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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.

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!

Podcast For Pewsitters: We are discussing the priestly garments and how they point to Christ. What happened between Exodus 19 where God told Moses He wanted a Kingdom of priests and Exodus 28 where only Aaron was the High Priest? Something drastic changed. If God loves us the way we are, as some say, then we need to love Him for the way He is. This is His world and we are His servants. But, do we act the way we were made? Did you know we were not created to serve ourselves and our happiness?

Did you know our purpose is to minister to God? Could what we desire be to our detriment unless it lines up with God's Will? Do we want to walk with Him and experience joy and peace and satisfaction in this rough, tumble and a hurtful world even if our life is crumbling? Yes! Why were the priestly garments even needed? What is God calling us to in Christ? Why did He suffer for us and die for us? Could it be we are criminals? Christ died a criminals death. Was this a picture to show us how evil sin is? Yes! No one likes this thought, but we do need to look in the mirror of our heart called the 10 commandments to see where we stack up. These are the 10 expectations of God. The "follow your feelings" society just doesn't cut it in the Kingdom of God. People are left hungry, empty and broken. But God is our Creator, and He can make way for us. What is it?

We ask questions like why did Aaron get priestly garments and not Moses? Perhaps Moses was a model priest already? Moses heard God's voice and carried it out correctly. That is what priests did in the Old Testament, and disciples do in the New. He was truly a servant of God. We have God's Word, and we can be the same. We can say Moses was trained by God. We have the same opportunity. Will we take it?

What is God trying to say to us with the tinkling bells and pomegranates? Where does all of this show up in the new testament? Why is there so much symbolism in the old testaments? Why can't people see the connection to symbolism? Could the gospels be a parallel picture of the Exodus? The Hebrews in the desert saw the pillar of fire and the cloud and how God miraculously provided for them and healed them, yet it says they did not believe! (Hebrews 3) WHAT! The people in the new testament saw the miracles and the Words of Christ as He spoke to them, yet many did not believe! Even some of the disciples doubted! (Matthew 28) What shall we do? Could obeying God produce faith? YES! One step toward Him, even if we are confused and unsure is an act of faith. It will even produce more faith! You will start to grow up in God. Let God help you with your pain, hurt and confusion. We asked a lot of questions, and this is exactly what we should do every time we approach scripture. "What is Your agenda, Lord and how may we carry it out?" Join Ric and Mary Joyner for Podcast for Pew Sitters!

In this episode, Ric and Mary Joyner of Bible Study Company discuss why they went to Israel. What did they see? And did how Israel and the tour touched them? Ric said: "It is fair to say that we left our hearts in Israel. We see why this country has been through so much as it literally is in the center of the world and where the trade routes went through for the entire known world. Was this an accident? Or does God have plans for lands, peoples and us? Psalm 24: 1 A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers. As always we want to line up with His agenda not our own. This is why we study the bible. We are His creation and therefore we can choose to serve Him or ourselves. Which will it be?"

Going to Israel was fraught with anxiety and safety concerns but we discovered that this was a false narrative. We went on tour with Dr. Baruch and Rivka Korman of loveisrael.org. This was a teaching tour. Meaning, that we would include tourist areas but also spend time teaching at specific spots to relate the Bible and God's agenda to the land. It was over the top good. Loveisrael.org is having another tour in 2019. Their website has details. So join us for a time of discussion in this podcast about our trip for part 1. Two pew-sitters who are studying the Bible using principles Dr. Korman taught us and we went to actually see the Holy Land! WOW!

Ric and Mary Joyner explore, Exodus 1 Part 2 which discusses the Hebrews entering a crisis of faith and fear called slavery that will last almost 80 years. This is a harsh reality. How did the Hebrews go from high stature in Egypt under Joseph to being brutalized? What happened? The story may surprise you, which the Bible so often does, that there are patterns and principles that affect us today! Join us for this exciting study of a God who keeps promises and discover how to live a praiseworthy life to God. This is His creation and we are His servants! He is in control! Glory to God!