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Moses escapes Egypt after being rebuffed by his Hebrew Brothers. Mose flees the face of Pharoah. This is interesting because he had a choice to humble himself to Pharoah as a member of the royal house and beg forgiveness. Instead, the "matter" was known to both Pharoah and Moses which was the prophecy about a deliverer. Moses fled into the wilderness. Will we? Christ went into the wilderness and so did John the Baptist. We must too.

Our sound engineer said this excellent comment about the episode: "I enjoyed listening to it. The parallels of the journey out into wilderness are fascinating. It's something you have in the back of your head, but to think about it the way you guys are here just shows how deep it goes and how much we can learn from it beyond just being aware of the historical happenings."

We discuss Kingdom truths that we can see today. For example, the women who came to the well were 7 in number, and they were daughters. In other words, they were a father's inheritance. So are we. 7 has specific ramifications in scripture, and the fact women took a lead role in the salvation of Moses in chapter 2 are clues. Women in Scripture represent redemption (as the Messiah would come through their seed). Our bible study principle is seeing the symbols of both the physical and the spiritual. God has a grand plan and we can be part of it if we line ourselves up with His purposes and take steps of faith to flee this world system called Egypt. Egypt is not in a far off place with pyramids. It is this world we live in which is growing more anti-Christ every day. We have hope for our redemption. Let's get busy being obedient to Scripture. 

You have heard it said: “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. What is obedience to God?

We were created in Gen 2 for the purpose of serving God. Our worship and ministry are to HIM ALONE. Just like Adam and Eve. He then put them in His garden. This garden contains His rules and His boundaries. He gave us free will. True love always is about choosing to love or not. God considers those who obey His Word... those who love Him. (John 14:15) Look at your own children. When our kids obey us and the boundaries, we set for them, we swell with pride and want to do all we can to help them to achieve.  But Adam and Eve chose not to obey the Word of God. We are Adam and Eve. We/They decided they would live their own life apart from dependence on God. This caused sin to enter the world and sin creates death and SEPARATION FROM GOD. Their "sin" affected billions of people and the entire creation.  Can we say that the original sin was disobedience to the Word of God?

What hope do we have if they died because of their disobedience to the Word of God? They were separated from God...dead spiritually. We have a clue in John 3 that Christ said we must be born again. How? So this is our study and podcast. There are so many nuggets of biblical truth to help us obey. God answered a question we had of whether He will speak to us because we were not professionals? YES! Proverbs 1 says He is shouting to the world, yet we won't have the ability to hear Him if we are in the mindset of disobedience to God aka sin. Do we want to take that risk in the only life we have to live? Basically, turning from the One Who created us? NO!

Why study the Bible? We are all called to be disciples of Christ if we are born again and have accepted His sacrifice for our sin. Then we are born new in our spirit and now can understand the Word of God. Christ is the Word of God. (John 1). As untrained professionals, how do we approach the Word of God to learn His ways? (Heb 3:10) The disciples were not trained bible teachers. So what was different about them? What can we learn from their lives and why did Christ's focus on them? With the help of the Holy Spirit, they obeyed His Word. (John 14:15) We can too. We need to change our approach from gaining knowledge ABOUT God to OBEDIENCE to God. Join us for Podcast for Pewsitters Bible Study Step 1 Obey God vs Gain Knowledge. Come and join Ric and Mary Joyner for our first weekly series on Bible study of studying the bible to obey God not just gain knowledge about God.

By Ric and Mary Joyner

My mom used to say: "I am literally flabbergasted". I am too, and my heart says WOW! Why? First, when we compare ourselves to Christ, we cannot come close to anything He did or WHO He is…The God of the Universe in Human form. As I peer into the gospels, I look in wonder at His mission (to die) and how His people rejected Him. The bible is written to people who believed in God. Remember that fact… we are them. They are us. We must see Him as the Jewish people saw Him in their culture. In His miracles which He did to restore people. In their religious services. In their Holy Book. How can I compare? What if I ask Christ into my life and repent of my sins how then can I change to match the God of the Universe in the flesh? Am I without hope? Don’t people say: “I am not going to church because it is full of hypocrites”? They are right. And they are hypocrites too! We are all broken bits and pieces of life pottery. But then I see this verse, and I marvel that while in this body (it needs to be thinner) which we will discard shortly, I have no power in myself, to stop sinning. No amount of good works at judgment will save me from the ten commandments. We have all lied, we have all lusted after someone, we all have stolen, and we have all used God’s precious name in vain (ever ask yourself why God’s name is a swear-word in any language?). Flatly, we are under judgment from God. We need saving. Christ said He came not to judge but to save. In other words, we are already judged and under God’s wrath unless someone helps us, poor humans. Romans 2:5-6  But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS…(read the verses around these).

But it is up to us to respond to His calling and put trust in His death and resurrection. Each person’s SIN penalty is paid when Christ voluntarily took it to the cross. A true gift from God just like the air we breathe, the family we enjoy and the good food we eat.

But how do I walk out my life to honor His sacrifice because I am going to sin again? I am going to fail again. (you know…the broken life pottery thing?)

I am in astonishment of this fact: Galatians 3: 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Read the verses in context around it because they are so encouraging). By faith, we can “put on Christ’s righteousness” because we don’t have any! How? We identify with His death BY FAITH. Thus, when He was raised from the dead we are raised too…now and in the future! We have eternal life. WOW!  2 Cor 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation... See that? We now can share the good news with people that they too can be reconciled to God and not remain in our sinful states. Wonderment!

The broken life pottery pieces come together now! We are a new pot with new hope and new life. We clothe ourselves with Christ, and by doing so, we are “clothed” with His righteousness. Not mine because I don’t have any, but HIS!. Now doesn’t that make you joyful? My heart soars when contemplating walking in His clothes! Doesn’t that make you want to live your life asking Christ to change you to obey Him through His Spirit! WOW! Take the first step by asking for that reconciliation. Romans 10:13… for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Call on Christ and see your broken life come together.  If you did this after reading, please let us know.

2019 theme: Studying Scripture to Live a Praiseworthy Life 

To be a disciple of Jesus Christ we must study the Word of God. Christ is the Word of God. A theme of the Old Testament is pointing to Christ. The New Testament is obedience to Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God, first in our hearts and then in the hearts of the lost. What are the practical ways to study the bible to become a disciple? We explore that in our first annual conference. Dr. Baruch Korman of Loveisrael.org will give us best practice steps that he has learned to study the scripture and Ric Joyner, CEO of Bible Study Company.com will demonstrate tips and techniques in Bible Study Company web software. The conference will offer times for questions and fellowship. Please note we are charging $25.00 for the expenses, food and misc. 

Please note that we have limited seating. We are working on video options for the conference and will update here. 

REGISTER 

About Dr. Baruch Korman of Loveisrael.org

Dr. Baruch brings a unique perspective to Scripture and is a dear friend of Ric and Mary Joyner, founders of Biblestudycompany. We started to study the Bible, as a couple, using Dr. Baruch's methods by watching his videos. He will bring the Jewish cultural aspects to our conference study which greatly enhances our understanding of how to obey God while studying the Bible. Here is Dr. Baruch's bio:

"Baruch holds a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies. His dissertation was in the translation techniques of the Septuagint. Baruch has been married for 30 years to his wife, Rivka, and they have three adult children. The Korman's live in Israel."

EVENT SCHEDULE

July 26-27, 2019:  Friday at 7:00 pm to Saturday at 5:00 pm

(Schedule Content Subject to Change)

Friday, July 26, 2019
5.00 pm - Doors Open/Registration Begins
6:30-7:00 pm Ric Joyner opening prayer, Agenda, Housekeeping. Recognition of Jewish Shabbat Ceremony-Dr. Baruch
7:00pm – 7:30pm – Purpose of the Conference and Bible Study Company
7:30pm – 8:30pm – Dr. Baruch: To Study the Bible We need a Position Change. 1 Peter 4:1-10 

8:30pm – 8:45pm – Ric and Mary Joyner short testimony as pew-sitters 
8:45pm – 9:00pm – Questions
9:00pm – Closing Prayer and Fellowship

Saturday, July 27, 2019
8:15am – Doors Open/Registration Coffee/Juice/Continental Breakfast
9:00am – 9:30am – Ric Joyner Recap and Overview: What to expect
9:30am – 10: 15 am – Dr. Baruch What does it mean to be a disciple? 2 Timothy 2:1-10
10:15am – 10:30am – Break and Snacks
10:30am – 11:00pm – Ric Joyner Demonstration of BSC Tools
11:00am – 11:45pm – Dr. Baruch: Understanding the Basics and Approach to the Bible (Hermeneutics, Exegesis, Eisegesis, Grammar, and Context) Romans 9-1-16

12:00pm – 1:00pm Lunch: Testimony during lunch. Questions and feedback
1:00pm – 1:30pm – Ric Joyner: Demonstration of BSC Tools

1:30pm – 2:15pm – Dr. Baruch: Application and Response to the Bible Romans 9:17-33
2:15pm – 2:30pm – Break
2:30pm – 3:00pm – Ric Joyner: Demonstration of BSC Tools

3:00pm – 3:45pm – Dr. Baruch: Kingdom People are obedient to God’s Word Ezekiel 44:23-31

3:45pm – 4:00pm – Break

4:00pm – 4:45pm – Dr. Baruch: Understanding Bible Prophecy as a Pew-sitter Matthew 24:32-44

4:45pm – 5:00pm – Closing Remarks, Feedback and Questions, Free Will offering

FAQs

How can I help support Biblestudycompany.com and Loveisrael.org?

We will have a free will offering at the end of the event. The cost of the conference is to cover the food, beverages and materials.

What is the refund policy?

Refunds are not offered within 30 days of the event.

If you fly:

There are three airports nearby. Atlanta International is an hour and a half south on I-75. Chattanooga Regional Airport is 25 minutes south. Knoxville TN is an hour north on I-75. Nashville Airport is 2.5 hours East on I-24.

If you drive to the event here are the directions:

Use your GPS and enter: Hampton Inn Cleveland TN

4355 Frontage Rd NW, Cleveland, TN 37312

What can I bring into the venue?

We will have guest Wi-Fi for your laptop, tablet or smartphone. We recommend bringing these tools to follow along.

Is there an official hotel?

Yes. Hampton Inn Cleveland, TN

hamptoninn3.hilton.com

4355 Frontage Rd NW, Cleveland, TN 37312

(423) 458-1222

Conference room rate is $109

OTHER HOTELS IN THE AREA

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g54956-Cleveland_Tennessee-Hotels.html

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Email Mary Joyner mj@biblestudycompany.com 727-348-5724 for help.

Is childcare provided?

Childcare is not available at the event. Children are welcome if supervised.

Do your inside match your outside? What role do garments play in scripture? What is the fear of the Lord? How do we approach complex scripture that doesn't seem to make sense to us? Don't give up. The Holy Spirit is here to help! Join us in this podcast to live a Praiseworthy Life to God! Do we understand the fear of the Lord? What if the fear of the Lord is the fear to offend our Creator? We are made by God to serve Him and Him only. Exodus 29 begins with the garments given for the "call" of Aaron and his sons to serve the Lord in the tabernacle. The Lord gave Moses special instructions for the garments of Aaron and his sons. There was specific detail the skillful workers were required to follow. The garments in this chapter hold symbols for our own bodies. Each area of clothing, for example, our minds, are to be crowned with “holiness to the Lord”. (Eph 6) Everything we think about should become captive to Christ according to Paul. Our heart-life will be affected if our thought-life is not under the control of Christ and His Word (2 Cor 10:5). Does our inside match our outside (garments)? Christ said to follow me. He gave us His Word to obey. Follow Him means we do what He did which was subject Himself to the will of His Father. Will we obey like this? When we do, it shows faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Will we have a fear to offend Him? Wouldn't that begin a journey of wisdom if we approached all areas of life with "fear to offend" Him? And decided all areas of our life will be “in service” to Him and Him alone? Join us for our Podcast for Pewsitters, Fear to offend and does our inside match our outside?

Mark 8:34 “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

I have always wondered how “I” could obey this command? (scratching my head) My approach tends to be performance-based. That means my efforts are the way to obey. But then, I run into that my efforts are filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Why?... Because they are MY efforts. I know that a theme throughout scripture is that we are to obey God’s Word. Abraham did this (Gen 12 and 15). Moses did this. And God wants us to keep the law and His commandments. It says in John 14:15 “if you love me, you will obey my commandments.” Ouch! “If you love me…”. There is no way I can keep the law or obey even a metaphor command like this; “taking up your cross” or even; “follow Me.” I fail every time. But what I have learned is that scripture wants me to be dependent on Him. Let go of me (impossible) but let go of my efforts and instead of trying to create a list of “disciplines” that I think may please God, so I can get a “pat” on the head and maybe have a good life…(long sentence, sorry)…perhaps I can’t even take up my cross daily? Here is what I CAN do though…I can drop at the foot of the cross at every command I find in scripture and ask Him to change me so that I CAN obey through His power in me! Then He gets the glory because my efforts are rooted in His changes in me! (Bubble text box popup near my head: “Ahhh…you ARE pretty slow Ric…”) He gave us the Holy Spirit to provide change. Not my efforts, but His change IN me. Isn’t that the grace of God? Titus 2:11-12 says so: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 11 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age…

Only with His help can we change.

Mary and I wrote an article for a magazine in Cleveland TN called Good News. Here is the article. Let us know what you think.

https://issuu.com/goodnewscm/docs/october_2018_cleveland/32

Have you been subjected to these endless and unscriptural memes? Did you know that this is actually a lie? There is nowhere in scripture that God said any such thing. So, this is coming from man to inspire your sinful nature. Listen, folks, we at Biblestudycompany.com are dedicated to recognizing we are hopelessly lost sinners that are offending God by our actions, attitudes, and thoughts---unless we repent and ask for Jesus Christ to save us. If you prayed a sinner’s prayer and continue in a lifestyle that is unbiblical…no memes will help you at the judgment. Without Jesus Christ’s intervention into human history, to die a criminal’s horrible death we have no salvation. Shall we then live as we lived formerly? He is our Creator. This is His world and YOU ARE A GUEST. He made us a for a purpose and that was to serve Him and obey His word. But, we can’t in and of ourselves. We must turn to Him for help and change. Do that today. Your next breath is a gift from God. There may not be another. Please share this to spread the gospel. Let us know if you decided to join us in living a praiseworthy life to God.

We are studying the Bible in Exodus 28:36-41 where the pattern for the priestly garments was being discussed and came on the verses that were about Aaron's head coverings. The description had a symbolic detail that not only pointed to Christ but how we, as priests, were to focus our minds. We will serve what we think about. (Phil 4:6-8) Romans 12:1-2 1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” These verses show Aaron’s focus as a priest. Each piece of the garment is a spiritual principle that, if we obey, will lead us to a praiseworthy life to God. Are we Kingdom people? Who are they and what do they do? The first clue is obedience to God’s word which Moses was doing by responding to the pattern that God was showing him precisely as God revealed. Next God is teaching us symbolism in the priestly garments of how Christ would act and how we must follow Him too. This is important because Colossians 3:2 says; “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” His agenda is for our minds. We will eventually serve our thoughts. The gold plate with the "seal" of the ‘Holiness to the Lord’ is a powerful reminder of where our minds must be set because our hearts will soon follow. I struggle with reading the news and how bad things are getting. Meaning that it is almost scary where the entire world is headed in opposition to God’s principles. It truly is the ‘Days of Noah’ as Christ shared. And this worldly thinking causes some fear. I gently hear in these Scriptures; “get back to focus on Me and My Kingdom there is much to learn…let’s go and get walking!” Right. This is being a Kingdom person! These garment patterns will give us a clue of what our focus must be while we minister to the Lord and then how He ministers to the world. If we are ready for Him, He can use us. What if we have doubts? What if we are in the midst of trials? Where do we turn? Join us for Podcast for Pewsitters with Ric and Mary Joyner to discuss how to be a Kingdom person!

The most weighty thing has me contemplating with the events recently of loss of family and friends. Mortality. We are finite. We all know it. But I am concerned that I don't act like I am. Meaning that as Mary and I continue studying Scripture together through these tumultuous times, sadness and fondness of remembering those we lost, we can begin to see the power and majesty of the God Who Created us. This is His world and His agenda. We are His creation and have a purpose. But He gave us a free choice to live our lives either for Him or not. Consequences arise from the perspective Mary and I choose because we will give an account to Him one day. Romans 14:10-12 “For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, "AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD." 12

Are you ready to give an account of yourself to God? You can be but how?

So Mary and I want to get this life right according to what God says on how we should live. This has been our discussion and growing passion. We will shed this body at some point... that is the weight. I am mortal. The next weight is standing before Him to give an account. That is the weightious of all. As we go through another loss (of a brother-in-law mother, friend with cancer and friend’s wife) I am reminded of this weight.

And then Christ said it too! Matthew 28: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31“So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. 32“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”

Watching my dear friend Owen Pach with cancer at 65 and sitting by his bedside was heart-wrenching. But then asking him about his relationship with God, that we often talked about, and he confessed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that He forgave his sins AND THEN a few days later he was gone and this has made this pressing for the two of us. I KNOW I will see him again! 😢😔😊

Thus, this is the clearest picture I can see of God whose world this is and how much He loves us because every hair is numbered! My friend’s hairs were numbered. The few that remained. 🙂

The final weight is this: These losses are spurring me (us) to faith in Jesus Christ who gives assurance of eternity (John 3) and to ask in faith for His help to obey His Word. For encouragement or comfort.

Musings for the day