The Gathering Bible Study with Ron and Carrie Webb

“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world.  Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” Romans 5:12,18 #thegatheringwithronandcarriewebb, #thegathering, #substitutionandidentification, #righteousnessthroughJesusC...

Have you ever been in a situation where you knew the right thing to do but just couldn’t do it?  “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners,” Romans 5:6. Jesus died for our helplessness.  The truth is we were never without help!  “God is a very present help…” Psalm 46:1 AND “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother!”  Proverbs 18:24.  Thank...

In Psalm 86:11, David asked the Lord, “Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth!  Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You.”  David understood that by learning God’s ways and accepting God’s truth—wholeheartedly, he would live a transformed life that would bring glory to God!  In Exodus 33:18-19, Moses asked the Lord “Now show me Your glory.” And the Lord said,...

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1 (1 Corinthians 13:5; John 14:27; Jeremiah 29:11; James 4:8; 1 Corinthians 1:30-31; Proverbs 3:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 8:32; Romans 8:6; Colossians 2:6; Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 20:1-16; Hebrews 4:16; Romans 8:7; 2 Corinth...

We live in a world where everyone seems to have their own truth.  According to the world, there is no absolute truth!  But David understood otherwise.  He prayed, “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You,” Psalm 86:11. The phrase, “Grant me purity,” means to be undivided, to be united.  David’s prayer was to be to be un...

The world around us “cancels” those they don’t agree with.  But Jesus taught us a better way.  He said that the world would know that we are His disciples because we love one another.  What is God’s love and how is it different from the world’s kind of love?  ”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, i...

This lesson focuses on aspects of Jesus’ first miracle—the one it seems His mother pushed Him into before He intended to make Himself known… all because the crisis at hand was a big deal to Mary!  Mary instructs the servants of the wedding feast to “Do whatever Jesus tells you to do.”  This is such a simple approach but not always easy to carry out—“Cast your cares on Jesus for He cares for you!” ...

When Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, John tried to talk Jesus out of it.  He said, “I am the one who needs to be baptized by You, so why are You coming to me?” Jesus answered, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.”  Basically, Jesus was saying, “It’s the right thing to do!”  What is your response when the Lord prompts you to do something that you d...

Psalm 23 teaches us that as our Good Shepherd, Jesus leads us to rest in green pastures, to drink from still waters.  Why?  To be refreshed!  If your spiritual resting place is not “green” …if you are not drinking from still waters… if you need refreshing, we invite you to “push through” in your relationship with the Lord—to greener pastures… to tranquility… to a place of refreshing.  This message...

Gathering 01/13/24 When Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world,” the word, loved, in the Greek language means “to prefer.”  God prefers us—even when life gets messy!  God’s love for us PROvokes us to action… His love PROvides… and God’s love PROtects us! #thegatheringwithronandcarriewebb, #thegathering, #john3:16, #godslove, #godsloveprotects, #godsloveprovides, #bemovedwithcompassio...

What should I do when facing impossible situations—when my strength is not enough?  It’s not that I need more of my own strength—I need a BETTER strength to do what seems impossible to me.  When the Bible promises that, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength…” the word, RENEW, means “to pass on, to change for the better.”  God passes HIS STRENGTH on to us to face, go through and co...

The angels announced good news  “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today…” Luke 2:10-11.  In a world that desperately needs salvation, the good news is that salvation is now available—to everyone!   Good news also comes in the form of God’s Word.  John 1:14, “So the Word became human and made His home among us. He wa...

God gave us the Gift of Praise for our benefit.  “Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God…” Luke 2:14. The word, glory, means “doxa, opinion.” Because the Word became flesh, we can know God’s good opinion of us which affects our opinion of God!  Praise is the natural response to the correct opinion of God.  When something...

We all fall short of God’s glory—or good opinion of us, but because of Jesus, God’s opinion of us never changes!  So when Luke 2:14 says, “Peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased,” it’s referring to everyone.  God’s peace is a gift that none of us can earn!  The word, peace, means wholeness, quietness, rest.  When the angels declared peace on earth, they were referring to peace between Go...

In Luke 1, the angel, Gabriel, called Mary blessed and highly favored.  He didn’t say that Mary was perfect.  He emphasized that God’s grace and favor were upon her to empower her to carry out God’s will for her life.  Years later, in Luke 11, when a woman called Mary blessed, Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice.”  The promise of God’s bl...

Our schedules reflect our priorities.  We make time for who and what is important!  When we make our relationship with the Lord our first priority and seek His guidance regarding the rest of our lives, He will prosper what we set our hands to do!  “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. F...

To worship is to adore and serve.  Who or what we worship affects our thoughts, conversation, actions and even where we turn for help!  After their encounter with the angels and their visit to the newborn Savior, the shepherds returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard.  God’s glorious announcement of the birth of His Son brought new-found hope that washe...

God has given us gifts and talents through which we can share Jesus with those around us.  2 Chronicles 16:9, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”  One of the definitions of the word, strengthen, is “joining.”  God wants to join with us to accomplish His will through our lives—especially when we make sharing the gospel...

The Apostle Paul explains how believers today can learn much from Old Testament stories, “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.” (1 Corinthians 10:11). Deuteronomy 2:24 recounts God’s instructions to the children of Israel in how they were to enter the Promised Land.  We can apply the first two principles as we enter our...

The next principle we must apply when entering our promised land is to “cross over the river and take possession” of what God has promised as our inheritance.  Recognize there will be opposition.  We have an enemy who does not want us to enter into God’s rest.  We must engage in battle and know that God has given us victory.  Jesus has defeated our enemy and given us His authority over our defeate...

God warned the children of Israel to stay vigilant, to not become complacent, to guard their hearts against the influences of the world they were entering.  God wanted them to continue to live victoriously. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in ever...

We all face problems, difficulties and challenges.  Jesus called these things “the storms of life.”  Where do storms come from?  What is their purpose?  How should we respond—Lay down and quit?  Run and hide?  Or do we stand strong in faith and walk through the storm?  Should we ask “Why is this happening?” Or should we take the Apostle Paul’s approach found in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our pres...

Jesus taught in Matthew 7:24-27, “Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.  But anyone who hears My teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.  Wh...

During the “midst of the storm” seems an unlikely time to check your spiritual garden for weeds but Jesus taught that the worries or cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust for “other things” are weeds that choke God’s Word from growing and producing fruit in our lives. (Mark 4: 7, 18-19).  Jesus also taught what our priorities should be in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His ki...

God created us with three distinctive parts, spirit, soul and body, to work together to receive His benefits—even in the midst of a storm!  The soul’s job is to remember and decide to receive what God has already provided.  Psalm 103:2-5 says, “Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits; Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your diseases; Who re...