Actions Speak your Salvation

   This morning Pastor Joe preached from 1John 5:1-15. He said that your belief  is  not seen if you  do nothjing but sit around and act as if what you believe is a  privayte affair between you and God. Your actions are. And John points out that your behavior towards others and toward Jesus, who did come in the flesh, shows your salvation.
     But basicly, Jesus did come in a body. The body is the package that carries the real man. Jesus had a real body. Only a real body can be hungry. Only a real body can bleed. Only a real body can eat food. Only a real body can ascend into heaven. And only a real body can come back again.

     If Jesus were not in a body He wouldn't be anyone to follow. We must be Christ like, John calls us sons of God, if we are Christians. As sons we represent all others are going to see of God. All we do we should do knowing that fact.
      Not too many of us are called to stand on street corners and preach. No,  But we all are called to act daily in the awareness that we may be the only link between God and man when it comes to the decision he will have to make.
     When we get to heaven God is going to ask, "What did you do with  my Son, Jesus?"  "Why should I let you into my heaven?"
  

Bible Teaching

     You are called upon to teach the word to others. In order to do so you must know something about it. That is why I am so strong about Bible study. First you must get it into yourself.

      I have found a good web sited that helps me to read through the Bible systematically.It is http://www.youversion.com/. It has a drop down window from which you can chose the version of the Bible you wish to read. You don't have to start with the New King James (NKJ) or the New American Standard (NASV) or the International Version (NIV). There are many versions you can chose from. You will find them in a drop down window. Also the languages are ample.
     A digital book you can use  is This one which concerns 52 questions that a Bible teacher may come across in their teaching.
     No one said it was easy. But as you read the Bible you will find yourself changing. God will use what you are reading to do an inner remodeling of you.

Scripture Reading

      

     It is very important that daily---and I do mean daily-- you read God's Word, the Bible.
      God has spoken. He no longer spends His time speaking in visions and dreams and signs and wonders.   
      Oh, He could choose to do that, but why would He?. He doesn't repeat Himself. He has already appeared once for all in these last days. Hebrews tells us so.
    And God is not a man that He should lie.
    Nor does he speak to special people today. Beware of the preacher who says he has a special revelation from God.
     Ask him where in the Bible that is found or where does it say that.
     God has spoken and caused  it to be recorded all He wants us to know.
      It is found in the Bible. God's communication. The answer to your question is there. Oh, you will have to dig. truth is like gold. You must mine it. But if you pray before opening the book and you ask God to show you something from the book He wants you to know today, He will it.
       May God bless you as you read His word daily.

Bible Reading 1

      I guess the most important thing a Christian can do is read the Bible. This is God speaking to you. When you come  to a passage you don't understand, pray over it, ask for wisdom, and you will be given wisdom, and rely on the teaching of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you as His temple, and keep on reading. God may bring a Christian brother or sister into your life who will help you with that passsge. Or you can ask your pastor (You must fellowship with other believers). Just keep reading. Keep on praying. Keep on fellowshipping

      If you need a system to get through the Bible reading, I have discovered  http://www.youversion.com/  is good. It has Bible versions (KJV, NASB, Good News, etc) and Bible reading plans. Some are year long. Some are topical and take less time. But get in to a Bible reading program

        The Bible can be liken to food. The Bible is food for your spiritual body. You need more than that once a week injection you get at the weekly church service.



Gifts for the Church



        I insist you find a good Bible believing, Bible treaching,  God honoring church. Plug in and use the spiritual gift that you received the moment you became a Christian. This gift is for the church not for you alone. You are part of the body. A body part. The church needs you and your gift. 



Bible Study Important

 For proper Bible study you must have a system. It is not wise for everyone to start at Genesis and march through the Bible without some guide. By the time that reader got to Numbers, or Leviticus, he will slow down. And the Chronicles will slow him down also.
  So some guide must be provided. I have a place one can go for help. One is on the book of James--For help, click here. 
   

  You can start in the New Testament book of John. "These things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His Name." John 20:31 (NASB)

Great Bible reading Site

   I am not getting paid to post this. It is just something I feel needs to be known.
   For book study programs that I highly approve, you can go to http://www.youversion.com/. Sign in and you can decide what version of the Bible yyou want to read. Some have audio features so you can listen to the scripture being read to you.

   There are study plans you can start.  If you are new to the idea, you can start with a small unit.. a weeks study. See if you like it. Venture out. It will aid in your spiritual maturity.

Little Things

   There are some little things needed to aid in growth in your Christian walk. There is the worship aspect. As we become like that which we worship we should make sure of our object of worship "Do not forsake the assembly of yourselves together..."
    A Christian should be worshipping God. God is the creator of heaven and earth and the creator of animals and fish and beasts. And of us.
   There is a negative side to worship. It is when we do our worship of things not God, (And unless you think I am saying God is things. He is not. God is wholly other and not the creation) we become like that which we worship.
    For example: Sex is one idol. We worship sex and we become sex obsessed and act out  And we become devastated and not very good for anything. We become changed into the image we carry around. It gets in our thoughts and actions.
    On the other hand, when we worship the true God we start to act like Him. We become patient, kind, see people as important. We want them to know the God we know. We share  love, kindness,we are more truthful with each other. We spend more time with Him in study of the scriptures He left. We pray more, since this is the talking aspect we do with God. And He hears and answers.
    To become like him according to His image we need time spent with him. Maybe five or ten minutes reading the scriptures. Praying back what we find. Thanking Him for what we see there. Thanking Him for getting us up and letting us take a breath and see another day. Let it become a regular part of your life
    The Life of a Christian is both easy and hard. Easy because you have God Himself living within you. Hard  because growth is dependent on us, not God. In God you are already complete. In everyday life you still need discipline.\
    Communicate with me through the comment feature.

First step

    A question has been sent to me through the comment feature.
   " I am new at this," the comment went, "and would like to do a Bible study. Which one is the one I should beginning with? You presented so many."
     That is a very good question.
      Of all that I have presented I would use a devotional study method.  The ultimate target of all Bible Study is to get to application for ones' life. For this  one you decide to take a passage of the Bible long or short. Preferably a paragraph.
      Before all Bible Study methods you pray to God for insight. "Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things" Ask for insight on how to apply the passage to your life. Ask what does this passage tell me about God? What does it tell me about myself?
     Then you meditate on the verses you have chosen to study. Refer back to my posting on meditation. Not at all the Eastern way but God's way.
      Now you are ready to write down the application as it applies to you. This is why I say you need a pad and a pencil or pen when you do Bible Study.
   Finally you memorize a key verse from your study. How to memorize was also covered in an earler posting.
    Please. Keep those comments coming. I want to clarify and help.

Bible Reading--Four

  It is very important to get the scripture inside of you. I myself try to have a daily devotions time. I use at the present the method of reading through the Bible in a year. I have done it twice this year. It is interesting to me to see that with each reading some new aspect or a phrase  seems to pop out. Oh, it was there the first time I read, but the second time it seemed to shine out with a light.
   I always read asking, what does it say here? What does it mean? To them who read it for the first time?  For me who is reading it today? How does it impact me today? This is where I jot down the obsevation in that notebook or note pad I carry with me. It is the gem I have dug out of the book. The Bible contains lots of gems, not all of them are on the surface, most have to be dug for, thought through, noted.
   Earlier in this blog postings I have done a series on Bible Study methods. It would be nice if you were to refer back to them. This will take some hunting on your behalf but it will be worth it.
   You won't need a specialized education. Any person can read the Bible and get soemthing from it. Also to supplement your personal Bible Study you should go to a Bible Believing, Bible teaching church. But that is another subject that will be handled much later in these posts. I would suggest you follow me and become a member of this blog.  And continue to have that nice day.
   

Warning-- error can come in

  For those of you who don't read my book blog I mentioned this there and since mentioning it  I have seen more developments. It is a book by a Todd Burpo, a minister of the charasmatic bent. It is called Heaven Is For Real.  It is a story of his sons' out of body experience. It is dangeous. Fiirst of all because this guy is a minister and people tend to believe ministers as always telling the truth. People tend to trust ministers.

     First off, this is an attempt by satan to plant error.  Even though the message the child brings back is that God loves the children , the idea that God is behind the out of the body experiences seen today is not Biblical.

     All that God wants us to know is in the scriptures we have now. Besides, for anyone who reads the gospel accounts already knows God loves the children.
    Secondly, the push now is to pakage with the book a CD and small group curriculum. This is from the pit of hell. We don't need a book to tell us there is an afterlife Let me repeat, God's Word tells us so.
    I don't understand why Thomas Nelson would publish a book of this type.