In this message, we considered several theological issues from the book of Job. Primary among them was the notion of Job as a priest, both for his family and for his friends. We considered how this might be applied in our own setting.

Our Scripture reading tonight was 1 Samuel 24. David showed great patience and deference to the leader called by God, even though that leader had failed miserably. We had a congregational interaction on the issue of the extent of the atonement regarding the chorus of the hymn "Saved by Grace Alone." Then we studied the terms used in the Bible concerning Christian leadership. We also addressed (extemporaneously) a question from John 10:35.

Scripture reading for today's service is in Leviticus 6. Pastor Postiff took us through the end of Daniel 9, with an emphasis on the decree of God which has determined all things. This decree extends into the future so that God can inform the prophet infallibly of things that will come to pass. This doctrine is an encouragement to the believer.

We reviewed the first 3 chapters of the book, which emphasize that we have been given great gifts by God's grace. In the following chapters, the apostle Paul calls us to "be" what we "are." A very interesting aspect of this is that we do not build the church directly; God does that work. God gives the increase.

We came to the close of chapter 42 in this study. There are some very interesting closing ideas regarding Job's priestly role for his friends, and the inheritance that his daughters received.

Missionary Tom Gibbons encouraged us to remember that it is Christ who builds His church, not a missionary or a pastor. We were, however, blessed to be a part of that work. Truly, we share in "the blessing of what God has accomplished for his own glory."

Pastor Postiff shared a summary of some of the message that he heard at the Inter-City Baptist Church and Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary E3 Pastor's conference. We reviewed all of the general sessions and a number of the workshop sessions as a way to report to and edify the church.

Because this was an opportunity for continuing education, and because it is important for the church to know that its pastor is working to improve his ministry, among other reasons, Pastor Postiff wanted to share these things with the church.

After reading Leviticus 5, we continued our study of Daniel 9. Importantly, we noted Daniel's penitence and his desire for the Lord to answer the prayer, not based on the righteousness of Israel, but because of Gdo's mercies. We saw how God was going to answer Daniel's prayer beyond what he could have imagined. We studied the beginning of the vision in the last four verses of the chapter.

We reviewed chapter 1 and reminded ourselves that Micah was deeply impacted by the message that he brought to the nation. The focus of the study was in chapter 2 and the "woe" that is pronounced there by God through the prophet.

We read 1 Samuel 22. Then we studied the mention of repentance in Mark 1 in some depth, bringing attention to a number of passages of Scripture that teach the believer how to repent. In a prior series, we spent a lot of time speaking about repentance for the unbeliever as far as entering into the blessings of eternal life. But we must consider carefully what repentance looks like in the life of a believer. Many Christians struggle with the practice of repentance because of pride.