Author Archives: shepherdbryan

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About shepherdbryan

My passion is to disciple and see men discipled in every area of their life to see the multiplication principle actually work in a 100 year generational blessing. As go men in the church, so goes the church. As go men in the nation, so goes the nation. Fortunately, because men have often not taken their spiritual role to the limit, God has raised up many godly women to carry the torch where men have laid it aside. May God rapidly raise up men for the next generation of leaders to the Fourth Generation of spiritual leaders! As men lead in a godly way, women will follow in a godly way and that people will be blessed of the Lord.

Suffering: Is it Sin that Causes God to Allow Suffering? Part 1

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This is Part 1 of 5 parts in the question, “Is it Sin that Causes God to Allow Suffering?” in the larger question, “Why does a loving God allow Suffering?” Parts 2-5 will be posted in the following days.

Some people blame all suffering on sin – either our own sin, someone else’s sin against us, or because Adam’s original sin resulted in a fallen world. Is that belief founded in God’s Truth? Would there have been suffering in the Garden of Eden?

The answer? Suffering is related to sin, but it is also related to violations of natural law.  Let’s be more specific, so we can be clear on identifying its sources. Part of the anguish of suffering is ignorance of how it started, what it is, how long it will last, what the effects will be or how it will affect other areas of life. The lack of knowing can be gut-wrenching!

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Q&A: Train Your Replacements: Leadership in Jesus — Part 3 – 1 Timothy 4:11-16

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The following are suggested answers to stimulate your thinking as your work through the Message Based Discussion Questions for the message presented on May 11, 2014. Please use them to understand and then dig deeper, not to discontinue thinking.

How do you prepare leadership?

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MSG: Train Your Replacements: Leadership in Jesus – Part 3 1 Timothy 4:11-16

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This message was presented on May 11, 2014 as part of the 1 Timothy series. 

I have a great mom and I call her everyday, well maybe 360 days of the years. I love to make sure she’s doing alright and say and hear the words, “I love you.”

When I was a boy, my mother could have said these things,

  • …to teach me LOGIC… “If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can’t go to the store with me.”
  • …to teach me ANATOMY… “If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to freeze that way.”
  • …to teach me DEALING WITH PAIN… “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”
  • …to teach me about my ROOTS… “Did you think you were born in a barn?”
  • …to teach me about ANTICIPATION… “Just wait until your father gets home.”   By Carol Sumpter.

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Suffering: Could God have created a place where there was no suffering? Part 4

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This is Part 4 of 4 parts answering the question, “Could God have created a place where there was no suffering?” in the larger question, “Why does a loving God allow suffering?” This concludes this chapter.

God Has a Higher Purpose in Suffering

But by allowing suffering God has a greater good in mind! He is able to show that even in the worst of situations He is able to take the difficult sufferings of life and “synergize them together” for His purposes, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”(Rom 8:28 NKJ) In the same way as many of the heroes of faith never saw the promise made to them in their time, we may not see the good worked out in life, but the promise would be given to them in eternity. For example, Abraham never saw the city God promised him,

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Suffering: Could God have created a place where there was no suffering? Part 3

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This is Part 3 of 4 parts answering the question, “Could God have created a place where there was no suffering?” in the larger question, “Why does a loving God allow suffering?” Part 4 will be posted tomorrow.

God Did Create a Place Where There Was No Suffering

Could God have created a place where there was no suffering? The answer is a simple, “Yes, He did.” We know that the world was made perfect, because six times, after each day of creation, God said “it was good.”  (Gen. 1:4,10,12,18,21,25) And as God looked at all He had created at the end of the sixth day, He said that “it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31). God rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2; Ex. 20:10). Stephen Bramer highlighted,

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Suffering: Could God have created a place where there was no suffering? Part 2

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This is Part 2 of 4 parts answering the question, “Could God have created a place where there was no suffering?” in the larger question, “How can a loving God allow suffering?”  Parts 3-4 will be posted in the following days.

God Desired to Receive Love from Man

God also desired to receive love from man.  To test his love, God gave him only one command in the Garden of Eden, “Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” That was a very simple choice to show his loyal love to God, but Adam failed the test by eating of the forbidden fruit.

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Suffering: Could God have created a place where there was no suffering? Part 1

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This is Part 1 of 4 parts answering the question, “Could God have created a place where there was no suffering?” in the larger question, “Why does a loving God allow suffering?” Parts 2-4 will be posted in the following days.

Now that we’ve examined many different ways that people suffer and looked at man’s way of dealing with suffering, we’ve begun to look at reasons why it exists. We’ve asked the question, again, of how and why a loving God would allow suffering and briefly looked at His character. Yet, we should also ask the question, “Could God have created a place where there is no suffering?” And, we should ask, “If He is God, all-powerful, all-knowing and loving, why didn’t He just create a world where there would be no suffering?” Those are two different questions. They seem alike, but they are very different.

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Book Review: Noah’s Ark by Answers in Genesis

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“Noah’s Ark,” collaborated by Answers in Genesis’ staff is an excellent, concise, biblical and scientific look at the Genesis 6 Noahic Flood, specifically the Ark. If proof of Noah’s Ark were confirmed it would substantiate Scripture’s historicity yet again and be a warning of the global flood catastrophe that established billions of dead things laid down by water all over the earth. It would establish that the fossil records were not derived by a slow process of millions of years that evolutionists and humanists purport in inaccurate assessment of the geologic evidence. Continue reading →

Q & A: Train Your Replacement: Leadership in Jesus – Part 2 – 1 Timothy 4:11-16

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The following are suggestions for the Message Based Discussion Questions for the message presented on May 4, 2014 as part of the 1 Timothy series. These are provided to stimulate your thinking, not replace it. Please consider looking up the Scriptures to verify the answers provided and as aides to find other Scriptures.

1 Sam. 17:14-15; 26; 28-29a; 31-33; 37-39

How do you prepare leadership?

1) Train them to know who they are in Jesus 4:11-12

  • Be who you are in Jesus
  • Why do people look down on you?
  • Let God grow you spiritually by pursuing Him
  • Speech; Conduct; Love; Spirit; Faith; Purity

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MSG: Train Your Replacement: Leadership in Jesus – Part 2 – 1 Timothy 4:11-16

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This message was presented on May 4, 2014 as part of the series on 1 Timothy.

People often think of spiritual leaders as those who are gifted and have a great deal going for them. Let me give you an example of someone who didn’t. In fact, he had many things going against him! David was left out in the darkness by his parents. He was all alone protecting sheep from bears, lions and other predators. Continue reading →