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 Great Cloud of Witnesses
- The lesson on May 7, 2006 covers Hebrews chapter 11 & part of 12
and is a recap of the heroes of faith we are covering in the Old Testament study. Hebrews 12:1 states “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about
with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” It’s a reminder that the walk we have as Christians is a patient race. The people
listed in the passages demonstrated their faith by committing to their calling... even if it didn’t result in achieving what was promised. Faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It was evident in their lives and sometimes carried undesirable earthly
circumstances but they esteemed the riches of God a greater reward. The same should hold true for us. In 2 Timothy 2:11-13 (KJV) it says “It is a
faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If
we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” This passage talks of works for inheritance vs. works for salvation.  The lesson has a download so you should download it to assist your studies.   Click here to listen now.
 Mother’s Day -
God promised a saviour to mankind through the seed of woman when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Adam called her Eve because she was the mother of
all living (Genesis 3:20). It took several years from that point in time to deliver the baby Jesus, our
Lord and Saviour. Mother’s play a very important role in the family unit. As demonstrated with
Timothy, when the Apostle Paul was commenting on his faith in 2 Timothy 1:5 (KJV) “When I call to
remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Timothy’s mother and grandmother were of
great influence in his life. The lesson on May 14, 2006 provides us with a history of Mother’s Day
and provides some earthly wisdom that our Mother’s may have passed on to us as children. It also
tells of a fictional discussion between an Angel and God during the time of creation when He was taking so long with the
specifications of a Mother. It ends with a review of Mother’s in the bible with scriptures that tell of their importance. This
lesson honors the women in our lives that are Mothers and wishes the a happy Mother’s Day. There was a handout for this lesson as well. Click here to listen now.
Old Testament Study - Part 12. The study of history can be dry at times especially when you go
back 6000 years to Adam. But this history is important for our learning and spiritual growth. All
scripture is for our learning in that we find doctrine, reproof, corrections, and instructions in
righteousness with the history found in scripture. This lesson comes to the old testament prophets
(major and minor). First, there is a recap from what has transpired up to this point, from Abraham to
the exile of Israel which is at the end of the Kings from 500-490 BC. This is when the Babylonian
empire deports the southern kingdom. There are three periods that are identified when you study the
prophets: 1) Pre-exile prophets which were during the time of the Kings (before the time Israel goes
into Babylonian captivity). 2) Exile prophets which covered the time during the captivity of Israel.
Finally, the 3) Post-exile prophets. There are 16 prophets that have written books in the Bible (there
are more prophets but these 16 were chosen to be in the Bible). A prophet is a spokesman for God. Sometimes this does
involve the foretelling of the future when the spirit of God had shared the future with them. The prophets are divided into
Major and Minor whereas the Hebrew divisions called them the Former and the Later which is different than how the King
James handled it. Ten prophets (10) wrote during the Pre-exile time. Three (3) prophets wrote during the exile timeframe
and three prophets (3) wrote during the Post-exile period. There are over 2000 prophecies from the old testament that
have been fulfilled which shows us the veracity of the scriptures (apart from the 26 other world religions that have their
own scriptures). The lesson on May 21, 2006 continues the series on the Old Testament. Click here to here the lesson now. You may want to hear all the Old Testament studies here.
 Memorial Day. The lesson on May 28, 2006 covered the concept of Memorial Day in America. The
holiday was set aside to honor those that have died for our country to protect the freedoms we
have every day. The holiday marks the time when pools open up for the summer and school is out
for the summer break. It’s celebrated on the last Monday in May which gives Americans a three day
weekend to kick off the summer vacation... but is that what Memorial Day is all about? This lesson shared a handout of statistics for all of the American Wars. It was a sobering thought of
the lives of solders that died in each war. We are reminded in scripture at Romans 5:7-8 (KJV) “For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to
die.But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
The lesson celebrated those good men and women that have died for a good cause which is an
earthly memorial day, but the challenge to Christians is to recognize those that have died for our
spiritual freedoms. In a since, you could think of these as a spiritual memorial day celebration. The problem of sin given to
us by Adam has been solved in Christ Jesus with his death and resurrection. There is a handout for this lesson as well. Click here to listen now. You may also want to listen to other lessons on Memorial Day.
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Audio Lessons for this Month
