1 Peter: Lesson Two

"Blessed be the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ, who

has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

in the heavenly places in Christ."

Ephesians 1:3

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1 Peter

Good morning! Let's begin our time together with prayer...

"Yes, Father, You are blessed. You alone are worthy of our adoration and praise. We thank You for all that You have done for us. Praise be Your matchless name.

We seek the forgiveness of our sins, Lord, because we know that our iniquities separate us from You and we do not want to be without You, Lord.

Speak to us this day through Your words. Teach us new and exciting things in this wonderful book by Peter. Walk with us today and show us Your love.

In Jesus' name...amen."

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Redemption in Christ

1 Peter 1:3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

Today we will look into the main idea that Peter is trying to convey throughout this entire book:

Hope through our salvation

"...according to His abundant mercy..."

Here we read that our salvation wasn't based on good works that we do. It wasn't based on anything that God needed to do. Our salvation was and always will be based on His abundant mercy. Peter reminds us of this in verse three.

Please read:

Gal 6:16

Now that we are able to walk according to this rule, we will be partakers of this mercy of the Lord. His love was what initiated our salvation....our redemption. We must never forget that.

"...has begotten us to a living hope..."

I recently was able to substitute teach a class about Hinduism and Buddhism in their history class. As we read about these two religions, we came to the conclusion that both have reincarnation in common. In reincarnation, the soul of a living person lives on in the form of another living thing whether it is animal or human.

As I was explaining this, I told the students how this differs from what we learn from Christianity. I told them that our souls have only 2 destinations: heaven or hell. One Indian girl, who is a Hindu, told me that in Hinduism they have the concept of heaven and hell as well. We then went on to discuss how it is that a person can enter into their heaven or hell and she said it was by Karma.

Good Karma= heaven

Bad Karma= hell

I couldn't go further into the Gospel message due to time issues, but in my mind I thought that this concept leaves the person with no amount of hope since they will not know at death where their soul is headed. They believe it can just keep reincarnating forever. Since the human "essence" isn't passed on from living form to living form, there is no evidence of that person's past existence. How sad. There is no way for a person to know what to do in order to reincarnate "up" or know how to do things correct in order not to reincarnate "down". Buddhism requires that one follow the teachings of Siddhartha, the first Buddha, in order to reach the final stage: Enlightenment.

Nirvana is the Buddhist's heaven, but it is essentially ceasing to exist and becoming "one" with the universe. Where is the hope in that? The universe changes constantly. Why would I want to be a part of something that changes constantly? I already have that here on earth. I have moved 13 times in my life and hate it. To finally be settled somewhere is what all people desire.

I want to be with the One who never changes. He is consistently the same. Forever. To me, being with God represents peace and rest.

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We believers in Christ were given a living hope when Jesus conquered the cross for us.

"..through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..."

He gave us that living hope that yes we will be with Him in paradise as He told the thief on the cross.

John 1:12 & 13

John 3:3-8

Titus 3:5

James 1:18

God has begotten us again to that living hope through the resurrection of Jesus as our Lord and savior. That theme of hope through our salvation will reverberate throughout this book. Look for it and treasure it deep within your heart. Peter is talking to you and about you since you belong to Jesus.

We have that hope that other religions do not possess. We do not rely on our good deeds nor fear our bad deeds regarding our eternal salvation. We have been saved from that hopeless path that leads to nowhere. Our truth lies in what Christ did for us once and for all. Take time today to really think about that and praise His glorious name. He alone is worthy.

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Next time we will look at 1 Peter 1:4-5

Blessings,

Ruth

1 Peter: Lesson One

"And just as He chose us
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love."

Ephesians 1:4

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Hello! Welcome to our first lesson of the wonderful book in the Bible. I am excited to begin studying this letter written by Peter. But first, let's begin with prayer as we seek the Lord:

"Heavenly Father, I pray that you would bless all who are reading this study and speak to our hearts this day. I praise You and Your holy name above all names.
I pray for the forgiveness of my sins for I know my sins separate me from You. I long to hear from You this morning.

In Jesus' name, amen."

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1 Peter

I hope you were able to read through 1 Peter in its entirety before beginning this study in order to understand the main theme and key words of this book. If not, you may want to do that now. Keep in mind what words are constantly repeated by the author and what message is he conveying to the reader.

1 Peter 1:1-3

"Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

Here we read Peter's greeting to the recipients of his letter. This letter has a true purpose: exhortation and testimony.

Who are the recipients? The elect, the believers of Christ dispersed throughout many regions of the Mediterranean north of Israel. Peter, writing from Rome, calls them "elect pilgrims" to remind them...and us.... that they are in a foreign land for a brief time as they await Christ to take them home.

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Exhortation

"..according to the foreknowledge of God the Father..."

To exhort someone is to urge them to continue or pursue a course of conduct or to admonish them or instruct them. Peter exhorts by reminding his readers that they were chosen for a purpose long before the world was created.

Please read:

Roman 8:29-30

Eph 1:5 & 11

2 Tim 2:19

Peter reminds these believers that God the Father knows them, and has known them since before time.

But how are believers separated from unbelievers by their Good Shepherd?

"...in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ."

2 Thess 2:13

Rom 1:5

Heb 10:22

In Peter's first few words we are given a picture of the trinity: God the Father, Spirit, and Jesus Christ.

Peter mentions that our redemption and our sanctification was done of the Holy Spirit. We are now sanctified, or "set apart", from sin by the work of the Holy Spirit placed in us at the time of our redemption. Peter reminds us of this fact that our initial act of obedience was faith in Christ Jesus.

John 6:28 & 29

To continue in that faith is our ultimate act of obedience.

Sprinkling of the Blood

Peter mentions the Old Testament custom of sprinkling the blood of the sacrificed animal by the priests in the Holy of Holies.

The appearance of the blood signified the death of the animal....or sacrifice made. In the case of Abel, his blood "cried out from the ground" to God.

Gen 4:10

But Jesus' blood cried out for forgiveness for God's people.

Luke 23:34

Heb 12:24

Through the blood of Christ, we have been redeemed. In the Old Testament ritual of sacrifice, the priest sprinkled the blood of the dead animal onto the participants of the covenant. The death of the sacrifice established the covenant between man and God. The blood on the participants was a sign that they now obtained all rights and privileges and responsibilities of that covenant. They were publicly liable (Geneva Study Bible Commentary, 1995).

Ex 24:8

Now that we have the blood of Christ on us, we are participants of that covenant between man and God. We are now liable. Peter reminds us of this in his opening verses.

Isn't it amazing how much there is in just these first 2 verses alone?? You have been given much to ponder in this first lesson. We will stop here for now. But please read through the entire book one more time keeping in mind what you learned today as you read. You will begin to see Peter's purposes in writing this letter.

We'll continue with 1 Peter 1:3 in our next study......

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Blessings,

Ruth

INTRODUCTION: 1 Peter

"And we know all things work together

for good to those who love God,

to those who are called according to

His purpose."

Romans 8:28

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Good morning! Welcome to this study of 1 Peter. I pray that you will find this study rewarding and fulfilling as we go verse by verse into this wonderful letter written by one of Christ's greatest servants.

I will be using some of Kay Arthur's Precept study on 1 Peter throughout the following weeks, but mostly we will be looking at each verse and cross-referencing the verses through Scripture.

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In this Introduction, I would like to introduce myself. As it says in my profile to the right of your screen, I am a Christian, wife, mother, artist, and friend. I enjoy writing Bible studies because it keeps me in God's word. Otherwise, I might let several days pass without reading the Bible and that is a most dangerous thing! So this study is more for me than for any of you reading it.

But my prayer is that we all take something away from this book about how to endure suffering for Christ. This world is changing and becoming more and more hostile to believers. I feel it is important that we read and learn how to endure through hard times as they are certainly coming.

Let's look a little bit into the context of this book:

Our Author, Peter, was in Babylon when he wrote this letter (5:13) and many scholars believe this as a reference to Rome which was seen as the "Babylon" in Revelation 17:5 &9 (New Geneva Study Bible, 1 Peter Commentary, 1995).

If written in Rome, scholars place the date of the writing at A.D. 60 or 68. Some say that he was crucified upside down in A.D. 68 and this letter was one of his last before his death. But we really do not have an exact date as to when it was written. Better to focus on what was written instead!

Purpose

Peter's letter has a very specific purpose: to encourage persecuted and bewildered Christians and to exhort them to stand fast in their faith through various trials (5:12). How does he do this? By repeatedly reminding Christians that their inheritance awaits them if they endure:

1 Pet 1:3-13

As you read, you can clearly see how Peter was changed by Christ's death and resurrection. Read here and be reminded of how he was when he walked with Jesus and how he was afterwards:

Luke 22:54-62

Acts 2:32-39

You can see the stark difference when you read these two passages. Peter was changed by the events that unfolded after Jesus rose again. Now, in 1 Peter, he wants to use his knowledge and love to encourage those who might be doubting or under persecution for their faith.

How does this apply to your life?

(1 Peter, Precept Ministries, 1990)

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1 Peter

For this first day's assignment, please read through the whole book of 1 Peter. As you read, make note of your impressions of the book. List your insights and answer the following questions?

• 
  
  Who is the author and recipient of this book?

• 
  
  What can we learn from this book? What is Peter trying to say to his readers?

• 
  
  Where are the recipients of this letter? What are their circumstances?

Now, read through the book once again and list any key words you may have discovered. A Key Word is any that may be repeated as they give you clues to the general subject being taught.

What is the main theme of this book?

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After doing this exercise, you are ready to begin studying this book in its proper context!

I am excited to begin! Next time we will look at 1 Peter 1:1-2

Blessings,

Ruth

Jehovah Raah- Lesson Eight

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever."

Psalm 136:1

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In this, our final lesson already, we will look at the Lord's mercy toward His people...His flock...and how our participation in His presence is the ultimate gift He gave us.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever."

Psalm 23:6

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We have looked at God as our Good Shepherd these past lessons. We have seen just how He provides for His flock, He protects His flock, and He dwells with His flock as an example of what shepherds of His people should be and do.

Please read:

Ez 34:22-24

God tells us that it is He who shall save us and judge us according to His perfect righteousness. We are no longer prey subject to destruction by the beasts of the field. No, He took care of that for us.

He appointed David as the earthly shepherd who was a foreshadowing of the Messiah to come. But David did fail because he was a man afterall. That is why we do not pray in the name of David.

So, God Himself condescended toward man by walking the earth to leave us with an example to follow. An example of perfect submission and obedience, Christ Jesus conquered death once and for all that we, His flock, might live with Him forever.

David knew of this peace. He sang of it and wrote of it long ago.

Psalm 100

Psalm 101

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Seeking God's mercy and goodness should be the goal of every Christian walking the earth today.

But we should also long for the day when we shall be in His presence forever.

John 14:23

Ez 34:25-26

Showers of blessing. Can you just smell the clean rain that will fall all around us? That fresh clean smell that comes with the clean rain will surround us....except there will be showers of blessings all around us.

Psalm 145:8-9, 15, 16

Rom 2:4

His supreme goodness and kindness was shown when He forgave us sinners while we were still in sin....still in rebellion against Him. We were His enemies and yet He forgave us.

Rom 5:5-8

Rom 8:32-39

Eph 2:1-10

People, like David, will let us down. We will fail those around us. People lie, cheat, steal and kill.

But our God is faithful to the end. His promises endure forever.

Lam 3:22-23

Psalm 36:5

Psalm 89:1-2, 14, 24, 33

Just think of the despair of the disciples when they watched Jesus die. All their hopes went with Him into that tomb. But then they saw Him again...the risen Christ, just as He said He would come!

We have that hope. His faithfulness endures forever. King David knew he would dwell with the Lord forever. That was his hope. It should be our hope as well.

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We have that Good Shepherd who puts all earthly shepherds to shame. He is perfection. In Him alone should we rely.

But our earthly shepherds need our prayers. We should lift them up to the Lord daily not because we hope they won't fail us....but that when they do we will love them support them as they do when we fail.

Pray for your shepherd that he might be strong and courageous in times of battle. But also that he would be responsible for his flock and provide for them.

One day we will see our Good Shepherd as He is. And we shall be like Him. What a glorious day that will be when all striving ceases and that covenant of peace will be complete.

Thank you for joining me on this short journey through Scripture where we see God as our Good Shepherd.....our Jehovah-Raah.

I pray you have been encouraged through the reading of God's word. Take it with you and share what you have learned with other believers who may not know that they have a Holy Shepherd who loves them, protects them, watches over them and longs to dwell with them in peace.

Blessings,

Ruth

Jehovah Raah- Lesson Seven

"Bless the LORD,

O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits;

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your mouth is renewed like the eagle's."

Psalm 103:1-5

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Jehovah Raah

The Lord My Shepherd

Good morning! As we read and study God's word today, take time to pray and ask Him to speak to you. I want you to glean all that you can from today's lesson.

In our last lesson we looked at how the Lord protects us with His discipline. It can be hard to take, but we know His discipline is perfect because He is perfect. So, David wrote that the Lord's discipline and guidance is a comfort to him. It should be to us as well.

Today we will look at Psalm 23:5-

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over."

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You Prepare a Table Before Me

We can see in this verse how the Lord God treats David as an honored guest at His table. All the provisions have been placed there by the Lord. The psalmist takes no credit, nor should we for any of the blessings bestowed upon us by God.

Please read:

Ps 104:14-18

Acts 14:17

1 Tim 4:3-4

God warns us that if we obey Him we will have blessings....but if we disobey:

Deut 11:12-17

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In the Presence of My Enemies

It is important that we see how David tells us that not only is the table provided by the Lord and he is the honored guest, but that this is a victory table because the battle is won. This table has been set before the enemies of David.

We know that it is the Lord who scatters the enemies away from His people:

Num 10:35

Ps 3:3

Ps 5:12

Ps 18:48-49

Ps 27:6

Ps 68:1-2

Notice how the psalmist describes the Lord. He is our shield that protects us from the enemy. He lifts us up above those who attack us. He is the intense heat that melts the enemy like wax!

Praise God!

Our enemies have been conquered once and for all by the Lord who conquered death for us when He rose again. Take time today to really thank the Lord for fighting the battle for us.

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You Anoint My Head With Oil

As the honored guest at the table, it was the Jewish custom to anoint him with oil as a way of setting them apart, or sanctifying them, from other guests. Here we read how it is David whose head is anointed at the table provided by the Lord.

Ps 92:10-11

Notice how Jesus was treated when He was a guest at a Jewish table...

Luke 7:36-50

Compare the two. Jesus should have been treated as the honored guest by the Jewish leaders. He was their Messiah. He was there to sacrifice Himself that they would be reconciled to God.

Yet it was the woman with great sin who saw Jesus as the honored guest. She not only anoint his head, but His feet as well and with the oil of great price too.

Have we taken time to anoint our Lord as our honored guest? Is He welcome at our table? Would He feel welcome in our homes? Take time to meditate on what you have learned here today.

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My Cup Runs Over

We have seen how the Lord scattered away the enemies of His people. As humans, we desire justice from our enemies:

Ps 27:1-3

But how does God speak of our enemies?

Ex 23:4

Luke 6:27-36

Matt 5:44-45

Here we read what God says about enemies. He shows mercy and grace and tells us to do likewise.

Man wants justice taken out on his enemies by God:

Ps 55

Vengeance- That is the human reaction.

My son, Nathan, read this Psalm and said it shows a contradiction in Scripture in that Jesus was saying that we should love our enemies, but David asks God for vengeance upon the heads of his enemies.

I ask you, is this a contradiction in Scripture?

I asked my son, "Who is speaking in Luke, Matthew, and Exodus?" He answered, "God." Then I asked him, "Who is speaking in Psalm 55?"

And he answered, "David."

I was able to show him that man's desires for his enemies are far different that God's. Therefore, there is no contradiction. Had God been speaking in Psalm 55, then we would have a clear contradiction. But instead we see how man desires vengeance on those who have wronged him.

How does God respond to those who have wronged Him?

Luke 23:34

Luke 23:39-43

And why is this important to point out?

How did God see us before He saved us?

Ro 5:9-11

We were the enemies of God before the blood of Christ reconciled us to God! Now can you see why God tells us to love our enemies and pray for them? He tells us to lend to them and not to sue them. Why? Because that is what He has done for us.

And that is why our cups run over with all the blessings that the Lord has given us! Praise Him today with all your heart and soul.

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Covenant

So what is the greatest provision that the Lord bestowed upon us?

Salvation from His wrath and judgment. We are now reconciled to a holy God because He Himself became the propitiation for our sins. He Himself, knowing that only a perfect sacrifice would do, came down and became that spotless Lamb of the Passover for us.

Jesus overcame death for us. It was Jesus who conquered our enemies once and for all.

Luke 1:67-71

That's how much He loves us.

Now that's a Good Shepherd!

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"Loyalty is essential to leadership. The wise leader cultivates loyalty by being loyal- loyal to the Lord, loyal to the truth, and loyal to the people he leads. Nothing is more destructive of leadership that the leader who compromises his own loyalty."

-John MacArthur (The Book on Leadership, 2004, p. 70)

Blessings,

Ruth

Jehovah Raah: Lesson Six

"The rod and rebuke
give wisdom,
But a child left to himself
brings shame to his mother."

Proverbs 29:15

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In our last lesson, we looked at how believers in Christ are not to fear the world nor man simply because Christ has already conquered death for us. We learned that it is wisdom to fear the LORD God of Israel rather than man because it is God who has all the power and sovereignty.

Today we will look at the last half of Psalm 23:4

"For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

King David was a shepherd at heart. He knew what it meant to be alone with the sheep in the wilderness. He knew what it meant to protect them, provide for them, and be with them at all times. He also knew the dangers of leaving the flock alone without protection.

We have read about the irresponsible shepherds in Ezekiel...

Please read:

Ez 34:1-10

These selfish shepherds worried more about feeding themselves than the flock. They abandoned the flock and allowed the beasts of the field to devour them. They were scattered.

As a result, the LORD became the shepherd of His people and gathered them together.

Now, as a result of Christ's New Covenant with man, we are part of that flock. We are being led by a benevolent shepherd who loves us because He died for us.

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Your rod and Your staff

When we think of the rod and staff, we tend to think of the harsh discipline of the Lord. But to the shepherd, the rod and staff were used for very specific things.

For Jacob, the staff helped him cross the Jordan:

Gen 32:10

For Moses, he took the rod of God into his hand when he went to Egypt:

Ex 4:20

And during the first Passover, Moses was commanded to take leave in haste with God's people with staff in hand in order to properly direct God's people.....His flock:

Ex 12:11

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We read in Scripture that the rod was used for discipline and fighting off attackers, and the staff for leading and directing the flock. Remember, sheep are not driven from behind, but they are led by the shepherd who walks in front of the sheep using his staff to direct them.

The flock looks to the staff for leadership of the shepherd. He could quickly use the rod to defend the flock against the beasts, and the rod was used to discipline stray sheep back into the fold.

2 Sam 7:14

We see that though discipline comes from the Lord, He never removes His love from those in the covenant. He always loved David.

Jer 48:17

It is the LORD God who can break the staff of the wicked and take over as shepherd.

1 Cor 4:21

Here Paul warns of discipline by the rod.

Our Messiah will rule with the rod:

Ps 2:8

Rev 2:27

So, in Scripture we read how the rod and staff truly are comforting to the believer and complete fear and dread to the non-believer. The Lord will break the staff and rod of the wicked who mislead and rule the flock with cruelty:

Ez 34:4

King David in all his wisdom, understood that once in awhile the shepherd has to use the staff to re-direct the flock back into the fold and use rod to fight off attackers for the flock.

Therefore, he found much comfort in the LORD's discipline and guidance. He knew the LORD personally. They had a very close relationship. God knew David's heart because he had the heart of a shepherd.

Part of our covenant with the Lord is His protection (rod) and presence (staff) in our lives. Both of these promises should bring us great comfort each day as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

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"Leadership is all about motivating people to follow. Therefore everything in leadership hinges on the leader's relationship to his people. It is possible to motivate people simply by sheer force, but that is not real leadership; it's dictatorship. And it never really achieves the goals of leadership. That can be accomplished only by a loving loyalty."

-John MacArthur (The Book on Leadership, 2004, p. 70)

Blessings,

Ruth

Jehovah Raah: Lesson Five

"I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me
and set me in a broad place.
The LORD is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?"

Psalm 118:5-6

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Jehovah Raah
The Lord My Shepherd

In these often troubling times, fear is all around us. Many fear for losing their jobs, careers, or homes. Many have fears regarding health issues or insurance issues. No doubt about it, there is an abundance of fear all around us today in America.

With so much talk of "hope" lately, we see very little comfort in the news on television or in newspapers no matter who resides in the White House or when.

One thing is for sure, the Scriptures have always told us not to rely on man for comfort or safety simply because man is finite. Man is a temporary presence here on this planet. We would be foolish to place all our hopes on man.

Please read:

James 4:14

Instead, we are told to place all our hopes on the LORD God who lives and reigns today as He did yesterday.

Psalm 118:8-9

The psalmists knew of what they wrote. They had lived through many rulers of men only to see the LORD God come through in the end for His people. Therefore, it is no real surprise what King David wrote:

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

-Psalm 23:4

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The Valley of the Shadow of Death

King David knew of which he wrote. He had to live in fear for his life for many months when he became King. He hid out in caves hoping that King Saul would not kill him.

While in those caves, David wrote many beautiful songs to the Lord:

Ps 7
Ps 9
Ps 17

Ps 18


These are just some of the wonderful works of David as he acknowledged God's faithfulness toward His anointed.

How can we acknowledge God's faithfulness toward us during times of uncertainty?

We can turn our eyes upon Him and give Him all the glory:

Ps 115:1

Ps 116:3-9

Ps 27:1

It is far better for us to fear the Lord than to fear death.

Ps 115:13

Ps 18:28

We live in a world where men fear the end of the earth. They try in vain to stop the earth from coming to an end thinking that we can have any influence on its demise.

But we would be wise to fear the LORD who created the earth, sun, and moon. We would be wise to fear Him who allows the sun to shine upon us without destroying us:

Ps 84:11

God is both giver and protector. He allows our sun to shine on us because He knows we need its light. Yet it is He who protects us from its heat. It is He who holds the world in His hands. Yes, it is wise to fear Him rather than the earth.

Is 60:19-20

Micah 7:8

He is our everlasting light! Fear the One who can turn out that light and end our lives. What can death do to a Christian who fears the LORD?

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For You are With Me

Remember the covenant promises:

Provisions
Protection
Presence

Here King David reminds us that the LORD God is with those who fear Him. We have the promise of His presence in our lives. Praise God for that!

Ex 15:2

Ps 62:7

Ps 118:14

Is 12:2

The LORD God is our strength and song.

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Well, that's it for today. I've given you alot of Scripture to look up and read. Carefully and prayerfully read each verse and meditate on them. You have a protector to get you through any difficult time in life.

You have that shield to protect you in any battle.

It is the LORD God who is there to help you in any situation. Call upon His name to be saved from your enemies. He is faithful and true.

He is the Good Shepherd.

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"After reading Scripture, we must ask God for light to scrutinize our hearts and lives, then meditate upon the Word. Disciplined meditation on Scripture helps us focus on God. Meditation helps us view our worship as a discipline. It involves our mind and understanding as well as our heart and affections. It works Scripture through the texture of the soul...pray without ceasing."

-Dr. Joel Beeke (as cited in "Feed My Sheep", 2002, p. 117)


Next time we will look at what the Rod & Staff mean to the Christian.

Blessings,
Ruth