Proverbs 2:6, For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding…

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True wisdom comes to the human heart when our ear hears the LORD God speak. Finding the knowledge of God is simply a matter of hearing the voice of God. The proverb we look at this week tells us that “the Lord gives wisdom” and He gives it “out of His mouth.” If we are to understand the fear of God, we only need to hear the voice of God. If we are to find the knowledge of God, we only need to find the mouth of God. If we are to be wise, we must approach the source of wisdom, which is the WORD of GOD. There is no path to true wisdom outside the WORD of GOD because “out of HIS MOUTH cometh knowledge and understanding.

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There is absolutely no substitute for the B-I-B-L-E and the still small voice of God’s Spirit. Without the mouth of God, the fear of God will not be understood and the knowledge of God remain hidden. Have you heard the VOICE of GOD? Are you spending time in the WORD OF GOD listening to the MOUTH of GOD?

Proverbs 1:7, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

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Proverbs 1:28-29, Then they will call upon Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently but will not find Me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

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Read it! Then live it! Proverbs contains some of the most applicable nuggets of truth in all of the Bible. Most of the proverbs are concise statements brimming over with imagery from the real world. This approach allows us to see very clearly how any particular proverb might be applied to any number of everyday situations we encounter—from getting out of bed in the morning to building a strong foundation in our relationships with others. Proverbs reminds us that God concerns Himself not just with the big, life-changing events of life but even those mundane, “invisible” moments in our lives as well.

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Are you following God, even in those seemingly “small” circumstances? Allow Proverbs to refocus your attention on all the hidden moments of your life and allow it’s wisdom to “fool-proof” your life. We start this week looking specifially at the wisdom contained in the words of the seventh verse of chapter one: “The FEAR OF THE LORD is the beginning of knowledge…”

We live in a world that wants to beat men up….

We want to build men up… to bless women and children.

1st Corinthians 16:13-14, Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

Rule to live by: Remember that before she was your wife / fiancée’ / girlfriend….

She was / is His daughter…. Joint heir in the Kingdom of God.

As we arrive at the final stop on our five-week series of messages on the purpose of the church, we conclude with the emphasis on discipleship and growth that should be evidenced not only in the the life of a Christian, but in the whole body of Christ collectively as the church.

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This Sunday morning, Frank shares this final message on the Great Commission of Christ in Matthew 28:18-20, with a focus on the challenge Christ gives to us to not only mature in faith, but also to assist and guide others as they grow to maturity in faith through discipleship.

Follow up devotional with Clay from the study on September 25, 2024

As we move toward the conclusion of our series over the purpose of the church, this week we settle into the area of fellowship and the spirit of community in the church. Too often, our concept of fellowship simply evokes dinners at the church and the Christian terminology for spending time with one another. While those are wonderful aspects of our fellowship in the body of Christ, the reality is that it is something much deeper.

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Full fellowship with Christ and the church involves working together in unity to accomplish the purpose and design that God intended for His church, sharing the Gospel and functioning as a single body to minister to each other and others around us.

Matthew 28:18-20, And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

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We continue our series of messages over the purpose of the church and the roles that God has called us to in fulfilling that purpose. This week our focus turns to evangelism—glorifying God by communicating His Word. As we consider the opportuities we have for sharing the Gospel with others, our calling leads to an inevitable question: “What am I willing to commit to, invest in, and sacrifice for to see that the Good News about Jesus reaches others?”

Follow up devotional from the Band of Brothers Bible study from September 11, 2024,

Matthew 22:37-40, And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

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Last week, we opened up this series of messages with a eye toward worship. One of the things Frank emphasized in his message was that the purpose of the church is to glorify our Lord. One of the ways that we do that was indeed through worship, but we can also accomplish that through out ministry and service to and for others. The way that we do that is by a demonstration of God’s love as our circumstances dictate to us and as the Holy Spirit convicts and guides us.

Follow up devotional from the Band of Brothers Bible study from September 4, 2024,