Steve Hunter Bible Study

This is a thought-provoking article that may confront our concept of women's roles as leaders and ministers in the church.  It is well written by the Christian Post and seems to most accurately reflect the depth of this modern debate.   https://www.christianpost.com/news/women-as-church-leaders-female-complementarians-on-current-debates-beth-moore-misogyny.html

Can we trust the accuracy of the Bible? Biblical Inerrancy...I hear from some people that we shouldn't get hung up on this. I stand firm on the Bible being inerrant myself.  Here's why... 2 Timothy 3:16-17 clearly states this inerrancy... All Scripture is God-breathed  and is useful for teaching,  rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,   so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (That's all scripture) Let's also reason through this... Scripture was written by men who were inspired by God right? Do we trust the writings of authoritative men on subjects? Yes, in science, math, medical, counseling, psychology, architecture, and more. So, how much more can we trust in the inspired Word of God written by men? How do we know it's inspired?  Well, even Jesus attested to the authent icity of the scriptures on several occasions citing several different authors. So we have Jesus's own endorsement. Tha...

DIY How to avoid Pastor burnout Are you worried about pastor burnout? Here are 10 ways to avoid pastor burnout: 1) manage time well and take breaks 2) schedule physical activity 3) schedule reading time 4) schedule vacation, family, marriage time 5) gain perspective and happy experiences 6) pace for endurance, not a sprint 7) get things done early, don't procrastinate 8) recharge daily in the Word, meditation, and prayer    9) look back on each day with thankfulness 10) look ahead with great anticipation Pastors, just like anyone else, can experience burnout if they are not living a balanced life .  The Christian walk itself requires a balance of spiritual, physical, and mental well-being.  Even our spiritual disciplines must be in balance.  If any area of our life is out of balance, we suffer.  If the intellectual aspect of our life takes all of our time, our spiritual life and physical health degrade.  We feel sluggish and are not fu...

   Leadership and discipleship may run very parallel tracks as both leadership and discipleship involve disciplines, training, time-management, strategic planning, work ethic, passion, conviction, and will require mentorship for maturation yet they are different.       In considering leadership, you can observe that there are many leaders, both religious and secular, in our culture and our world.  Leaders can be found in both realms.  You can be both a disciple and a leader, but not all leaders are disciples.  Leadership requires the acquisition of essential skills used for leading others in both the church and the world, but what each leads people to is distinctively different.  For the secular man, leadership is structurally vital for the acquisition of money, property, power, influence, and other self-indulgent means.  Far too many of God's ministers in the age of the megachurch bring these same secular leadership goals i...

Doing the hard thing...lovingly confronting sin. Like a house, our soul is only as stable as its foundation. A strong foundation will hold a house steady during stormy weather, but one built on the weak, faulty ground will shift, crack, and eventually fall under the pressure of high winds and rain. Likewise, our lives stand or crumble depending on our soul’s foundation. - Value of a Soul movie To truly love biblically, we must express more than kindness with our love. I would never suggest that it is kind to allow a person to sit in the path of a charging lion or speeding car. I would sound the alarm no matter how much it angered or started them so that I may keep them from harm. In the end, they should be thankful for the warning, but I know that I have done the right thing. That is what matters. Real love allows us to be the unpopular at times as we correct, rebuke, and instruct in righteousness through the Word that it may restore or build-up those we love to right ...

Pastor as the shepherd.  Do Pastors sometimes lose focus? "Preaching is fundamentally a part of the care of souls, and the care of souls involves a thorough understanding of the congregation." - Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching So preaching is not just delivering a motivational or entertaining speech, teaching a book, or administration of a church. It is the responsibility of the pastor to shepherd the flock. It is to intercede in the care for the people as ambassadors of God. Programs, church operations, etc should not be pr oduced for the primary purpose of creating event attendance, entertainment, and tithe. This type of ministry would encourage narcissistic self-indulgence, spiritual complacency, and institutional dependence. Instead, pastors should design meaningful ministry that nurses the wounded, heals the sick, strengthen the believer, builds the body, and reaches out with a message of hope through equipped disciples in Jesus Christ. In doing so, we must keep...

Why was Lot called righteous?  That's a really good question that takes a bit of thought... In Genesis, we read that Lot is Abraham's older brother's son.  Although Lot is a close relative of the Biblical patriarch Abraham, we read that he is riddled with flaws.  Lot, like many of us today, judges by sight and thinks of himself before others (Genesis 13:8-12).  He first chooses to live outside of the city of Sodom then later to live inside its walls.  He is drawn by commerce and gains great influence in this city.  Later he becomes drunk and commits incest with both his daughters.  Lot seems anything but righteous.  So why was Lot rescued twice, first by Abraham (Genesis 14) and later by angels sent by God to escape the judgment and destruction of Sodom? There must be more to Lot than what appears on the surface... From the evident protection of Abraham and God, there must be more going on in the heart of this man than his outward actions sh...