Be on the alert!

Brad spoke from 1 Corinthians 16 yesterday and gave a great illustration for the phrase be on the alert (verse 13). He was at an Army exercise, in his role with Everymans. The soldiers were walking around with their weapons and hi-tech equipment. There were security cameras all around the perimeter. They were ready and on the alert in case the enemy came. That is what we need to be like as Christians – always ready because we have an enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, as Peter puts it (1 Peter 5:8).

Long lives

In Genesis 47 Jacob and his descendants arrived in Egypt and he meets Pharaoh. Pharaoh asks Jacob how old he is. Jacob replies that he is 130 and those years have been “few” and not as many as his forebears had. Pharaoh didn’t respond with don’t be ridiculous or nobody lives that long or anything like that. That implies that Pharaoh knew that at least some people lived what we now consider impossibly long lives.

If you reject the clear teaching of the Bible in Genesis chapters 1-11 then you need to also reject many other parts of the Bible. The question for you is – do you believe what the whole Bible teaches or not?

Elders

Elders – the only leadership described in the New Testament for the church. Shepherding, leading the way and teaching are three of the key roles.

There is so much teaching on elders in the Bible. 1 Timothy 3, 1 Timothy 5, Titus 1, Acts 20, 1 Peter 5, Hebrews 13 are some.