Epistle for February 14, 2003
Posted by: info <info@...>
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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation February 14, 2003
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Happy Valentine's Day!
Of Marriage and Ministry
(Malachi 2:1-17)
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Malachi pronounced God's curse upon the corrupt priests of the
nation, vv. 1-4, 8-9.
2. He specified God's original intention for the ministry when He established
the priesthood, vv. 5-7.
3. He condemned the sin of marrying women of foreign nations who worshipped
heathen gods, vv. 10-12.
4. He condemned the related sin of divorcing their Hebrew wives in order to marry
the unbelievers, vv. 13-17.
II. Meditation: on God's will concerning marriage and divorce
1. Marriage is a holy institution established by God, v. 11; Mark 10:6-9.
2. God intended for marriage to be between a man and a woman who were believers
in Him, v. 11; II Corinthians 6:14.
3. God's purpose in instituting marriage was to produce godly children, v. 15;
I Corinthians 7:14.
4. God hates divorce because it does "violence" to His intention for marriage
and to the mate to whom one has been joined, v. 16; Matthew 19:8-9.
III. Revelation: on God-called ministers
1. God-called ministers have entered into a special covenant relationship with the
Lord . . . a covenant of life, peace, and reverence, v. 5.
2. God-called ministers are expected to understand God's truth, v. 6.
3. God-called ministers are to live and walk in integrity, v. 6.
4. God-called ministers are to be fearless spokesmen and faithful messengers
for the Lord, v. 7.
IV. Applications: as a Christian leader, I need to . . .
1. Thank the Lord that He has called me into a special place of ministry in His kingdom.
2. Study God's word so that I can be a "workman unashamed," II Timothy 2:15.
3. Live a life of purity and integrity . . . remaining faithful to my marriage covenant.
4. Proclaim boldly and clearly the message which the Lord has given me.
Events Preceeding Christ's Return
(II Thessalonians 2:1-17)
I. Concentration: on Christ's return
1. When our Lord Jesus Christ comes, believers will be gathered unto Him (raptured), v. 1.
2. Believers should live daily as though the day of His return had already arrived . . .
without fear or worry, v. 2.
3. Believers must be alert, carefully guarding against any and all spiritual deception, v. 3.
4. Believers should remember, and steadfastly hold on to, the truths which they have
been taught by the Lord, vv. 5, 15.
II. Meditation: on evil events which will precede Christ's return
1. The "falling away" (defections from the true Christian faith) will come first, v. 3.
2. The "man of sin" (son of perdition) will be revealed, vv. 3-4.
(1) A person who opposes God.
(2) A person who exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped.
(3) A person who sits in the Jerusalem temple as God.
(4) A person who demonstrates power (demonic) to prove he is God.
3. The "lawless one" (Satan) will produce false miracles . . . powerful signs
and lying wonders . . . unrighteous deception, vv. 9-10.
4. God will send "a strong delusion" on those persons who believe Satan's lies, v. 11.
III. Revelation: on realities in the spiritual realm
1. The presence of the Holy Spirit on earth (within believers) is what restrains Satanic
forces from triumphing today; the Spirit sanctifies (gives consolation, hope, and
assurance), vv. 6, 13-17.
2. The Holy Spirit prevents Satan's total victory over mankind, and the Spirit will continue
to do this until He is removed, v. 7.
3. Satan and his followers will be destroyed by the Lord's breath (words) and by the
Lord's glory (majestic holiness; brightness), v. 8.
4. Persons who enter hell with Satan do so because they did not receive the love
and truth of God, v. 10.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Live righteously every day, expecting Christ's immediate return.
2. Guard myself against Satanic deception.
3. Study and meditate upon the word of God for spiritual insight, wisdom, perception,
and understanding.
4. Depend upon the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance.
Christian Mentoring Degrees by Private Tutoring
Dr. Curt Scarborough, president and founder of Pillsbury Institute of Applied Christianity, is available to mentor a limited number of mid-career Christian ministers on a one-on-one basis. He will personally tutor mature graduate-level students one day per month . . . any day of the week except Sunday.
Here's how this Spiritual Mentoring program works:
1. A minister enrolls in the Spiritual Mentoring track, agreeing to spend
a minimum of 10 hours a week in disciplined private devotions under
the guidance of Dr. Curt Scarborough.
2. The goal is to develop personal and practical notes on selected portions
of Scripture within one year (on all 260 chapters in the New Testament,
for example). The mentoring partner will write on at least five chapters each
week focusing on a few chosen verses in each chapter and using a suggested
simple outline:
(1) Concentration
(2) Meditation
(3) Revelation
(4) Applications
3. Every four to six weeks, the mentoring partner will meet with Dr. Scarborough
personally (or by telephone or computer) to review the work, to compare
spiritual insights, to discuss revealed truths, and to sharpen each other's
ministry skills. (See Romans 1:11-12). At each monthly meeting, the previous
month's work will be reviewed and discussed, new assignments will be made,
and the next appointment will be scheduled.
4. At the end of one year, the mentoring partner in this example would have
produced a 260-page personal and practical devotional commentary on the
entire New Testament . . . to use in his preaching and teaching, to publish
as a book, to preserve and pass along to his family, and to serve as a resource
for mentoring others.
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"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." Albert Einstein