Student Humor

Sometimes it gets really funny at the DTS - with so many students and so many cultural representations and so many different backgrounds... the mesh can get pretty funny.

One ongoing joke we have is with Palestinians and the concept of "stoning" people - which means throwing rocks at people to kill them. Sometimes during the DTS, we poke fun at the Palestinian students because of how ancient and primitive this method of killing is. Joking comments get thrown around on both sides. Other times, the Palestinian students threaten us in a joking manner, telling us:

"You're lucky I forgot my rocks at home."

"I tried to bring my rocks, but my bags went over the weight limit at the airport so I had to remove them."

Or sometimes they'll pick up a nearby object and say, "You better watch out. It's not a rock but it'll do."

(Note: they never actually have thrown rocks or objects at the DTS. It's just a joke.)

Everyone gets laughed at for certain cultural misunderstandings, and everyone is able to laugh at themselves for that. I was sitting on the couch once with a few other students and they were all teaming up and joking around at my expense - so I picked up a couch pillow and started hitting them. The former Muslim Lebanese man walked in and stood in front of us. When we stopped, he gave me a very confused look and then said to the others, "Why does America always need to HIT people?!?"

So there's a joke now about my representing America accurately because I hit people with pillows when they were joking around with me.

Anyway - it's all in good fun, and there are other things I'm forgetting, but sometimes these things really bring us together and the humor helps us to relate, understand, and love one another and our differences.

Principles for Correct Biblical Interpretation

John Wycliffe's Principles for Interpretation

John Wycliffe's (1324-1384) gave us these principles for correct Biblical interpretation.

1. What does it say? "Money is the root of all evil" 1 Timothy 6:10 (what does it REALLY say?)

2. To whom is it written? "Behold I stand at the door and knock" Revelation 3:20

3. Of whom is it speaking? "May the peoples praise you O God" Psalm 67 (who are 'peoples'?)

4. At what time or when was it written? Isaiah 1:15 "So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. (after how many generations?)

5. Where did it happen? "How blessed will be the one who dashes your children against a rock" Psalm 137

6. What were the circumstances? Jeremiah 20:14 Cursed be the day when I was born; let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me! (what has just happened to this man?)

7. Why was it written? John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

8. What is the context? Matthew 10:35 "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; (read the entire chapter to get the context)


One very important additional principle for correct interpretation is to let the Bible interpret itself or to look at the entire counsel of the Bible on an issue before coming to a conclusion. Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Is this teaching that Jesus is created? What about John 1:1 and 1:14? What about the rest of the context?)

The Hulahoop

This is a story of faith. Faith is the main issue - and it's the main thing that God has been speaking to me about and really helping me to grow in.

The Hulahoop:

When we first got to this DTS, my thoughts were everywhere and I was getting settled in - just like all the other students. There was so much to look at - it took us about a week to notice some of the smaller details of our surroundings. Naturally, at first, we didn't notice the hulahoop stuck in a tree about 5 stories (or 50 feet, or about 36 meters) above the ground right next to the church we're staying in.

When we first noticed, it was pretty funny. "Hey look! There's a HULAHOOP in that tree! What the heck is it doing there?!? How on EARTH did a hulahoop get stuck in the tree so high!?"

Next to our school/church is a building under construction. Guys come every day to work on it. This will come into relevance later, so take note.

Well, my and some other students' first thoughts were, "How can we get that hulahoop down?" - so we started thinking about ways to get it down, and some of them were okay, but most of them were NOT easy. It was obvious that climbing the tree was out of the question. The tree was just too high and the hulahoop was way out on a branch.

One day, some of the students and I were standing on the stairs just outside the building.

We began to look up at that hulahoop and some people, again, began discussing ways - "how can we get this down?" Well, at that time I was learning a LOT about faith and what it means to trust God and believe. I have always known that God wants to hear about the little things in our lives, but rarely have I applied that knowledge to bother an all-powerful God about the "stupid" things.

This time, however, I cared. So I said, "Hey, let's pray for God to bring it down." And everyone looked at me. So I said, "He's powerful enough. He can do it. He can do anything He wants. I feel stupid for not asking sooner!"

Everyone looked at me for a moment longer, then brushed that idea into the trash bin and continued discussing other options. Needless to say, I was a little disturbed. I wanted to pray about it - I don't know why but I really had a STRONG desire to pray about this. And I beleive God gave me that desire. He was telling me what to pray for. I wanted to pray WITH somebody, though, and I didn't want to ask anyone nearby because I don't think they believed in the cause or purpose. I don't think they had faith in what I wanted.

Just then, another student (Simon) walked by and I said, "Hey! Simon!" So he stopped, and I asked him for a big favor. Then I led him down the stairs and around the corner where nobody could see. "Simon! Please, I need you to pray with me! I want to pray about that hulahoop!" I pointed up at the hulahoop in the tree. It was located about where the red circle is (the white circle is the hulahoop. This picture was taken later).

Simon agreed and we began to pray. I told God how stupid it was, but also how much I wanted it to come down! I told God that I knew He could bring it down, and I told Him all the reasons why it would be a good thing! I asked God to do it, not for me, but for His glory, as a testament that He cares and answers prayers - even the "stupid ones." Simon agreed, and also prayed. Then we waited.

We waited, and waited, and waited, and didn't say anything to the students about it. I also prayed a few times after that - I was absolutely confident that it wasn't a matter of IF God would answer this prayer... but WHEN. Later, when Brian (our Guest Speaker who spoke on Jesus and the Cross) came, I explained to him and Mona (one of our staff members) about the hulahoop. They laughed, and couldn't stop staring at the hulahoop - as if it would fall down any second, right in front of their eyes. But it didn't.

We had to wait a week and a half. One day when I got up for breakfast, looked out the window and noticed it wasn't there. So I just stared, making sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me - but it WASN'T in the tree!!!! At that moment, I knew EXACTLY where it was! "God brought it DOWN!" So I knew it would be right below the tree. I ran out, and sure enough, there it was on the ground. I don't remember any big storm or any big wind - but even if there was - I know that's what God used to bring it down and answer our prayers.

That morning, I asked to make an announcement, and I told "The Hulahoop Story" to everyone. It is still an AMAZING testiment to God's faith and glory! God hears EVERY SINGLE ONE of our prayers! If you can't find your keys, if you lost some money, if your CAR won't start - God wants to know! He wants a relationship with us! Don't forget to include Him on everything! Of course He won't always give us what we want when we ask for the wrong reasons, but if it's good and glorifying to Jesus - God WILL answer the prayer! Other times, He'll answer it in HIS good timing, not ours!

Well, it turns out that the "hulahoop" isn't a hulahoop. It's a peice of PVC pipe curled around and wrapped into itself. I think the workers that build the building next door did it for fun! Hahahhaha - but it STILL works as a hulahoop (quite well!).

This taught me one more thing. I knew that God would bring down "the hulahoop" - and I had this image in my head of what that would look like. Well, God was faithful to my prayer - but in the end, it didn't look like what I thought! And I think that's how it is many times. From far away and in our imaginations - we have this picture of how things will look when God answers our prayers, but it's not actually like that all the time. It's not always exactly how we think it will

be.

Classroom: Attributes of God 03-08-07

03-08-07 Emmanuel Entee
The Pursuit of God

Exodus 33:1-19
Verses 1-6: A call to sanctity
Verses 7-11: Heart preparation
Verses 12-16: A quest for God’s glory
Verses 17-19: God’s response

Moses responded to God in this way because God made him so. God very much wants us to have our freedom.

God says, “you will die if you see my glory” – but Moses does not stop. He says, “show me your glory.”

Luke 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Sometimes persistence and pursuit explains the state of our hearts – not giving up explains how authentic and genuine and how badly we want this. To not give up explains just how much you want this. If you think about everyone who has made it huge, and they will tell you this – NOT giving up has been one of the cornerstones. So Moses is saying, “there has to be more. There has to be more than this wonderful presence of God – so I’m going for more, that’s there.” So he says, “show me your glory!” God says, “you will die.”

Matthew 15:22-28
The Canaanite woman in pursuit of Jesus.

Exodus 34:5-7
The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation."

The guilty will not be cleared, and our sins have repercussions on many others.

The Glory of God

“The manifest presence of God and the revelation of who He is (His character) that so impacts us that we revere Him, get to know Him, and live our lives in response to that revelation.”

The kind of glory of God that Moses was talking about was what we call the “manifest presence of God.” He wanted God to manifest Himself in his presence.

Can you imagine what the world will be like when we become an expression of the grace of God? When we become an expression of the mercy of God? When we become an expression of true love? Slow to anger an patient? All these attributes of God – when we express them in our lives, we are showing God to each other and to the world.

· Every manifestation of God’s presence is associated with the revelation of His Character.

God wants us to know Him in all these aspects of His character, and He wants these aspects of His character to shape our lives. So when we gather together, not only do we need to pray for God to be there with us, but we need to pray that God would reveal more of Himself to us!

· God’s character is central to all His intentions and actions.

Whatever is required of us by God – it must not disengage, but engage. Dante said, “the hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis remained silent.” Of course there are places and times when our active engagement is seriously limited. We must find a way to engage! And the degree of bringing Godly influence to any area of engagement is based on our understanding of God’s Character. So the challenge I’m throwing to you and myself is – don’t be a Christian who goes to a conference and comes down and when they’re leaving says, “we had a good time.” And that “good time” does not translate into personal transformation and transformation of the society around you.

Almost 200 years after the death of Jesus, almost every continent and every area of society of the then-known world was touched by the gospel. Of course this is to the degree that we understand the largeness of the world – but basically each of us will become an instrument of expressing God’s Character.

God has put in us a desire to see a difference in the society around us. Each of us has that innate desire to make a difference in the society around us. Even more so God has put in us the ability to make a difference in the society around us.

In the 1900’s a man came to the UK to study. His next door neighbor was a Christian. The young man was a Lutheran. He did not ask his questions in church because you are not allowed to ask questions. He did not ask questions to this other Christian because this other Christian was not available. He was passionate about justice. He wanted to furnish injustice for all, and he became so disillusioned with the church that he decided to do it his way – as he understood it. He started writing volumes of his understanding and philosophies. He went back to Germany, and from those writings he started influencing. Out of that was birthed communism. The man was called Karl Marx. Marxism. For 70 years, 1/3 of the worlds population was spellbound and under control of Marxism. Still, quite a number of nations practice Marxism. That’s why it’s very important for you to ask your questions and for us to engage back.

A man grew up very shy in a Christian village. He was very shy. He was bullied in school, he would not be the one to stand up. He was not your type who would lead. Nobody recognized him, he was just lost in the crowd. He went to Germany to study, was radicalized by Islamic radicals in Germany who had cells. Through those friendships and influences, he then became very withdrawn and religions. Mohammad Altar – through this background, was able to lead the 9/11 attacks. The world had never remained the same as a result of that influence.

Every one of us has that ability to share that ability around us. Of course some of us will use it for the wrong purposes. Each one of us, standing before God and allowing His grace to empower us has the ability to make a difference around us. So when you go home to where ever you’re from – look at your environment – trust God – He is able to use you to make a difference!

· The revelation of God is intrinsically (essentially) linked to His redemptive purpose.

Abraham: Genesis 17:1-3
Moses: Exodus 3
Jacob: Genesis 28:10-22
Thomas: John 20:26-28

We NEED to be an expression of God’s character!!! When we express His character – that is when we’re TRULY reflecting who He is!

This girl from Kosovo – do you know your history? When there was genocide – and there were Serbian solders murdering in Kosovo. This girl was in her house, and soldiers came in. They killed her father in front of her eyes. They raped and killed her mother while she was watching. Then they shot all of her brothers. She was the only one they spared – and at this Christian conference, “I cannot forgive them.” So we surrounded her and laid hands on her and just started praying, “God come and be here among us! Show us who you are and allow us to know you deeper!” And after some time we got to the point where we really felt we were starting to break through. After another short while, this girl starts to say, “I forgive you! I forgive you!” And we left that place saying “WOW! God was REALLY here!”

The way God acts is based on His Character! So do you remember Sodom and Gomorrah? God was patient and slow to anger. They pushed God to the limits, and He was slow to anger. And they kept pushing and still He was slow to anger. And He was patient, and patient, and patient, until finally it got to the point where God had to show His anger and justice.

Did you ever think that it’s enough to be where you’re at? To be in a wonderful Bible study, to be in a wonderful church, to have wonderful family… let me tell you there is MORE! MORE! So pursue it.

To the degree that we are able to change the society around us will depend on the degree of our conviction of God’s word. Conviction is your belief – and UNSHAKABLE belief. An unshakable belief that you are willing to die for!

That lack of understanding of who God is – was that part of Adam and Eve’s fall?

The Names of God

El Shaddai – God Almighty (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Exodus 6:3; Ezekiel 10:5) “God the Provider or life giver,” understanding Shaddai to be derived from the word for a “mother’s breast.” Also means the “all-sufficient” one and the one who is “enough”.

Jehovah Nissi – “God is my banner” – this was the name given by the altar, which Moses erected to commemorate the defeat of the Amalekites at Rephidim (Ex 17:8-15). That aspect of God’s name that reminds us of our victory in Christ. (Romans 8:31-37)

Jehovah Rapha – God who heals you – At Marah, on the way to Sinai, the Lord promised Israle that if they fully obeyed Him, He would not bring on them the diseases He brought on Egypt. His name of assurance means “I am God who heals you” (Exodus 15:26)

I know some Christians who say, “when I’m sick, I don’t go to the doctor, I just pray.” How many of you know Christians like that? That’s called dichotomistic thinking. They think it’s either/or – it’s spiritual or it’s not spiritual. God gave us plants, doctors, medicines. He gave us the abilities to discover and treat. God’s understanding of life is holistic. It includes both – spiritual and physical.

Jehovah Shalom – “God of peace”– The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon to commission him to liberate Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6:1-22). The Lord greeted him with peace, so Gideon built an altar and named it “The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:23-24).

Jehovah Shammah – “The Lord is there” – This was the name of God written at Jerusalem’s gate, after Jerusalem was restored. (Ezekiel 48:35).

Jehovah Tsidkenu – “God our Righteousness” – Righteousness is the divine attribute of God who imputes His righteousness to His followers and therefore is able to reconcile them to God (Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Psalm 97:2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Jehovah Jireh – “God will provide” – “God will see to it” Jireh comes from the same Hebrew root as Moriah, the name of the region to which God sent Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:8, 12-14).

Classroom: Pursuit of God 03-08-07

03-08-07 Emmanuel Entee
The Pursuit of God

Exodus 33:1-19
Verses 1-6: A call to sanctity
Verses 7-11: Heart preparation
Verses 12-16: A quest for God’s glory
Verses 17-19: God’s response

Moses responded to God in this way because God made him so. God very much wants us to have our freedom.

God says, “you will die if you see my glory” – but Moses does not stop. He says, “show me your glory.”

Luke 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Sometimes persistence and pursuit explains the state of our hearts – not giving up explains how authentic and genuine and how badly we want this. To not give up explains just how much you want this. If you think about everyone who has made it huge, and they will tell you this – NOT giving up has been one of the cornerstones. So Moses is saying, “there has to be more. There has to be more than this wonderful presence of God – so I’m going for more, that’s there.” So he says, “show me your glory!” God says, “you will die.”

Matthew 15:22-28
The Canaanite woman in pursuit of Jesus.

Exodus 34:5-7
The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation."

The guilty will not be cleared, and our sins have repercussions on many others.

The Glory of God

“The manifest presence of God and the revelation of who He is (His character) that so impacts us that we revere Him, get to know Him, and live our lives in response to that revelation.”

The kind of glory of God that Moses was talking about was what we call the “manifest presence of God.” He wanted God to manifest Himself in his presence.

Can you imagine what the world will be like when we become an expression of the grace of God? When we become an expression of the mercy of God? When we become an expression of true love? Slow to anger an patient? All these attributes of God – when we express them in our lives, we are showing God to each other and to the world.

· Every manifestation of God’s presence is associated with the revelation of His Character.

God wants us to know Him in all these aspects of His character, and He wants these aspects of His character to shape our lives. So when we gather together, not only do we need to pray for God to be there with us, but we need to pray that God would reveal more of Himself to us!

· God’s character is central to all His intentions and actions.

Whatever is required of us by God – it must not disengage, but engage. Dante said, “the hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis remained silent.” Of course there are places and times when our active engagement is seriously limited. We must find a way to engage! And the degree of bringing Godly influence to any area of engagement is based on our understanding of God’s Character. So the challenge I’m throwing to you and myself is – don’t be a Christian who goes to a conference and comes down and when they’re leaving says, “we had a good time.” And that “good time” does not translate into personal transformation and transformation of the society around you.

Almost 200 years after the death of Jesus, almost every continent and every area of society of the then-known world was touched by the gospel. Of course this is to the degree that we understand the largeness of the world – but basically each of us will become an instrument of expressing God’s Character.

God has put in us a desire to see a difference in the society around us. Each of us has that innate desire to make a difference in the society around us. Even more so God has put in us the ability to make a difference in the society around us.

In the 1900’s a man came to the UK to study. His next door neighbor was a Christian. The young man was a Lutheran. He did not ask his questions in church because you are not allowed to ask questions. He did not ask questions to this other Christian because this other Christian was not available. He was passionate about justice. He wanted to furnish injustice for all, and he became so disillusioned with the church that he decided to do it his way – as he understood it. He started writing volumes of his understanding and philosophies. He went back to Germany, and from those writings he started influencing. Out of that was birthed communism. The man was called Karl Marx. Marxism. For 70 years, 1/3 of the worlds population was spellbound and under control of Marxism. Still, quite a number of nations practice Marxism. That’s why it’s very important for you to ask your questions and for us to engage back.

A man grew up very shy in a Christian village. He was very shy. He was bullied in school, he would not be the one to stand up. He was not your type who would lead. Nobody recognized him, he was just lost in the crowd. He went to Germany to study, was radicalized by Islamic radicals in Germany who had cells. Through those friendships and influences, he then became very withdrawn and religions. Mohammad Altar – through this background, was able to lead the 9/11 attacks. The world had never remained the same as a result of that influence.

Every one of us has that ability to share that ability around us. Of course some of us will use it for the wrong purposes. Each one of us, standing before God and allowing His grace to empower us has the ability to make a difference around us. So when you go home to where ever you’re from – look at your environment – trust God – He is able to use you to make a difference!

· The revelation of God is intrinsically (essentially) linked to His redemptive purpose.

Abraham: Genesis 17:1-3
Moses: Exodus 3
Jacob: Genesis 28:10-22
Thomas: John 20:26-28

We NEED to be an expression of God’s character!!! When we express His character – that is when we’re TRULY reflecting who He is!

This girl from Kosovo – do you know your history? When there was genocide – and there were Serbian solders murdering in Kosovo. This girl was in her house, and soldiers came in. They killed her father in front of her eyes. They raped and killed her mother while she was watching. Then they shot all of her brothers. She was the only one they spared – and at this Christian conference, “I cannot forgive them.” So we surrounded her and laid hands on her and just started praying, “God come and be here among us! Show us who you are and allow us to know you deeper!” And after some time we got to the point where we really felt we were starting to break through. After another short while, this girl starts to say, “I forgive you! I forgive you!” And we left that place saying “WOW! God was REALLY here!”

The way God acts is based on His Character! So do you remember Sodom and Gomorrah? God was patient and slow to anger. They pushed God to the limits, and He was slow to anger. And they kept pushing and still He was slow to anger. And He was patient, and patient, and patient, until finally it got to the point where God had to show His anger and justice.

Did you ever think that it’s enough to be where you’re at? To be in a wonderful Bible study, to be in a wonderful church, to have wonderful family… let me tell you there is MORE! MORE! So pursue it.

To the degree that we are able to change the society around us will depend on the degree of our conviction of God’s word. Conviction is your belief – and UNSHAKABLE belief. An unshakable belief that you are willing to die for!

That lack of understanding of who God is – was that part of Adam and Eve’s fall?

The Names of God

El Shaddai – God Almighty (Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Exodus 6:3; Ezekiel 10:5) “God the Provider or life giver,” understanding Shaddai to be derived from the word for a “mother’s breast.” Also means the “all-sufficient” one and the one who is “enough”.

Jehovah Nissi – “God is my banner” – this was the name given by the altar, which Moses erected to commemorate the defeat of the Amalekites at Rephidim (Ex 17:8-15). That aspect of God’s name that reminds us of our victory in Christ. (Romans 8:31-37)

Jehovah Rapha – God who heals you – At Marah, on the way to Sinai, the Lord promised Israle that if they fully obeyed Him, He would not bring on them the diseases He brought on Egypt. His name of assurance means “I am God who heals you” (Exodus 15:26)

I know some Christians who say, “when I’m sick, I don’t go to the doctor, I just pray.” How many of you know Christians like that? That’s called dichotomistic thinking. They think it’s either/or – it’s spiritual or it’s not spiritual. God gave us plants, doctors, medicines. He gave us the abilities to discover and treat. God’s understanding of life is holistic. It includes both – spiritual and physical.

Jehovah Shalom – “God of peace”– The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon to commission him to liberate Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6:1-22). The Lord greeted him with peace, so Gideon built an altar and named it “The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:23-24).

Jehovah Shammah – “The Lord is there” – This was the name of God written at Jerusalem’s gate, after Jerusalem was restored. (Ezekiel 48:35).

Jehovah Tsidkenu – “God our Righteousness” – Righteousness is the divine attribute of God who imputes His righteousness to His followers and therefore is able to reconcile them to God (Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Psalm 97:2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Jehovah Jireh – “God will provide” – “God will see to it” Jireh comes from the same Hebrew root as Moriah, the name of the region to which God sent Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:8, 12-14).

Classroom: Knowing God... 03-07-07

03-07-07 Emanuel
Knowing God – Making Him Known

Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

The first verse here is a caution. It’s a caution that we do not want to place ourselves in the center. We do not want to make ourselves the ultimate beings.

Hosea 6:6
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Primary Purpose
God is knowable and wanting to be known based on mutual friendship. This is part of His primary purpose. It was His intention to embrace us through shared friendship. Part of this is expressed in encouragement for us to trust in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Trust is one of those non-negotiables in a relationship. Now, in our relationship with God – trust is non-negotiable. To take Him by His Word is non-negotiable. To seek to understand Him is non-negotiable. That is trust. Circumstances in relationships does not in any way take away trust.

In this friendship relationship, God intends to empower us with His goodness. He does empower us with His goodness, we get to appreciate Him and glorify Him. What is the goodness of God? The person sitting next to you is a clear expression of the goodness of God. Outside, the sunshine is an expression of the goodness of God; and if we can see this goodness of God around us, it does something to us. We benefit from this goodness. I went out into the sun and I say, “Oh man, I’m enjoying this.” That’s God’s goodness. I could go on and on and on about this – but when we acknowledge that God is good, we feel empowered.

In a friendship relationship, gratitude is very important. We live in a generation where people don’t like to show gratitude or thankfulness. When somebody does something for you, you say “thank you.” Now, whenever possible, when your staff serves you as best as they possibly can without even receiving any salary – you can still show them that you appreciate it through gratitude. Ingratitude hurts a relationship. It makes things one-sided. How do you feel in a friendship relationship when you’re the only one giving?

God says, “remember what I did for you.” Do not forget. Remembrance is very crucial for a friendship relationship.

God enables us (by His Grace) to express and share His goodness – Making Him Known
Grace is God’s way of empowering us to express His goodness. It’s God’s way of empowering us to become what we are not. So whatever your limitations are, Grace empowers you to do what you are not otherwise able to do. I am standing before you today. I told you I was a very, very shy guy.

One thing that makes Christianity very distinct from other major religions is the Grace of God through Jesus Christ. Through the Grace of God, we can have friendship with God, we can call Him a Father, and we can be empowered to do things that we are not able to do. And through the Grace of God we can forgive one another. And that you don’t have to perform to please God. That through the Grace of God, through Jesus Christ, we are accepted to come to Him.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

So I don’t have to cut myself when I do something wrong, to feel the pain. The Grace of God is boundless.

Knowing God is a relationship calculated for mutual pleasure and satisfaction. In every relationship it’s give and receive.

Knowing God gives Him pleasure and satisfaction
We get pleasure and fulfillment
We are the object of His love and affection
He becomes the object of our love and affection

Enjoy who you are in God. There are hundreds of scriptural references of truth of what God says about you and I. It’s the truth about who you are. In Psalm 139 it talks about who you are.

We are the object of God’s love. This is sometimes very difficult to take and accept – especially when you don’t FEEL His love. In many circumstances – I don’t feel the love, but there is still no denial that it is there! So what I’m trying to communicate, is that we won’t always feel the love, but it is always there. We are the object of His love and satisfaction.

Judges chapter 6: Gideon
Israel was under oppression by the Midianites. Well, it got to the point where no male in Israel felt they were man enough. The strongest man in Israel thought he was weak. An angel came and said, “you are a mighty man.” Sometimes God’s truth is contrary to our circumstance.

How do we know God?
What activity involves knowing God?

· Reading the Bible: God’s Word, knowing the word of God, and applying it in our lives – living it. Thinking through it, thinking about it, trusting to apply the word of God.
· Creation: His works – watching God’s creation, thinking about it, we can see and know more about God and His creativity.
· Relationship: Intimacy/friend
· Signs, Miracles
· Holy Spirit

Classroom: Humanism 03-06-07

03-06-07

Emanuel’s definition of Humanism: Any form of assertion, belief or supposition that puts humans as absolutely and primarily central to all life, and pre-eminent to the Deity of God.”
– E. Entee

The root of humanism is PRIDE!

What is pride? Pride is when the SELF takes the center stage. When nothing else matters besides “me” – when it’s “my way or the highway” – when I feel WAY more important than everyone around me.

LOOK at me! I have come to speak in Cyprus! Do you know who I am? I come to speak all OVER the place. That’s pride.

Another side of pride is when we deny who we are. When you refuse to admit that God did a good job on you – when you said “Why me, God?!” And we are saying to God, “man, you really did a bad job on me.” It’s like when my mom said to me, “I have seen some ugly people but man were you ugly!” That was PRIDE working in her!

Genesis 3:1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

When the serpent says, “you will not surely die” – he is undermining the Character of God and making God out to be a liar.

God’s intention was that as man would discover and invent, and that would show God’s character. And the more you discover, the more you will know Him. Humanism is taking the new things in substitution for God and a relationship with Him.

Richard Dawkins, in “The God Delusion” argues that the problems of the world come from believing in God; and if we did not believe in God – these problems would not exist.

Let me tell you about a world without God. In the 18th century during the enlightenment movement, people discovered philosophies and intellectualism was the new thing that led to the industrial revolution where there was a “boom” in technology. This happened all the way to the 20th century when atomic bombs were discovered. In the age of technology is called “modernism.” This is basically saying that man is the center, that we do not need God. Do you know what happened? The result of this was two world wars, because man made so much weaponry and could not control it. Man had so much power and still wanted more – then lost control. Man did not have the foundation of God which brings control. The world ended up in two world wars. The 20th century is probably one of the bloodiest centuries in history.

Society has a history of losing control when it rejects the place of God.

All discoveries point to the wonder of a great God, and He should be given credit for it!
Every discovery DOES point to the wonder of our amazing God – even if we don’t see it at first.

Humanism involves independence rather than inter-dependence, overpowering rather than serving the other’s best interest. God never made His creation to be independent. He structured His creation in such a way that we are Inter-dependent. The spirit of independence is rooted in when the serpent cast doubt on God’s word.

Try to tell me what I shouldn’t do
You should know y now I won’t listen to you
Walk around with my hands up in the air, ‘cause I don’t care

You don’t always have to do everything right
stand up for yourself and put up a fight
Walk around with your hands up in the air
Like you don’t care cause I’m alright, I’m fine

Freak Out – Avril Lavigne

The goal is CONTROL

You know the scripture says, “so whatever you do, do it for God”
1 Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:17 and Colossians 3:23

We need to see the value behind the rules.

God’s instruction “to control” is in relation to PERSONAL and SOCIAL STEWARDSHIP based on His empowering grace. By the way, any stewardship that removes God from the center is Humanism. That’s what Satan told Eve. He said, “you will be like God.”

There are a lot of environmentalists who are passionate about their job! Their passion is incredible! I want that passion! But to some extent, some of them do even worship creation instead of the Creator! And that is where things go wrong – Humanism. Let’s take care of God’s beautiful world and give glory to Him. We can contribute to making God’s world a better place to live. And this is spiritual as well. Amen? (Our response: AMEN!)

All creation is searching, and we are in different places on this journey. The whole deal of YWAM’s “knowing God and making Him known” is to say “I’m searching.” And I’m sure that each of us are in different places on this journey. Some of us want to hear the voice of God clearly. Some of us don’t know why we don’t hear the voice of God, maybe. Some of us just have so much passion and we have so much love for God and we know that God loves us sooo much – and others of us are like, “I don’t feeeeeel it… !” But as long as we have a teachable attitude in our hearts. The attitude we should have is for God to show us the way – to trust and hope that this is true while believing that it IS true. This isn’t the easiest way to be; because sometimes this means that we have to consciously choose against what we feel to believe that God will show you the way.

Look at David and Saul. They both did wrong things; but God said, “I am with David.” Why? David had a faithful and repentant heart! He sought after God.

Judas has a callous heart, and after he betrayed Jesus he made all of these plans; Peter denied Jesus, and afterward he was broken inside and he wept and repented.

So we can see that our hearts play a very important role in our standing before God.

Wait! -This is a poem written by Emmanuel... but I did not copy part of it so it is incomplete AT THE MOMENT. I will add the rest and delete this sentence when it is complete!

Wait! Searching for what
In vain or scavenging for fruits?
But fruits are meant to perish at last
So why the search
May be the Boss above me will have
Some cool orders
He’s around
Can’t see Him with eyes wide open
Sometimes, He shows up with my eyes
Wide shut
Revelation is the child of diligent
Waiting
My deepest inclination is to know
Not just in letters, but to really
Know

But waiting, I feel this is a gruesome task
I need fun, my world breaths fun
I’m told waiting is fun
Whose fun version is this boredom
Isn’t this a journey of torture
You mean separation, seclusion, and sainted ness
Where is the fun, the hang-outs with the coolest posse
This is my MacWorld
Yes, my MacWorld
It’s fun from the cool of the day to the cast of the dawn
Emptiness? I hate and yet I possess
Cover-up, pretension and seeking
Acceptance defines my thriving person
I hate the routine of pretentiously looking cool
And yet filling my sweet night pillows with rains that pours down from my dizzy eyes.
Confused and not looking like one
This is emptiness with a smile
An emptiness indeed! What a trap!
Maybe the boss is right
I hear my strength is renewed by the day
The other night he called when the boss calls
He bids me to wait
And not to rush away

-Emanuel Entee

[U2 Song goes here: I still haven’t found what I’m looking for]

Just because we haven’t found what we’re looking for doesn’t mean we should stop looking. Just because we haven’t found what we’re looking for doesn’t mean we should stop looking. So don’t stop searching, don’t stop looking, don’t stop running after Him!

Moses’ holy bush: Exodus 3
David’s hunger: Psalm 42:1-2
Thomas’ dissatisfaction: John 20:24-28

This is my encouragement for you today: Don’t stop going after God.

Classroom: Character of God 03-05-07

03-05-07 Emmanuel (From Ghana, Africa)
The Nature and Character of God

I can tell you tons of stories about the embassy. Of course, I knew I would be here – I did not doubt, but for some reason it was just hard. There was this guy in the embassy – and every time I go there he says, “this is what you need.” He kept saying, “you did not do this” and “this is not enough.” And this has never happened to me. Every time I need to leave, I get a visa anywhere. And one of the funniest things was when I asked him, he would give me bits of information but never everything. And I said, “I can’t find all of these things on your website.” He looked at me and said, “we don’t have a website.” So perhaps somebody has decided to create a website for the embassy, but they don’t recognize it. But I thank God for bringing me here; and I am a bit more patient now.

When I was on my way to Cyprus, I knew that unless the plane crashed I would be here. I depended on the pilot and crew to bring me to my destination. So even though there were delays, and sometimes turbulence (which can be scary sometimes), you know you will reach your destination. And I’m telling you that it is the same for us here. Each of us are on a journey, and on that journey we can get frustrated. Sometimes we can feel the turbulence and it can get a bit shaky. But you and I will make some very vital choices, here. We will choose to put our faith and dependence here. In spite of how rough the ride is, if there is turbulence, I don’t call the stewardess and say, “excuse me, can we change the pilot?” So when we go on this journey, if we have faith that God will bring us there – then He will bring us there. So today is a new day; tomorrow will be a new day; and every day will be a new day. So I am not making a choice today to continue on this journey based on how I feel, but based on my faith!

Testimony

So we must pray that God would bless us and give us the grace to depend on Him. When I was born, my mom said to me (after I was old enough), “Emanuel, we wanted to get rid of you.” That’s my mom and auntie. “We wanted to get rid of you and put you in a bin.” And I said, “Why would you want to put me in a bin?” And she said, “Emanuel, this will hurt you but I’m going to tell you.” She said, “I have seen a lot of kids, but boy you were one ugly…” And here I am thinking, “How ugly can I be that you would want to put me in a bin?” And she said, “You have no idea how ugly you were… you were SO ugly.” And I said, “I still cannot picture how ugly I could be.” So they decided they would put me in a bin – and tell my papa a story that “we don’t know where he is, he is lost.” And they thought I would grow in ugliness and just be a shame to the family. And my mom said, “when I looked at you, I cried! My God! Out of all the beautiful babies, why this one?” So she cries.

This is serious, guys – can you all pray for me?

So! Somehow, my mom changed her mind. She did not throw me in a bin. I was given a chance to live. But that meant that when I was growing up, I had to always, always fight to fit in. In my family I always had to fight to get attention and strive to be accepted. I was the one who was always picked on. When I was going to school, I was doing so well, I was always on the top of my class – and that was my saving grace at the time. I had to perform at the very highest level just to get attention. And for our educational system, you were ranked for how well you did. Best was always first, worst was always last. And I was always first. As long as I was first, I was loved. And I remember one time I was second in class – I was petrified. Now, a friend of mine who was 15th was rejoicing because he was always lower than that. So I went home and told my mom and she said, “you were second?!” And I was so ashamed – I was publicly humiliated.
When I was 11, I had a dream. I saw somebody picking something out of my head. It looked like a brain – and when I woke up I could not remember anything. I could not recognize anybody… and at that time in Ghana there was no health care to deal with such a situation. And my parents thought I was stupid – “you are HERE, and you cannot REMEMBER anything!” And I still had to go to school. I could not remember. I was 11 years old. I sat in class and I could not remember anything. So in that process, I lost the only saving grace that I thought I had. I lost it. And I wanted to die. At a very young age, I wanted to die.

To cut a long story short, I became a Christian when I was 14. It was a long process. And it became such an exciting thing to have faith that God would heal me. Prior to that I had lost my father. As a Christian, I prayed a lot for God to heal me – and I never got healed. Instantly… I never got healed. There was a process God was taking me through. Healing was taking one step at a time, one after another. I was hoping that I would have an instant healing, but I had to go through a journey of slow recovery. And my faith was being strengthened in the process. It took about 10 years to have a complete recovery. On this journey, I had searched a solid faith in the faithfulness of God. Unshakable faith in the faithfulness of God. And really, sometimes that’s how God develops us. Sometimes He doesn’t do things instantly for us. Sometimes He allows us to go through the journey and it feels long and slow, but His intention is to teach us a bit about Himself every step of the way. And you can ask Him, “God, what do you want to teach me here? What do you want to teach me here?” You will know through His word, and through many experiences.

I remember taking a walk and just seeing a few coins on the floor that would take care of my lunch. In that instance, I said, “God you are good and there is no evil in you.” I did not feel it. Heaven was not opened up and nothing came to me. Sometimes we have to make statements on what is in God’s word, and not what is in front of us. These statements are called Faith Statements – Truth Statements. They are not based on how I feel. And making these statements allows me to soak myself in the truthfulness of God’s word. And I can tell you tons and tons of stories about the goodness of God. So God is good and I have to make those statements not from how I feel, but from the truthfulness of God and His word. That has been my journey. In the process of God restoring me, He did a lot of things of in my life; one of those things is that, back then, I never, ever, ever, thought I would be standing before you today.

I was the ultimate definition of a shy guy. I was just completely petrified at the thought that I would stand and talk in front of people. So I’m telling you guys, and this testimony, just so you can know a bit about my background, that you can know where I come from and where I was. But also so you can know that this is a journey; and on this journey we can trust God and have faith that He will bring us around.




LOVE story

I went from Switzerland to Ghana, and I met this girl. Normally I am cracking jokes and everything, but I saw this girl and I just completely lost it. You know love at first sight… I saw this girl and I completely lost it. I went home and I was binding the devil and doing this and that. I could not delete her out of my mind. So I made a strategic move. I said, “I’m going to get to know her.” So she became my friend, and we were growing as friends. Instead of going back to Switzerland, I stayed in Ghana. Then I made another move. And we had become friends, so this next move I was going to tell her how much I like her! But I had to find the right words. So I rehearsed my lines… I said, “I will say this and when I say this I know she will say that and then I will say this…” and I practiced in front of a mirror. I had a haircut and went in with cologne… and when I think about it I think to myself, “Emanuel, you really did that???” But you don’t do that, guys – but I did it. So I got ready, and all my lines were ready… and the day comes… I was too sure that as soon as I said, “I like you” she would just cry. And I would say “yes, I’m the man!” WELL – I went to her and even though I had practiced all this time, I went to her and I was sweating to just bring out the words! It was not hot at all, there was air conditioning… and she said, “are you okay?” then I thought – I will do this differently. So I said, “you know Janice… I feel the LORD! I dreamt about you and an angel came to me and…” I said all these things… I was completely out of my mind. I said that I heard God say that you were my wife. And she kept quiet for a few seconds. That few seconds was the longest time of my life. I was just dying. So she looked at me with a serious face and said, “Emanuel, if you ever bring this stupidity again… you are out of my life. There will be no more friendship.” And I was like… “okay—“

I tell you, it was a disaster! But I didn’t give up. So while she had to do a DTS, I was her staff. So right before my eyes, she started liking another guy. And the leader called me and said, “Emanuel, do you see Janice and this guy hanging out too much? Can you address the situation?” And I said, “YES, OF COURSE! OF COURSE I WILL!” So me and the leader we sat down and we prayed, and with all my heart I was going to address this situation. So I sat them down, and said in a quiet voice, “listen, you two are not going to date” – and this was right because we need to focus. Anyway, so then I moved on and a year later I checked in again and said, “oh, hey, by the way – what’s up?” And she said, “NO.” And she started dating another guy. But then when I was in Hawaii, they broke the relationship. And she went to South America. So at that time I decided to go to South America to start a base. After pioneering the cause with international relations and Mercy Ministries and stuff – Janice said, “I’m in Cape Town, can you come visit me” – so I said, “sure!” And I was just going to visit. But I saw her again, and I lost control! Normally I’m quite composed, but I lost it again! And she smelled this and she said, “Emanuel, you have lost it.” But we got to know each other again and talked a lot and I invited her to a seminar I was running. I had this cool fly ocean view right on the beach. Jeffery’s Bay is one of the top 5 surfing spots in the world. At the seminar, she was the only participant. So I talked to her again and she said, “Emanuel! Why! Why! What have I done! Okay, I’ll think about it so that you can get out of my life!” So then – to cut a long story short – I visited her again and she thought after that, and came to him and said, “Emanuel, I thought about it a lot and prayed and, okay, I will consider” So then she gave me rules, “you cannot touch my hand. Do not expect me to touch you. And do not ever, ever touch me!” And I was like “okay, alright no problem.” And before that, I had never written a poem, but all of the sudden I was a Shakespeare! I was writing poems left and right and all of the sudden I was like Shakespeare in LOVE! I would just walk around and see a dry tree and make a beautiful poem out of it. I remember just taking a drive in Cape Town and she was sitting next to me – there wasn’t even beautiful scenery and I remember saying, “this is so beautiful” – everybody in the car started laughing and saying, “Emanuel, everything is beautiful for you.” But we got to know each other, and we got married about 3 years ago. And she hears me tell this story and she says, “Emanuel, you make me look like a very mean person.” But 5 years! FIVE years! I tell you, she is worth waiting for 5 years. EVERY Godly woman is worth waiting for. Godly women are WORTH waiting for, guys.

Let me say this to you, guys. I do not come to you as someone who knows it all – I DO not know it all! I do not come to you as a speaker, I come to you as a friend. I want to know a bit of your story, and I want you to know a bit of MY story! I have been through a lot, a lot of disasters – and we can learn and grow from this.

One thing I want you to think about – the condition of your heart. I will tell you two stories. David the king, and Saul the king. David did some really weird things, like killing a husband and sleeping with her wife. Saul never said that – but God said I am placed with David and I am not placed with Saul. It was the heart of David that makes all the difference. It was his never giving up attitude that, “I really want to know you, God!” There was this thing about him that he is teachable! He really wants to know God.

Two people again. Judas, and Peter. One betrayed Jesus, one denied Jesus. There is a thin line – it’s really not that big of a difference. One became the leader of the apostles. Again, the difference was the heart. Peter was repentant and said, “I’m sorry” and Judas went and killed himself. So to continue on this journey, say to God, “give me this teachable heart. I want to be on this journey, help me to get there.”

The Nature and Character of God

This will help establish some foundations that will make things easier for us to understand. The Nature and Character of God. The Nature of God is who He is. Ask God who He is. The Character of God is what He chooses to do. The Character of God is what He chooses to do. All of the time, what God chooses to do is based upon His nature. So whatever He does, His Character is always based on His nature. Do you remember this? Jesus said this once, “out of the heart, the mouth speaks.” So, what you do, a lot of the time – comes from who you are! So for example, when I went to the Cypriot Embassy, I met this dude who said, “I’m going to give you a hard time.” And I walk away angry thinking, “Does he know who I am?” And at that moment, God just presses the button, “Emanuel! Do you realize what you just did and what you are saying? The root of it is pride! ‘Does he know who I am? Did he look into my passport and see all the nations I visited? How dare he refuse the almighty Emanuel”! So a lot of the times, when we react, respond, and do things, - it is from who we are! That is why God is always in the business of making us a better people.

The Nature of God is who He is. The Character of God is what He chooses to do.

So who is God?

Sana: He is God.

Yes, that is true. He is God! And He says, “don’t you know that I am not a man? I am God! I am just God! And you cannot pull me down to be Emanuel. This is who I am. I am Almighty God. I know everything about you! This is who I am.” This is God.

Now I’m not telling you things that I know about – I’m telling you things that I’ve experienced! And others have experienced, and still more will experience. So this is God, and He says, “Apart from me there is no other!” The Character of God is what He chooses to do. So He chooses to love.

Psalm 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

So the scripture you just read shows a lot about God. He chooses to be merciful. He chooses to be gracious, He chooses to be slow to anger, and he chooses to be abounding in love. But me? I’ve blown it many times! I blow it all the time! I am an angry person, and He has not killed me. (silence) – AMAZING, isn’t it???

How many times have we crossed the line and though, “oh, I’m going to get it!” Listen to me, guys. God never crosses the line.

Knowing God and making Him known.

Everything we do, guys, is going to be based around knowing God and making Him known. So everything we do is geared towards – to get to KNOW this God. You cannot take someone to where you’ve never been before! You can only take someone as far as you’ve ever been or experienced! To the degree you have experienced to know God is the degree to which you can show God to others!

This is what is going to happen this week: A TEST of what is there. A TEST of what is there. I decided to tell you a part of my story so it can be a testimony for some of us.

The Case of God’s Character:

God is relevant at all times to all generations. I was speaking to a church in Durban in South Africa. Two services, one service was at a very expensive and secure place, very rich. I was speaking in this Presbyterian church. I could not raise my voice, no, I had to be proper and composed. In the afternoon I had to speak at a Zulu church. Before I got there they had started praise and worship. After 30 minutes they kept singing, and were laughing. Mothers were feeding their infant children in the front row while you are preaching – so I had to look left and right, away from them. But these two experiences were very different. And was God in the second church-OF COURSE He was!

I went to a Vineyard Church, which is mainly youth, and the band was all rocking and modern and everyone was energetic and dressed how they want. And my friend said, “Emanuel, I do not think God is here.” Of COURSE He is there! Is He in the Methodist church? Of COURSE He is there! He is relevant to all times and all generations! He is not outdated at all! He is also near!

God is relevant in every culture. Every culture and every context. He is relevant in every change – yet He remains UNCHANGING. He remains the same! He is relevant NOW, guys. A lot of people don’t see God that it’s “cool” to be a Christian or “cool” to go to church. It’s not exciting. BUT – if you KNOW this God, I mean… He is SO cool! He’s SO exciting and up-to-date! He’s so relevant! In EVERY change. God is not lost in the mix. So in the midst of all of that – get it in your head, in your mind and heart, that God is not lost in the mix. You can find God.

The Suruwaha – the naked tribe. It is forbidden to wear clothes.

The value of our lives is based on the truth that God is love, so I can love. God is merciful, so I can show mercy, God is gracious, so I can be gracious. The basis to measure the value and purpose of God’s life is rooted in God’s character. So it is a fact that life will be measured and defined based on His Character.

Now, can you imagine or think about when someone has all the money or wealth in the world but you don’t see the expression of some of these things we see in God – what happens? When you are doing a business and that business does not reflect the Character of God, what happens? When you have a relationship and it doesn’t reflect on God’s Character, what happens? Are we understanding the reason why there is so much brokenness in the world today? His original intention was to make sure that life will be measured and defined and expressed based on His Character!

God’s Character is essentially central to all of life. That means that the heartbeat of your life and my life is rooted in God’s Character. His Character is the center that holds all of life. Again, keep in mind that His Character is shown in all of scripture. Scripture is rooted in His Character. When we walk away from it we don’t have any center anymore.

God’s Original Intention

Genesis 1:27-28
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

The number one understanding we should gain from this is that God wants a relationship. He wants a relationship.

Truth is only truth when it is practically activated. Truth is only truth when it is practically activated and expressed. So when you have truth and you don’t express it and activate it properly – then it only remains the written text. But you take steps to try and practically activate it! Then it becomes truth for you! Now, this doesn’t mean that if you don’t it is not truth. It just means that you have to be practical in your expression of truth.

Do you remember that Jesus said the Son of Man came to serve, not to be served. And the disciples came to Jesus and said “who is the greatest?” Jesus knelt and washed the feet of his disciples. Our understanding of ruling is that we need to be mean, or that we need to be a dictator. God’s understanding of ruling is different! God’s understanding is that you will say, “What can I do that is in the best interest of the others in my care?” God’s understanding of leadership – is to serve. God’s understanding of godliness – is to serve!

Ask God, “In what way can I see this expressed in my life?” So think through this and process it.

Classroom: Reconciliation 03-02-07

03-02-07 Reconciliation
Brian

Ephesians 2:11-15
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

The Jews have departed from what God wanted them to be.

…I just don’t see Biblical Old Testament support for what he’s saying… that Israel failed to carry out God’s mandate to be a light to the world – to bring the other nations to God.

Verse 15+16 He made the 2 into one new man.

Who is the new man? The Jews and the Gentiles are being made one under one head – Jesus. The one new is the marriage of Jesus to his bride, the Church. So through Jesus – we are all one before God. Individualism is not a Christian value. Community is a Christian value, and we need to contribute together to become the Body. So the last two verses of Ephesians chapter one we see that we are the fullness of Christ. The last verses of chapter 2 it says that we are a Holy Temple, a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit; so we are all being put together as a place for God to dwell.

Many years ago I met a pastor who had been imprisoned for his faith in the communist country. This man was a hero in America and a lot of people were praying for him and there was a lot of publicity. He was a real man of God. But I met him many years later and he was telling some stories about his experiences in prison. And he said the message the Jesus kept giving him was, “Joseph, you’re in my quarry.” And he said, you know, as my church was growing to be the biggest church in Europe, at the same time I was arrogant, I wasn’t loving to my wife – I almost had these two separate lives. So he said in my seven years in prison, Jesus said, “you are in my quarry” and he humbled me and gave me encouragement.

How many of you have been hit with a hammer? It’s painful, isn’t it? So it’s interesting that we are the living stone. We will need to be shaped by God. If, for example, France and Britain are going to be living in harmony, both are going to need some shaping. And if the Jews and Palestinians are going to live in harmony, both are going to need shaping

1Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

We need to represent God to the people, and the people to God. We are the family of God.

Q: Do you think that we are supposed to be a light to creation as well as man?

How we live together on earth is not just a message to other people, but it’s a message to Heaven. So isn’t it a good thing that YWAM has a value on community? Yeah. It’s essential.

It probably seems foolish to say that we have a solution to the Middle East; I don’t think many people want to hear this foolishness. It’s going to take hard work. And in second Corinthians chapter 11, we see how hard it was for Paul. Start looking in verse 24. Five times I got 39 lashes (and at least once in Cyprus); three times beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times ship wrecked… and so on. The King is calling us to be soldiers and sacrifice our lives.

I just want to encourage you with a couple of things. The disciples said to Jesus, “teach us to pray” – and we know these things, don’t we?

Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Let’s be people who are called bring the Kingdom of God; let’s bring the Kingdom.

My wife says that there’s one thing that makes men distinctive from women. Men are such babies when they’re sick. I think there’s this thing called man-flu. Women when they’re sick, they have children and things to do – so they get up when they’re suffering. My wife says to me, “you sneeze once and then lay down and say you have the flu – and you’re moaning.” And when we’re both sick at the same time, she says, “you’re always somehow more sick than I am.” So when my wife says I’m a baby when I’m sick, am I really a baby? I’m acting like a baby (she thinks). No, I’m not a baby, but I’m acting like one. And that’s what Paul is saying in Romans chapter 6. He’s saying your old self has died and you are no longer a slave to sin - so quit acting like one.

My topic this week was the person and work of Jesus; Some things are probably not what you expected me to talk about. So here’s what I want you to take away.

Person – King
Work – bringing in His rule
And that includes making a people for Himself – and these people are priests – represent God to people; they’re a nation – living in a kingdom rule; they’re a race - reconciled; they’re people – for His possession.

A bit later in Romans, chapter 12 – Paul says “present your body as a living sacrifice.” You’re dead to sin, you’re raised to life – so present your body as a living sacrifice. Don’t you know who you are? Don’t live that old life, live the new life. And quit acting like a sinner – be what you are. Don’t let sin rule in your body – that you should obey it – because you’re under a different rule now. You’re under the rule of King Jesus. And you are to make his name great – so let’s be servants to Christ, not slaves to sin.

Classroom: Forgiveness TWO 03-01-07

03-01-07 Brian
Forgiveness TWO

Forgiveness is not optional. Forgiveness is best for the other person, to draw them back to God; but forgiveness doesn’t change the past. If we let our anger keep stirring us, if we don’t give these things to God,

Revenge, the first idea that comes into our minds when somebody wrongs us; vengeance is for God. Romans 12:19 – Hebrews 10:30

Grief is not guilt.

We have to hold on to the belief that every person can change. Think of yourself, and who God has changed in the Bible.

The Bible says to take the log out of our own eye before examining the spec in our brother’s eye. It doesn’t say don’t worry about your brother’s problems – it just says to examine yourself first and make sure there’s nothing hindering you.

Forgiveness involves personal pain. Whenever you extend the hand of grace, there’s always going to be one dog out there that will bite our hand.

You can take the example of Joseph and his brothers. What did Joseph do when his brothers came to him?

Forgiveness restores the possibility of relationship; therefore it reopens the future. There is a releasing from the other person of their burden.

Why does God delay His judgment upon us? Because He loves us.
Why does God delay His judgment upon Satan?
Does God condemn those whom He loves?

Forgetting is negative and passive.
Forgiving is positive and creative.
Before you “forgive and forget” – the one who has sinned and the one who was sinned against must remember together. They must recall the feeling together, and finish the feeling together, reconstruct the relationship together, and then they can forget together.

Forgiveness
1. Is not an option
2. Is for the spiritual benefit of the sinner
3. Involves personal pain/sacrifice
4. Opens the doors to restore the relationship

Hunger for restoration + Revoke desire for revenge + Pursuing goodness = Forgiveness that invites repentance and is open for reconciliation.

Matthew 5:38-39
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

If you turn the other cheek, you may receive many things – but if you turn the other cheek, you expose their sin to them. They might see their anger, and you are able to demonstrate that you are living in a different kingdom.

When we’re dealing with sinners, the Christian thing to do is not to cower when we are being wronged – but to stand firm, not in anger, not in trying to seek revenge, and not turning away.

Matthew 5:42
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Jesus gave people what they needed, and not what they thought they wanted; and I think that’s an important thing to think about. I think that’s how we “don’t refuse” the one who asks – but giving them what they need and not what they think they want.

If Jesus wanted to love the way we often think we should be loving people – he would have lived to a ripe old age because nobody ever would have wanted to kill him.

Reconciliation:

Romans 5:10
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

What do enemies do?
Take your people
Take your land
Take your authority
Banish you from their presence

Before we came to know God, we were building kingdoms and communities of darkness. We were enemies of God. In a war, what usually causes a war to end? All being dead. An agreement is reached. And when an agreement is reached, usually it’s because one side realize if they do not reach an agreement – they all will die.

We were in war with God and it was only going to end when someone died. If you get in a war with God – who do you think will die first?

2 Corinthians 5:14-21
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

So through Christ’s death, we have been reconciled to God and have been given the words of reconciliation. We have moved from being enemies to ambassadors.

Ephesians 2:11-15
Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,

Classroom: Forgiveness ONE 02-28-07

02-28-07
Pursuit of Forgiveness

Hebrews 1:1-4
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

What can we learn about Jesus from this passage?
- Heir of all things
- World was created through Jesus
- Exact imprint of God’s nature
- Greater than angels
- God spoke through Jesus
- Upholds the universe by the word of his power
- Is at the right hand of God

Matthew 5: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mound
Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down. Jesus started with the Beatitudes: “Blessed are…” And you can continue and read everything else he said. Jesus was giving us commandments and the result was to be harmony, peace. This is how we are to live.

Christians aren’t trying to spoil your fun, they are trying to give you a more harmonious life.
Q: Was Jesus talking to non-believers or believers? Believers. So was Jesus saying that living by these rules as a non-believer will give you a more harmonious life? So – does it even matter if non-believers live according to the law, since no matter what they do they are not in obedience?

I think we can agree that when Jesus spoke his sermon – he was talking about being obedient under God’s rule and authority.

Assignment: Go for a walk: After you read either the sermon on the mound or the ten commandments in the Bible. Look around. Write in your journal what would be different if the Kingdom rules were happening in their completeness.

The Pharisees said to Jesus, “show us a sign.” That’s Matthew 12:38 – and Jesus said “you’re evil, no sign will be given to you except Jonah the prophet.” Simon believes that Jesus was talking about his death and resurrection, that he would die and be risen on the third day. Brian believes that this probably has something to do the people of God who did not know their right hand from their left. And Jesus was telling the Pharisees, you’re experts in the TaNaK. Don’t you know the sign of Jonah? You’re asking me a sign – you’re supposed to know about the prophet, Jonah. That’s the sign you’re getting. You’re just a wicked and adulterous generation.

Matthew 4:20-24
Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.

So what is the “gospel of the kingdom” from verse 23?
Healing:
Spirit – our spirit
sickness - body
craziness/madness - mind
paralyzed – body

Do you know anyone who had an affliction in the mind and it affected other things like the body?

So we see that the kingdom is something that affects us as individuals and works in our individual lives. If we include chapters 5 and 6 of Matthew, we see that it also effects us as a group or community to bring harmony and peace.

Look at John 12:9-15
When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"

Why did Jesus ride a donkey? Why not a horse?
Humility
Not the usual kind of king
2nd class citizens (not allowed to ride donkeys)
OT Jewish King (the kings rode donkeys)
Fulfilling the prophesy – that he is the king they’re looking for

I’m going to do a little discussion with Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission). Read it, and explain how those verses summarize everything we’ve talked about so far.

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

We’ve been talking about God’s People, Place, Presence, and Rule/Instruction. “Jesus came” shows that God is taking initiative again. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus has authority over all things. His people are the “disciples” – and this goes along with God instructing us to be fruitful and multiply. Jesus sends us to “all nations” which is his place. His instruction is to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to teach the disciples all God commands. God’s presence fits in when Jesus says, “I am with you always.”

So if we have a dark world – where is God’s kingdom? The Kingdom is in each of Jesus’ disciples. We are the light – and I think we should be looking to community. I think those are the real sources of light. I don’t think it’s supposed to be too much of an individualistic mindset.

How can I love if there’s just me? The Body of Christ is the Church. It’s not me. It’s lots of people. So the way we’re going to push back the darkness is by drawing up communities of light.

The weapons of our warfare are weapons of love – not force. We cannot forgive unless we love. We cannot love unless we forgive. And we cannot love unless our hatred is continually melted by the truth and love of the gospel. We cannot live with purpose and joy unless we love.

Colossians 3:13
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

How does the Lord forgive us? Through Jesus. Healings, pain, blood, verbal

5 Principles

1. If we forgive like Jesus forgave us, it’s not an option. It’s what God does – He seeks out opportunities to forgive. Forgiveness is about pursuing your enemy. Pursuing the forgiveness that comes against you. Adam and Eve sinned. They “spat” in the face of God. God’s response was to pursue them; and He’s been pursuing them for the sake of restoring their relationship with Him.

Pursue the enemy with Grace. It’s about restoring the relationship between your enemy and you. That’s exactly what God did. He pursued His enemy for the purpose of restoring the relationship – for the purpose of applying Grace. That’s hard to understand – it doesn’t make sense.

Matthew 18:15-17
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

What does Jesus say? If your brother sins, what do you do? Go. Why? What are you trying to do? What’s the point? To reconcile. You go and tell that person. It says go and tell him his fault.
If he listens, it says you have gained a brother. A lot of people go and tell people and then try to win an argument. The Bible says we want to win people, not arguments. Now, I want us to think about others as our own reflection of the cross. First we pursue the enemy/sinner. I like to say enemy because that’s so often how it feels; pursue the enemy with grace with the idea that you want to win that person – win them back to God and win them back to a person you can call your brother.

Before tomorrow morning – ask God to reveal one thing to you: Who does he want you to pursue? To put it another way – think of a person who in some way is acting like an enemy.

Classroom: Questions Answered 02-27-07

02-27-07 Brian
Questions

A look at the Satan:

Job 1:6-12
God has a hedge around us and Satan has no power.

Jude 1:6
And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

1 John 3:8
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Matthew 12:28
But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Why the God of peace – crushing Satan? When Satan is gone, that’s when God’s true peace will reign.

What do you know about Jesus from Ephesians 1:18-23?
Immeasurably great power
Seated at the right hand of God
All things are under his feet

RECAP:
§ We talked about the Bible as a love story. God loves His creation that runs from Him and seeks to bring it everything back to perfection.
§ We talked about the tower of Babel and how man began to make a name for himself – so God scatters them; then later God blesses Abraham and says “I will make a name for you.”
§ We skipped to the end of the story (Revelation) and glimpse what everything will be like in the end.
§ We talked about God’s people and how He wanted them to fill the whole earth
§ We talked about how, in the story, God has always taken initiative


Look at Joshua 1:1-9 and pick out the 4 aspects we’ve been talking about: God’s people, God’s place, God’s presence, God’s rule/instruction.

I had a friend who would always pray for his grandson. His grandson began to follow Jesus after the funeral. That just shows me how God continues to work through the seeds that have been sown, after we die; and God can answer your prayers even if you don’t see it.

Let’s take a look at Matthew chapter 1. Read the first verse. It’s interesting, Jews like to trace their lineage back to Abraham to prove they are truly Jewish. Do you see any non-Jewish people in this lineage?

Yes. Ruth.

Who was Ruth? [Reference: Read the book of Ruth in the Old Testament]

She was the wife of Boaz, and the servant of a Jewish woman.

And what about “the wife of Uriah”, whom we know was Bathsheba? She was David’s wife, after he murdered Uriah and committed adultery. So we have Jesus’ line – and it is not a stranger to gentiles and sin.

Matthew 3:7
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

We don’t normally think of saying this type of thing to people, calling them snakes. Why did John the Baptist do this? Because they called themselves Jews but were not acting like it. His message was to think twice about what they know – about who the true sons of Abraham are.

Matthew 8:11-12
I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Those of you that are from Palestine… how does it make you feel when you see Israeli soldiers passing by? Just give me some emotion, please.

Melissa: My heart starts beating faster – not in a good way. I don’t want to say I hate them, because I don’t, but I am not happy with them. I have been hit twice with a stick by them.

So this man goes to Jesus and asks to be healed, in Matthew chapter 8. He’s not a Jew. And right in front of everyone, Jesus says, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.” This man says to Jesus that he is a man of authority, and he recognizes that Jesus has authority. So he says that he knows what it’s like to command, and all Jesus needs to do is command his servants (the angels) and his son will be healed.

And what we need to see here, is that Jesus is saying people will come from the east and the west to be a part of God’s Kingdom.

You can correct me if I’m wrong, if you know more about the Bible than I do – but I believe that the only people Jesus really condemns are the religious hypocrites. But the theives and adulterers and murderers… they are welcome.

Q: There are prophesies concerning “Israel” – do you think those prophesies need to be fulfilled by Israel the Jewish people? Or Israel of the Spirit?

Classroom: Jesus and the Cross 02-26-07

02-26-07 Brian (Canadian who lives in Britain)
Jesus and the Cross 1

I’ve been married to Audrey for 25 years. It takes about 20 years to really get to know your wife.

Melissa: I’m understanding, by that, that you’re saying women are complicated.

It’s like when Jesus was in front of Pilate. He didn’t confirm anything… he just said, “you just said that.”

My topic is Jesus and the cross, and I just want to give you a thought about what God wants to give you this week. I think God wants to just give you a little glimpse of the glory of Jesus. It might take a while to get there but I hope at the end of the week you just get a glimpse of the glory of Jesus.

I want to start each day with a short passage about Jesus – even if it’s not the main topic I’m going to speak about. The problem with talking about Jesus is that there’s too much to say. If you remember the end of the gospel of John, he explains something that is really my problem this week.

John 21:25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

And that’s my problem. There’s so much to say about Jesus, even the world can’t contain all of it. So the best we can hope for is just to get a few snapshots of him. So I’m going to start by talking about his Kingdom; and you might wonder why I’m not talking about Jesus too much – but don’t worry, we’ll get there.

Colossians 1:15-22

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

What things can we know about Jesus from this passage?

Jesus is:
¨ The image of the invisible God
¨ The Firstborn of all creation
¨ Creator of all things
¨ Maker of all authority
¨ Firstborn of the dead
¨ Fullness of God
¨ Head of the church
¨ Foundation of everything

Do you remember the motto of YWAM? “To know God and make Him known” – you’re going to be introducing Jesus to other people, so you have to know Him. How can you introduce Him if you don’t know Him? A student didn’t introduce me today because none of you know me. We got Ashraf to introduce me… and he forgot some things.

What’s the story of the Bible?

Me: It’s the story of mankind turning from God, and God reconciling that relationship.

Ashraf: It’s a love story. It’s about the Creator who lost the creation He loves and wants so badly to have it back – and what He does about that.

Tell us, what are some things your fiancé does to show you he loves you?

Mel: I can be very strange, and he still loves me the way I am.

Where is he now?

Mel: Palestine.

And how is he feeling?

Mel: He feels like a part of him is missing.

Does he phone you? Write you? E-mail you? Send you gifts?

Mel: Yes. Everything. J

So he’s taking some initiative, right? He’s communicating? Keep these things in mind. So how does the story end?

Genesis 2:8-17

What was this passage? God made the garden, and He put Adam there. And where was God? He was with Adam.

We have God’s PEOPLE
In God’s PLACE
In God’s PRESENCE
What was worship like in the Garden?
Me: I don’t think it was like we know it. I think it was just like… life.
Jason: I think worship was just to live and obey the one commandment that God gave us.

Rob: Was there any worship to begin with?


Take the picture of a bride, and how a husband feels about the bride.

In the Bible, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. In Genesis chapter 3, they hid from the presence of the Lord.

There’s something about being exposed, that makes us ashamed, isn’t there?

Gen 3:22 – it says man has become like one of us – so God sent him out of the garden.
Who is us? I think us is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even married couples sometimes talk like we’re one.

What was their sin? Disobedience. Rebellion against God.

Sin is putting the metaphorical elbow in God’s ribs and saying, “Hey – I know better. And actually, I’m going to go ahead and take authority for myself, thanks.” And who do we know of that also did that? Satan, The Day Star.

Genesis 3:21-23
And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--" therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

We have the first hints here that God is taking initiative, don’t we? So if we’re naked in front of our own spouse – who cares, right? But if we’re naked in front of someone who is not our spouse… we’re ashamed, aren’t we?

Question: Why can’t Adam and Eve eat from the tree of life after they’ve eaten of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil?

Now, why the animal skin? Why do they need to cover themselves?

[Why did God cover them? If God wanted the focus of that verse to be killing an animal, I would have expected the verse to say something about killing an animal – but the focus is on clothing Adam and Eve in a skin.

The focus is on Adam and Eve being clothed in a skin that is not their own – the innocent skin of an animal.]

Revelation 20:12-21:6

So we have this picture of judgment that’s coming. This book, and if your name is in the book, you will go to heaven. Then we see a picture of this great city. And who’s living there? The Bride. Who’s bride? Jesus’ bride. Now, have you ever heard somebody describe a city as a bride before? Think of the most beautiful city you’ve ever seen.

Asks Adam: Do you see Toronto as the bride of Canada?
Adam: Um, I don’t know. Maybe the ugly bride…
To me: Do you see Paris as the bride of France?
Me: No.

And where is God? With man – so God is living with people, He will be among them. So we have God’s presence restored. And where’d the city come from? Heaven? So it’s God’s city, right? And what about God’s authority? There it is – the Alpha and the Omega. He’s on the throne and He has the authority.

So we’re back where we started, aren’t we? With God’s people, God’s place, God’s presence, and God’s rule. This isn’t a tragic love story – is it? It’s a happy love story where the bride gets the groom because the groom took initiative.

[At this point in the lecture – we got completely sidetracked with a bunch of questions from the students – questions that are very hard to answer and some of which do not even have answers that we can really know. SOOOO, we spent a long time talking about these things.

2 Peter 3:3-10

Archangel Michael lost a battle against Satan
Jude verse 9]

Genesis 11 – Babylon – man wants to make a name for himself.
Genesis 12 – Abraham – God says, “I will make your name great.”