Having mentioned and prayed for the Chapman family as a class, I thought you all might be interested in a couple interviews that took place in the past few weeks with them. They are an amazing family who clearly display the hope of Christ in the midst of dark times. I dare you to watch this without shedding a tear.

Good Morning America:

Larry King Live:

I thank God for people like the Chapmans. What a great encouragement to many Christians and a great witness to the rest of the world.

This past Sunday we looked at Jesus coming in a blaze of glory to defeat the beast and his armies. It is good for us to think about the end times because it puts the present in its proper perspective and context. It is so easy for us to ignore death, judgment, and what happens after this life is over. Reality extends further than this earthly existence. At the same time, the Gospel is not just a golden ticket. It has implications for the here and now. It is a both/and scenario.

As I began preparing our last lesson in Revelation for this Sunday, I took particular notice of a passage just before Chapter 21 (which is where we’ll be on Sunday). Revelation 20:7-10 proclaims the end of the line for Satan. That’s right…Satan will go down in defeat. It is hard to fathom. I believe many of us can honestly say we struggle to grasp the existence of Satan and demons. We know they exist. We know Scripture records instances of their work in the world. We know that they are continuing that work even today. He is the prince of lies. He is deceitful in every way possible and seeks to twist the words of God and the truth of the gospel at all times. We cannot see this more clearly than in the encounter between Jesus and Satan in Luke 4:1-13. Satan tries to use the word of God in a game of deceitful reasoning. He would do anything to keep Jesus from dying on the cross. Why? Because Satan knows that salvation comes through Christ’s death on the cross. Sin, death, and judgment are all satisfied in the death of Jesus. Satan is rendered powerless (although we already knew he had no inherent power from reading the Old Testament).

There will come a day when Satan will receive his just punishment and will be cast out from our existence. He will go down in defeat. When he does, we will be ushered into a new era…a new heaven and a new earth. What a glorious day that will be! We press on now because of what Jesus did then which will come to completion in a time to come.

My grandfather has learned that he has prostate cancer and they will be doing a catscan soon to see if it has spread anywhere else. I obviously ask for prayers that it hasn’t but also for guidance on his behalf on what to do next. He is alone in north Ohio and will need help to undergo Chemo. He has been through alot lately. He had his second quad bypass heart surgery last year (2nd in 20 years), gall bladder removed 2 years ago, lives with a collapsed lung, cared for his “girlfriend” as she died of lung cancer 2 years ago, and lost my grandmother over a decade ago. I pray for his spirit and mental well-being. He is my only remaining grandparent. I did get to see him 2 weeks ago, first time in over a year. I prayed over him when I left and he just cried. I wish there was more I could do for him.

If you are having a tough day or week, this should brighten things up. Probably the funniest baby laugh I have ever heard. Enjoy!

(HT: Erik Kowalker)

Welcome to the online home of the 20’s/30’s Bible study classes of Concord-Grandview Baptist Church. Thanks for stopping by and checking things out. It is a work in progress but I hope you will find this site to be helpful in keeping you up to date on all of the happenings within our classes. We’ll be posting events, service opportunities, church happenings, and more. It will be a great way for us to keep in contact throughout the week and share what we are learning and applying from our study together as well.

Be sure to bookmark this site and come back often. Leave comments and feedback on the posts and pages. We would love to hear from you. Don’t be too alarmed as things change a bit around here. We’ll try to keep things fresh yet user friendly. Stay tuned for more.