The Preacher's Wife: January 2007

I AM Bible Study
Welcome and Instructions

Welcome to the 'I AM - So You Don't Have To Be' Blog Bible Study!

I am so thrilled you have chosen to join me as we consider the life of Moses and how God took a broken, unwilling man and transformed him into a deliverer of His beloved people, Israel. There will be 4 areas of study: I AM - Your Beauty, I AM - Your Sufficiency, I AM - Your Fame, I AM - Your Portion. Each of these areas will be broken down into smaller points to fit within the time and space limits of the Blogosphere.

You may have several questions about how this study will be conducted. Here are the details:

1. Who wrote this study?
My name is Lisa McKay. I am a Baptist minister's wife, mom to four amazing children, and Biblical Studies student. I am also a contributor to Christian Women Online's Internet Cafe' Team Blog. I adore studying God's Word and teaching it to women. I wrote this Bible Study for our church's recent weekend women's ministry retreat. It was a four session conference but because of the limitations of time and space, we will break those down further. You can find out more about me on my blog, The Preacher's Wife.

2. How Does This Study Work?
This study will follow a Meme format and new lessons will be published on Wednesdays at The Preacher's Wife. There will be approximately 16 lessons in the completed study. A Mr. Linky will be provided so you will have the ability to post responses to the discussion questions on your own blog. Because a Linky will be provided for each Lesson, you needn't be concerned if you find you have joined some time after the beginning of these postings. Feel free to comment on any lesson at any time since more than likely there will be others who are also studying that same week. Posting on your blog is not a requirement, however I think much more will be gained from the study by sharing insights. You will also have the advantage of re-visiting different lessons to see what new comments may have been left since your own. Remarks can also be placed in the Comments if you do not have a blog or simply do not wish to post your study question answers. Obviously, you are more than welcome to just follow along privately if you prefer.:)

3. How Do I Begin?
Simply click on the Introduction. There will be links from each Lesson to the next or you can simply click on the study button for a complete Table of Contents. Getting back to the Table of Contents will be much easier if you install the button in your sidebar.
There will be Study Questions at the end of each lesson. If you would like to post your answers on your blog, simply install the 'I AM' Bible Study Button above in your response post. Be sure when you sign the Linky to link to your 'I AM' entry and not your blog homepage so as to make browsing easier for those looking for your study post.

4. Can I use these lessons in my Bible Study or Sunday School? Of course you are welcome to do this and I can not express enough how honored I will be if you choose to use this study in your group. I only ask the lessons remain unaltered and that my name remain on the pages if reproduced in any way. There will be a copyright link on each lesson that will further explain any limitations.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email me at thepreacherswife1@gmail.com. Again, I praise God for this opportunity to share this material with you in such an innovative, interactive way. The Internet often has a bad rap for its vulgar content. I pray this Study will be a light in a dark place and redeem what little portion of the World Wide Web it inhabits! God marked me forever during the preparation of these lessons. I pray they will accomplish much for His fame in your life as well.

FAQ's

Blessings On You!!

Lisa

Speaking Information

Need a speaker for an upcoming retreat or women's event?

Contact Lisa at lisamckay@farmerstel.com for details.

Click here for Lisa's current calendar.

Sampling of Available Topics:

Weekend Retreats*

(Retreats consist of one Friday night study session and two on Saturday - each lasting approx. 45 minutes. Responsibilities with family and church require my returning home by Saturday evening.)

'I AM': So You Don't Have To Be

Get Over It: Being an Overcomer in an Overwhelming World

So Long, Self: A Study on Romans 7 and 8

Coming Soon! Sarah: A Woman Out of Control

* These retreat topics can also be condensed for one day/one evening events.

One-Day Events:

* Become What You Believe - Matthew 9:27

* You Can't Keep A Good (Wo)Man Down - Acts 27

These topics are a sample of teachings I've presented in the past. I am also more than happy to work with your ministry team to develop new material suited for your event. Or of course, if you don't have a preference, I'm always thrilled to tell you what God's been talking to me about lately.

Fees:

I do not have a set speaker fee but will graciously accept a love gift of any size. I only ask that any travel expense be compensated.

Statement of Faith

What We Believe About . . .

God

We believe in the only true God (John 17:3)—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20).
He created all things (Revelation 4:11) and upholds all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).
In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
He is a God of truth and without iniquity, and He is just and right (Deuteronomy 32:4).
He will judge the world (Psalm 9:8).
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 12:29; John 1:1-4; Acts 4:3-4.

Jesus Christ

We believe in the total deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe He is the manifestation of God in the flesh.
We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
We believe Him to be true God and true man (John 1:1, 14, 18; 14:8-9; 1 Timothy 3:16).

Holy Spirit

We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14).
The Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner upon belief in Christ, baptizing the believer into one body of which Christ is the head.
The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, fills, comforts, and empowers the believer for godly living (Mark 13:11; John 14:26; 16:13; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 3:16).
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of God’s righteousness, and of coming judgment (John 16:8-11).
While we believe that the Scriptures do not teach that certain gifts have ceased, they indicate that use of the gifts vary according to the need that each gift meets (John 16:8; 13:15; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:22; 4:11-12; Romans 8:9-17; 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 4:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).

Scriptures

We believe the Scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament are verbally inspired by God and inerrant in their original writings.
We believe the 66 books of the Old and New Testament are God’s complete and sufficient revelation and therefore carry God’s authority for the total well-being of mankind (Psalm 119:97-104, 160; Matthew 5:18; John 5:46-47; 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:15-16).

Man

We believe man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntarily transgressing fell from his sinless and happy state. Consequently, all mankind is sinful.
All people are sinners not only by inheritance, but also by their own choice and therefore are under just condemnation without defense or excuse.
We believe that without exception every man and every woman is totally depraved and needs a Savior (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; 1:18, 32).

Salvation

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:21).
We believe that each person who by faith receives Him as personal Savior is justified on the basis of Jesus Christ’s shed blood on Calvary.
Each person who receives Christ as personal Savior is born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby becomes eternally secure as a child of God (Romans 8:37-39).
We believe the Holy Spirit baptizes each believing person into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation and that there is no second baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Resurrection

We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into heaven, and His present life for us as High Priest and Advocate (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25-26).

Heaven, Hell, and the Return of Christ

We believe in the blessed hope: the personal, premillenial return of the Lord Jesus Christ. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The saved are raised to eternal, conscious bliss in heaven (Matthew 25:34; John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 2:7).
The lost are raised to eternal torment in hell in conscious separation from God (Matthew 8:11-12; 10:28; 13:49-50; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:5; Revelation 21:8).

Church

Upon accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, a believer becomes part of His body, which is the church (Ephesians 5:23). There is one church universal, composed of all those throughout the world who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
The Scriptures command believers to gather in order to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances (baptism and communion), fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world in fulfillment of the command of Christ to make disciples of all believers (Romans 12:1; Acts 2:42-46; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20).
Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church under the oversight of elders and other supportive leadership.
The church’s members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ (Ephesians 4:16).

Missions

Realizing that the cause of Christ extends beyond any one local fellowship, we commit ourselves to an ongoing ministry of extending the call of Christ to make disciples around the world (Matthew 28:19-20)

(Note: This statement is cited from James MacDonald at Walk in the Word. I couldn't have shared my beliefs more beautifully, so I won't try! :)