Caitlin’s Story - “A couple months ago I got the opportunity to attend a 6 hour simulcast. It was incredible! I am 18 and I have friends who are 16 that attended. Your age doesn’t matter at all with this--I didn’t get bored and found the whole thing very intense and interesting! It was really neat and I felt especially connected to the church. I could really feel the body of Christ that night and it opened my eyes to the massiveness of God’s kingdom.”
Have you participated in Secret Church? Visit our Secret Church website and let us know how you have been impacted by Secret Church.
In April several Christians were attacked and killed in the Xiengkhouang Province. The reports coming out of Laos indicate an increase in repression. This is a country that needs the Gospel desperately. For more information on how to pray for those in Loas who are followers of Christ visit the Voice of the Martyrs website.
Suresh’s Story – “I was born again in the year 1973 in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. I am right now in Greenville, SC trying to reach the Indians in Greenville County for the Lord Jesus Christ. I saw the simulcast on Good Friday at Glenwood Baptist Church along with my wife and got blessed with the teaching on that day. May God Bless you. As you are also interested in the Indians let us together make a difference in extending the Lord’s Kingdom in this part of the world for His Glory. “
Do you have a Secret Church story you would like to share? Visit our Secret Church website and let us know how you have been impacted by Secret Church.
(The following excerpt was taken from the Secret Church transcripts for “Survey of the Old Testament” by David Platt. You can find these transcripts and other resources by going to DiscipleMakingIntl.org..)
Primary Information for Starters
Ruth literally means “friendship”, and it is the spotlight book. It is a love story. The overall purpose is to trace the royal lineage of king David and ultimately, king Jesus. This is giving us a picture; a line that is going to lead to Jesus in Matthew chapter 1 where Ruth is mentioned.
Boaz is the center of the love story. He is the kinsman-redeemer, the knight in shining armor. In order for Ruth to be brought into his family, he pays the redemption price, the price to buy her back into his family. He was the nearest of kin, he had the right to do buy her, and he could do it, so he paid the price to bring her into his family.
Practical Advice for Study
Pay close attention to the transition in Naomi’s life. Naomi gets left out of the picture sometimes because we get enthralled with what is going on with Ruth and Boaz, but Naomi is there and the transitions go like this: from emptiness to fullness in chapter 1; from despair to hope in chapters 2 and 3; and from bareness to inheritance in chapter 4. What happens between Ruth and Boaz brings inheritance to Naomi. Even in the darkness of God’s people, He shines the light of His covenant.
(The following excerpt was taken from the Secret Church transcripts for “Survey of the Old Testament” by David Platt. You can find these transcripts and other resources by going to DiscipleMakingIntl.org..)
“I want us to look at the Old Testament through three different lenses or three different dimensions:
First, there is the literary dimension. The Old Testament is a book. It is a piece of literature. We are going to think about it in terms of what kind of literature it is and how that affects the way we understand the Old Testament.
Second, there is the historical dimension. The Old Testament is real history of real people and we are going to get a background for understanding the history. Most of us probably have little knowledge of the history of the Old Testament and how it all ties together. The Old Testament is a fragmented book for us and we try to piece it all together in our minds, but it just doesn’t make sense. So I want us to walk away with an overall knowledge of the history and how it all fits together. We will look at it from a literary perspective and from a historical perspective.
Third, there is the theological dimension. This book was not just written to tell us a story about history, but it was written to demonstrate God in the middle of history. That is what theology is...the Study of God. “
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