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E-pistle for February 3, 2006

#1 · February 6, 2006, 12:31 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on February 6, 2006, 12:31 pm
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E-pistle

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
FreeWay Foundation February 3, 2006

Gideon, Mighty Man of Valor

(Judges 6:1-40)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter

1. Because of Israel's sin, God sent oppression by the Midianites

(descendants of one of Abraham's sons) and by the Amalekites

(descendants of Esau's grandson); when the people cried out, the

Lord sent a prophet to denounce their disobedience, vv. 1-10.

2. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon of the Tribe of

Manasseh, who was hiding from the Midianites; the Angel called

him a "mighty man of valor" and ordered him to save Israel from

their enemies; Gideon plead inadequacy, expressed doubts and

fears, asked for a sign, offered a sacrifice, built an altar, and

worshipped Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord Is Peace), vv. 11-24.

3. Gideon tore down his father's altar of Baal and stood against the

men of the city who protested his actions; the Spirit of the Lord

came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet to gather forces to

fight Israel's enemies, vv. 25-35.

4. Gideon requested confirmation of the Lord's presence and power;

God performed two "signs of the fleece" miracles, vv. 36-40.

Gideon did not request the sign of the fleece to determine God's will;

he already knew that he was divinely appointed to deliver Israel. He

just needed additional assurance to bolster his wavering faith.

II. Meditation: on how God works to deliver His people

1. God provides a prophet to renounce sin and to call for repentance,

v. 7.

2. God sends a messenger to encourage the man He has
chosen, and

He issues a clear call to that divinely-appointed
leader, vv. 11-14;

God confirms His call with miraculous signs, if
necessary, vv. 21,

38-40.

3. God orders a tearing down of idols and a renewal of
true worship,

which brings spiritual peace . . . Shalom, vv. 24,
26.

4. God anoints and empowers His chosen leader with the Holy

Spirit. v. 34.

III. Revelation: on the proper responses to God's divine
call

1. Everything must be based on "Thus says the Lord" . . . the call,

questions, arguments, prophetic words, signs, and revelations.

2. A call to serve the Lord is a call to repentance and a humble life

of purity.

3. Ask for, expect, and receive the miraculous manifestations of the

Lord's presence and power.

4. Tarry for the anointing by the Holy Spirit before attempting to
fulfill

the vision of destiny given by the Lord.

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

1. Keep the Lord's divine call fresh in my heart.

2. Through repentance, keep my life pure before the Lord.

3. Receive and respond to God's manifestations and revelations.

4. Be continually being filled with the Holy Spirit.

"How Time Flies"

Dr. Curt Scarborough

Freight trains thundered past my childhood home at all hours of the day and

night, but I never noticed them. I wasn't deaf . . . just oblivious to that
particular noise.

When we had house-guests, they never got a night's rest because the Illinois
Central

Railroad ran north and south across one side of our property, and the
Central & Eastern

Illinois Railroad ran east and west near the other side. Since I was born
and raised in

that neighborhood, train noises never bothered me. In fact, whenever there
was a

railroaders' strike and the trains stopped running, I missed them and
couldn't sleep.

A similar phenomenon is true in my house today. I seldom notice
the "dings"

and "bongs" from out large grandfather clock in the entrance hall. It
sounds-off with

a different pattern for each quarter hour, and strikes the appropriate
number of times

at the top of each hour. It drives over-night guests our of their minds.
They don't stay

long, but that's not necessarily a bad thing!

I've gotten used to time passing, as measured by my miniature
"Big Ben."

Although! I'd swear time passes faster now-a-days than it did when I was
boy.

"Time flies when you're having fun," they say . . . and it's also true when
you're

getting old. A wise man once observed: "Time, like ice, slowly melts away
and is

gone. Time is the stuff life is made of".

Near the end of his life, Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. The book
generally

sounds a pessimistic note because, at this period of his life, Solomon's
spiritual

relationship with God had deteriorated greatly. Life had lost its zest;
everything

had become useless and meaningless to this jaded, cynical king of Israel.

In the third chapter of the book, however, he wrote on the
subject of time:

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."

(Ecclesiastes 3:1) Then he lists a number of events for which there is a
proper time

. . . "a time to be born, and a time to die," for example. In more writing
I'll reflect on

those common occurrences within a person's life.

Today, let's meditate on these spiritual truths: God has a
perfectly-timed plan

for each life. We need to discern the times, and make the most of what time
we have

available. We need to ask God's vision of destiny for us and strive to
fulfill it . . . within

His good time.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY: Lord, "My times are in Your hands," (Psalm 31:15); so
help

me to "Walk circumspectly . . .
redeeming the time, because

the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16)

Pillsbury College & Seminary

Pillsbury College & Seminary is offering full tuition scholarships to the
first 100

Bi-Vocational pastors who register in 2006.

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Simply fill out the
Registration

Form that you can find at www.pillsburycs.org <www.pillsburycs.org/>
and mail it along with a $50

registration fee and you will receive your first textbooks, instructions,
and an

examination within approximately one week. You will also be contacted by

your personal mentor . . . an ordained minister who has been assigned by

Pillsbury College & Seminary to assist you in earning your Bachelor of
Biblical

Studies Degree.

If your have questions, please contact drcurt@pillsburycs.org or telephone

us at (314) 739-1121.

"The central struggle of parenthood is to let our

hopes for our children outweigh our fears."

- Ellen Goodman

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To unsubscribe, send ANY messag

Posted by: info <info@...>

E-pistle

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
FreeWay Foundation February 3, 2006

Gideon, Mighty Man of Valor

(Judges 6:1-40)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter

1. Because of Israel's sin, God sent oppression by the Midianites

(descendants of one of Abraham's sons) and by the Amalekites

(descendants of Esau's grandson); when the people cried out, the

Lord sent a prophet to denounce their disobedience, vv. 1-10.

2. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon of the Tribe of

Manasseh, who was hiding from the Midianites; the Angel called

him a "mighty man of valor" and ordered him to save Israel from

their enemies; Gideon plead inadequacy, expressed doubts and

fears, asked for a sign, offered a sacrifice, built an altar, and

worshipped Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord Is Peace), vv. 11-24.

3. Gideon tore down his father's altar of Baal and stood against the

men of the city who protested his actions; the Spirit of the Lord

came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet to gather forces to

fight Israel's enemies, vv. 25-35.

4. Gideon requested confirmation of the Lord's presence and power;

God performed two "signs of the fleece" miracles, vv. 36-40.

Gideon did not request the sign of the fleece to determine God's will;

he already knew that he was divinely appointed to deliver Israel. He

just needed additional assurance to bolster his wavering faith.

II. Meditation: on how God works to deliver His people

1. God provides a prophet to renounce sin and to call for repentance,

v. 7.

2. God sends a messenger to encourage the man He has
chosen, and

He issues a clear call to that divinely-appointed
leader, vv. 11-14;

God confirms His call with miraculous signs, if
necessary, vv. 21,

38-40.

3. God orders a tearing down of idols and a renewal of
true worship,

which brings spiritual peace . . . Shalom, vv. 24,
26.

4. God anoints and empowers His chosen leader with the Holy

Spirit. v. 34.

III. Revelation: on the proper responses to God's divine
call

1. Everything must be based on "Thus says the Lord" . . . the call,

questions, arguments, prophetic words, signs, and revelations.

2. A call to serve the Lord is a call to repentance and a humble life

of purity.

3. Ask for, expect, and receive the miraculous manifestations of the

Lord's presence and power.

4. Tarry for the anointing by the Holy Spirit before attempting to
fulfill

the vision of destiny given by the Lord.

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

1. Keep the Lord's divine call fresh in my heart.

2. Through repentance, keep my life pure before the Lord.

3. Receive and respond to God's manifestations and revelations.

4. Be continually being filled with the Holy Spirit.

"How Time Flies"

Dr. Curt Scarborough

Freight trains thundered past my childhood home at all hours of the day and

night, but I never noticed them. I wasn't deaf . . . just oblivious to that
particular noise.

When we had house-guests, they never got a night's rest because the Illinois
Central

Railroad ran north and south across one side of our property, and the
Central & Eastern

Illinois Railroad ran east and west near the other side. Since I was born
and raised in

that neighborhood, train noises never bothered me. In fact, whenever there
was a

railroaders' strike and the trains stopped running, I missed them and
couldn't sleep.

A similar phenomenon is true in my house today. I seldom notice
the "dings"

and "bongs" from out large grandfather clock in the entrance hall. It
sounds-off with

a different pattern for each quarter hour, and strikes the appropriate
number of times

at the top of each hour. It drives over-night guests our of their minds.
They don't stay

long, but that's not necessarily a bad thing!

I've gotten used to time passing, as measured by my miniature
"Big Ben."

Although! I'd swear time passes faster now-a-days than it did when I was
boy.

"Time flies when you're having fun," they say . . . and it's also true when
you're

getting old. A wise man once observed: "Time, like ice, slowly melts away
and is

gone. Time is the stuff life is made of".

Near the end of his life, Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. The book
generally

sounds a pessimistic note because, at this period of his life, Solomon's
spiritual

relationship with God had deteriorated greatly. Life had lost its zest;
everything

had become useless and meaningless to this jaded, cynical king of Israel.

In the third chapter of the book, however, he wrote on the
subject of time:

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."

(Ecclesiastes 3:1) Then he lists a number of events for which there is a
proper time

. . . "a time to be born, and a time to die," for example. In more writing
I'll reflect on

those common occurrences within a person's life.

Today, let's meditate on these spiritual truths: God has a
perfectly-timed plan

for each life. We need to discern the times, and make the most of what time
we have

available. We need to ask God's vision of destiny for us and strive to
fulfill it . . . within

His good time.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY: Lord, "My times are in Your hands," (Psalm 31:15); so
help

me to "Walk circumspectly . . .
redeeming the time, because

the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16)

Pillsbury College & Seminary

Pillsbury College & Seminary is offering full tuition scholarships to the
first 100

Bi-Vocational pastors who register in 2006.

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Simply fill out the
Registration

Form that you can find at http://www.pillsburycs.org <http://www.pillsburycs.org/>
and mail it along with a $50

registration fee and you will receive your first textbooks, instructions,
and an

examination within approximately one week. You will also be contacted by

your personal mentor . . . an ordained minister who has been assigned by

Pillsbury College & Seminary to assist you in earning your Bachelor of
Biblical

Studies Degree.

If your have questions, please contact drcurt@pillsburycs.org or telephone

us at (314) 739-1121.

"The central struggle of parenthood is to let our

hopes for our children outweigh our fears."

- Ellen Goodman

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY messag