Epistle for July 11, 2003
Posted by: info <info@...>
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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation July 11, 2003
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This quarter Dr. Scarborough will be teaching from Esther 1-10 and Habbukuk in the Old Testament
and Galatians 1-6, I Timothy 1-6, and II John in the New Testament
In This Issue:
Esther 2:1-23
Galatians 2:1-21
PIAC Degrees
Esther Is Crowned Queen of Persia
(Esther 2:1-23)
I. Concentration: on the events in this chapter
1. Upon the advice of his counselors, King Ahasuerus summoned all the beautiful young virgins
to the capital city, Shushan; the winner of the beauty contest, judged by the king, would become
the queen, vv. 1-4.
2. One of the Jewish captives in Shushan was Mordecai, who had brought up his cousin, Esther, when
her parents died; at Mordecai's orders, Esther had not revealed that she was a Jew when she was
brought into the palace to be prepared for the contest, vv. 5-11.
3. Esther, who had become a favorite of the custodian of the women, Hegai, eventually came before
Ahasuerus, who loved her more than all the other women; he crowned her as his queen, vv. 12-18.
4. Mordecai overheard a plot to assassinate the king and reported it to Esther, who informed Ahasuerus;
the two treasonous conspirators were hanged, vv. 19-23.
II. Meditation: on the characteristics of Esther
1. She was lovely and beautiful, v. 7.
2. She was obedient to her guardian, Mordecai, vv. 10, 20.
3. She humbly followed the advice of her court custodian, Hegai, and she obtained favor in the sight of
all who met her, v. 15.
4. She obtained grace (a spiritual gift from God) which made her stand out from the other women . . . and
which caused the king to choose her to become queen of the Persian Empire, v. 17.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications seen here
1. Persons whom God has anointed to fulfill a special destiny will exhibit an inner loveliness and spiritual
beauty that far transcends mere physical attractiveness.
2. Persons whom God uses are submissive and obedient, giving honor and respect to their parents,
guardians, and other persons in authority.
3. Persons whom God has chosen possess a sweet cooperative spirit which causes others to love
and appreciate them.
4. Persons on whom God bestows His grace stand out from the crowd because of their spiritual radiance.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to
1. Realize that the Lord has anointed me by His Spirit to fulfill a special and specific purpose . . .
God's destiny for my life.
2. Always exhibit a submissive, obedient attitude toward those whom the Lord has placed over me,
giving to them honor and respect.
3. Be humble and cooperative in spirit as I work with others.
4. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill my life so that the radiance of the Lord may shine through me.
Crucified With Christ
(Galatians 2:1-21)
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Paul wrote of defending the gospel which he preached, vv. 1-6.
2. Paul cited his acceptance by James, Peter, and John, vv. 7-11.
3. Paul confronted Peter about his hypocrisy, vv. 12-19.
4. Paul testified that he had been "crucified with Christ," vv. 20-21.
II. Meditation: on verse 20
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved
me and gave Himself for me," Galatians 2:20
III. Observations: on Christ's ministry to me personally
1. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, loved me so much that He died for me . . . He
"loved me and gave Himself for me."
2. Spiritually speaking, when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, my old, sinful self
was crucified (put to death), and my spirit was resurrected . . . quickened by the Holy Spirit
in the experience called the "new birth," John 3:3-7.
3. Now Christ literally lives in me because I have received Him by faith . . . "no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me," (See Romans 8:9)
4. My present physical life is really Jesus living His life through me as I walk by faith and in obedience
to Him, Colossians 1:27.
IV. Revelation: on the spiritual implications of this text
1. The breadth, length, depth, and height (Ephesians 3:18) of God's love is manifested by the greatness
of His gift to the world, John 3:16.
2. The resurrection power, that brought Jesus out of the tomb, is the same power that saved me, equips
me for Christian service, and will transport me to be with Christ eternally, Romans 8:11.
3. Since Christ lives in me, I should let Him control my thoughts, emotions, speech, and actions.
4. If Christ is in me, living His life through me, I should be exhibiting a growing degree of His spirit,
His character, and His radiance.
V. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Worship, praise, and thank God for His indescribable gift, II Corinthians 9:15.
2. Realize that the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit is available to me for spiritual insight and
development, and that the Holy Spirit desires to fill me with supernatural empowerment for service.
3. Deliberately and continually set my mind to walk "In His Steps" . . . seeking, discovering, and following
His will for me by asking and answering the WWJD question: "What would Jesus do?"
4. Let (allow) the "Light of the World" radiate within me and to be seen through me,
John 8:12; Matthew 5:14-17.
Pillsbury Institute Introduces New
M.A., PhD., & Psy.D. Degree Programs
M.A. in Christian Counseling Psychology (40 credit hours - $3,000)
Ph.D. in Christian Counseling Psychology (54 credit hours - $4,000)
Psy.D. in Clinical Christian Counseling *(42 credit hours - $3,150)
*(Only available for persons who already hold an earned doctoral degree)
Students at Pillsbury Institute of Applied Christianity (PIAC) now may receive pastoral counseling training using the curriculum and distance learning format developed by the National Christian Counselors Association (NCCA) of Sarasota, Florida. These high quality materials consist of 41 courses in ten academic tracks, and also include advanced studies, clinical supervision (internship), practicum, thesis and examination, plus licensing and certification in eight possible specialty areas.
Important Notice: The successful completion of all academic requirements using NCCA curriculum and the conferring of the MA, PhD, or PsyD degrees by PIAC does not include membership in NCCA, nor does it qualify the graduate to receive any certification or licensing from NCCA.
Upon graduation, the student will be issued a degree diploma (MA, PhD, or PsyD) and a complete transcript of the NCCA studies completed at PIAC. The student has the option of presenting this official transcript to NCCA to show the courses completed at PIAC. The student then may choose to apply for membership in NCCA and to apply for acceptance into an advanced program of study designed to qualify him or her for NCCA certification and licensing as a Christian pastoral counselor. Small fees are charged by NCCA for both of these options.
NCCA has several additional requirements for the licensing process, including:
(1) a supervised practicum plus thesis for MA graduates (dissertation for PhD and PsyD graduates),
(2) the obtaining of ministerial credentials (if the applicant does not have such documentation already,
and
(3) an ethical examination posed by NCCA's National Licensing Board of Examiners.
Each successful candidate receives NCCA Board Certification as a Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor (LCPC) or as a Licensed Clinical Christian Counselor (LCCC). More than 1,700 persons in the United States have been trained and certified by NCCA as licensed Christian counselors, making it the largest such credentialing agency in the nation.
(Over 4,000 counselors have been licensed world-wide by NCCA)
The NCCA Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor (LCPC) certification is not the same as a State's Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) designation.
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Quote from Gary Collins: "We can try to avoid, making choices by doing nothing;
but even that is a decision!"
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Make the decision today to finish the degree that you may need to better serve the Lord in the place that
he has put you for service to Him.