Tomorrow, Lord willing, we get to plunge into 2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Memorized those verses as a kid but my study on them for this message has proved very fruitful and exciting. I'm excited to share them with you.

Additionally, my son David returns tomorrow from Budapest where he's been studying math! It will be great to see him again.

Hope to see you all tomorrow.

Ever wonder why we pray? 2 Timothy 2:25-26 reminds us of a number of reasons: "Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." These verses remind us why prayer is urgent.

1. Some people (maybe some you know) oppose God and His Word.
2. Gentle instruction (not dominating, Bible-thumping) is crucial to transmitting the truth.
3. God grants repentance -- that change of mind that causes us to have godly sorrow that makes us flee sin and run to Jesus.
4. Repentance is crucial to an ongoing growth in the knowledge of the truth by which spiritual bondages are stripped away.
5. The devil entraps people so that they are senseless when it comes to Scripture -- they understand but have no motivation to accept Scripture.
6. Some people live in captivity to Satan and his will.

Have you been "praying at all times in the Spirit" (Eph. 6)? Have you prayed with urgency for anyone this week?

Father God, please grant the gift of a godly sorrow kind of repentance in my heart and in the heart of (names not listed for privacy concerns). Amen.

Hey everyone, that was an amazing day yesterday! Thanks worship band for leading us. I did sense the Holy Spirit working in our worship and Word times yesterday. Tait, thanks for sharing your story about your friend in high school. "Gently instruct" -- isn't it amazing how God's Word just nails the real issues?!!

The mid-year review was very fruitful. A number of you verbalized how you sensed the Holy Spirit potentially leading you to do amazing things for Jesus! I'm praying and asking God to put together some effective Community Impact Teams. Tim and Eileen -- thanks for sharing. We'll pray with you and see what God does about your respective ideas!

Thanks, too, to our leaders who are an amazing group that are ready to follow Jesus wherever He goes.

I hope you remember this week to open your Bible and connect with God. Next Sunday -- the Bible is "inspired" -- what does that mean and how does that affect how we live?

Have a great week!

The Bible is powerful. Hebrews 4:12: "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Faith comes by hearing, according to Romans 10. The whole of creation was accomplished through the powerful Word of God, according to Genesis 1.

On a personal level, I have been encouraged, found wisdom and guidance, convicted of sin, given clarity of life-purpose, and come to Jesus through the Bible!

A young couple contacted me and wanted to know what God thought of their situation. They had recently moved in together and were not married, were having sex, and were wondering what God thought. I gently shared with them some thoughts and when I shared the words "flee immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:18), I saw the conviction of the Holy Spirit in the man's eyes. He was so convicted that he left the relationship, moved out and moved far away, and got back into church fellowship in order to find the help and encouragement he needed.

How has the Word of God powerfully shaped your life?

The picture below is of the "Great Isaiah Scroll" found in Cave 4 outside of Qumran, near the Dead Sea. This scroll dates back to about 150 to 250 BC! It contains almost the entire book of Isaiah and is 1000 years older than the previous oldest scroll of Isaiah that we had! Upon careful scrutiny, scholars found few discrepancies between the two texts! This shows how careful the scribes copied the Scriptures and handed them down to us today! The Bible we have today is reliable!

The Bible is the most amazing book. It contains the story of humanity's fall into sin and rebellion toward God and the redemption that God offers through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament looks forward to the hope of all humankind. The New Testament tells the story of the fulfillment of that hope. What makes the Bible so amazing is that it's singular message comes out of much diversity. The Bible was written by 40 different authors, over a period of 1600 + years, and written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. This book is incredibly diverse and yet has one unified message. Amazing!

Open it up and read it -- perhaps you could start by reading 2 Timothy or Daniel.