COMMITTED to train men and women
to have minds for the Lord Jesus,
hearts for the truth, and
hands that are skilled to the task.

GOD’S ‘PRESSURE – RELIEF – VALVE’

1 Peter 5:5-7
Ephesians 4:1-3
Acts 4:33
Philippians 2:1-8
Matthew 5:3-11
Luke 14:7-11
Proverbs 27:2
Isaiah 66:1-2

Dr. Michael Heiser “Brief Insights on Mastering the Bible”
“Matthew wants readers to identify Jesus with the nation of Israel. He accomplishes that in his story of Jesus’ childhood. After Joseph and Mary had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod, Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1 ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son’, to recount how they returned to the promised land. But God’s son in Hosea 11:1 wasn’t the Messiah; it was the nation of Israel. Matthew used the analogy for several reasons, but one of them was that Jesus had appeared on the scene supernaturally, just like Israel appeared as the result of the divine intervention with Abraham and Sarah. Israel would later pass through the sea and then journey into the desert where the nation would be tried and tempted
(Exodus 14-15; Numbers 14:26 ff.)
After Jesus was baptized, he was driven into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan (Mark 1:9-13)
Jesus is also cast as a new Moses by the Gospel writers. When Moses was born, Pharaoh had all the infant boys killed (Exodus 1:22-2:10), and Jesus was likewise threatened by Herod (Matthew 2:13-18);
Moses went up on a mountain to receive the Law (Exodus 19:3); Jesus ascended a mountain to give his own ‘law’ the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1)
Erwin Lutzer “We Will Not Be Silenced”
“Each day, you watch America turn further from Christian values and the core principles of liberty. It’s frustrating to feel you can’t assert biblical truth without facing condemnation, and frightening to witness outrage and victimhood replace respect and reason. Amidst this dissent, how can you not only stay rooted in your faith but continue to publicly testify for Jesus?
Gain a better understanding of nonbeliever’s legitimate hurts and concerns regarding issues like racism, sexism, and poverty – and identify the toxic responses secular culture disguises as solutions. In the process, you’ll see how you can show compassion and gentleness to those outside of the faith without affirming their beliefs.
Be ready to move beyond fear and boldly accept the challenge of representing Christ to a watching world that needs Him now more than ever before.”