peace

I Wish I’d Never Been Born – Job 2:1-10; 3:1-26

/ Bob

Job had been dealt blow after blow – losing his family, servants, livestock, property, income, future prospects, respect, reputation, health, and spousal support.  And yet in Job 2:10 we read that Job’s response to to all of this was,  “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”  And then Job’s ultimate response is that in all this Job did not sin. 

Nevertheless, the pain of Satan’s attacks was very real and could not be ignored or dismissed easily.  In Job 3 we come to understand just a bit of that pain as Job expresses the deep depression that has resulted from the these attacks.  He wishes he had never been born.  He wants the day of his birth removed from the calendar.  He laments that he would be better off dead.  

We see this same expression of longing for death in Moses, Elijah, Jonah, Jeremiah, and David.  In each of these giants of the faith there were times of deep distress that brought them to this point.  Job said I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest – only turmoil. (Job 2:26)  Fortunately, Jesus promised in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 26, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Praise Him in the Storm: When Life Falls Apart – A Study of Job. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/praise-him-in-the-storm-job-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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When Everything Falls Apart – Job 1:13-22

/ Bob
Job is identified the 1st verse of the 1st chapter as a man who is blameless and upright; a man who feared God and shunned evil. When God and Satan met Job was the topic of discussion. Satan was given permission to test Job as long as he didn’t touch him physically. So beginning in Job 1:13 we find Satan’s attacks on Job.

Job lost his livestock and his livelihood. He lost his possessions and his provisions. He lost his income and his investments. And, finally, he lost his entire family to a deadly tornado. Devastated, he tore his robe apart and shaved his head, both signs of deep anguish and grief. And understandably so. His world had not just been turned upside down, but it had been twisted, burned, stolen, and left in a ruined heap.

Job’s ultimate response? Worship. According to Job 1:21 Job said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” Verse 22 sums it all up: In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

This lesson is only the beginning of a study in the trials of life. We all face difficulties as we live in this fallen world and the book of Job provides understanding of those trials and tribulations as well as an understanding of how to live through them with the g4race of God.


First Lesson – When Everything Falls Apart, Trust God.


This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, May 19, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Praise Him in the Storm: When Life Falls Apart – A Study of Job. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/praise-him-in-the-storm-job-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
YouTube – youtube.com/@fromthebackporch
X – FromtheBackPorch@nationalfast
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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Check the Lost and Found – Luke 15:1-10

/ Bob

We all lose things. We have all searched diligently for our keys, glasses, or wallets. It is as if our life gets put on hold until we find those lost items. So it is with the woman who lost 1 of her 10 coins and the shepherd who lost 1 of his 100 sheep. Everything came to a grinding halt until they found that which was lost. And then it was party time because what was lost was now found. Yay!!

All we like sheep have gone astray. Each one of us has turned away from God to follow our own path. (Isaiah 53:6) And yet God doesn’t give up on us. He pursues us like the Hound of Heaven. He will not let us go until we realize that in our search for meaning we realize that Jesus is who we have been searching for all along. And when we repent of our sinful ways He is there to lovingly caress us with His gentle hand even as he gestures with his other hand for the party to begin.

Check the lost and found. Are you lost or are you found?

(Follow this link to read “The Hound of Heaven” by Francis Thompson – houndofheaven.com/poem)

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 3, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Jesus Storyteller: Timeless Truths from His Parables. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at: https://gc2press.org/jesus-storyteller-luke-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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Of Shepherds and Joy – The 3rd Sunday of Advent

/ Bob
Advent is that time of year when we look forward to Christmas – as we remember and look forward to the coming of Mashiach – the Messiah – Christ, the Lord. This week we lit our third candle in our Advent Wreath – the Shepherd’s Candle of Joy.

The shepherds who received the announcement concerning the new born king, the Messiah, the Savior have long been thought of as those shunned by society and outcasts. This may or may not be true, but the Bible doesn’t say that. A look at shepherds in the Bible allows us to see an honorable profession that was actually central to the heart of the Jewish faith. From Moses to David to even Jesus Himself (John 10) the role of the shepherd was and is exalted. They were no doubt poor and, as such, were no doubt looked down on by the elites of society, but they were just simple working folks.

And on that night in the fields outside of Bethlehem they were just doing their job when their quiet world came to life with a message of joy and hope. They went to see the child and then went back to work. As they returned to work, they praised God and shared the story of all they had witnessed. People were amazed at their tale of angels and babies and the new born king.

As we go to work today, may we take another look at the infant king, marvel anew, and then tell the folks we meet on the way to work and at work what we have seen – what we have experienced through the saving grace of Jesus.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, December 10, 2023. It is part of an Advent series of lessons that will run through Sunday, December 17, 2023.

Handouts with slide content can be requested at
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .
Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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The Road to Bethlehem – The 2nd Sunday of Advent

/ Bob

Advent is that time of year when we look forward to Christmas – as we remember and look forward to the coming of Mashiach – the Messiah – Christ, the Lord. This week we lit our second candle in our Advent Wreath – the Bethlehem Candle of Faith.

When the wise men came into Judea they went to Herod, the King, figuring that he would no doubt have all of the up-to-date information on the new king they were looking for. Herod’s scriptural advisors rightly told Herod that Bethlehem was the place where the Messiah King was to be born because it was prophesied in the 5th chapter of the prophet Micah. The little town of Bethlehem has always been a defining proof of the Messiah. He would come from the line of David and would be born in Bethlehem. Yeshua – Jesus – did have the ancestral link to David and was, indeed, born in Bethlehem.

After exploring this facet of the Nativity Narrative (and after answering a few questions about whether or not there was a donkey in the story as well as what type of place Jesus was actually born in – hint – it wasn’t a barn, a cave, or a stable) we went on to explore the significance of small things in God’s economy. Micah 5:2 says “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” (NKJ) At the time Bethlehem probably had a population of about 500-1,500 people – a small town even by today’s standards. Yet, in this small town we find the biggest event in human history – the birth of God!


God specializes in using small things to accomplish big things. Think about the rod that Moses used. It was an insignificant shepherd’s tool that was used to do miraculous things. How about the jawbone of a donkey that Samson used to slay 1,000 Philistines? Or five fish and few pieces of bread that were used to feed 5,000? And don’t forget the slingshot and that smooth river stone that David used to take down the arrogant Goliath. Small things used by God to accomplish big things.

And so it continues today. Even our small faith, if it be only the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains because when that small faith meets up with God’s omnipotence, big things happen.

O little town of Bethlehem – teach us that when we are weak it is then that we are strong, because the strength of God shows up best when we are week, when we are small, and even when we feel small.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, December 3, 2023. It is part of an Advent series of lessons that will run through Sunday, December 17, 2023.

Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .
Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

How Do We Live Godly Lives in an Ungodly World? – Part 3

/ Bob

How Do We Live Godly Lives in an Ungodly World ~ Part 3

In order to live Godly lives in an ungodly world, we Christians have to first understand that this world is not our home. We are resident aliens just passing through this planet. We are chosen by God, saved by God, and kept by God so that we can carry out His plan to bring light into a dark world.

Therefore, we have to set our minds on things above, not on this things of this world. We have to have a paradigm shift from following the world’s way of thinking to following God’s way of thinking. We have to know who we are in Christ and, as we read in 1 Peter 1:3. we have to prepare our minds for action and, being sober-minded, we must set our hope fully on the grace of Jesus Christ.

Next week we will focus on how to avoid conformity to the world’s way of thinking through holiness.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, March 12, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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How Do We Live Godly Lives in an Ungodly World ~ Part 1

/ Bob

In John 15 and in John 17 Jesus uses the word “world” over and over again – and it’s not good news for the world. The world He is talking about involves the worldly ideas, beliefs, practices, and common behaviors of the general population. Satan is the evil one who seems to have his way in the minds and hearts of the people at large and Jesus knew that the world that Christians would face would not be tolerant of their fundamental beliefs.


In this session we looked generally at the ways of the world as opposed to the ways of the Kingdom. We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12) in our opposition to the sin that has beset our world, but we do need to know where we stand in relation to the worldly ways that are brought on by that sin.


In James 4:4 we read that friendship with the world equals hatred toward God. To be a friend of the world, you will automatically be an enemy of God. Next week we will begin looking at some practical, scriptural responses to the world’s ways as we seek to Godly lives to the glory of the Father.



This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday,
March 12, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by
Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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Are We Living in the End Times? ~ Part 1

/ Bob / 2 Comments

Signs of the End Times

Deception & False Teachers

Wars and Rumors of War

International Conflict

Earthquakes

Famine

Pestilence (Disease)

Gospel Preached to the World

Lawlessness

Christians Hated & Persecuted

In the Olivet Discourse, found in Matthew 24 & 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, Jesus shared the signs listed above and others as signs of the end times. Are we living in the end times? Jesus spoke to these disciples as if they were – or at least soon would be – living in the end times themselves.

The fact is that we have been seeing “End Times” events and signs since Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Those signs may be more prevalent today and situations may seem more dire, but are they signs of the end of the age?

That is the purpose of this study – to look at the signs laid out by Jesus and determine how we as Christians should respond to those signs. In Part 1 of this lesson we are looking at some of the general signs given in scripture which point us to the rapture and we will begin looking at the first four signs listed above as seen in the Olivet Discourse.

Next week we will continue to study the signs, but moreover, we will see how Jesus would have us live in light of what we know will inevitably come.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, February 25, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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The Asbury Connection ~ Revival of God’s People

/ Bob

Throughout history there have been times of revival among God’s people – times when the Spirit of God moved in a way that could only be explained as the work of God. Since the birth of the church there have been numerous times when the Spirit moved His bride, the church, to leave her sin behind and return once again to Him.

In the early to mid-1700’s there was one such movement of God that has since been named The Great Awakening. It began in Europe and in the Colonies of the New world that we now know as the United States. In the Americas it swept through the colonies, uniting them in purpose and in faith. Many great things came about as a result of the Great Awakening in America, but perhaps the most significant is the United States itself.

Skip ahead almost 3 centuries and we find the Spirit moving on the campus of Asbury University. It’s not the first time that Asbury has found itself in a revival experience. In fact, it has happened 9 times since the founding of the college in 1890. And the roots of those revivals go back to the Great Awakening in which John Wesley was awakened by the Spirit of Christ. You can watch the video to see how it all came to pass.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, February 19, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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What Is Salvation? ~ Part 1

/ Bob

Far too many Christians rest comfortably on the fact that they are saved without giving serious thought as to what that means. From what are we saved? To what are we saved? To what extent does our salvation affect our daily lives? What does it mean to be born again? Why is Jesus so important in salvation? What are the various aspects of salvation and when do we experience the different aspects of salvation? Is salvation intended to make us better people? When we are saved, can we do whatever we want? Is salvation at “get out of jail free” card?

In this session we discuss these questions and many more. After all, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3)

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, February 5, 2023. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions entitled Living the Agape Life – a Bible study curriculum developed by Bob Young with input from the members of the Agape Life Class. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

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