Epistle for May 23, 2003
Posted by: info <info@...>
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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation May 23, 2003
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During this quarter (April-June) Dr. Scarborough will be teaching on the books of
Nehemiah and Hebrews.
In This Issue:
Nehemiah 8:1-18
Hebrews 8:1-13
PIAC Degree Program
The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength
(Nehemiah 8:1-18)
I. Concentration: on the events in this chapter
1. Ezra read the Book of the Law of Moses to the assembled congregation of the
Jews in Jerusalem from morning until noon on the first day of the seventh month
(Rosh Hashanah: the Feast of Trumpets at the beginning of the Hebrew Sacred Year),
vv. 1-6; Leviticus 23:23-25.
2. A number of teachers and Levites helped the people to understand the meaning
of the word which Ezra read to them, vv. 7-8.
3. Governor Nehemiah and other leaders instructed the people not to mourn or weep,
but to rejoice and celebrate . . . "for the joy of the Lord is your strength," vv. 9-12.
4. The Feast of Tabernacles (Booths) was reinstituted, vv. 13-18; Leviticus 23:6;
Numbers 29:35-38, Deuteronomy 31:10-13.
II. Meditation: on the responses of the people to Ezra's reading of the Law
1. The men and women and all who could hear with understanding stood and listened
attentively to the reading of God's word, vv. 2, 5.
2. When Ezra finished reading, he blessed the Lord and all the people answered
"Amen, Amen!" as they worshipped God, v. 6.
3. When the people came to understand the commands of the Lord which they had
broken, they began to weep and mourn in a spirit of repentance and confession, vv. 8-9.
4. The leaders encouraged the people to rejoice and celebrate because this was a holy day . . .
the day of new beginnings as they renewed their vows and re-established their sacred
covenant with the Lord, vv. 9-11.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications seen here
1. The reading and studying of God's word deserves our undivided attention for
an extended period of time each day.
2. God's people should respond positively ("AMEN") to the truths revealed in His
word, as they praise and worship Him.
3. God's laws reveal man's sins . . . calling for godly sorrow, repentance, confession,
and asking for forgiveness.
4. God offers His mercy and grace, His forgiveness and cleansing . . . giving repentant
sinners a fresh new start, accompained by a heart of joy and gladness.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Read, study, and meditate upon God's word daily.
2. Receive God's revealed will for my life with a spirit of praise and worship, affirming
His personal directions with "AMEN!"
3. Live in a continuing attitude of repentance before the Lord, acknowledging His
holiness and my sinfulness.
4. Rejoice in the Lord always, Philippians 4:4.
The New Covenant
( Hebrews 8:1-13 )
I. Concentration: on two key verses in this chapter
1. "We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the Majesty
in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which
the Lord erected, and not man," vv. 1-2.
2. "I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be
their God, and they shall be My people," v. 10.
II. Observations: on why the new covenant is better (vv. 6-7, 13)
1. It is better because we have a divine (not a human) Mediator (Christ).
2. It is better because it is established on better promises (absolute, rather than conditional).
3. It is better because, unlike the old covenant, the new covenant is flawless, since it is
built upon God's activities, not man's.
4. It is better because the old covenant is obsolete and growing old, but the new covenant
is eternal and unchanging.
III. Meditation: on the particulars of the new covenant (vv. 8-10)
1. God puts His laws in a person's mind, rather than carving them on stone tablets.
2. God writes His commandments upon a person's heart . . . emphasizing the inner,
spiritual relationship rather than the outer, ritualistic works.
3. The new covenant includes the personal promise from the Father: "I will be their God."
4. The new covenant also contains the assurance that, "They shall be My people" . . .
unlike under the old covenant when God's people did not continue in covenant
relationship, and God "disregarded them."
IV. Revelation: on what "new covenant" people shall do (vv. 11-12)
1. They shall have an intimate relationship with God.
2. They shall be taught . . . not by human priests . . . but by the Lord, Himself, through
the person of the Holy Spirit, John 16:13.
3. They all shall have spiritual discernment, regardless of their earthly, human
status ("least" or "great").
4. They shall live in the assurance of God's unfailing mercy and forgiveness.
V. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Cultivate a vibrant devotional life, seeking to experience God every day.
2. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach me the spiritual things of God.
3. Avoid arrogant pride and prejudiced discrimination, accepting with equal love all of God's people.
4. Continue to live in perpetual repentance, receiving God's mercy and grace.
Pillsbury Institute introduces new
M.A., Ph.D., & Psy.D. degree program
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 couseling 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 to 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 Pastoral Counselor (LCPC) certification is not the same as a State's Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) designation.