Life improvement through the teaching of the Bible is a huge part of Christian growth and maturation. Dr. Perkin provide morning manna every Sunday in the Live auditorium beginning at 10:30 AM.
Today’s lesson is a continuation of the traveling ministries of the Apostle Paul in Corinth and Ephesus.
Bon Voyage!
Examination and evaluation of my inner person enables me to wisely select my spiritual growth and development plan.
Wisdom may be the key concept of the entire Old Testament and is essential for my life today. Proverbs 3:13-18
Upon consideration of the Gray’s Matrix, my prayer is, “Lord, help me wisely move up and over!”
The horizontal axis depicts one’s openness to the Gospel and Christian teaching. It may be helpful to identify the openness numbers as follows:
+3 Fully open to the Gospel
+2 Mostly open to the Gospel
+1 Partially open to the Gospel
-1 Partially closed to the Gospel
-2 Mostly Closed to the Gospel
-3 Fully Closed to the Gospel
The vertical scale depicts one’s awareness and knowledge of the Gospel. It may be helpful to identify one’s awareness and knowledge numbers as follows:
+6 Continuing in growth
+5 Aware of responsibilities
+4 Knowledge of God’s kingdom
+3 Knowledge of adoption
+2 Experience of God’s love
+1 Initial knowledge of Father God
-01 Aware of the costs of commitment to the Gospel
-02 Grasps implications of the Gospel
-03 Aware of personal need of the Gospel
-04 Aware of the basics of the Gospel
-05 Interested in Jesus
-06 Aware of Jesus
-07 Wonders if God can be known
-08 Vague awareness and belief in God
-09 God framework
-10 No God framework
The primary dance partners for moving up and over are the Holy Spirit, the Bible, Christians, and me.
Notice the Holy Spirit moving us up and over in John 16:8.
God communicating through the Bible moves us up and over. 2 Timothy 3:15-16
Christians help move us up and over. Hebrews 10:23-25
I am in the up and over dance, in part because, the ministry of the Spirit, Bible, and Christians is translated into meaning by me. 2 Peter 1:3-9
Today, are you willing to examine and evaluate your Y.E.S. Journey progress and pray Acts 16:14? “The Lord opened her heart…”
By faith I’m moving up and over!
I (Kent) have become convinced of the following:
Consider the following Bible concepts:
Miriam’s Song Ex. 15:21
Sing to the Lord,
He has triumphed gloriously;
The horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.
Hannah’s Song 1 Sam. 2:1-10
My heart exults in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord, there is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you.
Mary’s Song Luke 1:46-55
My soul magnifies the Lord, My spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
He has looked upon the humble estate of his servant.
Singing from the depths (1 Corinthians 2:10) of God’s work in your life is enhanced by:
Imagine the day that God, Himself, releases His song over you! Zephaniah 3:17
“The Y.E.S. Journey” is a process of seizing God’s desired future for my life. Your current position on “The Y.E.S. Journey” can be understood through the four soils (heart) in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower. Matthew 13
The Path Unresponsive, Hard packed, walked on- Evil One snatches away
Rocky Places Superficial – Falls away in tough times
Thorns Double minded – Worldly cares and deceitfulness of riches choke
Good Soil Hears and understands – Yields 100, 60, or 30 times
The condition of your heart (soil) determines the productivity of the seed.
The Y.E.S. Journey is eternally important. Upon careful examination, personal evaluation of Y.E.S. Journey progress is possible.
With thoughtful examination and evaluation one is enabled to do as these three verses command. 2 Corinthians 13:5
The Gray Matrix is helpful in beginning one’s personal Christian examination and evaluation.
The horizontal axis depicts one’s openness to the Gospel and Christian teaching. It may be helpful to identify the openness numbers as follows:
+3 Fully open to the Gospel
+2 Mostly open to the Gospel
+1 Partially open to the Gospel
-1 Partially closed to the Gospel
-2 Mostly Closed to the Gospel
-3 Fully Closed to the Gospel
The vertical scale depicts one’s awareness and knowledge of the Gospel.
It may be helpful to identify one’s awareness and knowledge numbers as follows:
-01 Aware of the costs of commitment to the Gospel
-02 Grasps implications of the Gospel
-03 Aware of personal need of the Gospel
-04 Aware of the basics of the Gospel
-05 Interested in Jesus
-06 Aware of Jesus
-07 Wonders if God can be known
-08 Vague awareness and belief in God
-09 God framework
-10 No God framework
Today, are you willing to examine and evaluate your Y.E.S. Journey progress and pray Acts 16:14?
“The Lord opened her heart…”
By faith I’m moving up and over!
Join us in studying the Apostle Paul’s travels with guest teacher, David Pruitt. There is much to be learned from the early Christian’s obedience to Jesus’ words, “Go into all the world.”
If a map were made of your ministry travels, how many ports of call would you have on the map?
Follow the notes below.
Dr. Perkins is teaching about Paul’s ministry travels in today’s Sunday in the Word.
Follow along with his outline here. Pauls Journeys Acts Part 2-2
It’s a perfect day to learn a bit more about God through the lens of the Apostle Paul’s journeys. Dr. Perkins teaches this class from 10:30 – 11:15 AM in LIVE. Today’s notes are available here. Pauls Journeys Acts Part 2-1
Although Resurrection Sunday is now past, resurrection life is fresh every day. Maybe we should call today Resurrection Monday because eternal life can not be contained in one day each year. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead gives life, 24/7/365 to the one who trusts in Jesus.
What is true of Resurrection Sunday is true daily. Consider, for example, the angel’s words in Matthew 28:5.
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
Today, like that first resurrection day, some people “seek Jesus who was crucified.” There is something special about the person whose heart continually looks for Jesus who was crucified.
Two very different things can be true at the same time. For example, “I have found the Messiah and I am looking for the Messiah,” show a heart that is both solidly anchored (I have found) and flexibly pursuing (I am looking).
Pastor Willard Leisy, now with the Lord, captured this idea with a unique sentence, “I am satisfied with a dissatisfied satisfaction.” Another friend, Duane Parrish, said “I am fully satisfied and yet I hunger for more.”
“Seeking Jesus who was crucified” was true, is true, and will be true of the devout follower of Jesus.
With God’s help it will be true that I have found, am finding and will find Jesus who was crucified.
We have been investigating life, for those who are poor in spirit, between the Ascension and return of Jesus.
Jesus tells you (Luke 21:28) to straighten up and lift up your head with joyous anticipation.
Jesus, Himself, lived with joyous anticipation. Hebrews 12:2
The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee of the truthfulness of His teachings. 1 Peter 1:3
We live with joyous anticipation in the words of our Lord who said, “Because I live, you also will live. John 14:19
Listen to the rejoicing anticipation in Paul’s words, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55
Can you imagine it? Rejoice in anticipation of Revelation 21:1-7, 22-27.
None of us can adequately imagine our present and future in God. 1 Corinthians 2:9
Don’t miss out on God’s amazing future for everyone written in the Book of Life.
It is those who say Y.E.S. to Jesus who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The “I Said Yes” journey includes three very important decisions.
Y Totally YIELD the rights of your life, decisions, thinking and doing to
Jesus
E Fully ENGAGE in the life God has for you
S Live as a SACRIFICE unto God
We approach the wretchedness of crucifixion with rejoicing anticipation. At the cross of Jesus we experience the many and varied deaths of this life and lift up our heads and look up with joyous anticipation. Luke 21:28
The Holy Forty Martyrs exemplify the fact that the poor in spirit followers of Jesus live with unwavering commitment to that which is unseen by physical eyes.
The poor in spirit followers of Jesus know their true treasure is not made by human hands, measured in possessions, or received in this life.
The Holy Forty Martyrs, in prayer the night before their martyrdom, heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“He who believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live. Be bold and have no fear of short-lived torment which soon passes; endure…that you may receive crowns.”
Today, just as our lives are unfolding, we rejoice in anticipation of a heavenly crown. The Bible details the heavenly crown with five unique descriptors:
John and Betty Stam
Born in 1906 in Albion, Michigan, she grew up in China, where her parents were 
missionaries. When she was seventeen years old, she came back to the United States for her last year of high school, followed by college and study at Moody Bible Institute.
On September 11, 1934, their daughter, Helen Priscilla, was born. Three months later, John and Betty, along with their infant daughter, were arrested by hostile Communist soldiers. After spending the first night in a local prison, they were forced to march twelve miles with the soldiers to another town. They finally stopped for the night at the home of a wealthy man who had fled. Before they left the next morning, Betty hid her baby in the house inside a small sleeping bag. Then, John and Betty were marched down the streets of the town, their hands tightly bound, stripped of their outer garments.
On their way to the site of the execution, a Christian shopkeeper tried to persuade the soldiers not to kill the couple. He, too, was dragged away to be killed. When John pled with the soldiers not to kill the man, the Communist leader ordered him to kneel, then beheaded him with a sword. Betty fell down bound at her husband’s side, no scream coming from her lips. Moments later, the same sword that had killed her husband ended her life.
Baby Helen was discovered thirty hours later by a local pastor. She was safe and warm, apparently none the worse for having gone all that time without milk. Inside her clothing, the pastor found extra diapers and two five-dollar bills that Betty had pinned there—just enough to provide for a rescue party to get her to safety.
https://www.reviveourhearts.com/true-woman/blog/betty-scott-stam-life-surrender/
John and Betty Stam’s bodies were taken, buried, with the following grave stones.
John Cornelius Stam, January 18, 1907, “That Christ may be glorified whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20
Elisabeth Scott Stam, February 22, 1906, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
December 8, 1934, Miaosheo, Anhui, “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
You may have brought your Palm Sunday frond formed into the shape of a cross or you may have received a palm frond cross when you entered today.
Would you be willing to “crucify” anything and everything that may hinder you, distract you, or stop you from pursuing the cross and the crown?
Write, on your palm frond cross, those things that are in your way of taking up your cross and receiving your crown.
As we worship and contemplate Jesus’ death on the cross and His call to us to anticipate, with joy, the crown on the other side of the cross, please feel free to move to the front and nail or pin your written declaration on the cross with the intent of remembering that Jesus cancels every hindrance by His death on the cross.
Andrew, feeling unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus, received his crown after being crucified with arms and legs apart.
Peter, also feeling unworthy to die similarly to Jesus, received his crown after being crucified upside down.
Jesus received His crown after being crucified on Golgotha’s rugged cross.
Betty Scott Stam, at eighteen years of age, expressed the desire of her soul in the following prayer.
Lord, I give up my own plans and purposes, all my own desires, hopes and ambitions, and I accept Thy will for my life. I give up myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever. I hand over to Thy keeping all of my friendships; all the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart. Fill me now and seal me with Thy Spirit. Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost. Amen.