Timothy

What a great study of leadership. The book is reflective for people who feel called into full time ministry. This is a practical book. How great it is that Paul writes out qualifications for a godly wife. It is apparent in the ministry that a Christian wife is very important.

1 Timothy

In 1 Timothy 6:1, it is stated that we are to give honor to our masters so that the name of God and His doctrine is not blasphemed. If my boss is not a believer, how good of a witness am I if I am lazy at work? But if I work hard and always do the best I can, then my boss will be more interested in me and it will be easier to form a good relationship so that I can talk to him about spiritual things. Also, living out the faith as best as you can shows how much you actually believe and how serious you are about your faith. Even if your boss is a believer, it is quite an encouragement to have a fellow Christian working hard. I was a supervisor at a factory back home in Indiana for a year and half. In my experience, I was saddened and dismayed because the secular people were far better workers than the few Christians I had working for me. It's no wonder I had such a hard time convincing others to believe.

Phil

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Many Christians can recall that this is Phil 4:13. Why do we misuse it though? I still write it on my hat and used to write it on my baseball bat to give me confidence on the baseball field. This was probably not what the scripture means however. I wanted to do what I wanted to do, just because I want to do something does not mean I'm doing it in Christ. Let's look at it this way. If God wants you to do something you can accomplish it.

An idea of Love from Philippians

In Philippians 1:9, Paul prays that love may abound in knowledge and judgment. To live a life of love is the greatest way. Letting love consume the mind involves turning the other cheek when offended. Letting love take over anger cuts off rebellion, and revenge, and also spiteful correcting. Living in love is also trying to understand where someone is at when they relate to you (either in a good way or in a bad way). Love is a completely different way of life than what a typical person encounters in this world and that's what makes it so hard to convert to, but the Lord can give the strength to overcome the anger and aggressiveness that a person strives to overcome with love.

Ephesians, love of Christ

Ephesians 3:19 jumped out at me as I read this letter. The love of Christ is the highest knowledge we can possess; knowing He loves me is far better than knowing any other piece of knowledge. What good is it to know what I can do to get through the day, or why it is bad to lie, or that the earth is round when compared with the fact that I know the love of Christ? Without knowing the love of Christ the other thoughts become what I want them to be to satisfy myself. The love of Christ gives me a different perspective on life. Life becomes more than just a savage style of getting by until I die.

Colossians

The whole book is good but there is one passage and one verse in particular that I hold on to. Chapter 3 applies easily to Christians today because of the practical instructions it gives. Colossians 3:23 should be a life verse for all Christians today. Basically it means in everything you do do as if God was watching, not just people. Christians should be the hardest workers and the best employees.

Romans

Romans 1:16a really stuck out to me while reading Romans. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth". I pray that this will always be true in my life. I pray that I will be a light that shines in darkness.

Romans

Romans, awesome book! There's a reason they call it the Romans road to salvation. Romans tells the whole story. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It also tells the penalty for this sin Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Finally Romans 10:9 tells us how we can be saved. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Romans 6:1

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" The story of my life. It seems that no matter how hard I try I keep sinning, as subtle as they may be. Even though I can't do it right, does that mean I should stop trying? What good am I if I purposely sin knowing I am forgiven? What will He say to me when this life is over if I don't put forth the effort? When I am put to the test, I will do my best, and be forgiven for the rest.

Romans

I was reading Romans straight through for this class, and something stuck out to me that I had never felt like I read before. In Romans 6:21, Paul talks about serving sin and the fruits of that being death.
I thought about all the works and the lives that people live that focuses on sin and serving sin instead of righteousness. All of that adds up to nothing, and no fruit is produced that pleases God. It is amazing that people work so hard for nothing, when the Bible teaches that the only way to a truly worth-while life is in God.

2 Corinthians

From reading 2 Corinthians, I was surprised how many times the word "boast" occurred. Paul says in verse 6 of chapter 12, "Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth." Wow - what Paul says may sound like pride, but he was just being truthful. He lived a life that everyone could look at as an "almost perfect" model of what Christianity really is. If anyone deserved a right to boast, it would be Paul.

2 Corinthians

While reading this passage chapter 2 verses 5 through 11 is what caught my attention. Paul discusses forgiveness. I thought this was good because without forgiveness, we would be helpless. Everything revolves around God's forgiveness.

2 Corinthians 4:10-11

Dying to self to make Jesus manifest in our own body is something a Christian easily forgets to do. Our mortal flesh is always there: waiting to be satisfied, wanting to be satisfied of its own desires. Looking past that towards Christ and the things of eternal goodness is something I have to remind myself quite often. How many times a day do I "be myself" without even thinking, and in the process put the Christ-like behaivor away? I pray the Lord deliver my natural self to death to manifest His character in me.

2 Corinthians

The verse that really stuck out to me was Chapter 4:18. It talks about looking for the things that aren't seen-- because what we see now will fade away, but we don't see will be eternal. It is hard for me to imagine that this world will be burnt up someday... It is hard to know that we will all eventually die. I am so young and have such a long life ahead of me, and I can't imagine Heaven like I wish I could.

1 Corinthians

We can get caught up in the fact of a "perfect church", even though everyone knows that it is not possible. Even Christians can fall into sin, and we see that in the letter from Paul to the church in Corinth. I notice that Corinth was such a wicked city, so it must have been difficult for all the Christians to abstain from what was so prevalent all around them. Good thing Paul was there to rebuke them and set them straight. I appreciate the Pastors nowadays that will still rebuke sin, so that the Lord can bring holiness back into people's lives.

Galatians

I had never heard the concept, "Sanctification by Grace" before, until Ken was talking about it on Wednesday. When I realized that salvation is by grace and also sanctification is by grace, I realized that life could be a lot less stressful than I am making it. Sanctification by grace means that we as Christians, allow Christ to live through our lives and although we will fall short of God-- our actions no longer determine our state of Christianity-- our relationship with Christ does. I will fall short and I have to understand that I can't live a perfect life-- no matter how hard i try.

Freedom from bondage

Christ made us free according to Galatians 5:1. Living freely means we are no longer in debt to our sins. What a relief! Those that have accepted Jesus as Savior have such a huge burden lifted off their shoulders. We no longer have to worry that any wickedness we performed, or will perform, will send us to the lake of fire. God's law is so perfect and good that no man (except Jesus) has ever been able to live perfectly and therefore is guilty of breaking His law. Breaking His law is is punished by suffering eternal agony in the lake of fire. But, the Law God gave us no longer holds us (those who believe on Jesus) captive because Jesus died for our sins. His grace frees us and there is nothing I did to deserve His grace except believe on Jesus and what he did for me. To be without belief in Him is to be without freedom from eternal punishment. Thank you God for givnig me the truth and sparing my soul. Seeing my future as not being in the lake of fire is comforting enough to make the trials and hardships in this life worth going through.

Galatians

This is an awesome book. It is a banner book for protestant Christians. The righteous will be justified by faith. It is great how we have been set free to live in the spirit. It helps me in that i feel set free by Christ, I am free from the bondage of sin, and free from the Jewish Traditions.

Holy Spirit

In going through the book of Acts, my prayer has been to depend more on the Holy Spirit rather than myself. I will be the first to admit that I struggle with making decisions for myself rather than seeking what the Lord might have for me. In the book of Acts it is clear that the Holy Spirit is at work. From the miracles to the revivals you can watch the Holy Spirit moving. It is clear that I am in this class for a reason. It is not by chance. The Holy Spirit has been at work in our class since day one. I remember coming home after the first day of class and telling my brother Daniel to add this class. I told him that I thought the new professor(Brother Ken) was truly excited about teaching this class, and that it would be enjoyable. I believe Daniel would agree that that has been the case. I am excited to see what the Holy Spirit has in store for us as we continue through this class.

Knowledge Worth Using

We do what we can to excel in the learning process. The professor speaks to the class to convey a message that is inportant. The Holy Spirit brings that knowledge to an understanding in our heads. Without the Holy Spirit, the knowledge is useless and leads us astray into our own thoughts. The knowledge becomes applicable to life in the best way with the Holy Spirit. It is personalized in us so that we may do our best for God.
Our soul is forgiven by Jesus' death and resurrection, and we become filled with the Holy Spirit as we believe in Him. We become able to do good things even though our past is filled with hatred and wickedness. Paul persecuted and took part in killing Christians for their faith. But he was forgiven and then he worked for God. He performed miracles with Jesus. He taught people truth. He served to the death for Him. We can do anything through Hiim without the shame of our old life getting in the way. We don't have to be guilt ridden by our past as we try to stand-up for the Lord.

Use Me God

As the school year approached, I felt dread about starting a whole new semester. Academics is not my knack. My schedule did not help my feelings as I stared at the page listing seven classes I registered for. As it later turned out, my scholarship would only allow 15 credits free. I dropped one class – a lighter load. Two days later I dropped another class only to add Life and Letters of Paul. Only till now do I feel as if this semester can and will be a blessing. From the first day of attending, I was blessed to hear the Holy Spirit using Ken as His instrument. I enjoyed the lecture. I heard a different viewpoint of Stephen’s martyrdom. All of this and more, preparing to read and hear more on Paul’s epistles, excited me. I have confidence that this semester, year will be the best yet. I want to grow closer to God. I want to be more like Christ. The Holy Spirit has been convicting me and telling me to be last – to be a servant. Mark 9:35 – “Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.’” God use me.

Acts of the Apostles, and beyond

The Holy Spirit was evident in the book of Acts through Peter and Paul, and I have seen Pastor Ken prove through his life that the same is true today. The Holy Spirit has taught me through this class that He works and speaks through us when we are open to Him. Acts talks a lot about prayer, and I can see that doing ministry is all about prayer and being led by the Holy Spirit. I can do nothing, because God is the one who draws people to Himself, so I am learning that it is not about me at all-- the Christian life is all about being led by God to accomplish what He wants for others. Acts is also full of miracles, and I see that we are all still writing "Acts of the Holy Spirit." I am a part of what He will do in the lives of people. Whether I obey in simplicity or am being directed by the Holy Spirit, my life is a testimony of Christ, just like Peter and Paul. The one thing that strikes me as difficult to accept is the hard work of the Christian life. I seemed to get discouraged when I look at the ministry and work of a Christian, because it looks too difficult. Acts is wonderful to read because it shows all the great things that Christians did in the Lord's name, but it also leaves me with the knowledge of suffering in this world when we live for Christ.

Acts

This time around, the Holy Spirit taught me through the book of Acts the importance of being proactive in contrast to just reactive. As Peter stepped out after having denied Christ thrice and spoke to the crowd, so likewise I need to act upon the knowledge and experiences having been revealed to me, regardless of past circumstances. Bitterness and a mind stagnate in the past shall only hinder one from action; however, a willingness to learn shall only assist in the furtherance of the gospel. As in Acts 5:12-16, I know not whom is observing my life, hence my actions must not speak or affirm Thomas Peek but the Jesus Christ. It is not about us, it is about the reconciliation between God and His beloved creation. And how is it that others might be reconciled lest the gospel is to them spoken in deed and in truth through actions and words? I am a child of God,a Christian, with the given responsibility to extend truth to the world… light amongst darkness. I can not be a poor steward, selfishly hoarding the Word for myself or own gain. For God so loved the world, He wants everyone as Acts 8:14-17 clearly affirms.

~Thomas

Miracles

In class last week we discussed the miracles of the book of Acts. It was awesome to see the way God moved in sometimes mysterious but always powerful ways. Each of us shared with the class what we took home from each miracle. Two of these miracles involve Paul and one Peter. When Peter healed Aeneas of a palsy in Acts 9:33-34 it made me think about not depending on "full-time" ministers as the people of Lydda apparently did. In Acts 9:1-9 I loved the story of Paul's conversion because it truly proved that God can save anyone and God can use anyone. However the act of God that has impacted me most is when Peter is delivered out of prison by an angel. Originally when I had read this passage I noticed the power of God, the grace of God, and the omnipotence of God. However when I read Acts this time I realized the power of prayer. God choose to truly bless the prayers of the saints that were praying specifically for Peter's deliverance. As a matter of fact God choose to bless them so much as to bring Peter to them. This story in Acts chapter 12:7-17 really made me think. Often times we as Christians underestimate the power of prayer. We believe that if someone isn't going they aren't doing God's will. Missionaries today if you ask them will tell you their greatest need is prayer, more than money. I hear that, it is usually in one ear and out the other. I need to truly take prayer more seriously for myself, for nonbelievers, but also for other Christians. Hopefully the words "I'm prayin' for you" will truly take the meaning, "I'm praying for you!"

The First Post

Being that the last day for drop/add is tomorrow, our class (Life and Letters of Paul) seems as full as it is going to get; however, you can always register for next years class. Mr. Mahan is real and has a compassionate heart; I cannot wait for this year to unravel! We, as a class, will keep you posted, so that you too can experience how awesome this class is going to be.