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Monday, March 11, 2013

Walking in Holiness



"...I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and EXPANSIVELY!" The Message 2 Corinthians 6:11-13.
 
This got my attention last Sunday, posted prominently in the study notes of our pastor's teaching.  

Our pastor has started teaching in II Corinthians recently.  He is an extremely gifted teacher and I always gain new insights in hearing him speak on particular verses.  While he is always cautious to to inform the congregation that his teachings are based on his studies, opinions, prayers and leadings from the Holy Spirit and each person should read and study for themselves to find understanding, I always appreciate his wisdom and perspective.  I echo his strong encouragement of self study, too.  It's great to hear someone else teach, but we can't take their word as THE WORD.  With that said, his teachings on this book have really expanded my understanding of II Corinthians as I now delve into it and study further, myself.  

Last week's message was particularly powerful to me.  Actually, all of them have been so far.  I've attached last week's message to this blog post but you should definitely check out the others in this series.  They can all be downloaded by visiting the church's website at www.acfweb.org/messages.  I was particularly touched by the messages on 1/20/13 and 1/27/13.

Give it a listen--give all of them a listen and then study the verses on your own (I really like to read different versions, like The Message, or an NIV to get different perspective--the pastor's teachings are based on a the New King James Version).  I'd love to hear comments on what you think!