speak to elders kindly. But with internet discussions, manners have gone out the door. Granted they couldn't tell how old I was because I didn't have a picture up of myself on the forum. I think I had my dog. They also thought I was a male and would often call me dude. This amused me. I guess I write like a guy. Attacking my intelligence is a trigger for me. I guess I think because I was a Professional Structural Engineer that proves I have some level of intelligence - like it proves me as a worthy opponent or something. Anyways, calling me an idiot or deceived pisses me off. And that is when my snarkiness kicks in. Christians aren't supposed to be snarky. I tell you these things so you know to expect it. Once I knew they would go to name calling and attacking intelligence, I learned not to react to it. Anyways, in the beginning atheists really would upset me. I immediately would go into argumentative mode and become defensive. Here's the truth. Acting that way accomplishes nothing and actually hurts your witness. Jesus does not need our defense. Once I understood that - you know the honey gets more flies/ kill them with kindness thing - I changed my approach to how I talk to atheists and how I actually think of atheists. The atheists I've interacted with appear to have intelligence and some level of training. There are actually many atheist websites (and they even had their own forum on Quiz Up) and they were prepared to do battle. They will help each other and feed information to each other. They have the same old arguments over and over. Don't be intimidated because we have a great cloud of witnesses behind us. For two thousand years mankind has been studying the Bible. There isn't a question or an argument out there that we can't find the answer for. Every word in the Bible has been studied. Every concept discussed. Therefore, go into the conversation feeling confident on the foundation you stand on. I had a long email correspondence with an atheist at the beginning of this year. I was actually pretty proud of how I handled myself and I thought I'd share some pointers with you. Before I get to the discussion between Fred and me, here are a few things I keep in the forefront of my mind. As a Christian, I represent Christ to others. I must be kind and gentle with them. I must never resort to slander or name-calling. What I say must be the truth. This involves time to look Scripture and information up. Verify the facts. This is absolutely critical because if you would lie or exaggerate, you have lost all credibility with the person. You must be a truth teller. Impeccable honesty. No half-truths. Should I make a mistake or error in what I say, I immediately own it and apologize. This keeps my credibility. Should I not know the answer to what they are asking, I admit that. I tell them I will look into it and get back to them. And then I do it. I remember that who I am talking to matters to God and therefore I treat them with respect. I pray before I interact with an atheist and I ask for help at being a good witness of Christ. Here are some excerpts from Fred the Atheist and my conversation. I don't know how Fred found Passion to Know More. I don't know what article he read of mine but it had to do with the birth accounts of Jesus in Matthew and Luke. He said: I am curious to know why people choose Matthew's version of the birth of Jesus. It is clear the dates given in Luke are more historical. In Luke Jesus was born in 6 CE when Herod Archelaus was in power. He would have been baptized by John the Baptist in 35 CE when he "began to be about thirty years of age." John was beheaded by Herod Antipas a little later in 35 CE, a year after Antipas married Herodias. Jesus preached for one year and was crucified in 36 CE at the age of thirty. Please let me know your reasoning on this subject. First of all, I did not know at this point that Fred was an atheist. I was confused why he would say people choose Matthew's version over Luke. And say Luke's account was "more historical." Both things aren't true. The Gospels are read together. Each of the Gospels are equally historical. I want you to note in this email that Fred sounds like he knows what he is talking about, but he is actually way off on several points. His dates are way wrong. The Jesus preached "one year" is wrong. An atheist will do this. They will throw things out sounding like they have sufficiently studied this, but you have to check them carefully. I replied to Fred: I didn’t know people chose Matthew’s version over Luke’s version. If you notice in Matthew’s version Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus are in a “house” at this point when the magi visited. So it was some time later than Luke’s account. Most scholars accept 5 B.C. as the year Jesus was born because we now know when Herod the Great ruled and have a good guess when he died. So best scholarship puts Christ’s birth at 6-4 B.C. If Jesus started His ministry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23) that would put it around A.D. 24-26 and if He ministered for about three years (the third reference to Passover in the Gospel of John suggests that Jesus’s ministry was about three years) that would mean He was crucified about A.D. 27-30. The calendar as we know it didn’t exist back then. Fred replies with a bunch of dates for John the Baptist, Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Herodias; and still insists Jesus ministered for only a year. The dates are way off and I am very confused. But he says, "Apparently you misunderstood 6 CE for 6 BC." Ah ha! I just suspected Fred is an atheist. Fred is saying Jesus was born in 6 CE which is the equivalent of A.D. 6. First of all that isn't true. No scholar thinks this. But him using the secular version of measuring years clues me in, hey - I'm probably dealing with an atheist. BCE stands for "Before the Common Era" and CE stands for "Common Era." This is something atheists will use and yes, I hadn't caught that in his first email. B.C. stands for "Before Christ." A.D. stands for Anno Domini which means "in the year of our Lord." The majority of the world uses A.D. and B.C. because they are the more common and understandable abbreviations. At some point in our conversation I googled this guy. I found out he had written an atheist book! And I found out he was considerably older than me - probably nearing the end of his life. Because I am dealing with an atheist I switch to the secular way of measuring years. I reply: "All sources say Herod the Great died 4 BCE." (Normally I would say 4 B.C.) And then I give him three secular sources for dates - Brittanica and the Smithsonian. Why do I keep it secular and not quote from Christian resources? Because he is an atheist. I ask him for his sources for his dates. From this point on he never gives me a source. He refers several times to Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, and even references his Antiquities of the Jews book. He says, "I trust you have at least read Luke." (Smile. Is it a coincidence I am immersed in studying the Gospel of Luke right now? Nope.) He goes into a long paragraph about dates of different events (all of which are wrong dates.) And, "You can read about Herod Antipas and his marriage to Herodias in Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews Book 18, Chapter 10, Sections 1-3." Which I went to do and he gave me the wrong reference! Josephus/ Antiquities Book 18 only had 9 chapters and the original Antiquities wouldn't have dates in it because it was written before our calendar years were even invented! They marked time off of historical reigns and historical events. Fred corrected his reference. It should have been Book 18, Chapter 5, Sections 1-3. And sure enough if you go to Antiquities, someone has put some dates in brackets. Apparently they were added by a professor of mathematics at Cambridge (masters degree) in 1737. No date was added for the death of Herod the Great, so apparently Fred was taking the date of Herod Antipas and Herodias and working backwards to disprove the Gospel of Matthew and Herod the Great ordering the death of all males in Bethlehem under the age of two. I finally figured out why Fred couldn't give me other sources. He was taking one date added to a document in 1737 and working backwards to try to make the dates fit his narrative. The dates added to Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews don't correlate with modern Christian and secular scholars. I suspect it has to do with now being able to nail down some of the dates with more advanced information. For instance they know Herod the Great's death by connecting it with a lunar eclipse. That is kind of a more recent thing I think. More recent than 1737 anyways. And also no secular source (and pick whichever you want) does not list an exact date for the John the Baptist/ Herod Antipas/ Herodias thing. They would have no way of knowing with accuracy. So the Gospels of Matthew and Luke definitely jive. But I don't know how that guy in 1737 came up with that date of [A.D. 36] in Antiquities and it is way above my pay grade of free to try to figure it out. Ha. I reply correcting his dates using secular reputable sources that he shouldn't have an issue with and why we believe Jesus ministered for about three years. Ending with: But here is the bigger question. What is your purpose in this discussion? You are an atheist. I am a believer. I am not uninformed, ignorant, or deceived. I love the Lord. I believe to my core the Bible is the holy inspired word of God. You don’t have a question for me. You believe Jesus was born in 6 CE. I believe He was born around 5 BCE. That’s why our dates don’t jive. Fred the Atheist: Yes, I am an Atheist, after having been a Christian for over 30 years. I understand that you are a Christian and I have no problem with that. I would assume you believe that miracles were performed by Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, Peter. and Paul. You probably believe the story of the Flood and that Noah built an Ark. You may even believe the story that Joshua was instrumental in causing the sun and moon to stand still for almost a whole day. Do you also believe that a serpent had a conversation with Eve, and a donkey spoke with Baalam; well, I used to believe in these stories too. ... As I have changed my mind before, I am willing to change it again. I suddenly felt the weight of the situation. Here was a man nearing the end of his life. He had at one time been a believer. He turned from God and invested his efforts into writing about God did not exist. I believe in the virgin birth because since I believe in God as the Creator, would it really be so hard for an Almighty God to put His Son in a woman’s uterus? I believe God created the Red Sea, thus I do not have a hard time believing He parted it although at this time in history there is no scientific proof He did. What you are asking for is proof similar to you asking me, “How do you know your husband loves you?” I could list he says he loves me or he does certain things for me. But you would say that “proof” would be of no consequence. You would say those things do not prove anything since they can’t be scientifically measured that my husband loves me. [I told him my very personal story of coming to faith.] I have experienced God working in my life in real tangible ways. My faith has settled down into my inner being. It brings me great joy and great comfort. I know WHAT I believe and WHY I believe it. Whatever it was Fred that made you turn from God, I hope you reexamine it now. Could you have been wrong in your interpretation of 1 Corinthians? Could you be wrong about God? What is your heart and mind telling you about God? You have exhausted a great amount of time to “prove” He doesn’t exist. Perhaps dig deep and figure out why that matters to you. God is still pursuing you. He is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish. Reference 2 Peter 3:9. May the Lord speak to you on this as the time is urgent. He is the God of second and third and a million chances. Yours truly, Carolyn And Fred replied: Since faith is more important to you than facts, I won't bother you anymore. I wish you well. And I wished Fred well back. During this conversation with Fred, I took my time. He would email me. I would pray over my response. I would write a draft, hold it for some time, re-read it, and check my facts and sources before I sent it. The whole thing took quite a bit of time and honestly, I did not really want to spend that amount of time on this. But God had put Fred in my path for a reason. Fred's mission, as is any atheist, was to challenge me, a believer. God's mission is to redeem Fred. I can't redeem Fred and I'm not called to do that. God simply asks me to be His witness of what He has done. I keep in mind it is not my job description to convert anyone. I don't have that power. I don't think Fred thought he was asking me for an account for the hope in me. But in reality, that is exactly what he was asking. And I think I answered him with gentleness and reverence. I hope I represented Christ well. I tried very hard to do that. If God brings an atheist in your path, pray, be gentle and kind and truthful.

Our Bible study group will finish up studying Luke soon. We’ve been together for years and I have a pretty good handle on what they understand. We were studying Luke chapter 21 where Jesus is teaching his disciples what to expect in the future. He is preparing them for when He is crucified. The text has an orderly progression of the concepts. After discussing chapter 21 and because of discussing “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” in Luke 21:24; I mentioned God’s redemptive plan. It seemed like they didn’t know what I was talking about. “You know the arch of historical eras of the Bible. The nine Old Testament eras and the three New Testament eras?” I saw the confusion on their faces. Granted it had been a long time since we had covered the historical eras of the Bible. It was 2018 when I taught them my ‘Connecting the Dots of the Bible’ class and some of them weren’t in the group yet. Sometimes we get so focused on studying Scripture; in the minute details of it; in the key words we see; we forget the big picture. The big picture is God has a plan to redeem mankind. And we are part of that plan. We need to keep His plan forefront in our mind and take our place in it. Before we get to God’s redemptive plan let’s go over what our group discussed in chapter 21. We had gone over each verse and concept. Now pretend you are a drone and going up in the air and looking down at the chapter as a whole. There is a very orderly progression. Luke 21:5,6 - destruction of the temple in AD 70 Luke 21:7-9 - Do not be misled. Luke 21:10-19 - things to come - persecution/ endure Luke 21:20-24 - destruction of the temple in AD 70 Luke 21:25-36 - The Return of Christ - redemption is drawing near, be on guard, keep on the alert, praying Now go back to Luke 21:24 and read the last part closely. "and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." A key word in the Gospel of Matthew is the word "fulfilled." Matthew's audience was the Jews and he was telling them the Messiah had come! When I learned this, I started to underline "fulfilled" throughout the biblical text. Whenever we think of the word "fulfilled" we think of perhaps Matthew 5:17 that Jesus did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them; or Jesus fulfilling all of the messianic prophecies. We learn through the word "fulfill" that God has a plan. And His plan will be fulfilled. God operates through historical events, people, and our hearts and minds. "Fulfilled" is a key word in the biblical text and when we see it we need to ask what did God fulfill or what is He going to fulfill. Immediately Galatians 4:4,5 came to mind. But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive adoption as sons. God has a redemptive plan and He will fulfill it at the fullness of time. When I read "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled", I asked myself what will God fulfill? We had just studied the Parable of the Vine-growers in Luke 20:9-18. In that parable God is the “owner”/ Israel is the “vineyard”/ the “vine-growers” are the religious leaders/ the “slaves” are the prophets God sent/ the “son” is the Messiah, Jesus/ and “others” are the Gentiles. When the vine-growers reject the son, to whom does the owner give the vineyard to? The Gentiles! The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief cornerstone. Let's define "Gentiles." The Gentiles are anyone who is not Jewish. The Romans are Gentiles. The Greeks are Gentiles. The pagans are Gentiles. We are Gentiles. Is God giving His kingdom to the Gentiles? And if so, what about the Jews, His people? This is an interesting concept and it is part of God's redemptive plan. I went to the text notes for Luke 21:24 in all my study Bibles to see what they said about "the times of the Gentiles." This is important to try to grasp because the Return of Christ will come after "the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." My Life Application Study Bible for Luke 21:24 says: The "period of the Gentiles" began with Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC and the exile of the Jewish people. Israel was no longer an independent nation but was under the control of Gentile rulers. In Jesus' day, Israel was governed by the Roman Empire, and a Roman general would end up destroying the city in AD 70. Jesus was saying that the domination of God's people by his enemies would continue until God decided to end it. The "period of the Gentiles" refers not just to the repeated destructions of Jerusalem but also to the continuing and mounting persecution of God's people until the end. (Didn’t we just read in Luke 21:12-19 that persecution of God’s people will occur and we are to expect it and endure? We are God’s people.) My NIV Study Bible said: The Gentiles would have both spiritual opportunities and domination of Jerusalem, but these times will end when God's purpose for the Gentiles has been fulfilled. (God's purpose for the Gentiles is to come to saving grace.) My CSB Study Bible said for Luke 21:23-24: Wrath is God's anger against sin expressed as righteous judgment. The survivors of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 were spread all over the known world, even more extensively than the Diaspora that occurred during the Babylonian exile hundreds of years earlier. From AD 70 until the emergence of the modern State of Israel in the mid-twentieth century, Jerusalem was controlled by Gentiles. The times of the Gentiles refers to the current opportune time in which Gentile nations embrace the gospel. Meanwhile, Israel is spiritually hardened and will remain so until near the end. (Romans 11:25-26) (The times we live in now are people embracing the gospel.) My ESV Study Bible said: Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled may suggest a time when Israel/ Jerusalem will repent and be restored to God's favor. (see Romans 11:11-32). (I don't think there is any "may" about it because God has promised that and Romans 11:29 says for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.) The period of the Gentiles began at the Babylonian captivity in 586 BC. Israel had been a united kingdom. They divided into Israel/ the Northern Kingdom and Judah/ the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom of Israel repeatedly did evil in the sight of God. He finally judged them with the Assyrians in 722 BC. Judah/ the Southern Kingdom fluctuated between doing what was right and doing evil in the sight of God. After a series of several bad kings who led the people to sin, God brought judgment against His people with the Babylonians in 586 BC. The Diaspora happened. God's people, the Jews, were scattered. Fast forward in time to Jesus and when the Jews rejected Him. God judged them with the destruction of the temple in AD 70. What was the result? They were scattered more. What is God's plan? Look at the covenant made with Abraham. This is called the Abrahamic Covenant. It is an unconditional everlasting covenant which means God will fulfill it. (Genesis 12; 15; 17) It gives several points, but it includes a promise of blessing and redemption. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. This promise finds its fulfillment in the New Covenant - Jesus Christ the son of Abraham and our Redeemer who will one day "restore everything." In two of the above text notes of my study Bibles for Luke 21:24, Romans chapter 11 is referenced. To understand "until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" turn to Romans 11:11-32. Romans 11:11 says salvation has come to the Gentiles. Verse 13 says Paul is speaking to the Gentiles. Verse 15 is critical! For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Paul is talking about the Jews. It was because of their rejection that the world was reconciled to God. But when they come to accept the Gospel they will have life from the dead! Verse 17 tells us some of the branches were broken off, Gentiles were grafted in among them and became partakers. Verse 19 tells us "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." Verse 20 they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Verse 23 tells us And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. Verse 24, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? And verses 25 and 26 sums it up by that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved. God's covenant with Israel is mentioned in Romans 11:27. What do we learn? God's righteous plan to save both Jews and Gentiles. Israel's hardening is not the final word. God planned salvation history so that Israel's trespass would open salvation for the Gentiles, and the Jews in turn would be provoked to jealousy when they see Gentiles being saved and enjoying a relationship with God. Full inclusion looks forward to the fulfillment of God's saving promises to ethnic Israel. Paul argues from the lesser to the greater: if Israel's sin brought salvation to the Gentiles, then the blessing will be even greater when all Israel is saved. [Source of information ESV Study Bible] Israel will return, God made a solemn covenant with Abraham and thus it will be fulfilled. Then Christ will return. A very good way to learn God’s redemptive plan is to learn the historical eras of the Bible. [I'd like to give credit for this chart, but I got it from a class I took many years ago and I've been unable to find the source.] The 9 Eras of Old Testament History 1. Creation - sin enters the world and destroys God's original plan for man 2. Patriarchs 3. Exodus 4. Conquest 5. Judges 6. Kingdom 7. Exile - the judging of Judah in 586 BC by the Babylonians 8. Return 9. Silence - the Intertestamental Era has 6 eras to it and is the time between the Old Testament and New Testament when God prepared the fullness of time for His Son to come. We see in the Old Testament that God forms His people, but we also see examples of Gentiles grafted into His people. He teaches His people about His character and how they should atone for their sins. He gives them mercy. When they are disobedient, He judges them. When they return, He forgives. They are saved by faith. He promises them a Savior. All of these have occurred. The 3 Eras of New Testament History 10. Gospels 11. Church 12. Missions The Church and Missions parts are still going on today. This is God’s redemptive plan for mankind. He worked through the events of history and His Son to bring salvation. Jesus comes and offers Himself as the atoning sacrifice for all of mankind. He offers salvation to those who believe. Each of us makes the choice to reject or accept His free gift. Jesus as the Christ is rejected by the Jews and salvation comes to the Gentiles. Granted some Jews did believe and became Christians in the decades following the crucifixion. But for the most part the Jews rejected Jesus' claim to be the Christ. Christianity spread like wildfire and by the end of the first century it was almost entirely Gentiles. Romans 11:11-29 tells us this is not the end of God's plan though. Verse 11 The Jews' rejection of the gospel. Verse 15 God's temporary and partial exclusion of the Jews. The loss of Israel leads to the salvation of the Gentiles. Verse 17-23 In this metaphor the branches are individual Jews. Gentile Christians are grafted in. The whole olive tree represents the people of God. Grafting a wild olive branch into the cultivated olive tree is an unnatural procedure. It would be difficult horticulturally to graft broken branches back into the parent tree. However, all things are possible for God. God is able to graft in the Gentiles and to graft in the Jews again. The salvation of the Jews will be on the same basis as anyone's salvation - a personal faith in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead. Forgiveness of sin is based on their repentance and faith. Israel's hardening is partial, not total; and temporary, not permanent. [Source: NIV Study Bible] God's purpose is to sum up all things in Christ, to include both Jews and Gentiles in the New Testament church. Therefore, the plan of redemption occurring right now is that after a period of disobedience by both Jew and Gentile, those who have faith will by His mercy be included in His kingdom. Paul is not teaching universal salvation. The Jew and the Gentile who come to faith in Christ will see God's mercy. Jesus atones for sin and offers salvation. … Partial hardening of Israel … Gentiles grafted in … The fullness of the Gentiles comes in and the Jews will be grafted back in Then Christ will return. Back to chapter 21 of Luke and now that we understand God's redemptive plan it should be clear. Jesus begins with the destruction of the temple in AD 70. He moves on to ‘don't be deceived.’ Then He talks about persecution will occur and this gives us an opportunity to give our testimony. He tells us to endure. He revisits the destruction of the temple and says the reason this has to occur (which it did in AD 70) and the reason was for the Gentiles to be grafted into God's kingdom. Paul tells us in Romans 11 that when the fullness of the Gentiles come, the Jews will be grafted back in to His kingdom. Then Jesus moves on to He will return. What does He tell us to do until He comes again? He tells us to recognize the kingdom of God is near. That His words will endure forever. That we are to be on the guard and we are to keep on the alert. He tells us to pray. And how do we fit into God's redemptive plan? From the bird's-eye view of God's redemptive eras we believe the gospel/ we become part of the New Testament church – the body of believers/ we do our part to expand the kingdom of God by living our lives to His glory and telling others of the good news. Let's leave the drone’s bird's-eye view of God's redemptive plan and come back to the ground. Back to our daily lives. All the while keeping our focus on God. We are told to love God and love our neighbors. We are told to seek justice, help the needy and the poor, treat others fairly, to be gentle and kind, to not be judgmental. We have compassion on others. We are told to be humble and to serve others. We are to live our lives giving glory to God. We are to be able to answer people when they ask about the hope in us. We are to positively influence our sphere of influence - those God brings in our path. We set an example. We are honest. When we sin, we confess our sin and ask for forgiveness. We forgive others. We ask for His guidance. We pray for our needs and for the needs of others. Our lives become a living sacrifice to Him. We worship Him. Our hearts are filled with gratitude and thankfulness. We show others the hope we have. We have joy. Now that we have come to belief, it is no longer about us and we should not be self-centered. We are part of His people. Part of His kingdom. We have become His bondslaves - bought with a price. We are His possession. He has claimed us. Represent Him well. For us to live out our mission to God's redemptive plan, we focus on Him. And then we serve and show compassion to others. We remember they matter to God. If we do this, we are taking our place in His redemptive plan to give the kingdom of God to both the Jew and the Gentile. We look forward to the day Jesus will return! He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20 And He will return when Jew and Gentile have come to redemption. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 God’s redemptive plan is for you and for every other single person on this planet. He wants none to perish. His redemptive plan didn’t end when Jesus rose from the dead. His redemptive plan didn’t end when you came to saving faith. His redemptive plan is ongoing in this world. One person at a time. When the fullness of the time comes then Christ will return.

I know so many people who need prayer right now. Actually that is not really anything new. There are always people we know who are going through things. I'm thinking of a friend who has cancer right now. It looks like they caught it early and the surgery went well. Praise the Lord. But she was saying the constant doctor appointments and piles of information and decision making that is heaped on her right now is just wearing her down. Another friend who had a surgery to repair something she has struggled with for years, just found out the surgery did not work. Hope raised. Hope dashed. Another friend who had a huge loss and is having trouble moving on; being stuck in the grief is affecting other relationships and I watch the domino effect in all of their lives. Another person is estranged from their only daughter. I was on a three person text this morning. We were discussing a future event and some issues that have arisen with regards to it. The one woman said she really can't handle this right now. She proceeded to tell us what is going on in her life. She is caregiver for her dad and has to travel quite a distance to help with him. He has lost 50 pounds recently and is suffering. Her daughter has many ruptured discs in her back and she should be helping more with her grandchildren. She had a house renovation gone terribly wrong with leaks and drywall cut out. You get the gist. Everything is happening at once. You could hear she was on the verge of a meltdown. I shared with her my experience of being a caregiver for my aunt. (She Lingered On) It is hard to be a caregiver. But each experience, each situation, each moment, each breath has a purpose. I believe that it does. I believe in prayer. I told this woman I would pray for her and I would ask my group to pray for her and that I knew they would. I told her she would feel the comfort of our prayers in all of her situations. That is a pretty bold statement. But I know it is true. I know from experience. We have had our group covenants for years - probably at least fifteen years. We abide by them. One of the items is: "I agree to regularly pray for and encourage all other members of the group." Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 We do this by having a prayer diary. Each meeting we ask for prayer requests and praise reports. Writing them down and keeping them in our Bible reminds us to actually pray for the things requested. We aren't just praying for each other - we are praying for others we know outside the group. Our children have no idea how much they have been prayed over! We have prayed for each other's jobs, financial situations, addictions, marriages, relationships, anything and everything to do with our lives. We have experienced His comfort in just knowing the situation is being prayed over and in knowing He is sovereign; He is in control. It gives tangible peace to pray. And we have seen God work in our lives in miraculous ways! Hence the need for a praise report section of our Prayer Diary. Smile. I believe He hears every prayer. I believe He acts on our prayers. That doesn't mean we necessarily get what we are praying for. Sometimes His answer is no, He has something else planned. Sometimes the answer is not yet, in His time. Sometimes He answers yes. Praying for others changes us. It is relationship with God. It is dependence on Him. We cannot control cancer. We can't fix hopeless broken relationships. So much of life is out of our control. But it is not out of His control. And the process of giving it to Him strengthens this intimate relationship, shows our dependence, gives Him glory with our trust. Praying for others changes their situation. God hears our prayers. He acts on our prayers. The circumstances change. We don't have to see it to know it has. We just inherently know He has it all under His control. Maybe the circumstances don't change the way we think they they should and that is where our faith comes in. We are sure others' lives are better when we pray for them. I pray about everything. The large problems. The minute things. I pray for others I know who are suffering or for their situation. I pray for the health of an unborn child. I pray for someone to come to know the Lord. I pray as I'm driving or doing housework or when I crawl in bed. But I am reminded today when I told that woman that I would pray for her that my prayer life is greatly lacking. See I'm all about Bible study. I will spend hours pouring over Scripture to prepare to lead a discussion or class. But my prayer life is short and on the run. I often fall asleep praying. I don't give prayer my undivided attention and real time in each day. It is no coincidence I am studying Luke right now where the key word of Luke's gospel is prayer. Luke gives us nine instances where Jesus prayed to His Father. Seven of them are unique to the Gospel of Luke. God speaks to me through His Word. As I study the examples of Jesus praying I will be convicted of my spotty prayer life and I will want to be more like Him. I have told my friend that my group will pray for her. And I know they will. They are awesome pray-ers - much more so then I am. But I am reminded that I have promised her I will pray and I must follow through on that promise if I am to please my Lord. I can't be a slacker. I can't lift up short quick air prayers. It is the time spent in real prayer that makes all the difference to her and to me. Sometimes people don't want prayer. Someone close to me had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I found out a significant time later. My first thought was why did they wait so long to let others know? We could have been praying for them from the very get go. But sometimes people don't believe in the power of prayer or they don't want people knowing their business. You can tell though when people are struggling with something. You don't have to know the specifics. God does. Just lift them in prayer. Quietly. And you don't even have to let them know you are praying for them if that would make them uncomfortable. They will feel your prayers anyways. God will act on them no matter what. Prayer changes the world. It has great power. Pray for others. Be purposeful about it.

Their loved one dies and they post "She is now an angel in heaven." They'd post "Fly high my angel." Many people believe when someone dies they become an angel. I thought that too. Well actually I'm not sure I really thought about what happens when I die. But I would hear people refer to their loved ones who have passed on as angels and I didn't think a thing of it. I just accepted it because at that time everyone knew more about doctrine than I did. I assumed they were correct in thinking that. Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash When the theology professor covered angels he told us, "Angels are not human beings. We do not become angels when we die." Then he went on to teach us about angels. From that point on I started noting every time I came across "angels" in my Bible study and digging a little deeper. When I learned that we do not become angels when we die, I wanted to correct people, but I did not. The only time you hear these things is when a loved one has died and then it is just not the appropriate time to correct the grieving person. And I wondered was I wanting to correct them because of my prideful heart? 'Look at what I know and you don't'? I mean what is the harm if they believe their loved one is now an angel in heaven? Sure is it false doctrine, but it won't keep them from their heavenly salvation if they are a believer and so what is the big deal? I've heard the term somewhere "triage theology." You all know what triage is in a emergency room. It is "the assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties." Well some theological false doctrines are urgent because they affect the salvation of a person. For instance not believing Jesus is God or not believing in His atoning sacrifice on the cross would be major. If a person does not believe these things, but still thinks they are a Christian and will be in heaven when they die; it is crucial we should talk to them about it. I would say believing your loved one is an angel when they die is something on the order of needing stitches. It should at some point be corrected, but at the right time. So I landed on the cringing every time I heard someone say my loved one got their wings, but being quiet about it. It just didn't seem like a big deal. It took me years of studying Scripture, noting verses with angels in them, and reading many commentaries and textual study Bible notes before I began to understand the role of angels in God's redemptive plan. And then I read, 9 Common Lies Christians Believe by Shane Pruitt (affiliate link) and it clicked in my mind. I've been on this journey to figure out exactly what it is I believe and going deeper to really understand why I believe it. That matters to me personally, but it also matters so that I can give an answer to others who ask me about the hope in me. I Peter 3:15 tells us to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts and to answer others with gentleness and reverence. To understand what the big deal is in wrongly believing people become angels when they die you first have to know what angels are and what is their purpose. Recently I wrote Angels - What We Know About Them. You can read it if you want to find out more about angels. But here is the short version from that article: God created angels and they are spiritual beings. Angels are immortal. There are a lot of angels, but the number of angels is constant. No more are being created. There are different kinds of angels. Angels are very powerful and humans are not. The purpose of angels: Their number one purpose it to praise God. Angels always give glory to God. Angels are messengers. They carry God's will and instructions to mankind. They often provide for people and meet their physical needs. They protect God's people and keep us out of harm's way from physical dangers. Angels have delivered people out of dangerous situations. They will strengthen and encourage God's people. Angels are ministering spirits. Sometimes God uses angels to answer our prayers. Sometimes God uses angels to destroy His enemies. Angels carry our spirit to heaven when we die. Angels glorify God, they serve God, they bring messages to man, and they minister to us. Angels are separate ministering spirits and we are humans with a physical body. Different created beings. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14) Angels when they were created were given free will. They are like us in that regard. At the beginning of time they made the decision to be on God's side or the decision to reject God and join Satan's side. The angels on Satan's side are fallen angels and we call them demons. Angels made a choice on who they will serve. They are what they are for eternity. Jesus did not come for angels. Jesus came to redeem mankind! We can be redeemed! Like the angels we have free will and we have this earthly life to make the choice who we serve, whose side we are on, what we believe. It is a profound gift. The Bible is first and foremost about God. And the Bible reveals God's redemptive plan for mankind to us. The Bible was written for us humans. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16) I wrote about all of this in Angels - What We Know About Them. But since I wrote that my women's group began studying Hebrews. We are using Jen Wilkin's study Better - A Study of Hebrews (affiliate link to leader kit - there is a separate workbook you can purchase.) Excellent study by the way! Hebrews connects the Old Testament to the New Testament. It was written to Jewish Christians who were very familiar with their Scripture. The book of Hebrews begins with the superiority of Christ - the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant. The author of Hebrews lays out a logical argument that we have something better! And the first two chapters of Hebrews have to do with Jesus Christ is superior to angels. When the homework on Hebrews asked the question: How can modern believers be guilty of giving misplaced attention - even worship - to the spiritual realm instead of to Christ? Why is it dangerous to do so? I had an 'aha' moment and wrote a novel in my study book. Ha. When people believe their loved ones become angels, their focus shifts. They spend time thinking their loved ones watch over them, intercede on their behalf, and have become their guardian angel. Look there is nothing wrong with thinking our loved ones are looking down on us. But angels are more powerful than humans. They have spiritual powers we do not have. In believing that your loved ones are angels, your are attributing power to your loved ones which they don't have. And putting emphasis on them trivializes what Christ has done for us. It takes our focus off of God. We are believing something that is lesser than the wonderfulness of reality. The reality is way much better than becoming an angel! Remember angels were created to serve God and to minister to us. Revelation 22:8,9 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!” We should not place any of our worship on angels. They aren't the ones who save us. Only our Lord and Savior has what we want. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. (Hebrews 2:16) In other words, to us, to those who believe in Him. The Bible tells us of God and how He saves us and our loved ones. What Christ suffered for us in order that we might be called children of God and receive our inheritance was profound and should bring us to our knees. It is He who looks down on us, He who protects us, He who can change our circumstances, He who saves us, He who we should worship. Don't diminish His blood atoning sacrifice by attributing any of that power and glory to our departed loved ones. Humans have a special place with the Lord. He came for our salvation. Angels are lesser than us in that regard. They do not have the same need for a Savior that we have. Jesus is sympathetic to us. He identifies with us because He was human. He suffered for us, not that we would become angels, but that we would become glorified humans. Jesus Christ's resurrection was literal and physical. His body was able to be seen, it was real, it could be touched and was recognizable. And so will our resurrected bodies be one day! If your loved one who died knew the Lord, that person is glorified! They know complete joy, peace, and rest because of Jesus. Your grieving heart should be mended by the promises of Scripture. Jesus came so we could be justified, sanctified, and then glorified. That is a special relationship with God only humans can claim. And it is better. It may seem like I am splitting hairs and like I am making a mountain out of a molehill. But any time we give anyone else or anything else worship underserved, we are trivializing what Jesus did for us. Don't spend your time and put your focus on something less than the truth. Not when reality is so much better. Humans have glorious hope! And that is how we should comfort each other in our times of grieving. Jesus came to redeem us. Let us be eternally grateful and give Him the glory. All glory to Jesus Christ, both now and forever. Amen.

I am a big fan of reading the Bible. However, I'm not a big fan of the Bible reading plans I've seen. They either have you start at the beginning and reading straight through or have you jumping between various sections of the Bible. They also almost always have you read the Bible in a year and I think that is a bit much for most people. Too fast. I wrote about it before so I won't repeat what I said. See Reading the Bible. I recently came across a Redemptive-Historical Bible Reading Plan and I'm like, "finally"! This reading plan won't have you read the entire Bible - just portions that connect the Old Testament to the New Testament. Many years ago I took a class called Bible Basics and the teacher gave us this chart. This chart goes over the historical eras of the Bible and what it does is give you the overarching storyline of the Bible. Knowing the big picture of the Bible made a significant impact on my understanding as I was reading. As a new Bible reader I could read books of the New Testament and understand what they said. But it wasn't until I read the Old Testament that when I went back and re-read a portion of the New Testament that I would have "aha" moments. I realized the Old Testament and the New Testament are connected and intertwined in a way I had never understood before. Many people miss the connection. My women's Bible study group has been together for years and we are very purposeful about what we have studied, learning valuable Bible study skills, and building on theological concepts. We have been working towards making the connections between the Old and the New. They have learned so much and I am so very proud of them. Last year we studied the first 18 chapters of Exodus and the book of Psalms. I asked them to read the Pentateuch over the summer. The Pentateuch is the first five books of the Old Testament - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And all of this is leading up to us studying Hebrews this Fall. And they are READY! Did you know the book of Hebrews contains eighty-six references to the Old Testament, traceable to one hundred Old Testament passages? Having just come off Exodus, Psalms, and the Pentateuch, I can't wait to see their understanding! Many of them have read Hebrews before. But this time they are going to go "AHA"! Look at this page of Hebrews from my Bible. Peruse this page and you'll see there are some lofty theological concepts in Hebrews. I know when I read it the first time I had not read the Old Testament and Hebrews was just over my level of truly understanding. Each subsequent reading I picked up more. But this time I am going to be blown away with how I understand it. Why? Because I just read the Pentateuch again! Look at this chart that lists some of the allusions, citations, and quotations to the Old Testament in the book of Hebrews. Look where they are from. They are mostly from the Psalms and the Pentateuch. [Source: Old Made New; Greg Lanier; copyright 2022; Appendix 1 - affiliate link] Look back at that page of Hebrews. You have to understand what "sanctified" means. Our group knows what it means. Jesus is the "High Priest of our confession." I asked the ladies last year what was the purpose of the priests? And one of them piped right up and said, "They were the mediators between their sin and God." Bingo! The connection made is Jesus is the Mediator between our sin and God! "There are roughly three hundred to four hundred (or more) quotations, citations and allusions to the Old Testament in the New Testament, depending on how you count." Jesus quoted the Old Testament. The apostles did too. If you haven't read the Old Testament, you aren't really going to make those connections. You just won't. But if you have read the Old Testament you know there is a lot of historical narrative in it. Knowing the history of Israel serves a purpose in understanding the character of God, what He expects of His people, and redemptive history. But if you want to make the theological connections to Jesus, there are certain parts of the Old Testament you really need to read. And Dr. Lanier made this reading chart so that we could make those connections! From Dr. Lanier In his book, Old Made New, page 31-32 (affiliate link): To gain better familiarity with the Old Testament, I encourage you to take the following three actions: Study the NT's summaries. Two speeches in Acts (7:1-53 and 13:16-25) provide digests of the high points of the OT, helping us trace the major movements and events. Read the OT with the big picture in mind. I have prepared a Redemptive-Historical Bible Reading Plan that curates 137 OT chapters from the key turning points in Israel's history, matched with 63 NT chapters that reflect on those chapters. ... helping the reader focus on the big picture. You can download it at www.crossway.org/OldMadeNewReadingPlan. Read up on biblical theology. ... I truly believe it is a worthwhile endeavor to go through this Redemptive-Historical Bible Reading Plan whether you are new to Bible reading or a mature Christian. Go to Old Made New: A Guide to the New Testament Use of the Old Testament and download the Redemptive-Historical Bible Reading Plan. To print it off is just 4 pages. Fold it up and put it in the cover of your Bible and work on it when you can. You won't be disappointed if you do. This reading plan "curates the key chapters of the Old Testament that help frame the flow of redemptive history (how God has worked in history to bring about His plan of salvation)." "At the end, you will have a solid grounding in the entire message of the Bible, which can then help you revisit those 1,189 chapters afresh." Redemptive history - understanding it will make a world of difference in your life. (And a side note - PassiontoKnowMore is an affiliate with Christianbook.com and the book Old Made New is over $4 cheaper there than on many other sites. But you don't have to buy the book to download the reading plan.)

I love my women's Bible study group. I love seeing them week in and week out over the school year and I miss their friendship when we break over the summer. But I love summers too because it frees me up to do what I want to do, read what I want to read, and study what I want to study. When I first started in a women's Bible study group back twenty years ago and they broke for the summer, I took the summer off too from Bible study and Christian reading. But I quickly noticed a change in my attitude. I would feel distant from God and I soon realized I needed a daily dose of Christian reading. It is what keeps me on an even keel emotionally and spiritually. It has literally become my daily bread. I began spending the summer reading some of the books of well-known Christian authors. One summer was C.S. Lewis. I have several of his books, but I think Mere Christianity is my favorite and a book every Christian should read. It is a classic. It does start out slow, but stick with it. I personally like The Great Divorce and have read it twice (although some in my women's group did not care for it) and I have been to the play. One summer was Corrie ten Boom. This woman and her faith just captivates me. I have read both The Hiding Place and Tramp for the Lord twice. Some books are so good they are worth re-reading! The movie, The Hiding Place, is very good too. These are true accounts of her life. Corrie ten Boom was a watchmaker and lived with her father and sister. They hid some Jews during the Nazi occupation and she and her sister were sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp. After the war she travels the world talking about forgiving others and God is always with you. Tramp for the Lord is the book about the years after the war. Another favorite author of mine is Henri J. M. Nouwen. I spent a summer reading many of his books. The Return of the Prodigal Son is an excellent read! It greatly impacted me. It's time to re-read this one. Put it on my growing stack! One summer was some books by Elisabeth Elliot. Through Gates of Splendor is the true story about the death of her husband and the other missionaries. It has a movie too which was pretty good. One summer was A. W. Tozer. He is a great theologian. His books are a little deep and I am very slow at reading them. I was going to develop a class on the Protestant Reformation and I was working on my family history about the same time so I spent one summer reading Christian history books. The class never did get developed because of work, but it was interesting and worthwhile to learn about Christian history! Some of the events really shocked me and have stuck with me. Sometimes I read a Christian fiction book for fun. Years ago I bought the eleven workbooks on the Bible by the Amazing Collection. I've spent the last couple summers working through the ones I hadn't completed. I think I have The Post-Exilic Books and The Major Prophets to do yet. These workbooks are incredible and I can't recommend them enough! My summer reading and study has had a huge impact on my life. These books have shaped my thinking, my Christian worldview and I have grown spiritually. And what am I doing this summer? I have been stacking up a pile of secular fiction books I would love to read. But here it is the end of June and I haven't even started on them yet. Instead... I asked my women's group to read the first five books of the Bible over the summer. These are called the Greek word, Pentateuch, and these five books are foundational to all of Scripture. Since I asked them to do it, I'm doing it myself. I've re-read Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus in June. It has been years since I have read these books and I am actually quite surprised at my level of understanding of the theological concepts and the connections I am making to the rest of Scripture! Here's a reading chart for the Pentateuch if you'd like to join us in reading it. Read a book on Christian thought or pick a Bible study to walk through on your own. Or read some books of the Bible. Have a favorite Christian author? Read some of their books. The point is to do something to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You have two more months before we get back into the hectic schedule. Purposeful time spent growing in your Christian faith is time well spent. Don't take a break from your spiritual journey. Feast on your daily bread. Check out my Books Recommended page on my website. Affiliate links to some of the books I recommended: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom Tramp for the Lord by Corrie ten Boom Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J. M. Nouwen

Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. Exodus 12:35,36 Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash "Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold." Exodus 11:2 I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians. Exodus 3:21,22 God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve and afterward they will come out with many possessions. Genesis 15:13,14 We just worked backwards in Scripture by looking at the text references. God says to Abram (his name was later changed to Abraham) that not only will He give Abram a son in his old age, but that he will also have numerous descendants. Those descendants will be slaves in a foreign land for four hundred years. But God will bring them out of that land and when He does, they will come out with many possessions. God makes a covenant with Abram in Genesis 15:18. Centuries pass between when God says what will happen and when it actually does happen; enough time for the descendants to become numerous. Abraham has Isaac. Then Isaac's son Jacob is born. Jacob has twelve sons. One of those sons, Joseph, gets sold into slavery in Egypt. There he rises to power as the second in command of Egypt. Because of a famine Joseph brings his family to Egypt. Seventy come in to Egypt. They become many people, a nation is being formed, and the new pharaoh enslaves them. After 400 years of slavery, God delivers them. The plagues and the exodus occur. The time period between when God made the covenant with Abram/ Abraham and the Exodus was six hundred years give or take! What God promises to Abraham comes true. The events took place just as God's plan outlined. Why do you think God told the Israelites to plunder silver, gold and clothing from the Egyptians? Was it a reward, a reparation for their suffering? I suppose they would need new clothing after four hundred years in slavery. Was God simply providing for them? Or was there a more practical reason? I turned to all my reference books and I couldn't find any explanation for why God would tell the Israelites to plunder the Egyptians. I find this very curious. It may seem like a minor detail in the account, but it actually is quite significant. I turned to the internet and read many articles on why the Israelites plundered the Egyptians. Most scholars talk: about the fulfillment of God's promise. True. God is faithful. about how in ancient times victorious armies would often plunder those they defeated. True. God is the Victor. about God humbles the haughty Egyptians. True. God punishes evil. about transferring of wealth as an example of God's justice to repay the Israelites for their suffering. True. God is just. about how this is considered God's blessing and this is a common motif in Scriptures. True. God blesses those who obey Him. about how the world would see God is more powerful than the Egyptian gods. True. God is the one true God. These are excellent reasons why God told the Israelites to ask the Egyptians for their wealth before they left Egypt. God is faithful, victorious, He punishes evil and blesses the righteous, is just, and the true God. But there is an obvious practical reason that God commanded the Israelites to plunder the Egyptians! These spoils of Egypt will later be used in the construction of the tabernacle. The tabernacle was going to be the place where God dwelled with His people, where He met with His people, and where He spoke to His people. It was central to God's plan. With the religious observances at the tabernacle God would teach His people they are to be holy before Him. Source: Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps & Time Lines (affiliate link) Turn to Exodus 25-40. There is chapter upon chapter of very specific instructions on how to build and erect the tabernacle. The Israelites were asked to bring freewill offerings of gold, silver, bronze, blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, rams skins dyed red, manatee skins, acacia wood, oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones and setting stones for the the ephod and for the breastpiece. (Exodus 25:3-7) The Israelites had been in slavery for four hundred years. Slaves don't have gold, silver, bronze and fine linen. God delivered them out of bondage and they are now in the middle of the desert. Where would you get these items after being slaves and in the middle of nowhere? From plundering the Egyptians! God provides! The tabernacle wasn't some little feat and needed a lot of metal, wood and linen to construct. It was quite large and quite ornate. It was portable in that it had to be carried and moved and go with them as they journeyed through the desert. When God moved and led them, they took down the tabernacle and moved it with them. When God came to their next stopping point, they erected the tabernacle again. It was quite fancy! The table of showbread was to be overplayed with gold. The lampstand was to be made of pure gold. The massive curtains were to be made of fine linen and blue and purple and scarlet material. The Altar of Incense was overlaid in gold. The Veil was woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread with designs of cherubim embroidered on it and was hung with pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold. The Mercy Seat was made of pure gold. The Brazen Altar was covered in bronze. The washing basin and stand were made of bronze. The bases of the planks for the tabernacle were constructed of silver or bronze depending on where they were used. And depending on their location some of the poles were overlaid with gold and some with bronze. The priestly garments were made of fine linen spun with gold, blue, purple and scarlet yarn. Fine jewels and gold bells were put on them. To make the tabernacle and all of its contents it took 2,193 pounds of gold, 7,544 pounds of silver, and 5,310 pounds of bronze. (Exodus 38:24-31) No wonder God had them plunder the Egyptians before they left! When you are reading the Bible the biggest part of application for your life is to ask yourself what does the text tell me is true about God? It is true these verses on the Israelites plundering the Egyptians tell us many things about God. God is omniscient. He knows everything past, present, and future. God specifically tells Abraham how long his descendants will be enslaved in a foreign land and He will deliver them with many possessions. About six hundred years later God commands the Israelites that when He delivers them out of bondage, they are to ask the Egyptians for their wealth. The Israelites are obedient and plunder the Egyptians as they leave. God knew the Israelites would be in the middle of the desert and need material to construct an elaborate tabernacle - a place where He will dwell, meet and speak to them. He is the God who provides for all their needs.