Luke 18:14b - "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
John 8:31-32 - "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
Luke 19:26-27 - "[Jesus] replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, bu as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me.'"
Matthew 25:37-40,45 - "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ... 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'"
John 12:25-26 - "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."
John 13:16 - "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."
John 14:6 - "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
John 14:12-21 - "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will se me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
John 14:26-27 - "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
John 15:1-17 - "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does not bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, s have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you that so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that h lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I choose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."
John 15:18-19 - "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."
John 16:26-27 - "In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God."
Jesus was crucified on April 3, AD 30. He died around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. (according to my chronological Bible's footnotes)
John 20:21-23 - "Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'"
Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Acts 2:38 - "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
Acts 3:19-20 - "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus."
Random dates and a whole lot of good Scripture, of course, as always, this is just what I picked out as important and probably worth memorizing. To get all the story, read the gospels! I know I have! ;)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Personal: New Years Resolutions
Two sets of five objectives. The first set is the Radical challenge outlined at the end of Radical by David Platt. The second set is personal goals of sin to get rid of and spiritual growth to do.
Set One: The Radical Challenge
1. Pray for the entire world
Get a list (from Monica Skinner) of all the countries of the world and pray for every single one of them, and not impersonal prayers, look up current events for the country and pray for specific things that they are dealing with.
2. Read through the ENTIRE Word
Read the bible, cover to cover, in one year (at least once). I plan on accomplishing this by reading my Chronological Bible in a Year. By the end of this year I will have (ideally) read through the entire New Testament already.
3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
Parents and friends will not understand or endorse this one, but it is what we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are called to do. It is why God blessed me with lots of nice things and a place to live and freedom of religion and tons of money, it is to give it to those in need to make His glory known in all the world. (Read Radical Ch. 6)
4. Spend your time in another context
Same as last with understanding. I plan on spending my entire summer in either Miami or Asia on Summer Project with Campus Crusade for Christ.
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community
Commit your life to the Church. Yes, I did say THE CHURCH, not a church. If you do not understand, go to www.100Xchurch.com and watch the first four sermons on un-learning church. Anyway, I take this in the context of the phrase Summit Crossing is so fond of "doing life together". Get in a group of believers and serve the community, grow spiritually, and be accountable to each other.
Set two: Personal Self-Growth
1. Beat Lust in my life, completely and forthright.
This is a personal matter, it includes what most of you can guess, but to me it is more than just the obvious. This includes sexual-referencing jokes (especially "thats what she said"), making sure that my eyes are on girls eyes and not elsewhere, and yes, no masturbation (yes, I did just say that).
2. Stop using profanity, totally
This is a staged process that will begin with the big and obvious profanities and work its way down to words like "suck" (in the context of "such and such sucks") and idiot and stupid.
3. Stop judging others
This is one that I would dare say that every single human being struggles with (if you are perfect at this, props, seriously). Whether this is out loud or in your mind, judging others is a sin. It stems from Jesus' second most important commandment "love your neighbor".
4. Stop gossiping
A whole lot of people struggle with this one too, and yes, it does really fall under the last one, but it is different in my mind, so needs a separate one. This is not only an internal thing, it is an external thing. Not only do I not want to talk about anyone behind their back in either positive or negative light, I also do not want to be caught listening to someone else talk about someone else behind their back. So, I will be calling a lot of people out if you try, you have been warned.
5. Memorize AT LEAST 20 passages of the Bible
Whether this is one or two verses, like my favorite Proverbs 3:5-6 or 19 verses, like John 15:1-19, I want to have 20 solid, foundational Bible verses memorized for reference at will. This will help with all of the other goals, because "hiding His Word in our heart" is something that we are supposed to do, certainly not for God's sake, He wrote the Bible, but for our sake, to help us stay on that straight and narrow path.
Yes, I realize that these goals are very lofty, and I also acknowledge that I may not be able to accomplish all of them in a month or even in a year, but they are good life goals to strive toward, period. This is my Radical challenge to myself and I pray that you will be encouraged by this. I pray that you will support me in this endeavor and not halter me. I pray that you will forgive me and intercede for me when I fail at this. I pray that you will bear with me and forgive me when I call you out on profane jokes, profanity, gossiping, and judging others. I pray that you will call me out on these things so that I can know when it happens and immediately go to the Lord in prayer about it. But pray, just always pray.
Set One: The Radical Challenge
1. Pray for the entire world
Get a list (from Monica Skinner) of all the countries of the world and pray for every single one of them, and not impersonal prayers, look up current events for the country and pray for specific things that they are dealing with.
2. Read through the ENTIRE Word
Read the bible, cover to cover, in one year (at least once). I plan on accomplishing this by reading my Chronological Bible in a Year. By the end of this year I will have (ideally) read through the entire New Testament already.
3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
Parents and friends will not understand or endorse this one, but it is what we, as followers of Jesus Christ, are called to do. It is why God blessed me with lots of nice things and a place to live and freedom of religion and tons of money, it is to give it to those in need to make His glory known in all the world. (Read Radical Ch. 6)
4. Spend your time in another context
Same as last with understanding. I plan on spending my entire summer in either Miami or Asia on Summer Project with Campus Crusade for Christ.
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community
Commit your life to the Church. Yes, I did say THE CHURCH, not a church. If you do not understand, go to www.100Xchurch.com and watch the first four sermons on un-learning church. Anyway, I take this in the context of the phrase Summit Crossing is so fond of "doing life together". Get in a group of believers and serve the community, grow spiritually, and be accountable to each other.
Set two: Personal Self-Growth
1. Beat Lust in my life, completely and forthright.
This is a personal matter, it includes what most of you can guess, but to me it is more than just the obvious. This includes sexual-referencing jokes (especially "thats what she said"), making sure that my eyes are on girls eyes and not elsewhere, and yes, no masturbation (yes, I did just say that).
2. Stop using profanity, totally
This is a staged process that will begin with the big and obvious profanities and work its way down to words like "suck" (in the context of "such and such sucks") and idiot and stupid.
3. Stop judging others
This is one that I would dare say that every single human being struggles with (if you are perfect at this, props, seriously). Whether this is out loud or in your mind, judging others is a sin. It stems from Jesus' second most important commandment "love your neighbor".
4. Stop gossiping
A whole lot of people struggle with this one too, and yes, it does really fall under the last one, but it is different in my mind, so needs a separate one. This is not only an internal thing, it is an external thing. Not only do I not want to talk about anyone behind their back in either positive or negative light, I also do not want to be caught listening to someone else talk about someone else behind their back. So, I will be calling a lot of people out if you try, you have been warned.
5. Memorize AT LEAST 20 passages of the Bible
Whether this is one or two verses, like my favorite Proverbs 3:5-6 or 19 verses, like John 15:1-19, I want to have 20 solid, foundational Bible verses memorized for reference at will. This will help with all of the other goals, because "hiding His Word in our heart" is something that we are supposed to do, certainly not for God's sake, He wrote the Bible, but for our sake, to help us stay on that straight and narrow path.
Yes, I realize that these goals are very lofty, and I also acknowledge that I may not be able to accomplish all of them in a month or even in a year, but they are good life goals to strive toward, period. This is my Radical challenge to myself and I pray that you will be encouraged by this. I pray that you will support me in this endeavor and not halter me. I pray that you will forgive me and intercede for me when I fail at this. I pray that you will bear with me and forgive me when I call you out on profane jokes, profanity, gossiping, and judging others. I pray that you will call me out on these things so that I can know when it happens and immediately go to the Lord in prayer about it. But pray, just always pray.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Love Your Neighbor (Radical Chapter 6)
This is going to be a very long blog that is going to make a lot of people angry, but I take no remorse in these words. God broke my heart for this last night as I sat in tears reading this chapter to the very end. I do not claim to know everything about the following subjects or even to have them figured out completely in my life, but I know that my heart is now in the right place for this and if I do not get this off my chest I might explode.
"How much is enough?" American wealth and a world of poverty - Radical Chapter 6
A huge blind spot in many American's faith is a heart for the poor. As we live in unimaginable luxury here in America, we choose to ignore the ones around us who are starving and dying every day. Over 1 Billion people in this world live on the equivalent of less than a dollar a day. Over 2 Billion Others live on less than two dollars per day. This over 3 Billion people make up nearly half of the world's population. "More than twenty-six thousand children today will breath their last breath due to starvation or a preventable disease." What if one of those children was your child? Really put yourself in their place, these children have parents who literally have no means of providing for themselves or their children, and they can do nothing to stop their children from dying right their in their arms. So, I will ask it again, what if that was your child? If you don't have a child, what if that were your best friend, girlfriend, mom, dad, uncle, brother, or sister? These people are dying all over the world, and what is perhaps even more heartbreaking than that, is that they are all dying and going to Hell because almost none of them have ever had the opportunity to hear of the Gospel. And here we sit, most of us, doing nothing to help them. In regards to that, Platt says "But they do exist. Not only do they exist, but God takes very seriously how I respond to them. The book of Proverbs warns about curses that come upon those who ignore the poor. The prophets warn of God's judgment and devastation for those who neglect the poor. Jesus pronounces woes upon the wealthy who trust in their riches, and James tells those who hoard their money and live in self-indulgence to 'weep and wail because of the misery that is coming' upon them. In a humbling passage, Jesus says to those who turn away from him by ignoring the physical needs of his people, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" "The means of our salvation is faith in Christ alone, and the basis of our salvation is the work of Christ alone." "But the reality is, if you and I have running water, shelter over our heads, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation (even if it's public transportation), then we are in the top 15 percent of the world's people for wealth." This does not include having money for luxuries like spare clothes, expensive meals, cars, cameras, video games, televisions, jewelry, computers, internet, cable, telephones, cell phones, books, electricity, the list goes on. Just by having running water, any kind of shelter over our heads, even if that is just a trailer or a tent, clothes to wear, even if they do not fit and have holes in them, and some way of getting around, even taking the bus, we are more wealthy than 85% of the world's population. How misplaced are the funds of the American Christian community? Platt tells a heart-breaking story to put it into perspective "One evening I was meeting with an underground house church overseas, and we were discussing various issues in Scripture. A woman who lived in the city and knew some English shared. 'I have a television, and every once in a while I am able to get stations from the United States,' she said. 'Some of these stations have church services on them. I see the preachers, and they are dressed in very nice clothes, and they are preaching in very nice buildings. Some of them even tell me that if I have faith, I too can have nice things.' She paused before continuing. 'When I come to our church meetings, I look around, and most of us are very poor, and we are meeting here at great risk to our lives.' Then she looked at me and asked, 'Does this mean we do not have enough faith?'" Hmm, this goes back to another chapter where Platt tells of how little many Americans appreciate their ability to meet about God freely and in public. Anyway, he is saying here that we, as Americans, are "implicitly exporting a theology that equates faith in christ with prosperity in this world." That is just wrong. Before Jesus came and died for our sins, there was a reason for building elaborate temples, to make sacrifices to put off the sins of the people until Jesus came. God commanded them to build these temples occasionally. But nowhere in the New Testament will you see God or Jesus commanding their people to build elaborate temples or buildings of any kind to have worship, not directly or through one of the prophets. So, I have to ask, where have Americans gotten this idea that success in the church should be completely measured by how big of a building you have and how many people you can cram into that building on Sunday mornings? Thing I am talking nonsense? "Every year in the United States (alone), we spend more than $10 BILLION on church buildings. In America alone, the amount of real estate owned by institutional churches is worth OVER $230 BILLION." And this also breaks my heart and makes me ask the question: What if all that money had been spent on helping the poor and the sick and the starving and the thirsty and all those children and adults that are dying every day from starvation and preventable diseases? Is there anything wrong with just holding smaller church meetings in many more locations like public parks or people's houses? There is no law in America against meeting in public areas, or public parks even (to my knowledge). We have complete and total freedom of religion and how do we choose to spend all of the money that our communities of believers raise? On gigantic, elaborate buildings to meet in. Now let me make another thing clear here, I am not saying that there is anything inherently wrong with having a building to meet in for church on Sunday mornings. I am just saying that there is no reason to build these huge, overly elaborate buildings that, largely, only serve as meeting places. The only way I can see justifying having such a large building would be as a base of missions, that is, a storage facility for things like donated clothes and food that is then re-distributed by the church community to those who are in need of them. Or as a command center for getting the paperwork done to go out of country on missions and to adopt these children who are dying. And what about on a personal level? Are we all actually called to sell everything that we have and give it to the poor? No, God delights in pouring out blessings on his children, but He does it for the benefit of making His glory known in all nations, not for you to hoard the wealth you have been given for your own purposes. But the bigger question here is not whether or not we are told by Jesus to sell everything we have, it is whether or not we trust Jesus completely. Let me backtrack slightly to quote Platt again: "However, Jesus was not, and never is, interested in being seen as a respectable teacher. He is the sovereign Lord. He doesn't give options for people to consider; he gives commands for people to obey....Now, before you and I think of all the reasons he would not tell us to do these things, we need to think about this question first: is he Lord?...are we looking to Jesus for total leadership in our lives[?]...He always intends to be the voice that guides whatever decisions we make in our lives and with our money." Platt then tells a story about a man in his church, who, after hearing a sermon on the rich young ruler, began to sell everything he had, downsize, downgrade, and get down to the bare minimums. I will just skip to the end of the story, which brought me to tears last night "Then he looked at me through tears in his eyes and said, 'I wonder at some points if I'm being irresponsible or unwise. But then I realize there is never going to come a day when I stand before God and he looks at me and says, I wish you would have kept more for yourself. I'm confident that God will take care of me.'" If that doesn't just say it all and put it all into perspective. Jesus constantly teaches of how he takes care of those who are doing his work in the world. The gospels are filled with imagry of how God clothes and feeds wild animals and plants and how much more valuable are we to God than these? Therefore, how much more will God provide for us than for these plants? Jesus also states numerous times not to worry, about anything. Need more proof? Read 1 Timothy 6. And then ask yourself this question "am I willing to live a life that is content with food and clothing, having the basic necessities of my life provided for? Or do I want more?" Platt then uses the example of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, to show what this means in a real world perspective. And it boils down to the previous question. If you make $160,000/year and you can pay your bills and put food on your table and keep a roof over your head with $20,000/year, give the other $140,000 to the poor, who need it far more than you do. And this is probably a far reach from how much most of us make, but it is just an example. I just pray that after reading this, you will take a long hard look at the way you are living. Take a look at the house you live in and ask yourself if that house is more house than you need. Look at your car(s) and ask yourself if that car is more than you need. Look at the food you are eating and ask yourself if you could survive on simpler and less expensive food. Look at the things that your house is filled with and ask yourself if you really need all of these things. And before you go out and buy something else that is just a luxury, something else that you do not actually need to live on, ask yourself how many poor starving children in other countries you could keep alive with that money. Children that are just as precious and dear to someone as that someone in your life that is so precious and dear to you. Because it all comes back to where you are storing up your riches. Are your riches here on earth, or are they in heaven? Do you want nice things and luxuries here on earth where they will last you no longer than your life span (around 100 years tops), or do you want nice things in heaven, where things never expire and all your luxuries will last for an eternity?
"How much is enough?" American wealth and a world of poverty - Radical Chapter 6
A huge blind spot in many American's faith is a heart for the poor. As we live in unimaginable luxury here in America, we choose to ignore the ones around us who are starving and dying every day. Over 1 Billion people in this world live on the equivalent of less than a dollar a day. Over 2 Billion Others live on less than two dollars per day. This over 3 Billion people make up nearly half of the world's population. "More than twenty-six thousand children today will breath their last breath due to starvation or a preventable disease." What if one of those children was your child? Really put yourself in their place, these children have parents who literally have no means of providing for themselves or their children, and they can do nothing to stop their children from dying right their in their arms. So, I will ask it again, what if that was your child? If you don't have a child, what if that were your best friend, girlfriend, mom, dad, uncle, brother, or sister? These people are dying all over the world, and what is perhaps even more heartbreaking than that, is that they are all dying and going to Hell because almost none of them have ever had the opportunity to hear of the Gospel. And here we sit, most of us, doing nothing to help them. In regards to that, Platt says "But they do exist. Not only do they exist, but God takes very seriously how I respond to them. The book of Proverbs warns about curses that come upon those who ignore the poor. The prophets warn of God's judgment and devastation for those who neglect the poor. Jesus pronounces woes upon the wealthy who trust in their riches, and James tells those who hoard their money and live in self-indulgence to 'weep and wail because of the misery that is coming' upon them. In a humbling passage, Jesus says to those who turn away from him by ignoring the physical needs of his people, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" "The means of our salvation is faith in Christ alone, and the basis of our salvation is the work of Christ alone." "But the reality is, if you and I have running water, shelter over our heads, clothes to wear, food to eat, and some means of transportation (even if it's public transportation), then we are in the top 15 percent of the world's people for wealth." This does not include having money for luxuries like spare clothes, expensive meals, cars, cameras, video games, televisions, jewelry, computers, internet, cable, telephones, cell phones, books, electricity, the list goes on. Just by having running water, any kind of shelter over our heads, even if that is just a trailer or a tent, clothes to wear, even if they do not fit and have holes in them, and some way of getting around, even taking the bus, we are more wealthy than 85% of the world's population. How misplaced are the funds of the American Christian community? Platt tells a heart-breaking story to put it into perspective "One evening I was meeting with an underground house church overseas, and we were discussing various issues in Scripture. A woman who lived in the city and knew some English shared. 'I have a television, and every once in a while I am able to get stations from the United States,' she said. 'Some of these stations have church services on them. I see the preachers, and they are dressed in very nice clothes, and they are preaching in very nice buildings. Some of them even tell me that if I have faith, I too can have nice things.' She paused before continuing. 'When I come to our church meetings, I look around, and most of us are very poor, and we are meeting here at great risk to our lives.' Then she looked at me and asked, 'Does this mean we do not have enough faith?'" Hmm, this goes back to another chapter where Platt tells of how little many Americans appreciate their ability to meet about God freely and in public. Anyway, he is saying here that we, as Americans, are "implicitly exporting a theology that equates faith in christ with prosperity in this world." That is just wrong. Before Jesus came and died for our sins, there was a reason for building elaborate temples, to make sacrifices to put off the sins of the people until Jesus came. God commanded them to build these temples occasionally. But nowhere in the New Testament will you see God or Jesus commanding their people to build elaborate temples or buildings of any kind to have worship, not directly or through one of the prophets. So, I have to ask, where have Americans gotten this idea that success in the church should be completely measured by how big of a building you have and how many people you can cram into that building on Sunday mornings? Thing I am talking nonsense? "Every year in the United States (alone), we spend more than $10 BILLION on church buildings. In America alone, the amount of real estate owned by institutional churches is worth OVER $230 BILLION." And this also breaks my heart and makes me ask the question: What if all that money had been spent on helping the poor and the sick and the starving and the thirsty and all those children and adults that are dying every day from starvation and preventable diseases? Is there anything wrong with just holding smaller church meetings in many more locations like public parks or people's houses? There is no law in America against meeting in public areas, or public parks even (to my knowledge). We have complete and total freedom of religion and how do we choose to spend all of the money that our communities of believers raise? On gigantic, elaborate buildings to meet in. Now let me make another thing clear here, I am not saying that there is anything inherently wrong with having a building to meet in for church on Sunday mornings. I am just saying that there is no reason to build these huge, overly elaborate buildings that, largely, only serve as meeting places. The only way I can see justifying having such a large building would be as a base of missions, that is, a storage facility for things like donated clothes and food that is then re-distributed by the church community to those who are in need of them. Or as a command center for getting the paperwork done to go out of country on missions and to adopt these children who are dying. And what about on a personal level? Are we all actually called to sell everything that we have and give it to the poor? No, God delights in pouring out blessings on his children, but He does it for the benefit of making His glory known in all nations, not for you to hoard the wealth you have been given for your own purposes. But the bigger question here is not whether or not we are told by Jesus to sell everything we have, it is whether or not we trust Jesus completely. Let me backtrack slightly to quote Platt again: "However, Jesus was not, and never is, interested in being seen as a respectable teacher. He is the sovereign Lord. He doesn't give options for people to consider; he gives commands for people to obey....Now, before you and I think of all the reasons he would not tell us to do these things, we need to think about this question first: is he Lord?...are we looking to Jesus for total leadership in our lives[?]...He always intends to be the voice that guides whatever decisions we make in our lives and with our money." Platt then tells a story about a man in his church, who, after hearing a sermon on the rich young ruler, began to sell everything he had, downsize, downgrade, and get down to the bare minimums. I will just skip to the end of the story, which brought me to tears last night "Then he looked at me through tears in his eyes and said, 'I wonder at some points if I'm being irresponsible or unwise. But then I realize there is never going to come a day when I stand before God and he looks at me and says, I wish you would have kept more for yourself. I'm confident that God will take care of me.'" If that doesn't just say it all and put it all into perspective. Jesus constantly teaches of how he takes care of those who are doing his work in the world. The gospels are filled with imagry of how God clothes and feeds wild animals and plants and how much more valuable are we to God than these? Therefore, how much more will God provide for us than for these plants? Jesus also states numerous times not to worry, about anything. Need more proof? Read 1 Timothy 6. And then ask yourself this question "am I willing to live a life that is content with food and clothing, having the basic necessities of my life provided for? Or do I want more?" Platt then uses the example of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, to show what this means in a real world perspective. And it boils down to the previous question. If you make $160,000/year and you can pay your bills and put food on your table and keep a roof over your head with $20,000/year, give the other $140,000 to the poor, who need it far more than you do. And this is probably a far reach from how much most of us make, but it is just an example. I just pray that after reading this, you will take a long hard look at the way you are living. Take a look at the house you live in and ask yourself if that house is more house than you need. Look at your car(s) and ask yourself if that car is more than you need. Look at the food you are eating and ask yourself if you could survive on simpler and less expensive food. Look at the things that your house is filled with and ask yourself if you really need all of these things. And before you go out and buy something else that is just a luxury, something else that you do not actually need to live on, ask yourself how many poor starving children in other countries you could keep alive with that money. Children that are just as precious and dear to someone as that someone in your life that is so precious and dear to you. Because it all comes back to where you are storing up your riches. Are your riches here on earth, or are they in heaven? Do you want nice things and luxuries here on earth where they will last you no longer than your life span (around 100 years tops), or do you want nice things in heaven, where things never expire and all your luxuries will last for an eternity?
Discipleship (Radical Chapter 5)
"Regardless of hat country we live in, what skills we possess, what kind of education we have, or what kind of salary we make, Jesus has commanded each of us to make disciples, and this is the means by which we will impact the world. Indeed, Jesus has invited us to join him in the surprisingly simple journey of spreading the gospel to all nations by spending our lives for the good of others and the glory of God." I like to quote others because they put things into words far better than I do. To quote Lecrae "The teaching is a process, it's not over night, yeah its life on life". During our savior Jesus Christ's time here on our earth, He spent all of his time and effort pouring into twelve men whom he called disciples, apostles, brothers, and friends. Think about that, out of all the hundreds of sick and wounded he healed, the thousands that he fed, and the tens of thousands that he taught, when it is all said and done, Jesus spent his entire adult life on this earth with these twelve men. He tolerated their misunderstandings, he forgave them for their sins, he ate, drank, slept, and walked daily with these men. And in doing so, Jesus left a legacy, for He commanded these twelve (or ten, Judas Iscariot betrayed him, and Peter disowned him) to go and take the teachings that He had taught them to all the nations. But it is also important to note that they were not alone in their journey, they had each other, and, more importantly, they had the Holy Spirit within them. So, how do you go about making disciples? Depending on how you look at it, there are several easy ways to accomplish this simple command and vision of Jesus. The most "comfortable" to most of us Americans is to simply stay here in America and try to create disciples of those around you. This is simple in the aspect that you get to stay (relatively) inside your comfort zone. It is difficult in that most people here in America have already heard of the Gospel in some form or another, and many have hardened their heart to it because of the bad example that is set by our culture in regards to Christians. In this aspect, you can spend a lot of time just trying to get one disciple, but if you do, it is worth it. Once you have found someone who genuinely wants to learn about the gospel, is it easier to try to get them to meet with an "expert" once a week and sign them up for the next available "class" at the church, or is it easier to just invite them into your life, into your personal quiet time with God, your routine? The former might be easier, but the latter is what we are really supposed to be doing, because that is the example that Jesus set. Now, on the other hand, you can go out into the world and find numerous disciples in other countries where people have never had the opportunity to hear of the Gospel. This is easy from the aspect that not many have hardened hearts to the gospel and are generally pretty open to hearing the Gospel if for no other reason than it is new information. It is difficult because of getting out of your comfort zone and going to impoverished places (also, language barriers usually tend to get in the way). Either way, making disciples is what we, not even so much as Americans, but as followers of Jesus Christ, are commanded to go forth and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all of God's commands. As Platt puts it "Disciple making is not about a program or an event but about a relationship. As we share the gospel, we impart life, and this is the essence of making disciples. Sharing the life of Christ." Platt also goes into great detail about why baptism is a crucial part of becoming a disciple. Baptism is a public declaration of your faith to a community of fellow believers, so that you can get help from the community in your walk with Jesus. It is important that you grow spiritually if you are going to help others grow. So, you should always be a reciprocator and not a receiver. Those who receive teachings (on Sunday, Bible study, whatever), should actively engage in the teaching. "It is multiplying because the people of God are no longer listening as if his Word is intended to stop with them. They are now living as if God's Word is intended to spread through them." My favorite concept from this chapter is 'Discipling or Disinfecting?'. I will end quoting Platt in full here: "Whereas disinfecting Christians involves isolating them and teaching them to be good, discipling Christians involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others. Now the world is our focus, and we gauge success in the church not on the hundreds or thousands whom we can get into our buildings but on the hundreds or thousands who are leaving our buildings to take on the world with the disciples they are making...Disciple making takes place multiple times every week in multiple locations by an army of men and women sharing, showing, and teaching the Word of Christ and together serving a world in need of Christ."
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
World Missions (Radical Ch.4)
Well, I am going to try to do justice to Radical chapter 4 by David Platt and mix in some of my insight (or lack thereof), but really, you just need to get a copy of Radical and read it for yourself.
World Missions, Chapter 4
"David, I think it's great your are going to those places. But if you ask me, I would just as soon God annihilate all those people and send them to hell." A deacon of a church said these words to David Platt just casually, flat out, with no remorse. Can you imagine, after reading my last blog about Hell, anyone wanting anyone to ever go to such a horrible place? The first few pages of this chapter talk about how too many churches here in America are focused on all the wrong things and have their hearts in the wrong places. Far too many of them spend their time giving sermons that have no Biblical grounds at all, just talking about politics in a religious setting. And too many churches spend a good deal of their money supporting other people and churches to go on missions. This is not necessarily a bad thing, supporting people who are doing the work of God, but shouldn't they also be doing the work of God in other nations? The fundamental reason why God created us was to have intimate relationships with Him and to further His glory. "God blesses his people with extravagant grace so they might extend his extravagant glory to all peoples on the earth." Think about that, the whole reason we were created, the reason God has blessed you enough to be able to have food to eat, a place to sleep, clothes to wear, and apparently a computer to read this on is all for the sake of His own glory. "If that is true, we may wonder, then does this make God selfish? How can God's purpose be to exalt himself? This is a good question, and it causes us to pause until we ask the follow-up question: Whom else would we have him exalt? At the very moment God exalted someone or something else, he would no longer be the great God worthy of all glory in all the universe, which he is." Platt redefines Christianity in every chapter of this book. In this chapter he asks what the message of Christianity is to a typical American believer. The answer is usually something along the lines of "God/Jesus loves me", which means that the object of Christianity is me. How conceited do you get? "The message of biblical Christianity is 'God loves me so that I might make him-his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness-known among all nations.' Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him." Doesn't this make a lot more sense? There is actually a section in this chapter titled "I'm not called" which is simply awesome. I have never liked or believed in sayings like this, they just sound stupid and really make no sense to me. When a Christian says that they are not "called" to teach the Good News to others, in any way, shape or form, at any time, for any reason, they are fundamentally reducing a Command and turning it into a Calling. No where in the Bible will you find someone saying this. Where would the disciples been if they had taken this mindset? No, it is very clear in the Bible, Jesus very directly states numerous times, that we are commanded to go forth and make disciples of all nations. This is a command, and you cannot just reduce it to a calling because it is inconvenient to what you are doing at the time. I will quote it again "every saved person this side of Heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of Hell." I think that is a good motto for every Christian and follower of Jesus to take on. In this section, Platt rightly gives several examples of how Americans have twisted the Bible in that the blessings and good things listed in Scripture are meant for all believers, but the hard things and the commands are only meant for a select few. This is comparable, in my mind, wanting to have a job just for the paycheck. You really do not care about the job or want to do the work, you just want the paycheck, and that is what Americans are doing to the Bible. We want all the good stuff, but leave that hard stuff, the fundamental commands and teachings of Jesus to just a select few. *buzzer* WRONG! Some people use the excuse, "But what about the needs/people here?". Platt really does cover all of his bases in this book. Yes, the need here in America for real disciples and for homeless and hungry is also great, but are you really doing something about the needs here either? If you are not 'called' to go overseas to third-world countries, are you going out to the projects and the bad parts of the towns and cities that you live in here? Are you giving money to the homeless, sheltering those who have no home, feeding the hungry, giving water to those without any? Are taking the Good News into the places here in America that are hurting and in need of help? Another problem with looking at it this way is that only 5% of the world's population lives in the United States, so by saying that you only have a heart for the United States, you are ignoring the needs of the other 95% of people in the world. *buzzer* and there is our problem as Americans, we use excuse after excuse after excuse and reduce commands down to callings and in the end, most Americans Christians are really just not following the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. And if you are, then I commend you and ask that you continue doing so. Platt gives three good examples of average Americans who are making a difference. In doing so he shows that you do not have to give up everything you have and all of your comforts and blessings to follow the Great Commission, only that you make small sacrifices and help those who are in need. I will end my rant with one of the last paragraphs of the chapter: "So what might this look like in your life? As we explore what it means to be radically abandoned to Christ, I invite you simply to let your heart be gripped, maybe for the first time, by the biblical prospect that God has designed a radically global purpose for your life. I invite you to throw aside gospel-less reasoning that might prevent you from accomplishing that purpose. I invite you to consider with me what it would mean for all of us-pastors and church members, businessmen and businesswomen, lawyers and doctors, consultants and construction workers, teachers and students, on-the-go professionals and stay-at-home moms-to spend all of our lives for the sake of all of God's glory in all of the world."
World Missions, Chapter 4
"David, I think it's great your are going to those places. But if you ask me, I would just as soon God annihilate all those people and send them to hell." A deacon of a church said these words to David Platt just casually, flat out, with no remorse. Can you imagine, after reading my last blog about Hell, anyone wanting anyone to ever go to such a horrible place? The first few pages of this chapter talk about how too many churches here in America are focused on all the wrong things and have their hearts in the wrong places. Far too many of them spend their time giving sermons that have no Biblical grounds at all, just talking about politics in a religious setting. And too many churches spend a good deal of their money supporting other people and churches to go on missions. This is not necessarily a bad thing, supporting people who are doing the work of God, but shouldn't they also be doing the work of God in other nations? The fundamental reason why God created us was to have intimate relationships with Him and to further His glory. "God blesses his people with extravagant grace so they might extend his extravagant glory to all peoples on the earth." Think about that, the whole reason we were created, the reason God has blessed you enough to be able to have food to eat, a place to sleep, clothes to wear, and apparently a computer to read this on is all for the sake of His own glory. "If that is true, we may wonder, then does this make God selfish? How can God's purpose be to exalt himself? This is a good question, and it causes us to pause until we ask the follow-up question: Whom else would we have him exalt? At the very moment God exalted someone or something else, he would no longer be the great God worthy of all glory in all the universe, which he is." Platt redefines Christianity in every chapter of this book. In this chapter he asks what the message of Christianity is to a typical American believer. The answer is usually something along the lines of "God/Jesus loves me", which means that the object of Christianity is me. How conceited do you get? "The message of biblical Christianity is 'God loves me so that I might make him-his ways, his salvation, his glory, and his greatness-known among all nations.' Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him." Doesn't this make a lot more sense? There is actually a section in this chapter titled "I'm not called" which is simply awesome. I have never liked or believed in sayings like this, they just sound stupid and really make no sense to me. When a Christian says that they are not "called" to teach the Good News to others, in any way, shape or form, at any time, for any reason, they are fundamentally reducing a Command and turning it into a Calling. No where in the Bible will you find someone saying this. Where would the disciples been if they had taken this mindset? No, it is very clear in the Bible, Jesus very directly states numerous times, that we are commanded to go forth and make disciples of all nations. This is a command, and you cannot just reduce it to a calling because it is inconvenient to what you are doing at the time. I will quote it again "every saved person this side of Heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of Hell." I think that is a good motto for every Christian and follower of Jesus to take on. In this section, Platt rightly gives several examples of how Americans have twisted the Bible in that the blessings and good things listed in Scripture are meant for all believers, but the hard things and the commands are only meant for a select few. This is comparable, in my mind, wanting to have a job just for the paycheck. You really do not care about the job or want to do the work, you just want the paycheck, and that is what Americans are doing to the Bible. We want all the good stuff, but leave that hard stuff, the fundamental commands and teachings of Jesus to just a select few. *buzzer* WRONG! Some people use the excuse, "But what about the needs/people here?". Platt really does cover all of his bases in this book. Yes, the need here in America for real disciples and for homeless and hungry is also great, but are you really doing something about the needs here either? If you are not 'called' to go overseas to third-world countries, are you going out to the projects and the bad parts of the towns and cities that you live in here? Are you giving money to the homeless, sheltering those who have no home, feeding the hungry, giving water to those without any? Are taking the Good News into the places here in America that are hurting and in need of help? Another problem with looking at it this way is that only 5% of the world's population lives in the United States, so by saying that you only have a heart for the United States, you are ignoring the needs of the other 95% of people in the world. *buzzer* and there is our problem as Americans, we use excuse after excuse after excuse and reduce commands down to callings and in the end, most Americans Christians are really just not following the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. And if you are, then I commend you and ask that you continue doing so. Platt gives three good examples of average Americans who are making a difference. In doing so he shows that you do not have to give up everything you have and all of your comforts and blessings to follow the Great Commission, only that you make small sacrifices and help those who are in need. I will end my rant with one of the last paragraphs of the chapter: "So what might this look like in your life? As we explore what it means to be radically abandoned to Christ, I invite you simply to let your heart be gripped, maybe for the first time, by the biblical prospect that God has designed a radically global purpose for your life. I invite you to throw aside gospel-less reasoning that might prevent you from accomplishing that purpose. I invite you to consider with me what it would mean for all of us-pastors and church members, businessmen and businesswomen, lawyers and doctors, consultants and construction workers, teachers and students, on-the-go professionals and stay-at-home moms-to spend all of our lives for the sake of all of God's glory in all of the world."
Sunday, October 31, 2010
My take on Heaven & Hell
Let me just go ahead and say before I start that no words and no phrasing in English or any other language can ever even begin to describe the joy found in Heaven and the suffering found in Hell. I capitalize both of them because I completely believe that they both exist as real places. Alright, so, here we go, Heaven, then Hell.
Heaven
Heaven blatantly is eternal togetherness with God. The subsequent infinite amount of happiness and joy that go along with that cannot even be imagined. The faithful few in the Bible, like Moses, who actually got a chance to see God in all His glory were forever changed, they could do nothing but fall flat on their faces before Him in complete surrender of how broken and in need of Him that they were. Moses had to cover his face with a veil after being in the Lord's presence because his face literally glowed. In a similar way, this is how it will feel in heaven. As Trip Lee puts it "A million years later, the joy is the same". But that just really cannot do it justice, because a million years in heaven is nothing compared to ETERNITY, a literal never ending amount of time, or, to some, a place where time simply has no meaning at all. I will not go into the theology of the passage of time in regards to the after life one way or another, believe what you will. I agree with Wesley in that once you die, you are immediately at the end of time, after everyone and everything in the universe has ceased to exist, because time has no meaning and part of your eternal joy is being with your loved ones forever. I also believe that everyone will have a job so to speak. The job that you have will be determined by determined by how you spent your time here on Earth. I am not saying that if you did nothing useful as a Christian on Earth that you will be a toilet cleaner, although that is completely possible. I am saying that if you spend your time on Earth preaching the Gospel to everyone you meet and living your life by the example that Jesus set that you will have a really, really awesome job like God's golf buddy or something. That is the best way that I can put, and that is how I see it being.
Hell
First off, I just want to quote Paul, the pastor at Summit Crossing here in Huntsville, "We should not try to scare people of hell, partially because there is no words or way to relate the horror of it...we should use God's living and active Word to show His love to the world, to bring real truth to people" That is probably not word for word what he said, but pretty close. Do not get me wrong, people should be afraid of Hell, but we should not use the idea of Hell to try to scare people into Heaven, it just does not work that way. For more insight into this, watch Nooma with Rob Bell (youtube "Bullhorn Guy", you will find it), he puts it better than I can. Anyway, the Bible defines Hell as eternal separation from God. Here on Earth we have open communication with God through His Holy Spirit within us, but imagine a place where, even if you want to, you cannot communicate with God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit in any way. Directly, I picture Hell as an eternal blackness, so expansive that you cannot reach out and touch anything and you cannot see anything, you cannot walk or anything, you are just suspended in an eternal darkness. To accompany this, there is unbearable pain that cannot be compared to any form of torture imaginable on this Earth. The Bible puts it as "where there is gnashing of teeth, and the fire is never quenched". So, there is unimaginable pain and suffering both externally and internally in the form of just pure pain, probably in the form of fire, but on top of that, you will never know God's love again, nor love of any kind. You will never be able to see your loved ones or anyone. And this suffering never gets any less, unlike electricity and other forms of torture here on Earth that the body can become used to and lessen the pain of, through endorphins or some other form of adaptation. No, this suffering never gets to be any less, and it lasts for ETERNITY. Utter unimaginable torment and loneliness forever with no hope of it ever stopping. That is how I picture hell.
Conclusion
I also believe that every single person that does not get to hear about God and anyone who rejects God will be sent to Hell, no exceptions. Think about it, if everyone who did not hear about God got a "get out of Hell free card", then telling them about God and his Gospel would be the worst thing that we could possibly ever do to them, and we know that this is not true because the Bible is absolutely filled from cover to cover with messages that it is our job as Christians to "go forth and make disciples of all nations". For this reason, it is our RESPONSIBILITY as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ to go forth and tell the "Good News" to all nations so that no person goes to hell. There is no "I am just not called to do that" or "only some people are called to do that", ALL of God's children who have been blessed with the knowledge of Him and His Son owe it to the world to tell everyone about Him. David Platt manages to summarize this into a single line in his book Radical (which everyone should be required to read, Page 74:) "Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell." SERIOUSLY, not a joke, God calls all of us to Radical abandonment to His purpose, which is bringing the Good News to everyone. Worried about what you will wear, eat, drink, where you will sleep? Read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), they are completely filled with images of how, if God clothes, shelters, and feeds birds, grass, and flowers so well, how much more will he provide for His children who are doing His will? Think about it...
Heaven
Heaven blatantly is eternal togetherness with God. The subsequent infinite amount of happiness and joy that go along with that cannot even be imagined. The faithful few in the Bible, like Moses, who actually got a chance to see God in all His glory were forever changed, they could do nothing but fall flat on their faces before Him in complete surrender of how broken and in need of Him that they were. Moses had to cover his face with a veil after being in the Lord's presence because his face literally glowed. In a similar way, this is how it will feel in heaven. As Trip Lee puts it "A million years later, the joy is the same". But that just really cannot do it justice, because a million years in heaven is nothing compared to ETERNITY, a literal never ending amount of time, or, to some, a place where time simply has no meaning at all. I will not go into the theology of the passage of time in regards to the after life one way or another, believe what you will. I agree with Wesley in that once you die, you are immediately at the end of time, after everyone and everything in the universe has ceased to exist, because time has no meaning and part of your eternal joy is being with your loved ones forever. I also believe that everyone will have a job so to speak. The job that you have will be determined by determined by how you spent your time here on Earth. I am not saying that if you did nothing useful as a Christian on Earth that you will be a toilet cleaner, although that is completely possible. I am saying that if you spend your time on Earth preaching the Gospel to everyone you meet and living your life by the example that Jesus set that you will have a really, really awesome job like God's golf buddy or something. That is the best way that I can put, and that is how I see it being.
Hell
First off, I just want to quote Paul, the pastor at Summit Crossing here in Huntsville, "We should not try to scare people of hell, partially because there is no words or way to relate the horror of it...we should use God's living and active Word to show His love to the world, to bring real truth to people" That is probably not word for word what he said, but pretty close. Do not get me wrong, people should be afraid of Hell, but we should not use the idea of Hell to try to scare people into Heaven, it just does not work that way. For more insight into this, watch Nooma with Rob Bell (youtube "Bullhorn Guy", you will find it), he puts it better than I can. Anyway, the Bible defines Hell as eternal separation from God. Here on Earth we have open communication with God through His Holy Spirit within us, but imagine a place where, even if you want to, you cannot communicate with God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit in any way. Directly, I picture Hell as an eternal blackness, so expansive that you cannot reach out and touch anything and you cannot see anything, you cannot walk or anything, you are just suspended in an eternal darkness. To accompany this, there is unbearable pain that cannot be compared to any form of torture imaginable on this Earth. The Bible puts it as "where there is gnashing of teeth, and the fire is never quenched". So, there is unimaginable pain and suffering both externally and internally in the form of just pure pain, probably in the form of fire, but on top of that, you will never know God's love again, nor love of any kind. You will never be able to see your loved ones or anyone. And this suffering never gets any less, unlike electricity and other forms of torture here on Earth that the body can become used to and lessen the pain of, through endorphins or some other form of adaptation. No, this suffering never gets to be any less, and it lasts for ETERNITY. Utter unimaginable torment and loneliness forever with no hope of it ever stopping. That is how I picture hell.
Conclusion
I also believe that every single person that does not get to hear about God and anyone who rejects God will be sent to Hell, no exceptions. Think about it, if everyone who did not hear about God got a "get out of Hell free card", then telling them about God and his Gospel would be the worst thing that we could possibly ever do to them, and we know that this is not true because the Bible is absolutely filled from cover to cover with messages that it is our job as Christians to "go forth and make disciples of all nations". For this reason, it is our RESPONSIBILITY as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ to go forth and tell the "Good News" to all nations so that no person goes to hell. There is no "I am just not called to do that" or "only some people are called to do that", ALL of God's children who have been blessed with the knowledge of Him and His Son owe it to the world to tell everyone about Him. David Platt manages to summarize this into a single line in his book Radical (which everyone should be required to read, Page 74:) "Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell." SERIOUSLY, not a joke, God calls all of us to Radical abandonment to His purpose, which is bringing the Good News to everyone. Worried about what you will wear, eat, drink, where you will sleep? Read the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), they are completely filled with images of how, if God clothes, shelters, and feeds birds, grass, and flowers so well, how much more will he provide for His children who are doing His will? Think about it...
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Favorite Verses from October 9-21
Matthew 7:1-5
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
-This is not just talking about judging other people out loud either to yourself or in the form of gossip with others, but also at the thinking level. If you judge people, whether it be the action that they are doing or their appearance or whatever, in your mind, you are still judging them.
Matthew 10:26-33,37-39
"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven....Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Matthew 18:15-17
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."
Matthew 18:19-20
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Luke 12:22-31
Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
-Again, I just cannot stress enough how this is not just some allegory to something that only some "special" or "called" Christians should do, it is something that we should all practice daily, and in doing so, our lives will be made much more happy and filled with joy.
Luke 14:7-14
When he noticed how the gusts picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, ad he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
-This is not just talking about judging other people out loud either to yourself or in the form of gossip with others, but also at the thinking level. If you judge people, whether it be the action that they are doing or their appearance or whatever, in your mind, you are still judging them.
Matthew 10:26-33,37-39
"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven....Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Matthew 18:15-17
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."
Matthew 18:19-20
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Luke 12:22-31
Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."
-Again, I just cannot stress enough how this is not just some allegory to something that only some "special" or "called" Christians should do, it is something that we should all practice daily, and in doing so, our lives will be made much more happy and filled with joy.
Luke 14:7-14
When he noticed how the gusts picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, ad he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
Favorite Verses from October 5-8
Matthew 5:3-16
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they ill be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for int he same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:27-32
"You have heard it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tel you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must giver her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery."
-This is serious stuff, not a joke, not a metaphor. Do not try to reword this passage to make it more comfortable to you in our modern day and age, when Jesus said this, he meant it as is.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they ill be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for int he same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:27-32
"You have heard it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tel you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must giver her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery."
-This is serious stuff, not a joke, not a metaphor. Do not try to reword this passage to make it more comfortable to you in our modern day and age, when Jesus said this, he meant it as is.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Are You Hungry?
Lately I have been consistently spending an hour a day alone with God. Subsequently, I have been reading a book called Radical by David Platt. This book is really changing my perspective on how we, as Americans, look at God. America is home to a large variety of religions, but of those who call themselves Christians, how many of them only view God as that person you come and talk about twice a year on Christmas and Easter? How many of us are satisfied with only talking about him for an hour or two one a week on Sunday? One of my good friends from Frazer once compared reading your Bible and praying to God to eating. You, as a human being, cannot survive if you do not eat. In the same way, you cannot grow spiritually in your relationship with God if you do not read the Bible and pray to God daily. Now, in Radical, Platt spends the first chapter talking about what is wrong with our idea of God as Americans. Here, where we have freedom of religion, we really do take God and his word for granted. We get up on Sunday morning, put on a nice, expensive set of clothes, get in our really expensive car of choice, drive a few miles in our air conditioned cars to a gigantic, elaborate church building, go into a nice, well lit, air conditioned building, and talk about God for a one or two hours while sitting in comfortable chairs, usually eating some kind of free food which is provided. Platt paints a picture of an average church meeting in a country in Asia where organized religion is illegal. He tells of how church leaders leave their homes early in the morning at planned, offset time intervals as to not arrive at the same time and draw suspision, some of them walking or bicycling dozens of miles to a broken down shack in the middle of nowhere with no air conditioning, to meet on the ground, with no chairs, no food, and talk about how the churches that they are trying to start or maintain are being torn apart by government or anti-Christian organizations who kidnap their church members and torture them or threaten to kill their entire families if they do not stop studying God's word. So I have to ask, are you hungry? Do you really appreciate what you have been given, not only in your worldly comforts, but in your ability to study God's word and speak about it with others openly? It should not be a chore to have to go to church or to read your Bible or to pray, it should be the absolute delight of your life. You should want to do it all the time because it brings you great joy and fills your life with happiness. I know that it is quickly becoming the joy of my days, and I truly pray that everyone can get to this same point of happiness and delight in God, the relationship that His son Jesus Christ has made available to us, and delight in reading the Bible, which God has left for us. Praying for you! Have a great day!
PS-You should really get a copy of Radical by David Platt, you can pick it up anywhere because it has quickly made the NYTimes best seller list for good reason.
PS-You should really get a copy of Radical by David Platt, you can pick it up anywhere because it has quickly made the NYTimes best seller list for good reason.
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