Capitol Bible Study: "A Great Prayer for the Capitol Community"

From this week's Bible study at the West Virginia State Capitol, "A Great Prayer for the Capitol Community"(Philippians 1:9-11):

"Paul wraps up his prayer with the purpose and goal for all that we do – the glory and praise of God. When our love for Him and others abounds, it brings glory and praise to God. When we choose what is best and excellent in our lives, it brings glory and praise to God. When we are sincere and blameless before others, it brings glory and praise to God. When our lives are filled with the fruit of righteousness, it brings glory and praise to God. In this last element we find the best way to pray for everyone working in the statehouse. We should pray, and then seek to demonstrate, that everything in the life of a believer serving in the capitol community should bring glory and praise to God."

You can find the complete study here.

Capitol Bible Study: "Finding Joy in Life at the Capitol"

From this week's capitol Bible study:

"How do we find joy in the capitol? By centering on Jesus Christ. We find that Paul’s letter to the Philippians is really all about Jesus. As you read the letter, notice how constantly Paul refers to Jesus – seventeen times in the first chapter alone. It is when we fill our minds with Jesus instead of the things of this world that we can experience real joy."

You can download the complete study here.

Capitol Bible Study: "How to Become a Citizen of Heaven"

From this week's Bible study at the West Virginia state capitol:

"Finally, we see this transaction takes place through faith in Christ and on the basis of faith. It is when we trust in Christ as the only way of salvation that our sins are forgiven, Christ’s righteousness and goodness are credited to us, and we become saints and citizens of heaven. Remember Paul & Silas’ answer to the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”. Faith simply means to believe what God says. We must believe what He says about our sinful condition –that we have all sinned and fallen short of His Glory. We must believe what He says about how to be right with Him, that it is through faith in what Christ did for us on the cross."

You can download the complete study here.

Bible Study: "Citizens of Heaven: Studies in Philippians"

From this week's Bible study at the West Virginia state capitol:

"The Christian’s ultimate allegiance is to Jesus Christ, not earthly kingdoms or earthly leaders. Paul and Silas had already experienced persecution from earthly leaders, right there in Philippi and as he wrote from prison in Rome. Believers in the Roman Empire would ultimately have to declare their true allegiance. Roman citizens soon had to declare allegiance to the emperor as a god. Believers who proclaimed “Jesus is Lord” soon had to face persecution and even death. This is what it meant for them to be citizens of heaven."

You can download the complete study here.

Ministry Update: Regular Session Begins

The 2011 regular session begins Wednesday evening with the governor’s state of the state address. This is a grand event as both the West Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates gather together for a joint meeting in the house chamber. They are joined in a procession by all the members of the executive branch and the justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court. Finally, the governor and his family enter, escorted by a special committee of senators and delegates. There are usually a number of special guests and celebrities, both on the house floor and in the galleries. The governor then gives his address laying out his goals and agenda for the coming year.

As I sit in the gallery and observe this august event, I am overwhelmed by the privilege and opportunity to share the gospel and teach the Word of God among this group of West Virginia’s leaders. I am thankful and amazed at the open doors God has provided for our ongoing ministry at the statehouse. Just as the governor reveals his plans and goals for the coming year in his state of the state address, I’d like to share with you our plans for the upcoming session.

We will be holding three Bible studies each week during the regular legislative session which runs from January 12 – March 16.

• Each Tuesday at 12:00 noon we will meet with lobbyists and staff. We have sent out an email with a copy of our first study notes attached to every registered lobbyist in the state (over 300). We usually have several lobbyists along with a number of staff who join us each week throughout the session.

• We hold two studies for legislators and elected officials on Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. and at noon. Spring Hill Baptist Church is helping to sponsor breakfast and lunch for each of our meetings. We hope this helps busy leaders to attend during the hectic days of the session.

• We will be teaching a series entitled “Citizens of Heaven”: Studies in Philippians. We are excited about the opportunity to share the gospel as we discuss how to become a citizen of heaven. We will also consider both the privileges and responsibilities of heavenly citizenship as we face the challenges of living and serving here on earth. You can download the first study in our series here.

• Every week we distribute the study notes to every legislator and elected official’s office throughout the capitol in person and through email. This provides a wonderful opportunity to meet with and minister to both leaders and staff on a weekly basis.

Please pray for our Bible studies and our other ministry opportunities during the session. Pray for those leaders who do not know Christ that God will work in their hearts so that they may might know what it means to be "rescued from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of His Son" (Col. 1:13-14). Pray for those who do know Christ to be encouraged to live as " citizens of heaven" in the midst of the challenges of life in the capitol.