Showing results by author "Rick Noyes" in All Categories

You will find that much of what I present here is counter culture to the psychology and martial counseling approaches today. It centers on a perspective that is taught in the Bible which gives a mindset as to how biblical marriage differs from that popular notion many today follow. That mindset becomes the spring board to the how to of living out a biblical marriage that is not only fulfilling, but gives clarity to life in a way that most don’t understand.

There are five post-exile books that are interwoven with Nehemiah’s narrative that help give us a clearer picture of this part of Israel’s history. They are Haggai, Zechariah, Esther, Ezra and Malachi. Nehemiah seems to be written like a diary of what happened in regard to the work that God had laid on his heart and therefore it is a very personal account. The theme of this study is going to be when we work together, but it is much more. The book of Nehemiah is meant to cause an unrest within us because we settle for what is, rather than what could be. It is meant to shame us for ...

This letter is addressed to Jewish Christians outside of Jerusalem and because it has a distinctly Jewish slant, it is often misunderstood by a Gentile mindset, which makes up most of the church today. I am of the opinion that the issue James is tackling in the letter is a loss of faith’s focus. When we lose sight of the object of our faith, life in the church reflects this loss of focus. The Jewish believers were perhaps manifesting behaviors that were not in line with what faith in Messiah ought to look like. It is possible the Jews who had been called to faith in Messiah were having a ...

When people talk about religion, they often speak of faith and belief, but what do those words mean and do they mean the same thing to you as they do to me? If faith is an integral part of relationship to God, don’t you think we ought to understand just what genuine biblical faith is all about? The second book of Moses, which we today call Exodus, is a blueprint for understanding what faith is and what it is not. Will you join me discovering how faith is married to a relationship to God.

Everywhere you turn nowadays someone is trying to influence your thinking. Whether it is the products that we buy, the candidates we vote for, the places that we go, or the way perceive life, someone wants us to jump on their bandwagon of thought. With so many vying for the hearts and minds of people today, much of the persuasion comes cloaked in deceit. Wouldn’t it be nice to simply have the truth for once? Wouldn’t it be nice to know that there was in fact undeniable truth we could count on? If you have ever felt that way then the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians is for you. ...

The book of Lamentations written by the prophet Jeremiah. It addresses this topic of when we ought to mourn, but don’t. It has a peculiar style, and it is a book not widely taught today. When was the last time you sat in on a teaching from this small contribution to the Old Testament, which is found after the other writings of the prophet Jeremiah? Even though this book is neglected, this is a study everyone should do to gain a proper education in grieving before God. But the greater reason for a study in this little book is that I see a parallel between the church in America today and ...

The worst kind of deceit is self deceit. If you are like me (often blind to seeing myself for who and what I really am), then I would suggest this might be the right study for you. John wrote this letter to give its readers confident assurance that they had union and communion with God and His people. So they could know they were genuine Christians.

The unsettling events of 2020 are mind boggling and can easily cause a person to wonder just what happened. As if the world was not already confusing and complicated enough, having the events of the past year crashing into our reality has left many people trying to make sense of a world that doesn’t make sense. Are you trying to figure out what is the point of it all? Finding meaning in life seems to be impossible, but there is nothing new under the sun and Solomon has some words of hope for us to consider. The book of Ecclesiastes is a must for anyone asking, why am I here? What is the ...

The book of Judges is a historical account which investigates the lives of people who lived long ago. Some of those lives are going to be tales of caution, while others will be inspiring. Most are people who would not warrant a second look today and would be dismissed as valueless by most, but when viewed through the lens of God’s purpose, we will see that they became much more than they could have dreamed. They become exceptional stories in the greatest story ever told, that is still shaping lives today. Wouldn’t you like your own story to matter like that? Then maybe this study is for...

Imagine for a moment, being told that everything you ever thought you knew about God was wrong. All of what you thought you knew was incomplete, misinformed, and incorrect. Admitting that would not only mean that your view about God was wrong, but your view of yourself and your approach to God was misguided at best and deceived at worst. The response to what you suddenly understood would mean all of life would be a new paradigm. In turn, those protecting the status quo and orthodoxy of the incomplete view would attack those embracing this new reality as outcasts, troublemakers and even ...

Genesis means beginning and as the first book of the Old Testament it is a fitting title. However, it is more than just the Bible’s opening book, since it is the proper place to understand what the whole of God’s Word is revealing. Therefore, it is the proper beginning for understanding the origin stories and the plan and purpose of God. It not only reveals the God of the Word, but the call of God, the understanding of faith and obedience and the need for humanity’s Savior. Please join me in seeing how a proper beginning is important.

Acts is a travel log of the church’s journey through the many changes that God puts in the path of His people. Change is the thread which weaves its way through these first twelve chapters of this first volume and really the whole book. I subtitled this study guide When everything changes because I think this theme not only draws out what is described by Luke, but also because it has real world application for anyone reading this. The reason is most people find at some point in life that everything changes. How we view life through the glass of that change can either be character building...

God’s Word has something to say to anyone who has known the disappointment of failed expectation which leaves the gray fog of pessimism tainting your view of life. Maybe your expectations concerning marriage were dashed and you have the bitter taste of betrayal in your mouth. Perhaps the circumstances of your life are not what you hoped for, because your expectations were built on an idealism squashed by the harsh boot of reality. So, you find yourself questioning your choices and perhaps God. If that is even close to describing your broken expectations, then this is the study for you.

Have you ever had your faith in God take a nose dive? I have. I have felt like my faith was as stagnant a pond longing for the fresh water of faith that used to flow through me. Relationship with the living God is not supposed to look like this, but mine has and maybe yours has too. I think Timothy might very well have been in a similar place when Paul sent this last letter to him. I find over and over again in this letter, encouragement from the Apostle, who is fanning the flame of faith that once burned brightly in Timothy.

Esther is one of the books of the Bible which draws critics to discount it as having an unproven validity, in an attempt to prove the Bible is unreliable and not the unerring Word of God. It is a curious book because it is a historical narrative, which has no spiritual references or specific lessons and, in many ways, it appears that its only purpose is to put the celebration of Purim into a historical context. However, the narrative is loaded with lessons and applications for the people of God. Even though God is not mentioned in the narrative, just like in creation, His sovereignty and ...

Have you ever found yourself in the wrong because you totally missed the point? It could have been a school assignment, a botched task given by your employer, feeling the cold shoulder of relationship because you missed the point of something said, or even the punchline of a joke that everyone else understood. Regrettably, when we face those kinds of situations, most people revert to a self-defense mechanism that questions our guilt or failure. Sometimes that is displayed by pushing off our failing to others. I didn’t have enough time. The instructions were unclear. I was not given ...

This study is design to teach a person how to read and meditate on the Word of God. It has a refreshing approach that will captivate your interest. The New Zion Bible Study Series is design to teach a daily habit of study in God’s Word. This is the first book in the series in Kindle format to be used in conjunction with the internet, in an interactive method of looking at Bible study tools to help dig out the nuggets of wisdom found in the Word of God.

When you saw the title for this book, what came to mind? Perhaps your thinking was drawn to the heroes of the Bible, who led extraordinary lives. Did you think about a religious duty or mission of biblical proportions? I would guess that one thing that was not in your thoughts was you. That is because we are given to thinking that God’s call is too immense, too demanding, and out of the reach of the average person. But what if I were to tell you that you are exactly, whom the Holy Spirit of God had in mind, when those words were penned. Would that spark your interest? I hope it goes ...

I am 64 years old at the writing of this study guide and one thing the Lord has taught me in life, is relationships are more important than we know. We ought to do what we can to keep them.The subtitle of this book is When your measure is off, but the study is really about reconciliation. I don’t know anyone who does not have at least one relationship that has gone south and refuses to or can’t see a way to fix that which is broken. Paul has become our example to that process in this letter, but an example has to be followed to make a difference in us. Won’t you consider what we learn...

We live in evil times and one of the casualties of our times is the truth. Truth is thought to be relative to one’s viewpoint and distorted to achieve personal and selfish ends. We see this flexible view of truth practiced in our political process, businesses, interpersonal relationships, and in the church as well. The distortion of the truth is a form of deceit that we have grown so accustomed to, that we are not shocked by what is commonplace. What was once considered to be lying, today is simply defined as the truth relative to the person speaking it. This gap between the perception of...