The Bible - Guidebook, Light, Lamp and Director by Asbury Church

TIDINGS SPRING 2018

the BIBLE GUIDEBOOK, LIGHT, LAMP and DIRECTOR

SPRING 2018

TIDINGS Asbury Tidings is a quarterly publication designed to tell stories of lives being transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. You may read back issues by visiting www.asburytulsa.org.

Building upon a

STRONG FOUNDATION By Pastor Tom Harrison

CONTENTS The ESV Bible........................................................ 4 Making an Impact................................................ 6 The Generational Bible..................................... 8 The Old Testament Names of God............... 10 The Battle for the Bible..................................... 12 Don’t Be an Empty Tomb.................................. 16 The Bible Comes Alive....................................... 19 Bible Study 101.................................................... 20 How Did We Get the Bible?............................. 22 A Book-by-Book Summary of the Bible...... 25 John Wesley - A Man of One Book............... 29 Museum of the Bible.......................................... 31 Launching Cornerstone.................................... 34 Special Announcements................................... 37

The Sam J. & Nona M. Rhoades Foundation has helped Asbury with special projects on several different occasions for years. They have never demanded recognition. They have asked, “What are your needs?” and “How can we help?” They have been so supportive and kind to Asbury. A grant from The Rhoades Foundation provides the major funding for our new pew Bibles. This will make Asbury’s pew Bibles and preaching texts current with available digital versions and will enable us to gift over 1,700 copies of the Bible into outreach ministry. There are still giving opportunities for our congregation for this project, but our needs are sharply reduced now. The Rhoades Foundation makes grants to Tulsa area educational, religious and charitable agencies with an emphasis on capital projects. Sam and his wife, Nona, established the Rhoades Foundation in 1999 from a desire to give back to the community in which they had lived for over 80 years. They felt Tulsa had been good to them and their family and they wanted to respond with gratefulness and generosity. The Rhoades Foundation and others like them do an incredible amount of good. When gifts are made to charitable trusts and foundations it shows up in various places doing a lot of great things. I wanted to make you aware of this Foundation and to encourage you to make sure your estate leaves gifts to places such as this. At Asbury, ours is “The Asbury Foundation.”

We need you! Do you have a story of what God has done in your life? Please contact us and tell us a little bit about what God has done. We will all be encouraged by hearing stories of what God is doing in the lives of those around us. Are you a writer or someone who enjoys writing? The Communications Department is always looking for someone to do an interview and write a story for us for Tidings. Have you noticed that we’ve been making some changes in Tidings? Please give us your feedback—both good and bad. Email kmains@asburytulsa.org or call 918.392.1140.

Editor: Asbury Communications Department, 918.392.1140, kmains@asburytulsa.org Photographers: Mark Moore (mark moore.photo.net) Guest Contributors: Guy Ames, Jim Burkett, Tom Harrison, Stephanie Hurd, Andrea Livingston, Jon Odom, Sarah Pradhan, Melissa Renkema, Andrea Stephens

A WORD FROM TOM HARRISON When I first decided to follow Jesus, I tried to read the Bible. I started in Genesis but didn’t get very far because it was confusing. As a 14 ½ year old, I did not see any application. When told to try reading the New Testament, I tried again. Matthew 1 is the genealogical table of Jesus’ birth. Wow! I closed the book again. Someone had to show me how to read it. I learned about the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13). That was my first real Bible application. Like planting a small seed, it began to produce spiritual fruit for me. I understand a lot more of it now, but I still have a blank stare a LOT of the time when reading it. The “new” part of the Bible was written nearly 2,000 years ago in the Greek language. The Old Testament was written hundreds of years earlier. Written in the Hebrew language, it is not in chronological order. The final Old Testament book (chronologically) SHOULD be Esther, but it is placed before Job (one of the oldest of the books). Go figure. There are numerous biblical authors. Some books are addressed to individuals or to churches. We don’t know who wrote some of the books. When we say “the Bible,” it is actually 66 individual books. It is not one book written by one person. Some books are written in prose and some in poetry. I am sympathetic when people say they don’t understand the Bible. It takes work. But if I wanted to learn to throw a baseball, ride a bike, play the guitar or drive a car, I had to practice and take lessons. I improved with daily use and habit. It takes work and commitment to understand and achieve. It is my great passion in life to teach the Bible. I want others to know it, too. While I love history and biography, the Bible is far more than that. The Book is ultimately all about the One who is worthy to open the scroll (Revelation 5). The Bible introduces me to a greater love – Jesus. We don’t study the Bible for trivia. We study the Bible to follow Jesus and to Help Others Follow Jesus, too. That is why this Tidings is about the Bible. I hope this edition will provide insight for application. Almost the very last words we have from the Apostle Paul are about this: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) In Christ,

Dr. Tom Harrison, Senior Pastor

Why are we changing to the

ESV VERSION OF THE BIBLE? By Pastor Tom Harrison

I always used the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible in ministry until moving to Asbury in 1993. Since Asbury UMC used the New International Version (NIV), I had to change so that I was literally on the same page as the congregation. It was a jolt. After all, the Bible is the preacher’s world. As the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, said, “I am a man of one book.” That authoritative book for him was the Bible. A dear member who has since gone to be with the Lord, Ruby Nell Mitchell, let me have the pew Bible she had given to Asbury in honor of her mom. Switching translations was like going to the metric system or learning to drive on the left side of the road. (I helped deepen the prayer life of people in England when I drove through a few of their roundabouts before I got the hang of it.) To this day, my scripture memorization is conflated between the RSV and the NIV. Pastor Jon Odom disrupted my world a few years ago when he said people using their smart phones to read scripture from the NIV have different words from our pew Bible. Now it is the “NEW NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.” Since the Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek and a little Aramaic (not English), and language and cultural expressions change through the years, versions are continually being re-written and new Bible versions will continue to roll out.

Considering the 1984 NIV is no longer in print and we are confusing people who look at Scripture on their phones, I felt we had to make a change. We discussed for several years about what version we should use. Initially I thought we would switch to the New NIV. Pastor Dick Read convened a study group to look at all the options. Some versions are written to be as precise as possible to the original language while others seek to communicate the message in the most readable and

understandable way. Some of my friends in ministry told me they use the English Standard Version (ESV). Dick’s committee said there are several good options, but the ESV was a good blend of various traditions. After MUCH discussion over a long period of time, Asbury will switch to the ESV on July 1. It will be an adjustment for most of us. I have a huge investment in my NIV preaching Bible. It is like my special friend. I’ve written sermons and made notes all over mine. It is a sacred book to me. This is somewhat analogous to relocating from Sheridan to Mingo, for me—it’s THAT big of a deal. But, to literally be on the same page, we will go with what I believe is our best choice. I believe this is the ESV. Our preachers, our sermon journal and our communications department will start using this version on July 1. I believe it is an easier and more compatible read for us. The new pew Bible I will use is larger, brighter and physically easier to read. A special word of thanks to The Rhoades Foundation for making this possible. They have been quite generous through the years on several Asbury projects. We want to give you the opportunity to contribute by purchasing a pew Bible for use here, too. Our stock of 1984 pew Bibles will be used for outreach, making this a win-win. They will go to the Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries churches (CJAMM) of the UMC. This “Tidings” is about the Bible. It is our guidebook, light, lamp and director. As Mark Twain was quoted, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.” That quote speaks the truth, doesn’t it? It also illustrates my point about the use of language changing over time. “Ain’t” ain’t a word anymore!

During May, you will have the opportunity to donate $10 per Bible and have a nameplate in the front “in honor of….” or “in memory of….” What a great way to honor someone special!

Kylah, Braden and Russell Shouse

MAKING AN IMPACT By Sarah Pradham

My first thought when I met these two precious little boys was, “How will I ever tell them apart?” Twins. That infamous stumbling block of all teachers! And while I still have to sneak a peek at their nametags when one of them runs up to hug me or tell me a story, my relationship with Braden and Russell Shouse and their kind, devoted parents, has gone well beyond my ability to tell them apart at first glance. 6

I began my tenure at AsburyKids ministry to kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders in June of 2017. I was blessed to step into a ministry chock-full of kids who’d been walking these halls since their diaper days. This ministry is full of parents dedicated to their children’s spiritual growth, who had already seen them through such milestones as their baptisms, salvation prayers and even their first experience with communion.

For me, it began when I saw these two boys come forward to receive their first Bibles as part of Asbury’s “Bibles & Blessings” service. These normally wiggly, chatty little boys seemed in awe of what was happening around them–the music, the families coming before the pews, and of course, the brand-new blue Bibles I handed them. Like all of our kids during this very special service, they looked so proud of themselves! This moment seemed to have a domino effect of sorts on these little boys. They came running into my classroom Sunday after Sunday (in their tiny matching suits, of course) looking absolutely thrilled to be there. They gave me huge hugs, told me eight stories at once about all their adventures from the previous week and then went running into the classroom. During Big Group, they are always the first to have their hands up to share an answer or volunteer to come up onstage and help me with my lesson. I was seeing in them what I hope to see in every child of every new family that comes through our doors—they were beginning to be at home, at their best, at their most excited, while at church. Braden and Russell are also regulars at our Wednesday night program, CounterPoint Live! It was there that I first connected with their mom, Ashley. She told me about how the family works on memorizing our monthly Bible verse together at home. She shared about how they talk about what they are learning in church and read their Bibles together. I love hearing this kind of thing from families, but in this case, I was not surprised. I could see that the Shouse family was taking the message of Jesus and the practice of spiritual disciplines home with them. It showed in Braden and Russell’s enthusiasm for coming to church, for learning new Bible stories, and even making that coveted trip to the treasure chest when they recite their memory verse. This kind of enthusiasm and deepened understanding of all we teach at AsburyKids is almost always a result of what’s happening at home. So, in the case of these two boys, it seemed to begin with receiving their Bibles and continued with their loving parents’ devotion to their spiritual growth. But it didn’t stop there. Braden and Russell’s big sister, Kylah, began to assist our AsburyKids worship leader, Mason Miles, in leading worship in my classroom. She walks over from her usual hang out with Miss Bonny and confidently steps up on my stage to help teach our Bible verse and lead our singing.

My favorite part of the story came around Christmas time. The boys had started to talk about baptism, which made me think that the idea had been talked about at home as well. Sure enough, I received a stack of cards to sign the following Monday–many of which we send to extend our congratulations to kiddos who have recently been baptized. To my delight, I saw that all of the Shouse children had their own cards in my stack. They had all been baptized together at a recent service. The next time I saw the boys at church, they told me all about their baptism. They were talking so fast and so excitedly that I could hardly understand a word, but the message was clear: these boys were excited and proud of the milestones taking place in their faith. I was completely overjoyed! Closer to Christmas, Mrs. Shouse brought me a bookmark for my Bible she’d made as a Christmas gift. It had a picture on it of the family’s baptism, and sweet words telling us that what we at AsburyKids make a huge difference. I showed the rest of the staff and volunteers in my room the bookmark, using it to assure them that what we ALL do can make a huge difference in a child’s life.

T o watch the milestones unfold as this family has gotten connected into the life of Asbury has been one of the greatest blessings of my ministry here. As of now? The boys are still their exuberant, affectionate selves and are regular fixtures in my classroom. I cannot wait to watch as they continue to mature in their faith, to trust in God’s love for them even more and to begin to discover the unique call on their lives. And to think, all this began with a family dedicated to Christ, and the blessing of a brand new Bible!

Katherine Sanchez 8

The Generational Bible By Melissa Renkema

Katherine Sanchez owns a Bible that has been passed down through generations that is a sentimental family object as well as a testament of strength. This particular Bible hasn’t been overseas, has barely crossed state lines, and isn’t anything overly special to look at. What this Bible does have however, is far more powerful and impactful than a good travel story. This Bible belonged to Katherine’s great-great grandma, Sarah Katherine. She is the woman for whom Katherine is named, and similar to Katherine. Grandma Kate was a woman of great strength and faith in times when faith could be considered impossible. Families and relatives are great for passing down traits, traditions, and keep sakes, but unfortunately they are also known for passing down less desirable things. Cycles of abuse often run from generation to generation, and Katherine has been affected by such cycles. In fact, every person who has been in possession of this Bible has been affected by unspeakable abuse by a family member. This Bible, which originally belong to Grandma Kate, was given to Katherine’s Grandpa, then given to Katherine’s mom, and is now in Katherine’s possesion. Katherine is a chain-breaker. Though she has walked through unimaginable abuse, she works for complete healing and renewal in her life personally and deeply desires the same renewal for her entire family. Katherine has been courageous enough to demand an end to the endless cycles that have plagued her family. She has decided to stand in the light, knowing that until Jesus gets hold of her heart and her family, nothing will change. Katherine has stepped forward to break the chains that have been holding her family captive for generations. Because of her bravery, her family for generations to come will have the opportunity to live in a different reality.

for her as a child. Katherine became gripped by the deep fear of abandonment, since this was her reality with her father. In her darkness, Katherine has wandered, alone and abused, not knowing how to fend for herself. Katherine has begun to find the light switch. This light is the only thing that can break her out of the prison she was thrown into. It is the Word of God, the Bible that has been passed down from similarly hurting people. Katherine now clings to what is found inside the Word and uses its truth as her weapon to replace the mountain of lies that were beaten into her. One of the most profound truths Katherine clings to now is found in Deuteronomy 31:6. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” This verse has been followed up with the living Jesus declaring to His sweet Katherine that, “Where I am, you are safe.” With these words in her mind, Katherine fends off the memories and constant looming darkness that would tell her she has been abandoned by her Heavenly Father. Because of the truth of the Bible, Katherine boldly steps away from the darkness and disaster that was her past. She continues to tuck away new truths and fight back demons that have been piled up for generations. We all believe lies that need to be replaced with Truth from above. Katherine has found the key to doing so. Her example of using the Bible, a Bible that has seen more terrible things than anyone could ever imagine, to find God’s truth and light sends an inspiring message to all. That in spite of the blackest darkness, there is a light that can destroy the deepest levels of hell. Nothing can withstand the truth of God’s Word, that’s why we must join Katherine in releasing the light of the Bible into all the world.

The darkness Katherine knows is more than enough to crush a strong, healthy adult, and so it was utterly debilitating for 9

Potter

Friend

Deliverer

Alpha Strong Tower

Master King of Kings

Elohim

Emmanuel

Ancient of Days

Jehovah

THE OLD TESTAMENT NAMES of GOD By Andrea Stephens Psalm 8:1 NIV “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.” If you have ever perused the artwork at Mardel, chances are high you have seen wall art with the many names of our Father-God. The amount and variety of these descriptive names is almost overwhelming. He is the God of Justice and the Good Shepherd who cares for us. He is the Alpha and Omega-the beginning and the end. He is Emmanuel who is with us. He is our Hiding Place where we can go for protection and refuge. He is our Redeemer, Friend, Strong Tower, King of Kings, Master, Deliverer, the Rock, Potter, Ancient of 10

Days and Everlasting Father—just to name a few! When you ponder all of these names together, like David in Psalm 8, you might be stirred to stand and proclaim toward heaven, “Lord, how majestic is your name!” One of the incredible blessings of having this multitude of names for God is that our understanding of who He is and how He works in our lives is enhanced and deepened. These descriptive names reveal the character of God, as well as His attributes. For instance, the first name for God that appears in the scriptures is Elohim or Elohay. Used nearly 3,000 times in the Old Testament, this word reveals God as the Creator

of the heavens and earth. Since this word is in the plural form, the triune nature of God is also revealed (Genesis 1:1). Later in scripture we come to understand this to mean God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Three in One. That is quite a bit from the very first verse of the Bible! Throughout the Old Testament, this name is linked with other words to describe specific characteristics of God. For example: Elohay Selichot means God of Forgiveness (Nehemiah 9:17), Elohim Chaiyim means Living God (Jeremiah 10:10), and Elohay Mishpat means God of Justice (Isaiah 30:18). El is the simple form of the word Elohim and is linked with other words for emphasis. For example: El HaNe’eman means The Faithful God (Deuteronomy 7:9), El Emet means The God of Truth (Psalm 31:6), and El De’ot means The God of Knowledge (1 Samuel 2:3). One of my favorites is El Roi because it assures us that He is the God who sees us (see Hagar’s story Genesis 16:1-16). He knows and cares about where we are and what we are going through every second of our lives. What a personal God we serve. There is a group of seven compound names often called the Jehovah names of God. Each name has two words that give a distinct description. The first word for each name is Jehovah, which means The Lord or Lord God. Jehovah is used more than 6,800 times in the Old Testament. The root of the word means self-existent One and implies that He is strong, sovereign and good. The second word is the name given to God by people at a specific revelation of His character. Thanks to the scripture, we are able to look into their stories to see how God worked with them and to observe His true nature. For instance, in Judges 6:1-24 the Lord appeared to Gideon, calling him a mighty warrior. At that time, Gideon was far from mighty, and he had never been to war. Yet the Lord appointed him leader of the Israelite army, declaring that Gideon would win over the Midianites who had been oppressing them. When this happened, Gideon asked for a sign to confirm that the One he was talking to was really the Lord. So, the Lord touched Gideon’s offering on the altar, causing it to be consumed with flames. To the terrified Gideon, the Lord said, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon built an altar to the Lord right in that spot and called it Jehovah Shalom meaning The Lord is Peace. It was that same peace that filled Gideon with confident assurance the day he faced the greatest challenge of his life—leading God’s people in victory! What we do learn from Gideon’s story?

When we call upon the Lord, His peace fills us as we come face-to-face with our personal battles. His peace will lead us. Let’s briefly take a look at the other six. Jehovah-Yireh means The Lord our Provider. Read about God providing a ram to be sacrificed in the place of Isaac in Genesis 22:1-18. Jehovah Rapha means The Lord our Healer. Read in Exodus 15:26 about God promising his people not to bring any of the plagues He brought on the Egyptians if they obeyed Him. Jehovah Nissi means The Lord our Banner. Check out Exodus 17:8-15 to find out what happened when Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms during the battle with the Amalekites. Jehovah Ra-ah means The Lord our Shepherd. David, in Psalm 23, wrote a detailed description of our Shepherd-God. He alone cares for our every need. Jehovah Tsidkenu means The Lord our Righteousness. In this story in Jeremiah 23, God declares that He will raise up a righteous branch from David who will be a Savior to His people. Jehovah Shammah means The Lord, our Present One. Read how God instructed the people that the sanctuary of the Lord was to be built in the center of the land that was being divided up among the tribes of the northern kingdom. There, surrounded by His chosen nation, God would be present among them. See Ezekiel 48:35. The beauty of the many names of God given to us in scripture is that we can learn so much about Him—even if we have not yet experienced Him in a certain way. The more you know about Him, the more opportunity you have to know Him intimately. The more you know Him intimately, the more you will love Him. The more you love Him, the more you will desire to obey Him. The more you obey Him, the more joy you will experience in your life. And it all starts with knowing Him by name.

THE BATTLE FOR THE BIBLE: Word of man or Word of God? By James Burkett

The Christian Faith has been increasingly under attack from different segments of our culture. This is not a recent development but has continued to grow in influence and visibility. It is not unusual to hear skepticism and critical remarks about Christians and the Christian faith from college professors, school teachers, cultural elites and some national leaders. Their statements not only mock the Christian faith but indicate that they are ill-informed and have misunderstood the basic message of Christianity. This can be seen with the increasing mistrust of the Bible as being a reliable historical document, let alone the Word of God. 12

WHAT ARE THE FACTORS CAUSING THESE ATTITUDES? There are three factors that are eroding confidence and respect for the Bible in our culture:

FACTOR ONE: The growing secularization of American culture. A major paradigm shift has occurred in our thinking that has affected our perceptions about reality, decisionmaking and life. This issue is a dominant factor in our culture: We have moved from a THINKING culture to a FEELING culture.

This can be described as a secularist mindset. Apologist Jonathan Morrow explains: “According to the secular mindset, belief in God is regarded as nonsense and the rational equivalent of fairy tales for grownups. If the secularist were to draft a list of first principles, the belief that ‘you can’t know something unless you prove it scientifically’ would top the list.” Here is a sobering statistic: 72 percent of 18 to 29 year olds identify themselves in a new sociological category: “Spiritual, but not religious.”

FACTOR TWO: The strong anti-institutional attitude among those under the age of 35. Dr. Thom Rainer and Jess Rainer state in their book, Connecting to America’s Largest Generation, “70 percent of this generation has an anti-institutional view of the church.” There are three reasons they cite for this attitude: R eason One: They have seen the seemingly never-ending moral failure of pastors. R eason Two: They perceive most churches as inwardly focused, not serving either the world or their communities. R eason Three: Probably more than any other factor, they perceive the churches and their leaders to be negative and argumentative.

are more likely to consult the Internet for questions about Christianity or the Bible than their pastor. The average young adult receives his news, not from network TV news, but blogs and internet sites. Skeptical videos and blog posts that challenge the foundations of historic Christianity are reaching millions on Youtube and Facebook in hours and days. Many misrepresentations of Christianity are being communicated by individuals who have never studied the Christian faith from a credible source. Youtube is receiving 350 million new videos daily.

TWO SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERIES There is a monumental issue facing the Church and that is the “MASSIVE” exodus of young adults from the Church and more importantly from Christianity. The statistics are staggering. The range of “former Christian young people” leaving Christianity (depending on which survey you read) is from 65 percent to 92 percent! Although there are several reasons given by young adults for leaving the Christian faith, the number one reason for this exodus is the failure of the Church to provide credible answers to the questions that young adults had about Christianity and the relationship to culture, history or science. For me personally, I was initially startled to discover that the questions being asked were all ANSWERABLE! One factor really stood out: doubts and questions about the Bible, if not answered, could almost predict a future departure from the Faith! This is why the Battle for the Bible is so crucial.

FACTOR THREE: The sophisticated attacks on the Bible’s

One other SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY: one

origin, credibility and reliability. Here are the terms used by sceptics to describe Christianity and the Bible: anti-science, repressive to women, culturally outdated, morally repulsive and historically inaccurate.

research organization discovered that those

The historical reliability of the Bible is increasingly under attack from multiple fronts such as the classroom, traditional media and new media. The traditional media consistently misrepresents the Bible and Christianity through TV, movies, books and magazines. Bart Ehrman is a key example with his best-selling, Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why. But here is the “rest of the story.” Ehrman’s alarmist views and misrepresentations of the New Testament were answered decades ago by Evangelical scholars! The mew media, however, is producing a “seismic” cultural change coming from the secularist mindset. Young people

Christian young adults raised in the church who had their questions and doubts addressed, they were MORE THAN 98 PERCENT likely to stay committed to the Christian faith. Read that again.

NECESSARY CONSIDERATIONS • If GOD exists, would He communicate with human beings? How can we discover what God’s will is? Does God have an objective standard not based on emotions? • Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer called God’s communication to us in words and sentences “propositional revelation.” The Bible is “propositional revelation” from God. But can His propositional revelation be verified by history and science? To answer that question, we must look at one more important consideration: TRUTH! 13

T H E BAT T L E FO R T H E B I B L E • This issue of Truth is most significant. Although Truth is a sensitive subject in our day (and has been in the past) and some folks may be easily offended by statements of verifiable truth, the issue cannot be avoided. For example, what is 12 x 12? One person may say 122, another 167, and someone else may say 144. The person who said the answer is 122 and the other who said 167 should not be offended when they are shown that the answer is 144. Truth, absolute truth, cannot be avoided. Consider the chemical N20 (nitrous oxide or laughing gas). Doctors and dentists use laughing gas. Modern science must operate on absolute truth, or there is no science. The pilot of a plane cannot fly without objective truth!

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT THE BIBLE IS ACCURATE AND TRUSTWORTHY? I was a pastor for more than 34 years in major university communities. I had the opportunity of meeting men and women from all aspects of the academic community. I was amazed that professors, graduate students, university students and notable scientists would insist and argue that the Bible could not be trusted. Although professors and scholars would be focused on facts within their particular academic discipline, I was amazed at their conclusions regarding the Bible. I discovered that they spoke on the basis of unjustified assumptions, bias or a simple ignorance of the facts.

FACT ONE: Manuscript Preservation The Bible is far more accurately preserved than any other text of ancient history. There are far more New Testament manuscripts copied with far greater accuracy and far earlier dating than for any secular classic from antiquity. The Old Testament was also preserved with its overall historical accuracy having been factually confirmed by scholars. How can the Bible be rejected as “unreliable” when its documentation is at least 100 times that of other ancient literature? No other literature has supplied historians and biblical scholars with such an abundance of evidence. THERE IS NO OTHER DOCUMENT OF ANTIQUITY that is as accurately preserved as the New Testament.

FACT TWO: Archaeology The declarations that the Bible is filled with mythological tribes and peoples have ALL been dramatically disproven. 14

James Burkett

More than a century of meticulous and scientific archaeological excavations have failed to prove a single biblical statement incorrect. But archaeology has confirmed thousands of historical and geographical details in the Bible. Former director of the Australian Institute of Archaeology and author of the 17-volume “Archaeology, the Bible, and Christ”, Dr. Clifford Wilson states over and over again, the Bible has been vindicated. That is true from Genesis to Revelation....” Historian and apologist Dr. John Warwick Montgomery expresses the conclusion of archaeologists and historians regarding the reliability of the archaeological data: “Modern archaeological research has confirmed again and again the reliability of New Testament geography, chronology and general history.”

FACT THREE: Scientific Prevision There are scores of biblical directives and statements which conform to the facts of modern science. These statements were made centuries before modern science and medicine. An excellent example is Dr. S.I. McMillen’s “None of These Diseases: The Bible’s Health Secrets for the 21st Century” or former ABC News Science Editor and Harvard University physics professor, Dr. Michael Guillen in his “Amazing Truths: How Science and the Bible Agree”.

FACT FOUR: Certified and Accurately Fulfilled Prophecies Only the Bible has specific prophecies that have been fulfilled. No other religious “sacred book” has this component. Leading Old Testament scholar, Alfred Edersheim, stated that there were 456 prophecies concerning the first coming of the Jewish Messiah. He provided extensive confirmation that Jesus Christ fulfilled all of those prophecies. Math professor Peter W. Stoner details in his book, “Science Speaks”, the astounding confirmations of fulfilled biblical prophecy. Dr. Hugh Ross has stated that the 2,000-plus prophecies of the Bible have all been fulfilled except for the end of the age prophecies and the second coming of Christ prophecies. The statistical probabilities of the prophetical fulfillment are staggering! For example, Professor Stoner and 12 classes of 600 college students calculated that the statistical probability of a man fulfilling just eight of the Messianic prophecies would be 1 in 1,017 or 1 chance in 100,000 trillion. That number would allow you to cover the entire surface area of Texas with a two feet stack of silver dollars. As additional calculations are made, the probabilities are beyond the possibility of mere chance, but indicate a Divine direction.

Although we have only briefly touched on the subject, The Battle for the Bible: Word of Man or Word of God, we can readily ascertain that the evidences for the reliability of the Bible is overwhelming! Plus the evidence can bring a person to the conclusion that the Bible is more than the Word of man but is indeed the Word of God.

FOR ADDITIONAL STUDY In Defense of the Bible: A Comprehensive Apologetic for the Authority of the Bible edited by Steven B. Cowan and Terry L. Wilder Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World by Andreas Kostenberger, Darrell Bock, & Josh Charaw Why Trust the Bible by Greg Gilbert Apologetic Websites: www.thepoachedegg.net (one of the best apologetics sites in our nation) www.oneminuteapologist.com (more than 300 plus Christian scholars and apologists answer critical questions about Christianity in one to three minutes)

FACT FIVE: Alleged Bible Errors and Contradictions are Answered Logically and Factually

www.RZIM.net (Ravi Zacherias ministries)

The great majority of alleged errors and contradictions in the Bible are the result of three issues:

www.oklahomaapologetics.com (website for the Oklahoma Apologetics Alliance)

1. A hasty examination of the Bible text; 2. F aulty assumptions and misunderstanding of translation procedures by the critics; 3. The selective use of data by the author. It is important to observe proper definitions especially with terms like “error” and “contradiction.” Noted Old Testament scholar and one of the world’s leading linguist, Dr. Robert Dick Wilson stated: “I have made it an invariable habit never to accept an objection to a statement of the Old Testament without subjecting it to a most thorough investigation, linguistically and factually...I defy any man to make an attack upon the Old Testament on the grounds of evidence that I cannot investigate.” Dr. Wilson’s conclusion was that no critic has succeeded in proving an error in the Old Testament.

www.apologeticsonfire.com (soon to be up website for Apologetics-on-Fire and the Oklahoma School of Apologetics & Practical Theology) Apologetics Study Groups: Reasons to Believe (Apologetics Study group connected with scientist Dr. Hugh Ross) Reasonable Faith (Apologetics Study group connected with Dr. William Lane Craig) Apologetics Courses: Oklahoma School of Apologetics & Practical Theology

Don’t be an

EMPTY TOMB By Melissa Renkema

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’” Matthew 28:5-7 With these words, our lives changed forever. With the realization that the tomb Jesus borrowed now lies eternally vacant, we are able to live in new and profound ways that those before the cross did not experience. But so many people haven’t grasped what this declaration, that the tomb now stands empty, means for us today. If Jesus’s sacrificial death on the cross had not happened, things would make more sense. We would be people who need to follow the law to earn forgiveness to be in good graces with God. We would be working to earn salvation, making sacrifices to atone for our sins. Working for grace makes more sense to us. It’s simpler-do certain things and you earn forgiveness

for the ways you’ve messed up. Just read your Bible more, pray more, go to church more, and you can be OK with those mistakes that you made and keep making. It makes sense to us that if you mess up, you have to work to make it better. But salvation is more radical, more nonsensical than that. For salvation came while we were still sinners. This means we don’t have to earn it for Jesus to defeat death for us; we don’t have to work, trying to appease Jesus before He will go to the cross. He has already done it; our works did nothing. And even more than that, His resurrection indicates to us what we are to be doing now, after the cross. We aren’t earning our salvation for we already have it, so then what are we doing? If Jesus isn’t in the tomb anymore, then where is He and what is He doing? To offer a possible answer, I want to take a moment and discuss Jewish wedding customs in the time of Jesus. In those days, there was a much different process then what we have today. First, when a Jewish man was ready to be wed, his family would search around to find a suitable woman. Once they had chosen his match, he would go to her and extend a cup of wine to her. If she drank from the offered cup, the two would become engaged.

Once engaged, the man would return to his father’s house and begin to build a room onto it. In that time, the woman would completely become a part of the man’s family, and so the now-engaged man would work to make a nice place for his bride, where they could begin their family. During this waiting period, the bride would not know how long her groom would be away, and it was her responsibility to prepare. She would pull women in to help her, today we would call them bridesmaids, and they would prepare everything for the coming ceremony. As soon as the groom came back, the bride would be going with him to her new home, and so she would need to prepare everything beforehand (her dress, whatever things she would be taking to her new home), and arrange everything for the ceremony so that she would be ready to go whenever her groom returned. At an unknown time, the groom would finish the room and be ready to go get his bride and bring her home. He would gather some men, today we would call them groomsmen, to go before him shouting from town to town that the groom was coming. The bridesmaids would hear the news and alert the bride of his arrival. He would arrive, get his bride, and they would be off for the ceremony and journey back to their new home and start their life together. Does any of this sound familiar? “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 Matthew 25 tells the parable of the 10 virgins – who are waiting for the bridegroom to arrive.

We have the parable of the wedding feast, found in both Matthew 22 and Luke 14, describing the invitation of guests to the wedding. And our sacrament of communion, where we are offered the cup of wine, representing Christ’s blood shed for us on the cross. This is our story. Christ has come, He has extended the cup of wine to us and when we partake in the communion table we are sealing our engagement to Christ. And now, He is at His Father’s house, building a room for us to go be with Him one day. And in the meantime, we are to prepare. We must prepare ourselves. Just as the bride gets the dress, the right hair style, the correct makeup, and all the beauty treatments, we must prepare our hearts. We are to cultivate our relationship with God, growing in His love and developing into the person He created us to be. We are to practice the spiritual disciplines in our own lives so that we stay connected to our Groom. We are to be growing into the best version of ourselves, continuously. We are to be loving our neighbors, helping them know the love of God we experience. We do the work now of telling people about our God, of getting more and more people invited to the feast. As Todd White says, “The rapture isn’t a rescue mission, it’s a pickup for a wedding date.” We are in the rescue part right now. Just as engagements today are a whirlwind of love, preparation and romance, so we are also to be engaged with Christ our groom. We are to be loving Him and remembering His love for us as we live this life with Him and prepare for the wedding of a lifetime. But so often, our life doesn’t look like this.

John the Baptist speaks of the bridegroom, saying, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegrooms voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” John 3:29

It’s hard to wear white when you feel impure, and so it’s easier to try to earn the right to be clean. We know where we have messed up, and it’s easier for us to try to earn forgiveness by doing good things because we know we don’t deserve grace. But the audacity of the cross tells us of the ridiculous, outlandish, and seemingly irresponsible grace that our Savior won for us.

And even more than that, the empty tomb reminds us daily that we are to live differently now, doing things out of response to His love rather than trying to get something. When we start to live from a place of grace and forgiveness and love, rather than trying to work for it, things begin to shift. Our life begins to reflect the resurrection as we live in ways that Jesus died for us to experience here on earth. The empty tomb shows us that Jesus has even more things in store for us, and we are to dig into deeper realms of God’s love and allow that love to flow out for others. So, you can sit by the empty tomb, thinking that the cross never happened and waiting for something more. You can keep just doing good works, hoping for the best outcome. You can live in a way that seemingly forgets that Christ has already declared your freedom and gone before you to demonstrate what your life can be, here and now.

Or you can look and see that He is risen. He already defeated death, won our salvation, and rose again! Experience the empty tomb by earnestly loving God. He has already done it; He has extended grace and redemption to all by the cross, and He now leads us into deeper living. You live differently when you shift your mindset. Outwardly, things may look the same. You may stay in the same place, serve in the same areas, and keep the same routine. But when you change the why, when you do things with a desire to love God more each day and to bring others along with you, you begin to grow and live into the life that Jesus earned for you. Jesus showed us that He was after people’s hearts, and that real life change comes from within. It’s important to practice the spiritual disciplines, read your Bible, pray, serve, participate in Christian community, and do good works, but we need to do these things for the right reasons.

Wholeheartedly seek Him, love God above all things, and let Him transform you into His marvelous creation. The Church is the Bride of Christ. Remember this calling, and live your life engaged.

THE BIBLE COMES ALIVE

in Celebrate Recovery By Andrea Livingston

Part of Celebrate Recovery is participating in a Step Study, learning and applying the 12 steps and eight biblical principles over the period of eight to 12 months for 25 lessons using the four participants guides and a Celebrate Recovery Bible. As a leader for women’s step studies, it is amazing to see the recovery and growth that occurs. One year, a participant received her very first Bible. This young woman couldn’t wait to share. She had read all the recommended material and several pages on either side of each lesson/story. She was hungry for the Word and the lessons she read. Each week, along with the required readings for their lesson they are encouraged to read related lesson material in the Celebrate Recovery Bible along with one or more biblical character story, one or more real-life participant recovery story and a devotion based on the lesson for that week. During class, we give each participant an opportunity to share if they had any significant statement, thought or idea from their Bible readings for that week. Lesson 4 is on sanity (versus insanity – doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result). She was excited to read Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. The reading shared that the “S” is for strength, not our own strength, but God’s strength which helps us stop making the same poor choices again and again.

This is reinforced with Philippians 2:13 It is God who works in me to will and to act according to His good purpose. She commented that “this time” there is hope for change in herself and her circumstances. The biblical character study was Mark 7:24-30 – the Syrophoenician woman who went to Jesus requesting healing for her demon-possessed daughter. This woman responded to Jesus first seemingly rude response, with determination, wisdom and faith. Jesus granted her petition, and we know the rest of the story. Through the additional context of that story, she learned how easy it is to become codependent. How we can allow our lives to become centered on our child’s problem instead of our own walk with Christ. As we focus on Jesus, He works in us to transform and guide us. He helps us to change and to handle our hurts and disappointments, usually based on unrealistic expectations of others. Through Celebrate Recovery, she found the support of others who shared her painful experiences. She graduated that step study and went on to co-lead another step study and share her hope and victory with other women.

By Stephanie Hurd

If you don’t know how to study the Bible, don’t worry. Everyone starts at the same place: the beginning! Bible study is a learned skilled, but it’s also a lifelong skill that will never cease to challenge and reward you. A good place to begin is by developing a habit of daily Bible reading. Engaging with the Lord through Scripture on a daily basis (by reading and prayerfully reflecting on passages) is the single best approach to spiritual growth. Think of it as “compounding interest.” A daily discipline gives the Holy Spirit more to work with than a weekly Bible study alone, and much more than attending an occasional weekend retreat. Daily reading can be done almost any time and almost anywhere, with nothing more than your favorite copy of God’s Word and the help of the Holy Spirit.

HOW TO READ YOUR BIBLE:

WAYS TO STUDY YOUR BIBLE:

You will need a Bible you can understand; the English Standard Version is an excellent translation for reading and for study, and it’s the version our pastors will use for preaching. The New Living Translation is more “user-friendly” for beginners (for reading, but not necessarily for study).

Now we’ll look at five common approaches to Bible study. Note: If you are going to get serious about this, a “study Bible” would be a good investment.

Here is a simple approach: 1. C hoose a reading plan, such as the one Asbury provides through the sermon journal (look on the Asbury website for a copy) or simply start with the Gospel of John then proceed to Matthew, Mark or Luke and then Acts. If you have trouble locating passages, use your Bible’s table of contents. References are always listed in this order: book, chapter, verse(s). 2. P ray first. Ask for wisdom and understanding and for the Lord to speak to you through the text. Read slowly and thoughtfully. Reading aloud is helpful, too, as this is the way the original audience would have experienced it. 3. Respond to the scripture text in the following ways: Observe what the author is saying. What is the passage about? eek to know meanings by asking and answering questions. S What did this passage mean to the original audience? ractice by personalizing the biblical teachings. How does P this passage apply to God’s people? Set a goal to read your Bible daily, even if it’s just spending five minutes with a Psalm. Making a small deposit into your spiritual development each day is better than not at all, and better than biting off big chunks periodically. It also helps you become familiar with your Bible and more comfortable navigating it. In addition to daily Bible reading, find an organized Bible study to join. Asbury offers several options each semester. Learning from an experienced teacher and interacting with other students will help you develop your skills as you learn to study the Bible on your own.

Topical- Start with a topic and find all the verses which address that theme to see what the Bible says about a particular subject. A study Bible will have an “index to topics” in the back for reference. For example, when I look up “meditation” in my index, it breaks it into sections such as: “On what are we to meditate?” “What does meditation accomplish?” “When did people meditate?” and “Examples of those who meditated” with key texts for each. Book and/or Chapter- Go paragraph-by-paragraph or verseby-verse to look at passages in context. This approach helps us accurately handle God’s Word, and avoid what is called “proof-texting” which means pulling a scripture out of its context, meaning or purpose, and using it improperly, especially to justify a doctrinal point. In your study Bible, start your book or chapter study with the book’s introduction to learn about the time, place and original audience. Character- Look in-depth at the particulars and the significance of a person or place in Scripture. You’ll want to use a topical index, concordance or word-search function and other study helps. For example, if I were studying the Apostle Paul, I would search his name, and look at my study Bible’s “Timeline of Paul’s Life” and the maps showing his missionary journeys. Chronological- Look at events in the order they happened instead of the order they appear in your Bible. This is helpful for understanding the overarching narrative of our faith and the big picture of God’s redemptive plan. This approach is also helpful because humans are wired for story. Biblegateway.com is a free, searchable online Bible program that has a condensed chronological reading plan. Word- Usually done in conjunction with another study, it brings clarity to a passage by looking at how a word is used throughout Scripture. Word studies usually involve looking up key words in their original language. Blueletterbible.org is a free, searchable online Bible program that provides in-depth study tools of this nature.

HOW DID WE GET THE BIBLE? By Pastor Guy Ames

In the fourth chapter of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus steps up in the synagogue to read from the prophet Isaiah. He read, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, set the oppressed free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” When He gave the scroll back to the attendant, everyone’s eyes were fastened on Him, Luke writes. Then He said, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4: 16-20 If Jesus read the Scripture, we surely should be reading God’s Word. So where did we get our Bible? The word “Bible” comes from the ancient Greek word “ta biblila” which means “the books.” Compiled over the course of nearly 1,500 years, both Jews and Christians view the Bible as God’s inspired and revealed word to His people. Church leaders refer to the Bible as the canon, which comes from the ancient Greek word for “rule” or “measuring stick.” Both Old and New Testaments were developed through much debate among ancient leaders, eventually agreeing on the biblical books as inspired by God and the authoritative history of the relationship between God and his people. Jesus called the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible the Law and the Prophets. These Scriptures contained the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), the History Books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther). To these books they added the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel) and the twelve Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi). Besides the books of prophets, they added the Poetic Books (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and Lamentations.) Who wrote the Old Testament? Most is attributed to Moses, David, Solomon and the prophets; other psalms and proverbs have come from other less-known or unknown writers. Court “scribes” may have helped write some of the historical texts. Most of the Old Testament seems to have been accepted as Scripture by late 500 B.C.

By the late 3rd century B.C., the Greek King Ptolemy II of Egypt sponsored the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. According to tradition, 72 Hebrew scholars worked independently for 72 days to produce identical translations, which became called the Septuagint or known as LXX which means “the Seventy.” Some of the New Testament writers quoted from the Septuagint, and Jesus would have been familiar with this Bible. What about the New Testament? Within a few short years of Jesus’ resurrection and the founding of the Church, pieces of the New Testament began to be circulated across the growing Middle Eastern Church. 1 Thessalonians likely came first among the New Testament books, written around 50 A.D., and by around 80 A.D., we had the Revelation of St. John. While there may have been other writings during that same time, only the New Testament books survived well into the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Of the 27 New Testament books, four are Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of Paul (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Thessalonians), the Pastoral Letters (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon and Hebrews), general Epistles (James, 1&2 Peter, 1,2,3 John Jude) and Revelation. Most of these letters and gospels began to be circulated from church to church. Copies of copies continued to move from town to city and beyond, even being added to a larger collection. Organic in nature, the early church did not have a clear system of leadership apart from the itinerant apostles and a group of local elders. Scribes took pains to make copies and the Roman postal system enabled those copies, to be mailed to others. Still the church did not consider that they were creating a New Testament while these early writers penned their gospels or letters.

H OW D I D W E G E T T H E B I B L E ? As many different letters and gospels circulated within the early church, leaders sought to identify which were authentic, to be included in the “canon.” To qualify for the list of inspired books, early church leaders needed to confirm that 1) were written by one of the apostles or had been transcribed for an apostle; and 2) must be consistent with the gospel teaching of Jesus and the theology of the apostles. For instance, one supposed gospel told a story of Jesus as a boy who playing in the mud created a mudball, threw the mud in the air, which suddenly became a dove. Early church leaders saw in this story a contradiction with the Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Instead of a miracle that brings glory to God, this sounds like a mythological magic story. The early church leaders knew about these documents, having studied them and identified that they did not meet the primary criteria to be included in the canon. They do not belong on the level of inspired Scripture. As early as 120 A.D., the early church leader, Justin Martyr had put together collections of both Paul and John’s writings. By 200 A.D., a list of the recommended 27 New Testament books began to circulate, and by the 4th century A.D., leaders such as Origen and Athanasius wrote about these “27 books” as the inspired New Testament. The famous St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in Northern Africa, called together the Councils of Carthage in 397 and 415 A.D. in which all 27 books were listed and thus became the official, authorized New Testament. In 382, St. Jerome translated both the Old and New Testaments into Latin, the language of the Roman Empire, which he called the Vulgate. For the next 1,200 years, the Roman Catholic Church maintained the Bible in Latin with only 66 books. At the time of Martin Luther, a German Catholic priest, very few Christians had held a Bible much less could even read the Bible in Latin. The average Latin Bible took seven years to hand copy, consequently most churches kept their Bibles chained to the pulpit. Few ministers or priests had a Bible. From 1521-1522 A.D., Luther lived in hiding in the Wartbug Castle because of his radical views that the Bible, not the Pope or the Church, has ultimate spiritual and doctrinal authority. During that time, he translated the New Testament into German. Because of the invention of the famous Guttenberg printing press, he could have this published and distributed across Germany. Now Martin Luther encouraged people to own a personal Bible, read the Bible and order their lives around the teaching of the Scripture. This Reformation 24

shook the civilized world and created an entirely new frame of reference. No longer were Christians limited to someone else telling them what the Bible taught, but now could read, think, interpret and apply the Bible on their own. The Catholic Church in protest formed what they termed the Counter Reformation and at the Council of Trent added six more books to their Vulgate Bible. These six books from the period between the Old and New Testaments we call the Apocrypha and tell some of the history that occurred during that season. While Catholic Christians view these books as equal to all others in the Bible, Protestants generally refer to them as outside the inspired nature of the Bible. The Reformation emphasis on freedom of thought and independence of learning helped to forge the Independence Movement some years later that brought about the creation of our own nation. The impact of the Bible on our Western Civilization cannot be matched by any other literature or dominant voice. From the words of the Bible, our Declaration of Independence could speak, “all men are created equal…” The impact of the Bible on human history cannot be overstated. From the earliest days of declaring that God is one God, to the New Testament declaration that in Jesus Christ there is no slave or free, male or female, the Bible has stirred the imaginations of the minds of people across generations. History reminds us of women and men who stood on principle because of the words of Scripture and changed history. Whether speaking of St. Augustine in the 4th century or Luther in the 16th, or John Wesley in the 18th century or Billy Graham and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 20th century, God continues to speak through these inspired and revealed words to show His people a new way of living.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

A book-by-book

SUMMARY of the Bible

THE OLD TESTAMENT G ENESIS

God is the origin of all things—the universe, the earth, life, humanity, the Jewish people, and the plan of redemption.

EXODUS

God provides the redemption, provision and guidance His people need.

LEVITICUS

God expects His people to reflect His holiness, not just in rituals but in reality.

N UMBERS

There’s nothing worse than taking a wrong turn into the land of unbelief, for God wants to lead us forward by faith.

DEUTERONOMY

Every new generation needs to learn the lessons of the Lord and develop a heritage of faith and obedience.

JOSHUA

Yahweh is a promise-keeping God who leads His children through warfare to victory, just as He gave the Israelites the land promised to Abraham and his descendants.

JUDGES

When generations arise without a knowledge of God and His commands, they fall into a downward spiral of sin, defeat, judgement and dispair.

RUTH

In Boaz, God provided Ruth a kinsmanredeemer who exchanged her bitterness for blessing and foreshadowed the redemptive work of the coming kinsmen-redeemer, Jesus Christ.

I SAMUEL

The stories of Samuel, Saul and David remind us that popularity and image will fade away, but those after God’s own heart will leave a legacy of leadership. 25

A S U M M A RY O F T H E B I B L E

I I SAMUEL

We must follow God’s guidance rather than our own passions, at every step.

I KINGS

The decline of Israel during and after the days of Solomon warns us of the dangers of complacency, but also teaches us to practice the boldness of Elijah.

II KINGS

Though the story of the decline and fall of Israel’s monarchy appears bleak at times, God never lost control of Israel’s destiny and His promises were undeterred.

I CHRONICLES

God’s covenant to David and His promises to Israel are perpetual, designed to give His people a heritage and a future.

II CHRONICLES

God is determined to have a temple, a dwelling place for His glory on Earth.

EZRA

In showing how the returning exiles rebuilt their temple, city and nation, Ezra teaches us to rebuild areas in our lives that have been damaged or defeated.

NEHEMIAH

PROVERBS

Success in the practical matters of life requires reverence for God and obedience to His rules for living.

ECCLESIASTES

Life without God is meaningless.

SONG OF SOLOMON

God’s pattern for courtship and marriage provides a template for a beautiful and lasting relationship based on His unquenchable love.

ISAIAH

God is both our majestic Lord and our suffering Servant, and by waiting on Him, we can renew our strength.

JEREMIAH

God expects us to persevere in His work, even when our heart is broken, our message is rejected, and our labor appears vain.

LAMENTATIONS

Sinfulness brings inevitable sorrow and judgment, but even in lamentable times, God is faithful and His compassions never fail.

EZEKIEL

God has a vision for our future, even when it appears we’ve been exiled in a land of failure.

One person like Nehemiah, blessed by God with passion and leadership, can make a difference for time and eternity.

DANIEL

ESTHER

HOSEA

With His hidden hand of providence, God purposely guides and protects His people, even when they’re unaware of it and even when, as in the days of Mordecai and Esther, disaster looms.

The most high God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and over the tides of human history.

Spiritual adultery occurs when we drift from our allegiance to God and allow other preoccupations to replace Him as the focus of our affection.

JOEL

JOB

The locust plague of Joel’s day was a divine judgment, foreshadowing the day of the Lord which will bring destruction to the ungodly but blessing to God’s people.

Those who turn fully to God in sorrow—even if they argue, plead, and protest His presence as Job did— will find a pathway to the tender mercies of Heaven.

PSALMS

The book of Psalms—Israel’s hymnbook— teaches us to continually praise God for his greatness, goodness and glory.

AMOS

God hates oppression. His justice will roll down like a river, and His righteousness like a mighty stream.

OBADIAH

Those who are cruel like the proud leaders of Edom will be judged, but the nation of Israel will eventually be restored in triumph.

JONAH

We must never run away from God’s devotion to evangelism, His compassion for souls, or His direction in taking the gospel to the nations.

MICAH

Sin devastates, but we have the promise of a Ruler to be born in Bethlehem, whose goings forth are from old, even from everlasting.

NAHUM

Though nations mock, strut, intimidate and terrorize the innocent, one day the world will reap what it sows; but God’s people have good news to take to the world.

HABAKKUK

When we don’t like the way our world is shaping up, we’re in the best possible place to learn how the righteous live by faith.

ZEPHANIAH

The day of the Lord will come with a whirlwind of inevitable destruction on the complacent and ungodly, but will also bring the fulfillment of the ages to God’s people.

HAGGAI

The priority of finishing God’s work should come before the priorities of our own comfort and convenience.

ZECHARIAH

Rebuilding the post-exilic temple was nothing less than a vital and visual preparatory step for the coming Messiah and the ultimate day of the Lord.

MALACHI

Spiritual apathy is a dangerous condition, one we must guard against with all our hearts.

THE NEW TESTAMENT MATTHEW

Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham, is the Messiah, the King of Israel, the Savior of the world.

MARK

The Son of God had supreme power, which He used to serve others with urgency and to sacrifice His life for the world.

LUKE

Jesus Chris is Savior for the entire world, for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, for all are lost and need to be saved.

JOHN

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Word—God Himself—who became flesh, dwelled among us, and gave Himself for us, that all who believe in Him “should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

ACTS

Jesus returned to Heaven at the end of His earthly ministry, leaving His spirit-filled followers with the glorious task of taking His message to the ends of the earth.

ROMANS

Because we could not become righteous by our own efforts, God provided justification for us by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

I CORINTHIANS

Christians are to live more like citizens of Heaven than citizens of Earth, which requires us to exhibit healthy hearts and united churches.

A S U M M A RY O F T H E B I B L E

II CORINTHIANS

Those who represent Christ must have a clear message and godly motives and methods, so that their integrity will be obvious even amid slander.

GALATIONS

Since we are justified by faith alone and not by keeping the law, Christianity is a living relationship with Christ, not a religion or a ritual.

EPHESIANS

The riches of God’s grace provide an eternal inheritance for His children, an endless wealth of blessings, compelling them to live a life worthy of the calling they have received.

PHILIPPIANS

Despite persecution and problems, we can rejoice in the Lord always, not through selfish ambition, but through Him who strengthens us.

COLOSSIANS

Jesus Christ is Lord of all, sufficient for all our needs and worthy of all our worship and obedience.

I THESSALONIANS

JAMES

The wisdom from above—God’s wisdom—teaches us how to deal with trials, care for the needy, control our temper and tongues, and glorify God by the integrity of our daily lives.

I PETER

Suffering is an opportunity to walk in our Lord’s steps and live as pilgrims in a pagan world.

II PETER

While awaiting our Lord’s return, we must stand on His great and precious promises, which provide all we need for life and godliness.

I JOHN

Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh, those who reject Him have the spirit of antichrist. Those who receive Him are children of light with the assurance of everlasting life.

II JOHN

Christ is coming quickly!

While we must love one another deeply, we cannot tolerate error and evil in our churches.

II THESSALONIANS

III JOHN

I TIMOTHY

JUDE

The return of Christ is a future event that will be swift, certain and glorious.

God’s church should be led with excellence by leaders who possess wisdom and integrity.

II TIMOTHY

In perilous times, we must be steadfast and determined to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith.

TITUS

Godly leaders should set in order what is lacking in the church by teaching sound doctrine and modeling self-discipline.

PHILEMON

Being members of God’s family obligates us to attitudes of forgiveness, reconciliation and mutual respect for one another.

HEBREWS

We must never yield to discouragement, for our great High Priest is supreme over all and sufficient for all.

Those who selflessly support the Lord’s cause are to the commended; those who don’t must be confronted.

God’s people must defend the doctrines of the faith by preserving biblical truth, battling heresy and humbly standing up for the good news.

REVELATION

God has a plan for the future and for eternity. Regardless of what happens in life—no matter how depressing or difficult the news—life in Christ has a happy ending for those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

JOHN WESLEY – A MAN OF ONE BOOK: How John Wesley Used the Bible By Pastor Guy Ames

“I want to know one thing,—the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach me the way. For this very end, He came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O, give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri. Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone; only God is here. In His presence I open, I read His book; for this end, to find the way to heaven.” – John Wesley “Sermons,” 1746 John Wesley launched the Methodist movement not long after Martin Luther and Johannes Gutenberg made the Bible available in print for the average Christian to read. At the time of Martin Luther’s great Protestant Reformation, even Roman Catholic priests did not own a Bible. Churches generally chained these hand-copied Latin Bibles to the pulpits. Luther helped re-discover the power of Scripture and believed that Christians should be able to read the Bible in their own language. Luther translated the first German Bible in 1534; at the time of Wesley’s birth in 1703, the King James English version had not yet reached it’s 100th birthday. With illiteracy still high and printing presses still hand operated, most homes did not yet own a Bible. During his childhood, Wesley sat enthralled on Sunday evenings listening to his mother teach from Scripture (quite unusual at the time, since women did not lead in the church).

His mother, Susannah, spent an hour each week tutoring each of her 19 children in the ways of Scripture. Having spent time as missionaries in the pioneer country near the new colony of Savannah, Georgia, from 1735-1738, John came home humbled and broken from a failed ministry and broken romance. John found himself crying out, “Lord, help my unbelief!” However, he felt dull within and little motivated even to pray for his own salvation. That evening, he reluctantly attended a meeting in Aldersgate. John writes, “while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” 29

J O H N W E S L EY - A M A N O F O N E B O O K

REASON TRADITION SCRIPTURE

EXPERIENCE

2) H e meditated on the passage, comparing them to other parallel passages of Scripture, “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

EXPERIENCE

AS O N

1) I f one has doubts or lacks understanding, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten these Bible promises. (James 1: 5-8).

THEOLOGY

In his first book of sermons in 1746, he shared how he studied the Bible.

Wesley described the Scriptures as the foundation of a house, church tradition is the walls of the house, reason is the roof of the house and experience is the door to the house through which we enter into the life of faith in Christ. We need each part of “this house” to provide support for our Christian lives.

TRADITION

Wesley read widely in philosophy, history, biography, poetry, medicine and travel plus divinity, theology and church history. One of England’s most prolific writers, he wrote about health, medicine, politics and of course theology and spiritual development. Yet, as a “man of one book,” all other books could not compare to the ONE book – the Bible.

SCRIPTURE

3) He read from other teachers, writers or commentaries. 4) F inally, Wesley read and studied the Bible with others in small groups to gain their perspectives. These tools showed others how to read, study, meditate and apply the Scriptures. While not keeping himself to one book, he did believe the Bible holds everything Christians need for faith and practice. In other words, he did not declare that the Bible could answer every question of life or history, geography or science. He taught, however, that when considering questions of faith, the Bible has a complete reference for our faith and spiritual living. One church leader used the analogy of a quadrilateral to describe Wesley’s approach. Scripture serves as the foundation for every question of faith. He read the Bible through the lens of church tradition, meaning he would never add a new interpretation that the church across the ages had not yet considered. He always read the Bible through the lens of the early church’s creeds and councils, such as the Apostle’s Creeds or the Nicene Creed. (United Methodist Hymnal, No. 880-882). To the foundation of Scripture, Wesley applied reason and learning to interpret meaning and to help find answers to questions of faith. Finally, he appealed to personal and Christian experience to bring understanding to the Bible. See the image of the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral.” 30

This approach toward the Bible not only influenced Wesley regarding such concerns as worship, prayer, and the work of the Holy Spirit, but also influenced his views on contemporary issues of his day, such as slave trade. Even though the Bible references slavery and does not specifically prohibit slavery, he grew to be an outspoken advocate for the ending of slavery and the slave trade in England and all their colonies. In spite of England’s dependence on slave trade, Wesley’s reading of the Bible convinced him that God sees all people equally, and he became an outspoken critic against England’s slave trade. The very last letter he wrote the week of his death encouraged William Wilberforce of the House of Commons to continue the fight against slavery. The legacy of Wesley has been to leave behind people committed to discovering God’s truths through study of the Bible. Let this book be to us the One Book that leads, guides and inspires us in the practice of our faith. The Apostle Paul’s clear reminder sums this well: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3: 16-17

MUSEUM of the BIBLE By Andrea Stephens

The Museum of the Bible, located in Washington D.C., is a seven-story, 430,000-square-foot building dedicated to showing the history, narrative and impact of the Bible—the best-selling book of all time. Go in a novice, come out a near expert. Though you can’t do it in one day. It takes a reported nine days to visit the entirety of this ultra-modern, high-tech, $500 million wonder. To someone who loves the Scriptures and the God who gave them, this is far better than a couple of days at Disney World. The museum opened November 17, 2017, after seven years in the making. What used to be the Terminal Refrigerating and Warehouse Co. built in 1923 was historically restored, red brick by red brick, and awarded historical status by the District’s Historical Preservation Review Board. The architectural team added two floors, a glassed-in rooftop café and a biblical garden. Located just two blocks from the National Mall, you can treat yourself to a latte and a slice of freshly baked chocolate streusel cake at the Milk and Honey Café while enjoying views of the United States Capitol, the Washington Monument, and several Smithsonian museums. You can also get a taste of biblical foods like flatbread with fig and walnuts, date honey buns or traditional Middle Eastern foods like falafel, pistachio and golden lentil hummus, or rotisserie lamb with roasted kabocha squash at the IsraeliMediterranean street food café, Manna. Famed chef Tom Gray, author of “The Jewish Table”, aims to connect history with food through his delicious creations. 32

Enough about food. What is the goal of the museum founders and exactly what is contained in this one-of-a-kind museum? Tulsa resident, Steve Green, an avid collector of biblical artifacts, created the concept of a Bible museum. He linked

Tulsa resident, Steve Green, an avid collector of biblical artifacts, created the concept of a Bible museum. forces with the National Christian Foundation to launch the project in 2012. Joining them is Bible scholar David Trobisch and Indian Wesleyan University Professor Jerry Pattengale, Executive Director of Education Initiatives. Together, they offer a scholarly viewpoint of the Bible’s impact in history and oversee the educational programs made available to the public. These, along with the desire to engage all people with the Bible, are the main goals of the museum founders. As you approach the building, two 5,000 lb. bronze tablets that tell the Genesis story greet you. After all, it is the Bible, so why not start with “In the beginning”? Enter the grand lobby to be enveloped by biblical imagery and messages displayed on the 200-foot LED ceiling. The remainder of the first floor has ancient artifacts combined with modern technology to help history come alive. A children’s gallery, affiliated libraries, and the Milk and Honey Café are also found on this floor.

The second floor houses the Impact of the Bible gallery focusing on science, justice, freedom and its impact on American history. The third floor houses the Narrative of the Bible gallery, focusing from Abraham and the creation of Israel to the ministry of Jesus and the early church. The fourth floor houses the History of the Bible gallery with a focus on biblical archaeology. These are the three permanent exhibits in the museum. Moving up to the fifth floor, there is exhibit space for international museum galleries such as the Israel Antiquities Authority, a 500-seat performing arts theater, a conference hall and the museum offices. A rooftop viewing gallery, grand ballroom, biblical garden,and the Manna restaurant make up the sixth floor. There is a basement with a short-term gallery that then comprises the seven-story building. So, if you are itching to see more than 40,000 objects and artifacts including biblical papyri, the Dead Sea Scrolls, early manuscripts, and art through the ages, the Museum of the Bible awaits you! You might be surprised to learn that the Museum of the Bible is not the only location of biblical references in Washington D.C. Inscribed at the top of the Washington Monument is “Laus Deo” or “Praise be to God” (Psalm 146:1-2). The United

States Capitol proclaims “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14) and houses the Congressional Prayer Room where Psalm 16:1 can be found: “Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust.” The Library of Congress displays Micah 6:8, “What doth the LORD require of Thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” At the top of the Supreme Court Building, there is a carving of Moses holding the two tablets with the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:22). Union Station has several scripture quotations including “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Engraved on the Liberty Bell is Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” I’ll let you discover what is stated at the Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Lincoln Memorial when you are in Washington D.C. visiting the Museum of the Bible. Log onto museumoftheBible.org to see a digital fly-through of the museum or a 360-degree hard-hat tour.

Sources: museumofthebible.org/press/background/washingtons-newest-museum en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_the_Bible

LAUNCHING CORNERSTONE An interview with Jon Odom

It’s been a year since we announced plans to launch Asbury’s first satellite congregation—called Cornerstone Church— and three months since its grand opening on January 21. In early March, Asbury’s Director of Communications Angie Brashears sat down with Jon Odom to talk about Cornerstone, hear the latest and tackle a few frequently asked questions.

Cornerstone is now eight weeks post-launch. What’s it been like? The last eight weeks have been an absolute thrill. You’ll remember that last year Asbury commissioned a small launch team (about 50 people) to go launch Cornerstone. As a team, we felt convicted that we should give our first energy to “remaining in Christ” (John 15:5) and trust that God would take care of the fruit. So, as a team we memorized scripture, dedicated ourselves to prayer (we’ve collectively logged 900 hours so far) and emphasized personal invitation. On January 21 when we held our first public worship service, there were 276 people there! Amazingly, the majority of these were new faces—not people previously associated with Asbury. The following week there were 292 people. Over the course of eight weeks, the average has been 250 or so people. That wasn’t the product of a heavy marketing campaign. We were taking Jesus at His word that remaining in Him leads to fruitfulness, and we’ve seen that it’s true. 34

It’s been so long since we announced that we were launching Cornerstone. What were some of our original reasons for doing this and how is that measuring up against our experience? There were a handful of reasons we launched Cornerstone. First, as a congregation we are focused on Helping Others Follow Jesus. Pastor Tom talks about this all the time. We want to do those things that help us achieve our goal, and studies have shown that launching new congregations is one of the most effective ways of reaching new people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Second, we are a church that launches people in ministry. I had been feeling—for about five years—a particular burden to start a new church in midtown Tulsa. When I shared this with Pastor Tom, he was eager to support that and help launch not only the church, but me in pursuing my calling. Very thankfully, we’re off to a great start with Cornerstone. The overwhelming majority of folks who’ve been attending are de-churched or un-churched.

We’re seeing people engage with Jesus—some for the first time and many who are coming back after years away. And on any given Sunday, most of the people are totally new and had no previous affiliation with Asbury. It surprised some people that we named our first satellite congregation Cornerstone Church. Why did we do that? In retrospect, I think we created some confusion by using the “satellite congregation” language. In the Tulsa context, when people think about satellite churches, they call to mind examples like Life.Church or TheChurch.at, where the same preaching is televised everywhere, the ministries are all the same, if you go to one location it’s just like all the rest. It might have been clearer and more descriptive to say we were launching a “missionary congregation.” Our goal was not to provide a more accessible location for Asburians who live in midtown. We went with a different name precisely because we didn’t want to set the expectation that everything you could experience at Asbury on Mingo you could now get in midtown. We didn’t want to just shuffle the deck of current Asburians—we wanted to reach new people! That’s why we didn’t go with something like “Asbury Midtown.” We also wanted to make sure that we were providing ministry approaches that felt contextually appropriate to reaching new people in this part of town. For those reasons, we felt that a separate name made the most strategic sense. At the same time, our sign out front says, “An Asbury Congregation,” and you can see info on the Cornerstone website about the relationship with Asbury. We loved the name Cornerstone because it reflects the idea that everyone is building their life around something; we want to help people build their life around the person of Jesus Christ. So, how do Asbury and Cornerstone relate? Well, I’m still an Asbury pastor! Bishop Jimmy Nunn has appointed me to continue serving at Asbury in the role of pastoring Cornerstone. Pastor Tom is still my boss. I still report to Asbury’s governing committees. Cornerstone is not a separate legal entity—we’re still under Asbury’s Articles of Incorporation. I guess you could say I’m a local missionary that Asbury sent to midtown to start a new faith community. Anyone who “joins” Cornerstone is joining Asbury. I’m still part of Pastor Tom’s staff leadership team, and he and I have breakfast every month to catch up and talk life and ministry. With the hustle and bustle of launching Cornerstone, I haven’t done enough to report back to the Asbury congregation updates and stories of transformation in midtown. We’re taking steps to remedy that.

Are there other churches we’re learning from in launching Cornerstone? Is there anyone out there who has a close parallel to the approach we’re taking? Absolutely! There’s a very large United Methodist Church in Dallas on SMU’s campus called Highland Park UMC. Six years ago, they launched Munger Place Church in East Dallas with the goal of reaching new people for Christ. Just like us, they empowered their lead planting pastor to preach his own sermon series and develop unique ministry strategies while remaining part of Highland Park. Different name, different ministry approaches, but still the same church and same mission—to reach people for Christ. Six years in, Munger Place is averaging more than 1000 in worship attendance and is helping revitalize what was a dying neighborhood in their part of the city. Highland Park as a congregation has gotten to experience a sense of being “on mission” in the city.

UNDERSTANDING TERMS Satellite Congregation—In the church world, a satellite congregation is a geographically separate gathering of Jesus-followers sent out by and “orbiting” (staying in relationship with) a mother church or sending church. The degree of connection between the satellite and mother church vary in each situation. Some maintain a close orbit (eg. Life.Church – sermons are filmed in one location and broadcast to all the others) and others have a wider orbit (eg. Munger Place Church– separate name, different methods, but the same mission as its mother church, Highland Park). Planting—This is the process of helping a new church establish identify, practices (ie. worship services, children’s ministry, adult discipleship) and begin to execute its mission. Mission—The objective and motivation for planting a new church. Asbury’s mission in launching Cornerstone is Helping Others Follow Jesus; we want to reach new people for Christ. Midtown—The traditional boundaries for midtown Tulsa are 11th Street on the north, I-44 on the south, the Arkansas River on the west and Yale Avenue on the east.

What has Asbury’s financial investment in Cornerstone been? You’ve hired some additional staff— how is that paid? Last year Asbury’s Staff-Parish Relations Committee approved to pay my salary for one calendar year (June 1, 2017 through May 31, 2018). Additionally, Asbury is providing HR, IT, financial administration and even facilities support to get Cornerstone up and running. All of Cornerstone’s giving is processed and accounted for by Asbury’s awesome finance team. In terms of budgeted dollars, Asbury is paying for my salary and for the percentage of time the Asbury staff dedicates to provide support for Cornerstone. After May, my salary will be fully paid for by Cornerstone and no longer part of Asbury’s operating budget. All other expenses within Cornerstone—all additional staff, programming, rental costs for our space, etc.—are covered by monies given at Cornerstone and District/Conference financial support. This includes Pastor Todd Craig, who transitioned to the Cornerstone staff as executive director earlier this year. The Council Oak (Tulsa) District of the UMC is investing $100,000 and the Oklahoma Annual Conference is investing $372,000 in the launch of Cornerstone. Part of those funds come from our apportionments, which Asbury pays to the district and conference annually. So, after May of this year, Asbury’s only direct financial support of Cornerstone is administrative support for processing giving, HR, etc. from our existing staff? Correct.

What have been some of your favorite parts of launching Cornerstone so far? For me, seeing the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individuals. I’ve gotten to walk alongside a 20-something who had left his faith years ago and is feeling drawn back to Jesus. I’ve seen a recently divorced woman, on the verge of a breakdown, take steps to grow well in Christ. She has brought family and friends with her to church. To see them sing passionately together in worship is nothing short of a miracle. Seeing members of our church take steps out of their comfort zone to lead, disciple, welcome and love people who have been far from God has been an absolute joy. I could go on and on. What’s next for Cornerstone? Our little sanctuary and our four little kids’ classrooms have been at capacity nearly every week, so on Easter Sunday we’re multiplying to two services 9:00 and 10:30 will be the times. This spring we are offering a four-week course called THE STORY where we’re teaching the grand narrative of scripture. In the fall, we’ll launch a discipleship structure called Apprentice Groups. We’re very excited about these growth steps together. How can we pray for and support Cornerstone? Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to woo and draw new people in. Pray for a smooth transition to two worship services. Pray for unity of mind and heart among this new congregation. Pray that God will send disciple-makers. We’re still hosting weekly corporate prayer gathering that people are certainly welcome to come to.,Tuesday mornings from 7-8 am and Thursdays from 12-1 pm.

Is there anything else you want the Asbury congregation to know? I want Asbury to hear my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for growing and launching me as a pastor. When I came to Asbury eight years ago, I was a bit of a mess. I have told Pastor Tom many times that he probably shouldn’t have hired me in the first place. I’m grateful for years of nurture, encouragement, opportunity and blessing as part of this congregation. It’s precisely because of your investment in

me that I’m able—and we’re able—to launch Cornerstone. I hope you know that Cornerstone is ours together. It’s the fruit of years of faithful giving, faithful praying and faithful going in the Name of Jesus by our congregation. I also want to extend a personal thanks to Pastor Tom for taking a leap of faith in launching Cornerstone. It would have been easier to hold things close, but Tom maintained that generous spirit and abundance mentality that is so characteristic of him. And for that, I’m grateful.

MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES

Bob & Dorothy Beck

Mike & Bette Bibby

Vic & Roberta Hairston

Bill & Patsy Heldmar

Frank & Betty Schemm

Gordon & Lois Vetal

Bill & Darlene Wagner

Herb & Mary Sue Whitney

LaVerne & Jean Reed

Roy & Margaret Rice

65 YEARS

55 YEARS

40 YEARS

Vic & Roberta Hairston 06/01/53

Bill & Patsy Heldmar 06/01/63

Jerry & Kay Gibbons 04/14/78

Frank & Betty Schemm 06/18/53

Herb & Mary Sue Whitney 06/08/63

30 YEARS

Gordon & Lois Vetal 05/02/53

Roy & Margaret Rice 06/22/63

60 YEARS

50 YEARS

Bob & Dorothy Beck 06/14/58

Mike & Bette Bibby 06/08/68

LaVerne & Jean Reed 06/21/58

Bill & Darlene Wagner 06/28/68

John & Susanne Ishee 05/21/88

NEW MEMBERS

Deborah Broome

Jason & Jessica with Vin & Izzy Dyer

Greg & Melissa with Evan & Ryan Goodwin

Carol Graham

Mike Runnels

David States

Christine VanTuyl

Marshal & Annmarie Wright

Chanda Lantern

Nancy Porter

Deborah Brome

Judy Hillshafer

Christine VanTuyl

Jason & Jessica with Vin & Izzy Dyer

Chanda Lantern

Andy & Karen Weiss

Nancy Porter

Marshal & Annmarie Wright

Greg & Melissa with Evan & Ryan Goodwin

Mike Runnels

Carol Graham

David States

DEATHS John David Benjamin Died 12/20/017 Husband to Laura M. Benjamin

Deanne McBride Died 1/12/2018 Wife of Daryl McBride

Alice Turnbow Died 1/30/2018 Spouse of John Turnbow

David W. Bryant, Sr. Died 12/20/2017 Husband to Louise Charlene Bryant

Nancy Maddin Died 1/16/2018 Mother of Melinda and Rob

Maria Hendrix Died 2/4/2018 Mother of Dennis (& Carol) Hendrix

Rudolph Gorishek Died 12/23/2017 Husband to Alice Jane Gorishek

Mary Pottorf Died 1/25/2018 Spouse of Joe Pottorf Bobbie Cotton Died 1/29/2018

WORSHIP TIMES 8 am Traditional Service in Mason Chapel 9:15 am Traditional Service in Sanctuary 11 am Modern Service in Sanctuary

LOOKING FOR TIDINGS OPPORTUNITIES? We’ve moved that information to Asbury’s Resource Area located in the main lobby.

You can also find information online at www.asburytulsa.org.

GENERAL INFORMATION Surgery or Hospitalization

Need Prayer?

When you enter the hospital, please designate Asbury as your church. Otherwise, we will not know you are there and a pastor will not know to visit. Some hospitals in the Tulsa area do not ask for this information, so you will need to alert Asbury at 918.492.1771, Monday–Thursday from 8:30 am–5:00 pm and Friday 8:30 am–noon. The after-hour hospitalization and surgery line can be reached at 918.392.1198 and is checked each weekday at 8:30 am. If you know ahead of time and would like a pastor to make a pre-surgery visit, please call 918.492.1771.

If you have a prayer request and would like it to be included on Asbury’s prayer list, please call 918.392.1142 to leave your request, or go online to asburytulsa.org/adults/prayer/prayer-request. Many prayer warriors will be lifting up your concern in prayer.

We encourage you to use the Hospital Visit Online Form. This can be accessed at any time and is a great way to get your message seen in a timely manner. (Go to www.asburytulsa.org and click on “Get Help” in the center of the page. Next, you will see “Hospital Visits” as the second option where you can click on the “submit a hospital request” link). If this is a surgery, please let us know the date and time of surgery in the comments section. Please know that Asbury pastors want to be in prayer for you and your family.

After-hour Emergencies

Death in the Family When a family member dies, you should make one phone call automatically. Contact Sheryl Cory-Martin at 918.492.1771 and she will help you make arrangements for your loved one. Sheryl will also work with your family to arrange the memorial service at Asbury.

www.myasburytulsa.org This website is available to all members as a way to update your contact information, register for events, give online and indicate ministries you would like to receive communication from. Make sure you have an account and check it out. If you have any problems setting up your account, call Kim at 918.392.2159 or email her at krenkema@asburytulsa.org.

If you have an emergency or death to report after hours, please call 918.392.1192 and leave a message for the pastor on call. You will be contacted as soon as possible. 39

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VBS Calling ALL Wilderness Explorers! Are you strong and courageous and looking for an adventure?

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June 19-22, 9 am - 12:30 pm Register at asburytulsa.org/vbs