5 days of mini seminary in 5 minutes

2 big takeaways after a year in Bible school: (1) Remembering God's past faithfulness brings peace in the present and hope for the future. (2) The apostle James would be a big fan of Nike I think- both want us to “Just do it”

I get really excited about Romans 3:26 and it's implications- God was just enough to abide by the rules of His own game, but loving enough to do it at an expense to Himself

You've never fully understood or read Revelation all the way through? That makes two of us. This week was a lot to swallow but the main take away is we know Who wins in the end!

Why does evil exist? How can a good God allow evil? Why doesn't an all powerful God get rid of evil?

And here's why: the entire message of Hebrews talks about how Jesus is better than _____. You name it, He's better. Not just better, He's best.

Two weeks of seemingly random content can all be summed up in one simple truth: I've done nothing to earn everything I've gotten; it has all been through Jesus Christ

Untapped power!! Holy Spirit is a game changer and too often I leave Him on the “bench” of life.

We have done nothing and can do nothing to earn salvation!! Because of this news, I willingly give my all to God in joyful submission and glad surrender!! How. Could. You. Not.

God is triune- 1 God but 3 persons. If you're confused, that makes 2 of us!! We get to rest in the fact God is God and we are not, but also get to continue to grow in dependence and trust of who God is and what He accomplishes through His sovereign and revealed will.

In the book of Acts, we see followers of Jesus live boldly, proclaiming what they knew to be true about Jesus. When things got hard, they prayed for courage and boldness, not different circumstances- convicting!!!

Matthew 14 is a glimpse into Jesus' full life- which was not at all fueled by willpower or drive, but a desire to withdraw to be with the Father.

Long story short, Daniel is a BEAST. At 15 years old, he stood up to King Nebuchadnezzar. At 15, I wasn't even convicted about the amount of Cheetos I ate!!! Conviction is worth it.

And thus concludes a semester long project to learn the overarching story of the Bible and tell it in 30 minutes!! Learned a lot about how God can be trusted because the promise of Jesus is the evident plan from the very beginning. Here to tell it the rest of my days!

What do I love most- God or the promises of God? The life of Abraham gives us a glimpse into what true, biblical love looks like. (Hint: it's never selfish and it's always sacrificial)

Cmon church!! The last 2000 years of church history are defined by the Lord's faithfulness and men and women operating in extremes- extreme humility and an extreme devotion to the word of God. William Tennet is the biggest hero you've ever heard about and is the reason we have Princeton University today.

Habakkuk goes ahead and asks what we've all been asking- “Why is there a problem of evil in the world?” This recorded dialogue between Habakkuk and God gives insights into an “even if” kind of faith, which stands firm regardless of circumstance

Have you ever felt like the world's last draft picks? Take heart, King David wasn't even invited to the draft! In short, 1 Samuel 16 teaches us God cares about our hearts and faithfulness.

In short, what we believe about the world matters because it shapes how we engage with the world.

Our motivation and goal should be rooted in a desire to teach others to know God by getting in the Bible- so they can teach others to know God by getting in the Bible- so they can teach others...

We can trust the Bible and it's content because M.A.P.S.- Manuscripts, Archaeology, Prophecy, Statistics.  The whole story of the Bible can be summed up in history repeating itself- God has a plan for man, man steps outside the boundries and messes up, God is faithful to redeem. Every. single. time. 

If you're anything like me, you feel dependent on a devotional or a sermon to understand the Bible. The reality is we have access to the living Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17); we should use this access daily! A great way to start is inductive Bible study. Inductive Bible Study is a 3 step process: Observation, Interpretation, Application.

1 John 1:9 says "If we walk in the Light if He is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another." Here's the deal: To be near the light, we have to first bring things to light. This is called confession. Walking in the light takes some teamwork and is 100% hard and 100% worth is. This is called accountability.