Story of Redemption - Bible Study with Margie

[James Nored]

Last Sunday, Becki and I began going through the Story of Redemption with our neighbor, Margie. Margie and her family moved in next door to us a few months back. She is Hispanic, a fantastic cook, and a lot of fun.

Margie had many good faith questions. The first had to do with why God in the Old Testament (OT) is vengeful, and God in the New Testament is full of love. Did God's nature change?

Indeed, there are some difficult passages in the OT, such as passages where God told the Israelites to wipe out entire peoples. I do not pretend that I fully understand this. However, these were peoples that were so evil, they were sacrificing children and the like.

As to the question of whether or not God changes, this is a complex issue.
Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind."

Malachi 3:6, from the Old Testament, says, “I the LORD do not change."

James 1:17, from the New Testament, says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

And yet, there are passages which speak of God "changing his mind." God says that he is going to destroy the Israelites, but Moses seemingly talks him out of it (Num. 14:11-20; cf., Ex. 32:7-14). God tells Hezekiah that he is going to die in no uncertain terms, but then Hezekiah pleads to God for more time to live, and God gives him 15 more years of life (2 Ki. 20:1-6).

When the Old and New Testament are looked at as a whole, this leads one to conclude that God's basic nature does not change. What changes is how he deals with people. Note the following passage from the Old Testament about God's nature.

Psalm 103:7-11 (NIV)

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

The God of the Old and New Testament is a God of love. Because of his Son, Jesus, and his death for us, he sometimes deals with us differently than he dealt with his people in the past.

Margie asked a lot of good questions, which shows that she is searching and on the pathway to faith. She is really interested in the study, and Becki and I look forward to studying God's great story of redemption with her.

[Steve Cunningham]

James, I rejoice that you and Becki have this opportunity to study with your neighbor. And thanks for the perspective on the nature of God. This is a very difficult subject, one I'm not sure any of us can adequately grasp for "who has known the mind of God"? But we should try to keep in mind that God's love for man is the overriding factor in all His dealings with man. While we may not always understand how He handles things, at the end of the day God knows best and what is done is for our ultimate benefit. I'll be praying for you guys and for Margie as your study progresses.

[James Nored]

We've had two more studies with Margie, going through parts 2 & 3 of the Story of Redemption. Part 3, the lesson on faith and Abraham, is always a good one--particularly for those who have had a lot of questions for God.

Somehow there is this universal myth out there, for Christians and non-Christians alike, that we are not to question God. Certainly, we must not accuse God of wrong doing. But Abraham had all kinds of questions for God--and he was called the father of faith.

It was also good to be able to point out in this lesson who kind and patience God was in responding to Abraham's questions. The overwhelming testimony of Scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments, is that this is God's character.

I will be out of town this Thursday, so we will have to have our next study next week. In the meantime, I would like to find someone else who would really click with Margie to join the study. This builds community and friendship, which is essential for a person coming to faith.

Please continue to pray for us as we study together!

[James Nored]

Becki and I have had two more Bible studies with Margie, going through parts 4 & 5 of the Story of Redemption. As we went through the lesson in week 4, Margie talked about a lot of the difficulties that she has faced in her life, particularly in her marriage (past and present). She also told us about someone in her husband's family who was about to go through a divorce. She then said that we were her "rain"--the ones who were bringing blessing into her life through these difficult times. She said that she moved into a house next to two angels. I have to say that I was very touched by this. We ended by praying for her life, husband, marriage, and the marriage of her brother's family member.

This week we went through part 5 of the Story of Redemption, which covers the sermon on the mount. This lesson really brings out the kind of life that God calls us to live, and the pure heart that he wants us to have. These were challenging lessons for Margie (as they are for us all). Because she has been hurt so many times, it has been easy to have her heart get hard.

But fortunately, this week, Margie told us of some very positive changes that had happened. She and her husband had watched the movie Fireproof, and this had really touched their hearts. As a result, they were treating one another better. And her husband's family member had decided not to get a divorce. Wow! God is at work!

Please pray for Margie as she seeks to grow in some areas that she has identified - not staying angry, worshipping, and forgiving. And pray for Becki and I as we seek to continue to show love and friendship to our neighbor. She is on a wonderful, adventurous pathway to God!

[James Nored]

The week before last Margie, Becki and I went through part 6 on the Story of Redemption, which covers Jesus' triumphal entry, Last Supper, and betrayal. At the end of this lesson, Jesus is left all alone, deserted by his disciples, betrayed by a friend, and surrounded by his enemies. I am always hit by this scene, and it is one which anyone who has been abandoned or abused can identify with. I believe that this part of the story impacted us all.

[James Nored]

Margie told Becki on Saturday that she would be worshipping with us on Sunday, and sure enough, she came. She said that she was touched by the lesson, which was "Turning Ordinary Jobs into Spiritual Experiences" from our current sermon series, The Office: Spirituality at Work.

I think that Margie saw from this message how her service in her home to her family was part of spiritual growth and a way to be used by God. The sermon included a section on how to deal with difficult people, which applies to most all of us.

Please continue to keep Margie and her family in your prayers.

[James Nored]

Catching up, here. Margie had as a Mother's Day wish for her family to worship with her at High Pointe. And the Lord answered this prayer, and her whole family worshipped with us. They had a great experience. Margie hugged me and said her husband was touched, and she told me this again today. God is at work!

Margie is a fabulous cook, especially with Mexican food. She is going to help Becki with some Mexican food dishes for our family gathering at our house for Memorial Day. It should be good!