Word Studies: Hebrews

Class: Hebrews


Week #13: December 5- 9
Professor: Pastor Paul Harbourne

Pastor Paul Harbourne

Assignments: Read through Hebrews twice and the textbook, Everyman's Bible Commentary: the Epistle to the Hebrews by Charles F. Pfeiffer, before the final exam.

Pastor Harbourne was born and raised in Toronto. After working in the computer industry for over decade, Pastor Harbourne and his wife, Kim, decided to attend Word of Life Bible Institute in 1993. After graduation in 1994, he obeyed God’s call to come to Owen Sound and minister with WOL Canada. Later, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Prairie Bible College. In July 2008, Pastor Harbourne accepted the call to be pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church in Collingwood, ON. He and Kim live in Collingwood with their three children, Tyler, Lindsay and Brendan.

"I loved his fatherly approach to teaching and his willingness for us to make sure we could understand everything. Under his teaching, Hebrews became not only understandable, but also applicable."
- Monica, Stratford

The Epistle to the Hebrews is an interesting book from the New Testament. Not much is known about the origin of this letter. Who wrote it, where it came from and was it written to any specific church are questions that remain unanswered. However, because of the many Old Testament references, Hebrews was mostly likely written to a primarily Jewish audience.
The superiority of Christ is the theme of Hebrews. The author, through heavy doctrine, proves that Christ is better than any Old Testament tenets, such as the sacrificial system and the priesthood. But this epistle is not just for Israel. The message of Hebrews is that Christ is enough. Christians need to realize that He is all they need. Not only does the author prove that Christ is better, but the author also presents to believers several warnings about falling away. When looking at the letter as a whole, one will discover that over-all, it is an extremely encouraging book, and some of the last few verses display this encouragement.


"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly."
- Hebrews 13:20-22

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BW



WOLBI's Heartbeat - Personal Discipleship

Have you ever felt the need to just talk to someone? Talk to someone and be able to them about the things that are really bothering you, REALLY bothering you? Have you ever felt afraid to say anything because it might make you seem weird or someone might find out?

Discipleship is really what sets us apart at the Owen Sound campus of the Word of Life Bible Institute.

“I really enjoy the personal discipleship here. The disciplers are really interested in you and want to see you grow closer to God in your spiritual walk.” Student Class of 2012

“It has been an amazing year to grow closer to God and learn. In two months I believe I have learned more at WOLBI than in my year at another Bible college last year.”Student Class of 2012

Some would consider discipleship as meeting with people and simply asking, “So, how are you?” “How’s work?” etc. but is that really what Jesus had in mind when He put forth the command to “Go and make disciples”? Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing ungodly about just ‘getting together’ as a form of informal discipleship. We seek to provide just that through the many social activities such as banquets, crazy game nights, and other merely fun and social activities that dot our calendars allowing students and staff to connect. However, if this is our only definition of discipleship, I believe we are being blatantly disobedient to God’s desire. Let’s look at Jesus’ words:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…”
Matt. 28:18-20a

You see discipleship is more than just what we call “fellowship.” It is teaching people to obey everything that Jesus commanded – the whole counsel of God! This grand a task cannot effectively be done shooting the breeze over coffee with idle chatter. It is transparent, purposeful, and diligent inter-personal ministry.

“A big blessing for me has been discipleship. There have been times when I feel like I am the only one struggling with the issue that I have. Through discipleship, I have learned that my struggle is actually very common and the Bible has the exact answer for it. The more I get into God's Word the more I learn about the mighty God we serve.” Student Class of 2011

“A staff member was used by the Lord to change my life and I daily remember the things he has taught me… He changed the way I used to think and taught me life-values from the Bible. He taught me how to make biblical principles for my life. He taught me how to act proper in the way I treat my parents. He taught me how to deal with many bad situations.” Student Class of 2011

So what makes us so different?  Our daily Quiet Time (personal devotions), evening Dorm Devos, chapels, dorm life, and the voluntary, personal one-on-one discipleship program with discipleship-equipped staff members, all focus on the intersection between God’s Word and our lives and is a powerful recipe for life-change!

“Deans’ chapels have really been applicable and practical in helping me dealing with sin in my life!” Student Class of 2012

There’s no better place to not only learn the Word, but to learn to live the Word.
Why not consider joining us as we corporately and personally ‘provoke each other to love and good works’ and teach each other to ‘observe all the things that Jesus has commanded us.’

 Jonathan Ward, Assoc.Dean of Students



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