In this lesson we’ll point to another method that helps us to Draw Nearer to God –  it’s called Discernment. When practiced—indeed causes us to draw near to God. We must never Assume, that we are discerning—a mistake that many good people make.  To avoid this Paul wrote, “Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil”  (1 Thess. 5:21-22). To what do we test the spirits against? Of course—against God’s Word : Remember Jesus “It is written” (Matt. 4:4, 6, 7, 10). We must understand that discernment does not come automatically upon conversion but it is an ability that comes through “time and exercise”—not time only—but “time and exercise”

What do all the shepherds, John the Baptist, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael all have in common? 1. They All Heard from Someone about Jesus, 2. They All Told Others About Jesus, and 3. They All Began to Follow Jesus. Why? Why did they follow Jesus? Because there was never anyone like Jesus—because their hearts compelled them to say, “we found Him…come and see”. Here between verses 43 and 51 are some good reasons that when the Savior says, “follow Me” we should be following Jesus…

Every day without God is a bad day, but on the other hand that means every day with God is a good day. In Deuteronomy 6 20 through 25 are instructions to fathers such as, “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son…” (20-21). Tell them is the key. Tell them about God, His powerful works, His saving hand, and His promises. Nothing has changed, today we also must tell those who ask of us about the hope we have in Christ (1 Pet. 3:15).

John the Baptist was a perfect example of how powerful one voice can be, and how much impact “the voice of one” can have in just three short days…

James said, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). It is imperative that we do everything we can to draw closer and closer to our Father. Of course learning of Him through His precious word is the only way. What is wonderful is that great things happen along the way, great benefits / blessings. We’ll consider just a few in this lesson and if the Lord wills, we’ll in future lessons consider methods for drawing closer to God.  

I often wonder about the many people over the years who have not obeyed the gospel of Christ. I know that mostly, it is due to two things. First, most have a “Christian View” that is based upon what they have been taught by the plethora of false teachers, who only teach what they’ve been taught, that is to say, too few people actually are truly taught by God thus haven’t heard and learned from the Father, thus they can’t come in truth to Jesus (John 6:45). Secondly, this results in not having accurate (Acts 18:24-26) knowledge of Jesus and the many “gifts” one can receive through Him, and most importantly, through faith and obedience to His teaching, and I quote, “nothing else”. In this lesson we’ll consider three truths about the Lord that if people could receive, they would certainly obey Him. What are the gifts? “The World”, “The Word”, and “The Power to become children of God / Salvation”…

First coined by the philosopher Aristotle, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. This phrase is aptly defined the modern concept of Synergy. Definition: “the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.” What does this mean to us brethren? “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor” (Eccl. 4:9). Better because together we can produce much more for the kingdom working together than separately. What great things the Lord’s church can accomplish as a family, working together in His kingdom.

When Abraham’s son Isaac asked, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the [a]lamb for a burnt offering?” (Gen.22:7). Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Gen. 22:8). Truth is, God has been providing for all His creation since it came into being. He “sees”, from the beginning to the end of all things, therefore He knows of all your needs. Often times God provides for us in such small ways that we don’t even see it. But, this is true, that if God didn’t provide, we would all cease to exist.  The most important of all God’s provisions is Jesus Christ His Son. Jesus is our “Ram in the Thicket”, our Lamb, our sacrifice and our way out of troubles, our way out of certain and eternal spiritual death. 

We sing a song titled, “Won’t it be wonderful there” which listed three amazing thoughts about what it will be like in eternity with God and our Lord Jesus. To be with “the Savior we enter the glory-land”, and  “walking and talking with Christ the Supernal One”. “There where the tempest will never be sweeping us”, won’t it be wonderful there? In this lesson we look at two things. First, to apply scripture and give light to all three of these wonderful thoughts.  Secondly, we’ll look at “Four Last Things”, that must take place before anyone can be in that wonderful place. They are, “Death”, “Judgement”, “Hell” for some, and “Heaven” for the few.