The Basics: A Brief Overview of the Book of Jeremiah

The Basics course is designed to help brothers and sisters in Christ, who have a desire for a brief study over each of the books of the Bible. While being more than just a timeline, it is designed to give a person a more realistic overview of the entire Bible. As well as pointing out different highlights along the way. Imagine riding in a car and seeing exit signs for a town. Each sign gives a brief glimpse of what is inside, while if you wanted to thoroughly investigate the town you would have to take the exit. This series is a collected work of the books of the Bible while continuing to drive past each of the exits. I would encourage you to take any exit and allow the Lord God to direct your path to where He would guide. 

The Bible is written into 66 different books. Each one unique on its own but designed to be with its other collected works. 

Cautionary Note: This work is not to argue for the authenticity of the Bible nor is it to argue over the mechanics of how God used man to write His Words. This is designed as an overview for someone to review the book in passing. Nevertheless, we here at Mill House Ministries believe that the Bible is without error and was written by God, through His divine attributes, through man. 

These overviews are sequenced in the below fashion. Each overview is designed to flow in unison. 

1.) Introduction

2.) Who wrote it

3.) When did they write it

4.) Key topics

5.) Key sections

6.) Books that interact with each other

7.) Analysis of the Book

As previously stated, if you find yourself drawn to one of these books, please take the time and see what God is wanting to show you in that book. 

BASICS COURSE: 

Jeremiah

INTRODUCTION: 

Imagine sitting in Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah. The sun is starting to set, and the market is bursting with those selling foreign trinkets and other goods. The air is filled with the smell of incense from the homes surrounding the market. When suddenly you see a crowed is starting to gather, and people seem eager to see what is causing the stir. As you walk closer you hear a guard saying, “He is that priest from Anathoth Benjamin region.” The crowd is starting to get thicker, yet you keep pushing forward. Sliding by two merchants you hear one of them say, “He delivered his message to the King himself this morning, now he tells all of us?” Finally pushing through the crowd, you see a young man dressed in traveler’s robes. He looks like any typical Hebrew with nothing that would cause you to think he was special. However, as he turns to look in your direction, you see his face. While still in his youth, his eyes portray a heavy burden of years of knowledge and underneath are deep dark bags. You can tell he has been weeping. He keeps looking into the crowd staying silent until the market was so filled that no one else could come in. Abruptly you hear someone say, “Well Jeremiah, what do you have to say now?” While he looks distressed, you see a determination in his stance; straightening his back you hear his voice gently echo out for all to hear, “Listen here oh people of Judah.” There is something strange about how he talks, each word comes out with an unnatural authority as if the source of his voice is not even his own, “The word of the LORD came to me.”

WHO WROTE IT: 

The book of Jeremiah is named after its author, Jeremiah.  

WHEN DID THEY WRITE IT: 

According to Biblical scholars, archaeologists, theologians, and historians, Jeremiah is written 627 B.C. through to 597 B.C.[1]

KEY TOPICS:

Like the book of Isaiah, the book of Jeremiah is a declaration of God’s planned work in the lives of a rebellious people and earth. Jeremiah’s desire to follow the Lord transcends the politics of his day as he declares the word of the Lord to those who will listen. Jeremiah is a book directed at setting the stage for the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ as prophesied and announced in Isaiah and other books of the Old Testament.   

KEY SECTIONS: 

There are 52 chapters to the book of Isaiah. I would be foolish to attempt to write them out in a sequence or in a timeline but will rather point out a certain understanding one should take when reading Jeremiah. Some will say we should read Jeremiah as symbolic; others will say we need to read the chapters in an allegorical way only. However, this is not the case. Jeremiah is foremost a book of God declaring something. As a reader, it is our job to know what the topic is so we can better understand the context. Even if it sounds strange, this does not mean we are to ignore it. Many people today would have allegorized away prophecies in Jeremiah regarding Jesus Christ’s first coming, and yet from history we know they happened literally. Take Jeremiah seriously when you read through the book.

BOOKS THAT INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER: 

Jeremiah is one of the most influential books inside the Bible. Both the Old and New Testament influence the book and draw from it. Do not be surprised to see quotes of Jeremiah in other books as well as characters from other books included in Jeremiah.

ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK: 

Jeremiah is a book that which many believe is not relevant until they find themselves in the same situation that Jeremiah was in. This is unfortunate since Jeremiah has promises of hope and restoration for those who seek God. However, it should be stated that the book of Jeremiah is without a doubt the forgotten book for Christians today. Jeremiah lived in a nation that claimed to be Godly but was wicked. He was the minority, seen by others as a fundamentalist. Instead of heeding his words, he was mocked, beaten, and politically persecuted. Yet, the book shows a resilience in Jeremiah that could only be compared to what Paul felt in Philippians Chapter 1:11-13, “having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God. Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel. so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else,” Jeremiah is distressed with what is happening around him, however his foundation is firmly in the Lord. His joy and peace come from knowing that the Lord is in control. Jeremiah shines as a prophetic book declaring the sovereignty and authority that rests solely with the Lord. But it is also a practical book for you and I today to see how we need to continue to shine for Christ, declaring His word to the lost and reflecting Christ to all.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/macarthur_john/bible-introductions/jeremiah-intro.cfm

RE-POST FRIDAY

How can we keep our eyes focused on Christ in difficult times? Find out HERE!

A Working Christian

We often hear about different ministries and overseas mission trips, while these are indeed great causes it is important not to forget about our ministries and missions in our home. Recently, we wrote about our homeward bound mission field with our children. There is another mission field that we are involved in daily and one that can at times cause a Christian to stumble. The mission field that I am talking about here is our workplaces.

Looking back at my work experience I find it interesting that before I became a born-again Christian, I had other Christians working around me pretty often. I saw a difference in how they worked compared to our other coworkers. When I became a Christian, I quickly found myself in positions where I was the only born-again believer in my workplace. I would like to say that I was always a great representative of Christ in the workplace, but I know that is just not true. Part of it was me learning more about my faith and being convicted by the Holy Spirit that caused me to grow in this area. It is because of this experience that I know the impact a Christian has on the workplace. We must never forget that we are representing Christ wherever we go, are we setting an accurate example of Christ in our workplace?

Paul has a lot to say in regards to this topic, although the language that he would typically use would be to discuss masters and servants. Today we can relate this to masters being the boss while the servants would be the workers.

“22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:22-24

The first thing that we notice is that we are called to obey those who are placed in charge of us. In our obeying of those in charge of us, we should not simply be going through the motions (eye-service) or striving to ensure that we are the boss’s “Yes man”. I am sure we have all seen those people who act busy when the boss is around, but the moment they are gone the individual will slack off. This is not how a Christian should behave in the workplace. We need to live and work with the full knowledge of who we are truly working for, and that is the Lord. We need to have a sincere heart to do the work that He has called for us to do, not so we please man but so we please God. In other words, a Christian’s work ethic should be done with excellence knowing that our true audience is Christ.

As a quick side note to this though, it is important to remember that man’s law is not above God’s law. Any request by those around us that goes against the Word of God is not to be followed, this does not mean that we can’t decline respectfully. For more information on this, please read Daniel chapter 3 and see how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego handled the demands of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Paul enhances upon this topic in 1 Peter 2:18-20, “18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person endures grief when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.” We have all had bad bosses, I know I certainly have. And often times we tend to use this as an excuse to not have a sincere heart in our work. Maybe its cutting corners, maybe its joining in on the water cooler gossip, or simply not completing tasks. Either way, Paul makes it clear that we are to show respect to those who have been placed in charge of us, not only the good but also the bad. As mentioned above, we are constantly representing God to those around us, how can we bear witness to a loving God who fulfills His tasks and promises if we are not doing the same? Paul also makes a note that when we continue to deal with those bosses who are not the best in a respectful manner we will be rewarded. This is not to say that we will immediately see the favor of God, nor that our situation may change, but it is important to remember that our award waits for us.

But why do we need to show respect to those who show none to us? Paul very clearly points this out in 1 Timothy 6:1, “All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.” As representatives of Christ, our attitude directly reflects Christ to those around us. We cannot preach of a loving God if we are not loving ourselves. We cannot share of a God who fulfills His promises if we cannot fulfill our simple day to day tasks. When we show an attitude that goes against what Christ calls us to be, we slander His name. This in and of itself comes with a dire warning, “16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.” Titus 1:16. I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be considered worthless by God to complete the tasks that He has given for me. The world is looking for reasons not to believe in God, don’t give them any based on your actions.

For the sake of the argument, let us consider that the bosses that we have talked about until now are nonbelievers. We have clearly seen how our actions reflect Christ and how we should respond to a boss who does not believe as we do. Now let us turn to those bosses who profess to be born-again believers and their actions show that they are as well. You would think that this would make the workplace easier right? Paul discusses this situation clearly in 1 Timothy 6:2, “2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.”

Just because those placed in charge of us are Christians, does not mean that we are to slack off. There are still nonbelievers among our workplace. How they see the Christians at work interact will also affect their idea of God. If you take advantage of having a believing boss by not working with a sincere heart, you place them in an awkward situation. If they go easy on you then others will say it is favoritism, if they do not then you might have hurt a relationship with a brother or sister in Christ.

Jesus Christ shows us a great example of how we should be with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. “42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” Mark 10:42-45. Even Jesus Christ, God Himself, did not come to be served. Instead He served those around them, even by washing His disciple’s feet (John 13:1-17). We need to ensure that our attitude it that of a sincere servant to those around us.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

How To Get Clean

There is something that many of us fail to recognize until years of pain and sorrow have shown the reality of what we should have done all along. There is a lie that many, myself included, have fallen prey to over the years which is, “You can’t go to God until you have dealt with your sin.”

This lie plagues the non-believer and the believer in different ways. Today, I want to dive in and discuss how this misinformation has caused the believer’s progress with their spiritual walk to be entangled.

As a believer sooner or later you will come to a realization that you blew it. That you made a hard core stupid decision, crossed the line, and sinned. At that moment you will have two choices. One, attempt to fix your own sin prior to coming to Christ and making amends, or two you will run to the Lord and allow Him to help you. Regrettably, this decision is even more deceptive for those of us who were saved at an early age. We have come accustomed to the comfortable church environment around us and have slowly sank into complacency. Where the raw, very real, and powerful presence of the Lord in our life has been replaced with the mediocracy within the laid back atmosphere.

This is when that lie is most dangerous. The heart is still filled with the Holy Spirit so when we mess up the conviction is immediate, but instead of running to the Lord for His help we say things like, “I got to do better” or “Why did I make that mistake again.” We never return to the Lord, instead we grow further apart from Him with the idea that we cannot come closer until we fix ourselves.

This belief is contrary to scripture and it needs to be purged from our mind and action. We fail to remember that Jesus Christ is the one who cleanse us from all unrighteousness, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” Titus 3:5. It is by being in His presence we are transformed, just look at Moses.

“Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him”

 Exodus 34:29-35.

To be healed there is no fixing ourselves then coming to Christ, if this were so we could fix our own sin and gain salvation on our own accord. We need Christ to clean us, to identify the sin in our life and erase it. This can only happen if we are with Him, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin,” 1st John 1:7. So remember this, when you find yourself making a mistake and sinning; the choice is before you, run to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and clean you once again. If you are already saved this is not about salvation, but rather restoration. This is about making our relationship as close as possible so that He can work His wonders in our life.

If you are a non-believer the answer is the same, you need Jesus to fix what you have done. So run to Jesus Christ, ask Him to forgive you of your sin, and to come into your life.

Both the non-believer and the believer need to remember that Christ is the power behind the healing, not us. He saves and restores. He gathers and He transforms us, all we need to do is be in His presence and allow Him to do what He says He will. Remember Psalm 51:7, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” The psalmist is identifying that they cannot do any of this themselves, it is God who does. Jesus is the answer no matter where we are in our life. From being a non-believer to a believer for decades, we need Jesus Christ all the same. 

 Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY

What is the importance of a good shepherd? Come find out HERE!

Be Bold

Life is challenging, at times it chews us up and spits us back out. Then there are the moments where things are well and its smooth sailing. This is true in our faith as well. We face times that are good and we can easily see God’s grace and mercy and are thankful for what He has done for us. Then there are the times when our faith is challenged, in these moments we can choose to either bow down to the challenger or remain bold and proclaim the truth in the Word of God.

The fact of the matter is that as Christians we are not called to be timid when discussing our faith, in fact a timid spirit is something that we should not have. “7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 God has given us a bold spirit, it was entrusted upon us from the moment that we placed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. “On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul” Psalm 138:3 But this knowledge doesn’t always make it easier when we are faced with an opportunity to share the gospel or faced with someone challenging our faith. Too often we worry that this isn’t the time or place to share our knowledge of the true and living God or we are concerned with the repercussions that we could face when we share the gospel. Today I want to remind us all that we are called to stand firm in the faith and in doing so we are called to be bold when we are faced with these challenges.

Sometimes we mistake the definition of being bold as being in your face, bow down to me or face the consequences type of ideology. This is not the case and shouldn’t be for the Christian who are faced with an opportunity to share the gospel. To be bold is defined as the ability to take risks, to be confident, to be courageous. In the case of sharing the gospel this means that we need to hold the spirit that God has given us mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7. We are given a spirit of power, that is to say authority. When we know the Word of God as the absolute authority that it is, we have greater understanding. In order for this to be however, we need to actively be studying the Word. We need to know what the Bible actually says, how else can we take a stand against those who are questioning it if we do not know what the Bible teaches? For me this was made evidently clear in my own upbringing. Growing up I had some misguided ideas of what the Bible teaches and as such there was a time that I wanted nothing to do with God. It wasn’t until I was placed around those who spoke with authority of the knowledge of the Word of God that these misconceptions were corrected. They were able to Biblically show me how my ideas were not Biblically sound and by the grace of God, I was saved. We need to have the knowledge of the Word so that we can speak with authority on what the Word teaches.

We are also given a spirit of love. To have authority does not mean that we do not have love, and to have love does not mean that we do not have authority. One of the common sayings in our house in regards to sin is this, “If you see a person drowning are you going to stand on the shore and say ‘Don’t worry! You are loved!’ or are you going to point out to them the life preserve that is next to them?” This is how a bold spirit with love is. We love the individual enough to point out that they are drowning (in sin) and also show them how they can be saved (Jesus Christ). People are bold in their sin, we need to be bold also in our love for people to not let them continue.

According to 2 Timothy we are also given a spirit of discipline. Again this is a mistaken concept that a Christian does not have the authority to point out that others need Christ. A timid spirit would say to a person in sin that God loves them no matter what. A person with a bold spirit with love and authority would would tell the person that God loves them enough to rescue them from what is eternally hurting them. Titus 2:11-15 is a great example of this, “11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds. 15 These things speak and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. No one is to disregard you.” When we come before someone in a bold spirit we have with us all authority. We have God Himself standing with us! If that doesn’t give us an encouragement to boldly proclaim the Word of God I don’t know what will.

For those of you who may be reading this and wondering what to possibly say when thrust into these situations, remember Christ’s on words to His disciples. “16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:16-20 We are very much sheep among wolves in this day and age, but this is not to cause us to cower. Instead, we need to be wise and gentle in our approach. When we are placed in these situations, thanks to the Holy Spirit, we will be given what to say. A great example is Acts 7 with Stephen. He volunteered to wash tables of widows but when the time came, he was given the words to preach a sermon.

It is important to remember that our strength is not of ourselves but of the spirit that God has given us, namely the Holy Spirit. We are called to share the gospel but it is the backing of this Spirit that allows us to break down the barriers when we speak God’s truth to others, and it is the Holy Spirit who shows us the scripture that we need to use when faced with a challenger.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Basics: A Brief Overview of the Book of Isaiah

The Basics course is designed to help brothers and sisters in Christ, who have a desire for a brief study over each of the books of the Bible. While being more than just a timeline, it is designed to give a person a more realistic overview of the entire Bible. As well as pointing out different highlights along the way. Imagine riding in a car and seeing exit signs for a town. Each sign gives a brief glimpse of what is inside, while if you wanted to thoroughly investigate the town you would have to take the exit. This series is a collected work of the books of the Bible while continuing to drive past each of the exits. I would encourage you to take any exit and allow the Lord God to direct your path to where He would guide. 

The Bible is written into 66 different books. Each one unique on its own but designed to be with its other collected works. 

Cautionary Note: This work is not to argue for the authenticity of the Bible nor is it to argue over the mechanics of how God used man to write His Words. This is designed as an overview for someone to review the book in passing. Nevertheless, we here at Mill House Ministries believe that the Bible is without error and was written by God, through His divine attributes, through man. 

These overviews are sequenced in the below fashion. Each overview is designed to flow in unison. 

1.) Introduction

2.) Who wrote it

3.) When did they write it

4.) Key topics

5.) Key sections

6.) Books that interact with each other

7.) Analysis of the Book

As previously stated, if you find yourself drawn to one of these books, please take the time and see what God is wanting to show you in that book. 

BASICS COURSE: 

Isaiah

INTRODUCTION: 

Imagine the nation ruled by King Saul, King David, and King Solomon suddenly divided into two different nations. The nation to the north called Israel has failed to produce even one good King. While the nation to the south, Judah, has brought forth only a few. The threat of Assyria to the North is ever present. Meanwhile, there is a remnant in Judah who eagerly focus on the Lord, and the general belief is that Judah might survive. Suddenly a man walks in proclaiming that God has found Judah guilty. This man earnestly comes forth pleading the need to tell what God has commissioned him to announce. His statements are bold, his words grab the attention of all ages, this man is named Isaiah.

WHO WROTE IT: 

The book of Isaiah is named after its author, Isaiah.  

WHEN DID THEY WRITE IT: 

According to Biblical scholars, archaeologists, theologians, and historians, Isaiah was killed by being sawn in two with a wooden saw by King Manasseh soon after he had taken the throne. They summarize based on the evidence that Isaiah’s prophetic work was from 739-690 BC.[1]

KEY TOPICS:

The book of Isaiah is a magnificent book for several reasons, first God is declaring what He plans to do for the nations of Judah and Israel, but also to even rescue the whole world from their sins. The book is a marvelous pronouncement of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.  

KEY SECTIONS: 

There are 66 chapters to the book of Isaiah. I would be foolish to attempt to write them out in a sequence or in a timeline, but will rather point out certain understanding one should take when reading Isaiah. Some will say we should read Isaiah as symbolic, or others will say we need to read the chapters in an allegorical way only. However, this is not the case. Isaiah is foremost a book of God declaring something. As a reader it is our job to know what the topic is so we can better understand the context. Even if it sounds strange, this does not mean we are to ignore it. Many people today would have allegorized away prophecies in Isaiah regarding Jesus Christ’s first coming, and yet from history we know they happened literally. Take Isaiah seriously when you read through the book.

BOOKS THAT INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER: 

Isaiah is one of the most influential books inside the Bible. Both the Old and New Testament influence the book and draw from it. Do not be surprised to see quotes of Isaiah in other books as well as characters from other books included in Isaiah.

ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK: 

  One of the biggest arguments against the book of Isaiah and even the entire Bible has been Chapter 53. Here the book describes Jesus Christ’s first coming, the chapter goes into great detail to describe the crucifixion and other details that would have been impossible to have known unless you were there. The problem is, Isaiah was supposed to be written hundreds of years before Jesus Christ would come. The secular world ranted it was placed in Isaiah only after Jesus Christ, others have gone on to say the chapter is cursed and no one should read it. However, in 1947 when the Dead Sea scrolls were found there was a complete copy of the book of Isaiah to include chapter 53, which proved the authenticity of both the book and the Bible.

I say all of this to hopefully bring your attention to what the theme of Isaiah is all about. This book is a revelation into the mind of God and His intricate plan. It is hope for those who wish to be rescued and accept Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life. This book is a declaration to those who would oppose the Messiah. Do not be discouraged to read Isaiah, but eagerly ask the Lord to reveal to you what you need to understand. I have read the book several times over the years, and each time I learn something new that God wants to reveal to me. What a blessing to both Jew and Gentile knowing our Messiah has declared His intentions and He is in control.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/eo/Isa/Isa000.cfm

RE-POST FRIDAY

How can we stand firm in these unprecedented times? Find out HERE!

A Group Not to Forget

There has been something on my mind for the last week or so, and as we have recently finished our study on prayer, I think that this quick note is much needed.  You see most Christians have a somewhat active prayer life. We at least take time to pray for God’s help with a matter or we pray for family members. All of this is good and is much needed don’t get me wrong! We need to continue to pray for these things as well as wisdom, discernment, understanding, and for God’s will to be done!

However, there are a few groups who definitely need prayer that are often overlooked, a sad fact when we realize the power in prayer. You might be thinking that I am talking about the unbelievers, this is a worthy prayer request and one that should be taken seriously. If you followed along with our study on prayer you would see how much a prayer of intercession could do. This is not the only group that needs prayer. Nor am I talking about praying for ourselves or those around us.

The group that I have in mind here is actually our church leadership. We often have the mistaken impression that those in a leadership role; pastor, elders, life group leaders and the like, either don’t need our prayers or they simply have their act together better than everyone else. This is far from true! Our church leaders face spiritual warfare just like us and without prayer backing them up it would be easy for a leader to be swept away. To bring home the importance on why our leadership needs prayer think of it this way. Where the leadership goes, so does the church. What I mean by this is that if a person in a leadership role is taken in by a false teaching, it then will be brought into the church. This could lead to a couple different options; one the church is swept away by the false teaching. Or two, the church becomes divided as stronger believers fight against the false teaching. These options both have the same outcome, a church body who is ineffective to teach the true Word of God.

My message to you this week is simple, in your prayer time remember those in our leadership roles. Pray that they remain steadfast in the faith, that they have wisdom and discernment to see truth in God’s Word, pray that they have those around them who can guide them when they have questions, pray for their health, pray for their families, and if you can’t think of anything specific to pray for, pray that God knows what they need and know that He is wholly capable of answering.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

HOME CENTERED MISSION FIELD

Today’s post might resemble more of a blog rather than a post, but I thought it was worth sharing. The rain is coming down and the fall weather is really starting to settle in. The family is fast asleep yet, my mind is fully awake. Instead of tossing and turning, I have decided to spend my late night with you all.

My scheduled post will be postponed and rather I want to take a short moment and just think out loud and allow you all to know a little bit of what I have realized about Christ recently. In my own Bible study, I have been going over Babylon and the origins and finality of the Great City and the human architect which has plagued our world for so long. However, while seeking through the scripture and looking at each generation, I have started to see a pattern that unfortunately needs to be addressed.

God does not have grandchildren; He only has children.

What do I mean about this? In my pursuit to study Babylon, I have crossed human history from the beginning of time to the coming end of the age, and in doing so I have realized that a believer in Christ can live for Christ and even reflect this to the entire world and yet their children could still reject the Lord. We see this with King Hezekiah, we see this with some of King David’ s sons, and so many other prime examples. It only took a few years in Nehemiah’s day for the people to reject God and start following their own path. Even though the people with Moses lacked the faith to enter the Promised Land, Joshua and the next generation were ready to follow God. What I am trying to say is, no one becomes saved through their parents being saved. Even though I am a father, my children must on their own accord come to the cross as I have personally. My wife is not saved by my faith and our children are not saved by her faith.

Paul in chapter 3 of Romans couldn’t say it any clearer than this, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” God wants all to come to know Him, thus everyone who does is a child and not a grandchild. This might sound strange to say, but as parents our greatest mission field is our children. Many people like to say, “our children are our world” yet when it comes to mission work, we seek outside of our own home, thinking this is where we need to be. This world is failing not because of less missionaries in the world, but because we have less mission work in our homes. Instead of traveling across the world, we have failed to recognize the little ones who need us in the here and now.

Christian parents have a double responsibility to live for Christ. We need to walk in a manner that shows the world who Christ is, but also reflect Christ to our children who are with us. Each day needs to be careful, articulated, and planned out moment by moment ready to take advantage of any time we can point our children back to Jesus Christ.

So during times when you can’t sleep from tossing and turning, take advantage of the moment and pray for your children. Pray for the next generation that they would seek Jesus Christ. While there is nothing wrong with going thousands of miles away for Christ, it is just as important to travel across the house to share Christ with those whom the Lord has blessed us with.  

If you are not a parent, pray for the future children you might have one day. Pray for your spouse or future spouse. Pray for the children in your life, pray for the children in your church, pray for the very people in the church that they would not be playing church but rather being the church.

We are responsible for pointing them to the Lord, we can let Him do the rest.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY

A lesson from Moses on how we can act during times of uncertainty. Read it HERE!

Our Inheritance

In the world today it is sometimes difficult to remember what God has in store for us who are saved. The world wants us to be beaten down so that our eyes are downcast instead of looking up with the focus on where God would have it on. Instead of being Kingdom driven, we are earthly swayed. Instead of listening to the Word of God, our attention can be captured to listen elsewhere. However, there is a disclosure that God makes to us as believers which should cause us to keep our eyes solely focused on Him. We have an inheritance coming! Galatians 4:1-7 outlines this basic God given truth to the believer that we are children of God which comes with all the blessings that we cannot even comprehend.  

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

This passage begins by stating that when an heir is a child, he has claim to everything but is no different from those who are around him. He still relies on his guardians and managers to help him until the appropriate time for him to come into his inheritance. In short, the heir is in servitude to those who would guide him.

Paul uses this imagery to reveal to the Galatian Christian that the previous bonds no longer hold us. When we are not saved, we are enslaved to sin. We are held to the Law to show us that we need a savior. Were there those who believed in Jesus Christ and that one day He would show up? Yes, but those believers looked the same as any other slave. They are held with no authority of an inheritance. However, when God the Father declared it, Jesus came to save us all. This was the moment of change, the moment that Paul describes by saying, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” However, we have something the believer before Jesus Christ’s visitation on earth did not have, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us which has been promised to never leave us.

It was for this reason that God the Father sent His Son to die on a cross and bear our sins. Christ came to earth born as a human man and under the law. Through His life, death, and resurrection; Christ redeemed all of mankind from their slavery to sin and all of this was done at the Father’s appointed time. Man could no more force God to hurry His plan of salvation than we could cause our own salvation. Through the free gift of salvation offered to everyone through Jesus Christ, we are adopted into God’s family.

The book of Hebrews often speaks of Jesus Christ’s inheritance for following the will of God the Father, “12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.” Hebrews 10:12-13 and because of His death all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are descendants of Abraham and have the rightful claim to an inheritance, “29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29

While this passage does not directly state what our inheritance is, it points us to the scripture as a glimpse of what is waiting for us. And I believe that a part of our inheritance can be seen in Ephesians 2:5-6, “5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”. Because God so cares for those who belong to Him, He created an inheritance for us even while we were separated from God by our own sins. When we only deserved death, He gave us life and a right to be seated next to the Son of God! That is how much God cares for us! Through His promise of life, we are no longer bound to our sin and as such our citizenship is not here on earth, “20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Philippians 3:20 and perhaps one of the best things about the inheritance that we have is that it cannot be taken away from us! “3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,” 1 Peter 1:3-4. This passage in Galatians should bring hope to the born-again believer no matter how long we have been in the faith. It is a reminder of what our inheritance is!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Are You a Meteorologist?

Have you ever thought about Bible prophecy, got excited, expected something epic to happen, and nothing did? Well you wouldn’t be alone. Many Bible scholars, prophecy watchers, and good Bible students have noticed events that indicated prophecy was coming to be fulfilled have waited patiently only to be let down. Today I would like to take a moment and ask this question, are we as believers in Jesus Christ looking at Bible prophecy correctly? Today’s post is not about the legitimacy of Bible prophecy, nor is it about a specific prophecy given in the Bible; but rather regarding the practice of 21st Century believers reading scripture.

One quick note, Mill House Ministries not only believes in the inherency of the Bible, but that Bible Prophecy is a legitimate study and interwoven throughout the entire Bible and should be taken seriously.

However, I would ask you only one question. What is prophecy for? When we review the Bible we see that prophecy is given as instruction regarding an up and coming event. This is done so that those who are willing to listen are not caught off guard with God’s actions. Proverbs 14:8 states, “The naive inherit foolishness, But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.” Simply put, those who are paying attention will understand, and those who are seeking will find.

So what does this mean to us today? Well imagine that Bible Prophecy is a storm; God has revealed that the storm will have dark clouds, it will be fraught with lightning, thunder, and heavy rain. He warns us that we need to be aware of the storm for it is an indication of a specific action that God will do when the storm shows up.

Naturally, humans will fall into four camps. The first is the Meteorologist, they are the Bible Scholar, the Prophecy watcher. They are eagerly looking for signs of the storm that is coming. This group typically is well attuned to Bible prophecy and human theories regarding the interpretations of those events described in the Bible. They are watching all the subtle signs for a coming storm. When the barometric pressure changes, they get all excited and start telling everyone the storm is coming. They post articles, video clips, and might even make movies to get the word out. Causal observers just look and laugh, or might even look up at the sky and wonder what the meteorologist might mean when it looks like a beautiful day. This makes the meteorologist disheartened, or for the prophecy watcher they might become filled with doubt since the storm has not arrived.

The next group is the Bible student, they are not as keen as the meteorologist, but they like to cloud watch. They read the Bible and see the uniqueness without going into the pain staking detail of the prophecy watcher. When they see the clouds gathering and darkening they start to realize that the words spoken in the Bible are coming true. This might scare them or cause them to have fear knowing that the clouds are darkening. They do not understand the reasoning behind the storm, unlike the prophecy watcher, and so they are afraid.

The third group is the uneducated born again believer. This person is not paying attention to the Bible as they should and even less when Bible prophecy is involved. They only notice the storm when the lightning flashes in front of them, and the thunder crashes. For this group it appears that God has left them to the storm and they fall into despair.

The final group is the unbeliever. This person ignored the meteorologist proclamation of the storm coming when the barometric pressure changed. They ignored the Bible student when they pointed out the darkening storms. They even had the audacity to ignore the lightning and thunder and continued on their day. The unbeliever was there during the time of the other three groups, they no doubt saw the same signs but instead they ignored them. Now the storm has come and this will finally wake the unbeliever up, the unbeliever experiences the storm! The rain comes down and they are intimately involved and are witnesses to the awesome power of the storm, which is God’s might. There is no denying it, there is no pretending it isn’t happening, it is right in front of their faces. God is declaring what He had declared well before the storm occurred.

In retrospect, who first knew of God’s promise? The Prophecy watcher, they saw the early signs and knew what was coming. For them the challenge is trusting God’s timing not their own.

For the Bible Student, they understood secondly based on the apparent signs of the storm coming into proximity. For the Bible student their challenge is trusting God, that He knows what He is doing.

The uneducated believer only recognized the storm once God had to pull them away from what was distracting them in order to bring their focus on what He wanted them to see. For them the challenge is realizing God is trying to get their attention.

Nevertheless, the storm is ultimately there for the fourth and final person, the unbeliever. Did the storm help the prophecy watcher, the Bible student, and the uneducated believer with their own challenges? Of course! But the final applicable part of Bible prophecy is for the unbeliever to wake up and realize they are indeed in a storm. The unbeliever now realizes that they need to find shelter, they need to listen to the three that they had ignored and see how they can get out of the storm.

  By now I hope you are seeing where I am going with all of this, we are clearly seeing the days approaching of Bible prophecy being fulfilled. The barometric pressure is changing, the clouds are darkening, and in some cases we even have lightning and thunder. Yet are we in the storm? When we review Bible prophecy we need to take a moment and reflect on the subtle views we might be looking at it from. Are we the eager Prophecy watcher who is looking at every little calculation and seeing the slow development; but losing faith because it is not on their own timeline? Are we the Bible student who is scared to see the darkening clouds and doubt God’s greatness and sovereignty? Are we the uneducated believer who only notices prophecy when it is literally in front of us and we automatically believe God has forgotten us? Or are we the unbeliever who denies the coming storm all together?

We need to remember that Bible prophecy has a dual application for all types of people. We need to understand where we are in regards to that specific prophecy, and see what challenges are keeping us from seeing God for who He really is. If we would slow down and think of the big picture, we might see that God is working so that even the unbeliever has the opportunity to recognize what He has declared. We as believers need to recognize it is our duty to help those unbelievers understand that our only savior from the storm is none other than Jesus Christ.

So next time you hear of Bible prophecy, reflect on what category you might fall in and see the challenges of that group. But remember the blessings for those who are eagerly seeking to know God’s word. The meteorologist is blessed to know the storm is coming first, likewise the Prophecy watcher is the first to see God’s handiwork in action. Let us be eagerly watching, but recognize the challenges before us and understand where others might be.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

RE-POST FRIDAY

A very important reminder on waiting on the Lord to answer! Read it HERE!

An Answered Prayer

Now that we have seen some of the types of prayers, I want to remind our readers of the power of prayer. I have said throughout this series that prayer is our greatest weapon, it is how we communicate with God. We have seen different types of prayers that show this relationship with our Lord and Savior and hopefully this series has encouraged you in your prayer life. With a better understanding of prayer, we need to be reminded of how prayer is our greatest weapon. One of the best examples for this can be found in Acts 12. 

In this chapter, Peter has been imprisoned by King Herod for preaching the gospel. The King planned to have Peter executed after the feast of Unleavened Bread. Peter was thrown into prison and into the hands of four squads, so roughly forty men. The night before he was to be executed, Peter was asleep and chained between two of the guards. He had no expectation of being released so when an angel appeared to him, Peter believed that it was a dream. 

“6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.””

Acts 12:6-11

You may be wondering what this story has to do with the power of prayer, and the answer to that question can be found one verse up.

“ 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.”

Acts 12:5

While Peter was expecting to die, the church was meeting together and offering up prayers to God for his rescue. When we began this series we discussed the attitudes that can be seen in different prayers. This included an attitude of being earnest which we defined as approaching God with excitement, not half-heartedly. An earnest prayer is a prayer that of sincere conviction, and there is no doubt that this is exactly what the church was doing on Peter’s behalf. This example shows us the power that prayer has. We don’t always know the situation that someone faces or how we should pray when we are faced with a difficult situation; but when we pray and we ask others to pray for us we are raining down that artillery fire and it may even end with a release from our own prison.

The fact is, we don’t always know the outcome of our prayers. The church praying for Peter certainly didn’t. Not until he appeared at their doorstep and even then they believed that it could not have been him. “12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. ” Acts 12:12-16 The church had no clue that their prayer had been answered until Peter appeared.

This is the same for us when we pray, we may not get an answer right away, or we may not even know that our prayer has been answered. What we need to keep in mind, is that we need to pray no matter what. Finally, I want to leave you with this, God loves you and if you are ever wondering if He cares for you turn to His Word. If you are ever wondering if He is listening, just seek the Lord’s promises found in scripture. Jesus Christ is a living God, this means He can hear and act upon prayer. 

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Basics: A Brief Overview of Song of Solomon

    The Basics course is designed to help brothers and sisters in Christ, who have a desire for a brief study over each of the books of the Bible. While being more than just a timeline, it is designed to give a person a more realistic overview of the entire Bible. As well as pointing out different highlights along the way. Imagine riding in a car and seeing exit signs for a town. Each sign gives a brief glimpse of what is inside, while if you wanted to thoroughly investigate the town you would have to take the exit. This series is a collected work of the books of the Bible while continuing to drive past each of the exits. I would encourage you to take any exit and allow the Lord God to direct your path to where He would guide. 

     The Bible is written into 66 different books. Each one unique on its own but designed to be with its other collected works. 

     Cautionary Note: This work is not to argue for the authenticity of the Bible nor is it to argue over the mechanics of how God used man to write His Words. This is designed as an overview for someone to review the book in passing. Nevertheless, we here at Mill House Ministries believe that the Bible is without error and was written by God, through His divine attributes, through man. 

     These overviews are sequenced in the below fashion. Each overview is designed to flow in unison. 

1.) Introduction

2.) Who wrote it

3.) When did they write it

4.) Key topics

5.) Key sections

6.) Books that interact with each other

7.) Analysis of the Book

As previously stated, if you find yourself drawn to one of these books, please take the time and see what God is wanting to show you in that book.

BASICS COURSE:

Song of Solomon

Introduction

Song of Solomon can be considered one of the least read books in the Bible. It is a poetic dedication of sacrificial love and eternal truth that expounds through the ages. 

Who wrote it

We know that King Solomon is the author of this book. 

When did they write it

While we do not know the exact time of the writing of this book, we can narrow it to King Solomon’s life around 931 B.C. [1]

Key topics

The Song of Solomon is poetry with significance. While each word might be read over as a poem, it should be take as seriously as any other book of the Bible. The topics discussed very but are centered around love, God, man, marriage, Israel, and purity. 

Key sections

The sections are more of scenes within a play and should be read as a whole. The book is short and, if given the proper time and appreciation, a true jewel within other jewels of scripture. 

Books that interact with each other

There is no simple book that interacts with Song of Solomon. However, the love depicted does reveal the love Jesus Christ has for us; thus we can see the uniqueness and drive God has to save us throughout every other book of the Bible. 

Analysis of the Book

I must confess, this book is one at which I myself have spent not near enough time in. Song of Solomon is a book with power and true character reflection of the individual, but also how God desires to be in a relationship with His people Israel as well as the Church. Dr. J. Vernon McGee in Briefings the Bible states that there are four themes to which have been connected to this book. 

The first theme is the establishment of a wedding, the unique design of what God has instituted. The second theme is the love God has for His nation, Israel. The third theme is a representation of Christ with the Church. Finally, the fourth theme is Christ’s unique communion with the individual. He loves us and Song of Solomon is a book where this is reflected in poetic brilliance. 

Hold until relieved our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

[1] https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-wisdom-books/Songs

RE-POST FRIDAY

A reminder of how important prayer is with the Armor of God. Read it HERE!

Hinderances to Prayer

We have now discussed the many different types of prayer. However, there is one aspect that still needs to be discussed and that is things that hinder our prayer life. There are times in our Christian walk where it feels as if God does not hear us that we are just speaking to empty air. It is during these times that we often need prayer the most. However, there are things that can occur that will hinder us having that communication with God.

Perhaps the most common reason that hinders our prayers is unconfessed sin. We see this with psalm 66:18, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;” God is perfect and cannot abide with sin, and that includes sin in the lives of His born-again believers. This is when prayers of repentance are needed. We have already seen in our post regarding prayers of repentance that God will remove our transactions as far as the east is from the west. Jeremiah 31:34b states, ““for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.”” When we confess our sins, our relationship with God is restored. This has nothing to do with salvation but rather restoration. Once saved, there is nothing that can take us from the Lord Jesus Christ. Just look at John 10:29, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

A second trait that has been discussed in our series is disbelief. If we doubt what God says is true, doubt that He has our best interest at heart, or that He has the power to accomplish what His Word says; then it makes for a difficult time for us to pray. Why would we pray to a God who we do not believe can make the impossible happen? Why pray if we doubt that He truly wants what is good for us in our life? Or if we do not believe that He has the power to handle our everyday situations? James describes this person as a double-minded person. “6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”James 1:6-8. This person is unstable in their ways, trying to fit into both the world and God’s will but unable to do so. The only thing that doubts and disbelief creates is a challenge for us to hear God’s answer when we pray. 

We might also find a hindrance to our prayers when we do not hold forgiveness in our hearts. Forgiving and being forgiven go hand in hand, “14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15. Not to say that we lose our salvation if we do not forgive someone who sins against us, but the anger that we hold makes it difficult to come before God with our prayers. We instead find ourselves focusing on the situation and not praying to the one who forgives all who call to Him. 

We might also see our prayer life halted if we hold idols in our heart. An idol can be anything that distracts us from God. We see God’s response regarding idols in Ezekiel 14:3, “3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put in front of their faces the stumbling block of their wrongdoing. Should I let Myself be consulted by them at all?” If there is anything in our life that distracts us from spending time with God and listening for His voice, this is an idol. We serve a God who will not allow worship towards anything but Him, all in idol does is inhibit our access to God.

Finally, we will see hindrances in our prayer life if we come before God with wrong motives. We cannot treat Him like our personal genie who will grant us our wishes whenever we want. If we do not come before God seeking His will, and not our will, then our prayers hold no power. “3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” James 4:3. We have discussed throughout this series that we cannot force God to conform to our will and desires, but we need to come before Him and pray that He makes His will clear to us so we can follow. Remember it is not wrong to ask God to change our desires to match His so that we can eagerly seek His desires, which in turn will be reflected by our own. However, this will never happen if we have something in our way from having that unity which God desires with us. Our prayer life needs to be alive and well, not a ritualistic utterance of wishes, desires, and half-hoped requests. We have a living God, let us have a relationship how He intended it to be. For this to happen, our prayer life needs to be accurately reflecting how it was designed to be.  

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

The Basics: A Brief Overview of Ecclesiastes

    The Basics course is designed to help brothers and sisters in Christ, who have a desire for a brief study over each of the books of the Bible. While being more than just a timeline, it is designed to give a person a more realistic overview of the entire Bible. As well as pointing out different highlights along the way. Imagine riding in a car and seeing exit signs for a town. Each sign gives a brief glimpse of what is inside, while if you wanted to thoroughly investigate the town you would have to take the exit. This series is a collected work of the books of the Bible while continuing to drive past each of the exits. I would encourage you to take any exit and allow the Lord God to direct your path to where He would guide. 

The Bible is written into 66 different books. Each one unique on its own but designed to be with its other collected works. 

Cautionary Note: This work is not to argue for the authenticity of the Bible nor is it to argue over the mechanics of how God used man to write His Words. This is designed as an overview for someone to review the book in passing. Nevertheless, we here at Mill House Ministries believe that the Bible is without error and was written by God, through His divine attributes, through man. 

These overviews are sequenced in the below fashion. Each overview is designed to flow in unison. 

1.) Introduction

2.) Who wrote it

3.) When did they write it

4.) Key topics

5.) Key sections

6.) Books that interact with each other

7.) Analysis of the Book

As previously stated, if you find yourself drawn to one of these books, please take the time and see what God is wanting to show you in that book. 

BASICS COURSE: 

Ecclesiastes 

INTRODUCTION: 

This book is the written account of King Solomon coming to the understanding that everything without Christ is in vain. We are able to see how God views man and how man incorrectly views himself.  

WHO WROTE IT: 

The book of Ecclesiastes is written by King Solomon. 

WHEN DID THEY WRITE IT: 

Because the book is written towards the end of King Solomon’s life, we know the book was written around 931 B.C.[1]

KEY TOPICS:

The book of Ecclesiastes discusses science, wisdom, philosophy, pleasure, materialism, fatalism, religion, wealth, and morality. 

KEY SECTIONS: 

Chapters 1-2 discuss science, wisdom, and philosophy. Chapters 3-6 discuss pleasure, materialism, fatalism, elision, and wealth. Chapters 7 -11 is uniquely discussing morality and human nature. The book ends with chapters 12-14 presenting a reflection by King Solomon. 

BOOKS THAT INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER: 

This book draws heavily on the unique aspects of wisdom, thus there is subtle reflection to Proverbs and Psalms. However, Ecclesiastes can be considered a stand alone book.  

ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK: 

The book of Ecclesiastes can be considered the philosophical revelation to man from God. We see that without Him in our life, life is fruitless and without any of the fulfillment that we would have if He was in our life. King Solomon goes to great lengths to reveal to the reader what has taken him years to learn. For those who are young and first on their own in this world, the book of Ecclesiastes would be good for you to see that the temptations of this world are nothing more than snares of empty promises. Ecclesiastes is a declaration of God’s unique design of man needing Him in our life if we are to truly live. 

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

[1] https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-wisdom-books/ecclesiastes

RE-POST FRIDAY

A reminder to our readers on who is on the throne. Read it HERE!