Creating Enduring, Zealous Churches that Reach ‘Full Kingdom Potential’
A Column in the Baptist Associations Series with Applications for all Local Denominational Organizations
(This column appears this week in the digital and print edition of The Baptist Paper. Access the column in the digital edition HERE. The Baptist Paper is a publication of TAB Media. Request a free trial HERE. See all TAB Media columns written by George Bullard HERE.)
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Creating Enduring, Zealous Churches that Reach ‘Full Kingdom Potential’
By George Bullard
I am not a biblical numerologist who uses numerical patterns to find hidden messages within the Bible.
I am certainly not a Gemarist who assigns numerical values to Hebrew letters and words to find hidden meanings and connections in the Bible.
I have not read books or seen movies on biblical codes and those who hunt for them.
Yet when I see numerical patterns in the Bible informing the journey of endurance and zealousness in churches, I pause to see what we can learn from them.
Two passages intrigue me. One is in Genesis 41 where Joseph interprets the dreams of the Pharaoh, in which God declares seven years of abundance will be followed by seven years of scarcity.
The other is Leviticus 25 about the principles of taking a sabbatical every seven years and observing a year of jubilee every 50 years.
These two passages suggest a pattern for life and ministry that churches should observe.
(Continue reading HERE.)
(Note: Consult recent columns on church sabbaticals and a year of jubilee found HERE.)