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Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
New Heart with New Desires
There is no greater evidence of being born again than seeing the desires of your heart changed. You can not argue with a changed life. I had a guy arguing with me about not using the Bible to prove my faith.....well....that's it.....He has changed me....the desires of my heart are different.
Collin Smith wrote a great article on this:
The Problem of the Petrified Soul
By Colin Smith
"I will take away your heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) Think about it. God says your problem is that the capacities of your soul have been petrified: "You have a heart of stone, but I will give you a heart of flesh." How does this happen? How can the hardened soul be made alive again? One soul, fully aliveThink about the incarnation-God becoming man. The Son of God took our flesh, but His becoming man meant more than taking our flesh. It also meant that He assumed all the faculties of a human soul: Think about the mind of Christ, a mind that learned the Scriptures. Think about the heart of Christ that was moved with compassion. Think of the will of Christ setting his face to go to Jerusalem, submitting His will to the will of the Father as He prayed in the garden, "Not my will, but your will be done." Think about the conscience of Christ. We usually think of conscience working retroactively. You do something wrong, your conscience tells you afterwards. Jesus never knew that because He never sinned. Conscience also works proactively-like a spider's web alerting us to approaching danger. Think of the imagination of Christ, how He used parables to bring the things of heaven down to earth. Think of the memory of Christ, how on the one hand He could forgive, and how He kept affirming the goodness and faithfulness of God. How your soul can be made aliveThat is the greatest promise of the gospel-that the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ comes to your soul. Think of it, the Spirit of God comes into the boardroom of your soul, and occupies that vacant seat at the table. When He comes, He comes as the Chairman of the Board. He comes to preside. When He comes, He summons the other members of the Board: "Mind," He says, "we need to get you renewed.""Heart, we need to get you changed.""Will, we need to get you redirected.""Conscience, we need to get you educated.""Imagination, we need to get you focused.""Memory, we need to get you trained." The new chairman begins to direct the members of the Board. There will still be battles in the boardroom. The Spirit of God can be grieved, but He comes as the chairman, not as the dictator. Where He is welcome, change will begin. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory..."(2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
Collin Smith wrote a great article on this:
The Problem of the Petrified Soul
By Colin Smith
"I will take away your heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) Think about it. God says your problem is that the capacities of your soul have been petrified: "You have a heart of stone, but I will give you a heart of flesh." How does this happen? How can the hardened soul be made alive again? One soul, fully aliveThink about the incarnation-God becoming man. The Son of God took our flesh, but His becoming man meant more than taking our flesh. It also meant that He assumed all the faculties of a human soul: Think about the mind of Christ, a mind that learned the Scriptures. Think about the heart of Christ that was moved with compassion. Think of the will of Christ setting his face to go to Jerusalem, submitting His will to the will of the Father as He prayed in the garden, "Not my will, but your will be done." Think about the conscience of Christ. We usually think of conscience working retroactively. You do something wrong, your conscience tells you afterwards. Jesus never knew that because He never sinned. Conscience also works proactively-like a spider's web alerting us to approaching danger. Think of the imagination of Christ, how He used parables to bring the things of heaven down to earth. Think of the memory of Christ, how on the one hand He could forgive, and how He kept affirming the goodness and faithfulness of God. How your soul can be made aliveThat is the greatest promise of the gospel-that the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ comes to your soul. Think of it, the Spirit of God comes into the boardroom of your soul, and occupies that vacant seat at the table. When He comes, He comes as the Chairman of the Board. He comes to preside. When He comes, He summons the other members of the Board: "Mind," He says, "we need to get you renewed.""Heart, we need to get you changed.""Will, we need to get you redirected.""Conscience, we need to get you educated.""Imagination, we need to get you focused.""Memory, we need to get you trained." The new chairman begins to direct the members of the Board. There will still be battles in the boardroom. The Spirit of God can be grieved, but He comes as the chairman, not as the dictator. Where He is welcome, change will begin. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory..."(2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Hey Dads! Pay Attention
Hi Everyone!I just got done with Lesson #12 in the Full Armor of God Study with the kids. Sometimes they will complain a little bit about having to do the study at, what they think, is an inconvenient time. So, I wanted to point out to them Ephesians 6 and it inspired me to post it as well. When we belong to Christ, God expects us to raise our children in the instruction of The Lord. This is not a suggestion! If you have a desire to be obedient to God and you have been blessed with children, you NEED TO BE TEACHING THEM GOD'S WORD! Are you doing that, Dad? Maybe you don't know God's Word enough to be able to teach it...fine....learn it together. The Full Armor of God at theonebridge.com might be a place you want to start. The Hands to the Plow Ministry has amazing studies. John MacArthur has a fantastic study Bible you could use. If you do nothing else, commit yourself to raising your kids in the instruction of The Lord....that is God's Will!Steve
Monday, October 12, 2009
God Opposes the Proud
God Opposes the Proud
By Colin Smith
"God opposes the proud..." 1 Peter 5:5 (NIV) It is worth taking a moment to let these words sink in. God opposes the proud. If God opposes me, I'm finished. What hope is there of doing anything useful for Him if He stands in our way? If God be for us, who can be against us? But if God is against us-what hope do we have? God opposes the proud. He cannot bear to see it in is His children. Arrogance will bring me under His fatherly discipline. God gives grace"...but God gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 (NIV) We sometimes use the expression, "Money makes money." You have to have some before you can make some. Well, it's the same principle here. Humility is a grace that attracts more grace. Pride closes the door to spiritual growth. But humility opens the door of your life to more of God's grace. To the humble, God gives patience, and peace, and gentleness. The fruit of the Spirit grows in the soul of humility. Humility is the key to spiritual growth: "God gives grace to the humble." God will lift you up"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." 1 Peter 5:6 (NIV) This is a marvelous promise. God leads each of us on a path that has many twists and turns. When you are faced with surprises, disappointments, and upsets that God allows in your life, humble yourself. Accept what He allows. If you do that God will lift you up. God cares for you"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) This is one sentence with v6: "Humble yourselves... casting all your anxieties on Him for He cares for you." The proud person feels that he or she has to make things happen. The root of all worry lies in the idea that what happens is ultimately in my hands. If you think that what happens is ultimately in your hands, that's pride. None of us can add an inch to our height or an hour to our life by worrying about it. What happens is finally in the hands of God. There is a powerful insight here. If I want to deal with my anxiety, I have to start by dealing with my pride. Humility is the ultimate release from anxiety. Pride says, "What happens is up to me," and that leaves me anxious. Humility says, "Lord, everything that concerns me is in your hand," and that is the beginning of peace.
By Colin Smith
"God opposes the proud..." 1 Peter 5:5 (NIV) It is worth taking a moment to let these words sink in. God opposes the proud. If God opposes me, I'm finished. What hope is there of doing anything useful for Him if He stands in our way? If God be for us, who can be against us? But if God is against us-what hope do we have? God opposes the proud. He cannot bear to see it in is His children. Arrogance will bring me under His fatherly discipline. God gives grace"...but God gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5 (NIV) We sometimes use the expression, "Money makes money." You have to have some before you can make some. Well, it's the same principle here. Humility is a grace that attracts more grace. Pride closes the door to spiritual growth. But humility opens the door of your life to more of God's grace. To the humble, God gives patience, and peace, and gentleness. The fruit of the Spirit grows in the soul of humility. Humility is the key to spiritual growth: "God gives grace to the humble." God will lift you up"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." 1 Peter 5:6 (NIV) This is a marvelous promise. God leads each of us on a path that has many twists and turns. When you are faced with surprises, disappointments, and upsets that God allows in your life, humble yourself. Accept what He allows. If you do that God will lift you up. God cares for you"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) This is one sentence with v6: "Humble yourselves... casting all your anxieties on Him for He cares for you." The proud person feels that he or she has to make things happen. The root of all worry lies in the idea that what happens is ultimately in my hands. If you think that what happens is ultimately in your hands, that's pride. None of us can add an inch to our height or an hour to our life by worrying about it. What happens is finally in the hands of God. There is a powerful insight here. If I want to deal with my anxiety, I have to start by dealing with my pride. Humility is the ultimate release from anxiety. Pride says, "What happens is up to me," and that leaves me anxious. Humility says, "Lord, everything that concerns me is in your hand," and that is the beginning of peace.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
What Trials Show About Your Faith
What Trials Show About Your Faith
By Colin Smith
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith... may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6,7 (NIV) If you have something that might be of great value, you want to know if it is authentic, and you will seize any opportunity to prove it. This is why the Antiques Road Show has been such an outstanding success. The experts arrive in a city and people bring their antiques. They have one question: "What is this worth?" And they seize the opportunity to find out. "I think this might be a Ming vase. Could you tell me if it is authentic?" Your faith is of far more value than a Ming vase or a Rembrandt painting. Your faith is "of greater worth than gold." (v6) Gold, like every other created thing, will eventually perish. But your faith, if it's genuine, will last for eternity. The question is: How do you know that it is genuine? How do you know that it is not a passing phase? Peter tells us "When you suffer grief in all kinds of trials..."
1 Peter 1:6 (NIV) When you suffer you will have all the evidence you need that your faith is authentic. Here's why: If your faith were just a human decision or a passing phase, then as soon as you began to suffer, you would renounce your faith. You would turn away from God and spend the rest of your life saying, "I can no longer believe in God." Or you would smolder away in bitterness and resentment against Him. You must know people like that. The big question is: "Why isn't everybody like that?" Why is it that there are people hearing this who struggle with unanswered questions, disappointed hopes and dreams, lost loved ones and lost jobs, have suffered illness, or violence or some other personal catastrophe... and yet they still believe! They still love Christ! There's only one explanation"These have come so that your faith... may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:7 (NIV) "Your faith is a miracle! It is a living seed of the life of God planted in you. It is like a bulb in the ground that is buried in the dirt, but it does not die! You have gone through all these trials. You have faced all these unanswered questions. You cannot see Him and you cannot work out what He is doing. Yet, "You love Him. You believe in Him." (v8) There can be no greater evidence of the authenticity of your faith than that. And just so you know, that faith which has been proved genuine will result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. One day He is going to wipe every tear from your eyes, and you will hear His voice saying to you: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your Master's happiness."
By Colin Smith
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith... may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:6,7 (NIV) If you have something that might be of great value, you want to know if it is authentic, and you will seize any opportunity to prove it. This is why the Antiques Road Show has been such an outstanding success. The experts arrive in a city and people bring their antiques. They have one question: "What is this worth?" And they seize the opportunity to find out. "I think this might be a Ming vase. Could you tell me if it is authentic?" Your faith is of far more value than a Ming vase or a Rembrandt painting. Your faith is "of greater worth than gold." (v6) Gold, like every other created thing, will eventually perish. But your faith, if it's genuine, will last for eternity. The question is: How do you know that it is genuine? How do you know that it is not a passing phase? Peter tells us "When you suffer grief in all kinds of trials..."
1 Peter 1:6 (NIV) When you suffer you will have all the evidence you need that your faith is authentic. Here's why: If your faith were just a human decision or a passing phase, then as soon as you began to suffer, you would renounce your faith. You would turn away from God and spend the rest of your life saying, "I can no longer believe in God." Or you would smolder away in bitterness and resentment against Him. You must know people like that. The big question is: "Why isn't everybody like that?" Why is it that there are people hearing this who struggle with unanswered questions, disappointed hopes and dreams, lost loved ones and lost jobs, have suffered illness, or violence or some other personal catastrophe... and yet they still believe! They still love Christ! There's only one explanation"These have come so that your faith... may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." 1 Peter 1:7 (NIV) "Your faith is a miracle! It is a living seed of the life of God planted in you. It is like a bulb in the ground that is buried in the dirt, but it does not die! You have gone through all these trials. You have faced all these unanswered questions. You cannot see Him and you cannot work out what He is doing. Yet, "You love Him. You believe in Him." (v8) There can be no greater evidence of the authenticity of your faith than that. And just so you know, that faith which has been proved genuine will result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. One day He is going to wipe every tear from your eyes, and you will hear His voice saying to you: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your Master's happiness."
Friday, October 2, 2009
Urgent Request from VOM
From VOM:
Maryam Rustampoor, 27, and Marzieh Amirizadeh, 30, were arrested and sent to Evin Prison in Tehran, Iran. The two women did not rob a bank, kill a man or beat up someone.
Their crime? Loving Jesus. And it is for this reason alone they are still imprisoned.
In August during a court hearing, the two were questioned repeatedly about their faith. They were told to return to Islam.
"We love Jesus," was their reply. Prosecutors asked the women, who had already spent five months in prison, if they regretted being Christians.
"We have no regrets," they said. "We will not deny our faith."
The judge sent them back to Evin Prison - notorious for its brutality - to "think about" their decision.
"We have already done our thinking," they told him.
Maryam and Marzieh are among dozens of Iranian Christians arrested, detained or interrogated in Iran in recent months. The harassment is the radical Islamic government's response to an Iranian revival that has thousands of Iranians coming to Christ each month.
The Voice of the Martyrs helps the Iranian church in many ways, including supporting gospel television broadcasts transmitted into Iran and printing Christian literature for distribution inside the country.
Their crime? Loving Jesus. And it is for this reason alone they are still imprisoned.
In August during a court hearing, the two were questioned repeatedly about their faith. They were told to return to Islam.
"We love Jesus," was their reply. Prosecutors asked the women, who had already spent five months in prison, if they regretted being Christians.
"We have no regrets," they said. "We will not deny our faith."
The judge sent them back to Evin Prison - notorious for its brutality - to "think about" their decision.
"We have already done our thinking," they told him.
Maryam and Marzieh are among dozens of Iranian Christians arrested, detained or interrogated in Iran in recent months. The harassment is the radical Islamic government's response to an Iranian revival that has thousands of Iranians coming to Christ each month.
The Voice of the Martyrs helps the Iranian church in many ways, including supporting gospel television broadcasts transmitted into Iran and printing Christian literature for distribution inside the country.
(Click Here to Help)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Do you see this happneing?
I was listening to Jan Markell this morning and this guy was outlining some clear writing on the wall indicating a clear direction of globalism, one world religion and government, etc. It's happening quick....there are 2 big meetings coming up with influential political and media types (one in November and one in December). The European Union and United Nations have gained power and influence we can not stop anymore....Obama will have to toe the line (which he will because he's a globalist)...but even if he doesn't it won't matter because they have the power now to put enough hardship on this nation that we will crumble in to conformity. It seems to me we (as a nation) are compromising and conforming...The days of saying, "no way, the US would never succumb to world opinion".....now it has become, "yea, I could see it happening"
This guy was pointing out the hatred and hostility the world has toward Israel and it is growing big time. Obama and another world leader got together and agreed that on Jerusalem Day (I guess recently) that they would fly the UN flag over some wall (I assume on the border or something) and the President of Israel said, not on my watch. The point is, Obama is showing his true colors toward Israel more and more. We need to understand that when anyone speaks and acts against the Jews they are the enemy, because Israel is our friend. These guys talk a persuasive game and if we don't have a trail marker we could get confused and persuaded...I think that marker is, "where do you stand on the divinity of Jesus and are you a friend or foe of Israel?" We will know them by there actions. They can and will disguise themselves as instruments of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; see below), but if they give equal creditability to all the worlds religions and they seek to hurt Israel we will know who they are of, their father the devil (John 8:44; see below). Remember, Satan's goal is to have all humanity worship him; the one world system is the way he will seek to do it. Write me off as a fool if you want, but this is all Biblical; The Word warns of it and it is being ushered in quickly. Bury your head in the sand or pay attention and be prepared...the choice is yours. As Peter talked about, prepare your minds for action! How will you respond if you are forced to make a decision between life and Jesus? Prison or Jesus? Food or Jesus? Your home or Jesus?
What's my point? This guy hit the nail on the head when he was asked, what we could do as Christians? He said, the problem is, many Christians are 90% political and 10% spiritual. We can address the political issues all we want, but the reality is, if this nation doesn't repent it will not matter. As a nation we need to quit conforming to the world and put God and His ways first.
Remember what Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves (2 Peter 2:1)
From Above:
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
John 8:44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
This guy was pointing out the hatred and hostility the world has toward Israel and it is growing big time. Obama and another world leader got together and agreed that on Jerusalem Day (I guess recently) that they would fly the UN flag over some wall (I assume on the border or something) and the President of Israel said, not on my watch. The point is, Obama is showing his true colors toward Israel more and more. We need to understand that when anyone speaks and acts against the Jews they are the enemy, because Israel is our friend. These guys talk a persuasive game and if we don't have a trail marker we could get confused and persuaded...I think that marker is, "where do you stand on the divinity of Jesus and are you a friend or foe of Israel?" We will know them by there actions. They can and will disguise themselves as instruments of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; see below), but if they give equal creditability to all the worlds religions and they seek to hurt Israel we will know who they are of, their father the devil (John 8:44; see below). Remember, Satan's goal is to have all humanity worship him; the one world system is the way he will seek to do it. Write me off as a fool if you want, but this is all Biblical; The Word warns of it and it is being ushered in quickly. Bury your head in the sand or pay attention and be prepared...the choice is yours. As Peter talked about, prepare your minds for action! How will you respond if you are forced to make a decision between life and Jesus? Prison or Jesus? Food or Jesus? Your home or Jesus?
What's my point? This guy hit the nail on the head when he was asked, what we could do as Christians? He said, the problem is, many Christians are 90% political and 10% spiritual. We can address the political issues all we want, but the reality is, if this nation doesn't repent it will not matter. As a nation we need to quit conforming to the world and put God and His ways first.
Remember what Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves (2 Peter 2:1)
From Above:
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
John 8:44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Run the Race
My 7 year old son asked me tonight if there is any verses in the Bible about believing in yourself. I told him we are to believe in Jesus and put our hope and trust in Him. I told him we are also called to run the race set before us, and seek to do His will:
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
We need to be self-controled in all we do...our language, our anger, our lust, our thoughts, our actions, etc. When you read God's Word there is an amazing amount of instruction on self control. I'd like to encourage you to go to the NIV website and do a word search of self-control and read all the verses. You can find an easy link to the NIV from the resource page at TheOneBridge.com
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
We need to be self-controled in all we do...our language, our anger, our lust, our thoughts, our actions, etc. When you read God's Word there is an amazing amount of instruction on self control. I'd like to encourage you to go to the NIV website and do a word search of self-control and read all the verses. You can find an easy link to the NIV from the resource page at TheOneBridge.com
Monday, September 21, 2009
Verses of Encouragement
Hi Everyone!
My daughter had a very weird and scary dream last night that may have been a spiritual attack; I had her read these verses to be aware of what it may have been, and to be encouraged by the fact that victory has already been had in and through Christ:
Ephesians 6:1212 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
1 Peter 5:6-11
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Philippians 1:6
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
John 10:28
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
My daughter had a very weird and scary dream last night that may have been a spiritual attack; I had her read these verses to be aware of what it may have been, and to be encouraged by the fact that victory has already been had in and through Christ:
Ephesians 6:1212 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
1 Peter 5:6-11
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Philippians 1:6
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
John 10:28
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
How do people get saved?
Hi Everyone!
Most of us have heard the Gospel message and if we are saved we know it is the working of God through the Holy Spirit. However; that it is not what I wanted to write about today. How does God do this in some cases. I say "some" because He works in so many ways to reach people that there is no way we could know them all. So, what are "some ways":
I talked to a guy this week (random stranger) and he told me how he got saved. Long story short, he said he was going to commit suicide in the park so he brought his gun to the park but "something" told him to go eat lunch first, after he ate he came back to the park with his gun and an 85 year old man approached him and shared The Gospel with him and he got saved.
I was talking to a friend of mine this week and he was telling me about a guy that has been handing out 10 Gospel tracts a day for years. Although he directed me to watch a video on this guy, I haven't yet. But the gist of it is; many people are getting saved because of this simple thing.
The last example is what inspired me to write this today. My daughter committed her life to The Lord yesterday; it will go down as one of 3 of the happiest days of my life. Here's how it happened: A man spoke at her school (public school) on Tuesday; after he spoke he invited the kids to come and listen to him speak Thursday night (she did), he then invited the kids to a camp out at a church on Friday (she did). Friday night and most of the day Saturday they learn The Gospel and he challenged them to reconcile wrongs they've made and try to repair relationships with friends and family that have been damaged or lost. At some point during the day, as she describes it, "I can't explain it, but I just started crying and said, 'I love Jesus". It wasn't an alter call or a "let's all say this prayer" thing...it was a genuine working of the Holy Spirit.
Praise God that He allows us the joy of being used to lead others to Him. As Romans 10:14-15 says: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
John 3tv.com is getting close to launching and this is exactly what it will be for. To show and encourage others to share The Gospel. Whether you are street preaching or just leaving tracts in a public restroom, or somewhere in between....we need to share The Gospel.
Most of us have heard the Gospel message and if we are saved we know it is the working of God through the Holy Spirit. However; that it is not what I wanted to write about today. How does God do this in some cases. I say "some" because He works in so many ways to reach people that there is no way we could know them all. So, what are "some ways":
I talked to a guy this week (random stranger) and he told me how he got saved. Long story short, he said he was going to commit suicide in the park so he brought his gun to the park but "something" told him to go eat lunch first, after he ate he came back to the park with his gun and an 85 year old man approached him and shared The Gospel with him and he got saved.
I was talking to a friend of mine this week and he was telling me about a guy that has been handing out 10 Gospel tracts a day for years. Although he directed me to watch a video on this guy, I haven't yet. But the gist of it is; many people are getting saved because of this simple thing.
The last example is what inspired me to write this today. My daughter committed her life to The Lord yesterday; it will go down as one of 3 of the happiest days of my life. Here's how it happened: A man spoke at her school (public school) on Tuesday; after he spoke he invited the kids to come and listen to him speak Thursday night (she did), he then invited the kids to a camp out at a church on Friday (she did). Friday night and most of the day Saturday they learn The Gospel and he challenged them to reconcile wrongs they've made and try to repair relationships with friends and family that have been damaged or lost. At some point during the day, as she describes it, "I can't explain it, but I just started crying and said, 'I love Jesus". It wasn't an alter call or a "let's all say this prayer" thing...it was a genuine working of the Holy Spirit.
Praise God that He allows us the joy of being used to lead others to Him. As Romans 10:14-15 says: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
John 3tv.com is getting close to launching and this is exactly what it will be for. To show and encourage others to share The Gospel. Whether you are street preaching or just leaving tracts in a public restroom, or somewhere in between....we need to share The Gospel.
Friday, September 11, 2009
When Did Noah Start Building The Ark?
Hi Everyone!
I was pondering this the other day and I thought I'd share it. When did Noah start building the ark? Answer; when God told him to. What would have happened if Noah hadn't listened? Answer; he wouldn't have been saved from the flood. Let's try to step back in time on this. What do you think the people around Noah said when he started building a huge boat on dry land when it, most likely, had never rained before. There is no doubt he must have been ridiculed, mocked and thought to be a nut job. Never the less, Noah sought to do God's will, he did not seek the approval of man.
What is God calling you to do that you are resisting, worrying about what the world will say? Are you putting the approval of man ahead of the will of God? Be bold for The Lord! Not bold? Ask Him for boldness. Worried about what people will say? Ask Him to take the anxiety away. Does your heart still crave the things of this world more than serving God? Ask Him to change the desires of your heart. You have not, because you ask not. People like to make that verse in to a name it and claim it prosperity message; the fact is, we need to seek first The Kingdom of God. We need to ask Him to give us a new heart with new desires, that is worth more than all the riches of the world.
I was pondering this the other day and I thought I'd share it. When did Noah start building the ark? Answer; when God told him to. What would have happened if Noah hadn't listened? Answer; he wouldn't have been saved from the flood. Let's try to step back in time on this. What do you think the people around Noah said when he started building a huge boat on dry land when it, most likely, had never rained before. There is no doubt he must have been ridiculed, mocked and thought to be a nut job. Never the less, Noah sought to do God's will, he did not seek the approval of man.
What is God calling you to do that you are resisting, worrying about what the world will say? Are you putting the approval of man ahead of the will of God? Be bold for The Lord! Not bold? Ask Him for boldness. Worried about what people will say? Ask Him to take the anxiety away. Does your heart still crave the things of this world more than serving God? Ask Him to change the desires of your heart. You have not, because you ask not. People like to make that verse in to a name it and claim it prosperity message; the fact is, we need to seek first The Kingdom of God. We need to ask Him to give us a new heart with new desires, that is worth more than all the riches of the world.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Kid's Ask The Greatest Questions
Another great morning teaching The Word to the kids! We are on Lesson #5 from the Full Armor of God Study...Judgement. I would encourage all of you to read through those verses; just click on FULL ARMOR of GOD on the home page (http://www.theonebridge.com/) When the verses mentioned Judgement for sins, my 7 year old asked, "What is sin?"...Although we went over that in week's 1 and 2 we covered it again after he asked..."Why do I mention that, why is that crucial?" This is a huge question because God's Wrath and His Judgement do not make sense to us if we do not know what we are being condemned for and whom we've sinned against. That is why WE MUST present God's Law to those that are unrepentant, God's Law leaves us helpless and seeing our need for The Savior. If we present Judgement to someone without explaining sin, it won't make sense. In the same way, if we present Grace to someone without explaining sin, it won't make sense. The Gospel will not make sense if we do not know what sin is and whom we've sinned against...This is a crucial piece of the puzzle that has been missing from most churches in America today. It is not about "Your Best Life Now"...it is about "You're a wretch now, so call out to God that you may be saved"
Saturday, August 29, 2009
STAGE DIVE!
I went to bed last night determined that today I would blog about something other than sin. However, I opened up The Word and started reading Romans 6. This morning I read it again and it dawned on me...preachers (that preach The Word, not pieces of it) must struggle to preach on something other than sin.
When you read The Word, our condition of sin and God's view and response to it is EVERYWHERE! So, for a preacher or teacher to spend 90% of their time discussing sin seems to be the logical thing to do. After all, if our relationship with sin hasn't changed, our relationship with God has not changed either. By that I mean; we are, by nature, children of Wrath. By nature WE LOVE SIN! Until we surrender to Christ and He transforms us we will continue to love sin. In our sinful nature we love gossip, slander, profanity, blasphemy, fornication, pornography, lust, masturbation, and other sexual impurity. We love to hold on to bitterness, anger, rage, malice and hate. We love to get drunk, covet and our greed consumes us. We will put anything and everything before God.
Take a look at Romans 6 and read the different descriptions of our relationship to sin. We are slaves to it, it reigns in our life, it is our master, we are instruments of wickedness....all this in one small section of one short chapter. Does this describe you?....I know it used to describe me! How do we become “dead to sin” as Paul talks about? Answer: Surrender!
Let me give one quick illustration of surrender. Much to my wife's horror, when my kids were small enough I would always holler “STAGE DIVE” when they were at the top of the stairs. With my wife yelling, “NO”....the kids would jump off the top step and in to my arms. They had no thought that dad couldn't or wouldn't catch them. Then as they got older, they quit trusting that dad 'could' catch them. As much as I 'would' catch them, they doubted whether I 'could'. In other words, they were not willing to surrender the firm footing of the carpet and make a leap of faith. This is kind of like our relationship with sin and this world. We are either too in love with the things of this world to leave our firm footing in it, or we do not think God could or would transform us if we make the leap of faith.
God promises a new heart with new desires when you surrender to Him; however, He does want your surrender. If you are still a slave to sin and you secretly or openly love it....you are still under God's Wrath. If you are a slave to sin, but do not want to be, God can and will transform you. Imagine the things of this world that you love becoming a foul taste to you, and the things of God bringing you more joy than you thought possible when you were living for this world....that's what happens. The joy of serving Him is not a struggle, it is a joy that surpasses all understanding. Give Him your surrender today, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Link to Romans 6
When you read The Word, our condition of sin and God's view and response to it is EVERYWHERE! So, for a preacher or teacher to spend 90% of their time discussing sin seems to be the logical thing to do. After all, if our relationship with sin hasn't changed, our relationship with God has not changed either. By that I mean; we are, by nature, children of Wrath. By nature WE LOVE SIN! Until we surrender to Christ and He transforms us we will continue to love sin. In our sinful nature we love gossip, slander, profanity, blasphemy, fornication, pornography, lust, masturbation, and other sexual impurity. We love to hold on to bitterness, anger, rage, malice and hate. We love to get drunk, covet and our greed consumes us. We will put anything and everything before God.
Take a look at Romans 6 and read the different descriptions of our relationship to sin. We are slaves to it, it reigns in our life, it is our master, we are instruments of wickedness....all this in one small section of one short chapter. Does this describe you?....I know it used to describe me! How do we become “dead to sin” as Paul talks about? Answer: Surrender!
Let me give one quick illustration of surrender. Much to my wife's horror, when my kids were small enough I would always holler “STAGE DIVE” when they were at the top of the stairs. With my wife yelling, “NO”....the kids would jump off the top step and in to my arms. They had no thought that dad couldn't or wouldn't catch them. Then as they got older, they quit trusting that dad 'could' catch them. As much as I 'would' catch them, they doubted whether I 'could'. In other words, they were not willing to surrender the firm footing of the carpet and make a leap of faith. This is kind of like our relationship with sin and this world. We are either too in love with the things of this world to leave our firm footing in it, or we do not think God could or would transform us if we make the leap of faith.
God promises a new heart with new desires when you surrender to Him; however, He does want your surrender. If you are still a slave to sin and you secretly or openly love it....you are still under God's Wrath. If you are a slave to sin, but do not want to be, God can and will transform you. Imagine the things of this world that you love becoming a foul taste to you, and the things of God bringing you more joy than you thought possible when you were living for this world....that's what happens. The joy of serving Him is not a struggle, it is a joy that surpasses all understanding. Give Him your surrender today, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Link to Romans 6
Thursday, August 20, 2009
What does that even mean? Accept Jesus in to my heart?
Hello Everyone!
I just wanted to drop a quick note regarding a commonly used phrase in Evangelical circles today. It seems like everywhere you look the Gospel message is being watered down....this is even happening with "well meaning Christians" and preachers. The phrase I am referring to is "accept Jesus in to your heart".
God's Word doesn't say "accept Jesus in to your heart"....it says "Put your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and REPENT"....."lest a man be born-again he will NOT see the Kingdom of Heaven"....."Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit"....to be born-again means the old is gone and the new has come; the desires of your heart change from having a love for the passions and lusts of this world to a love for the things of God....when we are born of the Spirit we will have a HATRED for the things of this world.
I love what Paul says in Galatians 4:16; "Have I now become your enemy because I tell you the Truth?" This is The Truth and the enemy has done a number on our society in that when we hear certain words we automatically tune out the person speaking....words like Judgment, Wrath, Born-Again.....we prefer phrases like, "accept Jesus in to your heart".....there is no "us accepting Jesus"....it is "us pleading with Jesus to accept and forgive us".
I just wanted to drop a quick note regarding a commonly used phrase in Evangelical circles today. It seems like everywhere you look the Gospel message is being watered down....this is even happening with "well meaning Christians" and preachers. The phrase I am referring to is "accept Jesus in to your heart".
God's Word doesn't say "accept Jesus in to your heart"....it says "Put your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and REPENT"....."lest a man be born-again he will NOT see the Kingdom of Heaven"....."Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit"....to be born-again means the old is gone and the new has come; the desires of your heart change from having a love for the passions and lusts of this world to a love for the things of God....when we are born of the Spirit we will have a HATRED for the things of this world.
I love what Paul says in Galatians 4:16; "Have I now become your enemy because I tell you the Truth?" This is The Truth and the enemy has done a number on our society in that when we hear certain words we automatically tune out the person speaking....words like Judgment, Wrath, Born-Again.....we prefer phrases like, "accept Jesus in to your heart".....there is no "us accepting Jesus"....it is "us pleading with Jesus to accept and forgive us".
Sunday, August 9, 2009
As Little Children
I didn't intend to make another post so quickly; but this is too good not to share. I just got done with Lesson #2 in The Full Armor of God Study from TheOneBridge.com; my kids and I are working through it together. If you read lesson #2 you'll see that God's Word says "the heart is deceitful above all things"...my 14 year old daughter (who's birthday is today) said; "you always hear songs that say follow your heart...that's not right." I asked her why, and she said, "because the heart is wicked until Jesus changes it." We can learn so much from kids, everything seems so simple to them. Then my 7 year old asked if his cousins could come to our study next week...AMAZING...when you receive the knowledge of the Truth your heart will desire that everyone know the Truth. Please pray that their cousins will accept the invitation.
Parents!!!...They are never too young to learn God's Word....remember what The Word says, "Raise a child up in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it"....what an amazing promise. Praise God
Parents!!!...They are never too young to learn God's Word....remember what The Word says, "Raise a child up in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it"....what an amazing promise. Praise God
Friday, August 7, 2009
Liar, Lunatic or Lord
Hello Everyone, I was listening to David T. Moore's "Yea Butt" series for about the 100th time today. It is an audio series he did about 10 years ago that walks through the 7 main objections to Christianity. Studies have been done and the vast majority of objections to Christianity come done to basically 7 of them. Today I listened to the objection, "How can Jesus be the only Way to Heaven?" I love this intellectual break down of this answer. Although Born-Again Christians have come to realize that to be saved is a work of The Spirit; to reason with someone is Biblical; Paul says, "Come now, let us reason together". That is what David T. Moore does in this entire series and today's objection is no different. Let's take a look. We need to first answer the question Jesus actually raised to His disciples; "Who do you say I am?"....So who do you say Jesus is? Start with this....Was He a liar....a con man that duped the masses? Most people are not prepared to say Jesus was a liar; most would at least concede that He was a good moral teacher. So, then He must have been a crazy man....a lunatic. Most would not be willing to say that. Some might say He could have been and yet a few more might be willing to say, "yep, He was nuts!" The problem with that is, Jesus never said or did anything consistent with that of a lunatic. He was always in control, He was a very loving and caring Man whose actions or words were never inconsistent. If you have ever watched the news; you know that crazy people do crazy, off-the-wall, inconsistent things...Jesus never did this. You will not find anything in the Biblical record or a historical secular record indicating that Jesus may have been insane. So, if He wasn't a liar or a lunatic....YOU HAVE ONLY ONE CHOICE LEFT! He is who He said He is. John 14:6, Jesus said "I am The Way, The Truth and The Life, no one gets to The Father except through Me." You can reject that if you'd like; however, if you do reject Him, you dare not call Him a "good moral teacher" or "one of many ways to Heaven"....you believe He is who He said He is or you don't. As you ponder that, also ponder the words of Jesus in John 3:36: 'Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.' Isn't that interesting....Jesus includes the word obey along with belief. That indicates that there is more to it than mere belief. Our belief needs to show true by our obedience to Him. Let me illustrate. All of us (if we are sane) believe in gravity. We demonstrate that belief by not stepping off a building or in to an open staircase; we demonstrate our true belief by our actions. The same is true for those that are Born-Again (remember, Jesus said, unless we are born-again we WILL NOT go to Heaven)...so, if we are truly born-again....we are truly saved and believe Jesus is who He said He is, we will demonstrate that belief in our life....we will be obedient to Him and surrendered to Him for His Glory. This quick overview indicates two crucial things; if you choose to reject the claims of Jesus, God's Wrath remains on you; if you claim to believe in Jesus yet are not obiedient to Him, God's Wrath remains on you. Work through this, think it through, ask God to show you the Truth.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Why do people hate Jesus?
A very close friend of mine died a couple weeks ago. It was a very sudden and unexpected death. As the reality of him being gone has set in, it has been very difficult to think that I will not see my friend again. But, as The Word says, I do not need to grieve as those without hope. Jesus saved my friend 8 months ago...I know he is in Heaven and we will meet again. His death and funeral has given me a renewed sense of urgency to share The Gospel. I have been pondering many things since his death and yesterday I was thinking of the many things that distract people from The Truth. It seems like if people do get past the lusts of this world long enough to seek God there are many false religions and false teachers right around the corner to choke out The Truth. We need to remember, as The Word says, our battle is not of flesh and blood....the battle is spiritual and we don't have any clue of its magnitude and power. The main thing I thought about yesterday is the reason people do not come to "the knowledge of The Truth"...people hear the Truth, but most won't receive it and walk it out....WHY!?...the answer is simple and although it seemed to be a new revelation to me yesterday, Jesus spoke of it many times. People love their sin too much. That is why they will ignore God, discredit His message, ask questions like, "what about the people that have never heard?" OR "what about other religions, are they all wrong?"...the list goes on and on of people coming up with reasons they will not accept and receive The Truth. The fact is, however, these are not real reasons....they are smoke screens to justify their sinful lifestyle. People love their sin too much. Think about it....Jesus said, and I paraphrase, "I have the power to save you, I have the power to forgive your sin so you can enter my Kingdom, but now that I have done that, I want you to show the world that you belong to me by leaving your life of sin." Isn't it true that we love the story of Jesus up to a point. We love to say, "Jesus loves me and he forgives me and He is preparing a place for me"....we love that story....until He says, "now go and sin no more". Whoa, Whoa. We'd rather He said, "I love you and forgive you and I will go to prepare a place for you even if you continue in sin because you just can help yourself because, after all, that's the way you're wired." He didn't say that, He said, again I paraphrase, "your work is to believe in Me and demonstrate your belief in Me and love for Me with every part of your life...your public, private and secret life....with all of it; demonstrate that you belong to Me and not this world. That is why people don't get saved, they love their sin too much.I'll leave you with this, the words of Jesus in John 3:19-21:And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Introducing a new blog!
John3tv.com is an extension of TheOneBridge.com....both sites and this blog are committed to sharing The Truth of Salvation found in Jesus Christ that is communicated through The Holy Spirit and God's Word to all who earnestly seek Him.
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