The Weekly Epistle 1/8/20

A Sunday School teacher asked her class of third graders, “What is gray and has a long bushy tail?”  Class was silent.  “Ok,” the teacher went on, “It lives in trees and likes to eat nuts.”  Still nothing, so the teacher continued.  “It loves to jump from branch to branch and chatters and flips its tail when it is excited.”  Finally, one boy tentatively put up his hand.  The teacher breathed a sigh of relief and called on the little boy.  “Well,” said the boy, I know the answer is Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me.”
 
It’s an old joke I know.  But for Christians the “right” answer seems to always be Jesus.  There was a billboard down south that had the words, “Jesus is the answer” written in big bold letters.  Somewhere along the way, someone came along and wrote these words under that statement, “But what are the questions.”
 
Do we know the questions people are asking?  And when they ask, do we know how to answer?  Peter in his first letter spoke of the importance of living in such a way that people ask us to give the reason for the hope that lies within us (I Peter 3:15).  How prepared are you to share how Jesus is the answer in your life?  What is He the answer to?
 
If asked what the Bible is all about, “Jesus” would be the correct answer.  We kicked off our series this past Sunday in tracing the storyline of the Bible.  Sixty-six books written by over forty people over a period of 2,000 years yet it all fits together to point to the Bible’s main subject of the salvation God offers through Jesus Christ.  We left off with humankind a mess!  Sin’s ripple effect on all people is in great need of an answer.  We will pick it up in Genesis, chapter 12 this Sunday.  Check out in the announcements the section of Scripture to be read for this Sunday.  I will also make available a reading chart for those of you who want to go deeper each week and to include other passages if you want to read through the Bible in a year.  
 
There are plenty of tools available online for reading the Bible through in a year if you wanted to research it.  One tool online is the blue letter bible reading program, chronological plan.  Also, I have used the “Daily Bible in chronological order, 365 daily readings” by Harvest house publishers.  The objective isn’t necessarily accomplishing reading the Bible cover to cover in one year as much as creating the discipline of getting into God’s Word daily.  Can it make a difference in our lives, the more time we spend in the Word of God?  Will it have an effect on my life?  Check out this two-minute video:  https://vimeo.com/380063273
 
Blessings to you, church, in this new year.  Let’s commit to reading and obeying His Word and see what happens in our church this year.  Let’s see what happens to our witness as we live and declare, and the Jesus is the Answer!
 
In His Grip, Pastor Brian