Jeff's Stuff

My Struggle with John 14:15

2011-12-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

So I am at the point where I want to keep the Law as an expression of love for Jesus, to imitate Jesus, and to obey God's commands (1 John 2:3-6).
Keeping the Law doesn't save you, make you righteous, or to make God "happy" with you (aka you cannot manipulate God through obeying Him).

So I looked at several passages in Romans regarding the Law's proper place in the life of a believer today. Here are my thoughts, then a description of the Law's relationship to the godly one before & since the Messiah came.

Romans 3:19-22- The Law does not save us, it shows us how sinful we are. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus the Christ.
Does this mean we can forget about the Law? (v. 31), No. Of course not. Having faith activates our ability to fulfill the Law.

Romans 4:16- Law =/= save
Romans 6:16- Law shows us HOW to obey God & live right
Romans 7:6- In the context, we must remember that Paul followed the Law. I will write my thoughts in this verse in the description section. This was the tough one.
Romans 7:7- Law shows us what sin is and what right living is
Romans 7:12- Law= holy, right, good, spiritual
Romans 8:4- Follow the Spirit =/= wrath & guilt

Description of the godly one's relationship to the Law before and after Messiah (Romsns 7:6 & other passages)-

The Old Ways, pre-Messiah
Law was a tutor
It was over us
Created an attitude/perspective of work & guilt & can be called the Law of Fear
It was like an anvil hanging over the heads of the people until Messiah would come to redeem them from the weight of conviction.

The Messiah comes
Brings us freedom from the guilty standing & weight of our sin
Changes our relationship & gives us freedom to approach God
Purchases our salvation & fulfills the requirements of the Law, thus He is our propitiation.

The New Ways, since Messiah
Our relationship and attitude is now understanding the Law as a law of love. Because of Messiah's work, we can rest & enjoy living for Him.
The Spirit leads us to understand & follow God's Law.
The Law, Torah, guides us to live holy lives.
The Law still shows us what the mark is. And Jesus is in the center of the Mark.
The Law is good, holy, right, spiritual. It is a path to guide our steps, and be obedient to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

In my mind, the Law shows me how to live & how to express the love I have for Jesus. He followed the Law, Paul did, the early church did, because it is God's fence of holy living.

Should we keep the "613"?

2011-12-12T09:45:00.001-08:00

Here are my semi-random thoughts on this from over 3 weeks of exhausting/awesome contemplation on John 14:15 (the Cadet verse), "If you love me, obey my commandments."

My questions:

1. What commandments does Jesus refer to here? Just His teachings? Does this include the 613?

What would His disciples understand this to mean?

Surely, He observed the Mosaic Law (613ish). Surely, His disciples kept the 613. The word for commandments here is entolas, which can refer to either.

In Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus teaches the importance of keeping & teaching others the commands of God. In 1 John 2:4, 3:24. So this is important for me to know. Looking at the sentence structure, it can be either. But what did Jesus SPECIFICALLY mean? I wish this were easy, but it isn't. At least for us, in a world +2k years later. There are many filters, cultural differences & mind differences between us & Jesus. May the Spirit of God break through those filters & shine His pure light of truth into our eyes & soul!

When all is boiled down, I believe that He is teaching to keep his teachings, the things He was to teach them. I believe this because Jesus is the "end" or telos of the 613. He completed the purpose of what it was set out to do, and that is that He was finally one who could keep the 613 perfectly & therefore was found worthy of saving souls...THE unblemished lamb, THE perfect, worthy sacrifice. His teachings summarize the intent & purpose of the Law. So to keep His teachings (gospels) is to fulfill the Law, and is enough for us to focus on. See below for thoughts that further develop this.

2. Does keeping the 613 save us or even make God "happier" with us? No, no, no.

3. Do we, as children of God, through faith in Jesus, need to keep the 613?

No. We are free in Christ. When Jesus comes to be our savior, the chains of sin are broken & we are free to live for Him.

Jesus fulfilled the intent of the 613, kept the 613 & taught His students to do the same. However, it also says that Jesus is the "end" or telos of the 613. He completed the purpose of what it was set out to do, and that is that He was finally one who could keep the 613 perfectly & therefore was found worthy of saving souls...THE unblemished lamb, THE perfect, worthy sacrifice.

Scripture teaches that THE commandment that we are to follow is to trust Jesus as our savior, our Messiah, and to love one another (1 John 3:23, Galatians 5:14).

So, do we print off a copy of the 613, then strive to follow them, as a reflection of our deep love to our savior? We can if we want to. Or we can simplify & trust Him for our salvation, and love people (which is hard enough to do as it is).

4. Practically, what about things such as, "Should we keep the Sabbath", one of the 613?

Well, with this, the Sabbath is a shadow of what was to come. Christ is the reality. Therefore, HE is our rest, in which we rest from our work. We CAN keep a Sabbath & I think it is good for us to do so. On it, we rest our bodies, let God be in control, refuse to worry, and enjoy a "chill day". But we are not required too, in order to have God's favor. We have His favor already through Jesus, our propitiation.

I recommend keeping the Sabbath, but if you cannot, then make sure you get a chill day in. And remember that ultimately, we have rest in Jesus.

5. How many of the 613 do I keep by following Galatians 5:14, on a great day?

Well, many we cannot keep because a) some require a temple in Jerusalem, b) some are for the Israelite theocracy, c) I am not a Levite, d) I am not a farmer. I naturally observe the Law for the most part, except for the Sabbath (see #4), I don't have corner tassels on my clothes, and I sometimes I have mixed fabrics in my shirt, and eat pork.

My goal is to keep as many as possible to express my love for Jesus, while not neglecting the greatest commands of loving God & loving people.

6. What was the point of the 613 anyhow?

To show us that we are screwed without a savior saving us. In other words, that YOU and I need saving. To deny this is to be in pride. It is a mirror to show us that we cannot perfectly keep God's standards & that we have all fallen short & are guilty before a holy God. Therefore, we each need salvation. We all need to admit to God that we have fallen short, that we cannot save ourselves & then turn from our former way of living & turn to follow Jesus as our savior and our lord.

7. What about the other physical type laws? Are they done away with?

(examples are mixing fabrics, wearing corner tassels, mixing seed in your field, celebrate the Jewish festivals-seeing that I am ingrafted in, to observe Sukkot) These things Jesus observed, but we don't see Him verbally teaching on this. So do we sin if we do not keep God's commands here? Or is the purpose of the Law fulfilled in Christ & it doesn't matter if we do these things? We can keep them, if it is not too big a burden. Better though, is to understand who God would make these laws/ these laws of love and care. These verses, even these "lesser" laws are useful to equip us to love people.

8. So should we, as believers, ingrafted into the Jewish faith through the Messiah, keep the 613 today? To earn salvation, to keep salvation, to earn God's favor, no. To express love for Jesus, I think this would be awesome and totally acceptable, why not? Jesus kept the Law, so if we want to we can do it as an expression of love toward Jesus also.

Anyhow, I could have said this in the beginning, but I love Jesus, and want to express my love toward Him. I can keep the Law, if I desire to do so, as an expression of love. But more importantly, He wants me to express that love for Jesus by loving & caring for people. Time to love someone.

Who deserves to go to Hell?

2011-10-21T03:43:00.000-07:00

Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Muammar Ghadaffi, Osama Bin Laden, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and you.

The reason why is because God's standard, His measuring stick, His lowest denominator, His minimum requirement of morality & goodness is Jesus. If we measure up short compared to the righteousness of Jesus at all, we fall short of the glory of God & deserve the punishment for our bad, evil choices.

Quick facts from Scripture:

1. Jesus didn't even refer to Himself as good (Mark 10:18).

2. Jesus taught that unless our righteousness surpassed the holy leaders, we couldn't dwell with God (Matthew 5:20).

3. James, the one sent out by Jesus to teach, also Jesus' brother, taught that if we obey God in every area yet stumble in one part, we are guilty before God, as if we broke every law (James 2:10).

4. The Bible teaches that there are none righteous, not even one. We have all turned aside, we all ignore God. We all have done evil & have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10-20).

5. We can never do enough good, pay enough penance, say enough prayers, go to church enough, give enough money, help enough old ladies, to get out of the evil we have committed, the law we have broken. Our best efforts are like filthy bloody menstrual rags (Isaiah 64:6).

Do those listed above deserve Hell more than you or I? No. Now what they did was especially destructive, evil, and hurt many many many people whom God loves. No doubt what they did was very damnable, according to Scripture. But let's be honest, don't we all break God's law?

Here is a test, from Scripture, to see if you stand guilty before God or innocent:

If you have done any of these you are guilty (this list is not exhaustive)-

1. From the line of Adam.

2. Ever looked at a women to lust after her?

3. Ever hated someone in your heart?

4. Ever called someone an idiot?

5. Ever disobeyed your parents?

6. Ever stolen anything? Then you are a thief.

7. Ever put anything else in your life besides living for God's glory?

8. Ever treated someone without love?

9. Ever lied? That would make you a liar.

10. Ever talked negatively about someone to someone else?

11. Ever made up a hurtful story about someone?

12. Ever bragged about something you've done & taken the credit for yourself?

13. Ever walked past a needy person without helping them?

14. Ever cheated on your taxes?

15. Ever not loved God with all your heart & soul?

16. Ever not loved God with all your resources?

17. Ever been discontent with what you have?

18. Ever initiated a divorce?

19. Ever hoarded wealth for yourself?

20. Ever done something that could have gotten someone else killed?

21. Ever ripped on a leader God put in place (a president, etc)?

22. Ever bullied someone?

How many of these have you done? How many do you do every day? Now let me be curt, how many times a day do you break God's law & become a guilty law breaker?

See how guilty we really are? We are all guilty, and the punishment for sin is Hell, eternal separation from God's blessing in a place of great pain. That is how serious sin is to God.

Now let me ask the question again. Who deserves to go to Hell?

Refuting the L in Calvinism's TULIP "Limited Atonement"

2011-10-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

"Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect. Support for this position is drawn from such scriptures as Matt. 26:28 where Jesus died for ‘many'; John 10:11, 15 which say that Jesus died for the sheep (not the goats, per Matt. 25:32-33); John 17:9 where Jesus in prayer interceded for the ones given Him, not those of the entire world; Acts 20:28 and Eph. 5:25-27 which state that the Church was purchased by Christ, not all people; and Isaiah 53:12 which is a prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion where he would bore the sins of many (not all)."

-http://calvinistcorner.com/tulip

I hope this is not the defense, or the argument used for this view. Here is why-

The person who wrote this agrues that these verses teach that Jesus died for His sheep and for the Church. While this is true, these verses do not limit His death being for the sheep or Church. The writer goes beyond the teaching of scripture here by concluding something that is not concluded in the passage.

To lay it out clearly the verses teach:

1. Jesus died for the sheep, for the Church.

2. The veses do not LIMIT Jesus' death to only the sheep and Church.

3. The verses that talk of Jesus dying for the "many" includes the many, but does not limit it to only the many. It is not ethical to make such a jump.

That being said, the only verse I see here that merits interest, or holds any amount of water is John 17:9 where Jesus says that He is not praying for the world but for the elect. But even with this verse, while He is praying for the elect here, I cannot conclude, exegetically, that this verse teaches that He only died for the elect.

Therefore, if this is the argument for Limited Atonement, I cannot ethically support this, based on an exegetical understanding of Scripture. Also, it seems that John Calvin refutes the L in TULIP- here is a website that has a lot of information on this: http://www.biblebelievers.net/calvinism/kjcalvn4.htm#Calvin_Refutes

In conclusion- God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosever trusts in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world (people) may be saved through Him.

Curriculum Writing

2011-10-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

So I am officially writing curriculum to use in youth group. I am making "Talksheet" formatted lessons. I am pretty excited about this, and hope to get them published. Anyone know a good printer who can do a book format?

Teaching Like Jesus

2011-10-09T14:18:00.001-07:00

So, I have been wondering about how Jesus taught. Here are some questions I have been wondering:

1. Did Jesus frontload the discussions or did He teach & then backload the practical aspect?

2. What type of illustrations did Jesus use?

3. Who was Jesus primary target audience?

My Child Doesn't Like Church

2011-10-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here are 3 videos, I made, for you to think through-

#1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTOaL5UIZfo

#2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWiI602-y-E

#3- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOlkLvG__ss

A Christian in Darkness?

2011-09-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

The one who says he is in the Light and hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

So I know a few church-folk who claim to be Christians yet hold grudges & refuse to reconcile with people. Look at this verse above & see what it says.

Funny kill wasp story!

2011-09-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

I had to post this. I read it on- http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=100760

And almost died laughing.

One early July morning my breakfast on the porch was ruined by... wasps.

I found out that there was probably a bad*ss nest of wasps under a board on my porch. After pinpointing the exact board with and educated guess I armed myself with two cans of wasp spray.

I quickly unscrewed the board from the frame using an electric drill. I then proceeded to flip the board over, exposing a massive wasps nest clinging to the bottom of the board.

I then, Akimbo style, began firing both cans of spray wildly at the wasps nest like an angry soviet in a room full of Finns. Not only did this do very little to the nest, it also resulted in my face and head being stung around 20 times. So of course, by reflex began spraying all around my head with the wasp spray to try to clear the wasps and prevent my face from looking like that of a teenage macaulay culkin. Not only did a lot of the spray get in my face, it also didn't burn or hurt a single bit.

I then proceeded to do many things to the nest, including firing a 10/22 ruger at it, shooting it with a flaming arrow and shooting a can of spray paint while it was sitting next to the hive.

I eventually got rid of it by spraying it with lighter fluid and setting it ablaze.

The Innocent Murderer

2011-08-26T13:15:00.000-07:00

A man named Steven Ian Nichols murdered 5 people recently. He was actually caught murdering a sixth, chopping her up with a hand axe. He was caught literally "red-handed" and covered in her blood. However, the first words out of his mouth were words of denial. "I didn't do anything wrong." he Steven insisted.

Furthermore, when arrested, he was offended that the police thought he was a "bad" person. He maintained that while in past counseling, the counselors taught him the importance of self-esteem & that he was beautiful, no matter what people said. He firmly held that he was innocent because he is a beautiful, perfect person. When he appeared before the judge he kept his chin up with a wide grin. Maintaining great self-esteem and confidence that God looked down upon him with the same wide grin. Thanks to the counseling he too has good self-esteem and believes that he can do nothing wrong.

This reminds me of the song by Christina Aguilerra "Beautiful", or by Pink "Perfect" or modern culture in the USA that teaches that we are to believe we are good people, who don't have any darkness in us.

A conversation: Can you be a Christian and not follow Jesus?

2011-08-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a conversation between "Fred" & me. This is a fun, faux conversation, that teaches. Enjoy.

Jeff: So Fred, what brings you in today?

Fred: I want to know if I am following Jesus.

J: Where is your heart headed? Your life?

F: I want to follow Jesus, but I keep screwing up.

J: We all stumble in many ways. Look at your direction. Who is at your finish line today?

F: Huh?

J: Who is standing there? Who are you or what are you running toward? What is on your heart right now?

Example- I was running a 100yd. dash once & at the finish line, I saw my dad standing. I ran hard directly at my dad. It was awesome!

What are you running at today?

F: Good?! It changes...all the time. Depends I guess.

J: Lets look at Luke 9:23-25

Jesus teaches 3 things for people who wish to follow Him:

1. Must deny self.

2. Pick up cross daily.

3. Follow Jesus.

Some questions to consider based on this passage are:

1. What are you living for? What's your primary passion?

2. It is a daily mortification of self, yes even moment to moment. It is a way of life, a decision we make. What is your decision? Will you pick up your cross and head toward Calvary today?

3. Do you strive to follow Jesus, without compromise? Or do you live assuming He doesn't really care if you follow?

F: Do you have to follow to be a Christian?

J: Absolutely!

F: What I mean is, do I have to follow Jesus/ be a Christian in order to be saved?

J: Saved people will strive to follow, out of gratitude (Ephesians 2:8-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

F: Good point. So, can I say, play sports and follow Jesus, etc...?

J: Maybe. Is that what He wants you to do?

Does it cause you to be disobedient or derail you from following (ex. Hebrews 10:24-25)?

And does it serve a greater purpose? To help others follow Him too?

Can you play a sport and follow after Jesus at the same time?

F: So, I can['t play a sport just for fun?

J: You can. But once again Christians live for a greater cause than self. We are to be about our Lord's business.

F: Which is???

J: Matthew 22, to love God & love people. Part of this is, "The Cause" found in Matthew 28, that Jesus called us to do. We are to obey Him & be all about His Cause (John 14:15).

F: So fun with a purpose?

J: A purpose greater than any national or international agenda!

[telemarketer calls & conversation ends]

How to keep focused on Jesus

2011-07-28T03:59:00.000-07:00

We all have drives, and the flesh to deal with. This is normal, this is good. However, when we give into these drives in a way that causes us to "dethrone" Jesus in our hearts, this is not good, it is bad, evil. It is to quit following and to head away from following Jesus.

The issue of frustration, therefore, is not our hormones, or drives, or physical "needs" but in our volition, will, choice. When we choose to give into the desires of our bodies (flesh, sarx), instead of following Jesus, it is then that we sin, error, go off the train, cease to follow Jesus, remove Him from being our Lord.

Paul addresses how to get control over our hormones & desires. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, he says, "I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have taught others, I myself will not be disqualified."

Which explains why I have a picture of Rocky here. The word "discipline" is a Greek word (in the original), that means literally, "below the eye" or to punch below the eye. It is a boxing term meaning to give someone a black eye. Paul is literally saying, "I beat my body" or subject it to discipline/punishment.

Some people take this to mean, like Martin Luther, self-flagellation. However, this doesn't stop anything, seeing that my body cannot be disciplined because it doesn't have a mind. The arm doesn't stop and think, "If I do this again, Jeff will beat me." Instead, what it means is that Paul willingly allowed his body to suffer hardship in order to follow Jesus. He denied his body's drives in order to honor Jesus & follow after Him.

Example- running a marathon. There is a thing called "the wall". It is then where the body says, "that's it. I've had it. I am not going any further, I can't do it." Some people quit when they hit this, but marathon finishers push through "the wall". When our hormones are high, when our different drives kick in, we need to push through those things rather than turning aside from honoring Jesus. We should tell our body, "no, we're not going there", thus giving it a "black eye". And push on through that momentary conflict...until it subsides.

Go read 1 Corinthians 9:27 & consider these rich word pictures from God's word. You can do it.

A couple of thoughts on the advantages of Time Alone With God (TAWG)

2011-07-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

(Print & Circle a few that grab your attention.)

We follow our Rabbi today by reading His word, talking to, and doing what He says.
To hide Jesus’ word in our heart so we don’t sin against Him.
We allow the Spirit to be our counselor, we can share our problems, then listen for direction.
It allows us to quiet ourselves & remember that God is God.
It allows us to release our weights to the one who hears & loves us.
God wants to hear from His children.
God gives us the right to come to Him.
God gives us the grace to help us in our time of need.
Draw near to God & He will draw near to you.
Abide in Jesus, and Him in you. Apart from Him, you can do nothing.
People need us to stand in pray with them.
God answers prayer.
The effective prayer of the righteous is powerful & accomplishes much.
God is quick to hear the prayers of His godly ones.
The Spirit helps us pray, for often we don’t know what to say. ..so just pray.
Jesus prayed.
The disiciples use to talk to Jesus face to face. We can still talk to Jesus today, and He is right in our midst.
Life is heavy, talking to God, the one who loves us, helps us with our burdens.
The prayer of the godly is like an arrow to Heaven.
God will not reject those who seek Him.
It is a time to help us realize our station in life.
It helps us clarify who we are, what we are about.
It helps remind us that we are dependent on God.
Not doing TAWG, is like having a girlfriend without spending time with her.
Jesus is our vine, we get our nourishment from Him.
Prayer is a conversation, time to talk to Jesus, and also listen to Jesus.
Prayer works.
Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.
It is a time to read & meditate on wisdom from One much wiser than our own mind.
It is a time to read & meditate on wisdom from One much wiser than all the noise around us.
Jesus read Scripture.
The disciples use to hang out with Jesus, today we have His very words written down for us.
It helps us to stay grounded on the Rock.
It teaches us submission.
It teaches us dependence.
It can keep us from puffing ourselves up.
Reading & trusting God’s words can save us from a lot of bad decisions.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
When we do this, we start living eternity with God, now.
Many people have said, “I wish Jesus was here so I could ask Him…” Well, He is, and His words are right here, available to you in book format, so you can go back again and again to read it.
Disciples naturally spend time learning from their Rabbi.
Disciples enjoy sitting at the feet of the Rabbi.
Disciples model the life of the Rabbi.
There is an unseen world that we do not understand and need God’s help to succeed.
God’s children are saints, holy ones. We have direct fellowship with God.
To live on the Rock, Jesus we listen to His words and then do what He taught.
If you love Jesus, you will obey what He commands.
We are called to love God & love people.
Faith is command in action.
Peter at least got out of the boat, when Jesus called Him too.
Christians are known by their fruit.
How can you know what to do if you don’t seek the one you follow?
Applying God’s word accurately = wise living.
What if a sheep remains distant from the Shepherd?
What if a tree branch cuts itself off & decides to live next to the Tree? Christ is the Tree.
Trees near the river are always stronger and healthier than the ones far away.
We need God’s strength to make it through the day.
We need God’s wisdom so that we can reach others for Jesus.
Judas didn’t follow Jesus, look what happened to him.
To obey is better than sacrifice. We can’t obey if we don’t know what Jesus says.
Many people are emotion/mood driven. Setting a time for TAWG helps us control that.
People in the flesh can never please God.
Come as you are.
You don’t need to be trained in prayer to pray. It is merely talking to the God.
“Lord I want to believe, help me in my unbelief.” May be a great starting point for you.
TAWG doesn’t have a time requirement.
You do what is important to you.
TAWG helps us to listen, learn, and be challenged from the Creator.
Cry out, listen, do is a great way to enjoy following Jesus.
We are to follow in the dust of our Rabbi, Jesus.
A Christian is a follower of Christ.
How can we follow if we refuse to listen?
Obedience is faith in action. It is hearing what Jesus says, then actually doing it. It is not mere thought.
We can never dry out the living stream of God’s word. There is always more to learn, always another level to go.
God’s word is like COD, you never conquer it’s depth.
I have read the Bible several times, some verses several hundred times, yet often I learn another surprising angle.
God’s word cannot be exhausted, there is always something new to be discovered.
Jesus is the way, the truth, the life.
Where else shall we go? Jesus has the words of life!
We live from the overflow of our time with God.
God is the King, we are His servants.
Jesus is our good shepherd, we are his sheep.
Life is like follow the leader. Jesus leads, we follow.
It is not a religious duty, though that may be a good place to start.
It is not a mere religious duty, it is a relationship with God.
God want a relationship with us.
God loves to listen to us.
Jesus loves to hang out with us.
We see through a dim reflection now, but then face to face.
TAWG is the closest we get to heaven here on earth. It is active fellowship with God.
TAWG- I start the morning getting perspective, which seems to help with the day as a whole...call it a pre-emptive strike.
Prayer helps me to distress, without adding to it.
Reading the Bible before bed helps me go to bed thinking of higher thoughts.
My ways are higher than your way, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good reputation, excellent, worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in Jesus, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
In everything give thanks.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Pray without ceasing.
Reading what is pure & good helps us to grow a distaste for what is vile and bad.
Go from “Just do it.” To “Doing it.” Living.
You are God’s son, enjoy a relationship with a dad who loves you.
You are God’s daughter, enjoy a relationship with a dad who loves you.
God knows you & your secrets, yet He still loves you very much.
You need God.
God is a crutch.
Better to know how to seek God when doing well, so that when things go badly you can turn to Him without that guilt also.
Sin is turning away from God to follow our own path. Coming back always requires carrying that bag of regret, guilt, and shame.
You think you are smart enough to do life on your own? What are you God or something?
Don’t call yourself a Christian (follower of Christ) and then not follow.
Thinking about diets don’t work. Neither does thinking about doing God’s word. Do it.
Jesus is a valuable treasure.
God really does know what He is talking about…after all He is God.
You are too busy not to pray. Read that one again.
The busier life is, the more you need to pause to pray and let God direct the ordering of your day.
Prayer is relaxing.
Prayer is intense.
Prayer is powerful.
Prayer is reflective.
Prayer is passionate.
Pray when you are tired.
Talk to Jesus until you fall asleep.
Read the Bible until you fall asleep…better than not reading it to fall asleep.
There is a lot of garbage out there, Jesus may be the only pure thing we enjoy each day.
Commit your plans to the Lord, and they will be established.
Plans fall from lack of counsel.
Jesus is your friend.
God is your father.
The Spirit is your helper.
God is an ever present help in times of trouble.
Jesus is with us always, to the very end of time.
Prayer can last 3 silent seconds, or several loud hours.
Pray, read in the bathroom. It is not sacrilegious.
Make TAWG energizing.
Make TAWG relaxing.
Make TAWG motivating.
Make TAWG challenging.
Make TAWG an intellectual pursuit.
Make TAWG a conversation.
It is okay to get distracted, just bring it back to you and Jesus.
Better to fall asleep while praying than not pray at all.
Make prayer conversational.
Make prayer formal.
Write down your prayers.
Be like David and write songs to God.
Draw pictures that describe the Scripture you are reading, or how it will look like when Scripture is applied to your life.
Write a challenge statement a “To Do” after you finish reading Scripture.
Use a psalm as your prayer template.
Pray through the Psalms.
Read a Proverb a day-there are 31.
Read through the Old Testament in a year.
Read a chapter of Scripture a day.
Read a paragraph of Scripture before you begin your day.
Read a chapter of Proverbs every time you…spend time in the bathroom.
Ten minutes before bed: pray or read Scripture.
Don’t forget application.
Never read Scripture without thanking God for it, and asking God to help you see it.
We are blind and need Jesus to restore our sight.
Great people of the faith enjoy time with Jesus.
A lot of problems are abated by simply spending time in prayer, reading, and applying God’s word.
Use a prayer journal, and don’t make a lot of rules for it.
Pray what is on your heart.
As MCHammer said, “We’ve got to pray just to make it today”.
God delights in you.
You delight in God.
You want to TAWG, so why not do what you want to do.
TAWG is communion with God, your Heavenly Father.
Light a candle during prayer time.
Pray during Yoga.
Pray while you are jogging.
Bring your Bible to work, school.
Bring your Bible on vacation.
You don’t need a bunch of equipment to pray.
Put a prayer time playlist on your iPod.
Pray & commit your work to the Lord before you start it.
Don’t be a slacker.
If you have decided to follow Jesus, then follow Him. No mere talk please.
Be extreme or be spit.
Make war on the floor.
Prayer is the work of the Christian, the rest is just follow up.
A refrigerator unplugged will not work. A Christian unplugged will not work.
A follower who refuses to follow is an oxymoron.
There is no such thing as a non-practicing Christian.
TAWG is a feast, eat until you are full.
Man cannot live on bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God.
Do TAWG while commuting to work.
Turn off the radio in the morning and pray.

188 thoughts

Now that you got it, go for it. Start today. Heck, start right now.

How to be a Spiritual Giant?

2011-06-19T04:36:00.000-07:00

Being a Real vs. Fake Spiritual Giant: Smack Talkers & Over Achievers

Luke 17:5-10

What do smack talkers, over achievers, and religious people have in common? They all talk a big game or try to show they are accomplishing much for God, but are they?

Back to this verse- Matthew 7:22–23 (NASB95)

22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Thought question:

Rather than being showy or talking a big game, what does Jesus really want us to be about?

1. An example of the type of person Jesus wants us to be like- Hebrews 11:32-40

2. Discussion: What makes these people different than the regular religious person?

Luke 17:5–10 (NASB95)

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.

7 “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’?

8 “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’?

9 “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?

10 “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”

“We have done that which we ought to have done.”

Today many people talk a big faith, they wear Jesus t-shirts, they put a Bible on their nightstand, they don’t cuss, they are critical of dirty pagans, they attend church, they even do an occasional good thing. But are they doing what Jesus tells them to do? Are you obeying what Jesus has called you to do? (see John 14:15).

What are the rules Jesus wants us to obey? Love God, love people.
How do we know if we are doing this?

Reflective Questions- Do you have a passion to know Jesus more and more? Is it your desire to love God & love others according to how His word describes? Do you love His church, and look forward to being a part of the body of believers, or is it something your parents make you do? Do you have a desire to care for the people around you? And then are you actively pursuing/doing these three things?

Negative reflective questions- Do you consider yourself a “good” Christian, yet seldom, if ever, seek God or even think about how you can bring Him glory? Are you so involved in work, sports, drama, friends that His Bride, the body of Christ gets less of your passion and time (Heb. 10:25)? Is you commitment to the Church shrinking and are you justifying that it is okay? Are you always too busy to get involved in serving people, and caring for the needy and hurting? Do you rarely get involved in Church or youth group service projects or mission trips because of sports, work, it is too hot, or you just forgot?

You can’t be a real spiritual giant, or even call yourself a Christ-follower if, in the grind of life, He is low on the priority list. I guess you can talk smack, but Jesus sees right through it. He expects His followers to follow. This is the secret to being a giant in the faith. In fact, spiritual giants are made from obedience in the day to day.

Strategy Three for beating drug dependence

2011-06-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.drugindependence.org/relapse_prevention_strategies/relapse_prevention_strategies/strategy_three%3a_how_to_keep_the_urges_at_bay.html

Persecution 101: The City Gates

2011-06-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

In many Jewish villages, there were "city idols" that stood at the city gates. In order to come into the city to buy or sell, you would have to pay homage to that city god.

Well, what would you do if you were a follower of Jesus? Would you pay homage so you can buy food? Would you pay homage so you could sell product to provide for your family?

The Christians did not, and many of them suffered because of it. They had to go outside the city to sell product, to buy product. However, the people bought & sold at the city gates, not outside the city.

This reminds me of sports, and other activities today. We don't see idols- things that sit on shelves or pedestals. We see things like, "I can't go to church if I want to play on a team". Where people give up, compromise their walk with Christ for the sake of being able to play sports and have friends on the sports teams. This is, in many ways, more difficult because there is no law that teaches that you have to be at all church events or church gatherings. Furthermore, enemies of the Word like George Barna, who are influential in Christian circles are teaching that being involved in the body of Christ is optional. "Personal relationship with Jesus" is taught, and taught that obeying Acts, Hebrews, and 1 John where we need to be gathering with the believers in an INCREASING manner, is optional.

Maybe Christians need to say, "On Sunday morning I get to be with the believers, and worship together, in obedience to God", "And I will go with the Church when they do different functions, and skip my practice. Therefore, maybe I cannot play sports in this culture." People are ditching the teachings of Scripture in order to gain the things of this world- friends, prestige, and to play on a sports team. May God forgive them. May Christians today be willing to sell outside the city gates & never bow to idols. May they follow Jesus, and not bend to the pressures of this world.

Findlay People are Wicked

2011-06-11T04:14:00.000-07:00

There is a view in middle USA, that believes that we are pretty good people & God is not disappointed with us. We believe that we are moral & will enter God's good graces when we die, because we aren't bad.

In my opinion, people in Hancock county, Findlay are corrupt, and have committed terrible injustices. There is no one who does good at all.

God has looked down from heaven upon Findlay to see if there is anyone who is wise, who seeks after God.

Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt. There is not one Findlay person who I found who does good, not even one (Psalm 53).

So where does our idea of "we are good people" come from?

It is surely pride & depravity of heart. It is a total debacle of our understanding of what moral and good is. It is people... you saying you believe in God, but really you do not. You are of the same faith as the atheist, but even worse because you believe you are better off, more holy then they, and you deceive yourself. You hold to a made up idea of godliness, but deny God's real power. You do "good" deeds on occasion to feel better about yourself. You attend church "more than Joe" does, and use the most godless person you can think of to compare yourself, when all the while Jesus is the one we are to be comparing ourselves to. You give some money to charity, so you feel noble. You don't listen to that "bad music" and maybe even to Christian music, yet you devour your neighbors with your thoughts.

O that you would see that you are not as good, nearly as good as you think you are.

So what is the remedy for this? Is there any hope for you? There is, but I am pretty sure you are too busy to really care. And am I any better than you?

John 3:16, John 10:10. There is one who took up this monumental task, so that we could be declared righteous before God, so that we could be saved from God tearing us to pieces (Psalm 50:22). Sadly, you probably don't even care because somehow you still believe that you really don't need saving. Well, you will find out.

Saved vs. Lost people

2011-06-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

The difference between saved people and the unsaved is simple.

Saved people admit that they are not perfect and need salvation.

Lost people do not admit that they have shortcomings and don't believe they need saving.

The former comes to Jesus, THE savior. The latter do not because they don't see the benefit.

WTB God? Psalm 37:25-40

2011-05-11T04:55:00.000-07:00

So I was reading Psalm 37:25-40 yesterday & saw that God said He would protect people from several things, most of which is not a reality today...at least in my understanding of what He seems to be saying. It made me really struggle with some questions-I know that as a Christian I am suppose to have all my theological ducks in a row [eastern Christians laughing out loud, western Christians have the 'heresy' o-meter out], but if God is true, then we shouldn't have to cover for Him right? After all, you only have to cover for someone if they lie.

In order to see what is going on, you will have to read the Text for yourself. But here are my thoughts-

If God offers protection from the unjust, for the faithful-as He did for the Hebrews in Psalm 37, then why are Christians (those who trust Jesus) being slaughtered at the hands of unjust men today? Am I missing something? Maybe this Psalm 37 can't be applied to the Church today. In fact, in John 16:33, Hebrews 11:35-40 we see that part of being a Christian is suffering in the hands of the unjust. Therefore, what advantage is there in being under God's umbrella? What does God offer that an unbeliever doesn't have access to?

Here is what I see the actual advantage is-

1. Salvation from Hell- which means an eternal life with Christ & sharing His blessings. Hell=a place where God's hand of blessing has been removed, just like most people want.

2. Specific answered prayer (SPECIFIC), as we accomplish His will.

3. Wisdom- Coming under His umbrella/listening to His wisdom gives life & success here in life.

4. Hope of better things, when Jesus restores all things and deals with the problem of pain & suffering & brokenness.

5. The indwelling of God's Spirit, to help us.

6. God's occasional FELT help.

7. The Community of Saints.

8. Protection from spiritual forces (sorry Atheists, for me, this is one of the best proofs for God- the undeniable presence of evil spirits in this world).

9. Hope that God will do what He says He will do, which gives comfort in many many areas.

10. Believers don't really die. John 11:26, and based on what I have heard from nurses who have seen believers die- there is a clear distinction. I know some believers who have died with a smile, arms outstretched saying, "Jesus!" as if they were receiving Jesus. Strange? Maybe, but that is what happens.

Feel free to add more.

Lust in Action

2011-05-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Dealing with LIA

I talk with so many men who struggle with LIA. It is something that is very difficult & very hard to stop once started. It is a set of chains that wraps a man, or even a women, in bondage, to a wall. This wall is dark, embarrassing, private, cold and hated. This wall blocks conversations with others and with God. In Christ, the chains may be broken, but many who struggle with this can’t see that, and Scripture that speaks to that does not help, it’s power is doused by the waters of continual failure.

In the darkness of this dungeon wall there is a voice that whispers pre-LIA that it is okay, or the person needs this. Then afterward, those voices turn to accusation. Whose voice is this?

So how can someone who no longer believes he/she can have freedom in Christ gain victory over this?

With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
This person has to learn to hate the chains, hate being a slave to them. As long as they accept their position, or are at all fond of this wall, they will not have victory. LIA has to become disgusting to them.
For most men, their masculinity is wrongly tied to their sexuality- so to despise LIA may mean redefining “masculinity”. A man is a male who practices self-control.
Self-control is something that USA culture generally teaches is something unnecessary. Look at all the fat people, credit card debt, pills, and pornography.
People want stuff when they want it. Delayed gratification is psychologically very difficult for many people. To practice restraint, to “wait on the Lord” is very challenging, or nearly impossible for many people. Doing without is not something taught in our culture. Contentment is opposed strongly in a capitalistic market.
God always provides a way of escape so you can bear through a temptation or hard time (1 Corinthians 10:13). Look for the way through the temptation, then take it.
Sin is evil, but God doesn’t micromanage you. God wants you to be holy, to be pure, but also knows you are in process. Work on things, but don’t allow yourself to be hopeless & depressed. You are a work in progress & God will be faithful to complete that work.
The temptation you face, is common (1 Corinthians 10:13), Paul dealt with temptation & failure as a believer, you will also (Romans 7).
I am not convinced that accountability works, but someone to help you form good boundaries does.
You need to form good boundaries, even if it means “radical amputation” to help you (Matthew 5:27-30). Most people like the sin too much to actually do this. Do you?
You have 3 helpers, that are very helpful and have helped many. Jesus, who understands and died for your sins. The Father, who is patient with you. The Spirit, who indwells the believer and gives wisdom through the mind, and through the Bible (why we memorize verses- so God can bring them to mind). Even a 4th helper. Me. If you need help, and brainstorming, let me know. Not all people have this relationship with God. The Bible teaches that you have this relationship through trusting in Jesus (John 14:5-6; John 15) as Lord and the one who saves you. Do you receive Him as your savior and lord?
Trust God’s word, that what He says He will actually do...this is called faith. Then act on that. You can do it!
One word, "dopamine". Not proven, but like cocaine, people can find themselves craving this chemical. Not saying that this gives you any excuse, but it is something to look into more. Also, I know this is not popular with some of my friends, but to that I say, consider the implications of "radical amputation" and maybe this is an avenue to at least look into.

Refining Catholic Teaching

2011-04-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I am a pastor. But, let me appeal to you. First, I was baptized Catholic. Second, I have a love for the Catholic people & the Catholic church. I do not attend a Catholic church weekly, but I don't feel this disqualifies me from input into the church I was baptized as an infant.

I have had several Catholic people ask me about works & how they correlate to salvation. So I want to address this using, what I believe is a key Scripture from the Holy Bible, found in St. Paul's letter to the Church in Ephesus.

Let's walk through this verse by verse. I think this is the clearest way to think through it. I have some notes, points of clarification, under each verse.

Ephesians 2:8-10

Verse 8- "For by grace you have been saved through the faith & this (salvation) is not out of yourselves; it is God's gift."

-God's gift to you is His grace given to you through the faith (in Jesus).
-The word "faith" is the word "pistis" to trust, to place faith in Jesus.

-Have you done this yourself? Have you ever personally asked Jesus, placed your trust in Jesus as YOUR saviour?

Verse 9- "Not out of works, so no one might glorify themself."

-Only God will get the glory this way.
-God will not share His glory with another. Our works cannot save us because a) we can never be perfect, b) God will not share the glory with us. This is why He has to give us a gift.

Verse 10- "For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before so that we would walk in them."

-For the Protestant, the word "peripatasomen" teaches us that we should walk, do these good works. Not for salvation, but as the overflow of the salvation God has given us. We are NOT off the hook to do whatever we please. Yes, we are saved by God's grace, through trusting in Jesus as our saviour, but God has prepared great works for us to do, as the fruit of our salvation.

Getting Fit for the Kingdom

2011-04-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

“Fit for the Kingdom”

The Problem with Christian Leaders
Crawford Loritts has a great book titled, "Leadership as an Identity". In chapter two he discusses the problem with Christian leaders. Namely- young leaders are out to prove themselves, old leaders have proven themselves and run on that track record...if they are not careful & if God doesn't teach them any better. The bottom line is that all of us, young and old, are tempted to live out of pride & "survival of the fittest", proving we are fit. It is ultimately self-glorification or self-preservation.

How does God knock self-dependence & self-glorification out of us?
Romans 8:15-17
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. 1

-We love the first 2 1/2 verses. But the third one is not very welcome by many. We love, “Abba! Father!”, we gloss over “we suffer with Him so that...”

Like the wording of Romans 8:17 (NLT)
17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Suffering precedes future glory. There is no glorification without suffering. It is a normal part of the Christian life.
Suffering is a tool God uses to allow Himself to shine in us. We learn dependence on Him through suffering.
Suffering is a tool God uses to allow Himself to shine through us. We often hide Christ under a bowl of pride. God cracks our bowls of pride so that His light can shine.
POSITIONALLY, we are glorified, through Christ (Romans 8:30), but PRACTICALLY, we are being ”Fit for the Kingdom” (Luke 9:62).

Do you REALLY want to follow Jesus?

2011-04-18T09:48:00.001-07:00

Let's be honest, for many of us, we would love to follow Jesus-if he were to promise us glory & nice things, when we want/need them. We want happy, nice, good, generous, patient Jesus.
I have been gripped by Romans 8:17 lately. It won't leave my mind. It fills my random musings.

"And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering." (NLT Translation)
"and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. " (NASB Translation)

I find that I want to share in God's glory. I like the "together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory."
I never really considered the part, "But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering" or "IF indeed we suffer with Him..." being a predecessor to the glory.

To Graph it:
Physical Pain -> Spiritual Strength
Or to quote Luke 9:62- we have to be "fit for the kingdom". To follow after Jesus is to experience the suffering that He faced, for in suffering comes fruit & maturity.

Another verse that has intrigued me & seems to contradict (at first glance, because of the language barrier is ) Matthew 11:30,
"My yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Jesus
Easy = suffering?
Easy does equal- fit, useful, virtuous, good, benevolent, mild, good for use
Burden- load
Light- easy to bear, makes for good sailing

Look at the previous verse in Matthew 11:28,29, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. "

It is impossible to keep all the rules of the Law. Then, the contemporary Jewish leaders of Jesus added several hundred oral traditions to this Law. If just the Law was impossible to keep, imagine the weight of guilt from the Law + oral traditions! That is one heavy burden! One too hard for any person to carry.
So Jesus, teaches that people should come to the Messiah (savior, Christ). He fulfilled the Law & Prophets, by keeping the requirements of the Law, by fulfilling the Prophecies of the long awaited Messiah. Compared to the Law & Traditions, Jesus' yoke is very easy, very light, very relaxing. See the Law & traditions were understood as, "Do, do, do to have life." When Jesus came He taught, "It is finished. The work of salvation was done by Me. You trust me, follow me, and rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For my yoke is easy, burden light." Easy, however, does not equal nirvana here on earth. God's people have a long history of facing persecution because of their belief. God's people are allowed to suffer or even destined to suffer, in order to fit them for the kingdom. So, Christian, when you fall upon hard times, count it as an opportunity for joy, knowing that the challenging of your faith produces a wealth of perseverance & proven character. Know that you are being fit for the kingdom. Also know that there are others, in every nation of the world, who are suffering today, just as you do, or worse.

That being said, some of you suffer because you deserve it, because you let sin reign in your body. If you are persecuted because of sin, what benefit is that? But if you are persecuted/ suffer for righteousness sake & the Kingdom's sake, then there is reward in that.

Also, there is teaching today that, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." or, "Your best life can be now". Well, remember Romans 8:17, that a godly person needs to be fit for the kingdom, which means that God's plan for you IS to suffer, in order that you may reign with Christ. There is no way around this. no acceptions.

The only way around this is to reject Jesus, to choose not trust Him, still have suffering in life, but actually have your best life now & on the other side of the comma of death, to live with an eternity of regret. Don't choose this route! You will be missing the wonderful, beautiful, complex, mystery of being an adopted child of God. And you will live all life, here and there, with suffering. Without break, without ever having a relationship with the one you were made for. Don't be stubborn!

I have yet to accept that suffering is a welcome part of the deal. I still struggle with doubt, guilt, and my standing with God when I suffer things. I feel, I guess, a bit deceived (snookered-my fun word) by some evangelists that teach that if you accept Jesus, everything will "ROCK". While this is true on a deeper level, it takes maturity to get there on a practical, emotional, or day to day level. I am up for the challenge, but this is something I am just starting to realize. His yoke has been awesome so far, but I am just starting to learn that His yoke is not shallow or plastic. It is real, and wants, from me, real change.

Non-Christians, consider this. That God WILL really care for you, but that means that you will suffer for trusting Jesus with your salvation. True JESUS is THE provision for salvation, He is the door (or stairway, for all you Led Zeppelin fans) to Heaven, but this yoke of lordship, God's love for you, will not allow you to remain as you are. He also desires for you to become holy.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Mt 11:28–29). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ro 8:17). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
Tyndale House Publishers. (2004). Holy Bible : New Living Translation. (2nd ed.) (Ro 8:17). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

Review of "Love Wins." by Rob Bell

2011-04-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I decided to listen to this book, via Rob reading it on audiobook. Here are my thoughts. First, our job, as Christians, is to rightly handle God's word. To understand what it really teaches. Second, because Rob Bell currently has a large church does not necessarily mean he is an expert at handling God's word. Third, Rob is great at laying out an argument & then leaving you wondering, "So what does he really believe about this?". Ultimately, it doesn't really matter what Rob believes, it matters what The Bible teaches. God has laid out His book, so we, your average Joes could clearly understand it. Fourth, because Rob doesn't agree with something, doesn't necessarily mean he is right, or that the Bible is unclear. Fifth, I acknowledge that most people have no interest in God or in Jesus. So here we go...

58 minutes in. Thought- Rob asks a lot of tough questions. He questions normally accepted biblical teaching. Hopefully he will also give an answer to these questions, seeing that he is a pastor who is suppose to rightly divide the word of truth. I am not too impressed with someone who is "bold enough" to ask the tough questions, because everyone asks these. In my opinion, God gave us brains to use. God is a God of truth, so seeking truth, asking questions is NORMAL (ie David-Psalm 13). I wonder who his target audience is, or the straw-man of his conversation, who he is upset with. At times, I feel he is challenging biblical Christianity. At times, I feel that he is challenging Westborough Baptist or the Puritains.

Final thoughts- "God's essence is love" is his main starting point. While I believe that God is loving, I believe that His love radiates from His HOLINESS. He struggles with God's holiness. He says that a God who destroys is not one who people would trust. While this may be true for many people, God does judge people who refuse to obey Him. Rob never gets into THOSE verses, where God does destroy things.
He believes that there is no distinct HEAVEN (where God dwells) and HELL (a place). He believes that both are together, with God, but for unbelievers being with God is HELL. A HELL of their own making. They are in this "Hell" (which is a state of mind), until they finally humble themselves & decide that God's way is better. In other words, people are able to make a choice post-death. However, he skirts around the verses that teach about the finality of the decision made in life (parable of the virgins, sheep and goats, rich man vs. Lazarus).
He sets up a pretty sweet defense for himself by saying that only closed-minded people would call him a heretic. He says they are unloving.

If I were to summarize Rob Bell's theology on Heaven, Hell, eternity-
1. Hell is not an eternal destination, necessarily. It depends how long it takes people to repent.
2. Hell is a state of mind, which people create themselves, by stubbornly refusing God.
3. Salvation is not just for the other side of death, but it is for us in life too.
4. The word eternal is not a period of time, but a state of time.
5. God is, at His core, loving and would not make an eternal final destination.
6. God gets what He wants. He wants all men to be saved, therefore, eventually, given enough time, all men will. Either in this life, or after life.
7. God is, at His core, loving and doesn't destroy people.
8. Mankind, will eventually choose to accept God, given enough time.

Problem- I will state these kindly & keep the issues before me.
1. God, at His core, is HOLY. Love radiates from His holiness. Rob Bell, never acknowledges God's holiness.
2. There is a separation between those who reject God/Jesus and those who humble themselves before Him.
3. Hell, Gehenna, the garbage dump, is an eternal place. The Bible is clear that people will go there.
4. See my other post on Hell for details and a study of it.
5. Would a good God, a loving God send someone to Hell? Answer for both is NO. Instead, a good, loving God will allow people to reject so great a salvation and choose separation if they desire too.
6. Rob struggles to reconcile God's holiness & God's love.
7. Rob starts with a definition of "love" that may not be accurate from God's angle.
8. Could Hell bring glory to God? Rob would say absolutely NOT.
9. I believe Rob underestimates the depravity/pride of people. I believe that if people do not accept Jesus here on earth, why would they ever decide to change their minds after death?
10. It is destined for man to die once, and after that to face judgment.
11. Hades, the dwelling place of unbelievers is thrown into the Lake of Fire, at the judgment. There is clearly a distinction in places. To deny this is to not accurately handle Scripture. It is to be ashamed of the gospel.
12. Rob teaches that the word aionios/eternal refers to not length but quality. However, it is NORMALLY accepted, and widely accepted by scholars, that this Greek word has to do with both quality and duration. In fact, it refers to the eternality of God. According to Rob, God would not be everlasting, but just have good quality. He neglects the thrust of the word for the sake of his argument. This is dishonest. Aionios- age, eternal, perpetual, constant, above time (Romans 16:26, 1 Timothy 6:16 of God. Matt. 18:8, 25:41, 46, Mark 3:29, 2 Thess. 1:9, Heb. 6:2, Jude 1:7 of punishment of the wicked-those who stubbornly refuse God's salvation).
I appreciate Rob pointing out that eternal life/fire is bigger than just a location. It is a state of living as well. Eternal life, for those who accept God's salvation begins now. There is a qualitative difference in this life.

Thoughts Rob left me with-
1. What was the early church's view of eternity (like pre-300AD)?
2. What does "eternity" mean, in the sense of quality of life NOW?
3. Rob is right, in the sense, that God is, at times, scary. But not because He is fickle. He is scary because I cannot control Him. His ways are different than mine, I seek pleasure, and don't want Him to put me through suffering, because I do not yet comprehend the benefit of suffering.

Hell- Where most want to go, because they don't understand it

2011-03-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, I awoke with a moment of clarity from the Lord. It was awful. This may sound odd, but He allowed me to grasp, in my mind, the permanence of Hell. It is a place where people will go FOREVER. An image, kind of like a short video, played before me of someone I know and care about, stuck down there, with no way to leave & not happy at all.

It is a terrible place, where once people are, they are there for ever, for eternity, they will NEVER leave. Yes, theologically, I know this to be true. I have read Jesus teaching on this for several years now, but it really never clicked before. Maybe it was too big of a thought for me to comprehend. Whatever the case, it came into perspective for me last night, thanks to God. I cannot explain the feeling of how terrible I felt, considering that people, people I care about, may be stuck down there for eternity, in conscious misery. All I can say is that it took God opening my mind to help me begin to understand this.

So a few thoughts from it:

1. Why did God create Hell? And is Hell populated now?

2. What is Hell like?

3. Why send people there?

4. Are people aware?

5. How do you keep from going there?

1. Why did God create Hell? God created Hell for Satan and his angelic army (possibly millions of evil spirits/demons) (Matthew 25:41), as a place of eternal punishment for their wickedness. Is Hell populated now? Hell is NOT populated now. It will not be until the Great White Throne Judgment of Jesus.

2. What is Hell like? Well, there are books on this. It is a place of great weeping, of misery, of pain and suffering (Matthew 8:12). It is a place of outer darkness (away from the Light)(Matthew 8:12). It is an eternal habitat (Mark 9:44-48). It is a place where those there are conscious (Revelation 20:10). It is called the Lake of Fire (don't know if that is literally fire or judgment) (Revelation 20:14-15). Contrary to popular belief, it is not run by Satan. It is a place where their is no relief, because God, who brings relief, has removed His hand of blessing from those there (Luke 16- is not even Hell yet-Hell is worse).

3. Why send people there? Because it is what most people want; life without God bothering them. God, in Romans 1-2 gives people over to what they want. His desire is that they would have eternal life & dwell with Him for eternity, through faith in Jesus. But if people don't want this, God will not make them choose this. It is up to each person to decide whether they want eternal life or Hell. It is their choice. (more on choice later)

4. Are people aware? Yes (Revelation 20:10, 14:9-11, Luke 16)

5. How do you keep from going there? You already know. And it has nothing to do with doing a bunch of works. That is animism. If you want to know for sure, read John 3:16-18, Ephesians 2:8-10, John 14:6 if you would like to see what God's word teaches. As I said in question #3, it is your choice. Hopefully you will choose wisely. Hopefully you won't be too stubborn or prideful to choose well.

Why do people get angry at God?

2011-03-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

Why do people get angry with God?

People get angry with God when they los

e perspective on God, which can be caused by something very painful happening to them. Sometimes life jolts us into losing proper focus, like a finger in a socket can throw off our balance.

People get angry with God when they are not actually angry with God, but angry over some self-formulated image of who God is or what God has promised. The blame goes up to their god, but their god does not even exist to hear, because their god does not exist. Sadly, many preachers (Joyce

Meyer, Joel Olsteen, etc) today give them this bad perspective of God.

People get angry with God when they are raised in God’s blessing. Where as, someone who is raised in suffering has learned a proper view of God, someone raised in privilege may crumble when that privilege is taken away. There is something deep inside a person of privilege where they cannot handle to ever do without the things that they want.

People get angry with God when they want nothing to do with God, and then a hard time enters into their life. The problem is that they have been so hardened to God, and to His character, and so full of their own, that they feel cheated.

People get angry with God when He thwarts or does not bend to their plan for their life. They are going along just fine, triking down the path of life, with goals, dreams, desires. When God steps in to help them, they want nothing more than for God to go back away. They do not understand that sometimes suffering is a blessing. They do not realize that God has been there all along, trying to get their attention in a kindly manner. And now, because of His love, He turns up the temperature of His passion for them....they find Him even less desirable.

People get angry with God, when God becomes nothing more than a mere invisible friend or buddy. They have become so familiar with God, that they forget that He is God. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

Is it wrong to get angry with God? Depends what angry means. For in our anger, we don't want to sin or become bitter.

Is it wrong to suffer and to struggle with God? No. It is just fine. But one must remember that when you are angry with God, you are missing clarity.

A good example of how to express anger at God is David's struggle in Psalm 13. David was a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Yet, he was a man after God's own heart.

Are all people saved through Jesus?

2011-03-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

There are a couple of views that people have. First, that the blood of Jesus has paid for everyone's sin, therefore all people will eventually end up in Heaven. Second, that the blood of Jesus has been paid for everyone's sin, but only those who receive Jesus will receive eternal life.

Well, this morning, I was reading Romans 5:17 & thought this passage did a beautiful job laying it out. I want to share it with you.

"For if by the transgression of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."

You could actually interpret this 2 different ways & make both views fit into this passage, on a surface reading. However, when you dig into the word, "receive" it paints a completely different picture.

"receive"- lambanontes- is a verb- to receive, to take. It is a PRESENT, ACTIVE, PARTICIPLE. The key question here is whether it is active or passive voice.

If it were passive, then this receiving would be put upon us.

If it were active, which it is, then the subject does the action of the verb. In other words, we have to receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.

To summarize- you aren't going to get to heaven by just living out your day to day life & hoping you aren't as evil as Hitler. You need to receive, to take for yourself, the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness. You need to personally receive Jesus as YOUR savior-dying for your many sins, and YOUR lord.

Hopefully you will do this today.

Don't Build on Sand: 3 Steps to a Stable Life

2011-02-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

I have nothing new to say to you, but Jesus has something to say, to help you build a stable life. I was reading Luke 6:46-49 for our Wednesday night study, & thought I would share with you this teaching of Jesus.

Luke 6:46–49 (ESV)

A great question: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?"

Immediately I think of some celebrities who have called themselves "Christian" but lived an opposing life. Not As an example: The pastor of Westborough Baptist (the guy who holds the "God hates..." signs at funerals). Following that, I ask myself the question, "Do I call Jesus 'Lord' and do what He says? What does He say?"

"Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:"

Here are the 3 steps-

1. Come to Jesus

2. Hear His words

3. Do what Jesus says to do

Here is a description, an illustration, a word-painting of what this person is like:

"He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

There are 2 types of people in this picture: they both come and hear. The difference is that the first man acts, the second does not act. The first does, the second doesn't. That is the only difference, but this one small decision to do or not to do is a major decision.

So, do you come, do you hear, do you do?

A lot of 'church-goers' are great at coming & hearing the preacher give his 'book report' and this is good. However, most of these miss the 3rd step. They don't APPLY Jesus to life.

A couple of verses that come to mind: James 1:19-25, Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 25:32-46, Ephesians 2:8-10

The steps are simply stated, and a joy to do. Don't be a mere hearer, be a doer. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Let's work on this together. Let me know how I can come alongside and help you.

Jeff

Growing up in Yesterday

2011-02-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us,

WE ARE AWESOME !!!!

OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!!

To Those of Us Born

1924 - 1980

At the end of this email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno.. If you don ' t read anything else, please

read what he said.

Very well stated, Mr. Leno.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE

1930 ' s, 40 ' s, 50 ' s,

60 ' s and 70 ' s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn ' t get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered

with bright colored lead-base paints..

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes,

we had baseball caps

not helmets on our heads..

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren ' t overweight.. WHY?

Because we were always outside playing...that ' s why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on..

No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps

and then ride them down the hill,

only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem

We did not have Play stations, Nintendo ' s and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD ' s,

no surround-sound or CD ' s,

no cell phones,

no personal computers,

no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms and mud pies

made from dirt, and

the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend ' s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.

Those who didn ' t had to learn

to deal with disappointment.

Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best

risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn ' t it ?

The Pantheon and Jesus

2011-01-05T11:26:00.001-08:00

What's the difference between the pantheon of gods and Jesus? And what does this have to do with your view of God?

Back in the days where people followed the gods of the pantheon, they would do things to make the gods happy. For example, say you were a farmer, you would want to make Ceres, the god of the harvest happy. You would offer grain offerings. If the harvest was good, then you would know that Ceres was happy with you. If the harvest was not good, then you must not have paid enough homage to Ceres!

Sadly, most of us have transferred this posture toward the God of the Bible. If we go to church enough, are nice enough, give a bunch of cash to the church, then God will be happy with us, and in turn make us happy, prosperous, or make life easy. And if life is bad, than God is mad.

Then Jesus teaches on this subject & turns this faulty view upside down-

Versus Animism,greek religion: “Followers of Jesus, God isn’t angry with you!!!”

²⁰Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,

“God blesses you who are poor,

for the Kingdom of God is yours.

²¹ God blesses you who are hungry now,

for you will be satisfied.

God blesses you who weep now,

for in due time you will laugh.

It doesn’t say you will now make the poor disciples rich, the hungry satisfied, or those who weep laugh. In time you will, but in your time. Our time is right now! Your time may be different. It may be immediate, it may be in the near future, but it will be in your presence. None the less, we are to count it all joy, blessedness if we suffer now, and are not to see it as a curse, or that you are angry at us. This is very counter-cultural.

²²What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. ²³When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

²⁴ “What sorrow awaits you who are rich,

for you have your only happiness now.

²⁵ What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,

for a time of awful hunger awaits you.

What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,

for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.

²⁶ What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,

for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

Jesus never teaches that if you accept Him, you will be prosperous financially, or even physically. Remember, Jesus was homeless and a man of sorrows. Paul was left hungry, thirsty, in jail, beaten, shipwrecked, poisoned, and had many people reject him. Our focus as a follower of Jesus is to follow Jesus in whatever station He places us. For a Christian, God is already well-pleased with you, because He is well-pleased with His Son.

Be of good cheer!

Jesus, the 3rd Savior

2010-12-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

Sermon on Sunday, January 2nd.

Title- Authority: Jesus among other Saviors

Key passage- John 2:13-22

Supporting passage- 1 Corinthians 15:1-8,12-20,58

Jesus!- What is the significance of Jesus’ resurrection?

Outline

Hook- A snapshot of our Culture: Starbucks Spirituality (pluralism, syncretism in the USA)

Book- John 2:13-22

Look -What is the significance of His resurrection? Why does it matter? Why is it awesome?!

Took

Book (Slide 2)

Temple Rampage #1- John 2:13–22 (NAS)

Wedding Feast in Cana > Capernaum w/ mom, brothers, disciples > Passover in Jerusalem

¹³ The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

(+1100 ft. in elevation in the central mountains)

¹⁴ And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

(ἱερῷ - temple)

¹⁵ And He made a scourge of cords (whip-of rope probably), and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; ¹⁶ and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

What was Jesus freaking out about?

(Matt. 21:13- 2^nd clearing, Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”

-He was zealous/angry that His Father’s House had gone from a place of prayer and worship to a common marketplace and an opportunity to make money.

- The sales would have been distracting to worship, not allowing the Gentiles to worship in quiet.

- According to Leviticus, you were supposed to bring a sheep, oxen out of your own herd (sacrifice). You were allowed to buy doves, which is why we see Jesus stopping to talk to those selling the doves.

The whole thing had become a mess!

Can you imagine the mess that Jesus made, during a very busy time?!)

¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” (PS. 69:9) ¹⁸ The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”

basically- who do you think you are? What are your credentials? Who are you to say and do these things? What gives you the right to do this? Who has given you the authority?

Bring it home-

1. 2 Other Saviors- (expand service 2) Did you know that there had been 2 known, at least with any type of decent following, “Saviors” that had preceded Jesus, and plenty of different groups claiming to speak for God?

Here is some info. on them:

esus, the 3rd Savior

1. Athronges (likely derived from ethrog, "citron") (diadem dude) was a leader of the Jews during the insurrection under Herod Archelaus. A shepherd, in common with his four brothers after proclaiming himself a messiah, Athronges led the rebellion against Archelaus and the Romans. After a protracted struggle Athronges and his brothers were defeated.

2. Simon of Peraea or Simon son of Joseph was a former slave of Herod the Great who rebelled and was killed by the Romans in 4 BC.^[1] He has been identified as the messiah of Gabriel's Revelation. He is mentioned by Flavius Josephus ^[2]

Gabriel's Revelation is a three-foot-tall stone tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew text written in ink, containing a collection of short prophecies written in the first person and dated to the late first century BCE.^[3]^[4] One of the stories allegedly tells of a man who was killed by the Romans and resurrected in three days. It is a tablet described as a "Dead Sea scroll in stone".^[3]^[5]Attributed to Simon of Peraea.

According to Josephus (a “Jewish” Historian of Palastine):

-a slave of king Herod, but in other respects a comely person, of a

- tall and robust body; he was one that was much superior to others of his order

-put a diadem on his head, while a certain number of the people stood by him, and by them he was declared to be a king, and he thought himself more worthy of that dignity than any one else."

-"He burnt down the royal palace at Jericho, and plundered what was left in it. He also set fire to many other of the king's houses in several places of the country, utterly destroyed them, and permitted those that were with him to take what was left in them for a prey. He would have done greater things, but care was taken to repress him immediately.

[The commander of Herod's infantry] Gratus joined himself to some Roman soldiers, took the forces he had with him, and met Simon. And after a great and a long fight, the Pereans were destroyed. Although Simon had saved himself by flying away through a certain valley, Gratus overtook him, and cut off his head."

In light of this, I think they were asking Jesus a very logical, normal question. They should ask Him this question.

Authority Questions- In our culture today, this same question still comes up, but differently.

I#1- Prank at Moody a) toilets (PP), b) mandatory floor meeting- beauty is in the authority

I#2- For example- The police. I am getting to the age now where a lot of police officers are younger than I am. If I were to get pulled over, I could say… but they have the badge, they have the car, they have the authority.

Today, in Western culture, people ask, “Who are you to say that you are right, that Jesus is the only way, that not everyone is going to Heaven? Who are you to say that Jesus is THE way, THE truth, THE life? What makes the Bible or Jesus any better than Mohammad or other religious leaders?” They are asking a normal, good question of authority. A question we should ask as well. What would your response be to these questions?

Here is how Jesus responded to this great question-

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Temple (ναὸν- dwelling place, temple. Different word than the typical word for temple-ierw.

Used in 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19 in reference to the body of believers being Temples of God)

²⁰ The Jews (not understanding what Jesus was saying) then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” (and it was still being built- was finished in 63AD)

²¹ But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

²² So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

What was Jesus saying here? (slide 3)

The proof of Jesus’ authority, the exclamation point to His message & actions is that God rose Him from the dead. His resurrection is the capstone.

Most other prophets, and all other “saviors” are dead and their bodies decayed. (mention what happened to the other dudes)

However, Jesus has risen bodily from the dead! And fulfilled Messianic prophecy (Psalm 16:10- “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.”)

Look & Took (slide 4)

Why does it matter? What is the significance of His resurrection? What difference will this make in my day to day life? Why is it awesome?!

9 Exclamation Points

1. Resurrection =! -Not only did Jesus do miracle after miracle, but Jesus’ resurrection is the grand proof of His authority. He has the right to tear up the temple. He has the right to set things in order. God has given Him the right and supports all Jesus taught and did. Jesus has been given all authority & He has called us to make followers of all nations.

1 Cor. 15:1-8

2. We are standing in the truth. - We can stand firm and confident in our position in Christ.

3. Assurance of salvation. We can be confident that He has saved us. And that we have begun eternally living!

(slide 5)

1 Cor. 15:12-20

4. We have unthwartable credibility - Our faith has credibility that is unthwartable, we carry in us the Word of Life.

5. We can have hope in death- We and our loved ones, who are in Christ, will live, even though they die. Those, in Christ, will not perish. Our loved ones, in Christ, will not perish.

6. (v. 17) We are holy. We are in deed declared righteous and holy before God through faith in Jesus. It is really true.

7. (v. 20) Our faith is worth it. It is worth the discipline, worth the obedience, worth the persecution, worth the odd looks from family or co-workers, worth sacrificing for.

1 Corinthians 15:58

8. We can live an unwasted life. We can confidently give ourselves fully to His Cause. We can stand firm in our faith, and join the team, to be fellow laborers in Christ; advancing His kingdom and His purposes.

9. When challenged, we can Relax. We can answer people’s questions of authority with full-confidence and love.

a) We live in a pluralistic/syncretistic culture, with many gods, many versions of what is true. When someone asks, “Who are we to tell someone they need to accept Jesus?” We are sharing what the resurrected one has said. We are speaking on Jesus, the RESURRECTED Savior’s behalf.

b) When people ask, “Who are you to say that your god is the true god and someone else’s is false?” Jesus rose from the dead.

c) Who are you to say what is right or wrong? Jesus rose from the dead.

d) Why should I attend church and get involved with a community of believers? Because Jesus said to, and He rose from the dead.

e) Why give of my resources (money, time, energy) to support the local Church and missionaries? Because Jesus rose & He has called us to join His Cause

f) Why should I bother reading The Book and pray? Because Jesus, the author of the Bible rose from the dead, and wants us to know and follow Him, and teach others also.

g) Why should I go out and share my faith with others? So that they may meet the one, Jesus, who rose from the dead, and have life for themselves.

h) Why should I abide in Christ, stay close to Him through obedience to what He has called me to? Because He rose from the dead.

Look at these 9- What more do we need that Jesus hasn’t already given us, who trust in Him?

You want authority?

Jesus’ resurrection showed His authority because God rose Him from the dead, approving His message. Other saviors, other religions will come and go. But Jesus lives forever, and has been given all authority. And that is why Christians can walk in hope during the years of trial, hardship, storms, and persecution.

Take some time to thank God for the authority He has given Jesus. And that we can be a part of what He is doing here.

Paul's frustration as an apostle for Jesus

2010-12-15T10:04:00.001-08:00

The assumption in culture today is that if I am happy than God is happy with me. If I am frustrated or thwarted than God is not happy with me.

Let's look at how Paul lived as an apostle for Jesus.

First, Paul was loved, chosen, and called by Jesus as an apostle-one sent out to tell people the Good News of forgivenss through Jesus. Paul ran his 'race' well, and God is pleased with him.

2. When Paul encountered Jesus he completely lost his vision. After receiving Jesus something amazing happened to Paul, he DIDN'T receive his sight back...at least right away, but had to walk around blind until his friend Ananias was used of God to heal Paul (Acts 9).

3. Paul continually faced frustration & contention from the Judaisers. If it were me, I would pray that God would either bring them to Christ or get rid of them. But these Judaisers were allowed to bother Paul & hurt the young church throughout his ministry.

4. Paul was given some kind of 'thorn in the flesh'. He prayed three times that God would get rid of it. God told him no, he was stuck with it. 2 Corinthians 12:7 teaches that Paul was GIVEN this thorn to keep him from bragging/arrogance.

5. Paul was put in jail several times, when he could have been out sharing the Good News. This, at a surface level seems like a waste of time, energy, and resources. Why did God allow this?

6. Paul was beaten for Christ, his ship sunk, he was bitten by a venomous snake, he went hungry, was left for dead. Why would God allow this to happen to Paul? (2 Cor. 11:23-35; Acts 27)

7. He had arguments, heated arguments with other apostles (good men), such as Barnabas. He was abandoned by Christian friends (Acts 15:39; 2 Timothy 4).

8. He was forbidden from going to Rome, even though he tried and tried to go there. His reasons for going were noble, but God did not open the door for him (Romans 1:13; 15:22-24).

So what was his response? Did he become jaded, pessimistic, feel hurt by God, believe that God didn't really care about him?

Philippians 4:9–13 (NAS)

⁹ The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. ¹⁰ But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. ¹² I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. ¹³ I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Paul understood that God was sovereign, and he came to a point where he was at peace and in submission to God's sovereignty, and care for Paul. Paul was engaged in the calling that Jesus gave him. He new that Jesus would enable him to do whatever Jesus wanted him to do. He rested in the love that he had in Christ. Therefore, problems, thorns, hindrances, sin, lost their power to put a damper on Paul's attitude and perspective. God has given you adequate help, in Christ, to have this same attitude and perspective. The choice is ours what angle we will live from, what attitude/perspective we will allow to color our world.

In addition, I don't see Paul being a jaded or hopeless person. He was content, in peace with his position/lot. He was joyful to serve his Lord, in spite of the difficulty that it brought. Eventually, God even allowed Paul to be martyred (probably beheaded in Rome, under Nero) as the grand exit to his race of life. What a way to go!

I think it was safe to say that God loved Paul & was pleased with him. However, if you looked at his life from an animistic angle, you may think that God hated him. Good thing God is not an animistic type of God! Jesus is our propitiation, through which we can have peace with God & have a sonship/daughtership with him. May we be encouraged by this.

Forgiveness, do we need to ask for it?

2010-11-09T07:55:00.001-08:00

Someone asked me this question this past weekend (I am consolidating the question), "Do we needed to ask God for forgiveness in order to be forgiven?".

How do we receive forgiveness?
Well, regarding salvation, I see that X is forgiven by taking Jesus as X's savior (through faith, belief).
We are not forgiven based on good works, praying certain formulas, or other human efforts. We are forgiven through God's grace by faith in Jesus as savior.

-John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:1, Romans 5:6-9, Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 10:9,13, Romans 8:1, Romans 6:23, Mark 1:15

Note: There are also some things that accompany salvation, things that a redeemed person is quick to do. If someone refuses to do these, no life changing faith has taken root, they are still in their sin. With new life, comes a desire to confess, repent, and be identified with Jesus (baptism). This also has definitely been my experience.
1. Confess with their mouth that Jesus is their lord (Romans 10:9-10).
2. Repent, turn from a self-directed life & pursue honoring God. I would say that repentance is the most inseperable of all of these. Because no one can come to Christ unless they realize that they sin and need help (1 John 1:8-10, Mark 1:15).
3. Baptism, symbolizing/ making an outward sign of an inward change. Baptism also means to be identified as a follower of Jesus.

Some funny questions to make the point-
1. Can someone be a Christian and refuse to call Jesus their God, Lord?
2. Can someone come to Jesus for salvation without realizing that they need salvation?
3. Can someone accept Jesus as savior, but reject him as lord/leader?
4. Can someone accept Jesus as savior, but refuse to be obedient to him? This tells me that their is no heart change. This would show that the heart is unredeemed.

What about asking for forgiveness?
There are passages in the Bible that tell us that we have to do other things to receive God's forgiveness.

1 John 1:5–10 (NAS) — 5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Well, this, I believe, is a call to humility. To admitting that you are in need of a savior.
Example:
This bumper sticker is controversial-

For me, as a Christian, this bumper sticker says, foremost, Christians know they aren't perfect, but know that we are forgiven through faith in Jesus. Of all people, Christians realize they aren't perfect. I say this because, why else would they have come to know they need a savior?

Other passages:
1. Matthew 6:12-

Matthew 6:12 (NAS) — 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Actually, this is the only New Testament passage that tells us to ask God to forgive us. But we also need to note that this is before the cross, before redemption was made, before the price for our sin has been paid. To form a theology for today on having to ask forgiveness, would be a bad idea.
In response, (and in support of this bumper sticker) check out:
Colossians 3:13- Lord forgave you (Colossian Christians)
1 John 2:12-A Christians sins have been forgiven
Acts 10:43- Through His name, everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins
Ephesians 1:7-We have forgiveness in Him
Revelation 1:5- God has released Christians from their sins
Romans 8:30- in reality, Christians are already glorified

Do Christians still sin? Yes, but because God has changed our hearts, we are in pursuit, not of how we can sin, but how we can live a life that glorifies God.

A Remedy
Salvation is always a matter of the heart!!! Not mere verbage. So here is the deal (according to the Scriptures)-
1. Problem- We all sin, and are therefore separate from God (who is holy & just).
2. Remedy- Jesus shed His blood to pay the price for our sin. He rose again physically so that we can also rise and walk in newness of life & have an eternal relationship with God.
3. Solution- those who take Jesus to be their hope of salvation (their savior), will receive this salvation and forgiveness of all sin. Those who decide not to take Jesus as their savior, remain unforgiven and guilty before God.

Personal questions- do you realize that you offend God and need salvation? Have you received Jesus as your savior & is it your desire to let Him lead your life? What's stopping you from doing this today?
Reminder- There is a sense of urgency here. Tonight, tomorrow is not guaranteed. And we only have this lifetime to make this important decision. Why not do it today?

What does "following Jesus" look like today?

2010-10-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

1. Can someone accept Jesus as their hope of salvation, but not as Lord?
Yes.
Can they hope to have eternal life if they reject them as their lord? No. Conversion leads to increased lordship. If someone rejects the lordship/leadership of Jesus over their life, it shows that they do not have a converted heart, their is no "new birth". Where there is no repentance, their is no acceptance of the savior. Mark 1:15, Jesus taught, "Repent and believe the good news (that Jesus is the Messiah/savior)". Repentance/turning from sin is part of the process.

2. Before you accept Jesus as savior & lord, you must count the cost. Do you really want God to forgive you? Do you really want to repent/turn from a self-directed life & follow Him?
Here is what Jesus recommends-

Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,

26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
31 “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 “Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.
33 “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

If you realize that you sin, are convicted that you have been dishonoring God and need a remedy, and want to change from self-directed living, and live a life that is honoring to God you can cry out to God for forgiveness, then receive His provision for your forgiveness, the savior Jesus. Ask Jesus to come and be your saviour and you will have eternal life.

In considering whether you want salvation or not, you should consider whether you want to follow Jesus/ honor God in your life.
Side 1- A case for NOT accepting God's peace-offering, plan of salvation for you.
A. If you really don't want God to cramp your style or lead your life, then you can't accept Jesus.
B. If you are still opposed/indifferent to God & His son Jesus, then you can't have this salvation until you are willing to bend your will.
C. If you still want to "sin" or do things you know are wrong (according to God's standard), and don't want any authority over you, then you are not ready to accept Jesus.
D. Being a Christian will mean being rejected & persecuted for your faith. They did it to Jesus, they will do it to you.
E. Suffering and having a burden for hurting people is a common by-product of being a Christian.
F. Accepting Jesus means that everything you have is at the disposal of God (your life, your resources, your dreams)

Side 2- The consequences of rejecting Jesus as savior and Lord are:
A. You have no peace with God (although you may FEEL that God has no problem with you, God does).
B. If you die, before you gain this peace with God, you know what the consequences are. In case you don't, it is eternal separation from God in a place of conscious torment (by the way, Satan does not run "Hell"). More on what Hell is like some other time, or you can email me for a study on Hell.
C. Contrary to religion, following Jesus is about freedom. Freedom from the consequences of sin both here & in the eternal state. Sin always brings death, and can be seen in life.
Examples of sins that lead to death-
God doesn't want you to be drunk- what are some negative consequences to being drunk? He says this to give you life, freedom, protection, wisdom.
God doesn't want you to sleep around- what are some destructive consequences that lead to bondage here?
God tells us it is not good to slander people-what are some destructive consequences that lead to bondage here?
God tells us not to rebel against authority- what are some destructive consequences that lead to bondage here?
Jesus tells us to "turn the other cheek"- what are some destructive consequences that lead to bondage if we don't? If we are people of revenge?
See what I mean here? Following Christ actually brings freedom, not bondage. However, to the person who prefers vice, then Christ will seem like one who puts chains on them.
D. Answered prayer.
E. Power for caring for others
F. Ability to understand the Scriptures
G. A helper (the Holy Spirit) to give you peace, comfort, perspective during hard times

3. So what does following Jesus look like today?
When you ask someone to be a Christian, so many different caricatures or straw-men come to mind. Guys standing on corners with signs, angry people, wimps, Jewish people, unstylish people, hypocrites, kind people, compassion, care, boring, fun, cowards, courageous, etc.
A. Submitting your will to God's will. This may mean God leading you to the mission field, it may mean God has you go to the college of your choice, into the career of your choice-then getting a job & making that your mission field. We should be open to where God may be leading us.
B. Perseverance. It means not denying Jesus when persecution comes. We stand with Jesus, even if it means we lose our job, friends, family. This is common in Muslim cultures. It means that work, etc. takes a lower priority to doing what Christ has called us to do. Because you are a Christian does NOT mean that you won't have any problems. In some respects, your problems may get worse, as mentioned above. We are still a work in progress (mentally, physically, emotionally, volitionally).
C. Lover of God. You will honor God in your thoughts, attitudes, words, deeds. No compromise! In fact, you do this not because you "should" but because you want to. Because you love God. Once again, God isn't impressed with our checklists of morality, he wants our hearts. For example, David struggled with a few very bad things, but still had a heart that strived for God. God was impressed with this. God will give you a heart for Him.
Part of this loving God is learning how to live for Him and how to represent Him well. It looks like having a desire to dig into Scripture to learn what God has to say & learn what God is like.
D. Caring for people. This means stepping outside of yourself and considering the interests of others above yourself. It may look like caring for a sick grandma, may look like volunteering at a soup kitchen/ crisis pregnancy center, going on trips to help people in Haiti, etc... It will look like getting involved in a local church and encouraging others in their faith by serving somewhere. Part of this is also a growing desire to invite others to enjoy the blessings of having peace and a relationship with God & his "called out ones"/Church.
E. Eternal rest. Death becomes a comma for the Christian. Afterward following Jesus means an eternity of rest & enjoying the presence of God with those who have trusted in Jesus as well, in a state unmarred by sin, death, destruction, and suffering. To the Jewish person, Heaven/paradise/Eden is likened to a fig tree- with thick leaves it is a place to rest, away from the intense heat of the sun. For the Christian, our current side of the comma is the closest we will get to Hell. For the lost, our current side of the comma is the closest they will get to peace & heaven.

Choose today, whom you will serve.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Lk 14:25–33). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Like a G6 (iced coffee edit)

2010-10-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Poppin Frappies in the ice, like a blizzard
When we buzz we do it right gettin buzzard
Sippin iced coffee in my ride, like Three 6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6
Like a G6, Like a G6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6

Verse 1

Gimme that St-Starbucks
Gimme that Ca-Caribou
Ladies love my style, at my table gettin wild
Get them bottles poppin, we get that drip and that drop
Now give me 2 more bottles cuz you know it don’t stop

(808) Heck Yeaa
Drink it up, drink-drink it up,
When tired girls around me, they be actin like they caffeinated
They be actin like they caffinated, actin-actin like they caffeinated
When sleepy girls around me actin-actin like they caffeinated

Hook
Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard
When we drink we do it right gettin buzzard
Sippin cappies in my ride, like Three 6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6
Like a G6, Like a G6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6

Verse 2

Sippin on, sippin on capp, Ima ma-make it fizz
Girl i keep it gangsta, poppin cappies at the crib
This is how we live, every single night
Take that bottle to the head, and let me see you fly

(808) Heck Yeaa
Drink it up, drink-drink it up,
When tired girls around me, they be actin like they caffeinated
They be actin like they caffinated, actin-actin like they caffeinated
When sleepy girls around me actin-actin like they caffeinated

Hook
Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard
When we drink we do it right gettin buzzard
Sippin cappies in my ride, like Three 6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6
Like a G6, Like a G6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6

Bridge

Its that 808 bump, make you put yo hands up
Make you put yo hands up, put yo, put yo hands up
(You can’t Touch this)
Its that 808 bump, make you put yo hands up
Make you put yo hands up, put yo, put yo hands up
(You can’t Touch this)
Hell Yeaaa, Make you put yo hands up, put yo put yo hands up
Hell Yeaaa, Make you put yo hands up, put yo put yo hands up

Hook
Poppin bottles in the ice, like a blizzard
When we drink we do it right gettin blizzard
Sippin cappies in my ride, like Three 6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6
Like a G6, Like a G6
Now I’m feelin so fly like a G6

God's favor & human perspective

2010-09-22T04:09:00.000-07:00

Psalm 5:12 "For it is You who blesses the righteous person, O Lord, You surround them with favor as with a shield."
I have a dear friend, who is a Christian. However, she really struggles with how God could love her. When she hears verses like, For God so loved the world..." she believes that it is true, except He doesn't love her. She feels unlovable.
One reason for this is because she had been praying for God to bring her a guy who she could love and be loved by. Soon afterward, it seemed that God brought a guy into her life (maybe He did, I dunno). Anyhow, things got a bit...let's say outside God's best for an unmarried couple, so they eventually broke up. Although she loved & had affection for him, she still felt a bit dirty for what she had done. Which helped her to eventually convince herself that she was dirty, and that God couldn't love her. Because she had violated the very thing He said not to do & because she had also violated herself.
Now she is growing in bitterness in God because God took the guy (like Jonah & the plant), and she is mad that God doesn't love her (which God never said, but she believes non-the-less).

Let me offer a different angle on this whole thing, in light of this verse I did for devotions this morning-"For it is You who blesses the righteous person, O Lord, You surround them with favor as with a shield."
I believe that God loves & is affectionate toward this friend, because she is a Christian and she has not yet hardened her heart toward God. I believe that God broke them up because they were unable to have an honorable relationship, so God was SHIELDING her (and probably him) from more trouble. He did that BECAUSE He loves her. I wish that she was able to understand this, but at this point she will not listen to anyone, and is not able to hear. Plus, I am afraid to pry.

Who does God hate? And a practical rabbit trail on Shepherding

2010-09-21T03:28:00.000-07:00

Psalm 5:5- "You hate all who do iniquity, You destroy those who speak falsehood; You abhor the man of bloodshed & deceit."

Hate- could it be that hate is the opposite of God's favor or willingness to help? To be against, to oppose, to find aweful?
Then I see a verse like Romans 5:8- while we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. His enemies, those who oppose Him.

In thinking about this & about people, I have to say that not all people are belligerent to God. Some are clueless, ignorant, lost. Which then takes me to Jesus' teaching on the heart soils. Here is a description of the 4:

1. Belligerent- hard, stubborn, on purpose against, obstinate, like a rock or beaten down path. These are the types that often killed the prophets. There are many I know like this. They, like Pharaoh, have hardened their hearts against God.
2. Shallow- tend to be emotion or fear driven. Emotions & thoughts are very powerful to them, and often they are carried away. They are kind of like boats in waves, or trees in wind. They get excited about God for a bit & at times, but then blow the other direction as the waves & ever changing winds of life carry them. It is hard for this type of heart/person to get footing & sometimes they are prone to follow emotional-driven cults or ideals.
3. Weedy soil- burdened & choked, worried, need-driven, their minds are always troubled by fears & problems. Occasionally they feel free to live & to follow God, but the load or overwhelmingness of life chokes out their progress & "sends them back to Go". Just when they think they are doing well, something else comes along and hamstrings them once more. Sadly, sometimes they give up hope.
4. Good soil- I can't judge why it is good except, that I don't believe any soil is good without God's hand on it. It is pliable, top soil who accepts the teachings of Jesus & wants to know & eager to grow crops.

#1 soil people grieve me. I think this is the type of person God speaks of here in Psalm 5:5. They are Psalm 2:1-3 types.

So, as a shepherd, or small group leader, or teacher, how do we:
1. Identify people's hearts? Or do we?
2. Care for people at each type? Or do we make a distinction?

Thoughts-
I believe the Lord has called us to both broadcast seed (throw seed) and to plant seed.
Examples- if we are speaking to a crowd we throw seed. If we do more intimate teaching times we can plant seed and better cultivate the soil.

Judging a heart's health among individuals in your flock is hard & needs to be done with great care (need to read 1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Corinthians 5:16).
Examples:
1. I know a teen who most would say is a #1 soil type, I would say (after spending a couple of years weekly with him) that he is a #2/3 type.
2, I know another teen who most would say is a #3,4 type. However, caring about this person & through years together I am very fearful that she is or is dangerously close to becoming a #1 heart type, who is good at acting like a #4.
3. I know two guys who people say have #4 hearts ("good hearts") but I know them well & fully believe that they are #1s all the way. However, some people are idealistic in this area and would probably even say that Satan had a "good heart" deep down inside. While I would like to believe this, sadly it is not reality.

So how do you serve & help people with each heart type?
1. You invite all, and pray for the hearts of all, that they would love Jesus and love others.
#1 soils- I THINK you pray for them, and be open to caring for them. They will not respond well to you or to God, because they are set against you and against God. God would really have to show them severe mercy. Sadly, it usually takes something very drastic in order to till up their soil.
#2 soils- I love to use the "Train" teaching (fact-faith-feeling), to help them set their cars in order. They need help with their thinking process, order, and logic. They need to learn that life is deeper than emotional truth. I need to think through this some more.
#3 soils- Need to iron out what is a normal load that everyone has to carry through life & what is a burden in which they need help...I know this sounds harsh. They will often need someone to enter their mess & walk with them through problems. They need a lot of care & a lot of time. I need to think through this some more to develop it.
#4 soils- Need to be given direction & then need someone to mentor them.

I believe these types can be lumped into 3 major types
1. Hard soil (#1)
2. Mixed soil (#2 #3)
3. Cultivated soil (#4)

I also believe that they can be lumped into 2 super types
1. Impermeable soil (#1) is not redeemed-because they are closed to God
2. Penetrable soil (#2,3,4) may or may not be redeemed-depends if Christ is in the soil. At times, the soil is recognized by the yield.

One note on this super types- note that yield only comes through faith. Taking Jesus as savior and lord is what redeems us, a redeemed person then should produce good works in joining with Jesus' mission of reaching others (read Ephesians 2:8-10).

Anyhow, these are my thoughts on this. May our hearts be top soil hearts! Always open to Jesus and desiring to produce a yield of good works.

Swingsets & Heaven

2010-08-20T04:32:00.001-07:00

I will never forget the moment when my son, Benjamin, didn't want my help swinging on the swings. "I can do it myself", Benjamin told me. Similarly, that is how most of the world thinks about earning the right to be in Heaven. They wrongly believe that they can or have to do it themselves.

However, one day a young, what we would consider moral or devout man came up to Jesus and ask what He must "do" to enter Heaven. Jesus challenged Him and said, "Why do you call Me (referring to Jesus) good? No one is good except God alone." Jesus didn't even allow Himself the title of being good....which basically tells me that if salvation was up to me doing enough good to be considered good.....then I'm screwed! Jesus' disciples then asked Him, "Who can be saved?" Jesus' response was, "With man this is impossible." (Luke 18:19-27).

So, one day when you stand before God, He may ask, "Why should I let you into Heaven with Me?" What will your response be?

If it's, "Well I'm a pretty good person. Haven't stolen, murdered, or cheated anyone.", "I went to church every week & gave some money.", or "I took care of my ailing grandma.", then you will fall short because the "I did it myself" answer does not make you perfect. In order to enter Heaven, you have to be perfect. And unless you are either completely full of pride, or completely ignorant, you know that you are far from perfect. You, me, we all have missed the mark of perfection, we all are defiled, prone to sin, prone to be selfish at times, prone to think evil thoughts once in a while...right?

So what will you say to God on the day you meet Him? Either when Jesus returns or when you die. What will your answer be? Is it possible for anyone to be saved or are we all lost?

Email me, or send me a message for the answer if you want. Or here are a few passages from the Bible that give the answer. Don't take my word for it, look it up for yourself:
Romans 3:23
Romans 5:6-8
John 3:14-18
John 1:12
Romans 10:9-11
1 John 3:13

A Theology of the Church

2010-08-19T03:10:00.000-07:00

What is the purpose of the church? What is the church suppose to be doing?
There are 5 types of churches that I see:
1. Seeker church- focused mainly on winning the lost (or shuffling the sheep).
2. Country Club church- focused on fellowship and feelin' good.
3. Holy Huddle church- focused on discipleship and being separate from the sinful activities of the world.
4. Liberal church- focuses on caring for the poor, needy, hurting.
5. Dead church- doesn't really excel in any of these areas. People go because they have always gone to that church. They don't want to be like "those other churches" so they don't really do anything.

Now let's look at the dark side of each:
1. Seeker church-usually struggles with discipleship or depth (um, kinda like GCC in Mishawaka).
2. Country Club church- people are struggling, dying, going to eternity apart from Christ everywhere & they don't seem to mind much. Keith Green drew a brilliant picture of this church. ------>
3. Holy Huddle church- similar to #2 but with less joy & don't even bother helping anyone, especially those outside of the church. They are typically so individually focused on their sin, that they don't have much time for others.
4. Liberal church- terrible theology, and some become so bad at theology that they forget about the depth, richness of being in Christ. Also, they sometimes neglect their personal holiness.
5. Dead church- there is no dark side seeing that it is all the same color of black. ......I have nothing else good to say about this church.

So, what is the church suppose to do? What is it good for? What purpose does it serve? Is it more than just hanging out with sinful people on Sunday morning? Why does God want us to be a part of this messy thing called "the body of Christ"?
Oh, ekklesia- is the Greek word for church. It means the "called out". It is those who are believers in, trusting in Jesus, the Son of God, as Christ (savior) and are striving to live for Him.

This study is a brief summary of my studies & is not an in depth blog. If you want a lot of supporting verses, let's go out for coffee & have fun digging through the text.

So what is the church suppose to do?
I see 5 primary thrusts.
1. Help people come to know Jesus, so they can have peace with God (Matthew 28).
2. Help people grow up in Christ (Matthew 28). What is commonly referred to as discipleship.
3. Equip & encourage Christians to serve (Ephesians 4).
4. Care for the needy, hurting, helpless (Matthew 22).
5. Live a holy life (Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 22).

In my opinion, all Christians need to focus on: 5,4,3 (at least in encouragement), 1
According to Ephesians 4, pastors need to focus primarily on: 3,2 while not neglecting the others. People in the church, who are not called to be pastors serve in 1,2,4. Pastors equip people that they can do this well.
So, if you are a Christian, you should be about living a holy life, caring for people, encourage people in their faith, help people grow in Christ (teach a class, lead a small group, help with VBS, start a sports ministry, etc), and reach your neighbors with the good news (neighborhood Bible Study, help a neighbor shovel the snow, missions, frequent a place to share Christ, etc).

Let the pastors focus on their thing & don't leave all the work up to them. I was just talking to a Catholic lady yesterday and she asked me why I don't see a priest for confession. I wanted to tell her that I believe in the priesthood of all believers, but didn't because I wanted to keep the focus on Jesus. We all can take part in serving God. Ephesians 4 says that pastors are to equip God's people for service. A pastor's job is to proclaim God's word & train YOU to serve in various ways.

Also, some people, who say they are Christians (cough), separate themselves from the local church & still think God is happy with them. Nope. God has called us to community. These people need to put away their angst & get plugged in. Is the church often annoying & full of hypocrites? I certainly hope so! Hypocrites & annoying people need Jesus & need to grow up in Him, just as we educated, sophisticated, near perfect people do (I smell a bit of sarcasm here).

Anyhow, in order to be a healthy church, which fires on all cylinders, we need to put focus on all 5 of these areas. In order to be a balanced Christian, we shouldn't put all of our focus on one area. So evaluate yourself to see if you are living out a healthy theology of what it means to be a Christian.

Bedouin Hospitality

2010-08-05T13:58:00.001-07:00

So we were hiking in Israel & came upon a Bedouin (Muslim) community. We asked if we could join them & they very quickly said yes. A few observations-first, the women immediately broke out a fire & cooked us some bread and hot tea. Second, the kids and women tried to communicate with us. We were welcome to stay for a long time. I found out later that we could have probably stayed for up to 3 days...all 18 of us. After 3 days they would start to put less sugar in the tea, which would be a hint that our time to stay had come to an end. However, we didn't stay for more than an hour.
These people didn't know us. We were of a different religion, custom, culture & who knows what our "business" was. However, in that culture, you take in guests because you never know if God is sending you a messenger.
In the Bible you see this with Abraham & Sarah (Genesis 18). You see this principle taught in Hebrews 13:2 and Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 5:10; 1 Peter 4:9 and more. Jesus taught that we are to even love our enemies (Matt. 5:43-44)and that a faithful person needs to invite strangers in (Matthew 25:35). Having strangers stay in your home should be normal for Christians; we should look forward to it.

Excuses people give to not obey Christ in this area:
1. But what if they are dangerous? Then use common sense.
2. But they may steal something! So what. Then hide what is valuable to you. Better yet, sell the stuff that is expensive and give to the poor. What about being more concerned with saving something...their soul?.
3. But I am not a person who likes guests. Well, grow up in your faith. Hospitality (which means inviting strangers in) is a normal Christian thing. Chances are you have bought into some of our cultures problems. You need to spend some time with the Lord and work this out so that you are one who likes guests, or at least is open to having strangers in when an opportunity comes.
4. But they might be dirty. Probably. That is why God gave you money. You can clean the stuff AFTER they leave.
5. But God has called me to be a good steward of my stuff & this is bad stewardship...it runs the risk of damage. See #2. I personally think that Christians should put less value on stewardship & much more value on people and advancing his kingdom.
6. What might people think? Well, this would set a great example for you to follow.
7. I don't have the time. Perhaps we US people should be less busy and "tithe" our time to do things such as these.
8. I am out of town. That is understandable.
9. There are more important things to focus on. No, I disagree. People are to be #2 on our list of important things. Remember what Jesus said about the sheep & the goats. This is a common conservative Christian response. Well, we aren't called to be conservative but generous.
A good illustration of this is the Hebrew Bible law. Farmers were to leave the corners of their crops for the poor. In other words, they weren't to harvest all the stuff they planted. That way they could help care for the poor.

Hospitality is a great way to care for your neighbors & to share the love of Jesus with them. Who knows, they may accept Jesus because of YOU. And who knows, they just may be an angel or more yet, Jesus.

Convinced? Contact www.couchsurfing.org

Alright, Jesus is messing me up

2010-08-02T04:58:00.001-07:00

So, this morning I am reading Luke 6:20-26, and on several levels this is breaking down a lot of the "religion" that I have been taught. Here is the passage:

And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.
23 “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.
25 “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

So I used to actually read verse 24 like this, "But woe to you who are rich(er than Jeff Korhorn), for you are receiving your comfort in full." I also took this & have read this context, especially verses 20-21 as those who are spiritually poor, hungry, weeping. However, that interpretation doesn't make any sense with the rest of the context. Because that would mean that those in verse 25 who are spiritually rich, spiritually well-fed, and spiritually happy now will suffer later. Is Jesus saying that there is punishment for those who are spiritually vibrant? I don't see it.
Here Jesus seems to be talking about physically poor/rich, hungry/well-fed, weeping/laughing.

So is it wrong to be rich? Is it wrong to be well-fed? Is it wrong to laugh? What is rich? What is well-fed? What does He mean by "laugh"?

A few thoughts, as I think through this out loud on my blog-
1. This verse in Mark comes to mind right away.

And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
35 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
37 “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

I think Jesus is teaching, as He typically does, at the heart of man. He's challenging our hearts.
Possibly, and this is the part that is bugging me, is He teaching that we should give up our excess: our possessions, our food, our money, our hearts to those in need? Then, what is excess?
For the sake of not becoming a checklist, I am gonna keep what I think I should do to myself. But I will say that I think I need to live radically different. I tend to live in fear of not having enough, I am often discontent (needing just one more thing), we (by looking at our weight) spend more than enough on food and I am probably overweight because I eat when nervous & bored. All that to say, I am often self-centered. There are people in Findlay living on the street & the "danger patrol" says that I shouldn't have anyone live at our house because they might kill my children. To me, the people I see on the street, would not & last I checked, God was sovereign & good. We can always find excuses not to do good.

Anyhow, there is a lot for me to think about. Jesus still continues to mess up MY life.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Mk 8:34–37). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Lk 6:20–26). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Dealing with People

2010-07-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, this is more of a self-study for me. Dr. Perry, from Moody Bible Institute, gave me this passage once to preach on. I knew at that time, and I know now that this is one of the hardest passages for me to live out; one I continually need to work on.

2 Timothy 2:23-25
"But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,"

Reflections
1. When a Christian ("Lord's servant") is quarrelsome, rude, impatient, harsh they are not being a good representative/ambassador for Christ. They are allowing the impulses of the flesh to control them instead of God's Spirit. I know I struggle with this from moment to moment. I strive to be controlled by the Spirit, but often surrender to the strong pull of the flesh-impulses.
2. Refuse foolish and ignorant speculations (knowing they produce quarrels)-

μωρός mōrós; fem. mōrá, neut. mōrón, adj. Silly, stupid, foolish, from which the Eng. word “moron” is derived. Used of persons meaning morally worthless (Matt. 5:22). It is a more serious reproach than raká (4469), raca, which scorns a man by calling him stupid, whereas mōrós scorns him concerning his heart and character. Used of things (2 Tim. 2:23 “foolish and ignorant questionings” [a.t.]; Titus 3:9). In Matt. 5:13 and Luke 14:34, it refers to salt that has lost its flavor, become tasteless (mōraínō [3471]).

ἀπαίδευτος apaídeutos; gen. apaideútou, masc.–fem., neut. apaídeuton, adj. from the priv. a (1), without, and paideúō (3811), to instruct, chastise, correct. Unlearned, untaught, ignorant, stupid, foolish. Of persons (Sept.: Prov. 8:5; 15:15; 17:21). Only in 2 Tim. 2:23 referring to nonsensical, i.e., inept, trifling, absurd disputations.

So basically don't get into moronic, worthless, morally empty discussions and don't argue things you are ignorant about or don't know much about. Don't get into stupid arguments that don't really mean anything. Avoid, decline, refuse, don't engage in these type of "conversations", they aren't in any way beneficial. Don't only not die on these hills, but don't even step foot on these hills.

3. "The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all"- first, I am a servant by choice. I have decided to take the name of Christ upon myself, my life. Furthermore, God has allowed me (for whatever reason, or no reason-certainly by no merit of my own) to bear His name.

μάχομαι; μάχη, ης f: serious conflict, either physical or non-physical, but clearly intensive and bitter—‘to clash severely, struggle, fight.’

A Christian (follower of Jesus), should not get into bitter conversations/fights/conflicts with people. They should, rather, strive to be at peace with all men (especially those who are in opposition! or from a different viewpoint) (Hebrews 12:14). Our role is to be not quarrelsome but to be kind to all (ex spouses, people of different worldviews, people who hate you, family, co-workers, your boss, your teacher, your teammates, the opposing team, etc.).
Kind is a hard word for me to wrap my head around. Is it kind to be direct in your approach (commonly my approach) or does kind also include a soft, around the horn approach or a gentle approach-direct but gentle (ie ask good questions)?
It is to be gentle, mild, easy toward all. This is hard for me because I have an intense, direct style. I get nervous when I have to confront someone on an issue and tend to go direct, to dive in, to "Geronimo" the situation. So pray for me about this, that I would be more of a kind, gentle person (kinda like Jon Jeter if you know him).
"with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth"

Gentleness- πραΰτης, ητος f; πραϋπαθία, ας f: gentleness of attitude and behavior, in contrast with harshness in one’s dealings with others—‘gentleness, meekness, mildness.’
πραΰτης: μετὰ πάσης ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ πραΰτητος ‘be always humble and meek’ Eph 4:2.
πραϋπαθία: δίωκε … ὑπομονήν, πραϋπαθίαν ‘strive for … endurance and gentleness’ 1 Tm 6:11.
In a number of languages ‘gentleness’ is often expressed as a negation of harshness, so that ‘gentleness’ may often by rendered as ‘not being harsh with people,’ but gentleness may also be expressed in some instances in an idiomatic manner, for example, ‘always speaking softly to’ or ‘not raising one’s voice.’

The picture in the context is of meeting the opposition of aggressive, controversial people, absorbing the pain without losing one’s temper and lashing back at them. People are like eggs, and talk like lions. They may boast of how great they are, but often it is to cover frailness. People are sensitive, brittle, hurt easily & deeply. People should get a tat that says, "Fragile: Handle with Care". I need to value people enough to deal with them gently.

If you are a Christian, and your "wiring" makes this difficult, like it is for me, then let's work on this together and be the representatives God wants us to be, so we can represent Him well. With God's help.

Bibliography-
Liefeld, W. L. (1999). The NIV Application Commentary: 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus (261). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Vol. 1: Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (748). New York: United Bible societies.

Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Vol. 1: Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (494). New York: United Bible societies.
Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (2 Ti 2:23–26). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

2010-07-09T04:24:00.001-07:00

"For God & Country!"

Where is your primary citizenship?
If you are a Christian, then through adoption, your primary citizenship is heaven, with Christ. You are a citizen in heaven, living here as an ambassador to do the work God has called you to do. Below are the verses for this case.

Now before you think I am pushing a Christian Jihad or some Christian extremist thing, we need to see what God has called us to do, and what this citizenship means.

1. It is a paradigm shift.
It helps us to, as Christians, put the world in perspective. It helps non-Christians to put us into perspective.

2. It is a call to mission.
A. God has called us to Love!
God has called us to be devoted, committed, loyal to Him.
God has called us to love people, both through our actions & deeply from the heart.

B. God has called us to Jihad!
God has called us to go into the world, and make disciples of all nations.
"Make"- some early Christians, if you can call them that, took make as a message of war. Wrongly, they saw people of different religions, primarily the Muslim people as the enemy.
Unlike the Qurans teachings, God, the Creator, has not called us to revenge. Our struggle is NOT against people. Check out Ephesians 6 to see what our struggle is against.
Also, if you look at Jesus' MO (method of operation), you see that He was not like the Zealots of His day, but was peaceful. Teaching to act in love, gentleness, kindness, humility, patience, prayerfully. Furthermore, the weapons of the Christian are truth, righteousness, faith, God's word, salvation, the gospel, prayer. Not guns, knives, missiles, hate.
Also, God never forces anyone to believe. It is their choice. God will even go as far as to work in their hearts, but the choice is up to the individual. And He desires for all people to be saved.

3. It must trump current residence.
The citizenship of the Christian is much greater than the country they live!
One thing that should disgust Christians and non-Christians alike is when we wrap the USA flag around the cross. The Christian flag should be flown higher than the USA flag, or whatever nation you reside, because that is the Church's true, higher citizenship (at least in your heart it should fly higher). The Christian flag should go to the right of the speaker, should be at the center of the grouping of flags, should be lit brighter at night, etc... Just to help us remember that we are a part of a bigger calling. We are citizens of heaven, living as ambassadors here, to represent God in whatever country we reside. Now there is nothing wrong with your country's flag, or voting, or paying taxes (you should obey the government in as much as it doesn't contradict a clear teaching in Scripture), but we need to keep this proper perspective.

Lastly, does this mean a Christian is better or has a "moral highroad", as my friend Andrew likes to debate? No. But we, through Christ's teachings, have a transferred citizenship upon receiving Christ as our savior and Lord.

Verses
Verses you need to look up to see this clearly-
Ephesians 2:19
1 Peter 2:10
Philippians 3:20
Hebrews 12:22-23
2 Corinthians 5:20
Ephesians 6:20
1 Peter 2:11

The Man from Nazareth

2010-06-28T03:33:00.000-07:00

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." -John 1:14

If you were God & could design how the Messiah would come, what would you do?

1. Issue- The smallness of Jesus.
Some people today assert that Jesus cannot be the Messiah. Their reason is similar to that of a child who has a birthday party and receives under his expectations. Or in haste beholds his presents and then says, "That's it?". Some expect that the real Messiah would be famous, well-received by His people, and accepted by all the world. They believe that when the Messiah comes, it will be a time for celebration & will be so big that the world will not miss him or her. If Jesus is the Messiah, to them it seems like a fireworks show that never had a lasting grand finale. Jesus, in their opinion, was kind of a "dud".

2. Big picture of Jesus- He is the key figure in history
Well, lets look at Jesus, from a big picture perspective. Jesus, unlike Mohammad or any other religious leader, actually did miracles, fulfilled prophecy, and rose physically from the dead. He, an obscure man from Israel, from Bethlehem & Nazareth, two small towns in the Middle-East is known all over the world. Even back then, non-Christian historians wrote about Him. He is the central person of history, He is the person which all are divided over. This one man has forever changed the world. Either you embrace Him as your savior, or you grince at the sound of His name. All major world religions have a place for Him, but all reject Him (which is why they are considered different religions, unaccepted by Jesus). He is the pivot point, the stumbling block, the sword, the great divider. He splits up families, and forges new ones, He heals the sick, raises the dead & causes people to reject Him. He was the one the Hebrew Scriptures pointed to and who the New Testament books talk about. The main gist of the Scriptures is- If you know Him, you know God. If you don't know Him, you cannot know God.

3. So, why then doesn't everyone embrace Him if He is the Messiah?
However, in this assumption, or neatly contrived formula, of how a real Messiah would be received, they forget one element. They forget human pride, sin, depravity, greed, lust, selfishness, impurity, and the rest of the evil that men focus on. Most have their lives planned out and don't want the interruptions a savior would bring. Pride says, "I will handle it myself and don't need saving.". Lust says, "You mean I gotta stop this? Well, maybe when I'm old." and may never reach that point.

As to the Jewish people- Many Jewish have embraced Him (tens of thousands). Most have rejected Him. One day, Israel, as a whole, will receive Him when He returns. As for those who have rejected their Messiah & died, there is no hope (same outcome for the nations).
Back to the fireworks show- The prophets advertised the upcoming show, Jesus was the fireworks show, the grand finale was the Father resurrecting him from the dead, the journalists reporting were the apostles & Church.

4. Many do embrace Him. To many He is HUGE.
Pulling back out- people from every nation, every culture, most every language (maybe even all languages) have embraced Him. He is the one who can cross all racial, ethnic, and language divides, because He is above all of these. He reaces to the nomad in the Negev & the king in Uganda. He reaches the executive at Marathon and the trainer at McDonald's. He excites the heart of the homeless man on Lower Wacker, and the shepherd in Mongolia. He give hope to the brother in North Korea, and the woman with cancer in Findlay. He reaches out to and saves the heroin addict, the hooker, the athlete, the intellectual, the doctor, the party animal, the engineer, the dancer. He offers salvation to the atheist, the Muslim, the Baptist, the agnostic, the homosexual, the drunk, the arrogant, the fool, the wise, the Bali dancer, the pole dancer, the writer, the lifeguard, the jock, the rejected, if they would receive Him. And each can come, just as they are and receive him as He is.

The picture is big, the choice is personal.

Jonathan's Question re: Holocaust, Jesus, & Heaven

2010-06-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

So I felt it necessary for me to think through Jonathan from the Maui trips question on how ridiculous it is for Christians to assert that Holocaust victims would go to Hell.

A couple random thoughts
1. The Holocaust was evil.
2. Hitler was not a Christian.
3. Jonathan is confusing the question of salvation with the character of God. I think Jonathan's real question is, "How could a loving God allow that?".
4. God is working out His purposes for the Jewish people. And has partially hardened their hearts until the full number of Gentiles comes in.
5. How the Holocaust works into God's plan is beyond me. It does remind me of the several times in Israel's history of when they have been taken captive by other nations like Babylon (ie Daniel & his buddies). God brought them into captivity SO THAT they would not perish, but have everlasting life. He brought them much trouble, because without trouble they would not repent. Once again, I do not know the complete mind of God. So I can't say for sure.

So do the Holocaust victims all go to Heaven?
1. Because someone goes through a terrible time does not qualify them to go to Heaven. God has never called us to "pay our dues", or all experience some kind of hell in order to have life.
2. Because someone was a basically good person (ie better than Hitler) does not qualify them to go to Heaven. If goodness was the qualifier, none of us would ever go to Heaven. So be thankful this is not the case.
3. The issue comes back down to the question, "How does anyone go to heaven?".
According to the Bible, anyone who places their trust in Jesus has life; enters into an eternal relationship with God.
4. Therefore, if people in the Holocaust placed their trust in Jesus, then they are forgiven and enter into a restored relationship with God. If anyone places their trust in Jesus, they are forgiven and enter into a restored relationship with God. Did some of the Holocaust people do this? I have no idea, but I think I have heard stories about this.
5. Does God make special exceptions for those who have been "cheated" out of a life of pleasure and general goodness? No. Actually, suffering is a friend of people. And, until we get our minds around this, we will never understand that pleasure can often be worse than suffering. Back to WHY God often sent Israel into captivity, and why Solomon said, "Better the house of mourning than the house of celebration.".

So a simple equation, to explain who goes to heaven:

T->L Trusting in Jesus as savior from your sin leads to life
NT-> D Refusing to trust in Jesus as savior from your sin leads to continued death

The holocaust was evil, no doubt. But even though evil happens, God is still good and is working out His plan for Israel, wanted none to perish but all to accept His great salvation through receiving their Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ.

Do Christians go to Heaven at the Moment of Death?

2010-06-21T04:48:00.000-07:00

Q: Do Christians go to Heaven at the moment of death?

A:

1. What does it mean to be dead?
Dead= your soma is in a casket, river, urn, whatever. Your pneuma/psyche (spirit, soul, consciousness) is somewhere else. The destination of where else you are we will get into in a little bit.

2. The Bible says that those in Christ "fall asleep". What does this mean? Dead.
To fall asleep, is a metaphor for being dead. In the Hebrew Bible and the world of the Hebrews, the phrase "to sleep" for someone who is no longer living, means to die.

Example- John 11:11-14, Jesus said that Lazarus had fallen asleep. The disciples were confused as to why Jesus needed to help a guy taking a nap, so Jesus speaks in a literal way by telling them that Lazarus is dead.

Example 2- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16, Paul talks about those who have fallen asleep in Christ. Later he refers to those same people who are dead & how they, at Christ's coming, will rise first. They are asleep in Christ/dead.

Example 3- 1 Kings 2:10, David slept with his fathers and was buried.

See also Lazarus and the rich dude. See Luke 16:19-31.

There is no soul sleep. Some suggest this, but it is not found in the Bible. At best, it is a misinterpretation of the first three examples I just gave.

3. So what happens at the moment of death for Christians?
At the moment of death 2 things happen.
Your body (soma) stops working.
Your spirit, soul, consciousness (pneuma, psyche) go to one of two places.

Place 1- Hades>Lake of Fire
If you are not in Christ, it goes to Hades (see Luke 16:19-31 for a description of what this place is like) until the Great White Throne Judgment, where Christ will then cast a person into the Lake of Fire which was prepared for Satan & his angels. This is the second death, a place of conscious bitterness & torment.
*Possibly, this is a place where God gives the sinner exactly what they want. An eternity of separation from God. Freedom to be on their own. But the question then is, "why are they so unhappy?".
*Is this place fair? Is God just? YES. People know their is such a place, but don't really worry about it, often until it is too late.
*God also made known the remedy for sin. That is through submitting to the savior, receiving His gift of salvation and turning from our sin (self-directed living).
God leaves us the choice. To say, "God, I don't want you. I am fine thanks.". Or to say, "God I have sinned, Jesus I need your help, the salvation you offer, and I want you to be my Lord.".

Place 2- Heaven, Eden, with God, Paradise
Those that are "in Christ", at the moment of death go to be with Christ.
In fact, quite possibly, death is the point in which Jesus comes and removes us from our bodies. I have heard stories from people I know who, at the moment of their death, have raised up their hands to Jesus, smiled, and said, "Jesus" and then died.

Example 1- Stephen's death, Acts 7:52-60.

Biblical support
Luke 23:43- Jesus tells the criminal hanging next to him that he would be with him, TODAY in paradise.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8- Paul would rather be absent from the body & at home with the Lord. Not that this rules out an intermediate place, but Paul makes no mention of some other option.
Philippians 1:23- Paul would like to depart & be with Christ. To depart is to be with Christ.
Hebrews 12:23- the spirits of the righteous who are made perfect, there are some who are enrolled (in the census) of Heaven from the church. See some examples in Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-10; 6:10

Further Questions-
1. What about Purgatory?
Purgatory is not taught in the Bible, it is a Catholic tradition. There is reference to "praying for the dead" in one of the Apocryphal books, but these are not on par with Scripture.
Purgatory is an insult to the sufficiency of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Purgatory is against the gospel. It teaches that somehow we need to work or wait off, to merit, at least in part, our salvation. Scripture clearly teaches that we cannot earn our salvation, it is a free gift. God designed it this way so that only He can receive the glory, not human pride. God will not allow humans to receive any self-made glory. And this is why the message of the Cross is so difficult. People want, in their pride, to be self-made. They don't want to submit to a handout. The Cross was a handout.

2. Aren't those who have died outside of Christ, at some point, annihilated? No. The Bible clearly teaches eternal, consciousness. We are eternal beings. Our flesh is created, material, takes up mass. Our inner person is immaterial & therefore cannot be destroyed. There is eternal death but not the word eternal. There is no ending point. It is the eternity of separation from the blessings of God, exactly what the person wanted in life, but in death will soon learn to regret. It is an eternity of regret and suffering.

3. Say I die in some freak accident before I make a choice....do I get a choice after death? No. It is appointed for a person to die once, and after that to face judgment. We will eventually realize that Christ is the Lord, but we only have this life to make our choice, according to Jesus. And we already know this to be true, so after death we will be without excuse.

4. What about babies or the mentally unable who die? What about murdered/aborted babies? Bible is not clear, but I would appeal to God's mercy on this one. If they are unable to make a choice because of mental inability, then I believe God is merciful.

5. What about those who have never heard? I posted on this already. Let me know if you want more info. on this on, as this is not the scope of this discussion.

Has the Bible been changed over time?

2010-06-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Short answer- No.

Longer answer-
The earliest complete New Testament (Codex Sinaiticus) is from 350AD.
We have quotes from the early church fathers that quote all but eleven verses of the New Testament. The dates of these quotes go from Clemente in 96AD until the latest quote from Irenaeus in around 188AD.
By way of comparison, the book of Revelation is dated around 90AD.
In short, the Bible from AD188 to the Bible we have today says the exact same thing. There have not been changes or alterations. What you see, is what was written. These are the facts.
Yes, people have TRIED to add things to the Bible or alter the Bible to fit their theology (LDS, Jehovah's Witnesses, Gnostics, etc), but these alterations are NOT accepted. They are thrown out.
The Bible of today is the same Bible that the early church fathers read. You can fully trust that the Bible was preserved.

Even more detail-
1. I have studied the translation & copying process. It is very very thoruough. Plus, if you look at the ealiest manuscripts you will see for yourself how they stack up.
2. There are over 5,300 known ancient Greek manuscript copies (MSS) and fragments of the New Testament in Greek that have survived until today.
Counting an additional 10,000 Latin Vulgate and over 9,300 other early manuscript versions in Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Gothic, and Ethiopic, totaling over 24,000 surviving manuscripts of the New Testament.
Small changes and variations in manuscripts affect none of the central Christian doctrines, nor do they change the message.
3. Tertullian stated that by 150 A.D., the Church in Rome had compiled a list of the New Testament books matching our list of today.
4. We have 32,000 quotes from before 325 AD, from Irenaeus (182-188 AD), Justin Martyr (before 150 AD), Polycarp (107 AD), Ignatius (100), Clement (96 AD) and many other second and third century fathers. All but eleven verses of the New Testament could be reconstructed through their writings alone.
5. The Muratonian Canon Fragment dating from 170 AD lists the same New Testament that we have.
6. See the Ante-Nicean Fathers, a 32 volume Encyclopedia of the writings of the Early Church, by Eerdmans Publishing. Or on the Internet see the Early Church Fathers
7. http://biblefacts.org/history/oldtext.html

So, NO the deity of Christ was not manipulated into the system at some council or through some Joe Sixpack. He always claimed to be God. The New Testament writers & those who met Him, believe that He is God & even died for those beliefs. It was not added to in 325AD as some suggest. Nor was it changed by Constantine in around 300AD. It says what it says, it is what it is.

Funny Fart Story

2010-06-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Just happened today & have to share it.
1. A college student (female) was sitting in our youth room in the pitch dark, working on her laptop.
2. My buddy had some massive gas built up, so he found a quiet room to go into to release the "pressure" of the gas. Thinking no one was in there he fired away.
Unfortunately he wasn't alone.
He turned on the lights after he was done with several rounds of loud gas release and to his horror, saw this college girls sitting there.

...guess he is having one of those days.

Jesus loves Hookers

2010-05-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

So often we as Christians get mad at one of two people. 1) sinners, 2) legalists. Actually, this is not very different than other people in society as well. We cringe and feel uncomfortable with sinners-people who are living a lifestyle that is more "dirty" than ours, and we hate people who look down their noses at us. Both need love, both need our patience. But I want to address this first group that we tend to hate (treat poorly).

Non-Christians and Christians- one thing we often do wrong when we investigate Jesus is to judge HIM by His beloved church (which is full of imperfect people). This would be like going into McDonald's and judging Ray Kroc by a couple of bad employees (and neglecting the good by the way). You can't do that. Judge Jesus based on what HE did, what HE claimed. But I digress...
Let's tune into Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.

When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”

But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Mt 9:9–13). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

First, Matthew was a crook & was seen as a "sell-out" to his fellow countrymen. A disrespected guy. Jesus calls HIM to be a student of his! Why?
Matthew, clearly excited about God's love, grace, mercy, depth for him throws a big party & invites all of his buddies to meet this Jesus. I am not sure what all his friends were "in to" but one thing is for sure, they were not all too religious- they were called "sinners". Do you know any sinners? We do know that they were clearly those who "missed the mark" and didn't have life all figured out. We do know that Jesus hung around a few hookers, drunks, violent men, sell outs, hypocrites, arrogant, liars, and party animals. People who had real lives, who were trying to figure things out, who clearly had some issues that characterized them. By the way, His love for them is genuine, not some shallow charity case love. He cared for them. In fact, didn't he have a couple prostitutes that were often with him and his disciples? (don't read into that too much)
The religious leaders were offended! "Why is your teacher eating with such scum?" Literally, "Why is your teacher eating with tax collectors (I can hear the disgust in their voice) and sinners (probably with gritted teeth)?" These religious LEADERS would never think of such a thing. To do so would have made them look bad, would have offended their clientele, would have shown approval of the sin right?

Jesus' response is phenominal! I hope you catch it. He responds, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. “But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Did Jesus not understand that these beloved people were missing the mark & were living in opposition to God? Absolutely! Does God overlook sin? Never! However, life is much deeper than behaviorism. Jesus, in spite of their sin/issues loved people. He loved them. Not a fake, religious love. It was a willful love, he wanted to. And it was an affectionate love, he felt warmly for them. And it was a charity love, someone needs to love them in their mess...I will.
He sends the religious leaders out with a rebuke, "Why do I hang with these people? Go and learn this-
1. I desire compassion, not sacrifice.
Their problem was that they were so worried about proving to God that they were all that, that they missed following God altogether. If you want to love God, you cannot act unloving to people. To love people is an expression of love for God. If you hate your brother who you have seen, you cannot love God who you have not seen. It is fine to be religious if that's your flavor. But MORE IMPORTANT is to love people & meet people where they are, to dive in, and love them through the journey. Regardless if they ever accept Jesus or not. Compassion doesn't mean that we ignore sin, but that we come alongside people and help them to grow to know Christ & to enjoy the freedom of choosing to follow God's best for them.

For the last 7 years, I have thought what I would do if I became a missionary in Kwakwani, Guyana. The first thing I would do, would be to go into the night clubs and make some friends. To have a great time dancing to the reggae music (I love reggae) and caring for my fellow man. May a Christian get mad at me or offended? Surely! But you can't expect someone with a different worldview to come to your church...and wring your hands because your church isn't growing! Maybe you aren't showing enough compassion if you aren't offending enough legalists. People in the back-lines like to complain.

2. Jesus came to call sinners, not the righteous.
Were the religious leaders righteous? Just a couple of them (Nicodemus & some other guy are mentioned, then eventually Paul after God straightened him out). They were religious but still cut off from God, because they focused on their traditions and forgot all about God!
Let's be blunt. We are all sinners. We all sin. None of us is good at seeking after God. We are often too busy for him. Only a handful of Christians I know read the Bible and pray on a daily basis.
Still need to be convinced? Our standard of who is good & who is evil is Jesus. And he even rejected the title of good! Anyone who is not as sinless as Jesus is a sinner, evil, in need of God's mercy. I know a lot of people, and have yet to meet an exception-possibly Jan Clapper ;-p
. You all certainly know that I have my issues .
But that is the beauty of Jesus. He, being God, did not sit in a cloud high above and say, "Tisk, tisk, tisk. These people need to fry." He didn't sit up there with extreme rage. No, he is compassionate, understanding, loving. He said," There is none who seeks after me, not one. These people are sinners, I love them. They need help. They need me to come and to die for them-taking their sin & infirmities upon myself. Time to clothe myself in humanity and take their place. Time to go and satisfy God's wrath. I gotta take the initiative, all of these dear people are in sin and have fallen short of what is necessary to enter glory." Jesus moved, took the initiative in love.

So the next time you see a "sinner" a "hooker" a "dirty person" remember that you are not Jesus, and have your own issues. Be willing to enter their mess and love them. Share their struggle, care for THEM in spite of their failings. Love them willfully, unconditionally. Go to the sinner and help them meet this Jesus who can help them to be free from bondage & become healthy. Pay the hooker 10 bucks, take her to McDonald's and buy her a meal. Ask her about her struggles, life. Tell her about the God who loves her & wants to have a close relationship with her. Tell here about Jesus, who took her sin upon herself so she could be reconciled to God & have clear shameless access to him. Go to a dance club & shake your booty, and bring Jesus into the place-be a Jesus, be a Christian. Have a beer with the men after the softball game & walk beside them in life. Be Jesus to them.
Let's quit acting holy, and be holy. Let's quit just listening about Jesus at church, and become Jesus to people. If you don't, who will?

Energy Savings

2010-04-30T05:21:00.001-07:00

So I tried to crank down the central heating this year at night to around 55 & put an electric heater in each bedroom. Here is what happened:

For January-March I broke even on gas. The average temp for 2009 & 10 was exactly the same 29 degrees and I averaged the same gas usage 114 therms.

Electric for 2009 cost us $65 on average a month.
Electric for 2010 cost us $89 average a month because we used A LOT more electric.

Results- electric room heaters may be worth it in a drafty room, but it cost more to crank down the heat at night & use electrical room heaters.

Jeff

Why does God sometimes not answer prayer?

2010-04-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

I hate when people say, "God answers all prayers. Sometimes the answer is no." I am not completely sure WHY I hate this answer. Possibly because it seems like a cop-out or some kind of defense for God, as if God really needed us to defend His rep. Possibly because I think that if God is real, which I believe He is (and it really doesn't matter what I personally believe, the fact is that He is) & He says He answers prayers, then He should do it. Otherwise, maybe God isn't a god of His word. But I digress.

Here is an answer from Moody Bible Institute's "Today in the Word" (April 22, 2010), that I thought was a great response:

Jesus promises: "Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name" -John 15:9-17
The context for answered prayer is God's mission. The Father answers prayers that accord with and are focused upon pursuit and fulfillment of His work. Prayers that are motivated by selfishness are not aligned with the will of God; we should not interpret this verse as a amgic word to get whatever we want. Riather, praying in Jesus' name recognizes His authority over our lives and our desire to live out our calling as His followers.

Democrats would kill healthcare bill over abortion

2010-03-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

First, I am opposed to the government covering abortion because I believe that babies, in the womb, are living precious humans. And because of this belief, I do not want my government paying for people to destroy these lives. I believe that even babies, in the womb are lives worthy to be protected & cared for.

So, here is a story I think is interesting-

WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - A dozen House of Representatives Democrats opposed to abortion are willing to kill President Barack Obama's healthcare reform plan unless it satisfies their demand for language barring the procedure, Representative Bart Stupak said on Thursday.

"Yes. We're prepared to take responsibility," Stupak said on ABC's "Good Morning America" when asked if he and his 11 Democratic allies were willing to accept the consequences for bringing down healthcare reform over abortion.

"Let's face it. I want to see healthcare. But we're not going to bypass the principles of belief that we feel strongly about," he said.

The Michigan Democrat held up House legislation last year until he was satisfied that its language prevented federal tax dollars from being used to fund abortions.

No specific legislation has yet surfaced. But Obama began a final push for reform on Wednesday, urging Congress to vote on the plan in the next few weeks even if it means passing the measure with a narrow Democratic majority and no Republican support.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's top adviser on health issues, said the White House was prepared to bar the use of federal money for abortion. "This will not change the status quo on the policy of abortion. There will be no federal funding for abortion," she told the same television program.

But Stupak said anti-abortion lawmakers are worried that the legislative language will follow the blueprint of the reform bill passed by the Senate, which he said does not provide sufficient safeguards. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Last, I say, "Go you Democrats that support protecting human life! Don't allow the bandwagon to force you to compromise what is right!"

Perspective

2010-03-04T07:48:00.001-08:00

THIS is fascinating - it's rather dazzling

to see it presented this way.

I CERTAINLY THOUGHT THIS WAS ENLIGHTENING.

BEYOND OUR SUN IT'S A BIG UNIVERSE.

ANTARES IS THE 15 TH BRIGHTEST STAR IN THE SKY.

IT IS MORE THAN 1000 LIGHT YEARS AWAY.

NOW, HOW BIG ARE YOU?

NOW, TRY TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND THIS...

THIS IS A HUBBLE TELESCOPE ULTRA DEEP FIELD

INFRARED VIEW OF COUNTLESS 'ENTIRE' GALAXIES

BILLIONS OF LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.

BELOW IS A CLOSE-UP OF ONE

OF THE DARKEST REGIONS OF THE PHOTO ABOVE.

HUMBLING, ISN'T IT?

NOW, HOW BIG ARE YOU?

AND HOW BIG ARE THE THINGS

THAT UPSET YOU TODAY?

KEEP LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE.

AND DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!

IT'S ALL UNDER CONTROL Christian.

8 Tips for Dealing with being Overwhelmed (Phil. 4:4-20)

2010-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

Why can't good people go to Heaven?

2010-02-23T06:38:00.000-08:00

Teaching: Good people cannot earn their way to Heaven. God only allows holy, perfect, flawless people to live in His presence.

Scriptures (look 'em up yourself):
1. Isaiah 64:6- Our best efforts are like filthy rags.
2. Romans 3:23- All of us sin & fall short of God's glorious standard.
3. Romans 3:10- There is none righteous, not even one.
4. James 2:10- If you keep the whole law, yet stumble in one area; you are guilty of breaking the whole law.
5. 1 John 1:10- If we say that we have not sinned, we make God out to be a liar & His word is not in us.
6. 1 John 1:8- If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves & the truth is not in us.
7. Psalm 15:1- Who may dwell with God? One who is blameless, without sin or fault.
8. 1 Peter 1:15-16- Be holy (pure, blameless) as I am holy. God is our standard of righteousness, not other people.

To say you are good & are somehow good "enough" to get into Heaven is extremely arrogant. It also says that we do not understand God's standard of how good good is. God does not grade on a curve. He does not compare us to other people & then take the top, whatever percentage of people.
God's standard of "good enough" is Jesus. In order to go to Heaven, we need to be just as good as Jesus.
My immediate thought here is, "This is impossible! Who then can be saved?" Well let's look at Jesus on this subject to answer the question-

Jesus on the subject: Mark 10:17-31; Matthew 19:16-26

17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
19 “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’ ”
20 And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.”
21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
22 But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
23 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”
24 The disciples awere amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!
25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

An outline, summary of the passage:
I. Man asks, "What must I do to have eternal life?"
II. Jesus responds,
A. "No one is good, except God alone." -are you an exception to that rule? Jesus didn't even accept the title of good.
B. "Keep the 10 Commandments."
III. Man's response, "I have been keeping them, ever since I was a kid." or "I am good enough"
IV. Jesus responds, "One thing you lack." In other words, "NO YOU HAVEN'T!"
V. Man's response- walks away sad, he was unwilling to really follow God after all.
VI. Disciples' response- "Who can be saved?"
VII. Jesus' response- "Man can't save themselves, but God can."

This is why Jesus died! Because you aren't good enough. You need saving. Jesus came to save you, because you are imperfect, you do sin, you have "issues" and so do I.
Accepting Jesus isn't about being good enough or religious enough. It is about realizing your need, that you can't earn your way to heaven, that you are imperfect & then asking Him to be your savior. He is our hope of one day being in Heaven.

Resolution: Shellie & I have a couple family members who feel that we are judging them, saying they aren't good enough to go to heaven. My response is, YES! I am judging you. I am telling you the truth, that you AREN'T good enough. You are a sinner who needs salvation! You are absolutely reading me right!!! But I am not saying that I am better than you. What I want, because I love you, is that you understand that you need a savior, just as I do and so far, you aren't understanding that, as far as I can tell. We are a couple of imperfect people that need saving. Everyone needs saving...but some are too prideful & don't think they do. Let's be honest.

That is why you see Christians with the bumper stickers, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven."
We understand that we aren't any better than you. What we do understand is that Jesus died & rose again to save us, because we are too imperfect, we aren't good enough to save ourselves.

Have you admitted to God what he already knows about you- that you aren't perfect, that you can't really earn your way to Heaven?
Have you thanked Jesus for dying to take your sin upon himself so you could be forgiven and then asked him to become your hope of salvation?
Now that you are forgiven, is it your desire to live a life that is pleasing to him?
Matthew 22:36-40 Love God- commitment to honoring Him. Love people- doing good to all
Ephesians 2:8-10

Hope to see you there.

My Story

2010-02-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

Not that I am worth reading about, as far as being better than anyone else. But I have had something amazing happen to me a while ago that I felt would be worth sharing.

When I was a boy in middle school (Laramie), I use to hang around a bunch of guys and we did a bunch of crazy things like throwing snowballs at cars, breaking into houses (never stole anything, just did it for the adventure), and exploring in the woods of Oak Forest. And as it is in social circles, in order to keep the status of coolness, we always were in pursuit of doing more daring things in order to maintain our high position ;-).
Sidenote: I always had this empty feeling inside of me, that I wanted filled.
Eventually, our pursuit of "fun" and adventure led us to a handicapped guys house. My friends use to tease him, and although I didn't really like this, I stayed with them & stood in the background. I wanted to be with my friends but didn't want to make fun of someone (other than just teasing my friends). One day this man said to us, "One of these days you guys are going to kill me." . Well, one day, when I wasn't with my friends, they went back to this guys house. He fell down the stairs & ended up never coming out of the hospital. My friends thought this was funny, but I was angry about this (although I, until right now, never mentioned this to them).
Slowly, I started to pull away from this group of friends. And found that there was a widening gap coming between us.

One night, while lying in bed, something amazing happened to me. While I was lying there, feeling bummed about my friends, a song from Sunday School came to my mind (by the way I didn't like Sunday School or really care for church at all- ask my former teachers, they will tell you how bad I was), "Jesus loves me.". Then a picture vividly came to my mind. It was a picture of Jesus standing outside of a house knocking on the frontdoor. Behind the door was a family (dad, mom, girl, boy) sitting in there and looking at the door. I thought, "Why won't this family open the door to Jesus?".
Being frustrated at this image, the thought came to me, "Why won't I open the door to Jesus and allow him to come into my life?" So I decided to open the door and ask Jesus become my savior.
Now this is the strange part- remember the emptiness? Well, there was instantly a feeling of overwhelming peace that came into me and filled that emptiness. It was a very powerful moment. It was at that moment that I knew that God had forgiven me and had come into my life.
There wasn't a flash of lightning or any angelic choir (that I could hear). I didn't grow a beard & start walking around in sandals. I didn't become a perfect person either. The only big differences I noticed is that I had this new peace & I actually got something out of church that next Sunday.

Since then, my heart has always desired to know Christ & to follow him by loving God & loving others. I am far from perfect, but I desire to be holy. I am no better than you, but I desire to honor God. The Bible teaches that we all sin, we are all guilty before God. You and me. The Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death & that our best efforts to earn salvation are but dirty rags that amount to nothing.
That is why Jesus had to come. He laid down His life to be the sacrifice for our sins. But not only for just our sins, but the sins of the whole world. And the Bible teaches that anyone who trust in Jesus, accepting Him as their savior, will not perish but have eternal life. Have you ever done this? Do you have eternal life or are you still under the guilt of sin? I am not talking about being better than other people. I am talking about you and me being forgiven. Are you forgiven?

My desire is that all of my friends will one day be in God's presence, along with everyone else who trusts Christ as their salvation. Will you ask Him to come and be your savior too? If so, you can have this forgiveness and eternal life too. You can have a relationship with your Creator and be adopted into His family. You too can have a heavenly Father who turns his ears to your prayers & helps you through the problems of life. You can have hope of better things to come & a peace with God.

Just wanted to challenge you here.

Love,

Jeff

How to have Eternal Life: explained by Dare2Share

2010-02-12T12:17:00.001-08:00

What is the GOSPEL Journey?

Sharing the gospel with someone else is like taking them on a journey with six stops along the way. The evangelist becomes a guide of sorts who brings their fellow sojourners to six stops along the way to pause and ponder the landscape of the story of the Bible, the gospel message. This journey begins in Genesis chapter one with the creation of humanity and concludes with the last chapter of the Bible, Revelation chapter twenty two. In between there are twists and turns, break ups and make ups, mystery and intrigue but the driving message of the plot is that from the ashes of sin comes the redemption of mankind through the death of Christ and His resurrection from the dead.

In many ways this journey is like a fairy tale that just happens to be true. It could begin "Once upon a time" and conclude "and they lived happily ever after." This journey through the storyline of the Bible is filled with mankind's weak attempts at reconciliation toward a God whose heart humanity had broken. Much of the Old Testament is filled with examples of how sinful humanity attempted to gain God's acceptance through good deeds (Cain and his vegetables), obedience to God's commandments and a seemingly endless array of blood sacrifices. But all of these failed attempts prepared the way for the coming of Christ and the hope that He offered by His once and for all sacrifice on the cross.

The irreducible minimum of the gospel message can be communicated in an acrostic with six letters in it that happen to spell out the word "gospel".

God created us to be with Him. (Genesis 1-2)

In these two chapters God creates all of the universe and everything in it (Genesis 1:1), including the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. God created Adam and Eve with purpose. He called them to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28) and fill the earth with their offspring. He gave them the mission of taking care of the earth and tending the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15.)

God made them to be in complete fellowship with Him and with each other. Their nakedness (Genesis 2:25) represented the fact that they had no sin, therefore no shame, therefore nothing to hide before God or each other. They regularly communed with God in the garden and had sheer bliss, pure happiness and unadulterated joy. It was during this time that they were living everyday as God intended, in right relationship with each other, God and His creation. The only command God gave to them was not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In the same way God made us to be in fellowship with Him. His original plan was that you and I were in absolute and perfect relationship with Him and with each other in total unity. God created us to be in harmony with all of heaven and all of earth. But that plan was disrupted by one evil act thousands and thousands of years ago.

Key Questions to Consider:

Why do you think God created us to be in absolute fellowship with Him?
How happy do you think Adam and Eve really were?
Why do you think God only gave Adam and Eve one rule to obey?

Our sins separate us from God. (Genesis 3)

When Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6), and thereby sinned, they immediately became aware of their "error." They sewed fig leaves together to cover their shame and hid in the garden from God (Genesis 3:7,8). Now they were hiding from the one that they used to fellowship with regularly. Men and women have been hiding from God ever since, covering their sin and shame with the fig leaves of religion or philosophy.

God confronted them face to face. As a result of their sin there were immediate and future consequences. The immediate consequences were being banished from the garden (Genesis 3:23,24), having difficulty in childbirth (Genesis 3:16) and our work turning from a joy that we love to a job that we hate (Genesis 3:17-19).

The future consequence for Adam and Eve was physical death. God had promised in Genesis 2:17 that the day he sinned by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that he would "surely die." Spiritually Adam and Eve died the day they sinned in the garden. Their souls became immediately polluted by sin and selfishness. As a result all of their offspring (and that includes you and me) were born sinful and selfish. Through Adam every person ever born is born deprived and depraved, deprived of God's fellowship and depraved to the core (Romans 5:12-14).

When confronted by God the blame game begins. Adam blames Eve (Genesis 3:12) and Eve blames the snake (Genesis 3:13). Humanity has been playing the blame game ever since. What began as paradise unraveled with a single choice to disobey God and listen to Satan instead. Every war, famine, argument, sin and tragedy can be traced back to the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve chose to turn their backs on God for a taste of fruit.

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. (Genesis 4 - Malachi 4)

From the beginning humanity has attempted to remove the stain of sin by good deeds. When Cain offered God vegetables as an appeasement for his sin God rejected it (Genesis 4:1-4). Cain was infuriated and killed his brother Abel.

In Exodus, the second book of the Bible, God gave the Israelites the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), not to save them from their sin, but to show them that they couldn't live up to his perfect standards on their own (Galatians 3:23-24). Instead of looking to Him in faith many of the Jews looked to themselves and thought they could please God in their own strength. But God saw their "righteous" deeds like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Even the best of their good deeds were corrupted by selfish motives.

In Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, God gave the Israelites the sacrificial system. Every time a Jew sinned he or she was to sacrifice a goat without any blemishes (Leviticus 4:27-31). Think about that. If you were a Jew in the Old Testament and had to make a sacrifice every time you lied, lusted, gossiped, complained or argued you would soon run out of goats. Other offerings included offerings of bulls and sheep.

The sacrificial system was meant to point inward, upward and forward. It pointed inward to convince you of your sinfulness. If you were honest before God then you would soon realize that you could never make enough sacrifices for your sin. It pointed upward to make you trust in God for your salvation instead of sacrifices that you could make (Psalm 51:16,17). It pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice of the lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who would someday come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

The rest of the Old Testament tells the story of the Jewish people, some of whom realized they were sinners and needed God to save them (Psalm 51:1,2) and most of whom trusted in their own goodness instead of the mercy and grace of God (Isaiah 64:6).

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew - Luke)

When Jesus came to the earth he came as the fulfillment of the law (Matthew 5:17) and the ultimate sacrifice (Luke 24:45). He lived the perfect life that we could not live and died in our place, for our sin. When he died upon the cross he screamed the words "It is finished" (John 19:30). What he meant by these three words was that the price for our sins was paid completely. He was fully God and entirely man. As a perfect human he could die for other humans. As the true and living God his payment for sin was infinite.

Jesus rose from the dead three days after he was murdered on the cross (Mark 16:6). He was seen by over 500 witnesses (I Corinthians 15:6) on at least 12 separate occasions over the course of forty days (Acts 1:3). Because he died our sins are paid for entirely. Because he rose from the dead we know that Jesus was who he claimed to be, God in the flesh.

Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. (John)

The amazing thing about eternal life is that it is a free gift given to us by God through faith alone and not by any of our good deeds (Ephesians 2:8,9). Jesus paid the price for our sins when he died on the cross and all we must do is receive the gift of forgiveness through faith. When we believe that Jesus died for our sins and trust in Him alone we receive eternal life, are passed out of death into life and are guaranteed a home in heaven (John 5:24).

Eternal life is not achieved by good deeds but received through faith. It's not a matter of trying but trusting. When we believe we receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. Almost the entire New Testament is dedicated to talking about this eternal life and the implications of it in our everyday lives. From John through Jude the disciples of Jesus show us how to live like Jesus intended, serving each other in love. This is the heart of eternal life!

Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. (Acts - Revelation)

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead we will be with Jesus forever in heaven. When we trust in Jesus we enter into a personal, permanent relationship with God called "eternal life."

Part of the reality of eternal life is that it doesn't start after you die but as soon as you believe (John 10:10). This life is the joy of a real, exciting relationship with Jesus every single day through prayer, worship and living in the strength that God provides through his Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

The other part of the reality of eternal life is that all who have it will be with Jesus forever and ever in heaven someday. Once we receive it is ours forever and we are his forever!

The last chapter of the last book of the Bible makes it clear that we will "rule and reign forever" with Jesus (Revelation 22:5). In essence the last chapter in the story of the Bible concludes by saying, "and they lived happily ever after."

If you have never trusted Christ for eternal life and it is something you would like to do right now, here is a sample prayer:

"Dear Father, I know that I'm a sinner. I realize that my good deeds will never get me into heaven. Right now I believe that Jesus died in my place for my sins. I trust in Him alone to forgive me for all of my sins. Thank you for your free gift of eternal life."

If you trusted Christ, please let us know! E-mail information@dare2share.org. We will get you some free material and help you in your life as a new believer.

If you want to learn more about your relationship with Jesus Christ check out our devotion series 'Now That You Believe'.

About Dare 2 Share

Dare 2 Share is a church assisting ministry that provides resources for youth leaders and equips teens to relationally and relentlessly reach their generation for Christ. Over 1,400 of these resources are provided completely FREE! D2S also conducts nationwide youth evangelism training conferences. The events are structured for students in junior high and high school, ranging from 12 to 18 years old. Regardless of gender or denomination, D2S teaches from a Christian perspective. D2S is based in Denver, Colorado and has impacted the lives of more than 300,000 teens since 1991.