Epistle for May 10, 2002

#1 · May 10, 2002, 12:14 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on May 10, 2002, 12:14 pm
Posted by: freewayfoundation <freewayfoundation@...>

e-pistle

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation May 10, 2002

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this Issue:
Sermon: Luke 1:31 & 2:6-7
Bible Study: Lamentations 2:1-22
Personal Growth of the Minister
"Personal & Practical" order form

>From Nazareth To Bethlehem
Luke 1:31 & 2:6-7

Do you remember the headlines of the story of the woman who gave birth to seven children at one time? Imagine feeding and changing seven infants! Not to mention the future trials of having seven teenagers in the same house . . . or sending seven students to college the same year!

Luke 1:31 and 2:6-7 tell us of the most significant birth in human history:
"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you shall
call His name Jesus . . . So it was, that while they were there, the days were
completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son,
and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger," (NKJV)

Conception and delivery are key words associated both with having a baby and with having a vision . . . a divinely-inspired idea; a spiritual revelation. The word "conceive" means "to take in." Both involve four stages.

Conception -
In Mary's case, she was willing (Luke 1:38) for the Holy Spirit to "come upon" her and the power of the Highest to "overshadow" her (Luke 1:35).

Conception of a child (or of a vision) requires an outside-of-self agent . . . "to take in." Just as a woman cannot impregnate herself, neither can a person produce a true "vision" without God's creative activity.

Pregnancy -
Gestation takes a period of time . . . nine months for human beings. Vision, also, takes time to develop before it sees the light of day.

That period is a time of growth, of discomfort, of stretching. In the spiritual realm, as well as in the physical, pregnancy changes the way a person eats, looks, feels, and walks.

Travail -
Birth pains signal that the time is near for the child to be born. Similarly, inner turmoil usually precedes the birth of a vision.

One word of caution: beware of "false labor." Before giving birth to a God-conceived idea, make certain that it has gone full term . . . achieved the development necessary for its life to be sustained in the "real world."

Delivery -
At birth, a child is "brought forth" . . . "set free." No longer does it remain safe and secure within the mother's womb.

With every God-inspired idea, there comes the "fullness of time" (Galatians 4:4) when the concept has grown from tiny seed into a full-formed vision of destiny. According to God's timetable, it is then ready to be brought forth and set free . . . publicly presented and introduced.

A final word: Both a newborn infant and a God-inspired vision must have a healthy environment, adequate nourishment, and continual intensive care. Without these, rather than developing into full maturity and fruitful productivity, such "children" will starve and die.

Let Tears Run Down Like a River
(Lamentations 2:1-22)

I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter

1. God, in His anger over the disobedience of Israel, claimed personal responsibility
for the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, vv. 1-10.
2. Jeremiah obviously was an eyewitness to this destruction; he endured the grief
and wept along with the people, vv. 11-17.
3. The broken-hearted people cried out for relief, lifting their hands toward God in
prayer, vv. 18-19.
4. Jeremiah interceded in prayer, asking the Lord to have mercy, vv. 20-22.

II. Meditation: on some key verses in this chapter

1. "The law is no more, and her prophets find no vision (prophetic
revelation) from the Lord," v. 9.
2. "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they
have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but
they have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions," v. 14.
3. "How shall I console you? . . . Who can heal you," v. 13.
4. "Let tears run down like a river day and night . . . Pour out your heart
like water before the face of the Lord," vv. 18-19.

III. Revelation: on the spiritual truths seen in these verses

1. There is a direct connection between the Lord's commands and the Lord's
revelation; disobedience to divine law blocks prophetic revelation from God,
and accurate visions from God always will conform to and be confirmed by His
holy word, the Scriptures.
2. False prophecies, deceptive visions, and strong delusions are from Satan, and
these messages generally are characterized by the omission of preaching
against sin, II Thessalonians 2:11; I Timothy 4:1-2
3. A true prophet (preacher/minister) has a compassionate heart which suffers with
the people, and he desires to bring them spiritual comfort and healing.
4. There is a great benefit in crying rather than bottling up one's feelings; tears can
provide an emotional catharsis and help open a person's heart to spiritual healing, Luke 19:41.

IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .

1. Live according to God's commands in order to be able to receive His prophetic
revelation (vision of destiny) for my life and my ministry, Proverbs 29:18.
2. Judge every prophetic word according to the Scriptures, I Corinthians 14:29.
3. Speak words of comfort and encouragement to persons who are hurting
physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Isaiah 40:1; Matthew 11:28-30.
4. Weep, as did Jeremiah and Jesus, over the sin and blindness of the leaders and
citizens of my nation, Matthew 23:37.

Personal Growth of the Minister
by: Dr. David Claybrook, Pastor, Christ Church - St. Louis

Dear JD (Jesus' Disciple),
Is there one area of your life where you continue to stumble despite your repeated resolutions to conquer it? Is there one area of temptation you give in to again and again? Because you do, you feel you can never be all God wants you to be this side of heaven? I have one and I have been talking with God about it for years. The other day I got an answer.

I was meditating on the story of the rich ruler in Luke 18 when one of the statements of Jesus literally jumped off the page at me. In verse 22 Jesus said "You still lack one thing." For the first time, instead of thinking about the rich ruler's "one thing" I thought about my own "one thing." As I looked again at the story, I decided Jesus was not saying this man had only one problem area of his life. Who does? Rather the man had one area of such paramount importance to him he could not let go of it and receive ("inherit") eternal life. "One thing" kept him from having "treasure in heaven" and "following Jesus." Excitedly I thought, "Maybe Jesus is going to tell me how to have victory over the one area of my life that has dogged me since childhood." My mind rushed to some of the other Scriptures that speak of this kind of problem.

The writer of Hebrews (12:1) calls it "sin that so easily entangles" (NIV) or "besetting sin" (KJV). Vines says it is a sin that "stands around well." The slang, "always hanging around", is a pretty good picture of the problem I have dealt with countless times in my run through life. Sometimes I would get the victory by just saying "NO!"; other times through repentance. But after a few days, weeks or even months, the same temptation would be right back, "just hanging," or worse, "in my face."

The Psalmist (19:12-13) calls these "presumptuous" sins (KJV). In the NIV, the words used to describe them are , "hidden" and "willful." They "rule over us." I certainly did all I could to hide my sin. I was always uncomfortable whenever the topic came up in conversation lest someone ask me how I handled that temptation. I had also noticed that this sin was willful on my part. It was difficult to defeat because, very honestly, even though I knew it was wrong, I liked it. It was presumptuous to think God would continue to show mercy, forgive and protect me from its more extreme consequences. But I did think so and the sin ruled over me.

But Jesus offered hope, so I looked carefully at his commands. First, he told the rich ruler to sell everything he had. To me this meant to make a choice to break from this sin once and for all. I was to cleanse my lifestyle so that I could avoid this temptation as much as possible. (See Acts 19:18-20) Second, Jesus instructed the ruler to take the money and give it to the poor. In other words, do something positive that will indicate your seriousness. It could mean seeking forgiveness of those who have been hurt by sin. It might mean making restitution like Zaccheus did in Luke 19:8. Maybe getting involved in a ministry directly related to helping others have victory in that area. Jesus will lead.

The third command, "Come, follow me" is the key that I knew about for years, but did not want to use. Translated into today's terms, it means, "Tell somebody in the Body of Christ about your decision and ask them to hold you accountable." This is what I did. We have a men's Bible study group that has indicated a desire to walk in victory. Without going into detail, I shared with these guys my "one thing" struggle. Several of them admitted they had trouble in that same area and so we agreed to ask each other each week how we had done. I can tell you, the dread of having to look into their eyes and tell them I failed is stronger than any desire I have had. JD, with the help of Jesus and His Body, I am going to get the victory over this "one thing." How about you?
DM (Disciple Maker)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wit & Wisecrack from Mark Twain: "When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are
against his being able to deceive other people."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Personal & Practical" Bible Studies on Software

Dr. Curt Scarborough, out of his background and experience of almost a half-century of Christian ministry, has written a complete 5-volume set of Bible studies entitled "Personal & Practical" which will be available soon on CD. This new software package includes a chapter-by-chapter study on every book in the Old and New Testaments.
Personal & Practical - The 5 Books of Law
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 187 chapters of Genesis through Deuteronomy
Personal & Practical - The 12 Books of History
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 249 chapters of Joshua through Esther
Personal & Practical - The 5 Books of Poetry
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 243 chapters of Job through Song of Solomon
Personal & Practical - The 17 Books of Prophecy
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 250 chapters of Isaiah through Malachi
Personal & Practical - The 27 Books of The New Testament
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 260 chapters of Matthew through Revelation
"Personal & Practical" is a result of at least four hours of daily study and writing over a period of more than three years . . . a total of 5,000 plus hours of study and meditation. It is easily adaptable for private devotional use, aimed toward personal spiritual growth. Although it is designed to build discipline in personal study, it also provides practical, easy-to-understand Christian principles for teaching within a Bible class or prayer service.
"Personal & Practical" contains one full page of outline/study notes for each of the 1,189 chapters in the Bible. It is presented in a sentence outline format, with references, and is suitable for expository teaching. Intensely practical, each study in the series contains four main headings: concentration, meditation, revelation, and application.
The study, which allows for systematic through-the-Bible teaching, comes packaged on a single compact disk, designed for easy duplication of study notes to be distributed to Bible class or the congregation. It contains enough useable material for two expository sermons or Bible teaching sessions per week for more than 11 years!
The five "Personal & Practical" books serve as the main texts for the Spiritual Mentoring track of the Pillsbury Institute of Applied Christianity founded by Dr. Scarborough in 1992. It introduces serious students of the Scriptures to his innovative MERE Bible study system, a new revelatory method which emphasizes meditating upon God's word and opening to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, I John 2:20, 27.
Special Introductory Pre-release Offer
$39.95 including postage, shipping and handling costs
Save $10 off the regular price of $49.95
Offer good through May 31, 2002
For a sample of "Personal & Practical" Bible study, visit our website at
www.freewayfoundation.org
Satisfaction guaranteed or your money will be refunded!
Mail check or money order to:
FreeWay Foundation
3426 Bridgeland Drive
Bridgeton, MO 63044
Detach Here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Personal & Practical Order Form
Name____________________________________________ CD to be shipped in September

Address__________________________________________ Please send check or money order to:
FreeWay Foundation
City_______________________________State_____Zip__________________ 3426 Bridgeland Drive
Bridgeton, MO 63044
_______________Copies @ $39.95 _________________Enclosed

Posted by: freewayfoundation <freewayfoundation@...>

e-pistle

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation May 10, 2002

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In this Issue:
Sermon: Luke 1:31 & 2:6-7
Bible Study: Lamentations 2:1-22
Personal Growth of the Minister
"Personal & Practical" order form

>From Nazareth To Bethlehem
Luke 1:31 & 2:6-7

Do you remember the headlines of the story of the woman who gave birth to seven children at one time? Imagine feeding and changing seven infants! Not to mention the future trials of having seven teenagers in the same house . . . or sending seven students to college the same year!

Luke 1:31 and 2:6-7 tell us of the most significant birth in human history:
"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you shall
call His name Jesus . . . So it was, that while they were there, the days were
completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son,
and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger," (NKJV)

Conception and delivery are key words associated both with having a baby and with having a vision . . . a divinely-inspired idea; a spiritual revelation. The word "conceive" means "to take in." Both involve four stages.

Conception -
In Mary's case, she was willing (Luke 1:38) for the Holy Spirit to "come upon" her and the power of the Highest to "overshadow" her (Luke 1:35).

Conception of a child (or of a vision) requires an outside-of-self agent . . . "to take in." Just as a woman cannot impregnate herself, neither can a person produce a true "vision" without God's creative activity.

Pregnancy -
Gestation takes a period of time . . . nine months for human beings. Vision, also, takes time to develop before it sees the light of day.

That period is a time of growth, of discomfort, of stretching. In the spiritual realm, as well as in the physical, pregnancy changes the way a person eats, looks, feels, and walks.

Travail -
Birth pains signal that the time is near for the child to be born. Similarly, inner turmoil usually precedes the birth of a vision.

One word of caution: beware of "false labor." Before giving birth to a God-conceived idea, make certain that it has gone full term . . . achieved the development necessary for its life to be sustained in the "real world."

Delivery -
At birth, a child is "brought forth" . . . "set free." No longer does it remain safe and secure within the mother's womb.

With every God-inspired idea, there comes the "fullness of time" (Galatians 4:4) when the concept has grown from tiny seed into a full-formed vision of destiny. According to God's timetable, it is then ready to be brought forth and set free . . . publicly presented and introduced.

A final word: Both a newborn infant and a God-inspired vision must have a healthy environment, adequate nourishment, and continual intensive care. Without these, rather than developing into full maturity and fruitful productivity, such "children" will starve and die.

Let Tears Run Down Like a River
(Lamentations 2:1-22)

I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter

1. God, in His anger over the disobedience of Israel, claimed personal responsibility
for the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, vv. 1-10.
2. Jeremiah obviously was an eyewitness to this destruction; he endured the grief
and wept along with the people, vv. 11-17.
3. The broken-hearted people cried out for relief, lifting their hands toward God in
prayer, vv. 18-19.
4. Jeremiah interceded in prayer, asking the Lord to have mercy, vv. 20-22.

II. Meditation: on some key verses in this chapter

1. "The law is no more, and her prophets find no vision (prophetic
revelation) from the Lord," v. 9.
2. "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they
have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but
they have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions," v. 14.
3. "How shall I console you? . . . Who can heal you," v. 13.
4. "Let tears run down like a river day and night . . . Pour out your heart
like water before the face of the Lord," vv. 18-19.

III. Revelation: on the spiritual truths seen in these verses

1. There is a direct connection between the Lord's commands and the Lord's
revelation; disobedience to divine law blocks prophetic revelation from God,
and accurate visions from God always will conform to and be confirmed by His
holy word, the Scriptures.
2. False prophecies, deceptive visions, and strong delusions are from Satan, and
these messages generally are characterized by the omission of preaching
against sin, II Thessalonians 2:11; I Timothy 4:1-2
3. A true prophet (preacher/minister) has a compassionate heart which suffers with
the people, and he desires to bring them spiritual comfort and healing.
4. There is a great benefit in crying rather than bottling up one's feelings; tears can
provide an emotional catharsis and help open a person's heart to spiritual healing, Luke 19:41.

IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .

1. Live according to God's commands in order to be able to receive His prophetic
revelation (vision of destiny) for my life and my ministry, Proverbs 29:18.
2. Judge every prophetic word according to the Scriptures, I Corinthians 14:29.
3. Speak words of comfort and encouragement to persons who are hurting
physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Isaiah 40:1; Matthew 11:28-30.
4. Weep, as did Jeremiah and Jesus, over the sin and blindness of the leaders and
citizens of my nation, Matthew 23:37.

Personal Growth of the Minister
by: Dr. David Claybrook, Pastor, Christ Church - St. Louis

Dear JD (Jesus' Disciple),
Is there one area of your life where you continue to stumble despite your repeated resolutions to conquer it? Is there one area of temptation you give in to again and again? Because you do, you feel you can never be all God wants you to be this side of heaven? I have one and I have been talking with God about it for years. The other day I got an answer.

I was meditating on the story of the rich ruler in Luke 18 when one of the statements of Jesus literally jumped off the page at me. In verse 22 Jesus said "You still lack one thing." For the first time, instead of thinking about the rich ruler's "one thing" I thought about my own "one thing." As I looked again at the story, I decided Jesus was not saying this man had only one problem area of his life. Who does? Rather the man had one area of such paramount importance to him he could not let go of it and receive ("inherit") eternal life. "One thing" kept him from having "treasure in heaven" and "following Jesus." Excitedly I thought, "Maybe Jesus is going to tell me how to have victory over the one area of my life that has dogged me since childhood." My mind rushed to some of the other Scriptures that speak of this kind of problem.

The writer of Hebrews (12:1) calls it "sin that so easily entangles" (NIV) or "besetting sin" (KJV). Vines says it is a sin that "stands around well." The slang, "always hanging around", is a pretty good picture of the problem I have dealt with countless times in my run through life. Sometimes I would get the victory by just saying "NO!"; other times through repentance. But after a few days, weeks or even months, the same temptation would be right back, "just hanging," or worse, "in my face."

The Psalmist (19:12-13) calls these "presumptuous" sins (KJV). In the NIV, the words used to describe them are , "hidden" and "willful." They "rule over us." I certainly did all I could to hide my sin. I was always uncomfortable whenever the topic came up in conversation lest someone ask me how I handled that temptation. I had also noticed that this sin was willful on my part. It was difficult to defeat because, very honestly, even though I knew it was wrong, I liked it. It was presumptuous to think God would continue to show mercy, forgive and protect me from its more extreme consequences. But I did think so and the sin ruled over me.

But Jesus offered hope, so I looked carefully at his commands. First, he told the rich ruler to sell everything he had. To me this meant to make a choice to break from this sin once and for all. I was to cleanse my lifestyle so that I could avoid this temptation as much as possible. (See Acts 19:18-20) Second, Jesus instructed the ruler to take the money and give it to the poor. In other words, do something positive that will indicate your seriousness. It could mean seeking forgiveness of those who have been hurt by sin. It might mean making restitution like Zaccheus did in Luke 19:8. Maybe getting involved in a ministry directly related to helping others have victory in that area. Jesus will lead.

The third command, "Come, follow me" is the key that I knew about for years, but did not want to use. Translated into today's terms, it means, "Tell somebody in the Body of Christ about your decision and ask them to hold you accountable." This is what I did. We have a men's Bible study group that has indicated a desire to walk in victory. Without going into detail, I shared with these guys my "one thing" struggle. Several of them admitted they had trouble in that same area and so we agreed to ask each other each week how we had done. I can tell you, the dread of having to look into their eyes and tell them I failed is stronger than any desire I have had. JD, with the help of Jesus and His Body, I am going to get the victory over this "one thing." How about you?
DM (Disciple Maker)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wit & Wisecrack from Mark Twain: "When a person cannot deceive himself the chances are
against his being able to deceive other people."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Personal & Practical" Bible Studies on Software

Dr. Curt Scarborough, out of his background and experience of almost a half-century of Christian ministry, has written a complete 5-volume set of Bible studies entitled "Personal & Practical" which will be available soon on CD. This new software package includes a chapter-by-chapter study on every book in the Old and New Testaments.
Personal & Practical - The 5 Books of Law
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 187 chapters of Genesis through Deuteronomy
Personal & Practical - The 12 Books of History
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 249 chapters of Joshua through Esther
Personal & Practical - The 5 Books of Poetry
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 243 chapters of Job through Song of Solomon
Personal & Practical - The 17 Books of Prophecy
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 250 chapters of Isaiah through Malachi
Personal & Practical - The 27 Books of The New Testament
Preaching and teaching outlines and notes on
all 260 chapters of Matthew through Revelation
"Personal & Practical" is a result of at least four hours of daily study and writing over a period of more than three years . . . a total of 5,000 plus hours of study and meditation. It is easily adaptable for private devotional use, aimed toward personal spiritual growth. Although it is designed to build discipline in personal study, it also provides practical, easy-to-understand Christian principles for teaching within a Bible class or prayer service.
"Personal & Practical" contains one full page of outline/study notes for each of the 1,189 chapters in the Bible. It is presented in a sentence outline format, with references, and is suitable for expository teaching. Intensely practical, each study in the series contains four main headings: concentration, meditation, revelation, and application.
The study, which allows for systematic through-the-Bible teaching, comes packaged on a single compact disk, designed for easy duplication of study notes to be distributed to Bible class or the congregation. It contains enough useable material for two expository sermons or Bible teaching sessions per week for more than 11 years!
The five "Personal & Practical" books serve as the main texts for the Spiritual Mentoring track of the Pillsbury Institute of Applied Christianity founded by Dr. Scarborough in 1992. It introduces serious students of the Scriptures to his innovative MERE Bible study system, a new revelatory method which emphasizes meditating upon God's word and opening to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, I John 2:20, 27.
Special Introductory Pre-release Offer
$39.95 including postage, shipping and handling costs
Save $10 off the regular price of $49.95
Offer good through May 31, 2002
For a sample of "Personal & Practical" Bible study, visit our website at
http://www.freewayfoundation.org
Satisfaction guaranteed or your money will be refunded!
Mail check or money order to:
FreeWay Foundation
3426 Bridgeland Drive
Bridgeton, MO 63044
Detach Here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Personal & Practical Order Form
Name____________________________________________ CD to be shipped in September

Address__________________________________________ Please send check or money order to:
FreeWay Foundation
City_______________________________State_____Zip__________________ 3426 Bridgeland Drive
Bridgeton, MO 63044
_______________Copies @ $39.95 _________________Enclosed