1. General & Personal Letters Introduction

2. Hebrews 4:12: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double ‑ edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

3. "A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks intimately every day to Someone he cannot see, expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another, empties himself in order to be full, admits he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up, is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and

4. happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which surpasses knowledge....The man who has met God is not looking for something – he has found it... he is an original new creation from the hand of the Holy Spirit." - A. W. Tozer

5. Chronology of Books  1 Thessalonians  2 Thessalonians  Galatians  Ephesians  Philippians  Colossians  Philemon  James  1 Peter  1 Timothy  Titus  2 Peter  2 Timothy  Jude Covering a Period of 52 A.D. to 75 A.D.

6. The Law says, “ do ”. Grace says, “ done !”

7. “We are saved, kept and finally redeemed by grace without works of the law. “ Galatians 5:1: “Stand firm and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:4: “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”

8. H ungry A ngry L onely T ired Ephesians 3:12: “In him and through him [Jesus] we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

9.  Good : “God is FOR us”  Better : “God is WITH us”  Best : “God is IN us” A Prepositional Progression

10. Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

11. Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than in Christ.”

12. 1) We have been reached, are we reaching others? 2) We have been fed, are we feeding others? 3) We've been instructed in righteousness, is it producing fruit others can see? 4) We've been encouraged in faith, are we encouraging others? Living in order to please God (1 Thess. 4:1), the Second Coming of Jesus, and the Day of the Lord

13. 2 Thessalonians 3:3: “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10: ”... every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved.”

14. 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self- discipline.” 1 Timothy 6:20: “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.” Timothy needed Paul’s guidance

15. Titus needed Paul’s Counsel Philemon needed Paul’s reminder of forgiveness

16. Are we practicing true religion? Are we in control of our tongue? Is our faith demonstrated in what we do? Are we submissive to God or guilty of pride? Are we praying for people? Are we intercessors? Are we what we say we are???

17. “The Christian life is like a good watch – an open face, busy hands, pure gold, well regulated, and filled with good works.” - J. Vernon McGee

18.  To show the sinner the way to God  To show the saint how to walk with God Counseled in the grace….. 1) to go on (especially in times of persecution) 2) to stand firm (especially against false teachings) and 3) to rejoice in the hope of the Lord's return.

19. H eed what you already know O pen your eyes and ears P ursue a godly life E xpect Christ’s return

20. Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

21. Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

22. The full text of this lecture can be found tomorrow at dictationsfromthespirit.com Click on the dropdown menu arrow and choose “POW Bible Studies” General & Personal Letters “Introduction”