Month: August 2019

Dear FPC family and friends,

            It is hard to believe that we are so close to finishing the entire Scripture together.  We started with the Gospels and since then have made our way through the entire New Testament and are very close to finishing the Old Testament.  How has the journey been for you?  We started back in the New Year of 2016 and we have made it very, very far, so far.  I can’t believe that it will be over 4 years since we started.  So, how has the journey been?  Have you gained a new appreciation of Scripture, or, as they say, is ignorance bliss?  Sometimes we run across Scriptures that are simply difficult and we would rather not read.  How come there is so much violence?  How come women are seen as nothing more than property in some areas?  How come Jesus says he comes to bring peace but then war seems to be the mainstay in some areas of Scripture.  I hope this blog will put things within context.  You can follow along at: http://www.straspres.org/90-day-challenge-viii on our website. 

            This journey will take us through the books of I and II Samuel, Hosea, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Malachi.  As we continue along in our Old Testament keep in mind that these books of the Bible were primarily written to a people who understood God to be in control.  But, as God was in control, the prophets who speak in these books, or the priests and kings who act in these books, were first and foremost interested in making sure that God’s will was done, not the will of a leader, or the people, or even of the nation.  Sometimes God’s will was that the nation be punished, and so the prophets had to bring that message as well.  You will find that in some of these chapters it is easier to find modern day application, and in others not so much.  In all of it I pray that you will find an opportunity to ask the question: how does God want me to act in relationship to my neighbor as I read this Scripture?

            Happy reading and I pray that these next 90 days will provide you with a tremendous amount of insight.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Bob

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