“You Have Not Passed This Way Before”

The title above is found in Joshua 3:4.  When God was preparing Israel to cross over the Jordan, He had the officers command the people “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before” (3:3-4).

As we prepare to enter into 2012, we face the reality of not having passed this way before.  A new year!  A clean slate!   A fresh beginning!  Paul is an example of how a Christian can leave the past behind and press on toward what lies ahead (Philippians 3:12-14).

What can we do to assist ourselves in getting ready to enter this New Year?  We will not be disappointing to our Father in Heaven if we remember that there is:

     A God to Worship: ”…Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:8, 11).  Our assemblies are an integral part of our relationship with God and with fellow Christians.  “A religion which does not bring you to worship will not bring you to heaven.”

     A Christ to Serve: “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26).  Each of us has been given gifts to use in service to Christ.  Have you evaluated your potential to serve others in new ways lately?

     A Church to Support:  “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).  The church is one body with many members (1 Corinthians 12).  Do you realize you are an essential part of the body and that you are special?  Give yourself in every area possible to help the body function and grow.

     A Book to Know:  “Seek and read from the book of the Lord…” (Isaiah 34:16).  Batsell Barrett Baxter delivered this timely advice:  “Let us read this book for all seasons in the New Year just beginning. It is an anchor in life’s stormy sea. It is a light house. It is a landmark. It is a solid foundation. The stresses and the strains of our time make it all the more necessary that we examine its message and apply its principles to our lives, if we would live wisely in this

difficult, fast-moving age” (Sermon, January 5, 1969).

Someone has written, “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”

SM

Apply, Apply, Apply!

Application Is Necessary For Our Lives

Step 1: Pray for insight on how to apply the passage.

Step 2: Meditate on the verse (s) you have chosen to study.

Step 3: Write out an application.

Step 4: Memorize a key verse from your study.

S-P-A-C-E-P-E-T-S – Acrostic.

Is there any…

Sin to confess? Do I need to make any restitution?

Promise to claim? Is it a universal promise? Have I met the condition (s)?

Attitude to change? Am I willing to work on a negative attitude and begin building toward a positive one?

Command to obey? Am I willing to do it no matter how I feel?

Example to follow? Is it a positive example for me to copy, or a negative one to avoid?

Prayer to pray? Is there anything I need to pray back to God?

Error to avoid? Is there any problem that I should be alert to or beware of?

Truth to believe? What new things can I learn about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, or other biblical teachings?

Something to praise God for? Is there something here I can be thankful for?

(Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods)

Biblical Illiteracy…

“Biblical illiteracy is rampant even though so many people seem to be getting into the Word. The Bible is the best-selling, least-read, and least-understood book…It’s the real dumbing down of America, in that sense” (Washington Post, Dec. 9, 2000).

The English Standard Version

Read Wayne Jackson’s review of the ESV.

Lethargy and the Church

Brother David Lipscomb used to say, “Brothers and sisters, we are playing at religion.” Unquestionably, lethargy is one of our greatest problems in the church of our generation. Thus, there is a need to arouse the church therefrom.

- Wendell Winkler Lecture in The Restoration: The Winds of Change.

Brother Winkler’s lecture needs to be read, meditated upon, preached, taught, and relayed to the people in our pews. He presents the definition, examples, areas, causes, the cure, the antithesis, and the tragedies of lethargy in the church today.

By clicking on the following link you can download it in PDF.

The Need Of The Present Day: To Arouse The Church From Its Lethargy.