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    I wanted to set some expectations and suggestions around how we can effectively study the bible together. Each Day you will follow the readings assigned for that day. You can find the daily readings to the right under group readings. As you read here are some things I would like you to look for and post your answers comments questions and take aways from the reading: 1. What did you learn about God/Jesus from the readings? 2.Is there a command to obey and How will you obey or apply it to your life. Be specific. What will you do, When will you do it etc 3. Is there an example to follow or not to follow? 4. Is there something God/Jesus did or said that I can follow or imitate? 5. Is there a promise to claim? 6. Pick at least one verse to memorize. Post your verse and tell us why you picked the verse. 7. How will you use anything you learned to share the gospel with someone who is not a committed disciple of Jesus? 8. Dial into the conference line on Thursdays 8:30-9:30 and we will have a live discussion about your posts and readings. You can also log on to the site or use the Faithlife App while you are dialed in to post comments during the live bible studies. 9. Do continue to invite others to the group as well as to church and ultimately to Jesus. Feel free to add your own. Also everyone is free to post anything to the group but let us be careful to be supportive, respectful and do our best not to offend anyone. If you disagree with something someone posted let us not use demeaning comments to embarrass the person or make them feel stupid. We want to maintain a very supportive and respective atmosphere where all ideas and opinions are respected even if we disagree. If someone gets out of line, then as the pastor and leader of this group I reserve the right to remove them permanently from the group. Hopefully, it will never get to that. So, with that said, Happy posting!!!!!

  • Please pray.

    ... for Dudley Campbell. He’s been drinking/smoking for over 30 years. I’m praying for God to take away the cravings for both dependencies. In Jesus name I pray. Amen

    1. Week 30 Day 214  (2 Kings 20-21,) July 31, 2020 God’s message to me today and verse (s) to memorize:  And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. 8 And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day? 9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? 10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. 11 And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.2 Kings 20:7-11 (KJV) What does this teach me about God? I am totally blown away by God’s patience and his willingness to accommodate our doubts. Here we have a direct word from God to Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah that God would heal the king. God was gracious enough to answer the king’s prayer and extended his life by 15 years. Yet he still wanted a sign. And to boot he even gave him a choice of 1 of 2 signs. The sun going going forward by 10 degrees or backwards by 10 degrees. Hezikiah picked what he thought was the hardest one, going backward by 10 degrees as he said going forward was too easy. And look at my God doing it at the request of the prayer of Isaiah after he cried unto the Lord.  Another observation is that even though God declared he would heal him, he used natural means. Isaiah in verse 7 told them to take a lump of figs and put on his boil and he recovered. So, it shows that God sometimes works through natural means like figs, tea, and today modern medicine to accomplish his purposes.

      1. Week 29 Day 212  (Isa 59-63,) July 29, 2020 God’s message to me today and verse (s) to memorize: 9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. Isaiah 63:8-9 (KJV) What does this teach me about God? This verse teaches us an amazing truth about God. He actually suffers with us when we are suffering. In context the verse refers to the affliction that Israel went through. God was also afflicted right with them. This shows God does not leave us in our affliction but he s right there suffering with us until he chooses to deliver us. So, when we feel like where is God in all my pain and affliction? Just remember he is right there being afflicted right along with you! What a compassionate and merciful God we serve!

        1. Week 27 Day 190 (Isaiah 1-4) July 8, 2020 God’s message to me today and verse (s) to memorize:   18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: Isaiah 1:17-19 (KJV)   What does this teach me about God?   God despises our outward ceremonies of offerings and services if it is not done in righteousness and truth. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Israel was worshipping in spirit but not in truth. He required holy living, to include relieving the oppressed, judging the fatherless and pleading for the widow. Then he invites them to come reason with him and promises them forgiveness and cleansing. Is there a command to obey? There are several commands in these verses. We are to relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless and plead for the widow. We must learn to do well and seek judgement. We must put away the evil of our doings and cease to do evil.  (Vs 15-17)

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            Week 27 Day 188 (Jonah 1-4) July 6, 2020 God message to me and verse (s) to memorize:   17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17 (KJV) 10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Jonah 2:10 1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Jonah 3:1 (KJV) Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: 11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Jonah 4:10-11 (KJV) WOW!!!! I don’t know where to start. This story of Jonah has so any lessons for us about the providence, sovereignty, mercy and love of God. It also teaches us how evil our hearts can be when even a preacher is upset with God for having mercy on people who repent and turn to God. Here is Jonah a preacher/prophet on a mission and he runs away because he doesn’t want to see these people saved. UNBELEIVABLE! I wonder why he hated them so badly?   What does this teach me about God? We see God’s providence and sovereignty over his creation by preparing a fish to swallow Jonah, then speaking to the fish to spit in out, then preparing a worm to kill the tree (Ch4:7) and preparing the wind to beat upon on the tree.  We also see his mercy in not only forgiving Nineveh but also how gentle he dealt with Jonah even though Jonah was angry with him. Jonah being the the belly of the great fish (some says it was a whale) for 3 days was a type of Jesus being buried for 3 days. (Mt 12:39-40, Lk 11:30)

            1. Week 27 Day 187 (2 Kings 14, 2 Chron 25)July 5, 2020 God’s message to me today and verse (s) to memorize:   2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart. 2 Chron 25:2 (KJV) This verse is one of my favorite verses in the bible. It teaches that we can do all the right things even in the sight of God and still not with a perfect heart. God looks at our heart, our motives our true motivations for doing what we do in not hid from him.  Is there a timeless principle for us today? In a sense it is more important to have a perfect heart and struggling with the wrong thing than do the right thing with an imperfect heart. God always looks at the heart and not mere outward behavior.

              1. Week 27 Day 184 (2 Kings 5-8) July 2, 2020 God’s message to me today and verse (s) to memorize:    16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 2 Kings 6:16-17 (KJV) Elisha’s servant was afraid because he focused on the enemy he could see. However, Elijah focused on the God and the angels he (his servant) could not see. Elijah prayed and God opened the eyes of the servant and let him see the angels protecting them. God did not eliminate the enemy he just illuminated the eyes of the servant. I preached a message on April 26, 2020 on this on the subject “Victory by Illumination not Elimination.” It on our website www.bibleapostolic.org . Oh that God would open or spiritual eyes to behold his protection and provision so we could see that our enemies are no match for the protection God provides.

                1. Week 26 Day 181 (2 Chron 19-23) June 29, 2020 God’s message to me today and verse (s) to memorize: 12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee 2 Chron 20:12 (KJV) 15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 2 Chron 20:15 (KJV) 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. 2 Chron 20:17 (KJV) Jehoshaphat got some bad news some threatening news that made him fearful. However, he used that fear to motivate him to seek God. And he prays in vs. 12 appealing to the justice of God. He acknowledged that he did not know what to do because the enemy of the army outnumbered his by far. Yet, he said “ our eyes are upon you.” What does this teach mean about God? When we seek God with our whole heart he will answer. When we trust him and obey his word he will fight our battles for us. When we praise him in will work through our praise and deliver us from our enemies. Is there a timeless principle? Yes! When we are faced with trouble like Jehoshaphat we should seek God in prayer and keep our eyes on Jesus. Then wait for a word from the Lord. In this case God told them they would not even need to fight for the “battle is not yours but the Lord’s.” It is amazing how instead of sending soldiers to the battlefield instead God told them to appoint the choir and musicians to praise him and go before the army. Another principle here is that our victory is in our praise. When we face trials instead of complaining and worrying we should following Jehoshaphat example of first seeking God, waiting for a word from him, then praise him!

                  1. Week 26 Day 179 (1 Kings 20-21) June 27, 2020 God’s message to me today and verse (s) to memorize 29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.1 Kings 21:29 (KJV) What a merciful God! Here we have this wicked King who the bible says was more wicked and provoke God more than all the other kings before him. He had worshipped idols and been complicit in his Jezebel, his wife schemes to murder Naboth for his vineyard. Yet because he humbled himself by repentance and fasting God decided to delay his punishment and postpone it to happen in his son’s life instead. So what does this teach me about God? God is a merciful and forgiving God. No matter how sinful and wicked we are and no matter if God says he will punish us. If we repent he will forgive us. Now its not that God change his mind since he cannot change. Rather, God by nature is merciful and his nature compels him to do good and to forgive those who repent. Is there a timeless principle? Yes, when we repent God will forgive us!

                    1. Week 26 Day 178 (1 Kings 17-19) June 26, 2020 God's message to me today and verse (s) to memorize 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 1 Kings 17:4 (KJV) 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 1 Kings 17:9 (KJV) All I can say is WOW!!! Look at my God making divine and supernatural arrangement to take care of his servant Elijah. God commanding the ravens to feed Elijah? Yes, he is sovereign and he is in control of all of creation all of the creatures and he speaks to them and they all do his bidding. I am sure Elijah did not eat raw meat or raw food. So somehow those birds must have brought him cooked food. Then when the brook dried up God just as easily commanded a wisdom to take cqre of him. Now God does have a sense of humor. Can you imagine of all the people who he would use its not a rich person with means. He commands a widow, who is about to eat her last meal and die with her son. This widow had no means to take care of Elijah but had did it supernaturally. I am so encouraged to know that the same God who sustained Elijah first by speaking to birds and then to a widow, he will also take care of me! So what does this teach me about God? I learn God is sovereign. He has control over the whole universe and all the creatures. I see how God will always take care of his people. Where he gives a vision he makes the provision. Finally, God sometimes employs the most unlikely means to accomplish his purpose.  In this case he uses birds and a widow.