God’s plan is infallible. In this sense His will is what happens, no matter what. God also has a desire for His creatures, a moral will that encompasses all of life. We humans exercise freedom in choosing how we will live and can therefore operate outside the desire of God. We cannot know the fullness of His plan unless He chooses to reveal it. Yet, His moral will is totally revealed in Scripture. These two facets of God’s will define life. R U seeking Him?

Jonathan Edwards once said, “Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.” The Bible tells us much about how we should pray. This Psalm, Psalm 37, gives us a great incentive to pray. In it, God promises that there's a prayer He always answers. This Psalm tells us what that prayer is.

Bad decisions can de-rail us, throw us off track, and eventually lead to total train wreck. As a result most of us sweat even the small stuff, and become entangled in the most insignificant decision making processes. Truthfully, a good many of us don’t know how to make good decisions. So, we end up being double-minded. This is not good. Today, we’re launching a series of messages dealing with decision making. Decide now to plug into each lesson! R U ready?

The title of today's lesson is "Little Christ’s" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Acts 11:19-9. The Book of Acts is primarily about the church scattered. It depicts the growth of the Good News from village to village, city to city, and then region to region. Initially the message of the Gospel was spoken by named believers who left Jerusalem under persecution. Some of them landed in a city called Antioch. Their influence on the city was so overwhelming, they received a new name there: Little Christ’s! Sunday evening, we’re going to engage our community too. Will they see Little Christ’s in us as well?

The title of today's lesson is "Engagement" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Matthew 25:31-46. What is our motivation for mission, for taking a more visible stance in our city, for aligning our ministry under a more strategic mission to the location of God’s placement? Everything on the list, however numerous and significant, must be secondary to our obedience to Jesus. Service isn’t optional. It is his command. Making disciples is the process of teaching people to obey his commands. We must start here. So, today we conclude the study and emphasis, but actually launch Hope North Charleston, God’s means of helping us connect. Where will you plug in?

The title of today's lesson is "Serving" and the Scripture we'll be looking at is Matthew 20:28. Jesus elevated service. It is a central theme of mission. In fact, our weekend text provides a poignant reminder of his personal priority system. Serving played a key role in establishing the credibility of his message. Not only did he come to serve, he declared that the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who serves. Today, people bring all kinds of biases and baggage to their concept of church. Realness is the issue now. And, it is transmitted through genuine, heart-felt service. This is the deal! Serving and telling.

The title of today's lesson is "Sex and the City" and the Scripture we'll be looking at is Job 29:1-25. Job lamented about his life before tragedy struck.. No doubt he was a good father. Yet, our text indicates his influence extended beyond the walls of home. Here, He reflects on being in his prime, and how his heart drove him to touch the lives of others. His heart pulsed for the city. As we think about Father’s Day, let’s think about being what God asks us to be for the place of our residence, the city of North Charleston. It’s a profound Biblical episode of Sex and the City. Here we go!

The title of today's lesson is "Placement" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Jeremiah 29:7. God strategically places his people! The New Testament affirms God’s careful arrangement of the body, that is, the church, and how the various parts of the body are connected for mission. His placement is amazing. It equips us for mission. When understood biblically and missionally, his placement results in blessings. Today, we begin to talk about our place in North Charleston and our assignment to bless this city. R U ready 2 B used by Him?

The title of today's lesson is "Three Envelopes" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Deuteronomy 34:5-1. The final verses of Deuteronomy guaranteed a smooth transition of leadership for the people of the Covenant. Succession is always an issue in spiritual leadership. God insured that Joshua would be able to assume leadership of the Israelite nation and lead them into the land of promise. It is as if God gave Joshua three envelopes to open as he stepped up to lead the new leadership grid. Here’s some good counsel for spiritual leaders today. Listen up! Then, step up!

The title of today's lesson is "Handrails" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Deuteronomy 32:7-9. Stepping up can stretch us! In fact, it can involve such huge steps of responsibility that we lose our balance in the process. Moses wrote and sang a song to provide some handrails for the new generation of leaders. It was a song of handrails, designed to help them find footing and equilibrium as they guided their nation to the Promised Land. Today, we’ll review three of these handrail words, words that will help every single person with leadership responsibilities.

The title of today's lesson is "Generational Waves" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Deuteronomy 11:1-18. Hey, it’s a multi-generational celebration today, honoring senior adults and graduates. Here’s the deal: cross-generational influence is essential in God’s plan! Our study of Deuteronomy continues to focus on the leadership paradigm that God gave the Children of Israel. Today, we’ll illustrate it as well as review a Biblical text that amplifies God’s awesome plan. Can you say, “wow”?

The Scripture passage is Deuteronomy 4:9;6:7. As Moses spoke to and trained Israel’s new generation of leaders, he knew their assignment would be tested in something far more important than their tribal or national roles. Moses understood that Israel’s faith was essentially a family matter. Spiritual instruction was, according to the plan given to them by the Lord God, a family function. As a result, a good bit of their leadership training involved God’s plan for the family. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, and anticipate Father’s Day in a few weeks, we’ll review God’s intention to preserve the crucial elements of faith by entrusting them to the faithful family leaders.

The scripture reference is Deuteronomy 2:7. Looking back is a natural inclination. Fond things linger in our memory, people who have influenced us, events and circumstances that have shaped who we are, history that informs where we are at present, and where we are going. Sometimes we’d like to go back. Yet, our looks into the rear-view mirror should be mere glances. And, what we see there should inspire us to move steadily forward to what is ahead. As Moses prepared the next generation of leaders, he reminded them of the one reliability factor that had superintended their wilderness wanderings. He looked back so they would look ahead. Today we’ll look into the rear-view mirror. You may be surprised by what we see.

Deuteronomy 1:8, 20-21 The text of Deuteronomy 1 is very descriptive of what God wants to do in the life of His people, and in the circumstances of those He appoints to lead. Providing spiritual leadership, whether in the nation, the tribe, the family unit, or in the church today, is an awesome calling. Being equal to the assignment of parenting, governing, guiding, mentoring, and providing a leader’s influence in the many areas of life seems impossible. But, God has provided for our limitations. He comes to us as a giver. Today, we discover what God wants to do in our lives. It is astounding!

Israel faced a leadership crisis. Their seasoned leaders had all died during their forty year journey. Only Moses, Joshua, and Caleb had survived to look over into the land of promise. Before his death, Moses had to prepare new leaders for the next chapter in the pilgrimage. There would be a changing of the guard. The new, younger cohort had to step up to the challenges ahead. The contemporary church is facing this same scenario. As we celebrate our fortieth year, we anticipate the future, and prepare new leaders to step and guide us there.

If the cross and the empty tomb constitute the victory over death, then why in the world is it the final enemy to be defeated in the end of the age? Good question. One many people ask. Well, not until the glorious return of Christ and the establishment of his Kingdom is death finally eliminated. Though we have the promise of eternity in Christ’s death and resurrection, people will still die until the final consummation. Then, there will be no more death. But, member. He has promised to preserve us till then. You see, dead isn’t what it used to be!

We look to Matthew 9:10-13 as Jesus sat with Tax Collectors and "sinners" to get a glimpse of how he saw us - and how we should see others. Gratitude, mercy and compassion will be a direct outgrowth of seeing through Jesus' eyes. So grab some earbuds and let's go to dinner shall we?

Hope is unique to the Christian faith. Most world religions are just hopeless. Death for a majority of the world’s six billion people is the end. There is nothing else. The grave, that’s it. Because of the resurrection, believers in Jesus can have hope of something greater, life eternal. Peter calls it a living hope. What is more, we are shielded by God’s power until then---his forever. Dead doesn’t mean an end. There is more.

The fear of death covers life like a shroud. It is multi-layered too, an admixture of common fears---the unknown, pain and suffering, loss of control, concern for loved ones, and some other phobias that make death creepy. Though there’s a cultural obsession with death, we usually don’t like to talk about it. An empty tomb changed all of that. Death is still a mystery. But, the resurrection removes the fear for those who believe in Jesus.

When we communicate, what the listeners hear is perhaps just as important as what the speaker says. So what exactly would the disciples have heard when Jesus said "Go make disciples?" How should what they heard shape our walk with the Master?

The Lord’s Prayer is a perfect expression of Jesus’ desire for the Kingdom mission. Clearly, Jesus prayed for the Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Often we act as if this were an impossibility, the pipe dream of starry eyed idealists wishing for a utopian world. Jesus believed that his followers would change the world, that they would influence the world in Kingdom ways. The outcome of these forty days should be a world that is different because Kingdom people are influencing it. Is it so for you?

Humans are easily distracted. It doesn’t take much to throw us off course. Today, intentionality defines successful missional congregations, that is, churches that know their mission and pursue it purposefully. These weeks of prayer have directed us to our Kingdom assignment. We must never forget why the Lord chose us and gave us the commission to influence the world in Kingdom ways. It’s gut check time! Do you understand and accept His assignment?

We cannot live the Kingdom life on our own resources alone. Most of us discover soon in our adult lives the limitations of human achievement. Being mere mortals, called into a Kingdom assignment, our boundaries are finite. But, the God of grace and glory provides what we need to accomplish what He has assigned. The discovery of His provision may be the greatest discovery of life. This week we’ll examine one of the greatest promises of Scripture, the pledge of His grace. Wow!

Scripture speaks often about people who lose heart. Fear and timidity rule so many lives and dictate our approach to the Kingdom assignment entrusted to us. Of course, the Bible speaks of our faith in terms of power. Not personal power, mind you, the mind games of control freaks and power mongers. Rather, the confidence that is ours because we are children of the King. Praying for world-wide revival involves restoring the sense of confidence in God. It is our lesson for the week. Or, maybe for life.

"Believe" is one of the cultural buzz words these days. New agers, pop religionists, and the health-wealth crowd all speak of the inherent power of belief, you know, having faith in faith. Of course, Biblical faith is directed toward God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Faith isn’t something we conjure within us. It isn’t in our ability to believe. Faith is about him and not us. It’s not about “how much?” but about “who?” This week we understand that faith is the way of the Kingdom, and a key to our prayer life.

Christians are Kingdom people. The values of the Kingdom should guide our lives. This week we are studying the Beatitudes, an important teaching of Jesus about Kingdom living and the character of Kingdom people. This text provides a sharp departure from the values and ideals of pop culture and the religion that a secular world-view espouses. Ours is a calling to a distinct lifestyle. Listen to what your Heavenly Father says to you about living as people of the Kingdom.

The title of today's lesson is "The Kingdom of Heaven" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Matthew 13:44-46. It’s a simple fact of life: we pursue the things we love. This explains why a highly pressurized culture will find the time, money, or resources to achieve the things we value most, even when we are squeezed to do it. Of course, Scripture warns about losing perspective. Today, we encounter a Kingdom parable that reveals the value of the Kingdom. It is a treasure. Are you pursuing it?

The title of today's lesson is "Your Father in Heaven" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Matthew 7:9-11. Biblical faith is a relationship. It is not a set of religious standards, a creed, or a code of conduct. At heart, our faith involves a Heavenly Father who loves His children in incredible ways, and who goes to extraordinary lengths to redeem us and draw us close to Him. Our 40 Days of Prayer begins with the simple yet profound discovery of a Father who listens to our prayers and provides Fatherly oversight over us all the time.

The title of today's lesson is "Life Begins @ 40 and the scripture we'll be looking at is Deuteronomy 2:7. Here’s a number that will provoke a little thought, the number 40. In Biblical numerology it is a big number, among the most repeated in Scripture. What it means and how it applies to our lives is the topic of this introduction to our 40 Days of Prayer emphasis, and the beginning of the fortieth year of ministry for Northwood Baptist Church. Does life really begin at 40? Get your Bible ready to find out.