The Great Story – Week 03: The Twelve Tribes Through Joseph (Genesis 28-50)

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Bad things happen. Bad things happen to Good People. It’s an old cliché and everyone knows it and has likely used it. Yet as Christians, we understanding that just because bad things happen it doesn’t mean that we are being punished for something that we have done. God works through His Providence to accomplish His will.

There were great men of Faith in the Old Testament. God promised Abraham that he would give him a son and make him into a great nation. Abraham believed God and Isaac was born. Through Isaac the line was continued onto Jacob and through Jacob to his twelve sons, who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. These men were sinners and did not lead perfect lives. But they had faith in God, and God used them for his purposes.

Joseph too had faith in God. Though he was not destined to be in the Messianic line, God used Joseph as an instrument to provide for his father and brothers. Here was a man who endured the ridicule of his brothers, being sold into slavery, and accused of rape causing him to be thrown into prison. Many of us would feel as though God had simply turned His back and let all these horrible things occur. But Joseph was faithful. While he may not have understood what God was doing, his faith endured. Whatever his circumstances, the Lord was with him and blessed him. Because of his faith, he was elevated to be the Prime Minister of Egypt and put in the perfect position to save his family from the famine in the land. Joseph put it very succinctly when he said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” – Genesis 50:20

The story of Joseph is a story of faith and enduring hardship. It is the story of looking past all the bad things that happen and seeing God at work in your life. Trust in the Lord and He will direct your paths. The Great Story – Week 03 is online! Go learn about the nature of our God!

Visit “The Great Story” page to download your weekly study guide or listen to the audio version of the study: The Great Story

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The Great Story – Week 02: From the Tower of Babel to Jacob (Genesis 11-28)

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One thing is for certain in this universe; God’s will is always accomplished. Something that is much less certain is the faithfulness and obedience of man.

The Tower of Babel is a story about man blatantly defying the commands of God. After the Flood, God ordered man to spread out and repopulate the earth. Yet in their pride, Nimrod led a group of people to build a tower that they hoped would bring them renown. This was not the plan of God however. God instead caused the language of man to become confused, thus dividing the people. Man can try to defy the will of God, but that defiance is always short lived.

Lack of faith is not only a contemporary issue. Even the patriarchs in the Bible struggled with their faith. Abraham lied twice about Sarah, claiming that she was only his sister and not his wife. Isaac followed the example of his father and also lied about being married to Rebekah. Jacob, who’s name actually means “Deceiver”, tricked his brother out of both his birthright and his blessing. Despite their missteps in their walk with God, these were some of the greatest patriarchs in the Bible. Abraham was called the first prophet and the Lord promised to make him into a great nation. This promise was fulfilled in Isaac, who was the son of promise. Finally, through Isaac, Jacob became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.

God does not call perfect men for His purposes; none of those exist. God bestows strength on those that would not otherwise have it. He began a great nation in Abraham and His Covenant endures even when the faith of men fail, God accepts a repentant and restores that which is lost. God is always faithful; making no one is beyond forgiveness or usefulness in His plan.

Visit “The Great Story” page to download your weekly study guide or listen to the audio version of the study: The Great Story

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The Great Story – Week 01: From Adam to Noah (Genesis 1-10)

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The Bible Story starts off with a declarative statement, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”. This is not a story about a Big Bang. This is not a story that details a period of billions and billions of years. This is the account of the foundations of the universe being laid as God spoke, saying, “Let there be…” According to the Bible, the earth, the universe, everything that is seen and unseen was Created by God (Colossians 1:16) about 6000 years ago during a 6 day process. Jesus said that from the beginning of Creation, God made them male and female (Mark 10:6). There are no billions of years to accommodate an evolutionary process. God doesn’t need random chance or a slow, guided mutating process to arrive at what we witness in the world around us. In the beginning, He created it exactly how He wanted…and then mankind messed everything up.

The Fall was not an unplanned event that caught God by surprise. The Bible tells us that the kingdom has been prepared for the saints since the Foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). God knew that mankind would sin and thus separate themselves from the perfect relationship they once experienced with the Creator. God had worked out the plan for Salvation through the death of Jesus Christ, the perfect lamb, long before the Creation. Today, we live in a world that is affected by sin. Everything is falling apart and there is a growing denial of the One, True God. One day, the Lord will return and set straight this world which is corrupted by sin. Oh Glorious day…

The story of Cain and Abel gives us the first account of human death in the Bible. Because of Cain’s jealously over Abel’s sacrifice being accepted while his own being rejected, he killed his brother. Then in the ultimate act of foolishness, he attempted to deny his crime to God. We cannot hide our sin from an omnipotent God. We have to confess our sin and ask for repentance. There is always an accounting and judgment for sin. The only way we can make a repayment for our transgressions is by accepting Christ and be covered by the Lamb’s blood.

Finally we come to Noah. Noah was a righteous man, the last righteous man in all of the earth. The Lord destroyed the entire earth in the Flood, preserving only Noah and his family. Even with this fresh start, the Creation was still effected by sin. We can look around today and see a corrupted world. I can’t help but think every time I see people blatantly sinning and celebrating in it, “DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THE FLOOD?” God gives us all the chance to repent from our sins. In Noah’s day, he gave the people 120 years while Noah was building the ark. Then he gave 7 more days after Noah and his family went into the ark. No one responded to the call of repentance in Noah’s day. God is calling out to you today as well. One day this world will undergo His judgment…will you not Call Upon The Name of The Lord to be saved? Please do. <3

Visit “The Great Story” page to download your weekly study guide or listen to the audio version of the study: The Great Story

Visit the CallUponTheLord YouTube Page for the Complete Blog Archive!

Watch Week 01 of the Great Story:

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The Great Story – The Bible

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A new online Bible Study has been launched on CallUponTheLord.com. The name of the study is “The Great Story“. This series is designed for new Christians who may not know the Biblical Stories, current Christians who would like to hear them again, and Christians that want to dig a little deeper into the doctrine and theological themes presented in the Stories. This study is being presented in a video format which is available at our YouTube Channel: CallUponTheLordVideo. A new video will be uploaded every Thursday. This is a 31 week study, so tune in every week for the latest video in the series!

You may find the accompanying study guide and an audio version of the study at:
http://www.calluponthelord.com/corywiggington-thegreatstory/

I hope you are blessed by the material that we are studying here! 🙂

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Rosh Hashanah – The Feast of Trumpets

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Once again this year, I attended the Rosh Hashanah service at a local Messianic Jew church (http://www.facebook.com/TheCongregationOfTheOneNewMan).

Rosh Hashanah is known as the Feast of Trumpets. It’s feast name is Yom Teruah. The feast has prophetic significance in that it is the feast that no one knows the day or hour of. Traditionally speaking, the feast does not begin until three witnesses all agree that they have seen the first sliver of the new moon. Depending on the weather conditions, the sighting could occur immediately or it may take several days for the moon to be visible.

Since Jesus said that no man would know the day or hour of His return, many Christians believe that the Lord will return during Rosh Hashanah.

I enjoyed my evening with the One New Man congregation. The sounding of the shofar was particularly exciting. If you have never heard one, you should go look it up, it’s quite unique. Everyone should hear it so they know what to listen for upon the Lord’s return! After the service, the entire congregation was invited to stay and eat honey and apples. This is supposed to signify blessings for the new year. The people there were very welcoming and there is a great love for our Messiah here. 🙂

Please visit their Facebook page to learn more.

A Christian Look at the Basics of Islam

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Have you ever been curious as to what Muslims believe in relation to Christianity. This new, two-part Bible Study by Cory Wiggington gives an introductory look to Islam. In addition to enlightening the reader/listener to the basic beliefs of Islam, the ensuing discussions and scriptural references demonstrate where it differs from Christianity. If you are looking for a place to start, this is it.

A Christian Look at the Basics of Islam