Quote from Forum Archives on November 13, 2003, 12:06 pm

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E-pistle

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Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation November 14, 2003

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This fourth quarter of 2003, I shall be sharing with you my "Personal & Practical" notes and applications
on two important books in the Bible. From the Old Testament, we'll be studying all 14 chapters
of Hosea, and from the New Testament, we'll be studying all 13 chapters of II Corinthians
In This Issue:
Hosea 7:1-16
II Corinthians 7:1-16
Mentoring
Pancakes, Gray-hairs, Doves, and Bows
(Hosea 7:1-16)
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Hosea continued speaking for the Lord, saying that God wanted to heal Israel's
sickness (wickedness, robbery, lies, adultery, and drunkenness), but the rulers
scoffed at the Lord and refused to call upon Him for help; the nation had mixed
its moral values with the immoral practices of the surrounding heathen nations,
and they had become like a "cake unturned," vv. 1-8.
2. Hosea compared the nation to an old man who had become unaware of his
diminished powers and abilities, vv. 9-10.
3. Hosea called the nation a "silly dove, without sense," which had been easily
lured away and trapped, vv. 11-12.
4. Hosea pronounced woe and destruction upon Israel because she had transgressed
God's laws and rejected His redemption; the nation had failed to respond properly
to the Lord's discipline and had become useless for accomplishing His divine
purposes, vv. 13-16.
II. Meditation: on Hosea's word-pictures of Israel's sinful condition
1. The nation was like a half-baked pancake with a mixture of good and bad
ingredients . . . inedible!
2. The nation was like a weak and senile gray-haired old man who didn't know
that he had lost his strength and who was trying to ignore the tell-tale signs
of deterioration . . . just fooling himself!
3. The nation was like a stupid dove (a "bird-brain") caught in a net, flopping around
trying to escape, but getting itself more hopelessly entangled every minute.
4. The nation was like a "treacherous bow" (slack or loose bowstring), which could
not shoot arrows accurately at a target . . . thereby failing to accomplish its main
purpose for existence.
III. Revelation and Applications
1. Persons who fail to follow the Master Baker's (God's) divine recipe make a mess of
their lives! I need to follow the Lord's divine "recipe" for my life and work!
2. Persons who are blind to their own faults and who try to carry on in their own human
strength fail miserably. I need to see myself as God sees me (James 1:22-25),
and call upon Him for divine strength.
3. Persons who foolishly depend on worldly sources for help and security come under
spiritual bondage, and they live lives of frustration and disappointment. I need to seek
wisdom and protection from the Lord to avoid Satan's oppression and bondage.
4. Persons who stray from the Lord's will and way for their lives miss the joy and peace of
accomplishing God's purpose for their lives. I need to find, follow, and fulfill God's
divine vision of destiny for my life.

Open Your Hearts To Us
(II Corinthians 7:1-16)

I. Concentration: on Paul's plea to the Corinthian Christians (vv. 1-3)
"Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all
filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God," v. 1.
"Open your hearts to us" because . . .
1. We have wronged no one, v. 2.
2. We have corrupted no one, v. 2.
3. We have exploited (cheated) no one, v. 2.
4. We have condemned no one, v. 3.
(Consider the positive side of each of the negatives listed above.)

II. Meditation: on Paul's feelings toward the Corinthian Christians (vv. 4, 13-16)
1. I have great confidence in you, vv. 4, 16.
2. I take great pride in you, vv. 4, 14.
3. I am greatly encouraged by you, vv. 4, 15.
4. I am boundlessly rejoicing over you, in spite of all our troubles, vv. 4, 13.

III. Revelation: on godly sorrow . . .
" . . . which produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted,
but the sorrow of the world produces death," v. 10.
Godly sorrow (v. 11) produces salvation . . . plus:
1. Diligence (earnestness to find and do the will of the Father)
2. Eagerness to clear oneself (to establish character and reputation)
3. Indignation (righteous wrath at Satan's attacks)
4. Fear (alarm over the possibility of back-sliding)
5. Vehement desire (deep longing to fulfill God's destiny for me)
6. Zeal (concern for personal effectiveness and salvation for others)
7. Vindication (readiness to see justice done)

IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Carefully guard my influence so that I do not harm others; rather, that
I may assist them in their spiritual journey.
2. Express freely my appreciation and thanksgiving to other Christians
who have been blessings to me.
3. Recognize the spiritual benefits of God's discipline, which leads to
repentance and restoration.
4. Rejoice in the confidence that the Lord is in charge of everything . . .
including my life and work. (See v. 16)
"Therefore I rejoice that I have confidence in you in everything," v. 16.

Spiritual Mentoring by Private Tutoring

Dr. Curt Scarborough, president and founder of Pillsbury Institute, 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.

Degrees Available at Pillsbury Institute of Applied Christianity:

Associate of Applied Christianity in Biblical Studies
Associate of Applied Christianity in Biblical Counseling

Bachelor of Applied Christianity in Biblical Studies
Bachelor of Applied Christianity in Biblical Counseling

Master of Ministry in Spiritual Mentoring
Master of Arts in Christian Counseling Psychology

Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Mentoring
Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Counseling Psychology
Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Christian Counseling

For more information visit our web-site at
www.pillsburyinstitute.net
or call Dr. Curt Scarborough toll-free at
1-888-737-3392

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Edith Wharton: "There are two ways of spreading light:
To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."
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