(Every third Saturday of the month at 930AM at Miramar Church) Men's Breakfast 2012 theme: "How to study the Bible for all its worth" (Title borrowed from book: "How to Read the Bible for all its Worth," Authors Gordon Fee and Douglass Stuart)The Bible as Prose* Story/Narrative (January 21, 2012)The Bible as Proverbs/Poetry (February 18, 2012)The Bible as Psalms/Personal (April 21, 2012)The Bible as Prophecy/Preparation (May 19, 2012)The Bible as Prescription/Praxis* (June 16, 2012)The Bible as Proscription*/Anti-Praxis (July 21, 2012) March no breakfast (out of town)   *Prose (the ordinary form of spoken or written language) *Praxis (practice) *Proscription (prohibition or forbidden) For the first six to seven months of our breakfast fellowships, we will look at the different genres (types, styles of writing) of Scripture for each one must be approached somewhat differently in order to gain or maximize our interpretation skills. In other words, not each book or section of the Bible can be read like the gospels or prophecy. We must consider that each one of these bring with it a set of different challenges to understanding what you are reading. Moreover, when you are reading from the book of Matthew as opposed to Proverbs, you will find that in order to accomplish interpretation, and subsequently application, you must know the structure and literary style (genre) so that accomplishing interpretation does not become a foggy and haphazard event. This of course is important to reading the Bible devotionally. Ultimately, the key to your reading is accurate meaning for accurate manner of life. To this end, we endeavor to learn as much as we can.   Therefore, mark your calendars so that you can prepare for these fellowship times. We look forward to God's Word "invading" your "whole" life. As we become more skillful in handling God's Word, we become more skillful to distinguish between good and evil, hence we mature (not the least, that our worldview and values solidify). We are looking forward to a great year. Be praying for these meetings and the door open to men and their needs. As we teach men to be lovers of God and His Word, we help in making godly men leaders of their spheres of influence: home, work, neighbors, friends, etc. You cannot substitute edification in God's Word for mere entertainment; nonetheless, the purpose of these meetings is to achieve genuine edification, fellowship, fun (we play basketball or soccer), and sanctifying activities (discussions and reflection).    Hope to see many men come.  "For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth" (2 Corin.13:8)   Blessings, Pastor James T. Cater Miramar Church 6390 SW 32nd Street Miramar, FL 33023 (954) 981-4677 pastorjim@miramarchurch.org or Caterluvmy@aol.com www.miramarchurch.org

My dear ones, listen to the words of Peter in 1 Peter 1:1-2: 1. "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied." Peter tells us that we are called (effectual call) "in sanctification" (made holy) "for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." Two things are gleaned from this verse: definite sanctification (setting apart and made initially holy and righteous before God, in other words, regenerated, born again, converted); "for obedience" (Greek, "eis hupakone"), i.e., continuous sanctification. In other words, God begins the process and is involved throughout your Christian walk ensuring that you are sanctified by using His means to get you holy. The purpose of sanctifying you initially is to get you to conform to the image of Christ, the last Adam.  Therefore, sanctification involves God from beginning to end. Sanctification is a reversal: out with the old self and in with the new self. Recommended Reading on Sanctification is to read the Westminster Confession Article 13 of Sanctification.  Have a soul-bending week!!           Pastor Jim Cater

“Today, after 2,000 years, Christianity is the faith, at least nominally, of one-third of the earth’s population…Surely one of the more remarkable aspects of Christianity today is how few of these professed believers have ever seriously studied the history of their religion…Should we really be surprised, then, when today’s Christian so frequently blends gross errors with orthodox confession or defends some pagan practice as ‘Christian’ conduct?” (Bruce L. Shelly, Church History in Plain Language, Dallas, Texas: Word Publishing, 1995) (p.491)       After his masterful presentation of church history, from beginning to present, Bruce Shelly, (author of “Church History in Plain Language), pens the words above in his epilogue. It is the zeal and disappointment of every great teacher to see their pupils either flourish or decline in their studies. Both responses to the teaching become a reality to the loving teacher. The former, is the awakening of the pupil’s eyes which sparks continual discovery; the latter, is the disappointment of regress to continual darkness. On which part of the spectrum do you find yourself? Bruce Shelly’s words are for those who find themselves declining and are a disappointment to the teacher. And, evidently ignorance becomes their dayspring. Ignorance is not bliss! Many Christians today find themselves feeding off the fruit garden of cretinism. Our Master of masters, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be dismayed to witness such darkness prevailing in His children. Beloved, such is not supposed to be! Jesus himself demanded labored and meticulous observance of doctrine: Mat 7:24-28, 28:18-20; Luke 24:27; John 8:31, 17:17. In fact, Jesus asked the Father to sanctify the disciples in the truth. The truth, the comprehensive story of the Bible, is to be sought after relentlessly. It is our duty to be a delight to our pastor-teachers. Pastor-teachers who regard teaching and doctrine as adornment to their ministries desire the same response from their beloved flock. Is it easy? No! Is it worth your while in gold? Yes! Don’t find yourself in gross error, because if you do, it will only show your ignorance. Be a faithful servant, therefore, feeding off the Vine continually, so that you will not be found on the wrong side of the pendulum. The end-result is the prophetic words of Peter:  “There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.   You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.”         Pastor Jim Cater