Category Archives: Proven Path Ministries

Proven Path Ministries

A Moment of Sadness

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Yesterday I witnessed one of the saddest things I have ever seen…

On our way to church this past Wednesday night we came upon a traffic jam coming up the mountain. There is road construction going on all over our area at the moment, so at first I suspected that it was simply that, just road construction traffic.

However as we began to climb the hill and make the curve, we saw the blue lights…

It was a wreck.

There appeared to be no injuries… there was no state of panic at the scene… not an ambulance there yet… but then I saw it… I saw him.

Standing there behind one of the wrecked vehicles, yet infront of one of the police vehicles. Standing there in the midst of shattered glass and vehicle debris. Standing there in the midst of stopped cars lined in front and behind, all full of spectators… there he stood.

My heart broke.

There he stood in a wrinkled light colored suit with a grey scruffy beard and long greying hair that was whipping around a broken face… There he stood with his arms stiff by his side as he watched the policemen for instructions as he waited to attempt to walk a straight line.

I have never seen a man look more broken.

I have no clue who this man was… I do not know his story… all I know is that from my driver seat as I looked at him through the right side of my windshield my heart broke and I began to pray for the man I saw behind his eyes.

The men is my life today are all strong men.

They are not controlled by a substance or another man. These are the men I am used to seeing. Men whose word is true and sound. Men who take care of their families. Men who love their wives and their children. Men who stand tall.

There is something so sad and heartbreaking about a man who cannot be a man because he is controlled by someone or something other than Christ.

I do not know what led this man to this place, but I have prayed that he might know the love of God and freedom that can be his in Christ. I do not even know if he was guilty of what he appeared to be being accused of… but still I prayed. Even if he was innocent and misjudged… every car that slowly drove by and saw… this would be their only remembrance of him.

I do not know what hurts and lies led this man to this place. All I know is that I did not see an evil, cold, bitter man in those eyes… I saw hurt. I saw very deep hurt.

How I pray that the policemen on that scene saw what I saw.

How I pray that they were kind and not ridiculing.

How I pray that this man reaches up and finds the healing hand of Christ.

 

 

Proven Path Ministries

Eternal Impact

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There are some moments in life that we never forget… and some faces though they move away and be called to another place… we will never forget the impact that they had on us… because the impact was an eternal impact.

This coming Sunday I will say farewell to a couple that have been a pillar in my life as a believer… a couple whose eyes I would search for these last eleven years to see if the words I were saying and teaching were in line with Truth… because I knew if it wasn’t they would let me know… and they would do so with the Word not their personal opinion.

This coming Sunday I will say farewell to the woman whose story the Lord used to bring me to Himself…

“On December 9, 2001 Sue Fallin shared her testimony at Shiloh. She spoke of how God had healed her of four incurable diseases, but it was not the healing that caught my attention, it was the fact that she said she heard God say “I Am” and “I am faithful.” I knew then that I knew about God, but I did not know God. I knew that I had never experienced God in that way, but I wanted to. I couldn’t wait for the prayer of invitation to end before I was trying to get up to the altar. I knew I needed to be reconciled to God. I cried out to Him and He answered my cry, through faith in His beloved only begotten Son Jesus Christ.

I went to church that morning a broken woman, and I came home “a new creation in Christ Jesus” (2 Corin 5:17). I was forgiven. I was washed clean from the shame of my past, the sins of my youth (Psalm 25). Now the void within me was filled. Now I was complete.

I fell in love with Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. I had an overwhelming desire to tell my family, my friends, and the whole world about this amazing thing that had happened to me, about this amazing God-Man Jesus Christ!”

~ shared from my author page

This coming Sunday I will say farewell to the woman who spoke grace and love to me the evening my back stood straight and my attitude shot forth on the night she spoke about submission to our husbands… At the time I had never had a man other than my father truly love me, provide for me, and commit to me. As a new wife, in the back of my mind and heart, I expected my husband to eventually cheat on me and leave me stranded because that was what I knew the men of my generation to do and its not like I could stay young and in shape forever. So I was not planning on investing any submission to someone I expected to desert me. However, she taught me that submission to my husband was really submission to my God… and God I could trust… and God would never desert me. Through this submission to my God, I would learn also how to trust my husband.

This coming Sunday I will say farewell to the woman who was the first to ask me to pray out loud… in front of people… and I don’t know if she had a clue that I thought I would throw up the moment she asked. Yet, I survived and made it through the prayer without any vomit on the chapel carpet.

This coming Sunday I will say farewell to a couple who was not afraid to show that they loved God with all their heart and mind and soul and strength yet they were not perfect and they allowed me to see their imperfections because they taught with their life, not just their words.

This coming Sunday I will say farewell to a couple whose prayers I could always count on, whose words of wisdom I could always trust in, and whose faith I could always learn from. A couple whose support was unwavering and who has been there prodding me along in my faith by their prayers and their smiles and their words and their willingness to take a chance on me and the ministries that I believe the Lord has given me.

Whether it be comforting me after I call in a panic after sharing an experience before the new Pastor and our whole church, an experience that I know now I was still walking through the stages of grief in, because I feared I had spoken words that could be misunderstood and take away from the Gospel…

Whether it be reading my books and writing endorsements for them and even sitting through book signings with me because I asked her to join me because the thought of sitting their on display by myself terrified me…

Whether it be encouraging me as I took on the ministry of Children’s Ministry Director as I stepped once again into unknown territory as I attempted to live in obedience to my God…

Or whether it be encouraging me in just being a wife and a mother.

Knowing that when I walked in the door they would see what was in my eyes and I would not have to say a word… they would know to pray… or just to remind me that they were praying for me.

Durwood and Sue Fallin, thank you for sharing your faith and your life with me and my family. I hope that South Carolina understands what and who God is sending their way… because this Alabama girl most definitely knows what and who they are receiving.

You have both made an eternal impact on my life and I love you both dearly.

 

me and Sue

 

As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

John 17:18-23

 

 

 

 

 

Children's Ministry, Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God Study: Huios Anthropos

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This post will end our Names of God Series for the summer… The Lord willing it will continue in the fall. There is still so much to learn about our Triune God from His names.  The name that we will look at today is Jesus’ favorite name for Himself… Huios Anthropos

Jesus said to him,

“The foxes have holes

and the birds of the air have nests,

but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 

Matthew 8:20

 

Huios Anthropos is Son of Man in the Greek. We have already studied Huios in our Names of God study, so lets look at Anthropos. Anthropos is a human being, whether male or female, generically, to include all human individuals. 

This name or title of Jesus appears in the New Testament 89 times. Here’s the kicker, 85 of those 89 are found in the Gospels and they are Jesus referring to Himself. This is why I say it is Jesus’ favorite name for Himself. The question I want us to ask and attempt to answer today is why. Why this name?

 

 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,

He was asking His disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Matthew 16:13

 

Well let’s go to the Word of God and dig in. Let’s look at some of these 89 references to see what we learn about the Huios Anthropos.

 

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”

Matthew 9:6

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For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

Matthew 11:18-19

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And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

Matthew 13:37

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just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give a ransom for many Matthew 20:28

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For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:10

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For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

John 5:26-27

 

From these reference we learn that Jesus, the Son of Man, has authority to forgive sins. We learn that He came eating and drinking and without any false pretense of superiority over any other man. He came sowing a good seed. He came to serve, not to be served. He came to seek and save what was lost. He has life within Himself and He also has authority to execute judgment.

Let me pause for a moment and give you a “red flag” measurement. If any man claims to be a leader, especially claims to be a leader in religious things, if any man professes to be of Christ, yet expects others to serve him and not he them… this man is not of or from God. You can know that for sure. Christ came to serve. To give His life for others. Any who claim to come in His name, but expect to be served is not of Him.

Back to our references… we see that the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost… even those who were absolutely clueless that they were lost until they met Him.

Going back to our video, let’s think about Tarzan. Tarzan lived with the apes… and he was perfectly content there. He was not seeking to get out. He was perfectly happy swinging in the trees. He saw nothing wrong with the way things were going in his life.

Then one day something happened. One day someone enters his world from outside his world and for the first time he sees who he was created to be…

 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

Genesis 1:26-29

 

Jesus, the Huios Anthropos, came and entered our world. He came to show us who God created us to be. He came to save us from death. He came to open our eyes and to teach us who we are and who we are supposed to be.

Jesus entered our world. He did not come as a tyrant. He did not come as a condescending dictator. He came as one of us… meeting us where we were… eating and drinking with us. Slowly teaching us by first building a relationship with us.

He came to show us that we not to be worshiping the things of this world… we were supposed to be ruling over them. We were created to have dominion on this earth, not worship it… or those who lived on it.

He also showed us the foolishness in our man-made religious systems… and how we so easily had taken even the law and gifts of God and twisted them and made them objects of idolatry.

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Matthew 12:1-8

We had even forgotten that God had said “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;(Genesis 1:29)

 

Jesus came as the Son of Man to open our eyes… that we might see. Really see.

When we begin to watch and learn about this Son of Man we cannot deny that He is different… we cannot deny that we do not measure up… we cannot deny His beauty, His mercy, His love, His power, His majesty, His might and His glory.

When we look at our selves in the presence of this Huios Anthropos we have to stop and examine and evaluate where we are in our present situation… and is it really where and who we are supposed to be.

In His presence the blind see… or the seeing become blind… so that they don’t have to see.

 

The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out. Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him.

John 9:30-38

 

Huios Anthropos, the Son of Man.

Precious one, who do you say that He is?

Do you believe in the Son of Man?

 

 

Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 3:25b-31)

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Picking up from Romans Study For Kids (Romans 3:21-25a)

 

Read Romans 3:25 again. Why did God display Jesus on the cross publicly (in front of everybody)? The answer is in the verse. Fill in the blanks to answer.

This was to __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __   His

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ , because in the  forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed.

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Have you ever thought about about all the sin that God has passed over? Think about the last time you broke one of God’s laws. The last time you told a lie. The last time you disobeyed your parents. Did God pass over that sin? Remember the wages of sin is death. If you did not die because of that sin, then your God chose to “pass over it”. Why would He do that? Does He have to do that?  

 

Read 2 Samuel 2:13 printed out below.

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. (2 Samuel 2:13)

David had broken a lot of God laws. He had committed adultery. He had lied. He had not honored his father or his mother. He had committed murder. He had not kept God first in his life. He had stolen. He had coveted. David had greatly sinned against God. God had every right to put David to death, but instead God passed over David’s sin. He passed over David’s sin because David was a man who even though he had messed up very bad, he looked forward in faith to the day that God would send a Savior. He looked forward to the day that Jesus would die for his sin.

 

Now read 2 Samuel 2:14 printed out below. Then answer the following questions.

However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die. (2 Samuel 2:14)

 

Who would die for David’s sin?

his  __ __ __

This may seem very hard to understand, that God would take away David’s son because of David’s sin, but I think God wanted David, and us, to understand what God’s Son would do. David’s son would die for this time for this sin of David’s, but God’s Son would die for all of David’s sin and for all the sin of the whole world.

Look up John 3:16 and write the verse out below.

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Read Romans 3:26. Why did God pass over David’s sin and everyone else, including you and me, who have broken God’s Law. Fill in the blanks below with your answer.

so that He would be __ __ __ __

and the  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __  of the one who has

__ __ __ __ __  in  __ __ __ __ __

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

How well are you are able to keep all of God’s Law, even when you are trying very, very, very hard to keep it? 

Now, how glad are you that God saves us according to what we believe about Jesus instead of how well we can keep His Law?

Draw a picture below that shows how you feel about this.

______________________________________________

 

 

 

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Read Romans 3:27. 

What question does Paul ask?

Where then is __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ?

 

How does Paul answer it? (The answer is in Romans 3:27)

It is __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Boasting is bragging. Excluded is to be left out. Paul is letting us know that no one can brag about being a Christian, no one can brag about being a Jew, no one is any better than anyone else. All of us are saved by faith. All of us are saved because of God’s grace and God’s love for us. We had nothing to do with it.

 

Read Romans 3:28. How is a man justified?

by __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 3:29. Is God the God of both Jews and Gentiles?

Yes                    No

 

Read Romans 3:30. How are both the circumcised and uncircumcised justified by God?

__ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 3:31. 

If both the Jew and Gentile, the circumcised and the uncircumcised, are justified by faith and not the Law of God, does that mean we no longer need the Law of God? Do we nullify the Law through faith?

__ __ __  it __ __ __ __ __ be!

 

According to Romans 3:31, what does our faith do to the Law of God?

we  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the Law

 

The word establish in the Greek is Histemi and it means to cause or make to stand, to make firm, fix establish, to cause a person or a thing to keep his or its place, to stand, be kept intact.

Faith does not cancel out God’s Law. Faith comes only when we believe God’s Law. So our faith proves that we believe God’s Law and we believe God’s Word.

 

Let’s skip ahead a bit and read Romans 10:17 printed below.

 

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

 

THINK ABOUT IT…

Now that you are hearing the Word, do you believe?

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Abercrombie Who?

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Apparently there’s a new ruse buzzing around FB and the news world…

I can’t log onto my news feed anymore without seeing a pornagraphic pic add for some clothing company… I have never really been a “label” girl… at least since I made it past my 14yr old Guess fad faze.

I don’t know designers.

I toted around a Proverbs 31 purse for 6 months before someone asked me if I had the wallet to match and started some huge conversation about the line… and I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. It was special to me because I got it for Christmas and my aunt took the time to have my name monogrammed on it.

Labels and Designers mean absolutely squat to me.

I just need something to hold my phone and my wallet and my chapstick and whatever my kids hand me… as for clothes I prefere slightly used clothes that someone is tired of or didn’t like and they just give them to me and I don’t have to go shopping.

So Aber-whoever… yeh whatever.

As for his position.

Last time I checked its a free country. If he only wants to design clothes for skinny chicks. Well more power to him. To force him to make clothes for we “healthier” girls is to take away a right from him that would allow the government to take away rights from me. Would this not just be the type of industry to use reverse psychology to attempt to prove a point and get what they want in other areas of our nation…

So I am not buying the hype. 

Also take note that this “fight the fat-girl hater” has done a wonderful job of distracting the internet from the recent Gosnell news, the fact that our President spoke at a Planned Parenthood National Conference, and the fact that his new health care plan is denying cancer treatments to those they deem too old to waste the money on…

But yes, let’s definitely get our panties in a wad over the dude who doesn’t make clothes for the more chunky of us… that’s really what’s important in life.

 

 

 

Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

The Call of a Mother

 

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I am walking away from my power point planning for the speaking/teaching engagement I have for this coming Saturday… The more I study and the more I sit before the Word, I keep adding slides. I will have those mom’s and kids there all day and night if I don’t walk away now 😉

However I think I might share a small piece of what I feel the Lord has put on my heart to share… this is what I am choosing to title as The Call of a Mother…

It’s simply an adaptation of Jeremiah 1:4-12.

 

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

Woman, before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a mother to this child.”
Then I said, “Alas, Lord God!
Behold, I do not know how to be a mother,
Because I am just a girl.”
But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am just a girl,’
Because this child I have given you, you shall raise,
And all that I command you, you shall speak.
 “Do not be afraid of this,
For I am with you to guide you,” declares the Lord.

Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
“See, I have appointed you this day over this child and over this house,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”

The word of the Lord came to me saying, “What do you see, Mother?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”

The call of a mother… to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overflow, and to build and to plant.

The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

Proverbs 14:1

The wisdom comes in learning what needs to be plucked, broke down, destroyed, and overthrown… and what needs to be built and what needs to be planted. When our wombs are filled with this precious life that is a unique DNA cell combination never, ever ,ever, ever to be created again we embark on a mission, a journey, that no other soul on earth will ever experience… they can’t… because this experience is ours and this child’s. There will never be another like this one…

There is only one who knows this child inside and out… and His name is ELOHIM.

Apart from Him we are clueless as to what to do, when to do, and how to do… but He, Elohim, has said, Do not fear… I am with you.

He knows that this beautiful one you hold sleeping in your arms appears sweet, innocent, and peaceful… but He knows the work that lies ahead for you… He already sees the nights that come with scream and vomit and dirty diapers. He already sees the tempers, the selfishness, the weaknesses, the fears, the battles that lie within.

He knows that their will be lies from hell that seep in to their minds that will need plucked out of this child. He knows that their will be rebellious wills that will need to be broke down. He knows that their will be selfish desires that will need to be destroyed. He knows that their will be lofty thoughts that try to set themselves up against Christ that will need to be overthrown.

He knows that when plucking, breaking down, destroying, and overthrowing takes place… their must also be building that takes place. When the shaky foundations are destroyed, there must be laid a solid foundation on which to continue to build and grow.

He knows that when the lies are plucked out, there must be truth planted in the soil… or the lies will find their way back and quickly take root again.

He knows that for a wayward soul to be loved it takes the memory of a love of days of innocent dependance to be able to still reach out in the face of greatest gut wrenching betrayals and rebellions…

I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth,

Jeremiah 2:1

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Yet it is I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them in My arms;

Hosea 11:3

He knows that this is a weary work for a mother who truly answers this call… so He reminds us that He Himself watches over His word to perform it. He reminds us that in this call it is He who watches to perform… we are not responsible for the results… we are only responsible to obey.

He knows the fear of failure that we will carry.

He knows the feelings of inadequacy we will fight.

He knows the thoughts of quitting we will have.

He knows the questions of doubt we will face.

He knows the condemnation we will attempt to place on ourselves.

So He reminds us over and over again in His Word… you do as I command you… and trust Me to accomplish My will and perform My Word.

The call of a mother is so much more than feed, burp, bath, put down to sleep. It’s so much more than, did you clean your room, did you do your homework, did you remember to brush your teeth… yet at the same time all those appearing simple things play a very huge part of the call of a mother…

when you thought i

Children's Ministry, Confessions of a Christian Wife, Proven Path Ministries

Just One Sunday

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See that you do not despise one of these little ones,

for I say to you that their angels in heaven

continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:10

I had a visitor once in children’s church… a beautiful eight year old little girl. I will never forget her… nor who she represents. Her face is bore into my mind and the look in her eyes and the uncomfortableness of her spirit is etched in my heart… I pray it remains there until my work her on this earth is done.

I wonder what a Sunday would look like if just for one Sunday the only prayer request allowed to be made on that day was for the souls of the known lost… and for the strength, wisdom, discernment, grace, and insight to proclaim the gospel to them.

I wonder what one Sunday where we lay aside all the prayer request that concern all the sinus pressure, all the employment issues, all the christians that you know are christians that are about to pass into eternity, all the upcoming surgeries, all the attitude adjustments, all the sick puppies, and lost kitties, even the cancers and the peace for lose who are dealing with a loss of a loved one… I wonder what just one Sunday where we leave those request at home and trust that God has it covered and instead we choose just this one Sunday to lay only the names of the lost before our church… what would that Sunday look like?

After all He did say:

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried canadd a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-34

What would happen if just one day, we laid aside all the request that had to do with all the things that God has already promised to supply us with… just one day we laid aside our own self interests and just one Sunday, just one, we set our hearts to pray for those we specifically know are abiding under the wrath of God because the enemy of this world has them blinded to the truth?

But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; rescuing youfrom the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.

Acts 26:16-18

What would happen?

Could we even really accomplish that in this self-centered, self-entitled, self-driven day?

I just don’t buy that Jesus saved me just to make my life better. He saved me to join an army. He saved me to join a team. He saved me to become a part of His rescue squad.

I am on active duty.

When did church become our comfort zone? Is it not supposed to be our training ground? Our briefing? Our team huddle to make the plans to fight the enemy…

Our time to grasp hands and say “red rover, red rover, Satan send that one right over” because if you don’t let them go, in the power of the name of Christ and the power of His gospel, we are about to come running over and break your hold on this one with the Truth of the Word of God and bring them on over to our side.

Oh God, take the blinders off of us! Let your church see… really see!

This young girl, in my children’s church, only eight years old… let me share with you how tight the grip the powers of hell have a hold of her mind… and let me remind you she merely is one that represents the majority of every child in our nation…

Oh church, wake up. For the love of Christ, wake up!

As I reviewed through the book of Romans, I begin every lesson with a section review that brings us up to where we will be that day, so as I reviewed Romans 1:18-32 I went over what happens in the minds of those who exchange the truth of God for a lie. I shared again how our thinking becomes all messed and we believe things that are lies, like believing that we come from monkeys… I made this statement and this young girls hand shot up. I addressed her raised hand and she said assuredly, “actually we are descended from monkeys.”

Now stop with me for a moment and think.

This young girl has never been in our church before. She does not go to school with any of the kids in the class. She knows no one and is in a strange place, yet this idea was so ingrained in her as fact, she had the boldness to speak out right then.

I cannot tell you how I prayed for this girl all through the lesson that day… I also cannot tell you the disappointment I felt as I watched our “church kids” including my own “church kid”.

I stood there teaching and I saw this first time visitor, this precious soul who has been taught a lie, for a very long time, I saw her sit there alone and uncomfortable. I saw her sit there while our “church kids” played amongst themselves, really ignoring her completely.

These children are merely a reflection of us… church we have got to work on this.

Yes, it is uncomfortable to approach and talk to someone new… even someone not new, but someone we have never talked to before… but guess what, they are uncomfortable too. Probably much more so than us.

I saw her uncomfortableness and I saw her struggle and my heart was breaking and what I wanted to do was just stop and take her for a walk and show her the beauty of God’s creation through the eyes of one of His children…

Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, 

Zechariah 12:1

I wanted to pull her aside and tell her that she was too intrinsically designed to come from an ape. I wanted to teach her that she was a living soul and that a monkey doesn’t have a soul and a soul can’t just “evolve”. I wanted to take her in my arms and run straight to the foot of the cross and beg God to open her eyes so that she could see… and I have done that in my prayers over and over and over.

She is only one of many.

So how about just one Sunday, just one, let’s trust that God has got our head cold covered, let’s trust that these mortal bodies are just temporary tents and God will sustain us and the others that we know that are His, no matter what we or they might be going through… let’s trust that He will get us through this one Sunday, and this one week that follows that Sunday, and just one Sunday let all our request be that the blind may see… that God would open their eyes… and that we would be so bold as to declare His Word and His gospel to the world so that whosoever will believe will be saved.

Start in your own church nursery.

Walk the halls of the Preschool wing.

Turn down the Children’s hall.

Do we not know that as soon as their little ears are open, the lies of hell are going in? This past Saturday morning my Bekah comes running up stairs, and says, “Momma, the lies are on Nick Jr! They just said that dinosaurs lived billions of years ago! Momma that’s not true. Kids are watching this Momma and it’s a lie”

Oh church, let not the gates of hell prevail…

If we don’t speak the truth who will?

If we don’t pray for the lost, the deceived  the blinded… who will?

One Sunday… could we start with just one Sunday?

Pray.

 

Proven Path Ministries

The Meaning of Mother

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This coming Saturday I will be sharing at a Mother Child Tea. In preparation for this I have been praying and setting my face toward the Word and digging into the Scriptures… and one of my favorite ways to do that is through word study.

As I researched I looked up the meaning of the word “mother” in the Greek. The first use of the word mother in the New Testament is in the book of Matthew,

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:18

The word for mother here is meter and it is pronounced, may’-tare. Metaphorically this word means the source of something.

This past Saturday my sisters and my mother and I sat around my dining room table. We sat there and talked and laughed and shared our hearts and shared memories and moments and encouragements and we shared our concerns for our children’s future in this day in which we are living…

As we sat there around that table, we shared some of the lies that are being fed our children by the enemy of this world…

My mother began to share a story of when she was in high school. She shared how there was a girl she went to school with who grew up with all brothers. With this she was what we have always called a “tomboy”. She just was not very girley. She was stocky and strong and her mannerisms just were not very feminine.

Unfortunately in this day and age our society and culture takes these young girls (and young men who may have been raised by all girls and just not appear that masculine) and begins pushing the lie in their heads that they are this way because they are transgender or homosexual. There was a time when this lie would not be able to take root until well into upper high school or college… but today these precious children are defined as such in elementary school… picked at… teased… accused… words are powerful… and even words that are lies have power for a while.

Now this young girl that my mother went to school with was a tomboy. My mother shared how a group of the “popular girls” decided to play a mean joke on this young girl. The “popular girls” signed her up for the beauty walk. They signed her up because they thought it would be hilarious to watch this tomboy try to dress up like a beauty queen. They hoped to get a good laugh at her expense by embarrassing her.

My mother caught wind of these girls mean intentions. So she and a best friend of hers decided to do something about it.

You see my mother was crowned the year before. She knew what the judges would be looking for and she knew how to bring out the true beauty of this young girl, because my mother saw past the tomboy, she saw this young girl’s heart.

My mother and her best friend went to the “tomboy’s” house and they helped her pick out a dress. They told her to put away that fru-foo dress and helped her choose a more simple style. Then they washed all the gunk off of her face that made her look fake and clownish and they applied the simplest make-up to this young girl, just enough to enhance the beauty she already carried. They fixed her hair, likewise, with simplicity and authenticity.

The young girl came to the beauty walk… and in this day, you didn’t just walk out and turn, you actually had to answer questions and list things that you were involved in, so the judges could see what was on the inside of you, not just the outside.

After this young girl walked out on stage and answered her questions she received a standing ovation from her peers… and she was crowned the winner of the beauty walk that year.

I sat there at my dining room table and listened to my mother share this story and my heart was about to burst… this was my mother, my meter (may’tare). This was my source… this was who I came from… this is the reason that my favorite movies are the She’s All That‘s.

My mother has always been that way. I remember her growing angry at teachers who labeled kids as the “bad kid” and I remember seeing how her respect would grow for teachers who refused to listen to the teachers who would attempt to pass the “labels” up to them.

I remember watching tv as a child with my mother and seeing my first feed the children by adopting a child commercial and when I bursted into uncontrollable tears over what I saw and heard, I remember seeing my mother go immediately to the phone and commit to a child.

I remember my mother always fighting for the least of these and never tolerating injustice. I remember her being small yet one of the strongest women I would ever know…

Mother.

Meter (may’tare).

The source of something.

The question mothers that are reading this now is… what will be the something?

What will you be the source of in your child’s life?

(next post in this series is The Call of a Mother)

Children's Ministry, Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God Study: Amnos

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The Names of God study continues as we dig into more of the names and titles of our Christ. In the last post we saw that Jesus is our Archiereus, our High Priest. In this post we will see that He is also the Amnos.

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin ofthe world!”

John 1:29

Amnos is the Greek word for Lamb. The first mention of a lamb in the Scriptures is in the book of Genesis…

Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.” 

Genesis 21:28-30

When we look at the context of this passage of Scripture we see that these lambs in Genesis 21 are connected to covenant. They are connected to a witness. They are connected to a promise. They are connected to a relationship between two individuals. They are connected to sacrifice.

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Genesis 22:1-7

Here we have Isaac and his father, Abraham. Abraham walking in obedience to the call of his God. He takes his son to the mountain… his son obediently follows his father. Isaac I am sure is wondering… something is different. His father is acting strange… this time something feels different… and as he looks and as he wonders… he can’t help but notice… there is no lamb. So finally he gathers the courage to ask, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham said,

“God will provide for Himself the lamb

for the burnt offering, my son.”

Genesis 22:8

 

We fast forward 2000 years and there in the Jordan River is a man named John. He stands clothed in soaking wet camel hair declaring a message of repentance. He is one voice calling out in the wilderness… calling out for Israel to prepare herself for the coming of the kingdom… He calls out for the Jew to turn their hearts back to their God… He stands there baptizing those who are willing to come and I am sure he wonders… “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Then one day he lifts up his eyes and he sees… finally the question asked by Isaac 2000 years ago is answered…

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29

 

There He is the Amnos! The Lamb… The Lamb who would not just cover the sin of one nation for a year, but the Lamb that would take away the sin of the world.

The Amnos could not be just any lamb… it never could be just any lamb. God always required specifics and standards. From the beginning in Exodus, with the first Passover in Egypt, all through the Old Testament with the sacrifices in the Tabernacle and Temple… the lamb had to meet the standard.

The lamb had to be perfect.

“But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the Lord of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

Malachi 1:14

It was to be partook of individually and not a bone of it was to be broken.

It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it.

Exodus 12:46

It was to be a year old.

Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old

Exodus 12:5

Have you ever wondered why a year old? If you have ever owned any livestock one thing you know is that the older an animal gets sometimes the more ornery it gets and also the less trusting it gets… a year old lamb would be easily and willingly scooped up by its master… there would be no fight or struggle. This lamb would go to its death willingly… taken to the altar by the very one who his blood would be atoning for…

Jesus did not go kicking and screaming to the cross. Our Amnos went willingly. Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world was the lamb chosen from the flock (Hebrews 2:14).  He was without blemish and without spot (Hebrews 7:26-27, 1 Peter 2:22). His blood must be sprinkled on every house. Salvation is personal. (Hebrews 9:11-14). His flesh must be eaten according to the ordinance of God  (John 6:53-55). 

God did not accept a sacrifice offered haphazardly. Not only did the lamb have to be perfect, but the one bringing the lamb also had to obey the ordinances God had laid out.

As it is with us… Yes Jesus is the Amnos, He is indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, but we must come to Him in the way that God commands and we must receive all that He is and believe all that He says and obey.

 

From Genesis to Revelation we see the Amnos. We see that from the very first mention to the last the lamb is a special animal and picture for us.

Even today, just looking at a lamb we know that a lamb provides us with food and clothing and even companionship.

Not unlike our Amnos, the Lamb of God who provides us with everything we need for life. He is our food, the Bread of Life and the Living Water and He clothes us with His robe of righteousness and He offers a companionship that will never leave us or forsake us.

The very last mention of the word lamb in the Scripture is in the book of Revelation 22, we will close with this verse.

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.

Revelation 22:3-4


Children's Ministry, Proven Path Ministries, The Romans Study For Kids

Romans Study For Kids (Romans 3:21-25a)

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Tomorrow morning I will be teaching through Romans 3:21-25. I had originally planned to get all the way through verse 31 in the morning… but probably not going to happen. I want to make sure Romans 3:21-25a has time to sink in 🙂

Here’s the study handouts.

Romans 3:21-25a

21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 

22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 

25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. 

 

Read Romans 3:21. How does this verse begin?

__ __ __   now  [*Do you remember Nemo? :-)]

 

Read Romans 3:21 again. Below you will see two different copies of this verse. Circle which one is correct.

  1. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
  2. But now together with the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

 

Think about what you learned from reading Romans 3:21 and also all that you have already studied in Romans and answer the following question. 

Does the Law of God make us righteous? Circle your answer.

Yes                    No

 

Romans 3:21 tells us that the righteous of God has been manifested apart from the Law, but the Law and the Prophets are witness to it. Do you know what that means?

Think about it…

Remember that when something is manifested it is being made known. It is being made visible. It is being revealed. It is no longer being hidden. So the righteousness of God is being made known to us apart from the Law. Remember the Law was designed by God to give us knowledge of sin. It cannot give us righteousness. 

Do you understand what it means when Romans 3:21 says the Law and Prophets are witness to the righteousness of God being made known apart from the Law?

Think about a wedding. I know you have probably been to a wedding or at least seen a wedding on television. 

The man and woman stand before a judge and they stand before friends and families and they are making their love and commitment to one another known to the world. They enter into a marriage covenant with one another and the judge and their friends and families are witness to it.

They stand their in agreement that this wedding is good and right and lawful. In the same way, the Law and the Prophets stood witness to the righteousness of God being manifested. 

Do you know how it was manifested?

Let’s keep studying to find out!

 

Read Romans 3:22. Answer the following questions by filling in the blanks. You will find the answers in Romans 3:22.

How do we get the righteousness of God?

__ __ __ __ __ __ __      __ __ __ __ __

Through faith in who?

__ __ __ __ __       __ __ __ __ __ __

Who is the righteousness of God for?

__ __ __  those who  __ __ __ __ __ __ __

 

Read Romans 3:22-23 and answer the following questions by filling in the blanks.

Why is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe instead of through the Law?

for __ __ __ have __ __ __ __ __ __  and __ __ __ __

__ __ __ __ __  of the glory of God

 

Does what you learned in Romans 3:10-20 help you understand and appreciate these verses more? 

Yes                    No

Read Romans 3:24. Below is the definition of the word justified: 

Justified means to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be

Notice that justified means you are “declared righteous” you are “declared to be who you ought to be”. Justified does not mean that you are righteous.

 

Now read Romans 3:24 again and answer the following questions.

How are we justified?

as a  __ __ __ __  by His  __ __ __ __ __

 

Do you earn a gift?

Yes                 No

Do we receive this gift because we are able to keep the Law? 

Yes                No

How do we get this gift of being justified?

by His __ __ __ __ __

through the __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ in Jesus

 

What is grace?

Grace is that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech

good will, loving-kindness, favor

of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ

 

So we are declared righteous, justified, through faith in Jesus as a gift by the joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, and merciful kindness of God.

 

Pretty cool huh!

 

Of course remember this is only for those who believe. Read Romans 3:22. Do you believe? Really believe?

 

 

What is redemption?

Redemption is a releasing effected by payment of ransom

 

So we are declared righteous, justified, through faith in Jesus as a gift by the joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, and merciful kindness of God because Jesus paid our ransom.

 

Read John 19:30 below.

 

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30)

 

The word “finished” in the greek is teleo and it means to pay

 

Jesus said “It is paid!”

Read Romans 3:25. Do you know what propitiation means?

Propitiation means:

used of the cover of the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, which was sprinkled with the blood of the expiatory victim on the annual day of atonement, mercy seat.

 

 

Have you ever studied the Tabernacle or the Temple in the Old Testament? Inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant and on the Ark of the Covenant was the Mercy Seat. It was here on the Mercy Seat that the High Priest would put the blood of the lamb. When the blood was put on the Mercy Seat, God would forgive the sins of the nation of Israel.

 

Jesus became the Mercy Seat for us and for all who will believe.

 

 

Read Romans 3:25. How was Jesus displayed. Circle your answer.

publicly             privately 

 

Read Romans 3:25 again. Fill in the missing word.

whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through __ __ __ __ __.

 

Have you ever thought about the fact that it took faith for Jesus to go to the cross for us? He had to trust that His Father would accept His sacrifice and raise Him from the dead.

 

Do you remember the story of when God asked Abraham to offer up Isaac as a burnt offering?

 

Let’s go read it now. Look up and read Genesis 22:1-14.

 

How much faith do you think it took for Abraham to do this?

 

How much faith do you think it took for Isaac to obey his father in this?

 

Now how much faith do you think it took Jesus to actually go through with it?

 

How about we spend some time today just thanking Jesus for being willing to go to the cross for us and thanking God for being willing to declare us righteous, to justify us, even though we were sinners and had broken His Law. Let’s thank Him right now for His love and for His grace!

 

**** The previous Romans lessons can be found here: Romans Study For Kids