Bridging The Gap

Today on Bridging the Gap, pastor Lloyd Pulley resumes his verse  by verse study of James, by taking us back to chapter one.  In verses nineteen and twenty, we find James referring to something that will put us in a position to receive and respond to God’s Word.

We are in the beginning stages of a new series in James.  Everyone admires consistency. Having a friend who consistently supports you and encourages you is a real blessing. To be a consistent Christian is a real challenge, isn’t it? Trials come our way. Temptation is always out there. James has some great insights regarding consistency in the first chapter of his epistle.

Welcome to today’s edition of Bridging the Gap with Pastor Lloyd Pulley as we return to our new verse by verse study in James.  Wisdom is something we all need at various times in our lives, in fact more times than not.  James makes it clear that we should go to God, the author of wisdom, when in need. 

Today we continue our look at James with pastor Lloyd Pulley.  If you had to describe your life, and what's going on right now, I think it's safe to say many of us would point to a trial or two that we're experiencing.  And maybe you feel like you're being steamrolled by a trial right now?  Today, we receive great encouragement from James, who went through suffering himself, and explains why we go through them. 

 Today we enter the New Testament book of James. You'll find James toward the back of the New Testament, right after Hebrews. James was the half brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as we'll see during this study, he was a preacher of extraordinary passion. The book of James is all about faith in Christ, and what a relationship with Him really means. 

Pastor Lloyd Pulley will bring us today the final message in his series titled “A Higher Purpose, A Higher Calling”. One of the best known stories in the Old Testament is the sad tale of Samson. The facts are pretty familiar to most of us who ever attended Vacation Bible School, but perhaps today we can approach Samson’s story from an angle that will allow us to grow in our walk with the Lord. Samson lost his strength to be sure - and he also lost his eyesight, but he also ended up being redeemed.

Today on Bridging the Gap. we’ll see Gideon in a predicament - his army of three hundred against thousands of Midianites. Gideon sought the Lord’s counsel .  I’ll let pastor Lloyd take it from here. Our scripture reference is Judges chapters six through eight.

You know, there are many men in the Bible who’s lives provide great lessons for us. King David, a man after God’s own heart. Paul, who went from a persecutor of Christians to writing much of the New Testament. And then there’s a man named Gideon. Gideon was given a great task to perform by God, and despite the seemingly long odds, he obeyed God and ultimately found victory. 

Today on Bridging the Gap, pastor Lloyd Pulley shares once again about our higher calling as Christians. The question is, are we ready and willing to accept that challenge? 

In Judges chapter nine, we read an interesting fable about trees that were recruiting a King. Say what? I know, it sounds strange, but there’s a great lesson for us here, so stay with us. 

There are many false religions and cults operating around the world today, and they were all started for the same basic reason - people shaping God to conform to their desires, instead of the other way around. Pastor Lloyd Pulley is currently sharing a series called “A Higher Purpose, A Higher Calling”. and we’ll look again today at a man named Micah, who, when it came to his relationship with God, was definitely a “do-it-your-self-er”.

Have you ever thought about how special it really is to be a Christian? You and I are God’s children, saved from our sin by the Lord’s death on a cross. That’s pretty special, wouldn’t you agree? If it's so wonderful, why do so many people reject the Lord’s gift and make up their own religion? That’s the question we’ll consider today as pastor Lloyd brings us a message from Judges chapter seventeen called “Do it yourself religion”.

Compromise can be costly in marriage, and in other areas of life as well. Today as we again look at Judges chapter two, we’ll see just how costly compromise was for the people of Israel, when it came to their relationship with God. Our current series is called “A Higher Purpose, A Higher Calling”. Here’s pastor Lloyd Pulley, with an admonition to keep compromise out of our lives - no matter what age we are!

In the early 1990’s, President Bush compromised with Congress and broke his “no new taxes” pledge. It ended up costing him the election in 1992. You can even go back to biblical times and find many instances where compromise was costly. That’s what we’ll do today as we open our Bibles to Judges chapter two. God’s chosen people compromised in their faith, and it cost a lot more than a presidential election!

We are all called as Christians to a higher calling - to serve God in a special way that’s uniquely us! Our new series here on Bridging the Gap is called “A Higher Purpose, A Higher Calling”, and we’re looking at the lives of some great men in the Old Testament, who accepted that higher calling and made a great impact in God’s Kingdom. Today we’ll look again at Joshua, chapter one.

On this day we begin a new series on the program, called “A Higher Purpose, A Higher Calling”. As believers in Jesus Christ, we do indeed have a higher calling. It’s a huge responsibility, but at the same time, what a joy it can be! We’re going to spend the next couple of weeks looking at some Old Testament passages and learning how some men accepted the responsibility of that higher calling, and how some just blew it big time!

In Paul’s final words to the church of Thessalonica, he teaches that in order for them to have peace within themselves and with each other, they must first have the peace of God. That’s a needed reminder for us too.  Peace is an elusive commodity in the world we live in, and if we truly want everlasting peace, there is only one place to turn.

It’s truly amazing how many people have decided to take their chances and live a sinful lifestyle when the consequences of such a life are too terrible to even contemplate. When it comes to eternity, I don’t want any question marks.Eternity is too long to live with a question mark.

The election is three and a half months away, and every Christian should exercise their right to have their voice heard at the ballot box. One thing that always sees to be a casualty come election time is the truth. Those ads we see over and over again on TV are filled with accusations and promises that rarely if ever turn out to be authentic.

Today we begin a study in Second Thessalonians chapter three. In this chapter, Paul wraps up his thoughts on the truth of God’s word, how the world is in desperate need of knowing that truth and how we should be sharing that truth as we await the return of the Lord.