Apalache Bible Studies with Butch Howard

05/22/2024

04/14/2024

04/14/2024

04/14/2024

03/14/2024

Postmodernists claim that all knowledge is culturally determined and therefore not objective, but this is self-refuting: its absolute truth is that there is no absolute truth.

03/14/2024

03/09/2024

02/18/2024

02/10/2024

On December 9th, tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee—leaving a tragic trail of death and destruction. Six people lost their lives and multiple others were injured. Many homes sustained damage including roofs blown off, debris scattered about, and downed trees.

Samaritan's Purse teams deployed two teams to the region, working out of Clarksville and North Nashville, to come alongside these communities as they began the recovery process. Between both sites, more than 500 people would volunteer over 12,000 hours of their time to help in Jesus' Name. 342 families received assistance with storm damage and debris, but more importantly, 30 individuals came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior during our time in these areas.

Pray with us for these communities as they continue to recover, and for the local churches as they continue to be a beacon of hope and light in the wake of this storm.

12/09/2023

The Opposition of the Natural
Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. GALATIANS 5:24
The natural life itself is not sinful. But we must abandon sin, having nothing to do with it in any way whatsoever. Sin belongs to hell and to the devil. I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and to God. It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence, and my self–will. This is where the battle has to be fought. The things that are right, noble, and good from the natural standpoint are the very things that keep us from being God’s best. Once we come to understand that natural moral excellence opposes or counteracts surrender to God, we bring our soul into the center of its greatest battle. Very few of us would debate over what is filthy, evil, and wrong, but we do debate over what is good. It is the good that opposes the best. The higher up the scale of moral excellence a person goes, the more intense the opposition to Jesus Christ. “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh….” The cost to your natural life is not just one or two things, but everything. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matthew 16:24). That is, he must deny his right to himself, and he must realize who Jesus Christ is before he will bring himself to do it. Beware of refusing to go to the funeral of your own independence.
The natural life is not spiritual, and it can be made spiritual only through sacrifice. If we do not purposely sacrifice the natural, the supernatural can never become natural to us. There is no high or easy road. Each of us has the means to accomplish it entirely in his own hands. It is not a question of praying, but of sacrificing, and thereby performing His will.
Oswald Chambers

12/09/2023

Therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious unto you.
— Isaiah 30:18
God often DELAYS IN ANSWERING PRAYER. We have several instances of this in sacred Scripture. Jacob did not get the blessing from the angel until near the dawn of day-he had to wrestle all night for it. The poor woman of Syrophenicia was answered not a word for a long while. Paul besought the Lord thrice that "the thorn in the flesh" might be taken from him, and he received no assurance that it should be taken away, but instead thereof a promise that God's grace should be sufficient for him. If thou hast been knocking at the gate of mercy, and hast received no answer, shall I tell thee why the mighty Maker hath not opened the door and let thee in? Our Father has reasons peculiar to Himself for thus keeping us waiting. Sometimes it is to show His power and His sovereignty, that men may know that Jehovah has a right to give or to withhold. More frequently the delay is for our profit. Thou art perhaps kept waiting in order that thy desires may be more fervent. God knows that delay will quicken and increase desire, and that if He keeps thee waiting thou wilt see thy necessity more clearly, and wilt seek more earnestly; and that thou wilt prize the mercy all the more for its long tarrying. There may also be something wrong in thee which has need to be removed, before the joy of the Lord is given. Perhaps thy views of the Gospel plan are confused, or thou mayest be placing some little reliance on thyself, instead of trusting simply and entirely to the Lord Jesus. Or, God makes thee tarry awhile that He may the more fully display the riches of His grace to thee at last. Thy prayers are all filed in heaven, and if not immediately answered they are certainly not forgotten, but in a little while shall be fulfilled to thy delight and satisfaction. Let not despair make thee silent, but continue instant in earnest supplication.
Charles Spurgeon

12/09/2023

In Due Time
When God asks us to wait, we can be certain that He intends for a blessing to follow.
December 9, 2023
James 5:7-11

No one likes waiting, but doing so is often the wisest course of action for everyday choices as well as for larger, more consequential ones. Developing a patient spirit is also essential when it comes to living the Christian life (Gal. 5:22).

Thankfully, we have countless examples both in Scripture and throughout church history that can help us cultivate a spirit of endurance in our own life. In today’s passage, the apostle James encourages believers with an agricultural metaphor many of them would have understood well—the early and late rains. In the Middle East, water is scarce, so farmers must plan their work accordingly. Some plant in October and November, after the early rains have softened the ground. Then they harvest in April and May, after the later rains have brought crops to peak quality. In between, the only thing farmers can do is wait, trusting the crops will flourish. Sometimes the same thing is true of our life.

Urging that we stay strong, James reminds us about the prophets and Job—they all endured hardships and experienced God’s deliverance in the end. Their example is worth following because, as Scripture promises, “In due time we will reap, if we do not become weary” (Gal. 6:9).
Charles Stanley