Good Evening Brethren,

Please find attached, this Sunday’s Bible Study Outline on the topic, “The Season of the Lord’s Patience“.

I recall my days as a young Christian, being fired up about the Lord’s “imminent” return and telling anyone who would listen about the need for them to “clean up their act” so that they would make heaven. It’s been over 3 decades now, and at several points over the years, I found myself wondering why the Lord had not yet come. And then I happened upon this scripture in 2 Peter 3:1-18. It was then that I realized that while I thought I was waiting for God, He was actually waiting for me… to be a light in the darkness of this world, to win souls for Him, and to live out His life in my life.

The Key Learning Points from the passage are as follows: 

1. God’s patience should not be taken for granted. God is being patient to give us time to repent and align ourselves to His purposes (v. 8-9).
2. Every day that God delays His coming is a window of opportunity for us to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and become who HE wants us to be – His holy people. (v.10-13, 15, 18)
3. Becoming who God wants us to be is not going to be achieved on the bed of indifference or unseriousness. Rather, it requires that we each do our very best to be pure and faultless in God’s sight, not in man’s sight. (v.14-16) 

May the grace of God abound to us all and cause us to align our lives to His divine purpose in our last “few days” on this side of eternity, in Jesus Name, Amen.

Have a blessed evening!

Brethren,

How has your week been?

Our topic this Sunday touches on something we all desire more of: We wish others will be more patient with us, more gentle and more intact when responding to our shortcomings. And God does too.

Key Learning Points:
Patience, self-control, and gentleness are attributes exhibited towards others. The call to manifest these attributes is a direct call to being like Christ and allowing Him to live through us.
So, this call to manifest patience, self-control, and gentleness reminds us that:

1. We are called to be a blessing to others through patience, self-control, and gentleness. This is a call for us to be like Jesus Christ and to allow Him to live through us. Self-interest is the enemy to patience, self-control, and gentleness.
2. When we exhibit patience, self-control, and gentleness, we will be exposed to all kinds of reproach, discomfort and even suffering. Jesus did not consider Himself nor did He please Himself, but He chose to let our reproach fall on Him.
3. Manifesting these qualities can seem humanly impossible. But it is God who fills us with joy, peace and hope and empowers us for patience, self-control, and gentleness towards others. All these to the glory of our God and Savior.

See attached outline for your further reference. 

May the Lord use this study to work these virtues into us in increasing measure.

Brethren,

How are you doing? I trust that you are well and rejoicing in Jesus despite the challenges around us.

Our quarter series on James- Faith in Action continues this Sunday as we explore the topic Walking in Patience. See attached outline.

Key Learnings include:
1. Trials are the building blocks God uses to work patience in us.
2. When we walk in patience, our character is perfected. We learn more from those situations which try our patience than from when things are going our way.
3. To walk in patience, we need to see things with God’s eye (eternity in view).

May we through patience, eagerly show how strong and lasting our hope really is (hebrews 6:11-12)