Shorter Schedule

Being Saturday, it was our shorter schedule today. We started earlier, abbreviated each class by 5 to 10 minutes and eliminated the Denominational Doctrines class for today. Several of the preachers in this area needed to leave by 3:40pm to get transportation back to their homes where they will preach tomorrow.

The Old Testament Prophets class overviewed Zephaniah and Habakkuk this morning. We discussed Zephaniah’s pronouncement of judgment and destruction on Judah, as well as his message of the hope for the faithful to be found therein. We then examined the book of Habakkuk which has always been one of my favorites. We talked about the prophet’s questions of God and His workings in judgment. We saw how Habakkuk learned to be quiet and accept God’s way with a faith of full trust that God knows best. The statement that “the righteous shall live by his faith” was a point we closely studied in its context. We close the study of each prophet by noting some practical points learned from each book.

The New Testament Survey class met as the last class of the morning today and examined the book of 1st Corinthians. We covered an introduction and overview to the book by showing its historical setting and then studying an outline of its teaching. On Monday, the Lord willing, we will focus on chapters 12-14 to show the nature and use of the spiritual gifts present with some of the Christians Corinth.

My only afternoon class on this schedule was Church History. We studied the German Reformation and the work of Martin Luther. We noted that Luther rightly rejected the authority of the Catholic Church and hierarchy, saying the Scripture was the final authority. Yet, he violated his own principles by making a human creed to define faith and practice (the Augsburg Confession) and turning to civil powers to help settle and direct religious matters. Indeed, Luther’s urging of princes and civil power to take leadership in religious matters ultimately led to the state churches that divided Europe for centuries and led to numerous wars.

Though it was a short schedule for today, I have a great deal of work to do tonight in preparing to preach tomorrow as well as getting ready for next week’s classes. Thank you again for your interest in this work. May God bless you as you seek to spread His truth wherever you are.

Brotherly, Harry O.