TEXT: 1Timothy 3:
15. QUALIFICATIONS OF A PASTOR
One day I was discussing with someone the qualifications of a Pastor and she got rather mad at my calm quotations from the Bible and she yelled,” HUMAN BEING, HUMAN BEING!” Well of course God never called an animal to be a Pastor but at the same time, God never said that being a human was a qualification either. Being the head of the church is a huge responsibility and even qualified men can make mistakes because of our sin nature. This is why God makes it clear exactly the type of person He wants for a Pastor:
Did you see any indication that the head of a church could be a woman? No, in fact everything was clearly aimed at a man. Do you have a problem with this? Well, don’t get mad at me, get mad at God, He is the one who said it. Although I highly recommend that you don’t question the Almighty.
V. 1-7
16. QUALIFICATIONS OF A DEACON
Deacons are men in the church who help the Pastor since the Pastor cannot and should not do it all. The qualifications for a deacon are very similar to the qualifications of a Pastor because they have a very similar role.
A. Respectful to God and others in honor
B. Married and not divorced (currently or ever)
C. Not a Drinker
D. Stable Mind
E. Well Behaved (a clean conscience)
F. Hospitable (Kind and Helping to Others)
G. Not Greedy for Money, Power, or things other people have, Etc
H. A man who has good control of his household, his home, the family that lives with him.
V. 8-13
HOW WE SHOULD ACT IN CHURCH: 14-16.
quinta-feira, 25 de setembro de 2008
terça-feira, 23 de setembro de 2008
2008 Guidelines for having a New Testament Church (Part 2)
6. THE PURPOSE OF CHRIST
Only a man physically or spiritually blind could not see what the purpose of Christ was. He made it so clear and again it is made clear in here in Timothy that He came to save us from sin. What was the purpose if you could get to Heaven any other way?
V.11
7. KEEP THE FAITH AND DONT QUESTION IT
For a church to have a good conscience knowing they are in the will of God, they must keep the Faith of Jesus Christ and don’t question it. However many churches in today’s world question the Faith and the Bible. The critics of the Faith remind me of the greatest Bible critic of all… Satan who’s first recorded words in the Bible was,” Did God really say that?” Sound familiar to you? Sounds just like what many Bible critics say today in churches that claim to be Christian.
TEXT 1 Timothy 2
8. PRAY FOR EVERYONE
It is easy for church people to pray for other church people, or should I say, other church people that they like, but that is not what God say’s. We should pray for everyone.
V.1
9. RESPECT AUTHORITY
Politics in Church is a dangerous thing and even though we have a right to vote from out Spirit and not our wallets, we have an obligation that no matter who I the president, we should pray for them and support them however we can. The same goes to anyone in authority over you. They will give an account to God to how well of a job they did or did not do. You will answer to God to whether you respected them or not. God finds this behavior good and acceptable. The pastor, husband, president, etc will make, mistakes but the church, wives, and Americans must respect them anyway.
V.2-3
10. GOD WANTS TO SAVE EVERYONE
You can argue all you want that are verses in the Bible that give unclear evidence that seems to indicate otherwise, but you cannot deny that God says over and over again that he wants all mankind to be saved and to believe in him. A church must preach that God loves everyone and wants everyone to accept Christ as their Savior. Getting into the discussion of (If God knows everything, then doesn’t he choose who accepts Jesus or not is a stupid argument that does not promote anything positive. Jesus died for all, period.
V. 3-7
11. ALL MUST BE DONE THROUGH JESUS
There is one God and if we hope to accomplish anything for Him in our churches and in our lives, it must be done through Jesus. Jesus intercedes on our behalf to a Holy God in every way possible. This is why a Church that inches away from the Gospel will be empowered by Satan to keep growing, but not by God.
V.5
12. MEN OF PRAYER AND NOT PRIDE
A church is only as strong as its men. Now you may disagree and of course there are many other factors that make a church strong but think about it. If men of God, are not praying, leading, worshiping, and watching over the church, how successful would it be? Men of God in church need to be men of prayer who will pray anywhere, anytime about anything and are not too proud to raise their hands up to God in prayer and or worship. If the men in the church are fighters, argumentative, prideful and stubborn, the church cannot grow.
V.8
13. WOMEN OF MODESTY
Women are powerful figures in society, the home, and church, and God does not tell women how to behave and dress because he does not love or respect them, it is because God knows the power a women can have over a man and over a church. A woman can destroy both. Scientifically, men are more sexually attracted by sight than women. This is the way God made a man; therefore a woman must help out a brother in Christ in how she carries herself. Many women instead find it fun to look alluring in church. Men’s eyes find skin like a dog can find a bone. A woman must keep herself covered and no showing too much leg, shoulders, and anything in between. Not only are these areas reserved for the viewing and touching pleasure of her husband, but it is not respectful to God to do something you know makes a brother week. These verses did not say that a woman cannot do her hair nice or wear jewelry but the context of this verse indicates doing so in a seductive manner. Why is it that you can drive down the street and point out a prostitute immediately? It is easy because how she dresses, does her makeup, her hair, the type of jewelry she wears and the skin she shows. Pride makes us all think we should be able to do what we want but to knowingly do something that will cause a fellow Christian to stumble or fall is a sin on our part.
v. 9-10
14. WOMEN OF PURPOSE
God loves his daughters so much that he has given the such power and purpose in the church and the home but only when done correctly. Women have built in instincts and abilities with children and other women that men do not have in the church and home. However with Godly abilities in a woman also comes sinful tendencies. A woman’s sinful tendencies are different from men’s. Men tend to not communicate like they should where women tend to speak too much and too boldly. Now combine this with the fact that women psychologically need security and men psychologically need respect and you have a problem. When a woman speaks to boldly to man, no matter how he responds, on the inside he does not feel respect. Then in return he will do or say something which does not make the woman feel secure, and Satan’s plan works perfectly. A woman who can not submissively respect her Pastor won’t submissively respect her husband and a woman who will not wont submissively respect her husband won’t submissively respect her Pastor.
The most Godly women in the Bible and in history did not speak much or loud, but when they did speak, it was powerful and things happened! Women can best honor God with a submissive and quiet heart than with a mega phone and battering ram. So what can women do in church? Well, everything but to preach or teach men. This means she can teach and preach to children, and other women. So women cannot be Pastors? Keep reading…..Paul says more about it under inspiration from God.
V. 11-13
Only a man physically or spiritually blind could not see what the purpose of Christ was. He made it so clear and again it is made clear in here in Timothy that He came to save us from sin. What was the purpose if you could get to Heaven any other way?
V.11
7. KEEP THE FAITH AND DONT QUESTION IT
For a church to have a good conscience knowing they are in the will of God, they must keep the Faith of Jesus Christ and don’t question it. However many churches in today’s world question the Faith and the Bible. The critics of the Faith remind me of the greatest Bible critic of all… Satan who’s first recorded words in the Bible was,” Did God really say that?” Sound familiar to you? Sounds just like what many Bible critics say today in churches that claim to be Christian.
TEXT 1 Timothy 2
8. PRAY FOR EVERYONE
It is easy for church people to pray for other church people, or should I say, other church people that they like, but that is not what God say’s. We should pray for everyone.
V.1
9. RESPECT AUTHORITY
Politics in Church is a dangerous thing and even though we have a right to vote from out Spirit and not our wallets, we have an obligation that no matter who I the president, we should pray for them and support them however we can. The same goes to anyone in authority over you. They will give an account to God to how well of a job they did or did not do. You will answer to God to whether you respected them or not. God finds this behavior good and acceptable. The pastor, husband, president, etc will make, mistakes but the church, wives, and Americans must respect them anyway.
V.2-3
10. GOD WANTS TO SAVE EVERYONE
You can argue all you want that are verses in the Bible that give unclear evidence that seems to indicate otherwise, but you cannot deny that God says over and over again that he wants all mankind to be saved and to believe in him. A church must preach that God loves everyone and wants everyone to accept Christ as their Savior. Getting into the discussion of (If God knows everything, then doesn’t he choose who accepts Jesus or not is a stupid argument that does not promote anything positive. Jesus died for all, period.
V. 3-7
11. ALL MUST BE DONE THROUGH JESUS
There is one God and if we hope to accomplish anything for Him in our churches and in our lives, it must be done through Jesus. Jesus intercedes on our behalf to a Holy God in every way possible. This is why a Church that inches away from the Gospel will be empowered by Satan to keep growing, but not by God.
V.5
12. MEN OF PRAYER AND NOT PRIDE
A church is only as strong as its men. Now you may disagree and of course there are many other factors that make a church strong but think about it. If men of God, are not praying, leading, worshiping, and watching over the church, how successful would it be? Men of God in church need to be men of prayer who will pray anywhere, anytime about anything and are not too proud to raise their hands up to God in prayer and or worship. If the men in the church are fighters, argumentative, prideful and stubborn, the church cannot grow.
V.8
13. WOMEN OF MODESTY
Women are powerful figures in society, the home, and church, and God does not tell women how to behave and dress because he does not love or respect them, it is because God knows the power a women can have over a man and over a church. A woman can destroy both. Scientifically, men are more sexually attracted by sight than women. This is the way God made a man; therefore a woman must help out a brother in Christ in how she carries herself. Many women instead find it fun to look alluring in church. Men’s eyes find skin like a dog can find a bone. A woman must keep herself covered and no showing too much leg, shoulders, and anything in between. Not only are these areas reserved for the viewing and touching pleasure of her husband, but it is not respectful to God to do something you know makes a brother week. These verses did not say that a woman cannot do her hair nice or wear jewelry but the context of this verse indicates doing so in a seductive manner. Why is it that you can drive down the street and point out a prostitute immediately? It is easy because how she dresses, does her makeup, her hair, the type of jewelry she wears and the skin she shows. Pride makes us all think we should be able to do what we want but to knowingly do something that will cause a fellow Christian to stumble or fall is a sin on our part.
v. 9-10
14. WOMEN OF PURPOSE
God loves his daughters so much that he has given the such power and purpose in the church and the home but only when done correctly. Women have built in instincts and abilities with children and other women that men do not have in the church and home. However with Godly abilities in a woman also comes sinful tendencies. A woman’s sinful tendencies are different from men’s. Men tend to not communicate like they should where women tend to speak too much and too boldly. Now combine this with the fact that women psychologically need security and men psychologically need respect and you have a problem. When a woman speaks to boldly to man, no matter how he responds, on the inside he does not feel respect. Then in return he will do or say something which does not make the woman feel secure, and Satan’s plan works perfectly. A woman who can not submissively respect her Pastor won’t submissively respect her husband and a woman who will not wont submissively respect her husband won’t submissively respect her Pastor.
The most Godly women in the Bible and in history did not speak much or loud, but when they did speak, it was powerful and things happened! Women can best honor God with a submissive and quiet heart than with a mega phone and battering ram. So what can women do in church? Well, everything but to preach or teach men. This means she can teach and preach to children, and other women. So women cannot be Pastors? Keep reading…..Paul says more about it under inspiration from God.
V. 11-13
segunda-feira, 22 de setembro de 2008
2008 Guidelines for having a New Testament Church (part 1)
Introduction:
I Matthew Grayson Scott being of sound mine and spirit do hereby approve these guidelines for all churches to follow for I am a wise man and have an opinion better than everyone else’s. Furthermore, I believe that I am the authority on what is right and wrong and only use the name (Bible) in hopes that it will give some validity to what I say and that young or unaware Christians will be fooled by my beautiful and positive words. I may mention a verse in the Bible given from a translation that is as watered down as a day old glass of ice tea but again it will only be for the sake of giving you the false security that I am actually speaking doctrinal truth. So please follow these guidelines, it will likely bring many people to your church, but I cannot promise it will keep them there.
Hopefully, you are laughing right now. If not, and if the above paragraph did not strike you as wrong, you should be very concerned because you are easy pray for false teachers and false doctrines. Even though the paragraph you just read was comical in nature, it has a scary truth. There are people who believe, teach and run a church in this way. This is a very real problem in the church as we know it today. This article is actually about guidelines for having a NT Church in the year 2008 but we will go to the only source for truth that we have “God’s Word” and not our ideas, opinions, personal conviction, feelings, experience, etc. The things that you may read might bother, anger, sadden and I hope, convict you but just remember to read the Scripture and know that you are not hearing my thoughts, but God’s! I would hope that if there is an area of your life that you need to change or maybe a belief you need to change, that you will let God’s Word be the sword it is and to shape you into the Christian you should be.
Timothy: A young man on a mission
We will look at Paul’s guidelines he gives to Timothy on how a church should be. Paul visited and wrote many letters to Churches but not he is training young Timothy to go and do the same thing. Timothy could be comparable to an evangelist in today’s time however Timothy would get much more actively involved with church leadership in making sure things were done as God would have them to be done. I am not yet 30 years old and see myself as a young man, so I feel a connection with Timothy and I was blessed to read this book of the Bible because I felt like God told Paul what to tell me. Really it is true of any Christian male or female of any age. We all must know how Church should be. As you study these passages, don’t forget that even though a church service may be an organized gathering of believers, the church itself is not about a building, a denomination, or anything else but people.
I will give the text, number the guidelines found in the text, and write the verse where you will find the guideline. This way you can get in your Bible and read it yourself. Hey, there’s an idea!
Text: 1Timothy 1:3-11
1. FALSE DOCTRINE:
You should hear no other doctrine in Church besides that which is straight from the Word of God. V.3
2. FAIRY TALES, FALSE TEACHINS, LEGALISTIC RAMBLINGS:
Liberal fairytales and warm fuzzy false teachings along with legalistic ramblings should not be something you hear in Church. Sadly it seems there is a tendency for a church to go to either extreme as if simply following God is not enough. The “Emergent Church” movement that claims to be bringing the NT church into the 21st century seems to lean too liberal slowly fading out the Gospel and quickly eliminating the purpose of the Church (Discipleing Believers). On the other hand “Fundamentalist” Churches lean towards legalism where the pastor barks out personal convictions from the pulpit like a rabid dog and the faithful church members seem more like Pharisees instead of humble slaves to our King Jesus. Fundamental churches are dying out because the power of God is not on them, and liberal churches grow like weeds (weeds is a good word for them) because they make people feel good and don’t preach the convicting Word of God. Both the death of legalistic churches and the growth of liberal ones is not Gods plan. We must meet in the middle with a true NT church as given to us here in Timothy.
V.4
3. LOVE:
We must examine our hearts and see if our motivation for what we do or say in church is from love and no other motivation. We must be able to do it with a clear conscience knowing that we love God and others as well as live what we say knowing that our faith in God is what we act out of. If we truly are repentant of our sins, love Jesus, and believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation, we will understand that it is our love for Christ that makes us serve, trust, and obey Him. In the same way, we only say and do things to others because of love. The motivation for everything we do in church is love. If it cannot be done with love (IT CANNOT BE DONE)!
V.5
4. LEGALISM:
Legalistic ramblings are useless except they do a great job of wasting everyone’s time. The OT laws have a purpose, but not after someone has accepted Christ.
V. 6-7
5. OLD TESTAMENT LAWS:
OT laws are a great way to show someone who does not have Jesus that they are a lawbreaker and that living a sinless life to earn Heaven is impossible. The law is designed to bring people to the Gospel of Christ!
V. 8- 11
I Matthew Grayson Scott being of sound mine and spirit do hereby approve these guidelines for all churches to follow for I am a wise man and have an opinion better than everyone else’s. Furthermore, I believe that I am the authority on what is right and wrong and only use the name (Bible) in hopes that it will give some validity to what I say and that young or unaware Christians will be fooled by my beautiful and positive words. I may mention a verse in the Bible given from a translation that is as watered down as a day old glass of ice tea but again it will only be for the sake of giving you the false security that I am actually speaking doctrinal truth. So please follow these guidelines, it will likely bring many people to your church, but I cannot promise it will keep them there.
Hopefully, you are laughing right now. If not, and if the above paragraph did not strike you as wrong, you should be very concerned because you are easy pray for false teachers and false doctrines. Even though the paragraph you just read was comical in nature, it has a scary truth. There are people who believe, teach and run a church in this way. This is a very real problem in the church as we know it today. This article is actually about guidelines for having a NT Church in the year 2008 but we will go to the only source for truth that we have “God’s Word” and not our ideas, opinions, personal conviction, feelings, experience, etc. The things that you may read might bother, anger, sadden and I hope, convict you but just remember to read the Scripture and know that you are not hearing my thoughts, but God’s! I would hope that if there is an area of your life that you need to change or maybe a belief you need to change, that you will let God’s Word be the sword it is and to shape you into the Christian you should be.
Timothy: A young man on a mission
We will look at Paul’s guidelines he gives to Timothy on how a church should be. Paul visited and wrote many letters to Churches but not he is training young Timothy to go and do the same thing. Timothy could be comparable to an evangelist in today’s time however Timothy would get much more actively involved with church leadership in making sure things were done as God would have them to be done. I am not yet 30 years old and see myself as a young man, so I feel a connection with Timothy and I was blessed to read this book of the Bible because I felt like God told Paul what to tell me. Really it is true of any Christian male or female of any age. We all must know how Church should be. As you study these passages, don’t forget that even though a church service may be an organized gathering of believers, the church itself is not about a building, a denomination, or anything else but people.
I will give the text, number the guidelines found in the text, and write the verse where you will find the guideline. This way you can get in your Bible and read it yourself. Hey, there’s an idea!
Text: 1Timothy 1:3-11
1. FALSE DOCTRINE:
You should hear no other doctrine in Church besides that which is straight from the Word of God. V.3
2. FAIRY TALES, FALSE TEACHINS, LEGALISTIC RAMBLINGS:
Liberal fairytales and warm fuzzy false teachings along with legalistic ramblings should not be something you hear in Church. Sadly it seems there is a tendency for a church to go to either extreme as if simply following God is not enough. The “Emergent Church” movement that claims to be bringing the NT church into the 21st century seems to lean too liberal slowly fading out the Gospel and quickly eliminating the purpose of the Church (Discipleing Believers). On the other hand “Fundamentalist” Churches lean towards legalism where the pastor barks out personal convictions from the pulpit like a rabid dog and the faithful church members seem more like Pharisees instead of humble slaves to our King Jesus. Fundamental churches are dying out because the power of God is not on them, and liberal churches grow like weeds (weeds is a good word for them) because they make people feel good and don’t preach the convicting Word of God. Both the death of legalistic churches and the growth of liberal ones is not Gods plan. We must meet in the middle with a true NT church as given to us here in Timothy.
V.4
3. LOVE:
We must examine our hearts and see if our motivation for what we do or say in church is from love and no other motivation. We must be able to do it with a clear conscience knowing that we love God and others as well as live what we say knowing that our faith in God is what we act out of. If we truly are repentant of our sins, love Jesus, and believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation, we will understand that it is our love for Christ that makes us serve, trust, and obey Him. In the same way, we only say and do things to others because of love. The motivation for everything we do in church is love. If it cannot be done with love (IT CANNOT BE DONE)!
V.5
4. LEGALISM:
Legalistic ramblings are useless except they do a great job of wasting everyone’s time. The OT laws have a purpose, but not after someone has accepted Christ.
V. 6-7
5. OLD TESTAMENT LAWS:
OT laws are a great way to show someone who does not have Jesus that they are a lawbreaker and that living a sinless life to earn Heaven is impossible. The law is designed to bring people to the Gospel of Christ!
V. 8- 11
quarta-feira, 17 de setembro de 2008
STILL HERE
Distance by thousands of miles long
Separated by waters billions of gallons strong
Culture differences stand in our way
We cannot be together day after day
People try to destroy us as a team
Stress threatens to rip our love at the seam
Satan plants seeds of anxiety and doubt
Time won't wait but time runs out
Busy schedules can make memories fade
Daily trials could intimidate what we've made
There are days that we are gripped by fear
Yet through it all...... STILL HERE
I love you Gisley and I am never going anywhere!
Separated by waters billions of gallons strong
Culture differences stand in our way
We cannot be together day after day
People try to destroy us as a team
Stress threatens to rip our love at the seam
Satan plants seeds of anxiety and doubt
Time won't wait but time runs out
Busy schedules can make memories fade
Daily trials could intimidate what we've made
There are days that we are gripped by fear
Yet through it all...... STILL HERE
I love you Gisley and I am never going anywhere!
quinta-feira, 11 de setembro de 2008
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!
We are in a society driven by the pursuit of power! Everyone wants more power, and what do people who have great power want?... MORE POWER!
When we have power, we can get what we want, do what we want. say what we want, think what we want. There is no limits! Sounds nice huh?
Well indeed everything I just said has a definite sinful sound to it, but hold on just a second. Is it wrong for Christians to have power?
It depends on where our power comes from and what we do with it. Obviously our power should come from God, but just because Christians may have recieved power from God, does not mean they will use it in a godly way. Sampson is a great example of this truth and also the truth of what happens when you use Gods power in a manner inconsistent with label (God's Word).
Let's look into Power from Psalms 125:
1 Those who trust in the LORDAre like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
(POWER TO STAND STRONG)
Sure mankind has the ability to slowely blast through a mountain with explosives and take the rocks out truckload by truckload but to move an entire mountain in this way is a task that no man will ever even attempt. Even if it were possible to move all the rocks from a mountain, you really did not move the mountain, just destroyed it and laid it's remains in one place. There fore, to move a mountain in it's entirity is impossile for anyone but God because he has the power. A Christian (who trusts Jesus) cannot be moved by any man or anything. I believe this idead of (trusting Jesus) goes further than simply for your Salvation, but also in day to day decisions and tasks. Do you trust Jesus with your life and all that is in it?
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.
(THE POWER OF PROTECTION)
God surrounds us like mountains so that nothing can harm us that he does not allow. This means that nothing bad can happen to you without God's permission. Because of this, we should not be afraid or worry if we trust God, and if we do trust Him, then why dont we act like it?
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not restOn the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.
(THE POWER OF INVINCIBILTY)
Evil cannot ruin our plans, hopes and dreams if we are living in God's will and trusting in Him. If evil were allowed to taint our plans, we might turn to evil in order to get what we think we want or need. You can also revers this verse around that if a Christian reaches out to ungodly methods to get what they want God will not protect the details of your life that you give to Satan.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,And to those who are upright in their hearts.
(POWER OF BLESSINGS)
This is a pretty simple concept that is echoed throughout scriptures. If you live a godly life, you will have God's favour on your life. God promises that if we find our happiness in Him, He will give us what our hearts desires after changing our desires into Holy things.
5 As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways,The LORD shall lead them away With the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel!
(THE WARNING)
If you turn away from God and turn toward sinful ways, he will let you go. God will not force you to love and serve Him and He will not take away your right to suffer the consequences for your actions.
God has the power, and He is willing to give it to us and use his limitless and mightly power for our benefit! Are we living a life worthy of it?
The Bible says that Christians are to be the light of the world, showing brightly the love of Christ. You can try to turn on a light all you want but unless it is plugged in, nothing will happen. Why wont the light come on and why aren't many Christians recieving the power from God? Hello, you have to plug in to the source of the power! You have to plug a light into the power source before it has a chance to shine. Getttin plugged in to God power begins with accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior but to keep that connection of power strong, you must stay connected to God by prayer and reading God's word!
When we have power, we can get what we want, do what we want. say what we want, think what we want. There is no limits! Sounds nice huh?
Well indeed everything I just said has a definite sinful sound to it, but hold on just a second. Is it wrong for Christians to have power?
It depends on where our power comes from and what we do with it. Obviously our power should come from God, but just because Christians may have recieved power from God, does not mean they will use it in a godly way. Sampson is a great example of this truth and also the truth of what happens when you use Gods power in a manner inconsistent with label (God's Word).
Let's look into Power from Psalms 125:
1 Those who trust in the LORDAre like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
(POWER TO STAND STRONG)
Sure mankind has the ability to slowely blast through a mountain with explosives and take the rocks out truckload by truckload but to move an entire mountain in this way is a task that no man will ever even attempt. Even if it were possible to move all the rocks from a mountain, you really did not move the mountain, just destroyed it and laid it's remains in one place. There fore, to move a mountain in it's entirity is impossile for anyone but God because he has the power. A Christian (who trusts Jesus) cannot be moved by any man or anything. I believe this idead of (trusting Jesus) goes further than simply for your Salvation, but also in day to day decisions and tasks. Do you trust Jesus with your life and all that is in it?
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.
(THE POWER OF PROTECTION)
God surrounds us like mountains so that nothing can harm us that he does not allow. This means that nothing bad can happen to you without God's permission. Because of this, we should not be afraid or worry if we trust God, and if we do trust Him, then why dont we act like it?
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not restOn the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.
(THE POWER OF INVINCIBILTY)
Evil cannot ruin our plans, hopes and dreams if we are living in God's will and trusting in Him. If evil were allowed to taint our plans, we might turn to evil in order to get what we think we want or need. You can also revers this verse around that if a Christian reaches out to ungodly methods to get what they want God will not protect the details of your life that you give to Satan.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,And to those who are upright in their hearts.
(POWER OF BLESSINGS)
This is a pretty simple concept that is echoed throughout scriptures. If you live a godly life, you will have God's favour on your life. God promises that if we find our happiness in Him, He will give us what our hearts desires after changing our desires into Holy things.
5 As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways,The LORD shall lead them away With the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel!
(THE WARNING)
If you turn away from God and turn toward sinful ways, he will let you go. God will not force you to love and serve Him and He will not take away your right to suffer the consequences for your actions.
God has the power, and He is willing to give it to us and use his limitless and mightly power for our benefit! Are we living a life worthy of it?
The Bible says that Christians are to be the light of the world, showing brightly the love of Christ. You can try to turn on a light all you want but unless it is plugged in, nothing will happen. Why wont the light come on and why aren't many Christians recieving the power from God? Hello, you have to plug in to the source of the power! You have to plug a light into the power source before it has a chance to shine. Getttin plugged in to God power begins with accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior but to keep that connection of power strong, you must stay connected to God by prayer and reading God's word!
sexta-feira, 5 de setembro de 2008
DOES THE BIBLE SAY YOU CANNOT CUSS OR TALK DIRTY?
I get this question alot but never from somone with a clean mouth. A Chrisitan who asks this question has in my experience, always been somone you does used bad language and is trying to justify it. The Bible speaks volumes about how we should speak and obviously condems cursing and sweating as being sinful. My point in ministry has always been to encourage people to look into their hear. It does not matter if you cuss or if your mouth is clean, the heart is what matters.
Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
If your heart is soft, dedicated to God and loving to others, filthy or harsh words wont come out of your mouth.
Colossians3:5-7
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
Angy speech, hateful speech, mocking of God, and all filthy language is not the nature of a believer.
16-17
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
23
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
Everything you do is for the Lord.
Would you talk to Jesus with fowl language? Would Jesus talk to you that way? Did Paul, Peter, Job, Abraham, or any people of faith in the Bible talk with bad language to God?
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Titus 2:7-8
in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
If your heart is soft, dedicated to God and loving to others, filthy or harsh words wont come out of your mouth.
Colossians3:5-7
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
Angy speech, hateful speech, mocking of God, and all filthy language is not the nature of a believer.
16-17
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
23
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
Everything you do is for the Lord.
Would you talk to Jesus with fowl language? Would Jesus talk to you that way? Did Paul, Peter, Job, Abraham, or any people of faith in the Bible talk with bad language to God?
Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Titus 2:7-8
in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
quinta-feira, 4 de setembro de 2008
YOU BETTA CHECK YO SELF!!!!!!
Ok, I aplogize for resulting to a eubonic phrase to get your attention for this blog but it is quite appropriate. Many Christians live their life in a way they think is pleasing to God, but in all actuality, they need to do some serious searching of their heart. It does not matter what Godly things you do or say and it does not matter how good your actions may look to other people if you are not doing it with the right heart. Now there is not enough time for a blog to show you all that that Bible has to say about the heart. I have written a blog in the past called "the forgotten heart" on this topic so if you would like me to send it to you, just let me know but here are a few verses to consider.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Corinthians 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Colossians 3:17 and 23
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
It does not matter how well you preach, teach, sing, serve, dress, talk, act, give and on and on and on if you are not doing it from your heart motivated by the love you have for God. Example: A great preacher or singer, comes in to church wearing the nicest suit and tie and preaches a sermon or sings in a way that totally wow's all who listen and all who see, however God is not impressed not one bit! Lets see what Paul had to say to the church at Colossi about this topic in Colossians 2.
6-10
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
We are righteous and satisfy a Holy God when we are in Jesus, not when we do things that look good to men. Paul warns that traditional (churchy) rules and ideas are deceitful and empty. Ideas we have gained through years of church about how we should dress, and what we should do, mean absolutely nothing if we are not doing it because in our hearts we want to with a desire to give our best to God. If we do anything that looks good just to please humans, God is not impressed and in fact dissapointed.
13-14
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Our sins separated us from God and we had a daunting task or trying to earn salvation by good works (requirements that were against us). Trying to earn Salvation is against us because it is impossible to earn Heaven. Jesus removed all that and nailed it to the cross (our sins and our responsibilty to pay for them). I did not say all this to say that you should do whatever we want in life, but make sure your heart is right and your relationship is right with God and that you are not seeking to impress people with how righteous you think you look or sound.
16-23
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
No one should judge your heart by what you wear to church. Now of course you should desire to give God your best but only you and God know if you are really doing that. Some people think they are humble when their humble acts are just to please people and not God. When we do these things we get prideful and forget that Jesus is the Head of our bodies and our lives as Christians. We are saved by Grace, so why live like we are under the Old Testamant law?
Now for those Christians you are all excited thinking that they should not care at all what other think... God never said that. We do have a responsibilty to please God yet God also tells us to make sure he things we wear, do and say, do not offend others.
1 Corinthians 8:9
But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
Galatians 5:13
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
1 Peter 2:16
as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
Ultimately, we need to be honest with God and ourselves and ask what our motivation is for the things we do. The things we wear, and the things we say.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Corinthians 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Colossians 3:17 and 23
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
It does not matter how well you preach, teach, sing, serve, dress, talk, act, give and on and on and on if you are not doing it from your heart motivated by the love you have for God. Example: A great preacher or singer, comes in to church wearing the nicest suit and tie and preaches a sermon or sings in a way that totally wow's all who listen and all who see, however God is not impressed not one bit! Lets see what Paul had to say to the church at Colossi about this topic in Colossians 2.
6-10
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
We are righteous and satisfy a Holy God when we are in Jesus, not when we do things that look good to men. Paul warns that traditional (churchy) rules and ideas are deceitful and empty. Ideas we have gained through years of church about how we should dress, and what we should do, mean absolutely nothing if we are not doing it because in our hearts we want to with a desire to give our best to God. If we do anything that looks good just to please humans, God is not impressed and in fact dissapointed.
13-14
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Our sins separated us from God and we had a daunting task or trying to earn salvation by good works (requirements that were against us). Trying to earn Salvation is against us because it is impossible to earn Heaven. Jesus removed all that and nailed it to the cross (our sins and our responsibilty to pay for them). I did not say all this to say that you should do whatever we want in life, but make sure your heart is right and your relationship is right with God and that you are not seeking to impress people with how righteous you think you look or sound.
16-23
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
No one should judge your heart by what you wear to church. Now of course you should desire to give God your best but only you and God know if you are really doing that. Some people think they are humble when their humble acts are just to please people and not God. When we do these things we get prideful and forget that Jesus is the Head of our bodies and our lives as Christians. We are saved by Grace, so why live like we are under the Old Testamant law?
Now for those Christians you are all excited thinking that they should not care at all what other think... God never said that. We do have a responsibilty to please God yet God also tells us to make sure he things we wear, do and say, do not offend others.
1 Corinthians 8:9
But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
Galatians 5:13
For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
1 Peter 2:16
as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
Ultimately, we need to be honest with God and ourselves and ask what our motivation is for the things we do. The things we wear, and the things we say.
quinta-feira, 28 de agosto de 2008
Humble Body
Christians form a body. The Bible calls this the body of Christ or in simple terms, the Church. The body of Christ is not a building and neither is the church, it is believers of Christ. So anything that is good for the Body is good for the church and what is good for the church, is good for the Body.
Compare this now to the human body. The human body has many parts. However if these parts do not work together, nothing can be accompished to its fill potential or at all. In fact if body parts dont work together, serious injury and even death can occur. The same is true if we in the body of Christ dont work together with each other, but that is not what I am talking about today.
What happens to a persons physical body if they do not live a humble life? What happens to people's health when they live a life of pride? Illness, injury, drug abuse, obesity, weakness, tiredness, depression, jobless, no quality relationships with other people, suicide and even death just to name a few. The same things occure in the body of Christ (The Church) without humility.
Philippians 2:1-4
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
A church cannot grow, cannot be effective, and cannot bring glory to God unless it is full of humble believers. So how should we think?
5-11
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Even thought Jesus was equal with God in all ways (and we, not in any way) He still was humble and put everyone else in front of Him. He cared more about our needs than his own. However it can be argued that Jesus' most powerful need is to love us and He certainly showed that on the cross. If Jesus is our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit is in us, then shouldn't that be our most basic and strongest need, to please God and love others the way He loves us?
Ultimately, our motivation to be humble should not come from reward, but when we are humble, God is exalted and being the giving and loving God that He is, He will always lift us up and bless us beyond belief for putting Him and putting others before us.
J O Y ......Jesus Others Yourself
If you want JOY, put Jesus first in your life, then other people, and lastly.. yourself
The Bible says that if you put yourself last, He will put you first. This promise is not just for the church, but for as as individuals.
Compare this now to the human body. The human body has many parts. However if these parts do not work together, nothing can be accompished to its fill potential or at all. In fact if body parts dont work together, serious injury and even death can occur. The same is true if we in the body of Christ dont work together with each other, but that is not what I am talking about today.
What happens to a persons physical body if they do not live a humble life? What happens to people's health when they live a life of pride? Illness, injury, drug abuse, obesity, weakness, tiredness, depression, jobless, no quality relationships with other people, suicide and even death just to name a few. The same things occure in the body of Christ (The Church) without humility.
Philippians 2:1-4
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
A church cannot grow, cannot be effective, and cannot bring glory to God unless it is full of humble believers. So how should we think?
5-11
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Even thought Jesus was equal with God in all ways (and we, not in any way) He still was humble and put everyone else in front of Him. He cared more about our needs than his own. However it can be argued that Jesus' most powerful need is to love us and He certainly showed that on the cross. If Jesus is our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit is in us, then shouldn't that be our most basic and strongest need, to please God and love others the way He loves us?
Ultimately, our motivation to be humble should not come from reward, but when we are humble, God is exalted and being the giving and loving God that He is, He will always lift us up and bless us beyond belief for putting Him and putting others before us.
J O Y ......Jesus Others Yourself
If you want JOY, put Jesus first in your life, then other people, and lastly.. yourself
The Bible says that if you put yourself last, He will put you first. This promise is not just for the church, but for as as individuals.
terça-feira, 19 de agosto de 2008
YOUR LOVE IS LIKE COFFEE
My day cannot start without it
So rich and bold
The aroma is addictive
Warms me deep in my soul
Energizes me when I am tired
Helps me face the day
Sweet and Satisfying
Unique flavor in every way
Dark like your hair
Creamy like your skin
Hot with passion
Satisfying without and within
I can hear the water getting hot
The steam rises up
Time to chill together
Baby pour me up a cup
I LOVE YOU MY JAVA GIGI! MWAH mmmm mmmmm mmmm delicious
So rich and bold
The aroma is addictive
Warms me deep in my soul
Energizes me when I am tired
Helps me face the day
Sweet and Satisfying
Unique flavor in every way
Dark like your hair
Creamy like your skin
Hot with passion
Satisfying without and within
I can hear the water getting hot
The steam rises up
Time to chill together
Baby pour me up a cup
I LOVE YOU MY JAVA GIGI! MWAH mmmm mmmmm mmmm delicious
Satan, Publicity, & Advertising
Perhaps I am not the best one to write this blog and should leave this to my girlfriend who is in college for this topic, but I had some thoughts I would like to share about Publicity and Advertising and how it relates to a Christian in perhaps a way you have not thought about it before.
P & A id often referred to as Marketing and indeed marketing is all a form of manipulation. Some forms of marketing are very clear in their intent to try to get you to react in a certain way whether it is to or not to buy, vote or not vote, do or not to do, day or not to say, think or not to think, etc.
Other forms of marketing are more manipulative and although the intent is not obvious, the marketing is designed to subconsciously force you to react in a way that you perhaps did not even know the marketing was causing.
Marketing is mainly visual, and auditory causing you to react based on what you see and or hear. These senses create a feeling within you that the marketing hopes pushes you react in the way that they intend you to react.
The scary thing about marketing is that you cannot escape it. Signs on the side of the road, calls to your phone, TV, radio, internet, on vehicles, in the sky, on the ground, on clothes, anything that an advertisement or publicity message can be put on and I do mean anything!
So, is marketing sinful? Of course to advertise is not a sin, but it seems that the concept itself has become very corrupt and you can make clear connections between the way marketing works and the way Satan works. In the same way that marketing constantly strives to get into your mine to force a reaction, Satan takes every opportunity to do the same. In the same way Satan will try to tempt you without even knowing it, so does many marketing schemes.
How come some of the most clever and attractive marketing strategies are for ungodly products and services such as, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and unwholesome activities? Even product and services that are not ungodly by themselves use ungodly marketing strategies that are sexual and vulgar. You have all heard the phrase “sex sells” and indeed it does. Many marketing strategies with no shame and hiding nothing will openly use sex and naked or nearly naked attractive models. While other marketing schemes may not be so bold, they still hint at sexuality to get your attention and keep your mind on their “message”.
So what can we do?! The problem for us Christians is that even if we succeed in not looking and thinking much about sinful influence, it still sticks in our minds and will make us more susceptible to thinking in ways and about things we shouldn’t each inevitably leads to sin. To battle an extreme enemy who uses extreme methods, we must have an extreme faith. Rest assured Satan is taking every opportunity to defeat you, so we must take every opportunity to fight back. What are some extreme things we have to do if we hope to stand against this attack?
We must avoid the following areas where marketing can turn into temptation to sin, while being honest with ourselves about what we know tempts us:
Ø Websites that contain content or ads
Ø TV shows or channels that contain commercials
Ø Magazines with articles or ads
Ø People who talk about things that lead you astray
Ø Songs that suggest ungodly behavior
Ø Ungodly radio stations
Ø Ungodly Literature
Ø Choosing to turn your head and not look at images you know tempt you
Isn’t this silly though? I mean this is just not realistic or Biblical to take such precautions is it?
Philippians 4:8-9
Finally, brethren,
whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and
if there is anything praiseworthy—
meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
1Thessalonians 4:1-8
Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
1Thessalonians 5:22
Abstain from every form of evil.
1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul
We have fooled ourselves into thinking that it is ok to watch the TV shows we watch, to listen to the music we listen to and to read the things we commonly read, yet we struggle with sin and wonder why. Most of Satans attacks through advertising are sexual in nature since (sex sells), and we have to be honest enough to admit that suggestions of sexual activity and even seeing more skin or tighter clothing of a member of the opposite (and sometimes same) sex will begin the temptation that leads to sin.
P & A id often referred to as Marketing and indeed marketing is all a form of manipulation. Some forms of marketing are very clear in their intent to try to get you to react in a certain way whether it is to or not to buy, vote or not vote, do or not to do, day or not to say, think or not to think, etc.
Other forms of marketing are more manipulative and although the intent is not obvious, the marketing is designed to subconsciously force you to react in a way that you perhaps did not even know the marketing was causing.
Marketing is mainly visual, and auditory causing you to react based on what you see and or hear. These senses create a feeling within you that the marketing hopes pushes you react in the way that they intend you to react.
The scary thing about marketing is that you cannot escape it. Signs on the side of the road, calls to your phone, TV, radio, internet, on vehicles, in the sky, on the ground, on clothes, anything that an advertisement or publicity message can be put on and I do mean anything!
So, is marketing sinful? Of course to advertise is not a sin, but it seems that the concept itself has become very corrupt and you can make clear connections between the way marketing works and the way Satan works. In the same way that marketing constantly strives to get into your mine to force a reaction, Satan takes every opportunity to do the same. In the same way Satan will try to tempt you without even knowing it, so does many marketing schemes.
How come some of the most clever and attractive marketing strategies are for ungodly products and services such as, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and unwholesome activities? Even product and services that are not ungodly by themselves use ungodly marketing strategies that are sexual and vulgar. You have all heard the phrase “sex sells” and indeed it does. Many marketing strategies with no shame and hiding nothing will openly use sex and naked or nearly naked attractive models. While other marketing schemes may not be so bold, they still hint at sexuality to get your attention and keep your mind on their “message”.
So what can we do?! The problem for us Christians is that even if we succeed in not looking and thinking much about sinful influence, it still sticks in our minds and will make us more susceptible to thinking in ways and about things we shouldn’t each inevitably leads to sin. To battle an extreme enemy who uses extreme methods, we must have an extreme faith. Rest assured Satan is taking every opportunity to defeat you, so we must take every opportunity to fight back. What are some extreme things we have to do if we hope to stand against this attack?
We must avoid the following areas where marketing can turn into temptation to sin, while being honest with ourselves about what we know tempts us:
Ø Websites that contain content or ads
Ø TV shows or channels that contain commercials
Ø Magazines with articles or ads
Ø People who talk about things that lead you astray
Ø Songs that suggest ungodly behavior
Ø Ungodly radio stations
Ø Ungodly Literature
Ø Choosing to turn your head and not look at images you know tempt you
Isn’t this silly though? I mean this is just not realistic or Biblical to take such precautions is it?
Philippians 4:8-9
Finally, brethren,
whatever things are true,
whatever things are noble,
whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely,
whatever things are of good report,
if there is any virtue and
if there is anything praiseworthy—
meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
1Thessalonians 4:1-8
Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
1Thessalonians 5:22
Abstain from every form of evil.
1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul
We have fooled ourselves into thinking that it is ok to watch the TV shows we watch, to listen to the music we listen to and to read the things we commonly read, yet we struggle with sin and wonder why. Most of Satans attacks through advertising are sexual in nature since (sex sells), and we have to be honest enough to admit that suggestions of sexual activity and even seeing more skin or tighter clothing of a member of the opposite (and sometimes same) sex will begin the temptation that leads to sin.
segunda-feira, 18 de agosto de 2008
FOOTPRINTS part 3 of 3
Footprints part 3
Ephesians 5:15-21
The final words in Ephesians 5 give us great insight on how we should walk in a way that shows people we are following God. We have all heard the familiar saying,” What would Jesus do?” and now that saying has seemingly become a joke to most people. Perhaps a better question is,” How would Jesus walk?”
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Every 20 minutes someone is injured or killed by stepping on a land mine. It is a sad and scary fact. In places where land mines are every where, people must be very careful. Landmines are not visual evident and if one is found, it is marked with a white flag so that no one steps on it. Sadly, when land mines are found, it is usually by the foot of a helpless victim. Satan has traps set for us in every direction and he knows the traps that we will most likely step on. We must walk carefully and live our lives with extreme caution and not foolishly as if nothing bad can happen by the choices we make. Stepping wisely will keep you in the footprints of Jesus and will help others walk safe behind you.
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Have you ever been to the shopping mall and you knew what you had to get and you did not have a lot of time to get it? When you have a goal and not a lot of time to accomplish it, you must hurry, you must not take unnecessary stops or steps, you must make the most of the time you have. Sure if you have plenty of time you may take it easy, look around, and go places you did not plan on. This life on earth is short and Satan is busy at work. Now is not the time to walk selfishly or aimlessly.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
What is God’s will for my life? Perhaps the most asked question among Christians, often in frustration. For most Christians, they never find God’s ultimate will for their life because they don’t read and obey His will that he has already written down in the Bible!
Once you show wisdom by getting in and living by God’s Word, he Will grant you more wisdom in the specific direction he wants you to go.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
I could create an entire devotion on this one verse because many Christians use this verse in a manner opposite of the its meaning. The contrast is the key them of this verse. We should be filled with, controlled by, under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Consistent studies prove that even small amount of (weak) alcoholic beverages cause slower reaction time and alter a person’s normal personality. No matter how you justify, you have begun giving control to a substance and not the Holy Spirit of God. Hmmm, sounds like idolatry. Studies also prove the casual or minimal drinkers are the most dangerous because they have a false sense of confidence and do not think their decision making skills are at all affected. Things are said and done that would not normally be even when only a few ounces of alcohol are drank. For sake of time I will not pile on the other verses in the Bible the forbid not just the consumption of alcohol, but even to look at it. Just as God warns that the sin of lust is just as bad as the actual sin you are lusting over, looking at alcohol wishing you could have some is just as bad as drinking it. A Christian has no business drinking if they wish to stay in control of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians argue that the word (dissipation sometimes translated excess) means that you can have some as long as you don’t have to much. The Greek word here actually means indulgence and unwise, the opposite of being spiritually upright. It also refers to how much alcohol consumption can cost, money, health, and spiritually. We are to indulge ourselves in the things of God, not this world, which gets back to the contrast this verse is showing.
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
Paul always seems to give you some (do’s) after he spell out some (do not’s) after all, what good it is to stop bad things when you don’t start doing the right things? So here we see that instead of walking foolishly which includes wasting time, drinking, and other unwise actions, we should be praising God and letting our words and actions point to and praise Him!
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Another truth abundant in Gods Word is that we should be thankful for everything.
As far as I know, I have never heard this said, but it struck me one day….. “A thankful heart NEVER sins!” It is true, when you are thankful to God for what you have, you don’t sin, you have no desire to and your heart is set on God. In an instant when we become unthankful, then we are tempted, and we sin.
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Although this is the smallest verse out of all we have looked at, it is probably the most packed with wisdom and the hardest to do. Submitting to other Christians can be one of the most difficult things you can do. Perhaps the key to understanding submission is that it is unconditional. It does not matter what another Christian does or says about you, we should always have a submissive attitude. How many battles, disagreements, arguments, and troubles between Christians would never start or end quickly if we all had a submissive attitude about each other. Just like a Pastor is submissive to God as well as the church, the church is to be submissive to the Pastor, the wife is to be submissive to the husband, the children submissive to the parents, etc, all Christians should have a submissive spirit to each other.
Why though should we submit to a Christian who we think does not deserve it? It is because we don’t do it for them. Why should we be nice to other people we do not have respect and reverence for? It is because we don’t do it for them. We do it for God which should be our motivation for all we do. In this way, our footprints will point to Jesus whom we should desire to follow because of our love for Him. Not that we loved him so much, but that he loved us first!!!
Ephesians 5:15-21
The final words in Ephesians 5 give us great insight on how we should walk in a way that shows people we are following God. We have all heard the familiar saying,” What would Jesus do?” and now that saying has seemingly become a joke to most people. Perhaps a better question is,” How would Jesus walk?”
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
Every 20 minutes someone is injured or killed by stepping on a land mine. It is a sad and scary fact. In places where land mines are every where, people must be very careful. Landmines are not visual evident and if one is found, it is marked with a white flag so that no one steps on it. Sadly, when land mines are found, it is usually by the foot of a helpless victim. Satan has traps set for us in every direction and he knows the traps that we will most likely step on. We must walk carefully and live our lives with extreme caution and not foolishly as if nothing bad can happen by the choices we make. Stepping wisely will keep you in the footprints of Jesus and will help others walk safe behind you.
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Have you ever been to the shopping mall and you knew what you had to get and you did not have a lot of time to get it? When you have a goal and not a lot of time to accomplish it, you must hurry, you must not take unnecessary stops or steps, you must make the most of the time you have. Sure if you have plenty of time you may take it easy, look around, and go places you did not plan on. This life on earth is short and Satan is busy at work. Now is not the time to walk selfishly or aimlessly.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
What is God’s will for my life? Perhaps the most asked question among Christians, often in frustration. For most Christians, they never find God’s ultimate will for their life because they don’t read and obey His will that he has already written down in the Bible!
Once you show wisdom by getting in and living by God’s Word, he Will grant you more wisdom in the specific direction he wants you to go.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
I could create an entire devotion on this one verse because many Christians use this verse in a manner opposite of the its meaning. The contrast is the key them of this verse. We should be filled with, controlled by, under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Consistent studies prove that even small amount of (weak) alcoholic beverages cause slower reaction time and alter a person’s normal personality. No matter how you justify, you have begun giving control to a substance and not the Holy Spirit of God. Hmmm, sounds like idolatry. Studies also prove the casual or minimal drinkers are the most dangerous because they have a false sense of confidence and do not think their decision making skills are at all affected. Things are said and done that would not normally be even when only a few ounces of alcohol are drank. For sake of time I will not pile on the other verses in the Bible the forbid not just the consumption of alcohol, but even to look at it. Just as God warns that the sin of lust is just as bad as the actual sin you are lusting over, looking at alcohol wishing you could have some is just as bad as drinking it. A Christian has no business drinking if they wish to stay in control of the Holy Spirit. Many Christians argue that the word (dissipation sometimes translated excess) means that you can have some as long as you don’t have to much. The Greek word here actually means indulgence and unwise, the opposite of being spiritually upright. It also refers to how much alcohol consumption can cost, money, health, and spiritually. We are to indulge ourselves in the things of God, not this world, which gets back to the contrast this verse is showing.
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
Paul always seems to give you some (do’s) after he spell out some (do not’s) after all, what good it is to stop bad things when you don’t start doing the right things? So here we see that instead of walking foolishly which includes wasting time, drinking, and other unwise actions, we should be praising God and letting our words and actions point to and praise Him!
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Another truth abundant in Gods Word is that we should be thankful for everything.
As far as I know, I have never heard this said, but it struck me one day….. “A thankful heart NEVER sins!” It is true, when you are thankful to God for what you have, you don’t sin, you have no desire to and your heart is set on God. In an instant when we become unthankful, then we are tempted, and we sin.
21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
Although this is the smallest verse out of all we have looked at, it is probably the most packed with wisdom and the hardest to do. Submitting to other Christians can be one of the most difficult things you can do. Perhaps the key to understanding submission is that it is unconditional. It does not matter what another Christian does or says about you, we should always have a submissive attitude. How many battles, disagreements, arguments, and troubles between Christians would never start or end quickly if we all had a submissive attitude about each other. Just like a Pastor is submissive to God as well as the church, the church is to be submissive to the Pastor, the wife is to be submissive to the husband, the children submissive to the parents, etc, all Christians should have a submissive spirit to each other.
Why though should we submit to a Christian who we think does not deserve it? It is because we don’t do it for them. Why should we be nice to other people we do not have respect and reverence for? It is because we don’t do it for them. We do it for God which should be our motivation for all we do. In this way, our footprints will point to Jesus whom we should desire to follow because of our love for Him. Not that we loved him so much, but that he loved us first!!!
sexta-feira, 15 de agosto de 2008
FOOTPRINTS part 2
Footprints > > > > >
> > > >
Part 2 Ephesians 5:8-14
A. WHO ARE WE? > > > > >
If we are going to walk in Gods footsteps and leave a path for others to see and follow, we must fully understand who we are. Look at the first verse of our text in Ephesians 5.
1. What we were….
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
There was a time that we were totally in sin. We were controlled by it, without forgiveness from it, and having no power from God to fight it. We were not just in sin, we were sin. Ephesians 5:8 tells us this….. another 5:8 tells us this in Romans 5:8.
Romans 5:8 But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus Christ allowed sin to be put on him, our sin! He paid for it all with his own blood as he died on the cross. He had to do it because he was the only one who could. We cannot pay for sin because we are sinners. That would be like trying to pay off debt with more debt. An angel cannot pay for our sin because angels are not human and neither are they capable of sin. A human being who is able to be tempted with sin just like us is the only person who could pay for our sin. This is why God became a human and lived a sinless life.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Hebrews 4:15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
2. What we are now….
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Now we are to be a light to shine for others to see Jesus through us. This is what Jesus tells us in…
Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Paul tells us this in
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore“Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “ I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”
B. WHAT IS NATURAL FOR US? > > > >
Is it natural for a rabbit to leave dog tracks, or is it natural for a duck to leave moose tracks? Of course you would laugh and say,” Of course not, that is crazy to even think it.”
Is it natural for a Christian to leave ungodly tracks? Of course a Christian can still sin, but the sin is no longer the dominant force in our lives, and is quickly confessed the closer we are to God. Christians should have certain fruit in their lives, just like certain animals leave certain footprints.
Ephesians 5:9-10
(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
These fruits (footprints) of the spirit are given in more detail by Paul in Galatians chapter 5 and contrasted with what are not fruits (footprints) of a Christian. Hmmm, same author, same topic, same chapter number (Paul, footprints. Chapter 5 of Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians) coincidence?…. Not with God!
Galatians 5:16-26
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
1. Footprints of a Christian > > > > > > >
Goodness
Righteousness
Truth
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Faithfulness to God and people
Self Control
Gentleness
Humility
A life dedicated to Christ
2. Footprints of someone without Jesus, lost, unsaved > > > > > > >
Evil
Unrighteousness
Lies
Hate
Sorrow
Strife
Bad Temper
Anger
Meanness
No care about God and people
Out of control
Harsh
Prideful
Nasty
Unkind
Cruel
Callous
Spiteful
Heatless
Malicious
Ephesians 5:11-14
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
WHAT DO YOUR FOOTPRINTS SAY ABOUT YOU?
> > > >
Part 2 Ephesians 5:8-14
A. WHO ARE WE? > > > > >
If we are going to walk in Gods footsteps and leave a path for others to see and follow, we must fully understand who we are. Look at the first verse of our text in Ephesians 5.
1. What we were….
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
There was a time that we were totally in sin. We were controlled by it, without forgiveness from it, and having no power from God to fight it. We were not just in sin, we were sin. Ephesians 5:8 tells us this….. another 5:8 tells us this in Romans 5:8.
Romans 5:8 But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus Christ allowed sin to be put on him, our sin! He paid for it all with his own blood as he died on the cross. He had to do it because he was the only one who could. We cannot pay for sin because we are sinners. That would be like trying to pay off debt with more debt. An angel cannot pay for our sin because angels are not human and neither are they capable of sin. A human being who is able to be tempted with sin just like us is the only person who could pay for our sin. This is why God became a human and lived a sinless life.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Hebrews 4:15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
2. What we are now….
Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Now we are to be a light to shine for others to see Jesus through us. This is what Jesus tells us in…
Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Paul tells us this in
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” Therefore“Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” “ I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.”
B. WHAT IS NATURAL FOR US? > > > >
Is it natural for a rabbit to leave dog tracks, or is it natural for a duck to leave moose tracks? Of course you would laugh and say,” Of course not, that is crazy to even think it.”
Is it natural for a Christian to leave ungodly tracks? Of course a Christian can still sin, but the sin is no longer the dominant force in our lives, and is quickly confessed the closer we are to God. Christians should have certain fruit in their lives, just like certain animals leave certain footprints.
Ephesians 5:9-10
(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
These fruits (footprints) of the spirit are given in more detail by Paul in Galatians chapter 5 and contrasted with what are not fruits (footprints) of a Christian. Hmmm, same author, same topic, same chapter number (Paul, footprints. Chapter 5 of Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians) coincidence?…. Not with God!
Galatians 5:16-26
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
1. Footprints of a Christian > > > > > > >
Goodness
Righteousness
Truth
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Faithfulness to God and people
Self Control
Gentleness
Humility
A life dedicated to Christ
2. Footprints of someone without Jesus, lost, unsaved > > > > > > >
Evil
Unrighteousness
Lies
Hate
Sorrow
Strife
Bad Temper
Anger
Meanness
No care about God and people
Out of control
Harsh
Prideful
Nasty
Unkind
Cruel
Callous
Spiteful
Heatless
Malicious
Ephesians 5:11-14
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
WHAT DO YOUR FOOTPRINTS SAY ABOUT YOU?
quinta-feira, 14 de agosto de 2008
FOOTPRINTS part 1 of 3
Footprints
> > > > >
> > > >
Part 1 of 3
A father opens the front door one cold morning and looks out into his snow covered yard. Everything was coated with a fresh lower of snow. His attention quickly was diverted to something interesting right near the front door. He called his young son to come look at the discovery. There is the snow was footprints. The little boy came to his daddy’s side as the dad told him that a rabbit had been around the front door while they slept. The young boy asked his dad how he knew. The father pointed down at the footprints and described to his son how you can tell a rabbit print from other animals. Later that day, father and son adventured out into the yard identifying other footprints and which animals it belonged to. The footprints that impressed the boy the most were that of his father and every time the father would walk, the boy would try as hard as he could to walk in the footprints of his father.
There are two truths I want to bring out from this simple illustration. During this 3 part series on footprints, we will take Ephesians 5:1-21 and relate it back to these two truths
#1. We are known by our footprints (just like the animals were known by theirs).
Everything we do and say and anything that people can observe about our lives leaves some form of impression. People can detect what we are about by what kind of footprint we leave.
#2. We should desire to follow the footprints of our Heavenly Father.
Just like that little boy loved to walk in the footprints of his father, we should desire to walk in the footprints of Jesus. What is it that made the little boy want to walk in the footprints of his father? Because he loves his father and wants to be like him in every way he can.
~Ephesians 5:1-7~
Eph.5 V.1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
It is only natural for a Christian (Child of God) to want to imitate our Heavenly Father.
We love Him because he loved us first. We love others because he loves us.
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
V.19-21 We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
YOU CANNOT SAY YOU LOVE GOD IF YOU DON’T LOVE OTHER CHRISTIANS! Sure we can say that Christians are hard to love sometime, but aren’t we hard to love sometimes to yet God still loves us? God loves us in two ways. First he loves us because he created us. A father and mother look at their newborn baby in so much love that it brings them to tears and changes their life. Now why do they love the baby? The baby has not done anything for them, has not been good to them, has not bought things for them, and has not shown them any respect or honor. The parents love the baby because they created it. God loves us first because he created us. Then He not only loves us as His creation but also as Children who have placed their faith and trust in Him. Do you love God enough to want to follow Him and do others see His love and your devotion to follow Him in your life?
Eph.5 V.3-6 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
What would happen if you were looking for a rabbit and began following its tracks and then found an elephant!? That obviously is not what you were expecting. It is confusing when someone says they are one thing, but their footprints tell a different story. There are things a Christian should not be doing because it is things Jesus has commanded against and He Himself would never do. Of course it is wrong to commit the obviously bad sins mentioned here, but what about the ones we see as not so bad? Filthiness in speech and actions, foolish talking, inappropriate and hurtful joking leaves footprints that don’t match a Christian and confuse anyone who observes. The world has a pretty good idea of what God would and would not approve of even if they do not believe in God. We cannot really fool the world, we don’t fool as many Christians as we think, and we certainly do not fool God. Sure you can be a Christian and not follow God’s footprints, but how can you say you love God, and don’t expect to have many rewards once you arrive through those pearly gates.
Eph.5 V.6-7 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Lastly, don’t be thrown off and stray from God footprints by the deceitful speaking of others. I am not just talking about lost people but even Christians out of the will of God will try to pull other Christians down with them. God will punish them for their sins; don’t get punished to because you go along with them. God’s footprints are your path.
Paul, the author of Ephesians also said,” Follow me as I follow Christ.” The only time you should follow the footprints of another Christian is when you see that they are following the Lord’s. In this way, you have not ceased to follow God’s footprints; you are merely walking them with someone else.
Pray for me as I pray for you that we follow Gods footprints and leave our own that point people to Christ.
> > > > >
> > > >
Part 1 of 3
A father opens the front door one cold morning and looks out into his snow covered yard. Everything was coated with a fresh lower of snow. His attention quickly was diverted to something interesting right near the front door. He called his young son to come look at the discovery. There is the snow was footprints. The little boy came to his daddy’s side as the dad told him that a rabbit had been around the front door while they slept. The young boy asked his dad how he knew. The father pointed down at the footprints and described to his son how you can tell a rabbit print from other animals. Later that day, father and son adventured out into the yard identifying other footprints and which animals it belonged to. The footprints that impressed the boy the most were that of his father and every time the father would walk, the boy would try as hard as he could to walk in the footprints of his father.
There are two truths I want to bring out from this simple illustration. During this 3 part series on footprints, we will take Ephesians 5:1-21 and relate it back to these two truths
#1. We are known by our footprints (just like the animals were known by theirs).
Everything we do and say and anything that people can observe about our lives leaves some form of impression. People can detect what we are about by what kind of footprint we leave.
#2. We should desire to follow the footprints of our Heavenly Father.
Just like that little boy loved to walk in the footprints of his father, we should desire to walk in the footprints of Jesus. What is it that made the little boy want to walk in the footprints of his father? Because he loves his father and wants to be like him in every way he can.
~Ephesians 5:1-7~
Eph.5 V.1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
It is only natural for a Christian (Child of God) to want to imitate our Heavenly Father.
We love Him because he loved us first. We love others because he loves us.
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
V.19-21 We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
YOU CANNOT SAY YOU LOVE GOD IF YOU DON’T LOVE OTHER CHRISTIANS! Sure we can say that Christians are hard to love sometime, but aren’t we hard to love sometimes to yet God still loves us? God loves us in two ways. First he loves us because he created us. A father and mother look at their newborn baby in so much love that it brings them to tears and changes their life. Now why do they love the baby? The baby has not done anything for them, has not been good to them, has not bought things for them, and has not shown them any respect or honor. The parents love the baby because they created it. God loves us first because he created us. Then He not only loves us as His creation but also as Children who have placed their faith and trust in Him. Do you love God enough to want to follow Him and do others see His love and your devotion to follow Him in your life?
Eph.5 V.3-6 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
What would happen if you were looking for a rabbit and began following its tracks and then found an elephant!? That obviously is not what you were expecting. It is confusing when someone says they are one thing, but their footprints tell a different story. There are things a Christian should not be doing because it is things Jesus has commanded against and He Himself would never do. Of course it is wrong to commit the obviously bad sins mentioned here, but what about the ones we see as not so bad? Filthiness in speech and actions, foolish talking, inappropriate and hurtful joking leaves footprints that don’t match a Christian and confuse anyone who observes. The world has a pretty good idea of what God would and would not approve of even if they do not believe in God. We cannot really fool the world, we don’t fool as many Christians as we think, and we certainly do not fool God. Sure you can be a Christian and not follow God’s footprints, but how can you say you love God, and don’t expect to have many rewards once you arrive through those pearly gates.
Eph.5 V.6-7 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Lastly, don’t be thrown off and stray from God footprints by the deceitful speaking of others. I am not just talking about lost people but even Christians out of the will of God will try to pull other Christians down with them. God will punish them for their sins; don’t get punished to because you go along with them. God’s footprints are your path.
Paul, the author of Ephesians also said,” Follow me as I follow Christ.” The only time you should follow the footprints of another Christian is when you see that they are following the Lord’s. In this way, you have not ceased to follow God’s footprints; you are merely walking them with someone else.
Pray for me as I pray for you that we follow Gods footprints and leave our own that point people to Christ.
To Gi
I just wanted to take this time away from all the chaos of this life and the hustle and bustle of every day to say something special about someone special.
Only a few months ago...
I thought I had true friends
I thought I had true love
I thought I had true happiness
I thought my Faith was as it should be
Then my world came crashing down and shortly after, I met her
She became...
The best friend I ever had
The most true love I have ever known
Happiness that I never could have dreamed of
A strong foundation to help me become closer to God than I have ever been
How can I thank her? What can I do? What can I say?
Because of her...
I dont have to fight anymore
I dont have to fear anymore
I dont have to hurt anymore
I dont have to cry anymore (well except for the happy tears she causes)
Gisley, my sweet, precious Gisley. Your charm, humour, and soft radiant beauty
constantly warm my heart. However your strength, morals, convictions, and love set my
soul on fire. Sometimes I see you as my girl, but then I see that you are more of a woman
than any woman I have ever known. I see a dedicated wife and a strong mother.
I love you, and need you so that I can be the complete man God intends for me to be.
Only a few months ago...
I thought I had true friends
I thought I had true love
I thought I had true happiness
I thought my Faith was as it should be
Then my world came crashing down and shortly after, I met her
She became...
The best friend I ever had
The most true love I have ever known
Happiness that I never could have dreamed of
A strong foundation to help me become closer to God than I have ever been
How can I thank her? What can I do? What can I say?
Because of her...
I dont have to fight anymore
I dont have to fear anymore
I dont have to hurt anymore
I dont have to cry anymore (well except for the happy tears she causes)
Gisley, my sweet, precious Gisley. Your charm, humour, and soft radiant beauty
constantly warm my heart. However your strength, morals, convictions, and love set my
soul on fire. Sometimes I see you as my girl, but then I see that you are more of a woman
than any woman I have ever known. I see a dedicated wife and a strong mother.
I love you, and need you so that I can be the complete man God intends for me to be.
quarta-feira, 13 de agosto de 2008
Can you hurt God?
Can you hurt God?
The obvious answer that most people would give is, “no.” How can you hurt God? He is God right, and we are just humans. However, we did hurt God. He was bruised, beaten, pierced, bled, and suffered mental torments that we cannot imagine all because of our sin. Not only did he suffer physically on the cross for our sins, but he suffers daily when we sin. There is one sin in that the Bible states which particularly hurts Him, saddens Him, and grieves Him.
It is how we speak to other Christians.
Surprised? Something as simple as how we speak to other Christians can hurt God that much? How can it be?
Jesus died for us, and those who have accepted Jesus death as payment for their sins are washed clean by the blood of Christ. By his pain and by his wounds, we are healed, saved, and Heaven bound. So to speak evil against someone that Jesus died for and someone that loves the same Lord you do, is nothing more than utter blaspheme!
Yes I said blaspheme! Jesus speaks in Matthew Chapter 25 about what it will be like when we all stand before Him in Heaven. He speaks about things that we can do to help or hurt people, look what he says in verse 40.
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
This is why when we speak evil about Jesus brothers and sisters (Christians), it is just like we are insulting Jesus himself straight to His Divine face and that is blaspheme no matter how you look at it. But…. What if a fellow believer does you wrong? Well, they must answer to God for that sin, but what rights to do you have to attack them back? If you sin in return then you have to answer to God for that sin. (See the devotion on UNITY that preceded this one.) We all must answer to God for our own sin, not anyone else’s.
Matthew 12:36-37 Jesus says:
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Romans 14:12-13
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
Now let’s look at our text for this devotion in Ephesians 4:25-30
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
We are all Christians. Don’t lie to and about each other, and by the way, isn’t this so easy to do? Sure we may not tell a huge outright lie but instead we twist the truth a little, or enhance something that was true until it is no longer true. We distort and change the truth just a little so we don’t feel like we are lying but indeed we are just as guilty.
26-27. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Wait a minute. Why is anger mentioned? We were talking about lying about our fellow Christians. Pay close attention to this. It is no accident that Paul talked about anger here. It is because God knows that we talk bad about people and we lie about people when we are angry. God lets us know that anger is a good emotion that can bring about positive change, however uncontrolled anger is destructive. Uncontrolled anger causes people to lash out at each other; usually not physically but verbally. It is easier to speak evil than to speak love, and when people are angry, that is when they lie and seek to verbally attack others. Don’t let the day pass without settling your anger because God knows it will rip you apart emotionally and then you will loose control later on. What happens when we have anger in our heart? We just laid out cookies and milk for the devil to come and take residence in our heart and since we know darkness cannot have fellowship with light, the Holy Spirit cannot have control of your heart when you invite Satan in through the welcome mat of anger.
28-29 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
To be honest, these verses perplexed me. The verses we are studying speak about how you speak and then out of nowhere, Paul talks about stealing. I think Paul is giving a contrast or comparison. Instead of living and sin and stealing from people and taking advantage of people, do something productive with yourself so that you may help people and not hurt people. This makes perfect sense with the rest of the verses about speech. Stop spending your time hurting people and trying to get your way with your harmful words and speak productively in a way that leads people to Jesus, improves your testimony, and builds up other Christians.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Speaking against each other grieves God!
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Paul is merely repeating was Jesus said in Matthew 6:14-15.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Remember the old rhyme we heard as kids growing up?
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me”
It is not true… words cause great harm, and not just to people, but more importantly, to God. Be careful what you say.
Pray for me as I pray for you that our speech would follow Colossians 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
And what Jesus said in Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Matthew Scott
The obvious answer that most people would give is, “no.” How can you hurt God? He is God right, and we are just humans. However, we did hurt God. He was bruised, beaten, pierced, bled, and suffered mental torments that we cannot imagine all because of our sin. Not only did he suffer physically on the cross for our sins, but he suffers daily when we sin. There is one sin in that the Bible states which particularly hurts Him, saddens Him, and grieves Him.
It is how we speak to other Christians.
Surprised? Something as simple as how we speak to other Christians can hurt God that much? How can it be?
Jesus died for us, and those who have accepted Jesus death as payment for their sins are washed clean by the blood of Christ. By his pain and by his wounds, we are healed, saved, and Heaven bound. So to speak evil against someone that Jesus died for and someone that loves the same Lord you do, is nothing more than utter blaspheme!
Yes I said blaspheme! Jesus speaks in Matthew Chapter 25 about what it will be like when we all stand before Him in Heaven. He speaks about things that we can do to help or hurt people, look what he says in verse 40.
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”
This is why when we speak evil about Jesus brothers and sisters (Christians), it is just like we are insulting Jesus himself straight to His Divine face and that is blaspheme no matter how you look at it. But…. What if a fellow believer does you wrong? Well, they must answer to God for that sin, but what rights to do you have to attack them back? If you sin in return then you have to answer to God for that sin. (See the devotion on UNITY that preceded this one.) We all must answer to God for our own sin, not anyone else’s.
Matthew 12:36-37 Jesus says:
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Romans 14:12-13
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
Now let’s look at our text for this devotion in Ephesians 4:25-30
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.
We are all Christians. Don’t lie to and about each other, and by the way, isn’t this so easy to do? Sure we may not tell a huge outright lie but instead we twist the truth a little, or enhance something that was true until it is no longer true. We distort and change the truth just a little so we don’t feel like we are lying but indeed we are just as guilty.
26-27. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.
Wait a minute. Why is anger mentioned? We were talking about lying about our fellow Christians. Pay close attention to this. It is no accident that Paul talked about anger here. It is because God knows that we talk bad about people and we lie about people when we are angry. God lets us know that anger is a good emotion that can bring about positive change, however uncontrolled anger is destructive. Uncontrolled anger causes people to lash out at each other; usually not physically but verbally. It is easier to speak evil than to speak love, and when people are angry, that is when they lie and seek to verbally attack others. Don’t let the day pass without settling your anger because God knows it will rip you apart emotionally and then you will loose control later on. What happens when we have anger in our heart? We just laid out cookies and milk for the devil to come and take residence in our heart and since we know darkness cannot have fellowship with light, the Holy Spirit cannot have control of your heart when you invite Satan in through the welcome mat of anger.
28-29 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
To be honest, these verses perplexed me. The verses we are studying speak about how you speak and then out of nowhere, Paul talks about stealing. I think Paul is giving a contrast or comparison. Instead of living and sin and stealing from people and taking advantage of people, do something productive with yourself so that you may help people and not hurt people. This makes perfect sense with the rest of the verses about speech. Stop spending your time hurting people and trying to get your way with your harmful words and speak productively in a way that leads people to Jesus, improves your testimony, and builds up other Christians.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Speaking against each other grieves God!
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Paul is merely repeating was Jesus said in Matthew 6:14-15.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Remember the old rhyme we heard as kids growing up?
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me”
It is not true… words cause great harm, and not just to people, but more importantly, to God. Be careful what you say.
Pray for me as I pray for you that our speech would follow Colossians 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
And what Jesus said in Luke 6:45
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Matthew Scott
segunda-feira, 11 de agosto de 2008
To Gisley my Love
I will waste no time allowing something to come between us my love. I knew some things were potential problems and that removing them would cost some pain but it had to be done. I feel very good about this change in our life. Only God and us should have the power to impact out relationship because at the end of the day we are always here for each other.I am still bothered by the fact someone could intentionally set out to ruin what we have but as Jesus said,"Dont be suprised if the world hates you, it hates me before it hated you." Anytime we do something that is God's will, Satan hates it and will use all he can and whomever he can do destroy it. It is ashamed the enemy can use people who (call themselves) Christians to do it.After the smoke settles and the fires die, you will find that I am still here. Ready to love you, ready to lead you, ready to give anything I can for you.I love you Gisley, please never stop loving me. Keep my heart, I dont want it back.
UNITY
UNITY
United we stand and divided we fall. We have all heard these words before and nothing could be truer in the Christian faith. Christian should be the most united group of individuals on the planet, but sadly, this is not so. To create a study on all the places in the Bible that God stresses unity among believers would span many pages and many devotions. For sake of time and ease of reading, we will stay in a few verses in the book of Ephesians. Let’s start by giving you a little background of this book of the Bible. Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus. Like al Paul’s letters to the churches, he addressed specific issues that related to the need of that church. In result, we find Paul tackling issues that are in our churches today since sin is always sin, people are always people, and most importantly, God is always God. The church at Ephesus was big and successful so it became easy for them to forget what Jesus has done for them. The people at Ephesus likely became like many Christians today: shallow, and misguided, thinking that God exists for them and not the other way around. One common area that arises when people forget what Jesus has done for them is that they become selfish, prideful, and un-unified.
Have you ever seen a Christian intentionally cause pain and dissention among fellow believers? Have you ever seen a Christian intentionally set out to cause damage in another Christian’s life? Sure, we all have, and perhaps, we have been guilty of such actions. Show me one place, just one, in the Bible where God gives a Christian permission to attack and harm another Christian.
Even in my life right at this moment I am in a situation where many Christians (or people who claim to be Christians) are maliciously and intentionally trying to ruin my life and my testimony, and anything that brings me happiness. They even take advantage of my good nature knowing that I have plenty of hurtful and true things I could say about them and damage their reputation yet I hold my peace……. Why?
There is no passage of Scripture giving you the green light to attack even if you yourself have been attacked. In fact we are told quite the opposite in Romans 12:9-21
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”says the Lord. Therefore“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
God is in control, and he will punish those who sin against you. Indeed, Gods punishment will be much more severe than anything we could dish out. In fact, we should feel sorry for people who sin against us because if they are acting outside of Christian unity, God will punish them.
We could end this devotion with those scriptures in Romans if we wanted to. You cannot get more clear than that, but lets look at what Paul (the man who wrote Romans and Ephesians) says to the church of Ephesus about this matter. Apparently this is a problem among Christians because he had to address it more than once. I encourage you to read all of Ephesians Chapter 4 but for sake of time I will pull out a few key verses on this topic.
v. 1-6
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
There is one God and one way to Heaven (Through faith in Jesus). There is one way to live as a Christian. Of course God has different plans for each of us but the Word of God contains truths that every Christian must follow. Because of this, if any Christian is living the way they should be, their life should be one of unity with other believers.
v. 11-16
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
God gave us all different talents and different positions but every thing God gives to us is given so that we may use it in unity. You may be wondering what this term (body of Christ) means. The body of Christ is Christians and all of us have talents and abilities different from each other but we all work in unity as one body. Just as the eyes can see but cannot walk, the legs can walk but cannot see. All of our physical body parts must work together in order for us to be safe, healthy, and productive. The same is true in the body of Christ. Some Christians can pray very well and very often but are not able to teach the Bible. Some Christians can preach the Bible but are not good at counseling people in need one-on-one. Some Christians can sing and some cannot. You see we all have different abilities and must use them together to perform God's will. We must be in unity. What would happen if in our physical body, if the hand attacked the ears, or even if one foot attacked the other? Well, utter chaos would ensue. The same happens when Christians attack each other and don’t work together. Unfortunately when we do attack each other, the person who suffers the most is Jesus. We fail him and hurt him more than the people we are trying to hurt.
v.17-24
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
United we stand and divided we fall. We have all heard these words before and nothing could be truer in the Christian faith. Christian should be the most united group of individuals on the planet, but sadly, this is not so. To create a study on all the places in the Bible that God stresses unity among believers would span many pages and many devotions. For sake of time and ease of reading, we will stay in a few verses in the book of Ephesians. Let’s start by giving you a little background of this book of the Bible. Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus. Like al Paul’s letters to the churches, he addressed specific issues that related to the need of that church. In result, we find Paul tackling issues that are in our churches today since sin is always sin, people are always people, and most importantly, God is always God. The church at Ephesus was big and successful so it became easy for them to forget what Jesus has done for them. The people at Ephesus likely became like many Christians today: shallow, and misguided, thinking that God exists for them and not the other way around. One common area that arises when people forget what Jesus has done for them is that they become selfish, prideful, and un-unified.
Have you ever seen a Christian intentionally cause pain and dissention among fellow believers? Have you ever seen a Christian intentionally set out to cause damage in another Christian’s life? Sure, we all have, and perhaps, we have been guilty of such actions. Show me one place, just one, in the Bible where God gives a Christian permission to attack and harm another Christian.
Even in my life right at this moment I am in a situation where many Christians (or people who claim to be Christians) are maliciously and intentionally trying to ruin my life and my testimony, and anything that brings me happiness. They even take advantage of my good nature knowing that I have plenty of hurtful and true things I could say about them and damage their reputation yet I hold my peace……. Why?
There is no passage of Scripture giving you the green light to attack even if you yourself have been attacked. In fact we are told quite the opposite in Romans 12:9-21
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”says the Lord. Therefore“ If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
God is in control, and he will punish those who sin against you. Indeed, Gods punishment will be much more severe than anything we could dish out. In fact, we should feel sorry for people who sin against us because if they are acting outside of Christian unity, God will punish them.
We could end this devotion with those scriptures in Romans if we wanted to. You cannot get more clear than that, but lets look at what Paul (the man who wrote Romans and Ephesians) says to the church of Ephesus about this matter. Apparently this is a problem among Christians because he had to address it more than once. I encourage you to read all of Ephesians Chapter 4 but for sake of time I will pull out a few key verses on this topic.
v. 1-6
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
There is one God and one way to Heaven (Through faith in Jesus). There is one way to live as a Christian. Of course God has different plans for each of us but the Word of God contains truths that every Christian must follow. Because of this, if any Christian is living the way they should be, their life should be one of unity with other believers.
v. 11-16
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
God gave us all different talents and different positions but every thing God gives to us is given so that we may use it in unity. You may be wondering what this term (body of Christ) means. The body of Christ is Christians and all of us have talents and abilities different from each other but we all work in unity as one body. Just as the eyes can see but cannot walk, the legs can walk but cannot see. All of our physical body parts must work together in order for us to be safe, healthy, and productive. The same is true in the body of Christ. Some Christians can pray very well and very often but are not able to teach the Bible. Some Christians can preach the Bible but are not good at counseling people in need one-on-one. Some Christians can sing and some cannot. You see we all have different abilities and must use them together to perform God's will. We must be in unity. What would happen if in our physical body, if the hand attacked the ears, or even if one foot attacked the other? Well, utter chaos would ensue. The same happens when Christians attack each other and don’t work together. Unfortunately when we do attack each other, the person who suffers the most is Jesus. We fail him and hurt him more than the people we are trying to hurt.
v.17-24
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
In these verses, Paul talks about the way the Gentiles (non-believers in Christ) live their lives and how we as Christians should not live that way. Sadly, this is exactly the way many people who call themselves Christians live. At a different time we could talk much about whether or not someone is truly a Christian, but it is a topic we must be careful of because even though there are certain things the Bible is clear about that a true Christian will and wont do, we all still have a nature to sin and will make mistakes, yet someone who repeatedly shows no love for the Bible and no love for fellow Christians would certainly indicate that they have never repented (admitted their sin in remorse to our Most Holy God) and accepted Jesus as the Lord of their life and Savior from their sins. These verses show us that someone without Jesus in their lives will live according to their own human lust, in futility, selfishness, pride, greed, separate from the truth in God's Word, dirty and sinful, and with no understanding of spiritual wisdom. Yes you can be a Christian and live this way, but why would you want to? This type of Christian will cause division, dissention, trouble, and pain in the body of Christ and will destroy unity.
v.31-32
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Pray for me as I pray for you on this matter of Christian unity. If you have any questions or comments, please email me and I will be glad to talk to you. If you are not sure if you have Unity with even Jesus himself, dont hesitate to contact me because this is the most important topic you or anyone else will ever face in their life.
Love in Christ
Matthew
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