And Such Were You

Another turn in our discussion.
I am sure there are many out there who are reading this blog series and are fascinated  by the many turns and subjects this whole blog has traveled since the start.
Bible study methods- church beliefs both true and false religions, church offices, general subjects. Popes, Roman Catholicism, and so on.
Seems the Bible study methods were the best read. I would conclude that there are a few out there who are interested in that topic. Great. Keep it up.
Here is the new avenue we will travel down for a while.
True conversion.. The requirement that Jesus gave to Nicodemus as recorded in John the third chapter. And yes, I will be using scripture in the Jewish/Christian Bible.
So let me start:
I have been a Christian now for-- let's see, 1968 to 2020, 52 years. I think that is enough time to have somehow accumulated some knowledge.
No. If you have read my  postings of many years ago you knw what I am talking about.
I also posted a post on can God be known. Click and go to that one.
Back in 1968 I was at Taft College, journalism major. I got a phone call from home which was down the coast at Brentwood, California. My brother, Todd, had been killed in the Viet Nam war. He was a medic. The date was around March 13 when I received this call. I went home and went through the funeral. I found myself asking just where Todd, in death, was, heaven or the other place. Ie remember thinking of that passage in Job, "The Lord has given and the Lord has taken away." Okay. New Testament says that for a person to see heaven he must believe in Jesus. What does that mean? The Bible says that we are all sinners. "There is none righteous, no not one."
I had been brought up in the Roman Catholic system, so I was somewhat used to the Bible. Never read it up to this point. The priest read it. the nuns taught it in school. Mostly Matthew and the first pope being Peter passage and the authority given to Peter to retain and forgive sins  ( don't bother looking, there is none. That is one of the proof texts the Catholic system points to to try to prove something the Bible does not teach)
Anyway. Jesus claimed to be the way to God and God was in heaven. If I was to be in heaven and with God when I died I had to come through Jesus. "I am the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me." He said. It is recorded in the Bible (And the Bible is Bod's communication to man) Also the Bible tells me that all who come to the Father must believe (receive) Jesus. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved."
Enough for one posting. There will be more in the future.

Roman With Paul- Part 3

 
   I am still in the first chapter of this epistle. I may be here for a while. There is so much here for us to  dig out. It is like a mine field and we are looking for the gold.
  Well, if you have read through this epistle a few times as I suggested you are ready to start outlining.
   So you will need a piece of paper and a writing instrument. I don't think a computer, iPad or iPhone will quite be the best thing to use..
   You notice the repeat of certain words in the, let us just look  at the first fifteen verses, text. As a starting point, and this doesn't have to be the only word you note,Look at the word promise. Ask what did he promise.? What does this section tell us about that promise? Flash out  that promise. Don't be afraid to hunt through the Bible. We are told this promise came through the prophets. What have the prophets said? You may need a Bible dictionary for this. Dig. Hunt. This is a study.
   If I am going too fast or if there are any comments you wish to make, feel free to do so.
   Grace is another word to explore.
   Most scholars agree that the first 15 verses are the intro to this epistle. And that the key verse in this chapter is 16 and 17. I think these verses are worthy of being memorized .
   Why did Paul write this? That us another question you should ask.
   List your questions on the paper as you go along. Seek for the answers to the questions. Some questions will be found in the text.The Bible has the ability to explain itself.
   Enough for now. Next time we shall push on.
   Let me know how you are doing. 
   
  

Toxic Thoughts

      Toxic thoughts are thoughts that hurt your inner life. They are thoughts that determine your actions--your behaviour. The Bible states as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Which means you act out your thoughts.
       It is possible to rewire your thoughts. The Bible gives you the general parameters . In Philippians 4:8  God though Paul sets them down. "Finally brethren (  first of all it is only being addressed to those who know Jesus as their personal savior from the penalty of sin) whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute: if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" NASB
       In other words, think on God and His work in your life. You are worthy because of what He has done. He is true. He is worthy of honor an so on. Dwell would mean to meditate on Him.
       To do a good job of this, one of the steps is to journal. To journal you need someplace to record. You could use your Ipad or a notebook. You need to be able to see your daily improvement and maybe someday turn around and help another.
       
        Feel free to explore your thoughts. Get rid of those toxic thoughts that say you are worthless and are not going to amount to anything. You are worth a whole lot for God to decide to redeem you and someday when He sees you face to face take you home to heaven to spend eternity with Him.

Bible Reading Update

       I was rereading my seminary text books the other day and I was fascinated by the book that had to do with Old Testament Theology. In it was stated something I guess I knew yet was not actively applying.
       It was the idea that when the people before the incarnation were reading their scripture they had yet to have a complete expalination of God and what He was like. Even today, if you were to think about it, we still have pockets of mystery when it comes to understanding completely.
      Yet today we have more understanding and more revelation of what God is like than they had back then.
      Well, this Old Testament scholar, I think it was Claus Westermann and his book," Elements of Old Testament Theology," stated that they only had trust in what had been written down to that point and were finding that God revealed Himself through actions.
     The example I like to use is the one of Abraham and his son Isaac. Abraham was told by God to take his son and sacrifice him on the mount.
     The people around him would sacrifice their first born child as a form of worship. That was all Abraham knew. Would this God he was following be like those of the nations around him?
      Abraham was willing to follow what he knew about God. So he made ready to sacrifice Isaac, firmly believing that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead if need be. After all, God had promised him that it was through Isaac that God was going to bring a great nation. And Isaac had to be alive to do so.
      Abraham found that God didn't want human sacrifice as a worship activity, as the nations around him, but He was different.
       You can explore more about this subject on your own.
      For help you can use this book on research tools using the search engine Google.. It is from the Dummy collection but I have found the series to be more than just written on a dummy level. It is written on a level that is understandable.

The Meeting

      Just got back from a morning breakfast meeting of some of the planners of ACTS church men's fellowship. Seems we are on the move again.
        Pastor Joe put forth the vision of claiming a whole corridor of our city to go door to door on foot. We would put on our Nike or Puma footwear and carry a survey with us.
      We would ask: "In the community, what does the church look like to you?" and the second question, " What services should your church be giving you in the community?"
      We would compile the answers and move in that direction of a needs service meeting church.
      So I have wondered also, since you are not my community how would you answer that type of survey if someone came to your door and asked you? Or maybe just talked to you? In other words, what would a church look like  which is meeting the needs you have?
     Interesting question.
     Feel free to comment.
     Also feel free to purchase what is offered here.

               

Best Question

Buying

    
   Are you aware that there is a question you can ask yourself that could save you from making the wrong  decision? At all times? That question is a simple one.
    "What is the wisest thing for me to do?"
      Not what is the easiest or most expedient. Just a simple, What is the wisest thing for me to do?
    I wish I had known this earlier in life.
    Of course everyone says that. There are things you can look back on that you wish you had not done. Like my present finances.
    I should be saving up for retirement. Instead I felt I could start a business to bring in money for retirement. But the costs of setting up have exceeded the on-hand resources so I am left with debt far beyond what I have cash to cover.
   Sure, someone will say, but it is an investment in your future. Fine. If that explanation works for you, you run with it. It is not working for me.
    Now I have to hope my business takes off and stays steady.
     I am selling vitamins online. Yes, you can buy vitamins online. You can go  here  and you can shop and buy.
     It all depends on my being able to keep up payments on the program that includes the web site.

Researching

     Would I have invested if I had asked myself that question, "What is the wisest thing for me to do in light of my past history concerning business ventures?"
       Knowing what I know now the answer is probably not. But I must press forward. Whatever the outcome,-- the business takes off or fails,-- I will still have to pay off my debts.
  

Mary And Her Place In History

  Mary, the young girl, about fourteen, whom we read about in the gospels, was an ordinary person. There was nothing to make her stand out among all the young girls of her day.
   She was promised to a man called Joseph. That meant she was set apart by her parents to marry this business man named Joseph.
   And one day as she was praying an angel appeared to her. And greeted her and told her she was going to be the woman who was to carry a special child.
   She was highly favored of God.. Not a special person. Not really out of the ordinary. Well, maybe there was something we don't know about how God chooses. All we know is that God wanted her to carry the fetus that would be Born into the world as Jesus.
     Joseph was a favored person also. Can you imagine. A Jewish gentleman who was promised to a virgin suddenly discovering his betroved was pregnant., It wasn't his. And he thought he knew she wasn't one to play around. She was a virgin.
   A virgin is a person who has not had a child. He himself was a virgin. They didn't play around. If they had, in a small town such as Nazareth was, word would get around and they would be stoned.
   And it is recorded that he was about to give her the divorce papers when an angel of God, Gabriel to be exact, appeared to him in  a dream at night and let him in on the plan. The baby wasn't his . The baby was placed in Mary by the Holy Spirit.
     And after this dream there was no longer any thought by Joseph to seek a divorce.
    They both knew the Bible well. They were God fearers. Mary's song to God recorded in Matthew was full of references to the Psalms and the Prophets. She knew her scriptures. She had memorized the passages and had hidden them in her heart and that was what came out when she spoke.
     She was not and is not a sinless person. She needed a savior as much as any other sinner. "My heart rejoices in  God my savior.."
     What a great thought to carry with you this Christmas season. Mary is not someone to be put on a pedestal and worshipped.

Wrong Ideas About Discipleship

More about discipleship. Maybe it would be better to say what discipleship is not.
   I know a church that has a pastor who thinks that discipleship just happens . He is telling his people that they are all to be making disciples and he feels the whole things is taken care of by small groups and Bible Study Fellowships, and witnessing.
   That may be part of it but it is not discipleship.
   First off a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ. A person can not follow someone they have not studied and know. Discipleship is a process, not a moment in time.
    Discipleship is two people sharing life together, the good times along with the bad times. Two sharing failures as well as successes. It is putting life in boot leather.
      It is being free to cry and cheer in each others presence.
      It is not leading a person to the Lord and then leaving him to figure out the rest. To find out how the Bible relates to life.
       I believe that when you set up a disciple there should be at least eight years between the two of you and no more than eleven. Too close and it is too soon for the discipler to have enough to share. Too long and there is the problem of relating to the needs expressed.

    Discpleship is sharing life and wisdom with another person. You can't do that if you make a convert and run. You must stay and work with the person until they can turn and duplicate.
    Complete the process.

Discipleship Is Needed

Pastor Joe has a vision for the ACTS family. We need to get a program going of discipleship. So the question is, what is discipleship? Yes, it includes Bible study and prayer.
  As I see it discipleship is a one on one relationship between two people. Our example for discipleship would be Jesus. He had twelve and of those twelve he had three. And those who were his disciples ate with, walked with, talked with and observed Jesus.
     It has been sugegsted you have an eight to ten year age difference between the two of you. Man should disciple men and women should disciple women.

     This sounds like a good way to grow the church. Small groups are not discipleship. Needs groups are not discipleship.
      Go slowly. but move forward.
   Pastor Joe states we will need a gifted person to take on the training and leadership to duplicate in the life of others. I think he means we need a trainer who is a Christian who is gifted by God, the Holy Spirit, with the exact gift of discipleship
   True, all Christian should be discipling yet we aren't.
    God has given to the church gifted individuals to train and build up other believers. I think this is what Pastor Joe is talking about.

There are blessings in forgiveness

  To continue on the subject of forgiveness. You can forgive a person and still not forget what he has done. It will take time for that person to work back in your trust. That is normal. But the main blessing in forgiveness is that it frees you up. You no longer have to carry that heavy burden. You can wave that flag and go on with your life.
   Let the offending party go. God will handle him.
   If you want a good series on forgiveness and the blessing in forgiveness you can no doubt listen to the pod casts of that time period when Pastor Joe allowed his sermon series to be recorded and mad einto a pod caast. For the podcasts you just go over to http://acts1.libsyn.com/webpage. It is there.
   Also a good series around mothers day about Ruth and Naomi. A whole different way of looking at it.

   A great lesson on mentorship and direction.

Obama is wrong

arrogant

          The other day our dear President Obama, I don't know if he meant it this way, came out for the gay life style and gave the blessing on it. He said that .  I don't know for sure which translation if any he was quoting from, stated that the golden rule which to him came down to treat others as the saame way you want to be treated. He has it somewhat right. But that doesn't have anything to do with a sexual choice a person has made and for sure it has nothing to do with the marriage contract beteween a man and a woman.. a male and a female
        I wonder now, just what would he be thinking if one of his daughters decided that they didn't want to be the female God created them to be and instead decided thay were going to be a , what??.
        Would he say, "That's okay, honey. Just be yourself whatever that may be?"
       I wonder how he(Obama) defines terms and on what authority he depends.
       I myself define terms not by what the world says but by what God in the Bible says. I may not understand completely what is being meant, but since God is the creator I would think He knows more than I do what He meant. And I am not talking now about Obama.

Forgive? Who Me?

   True forgiveness is hard. Oh, some may say, I forgive.But do they? The forgiver must be fit to forgive. It is not true forgiveness if you are not willing. And I am not talking about group forgiveness.

  By that, I mean, it is not a group of people forgiving another person for an act of mass murder. This brings to mind all the shootings here in the United States where a gunman comes in and empties his gun on a group of students. Then the other students say they forgive him. No, that is false forgiveness. In that case the students who are alive don't have the right to forgive. The deed was not done to them.

   You can only forgive a deed done against you personally. God forgives us because our deed, our sin, is toward Him.

   It is easy for a person to ask for forgiveness and very hard for the other person to forgive. True forgiveness cannot be granted until the perpetrator has earned it.. by that I mean, he must confess, repent and do restitution. Every deed has a effect. Every deed leaves a footprint.

   Forgiveness does not mean to forget what the other has done. You can forgive but not forget. Forgiveness is not based on forgetting. If you forget the same thing  may happen again. Remember the slight so that you can be careful not to do that thing again.

   But do your forgiveness with kindness. Don't seek to pay back in kind. We are not talking a tooth for a tooth here. We are talking allowing God to get into the picture and dispensing what needs to be dispensed.

   More later.

 

Money and Time

God's House

       Today being Sunday I was in service. All Christian's should be in a Bible believing,Bible teaching fellowship on Sunday or whenever during the week the service is. ACTS meets on a Sunday. Victory Christian Fellowship meets on a Saturday.The day isn't important. The attendence is.
        Pastor Joe was finishing up his series on money today. He said we should think of our finances not only as the money we have in our pockets but also the witnessing we do and the service using our spiritual gifts
        To help us in our understanding of money and its use, ACTS is hosting a series on Tuesday nights taught using DVDs and study groups; using the Dave Ramsey series on money. I highly recommend Dave Ramsey. Learn not only to give but how to save. The series will show you how to handle your money and how to budget.

Telling

           The whole of our life should be service. Even our work. Some of us are put in places of employment that are easier than others. I work at a grocery store in the deli department. It is not somewhere where I am able to use my intelligence. I feel like my brain shuts down. I basicly wash the dishes and tie up chickens for the roasting. I have trouble at certain times feeling this is what God in His sovereignty wants me to do. But that is the mind set I must take.  He has me there for a purpsoe.
      Please comment about your work situation. How do you manage it?
      Also follow me .

Warning

        I was just looking at my blog page to see how it looked to the reader. I noticed that google ads has placed an ad for Herbert W. Armstrong' book. I must warn you about him and his organization.
       The book is full of untruth. His group used to be called "The World Wide Church Of God" and it reported to be the one true church. It also reported to have rediscovered the truth hidden for ages until (Gasp) it was revealed to Herbert himself who had made himself a prophet of God.

       He writes very persuasively. In fact, it was his books that drew me into his grasp when I first became a Christian and was searching for a church to join. He draws you in by saying all he teaches is from the Bible alone. That s not true. His doctrine of eternal punishment is wrong. He states there is no punishment but when you die you are no more unless you belong to the one true church, which is his. Only baptism by one of his ministers of his church is the true baptism. He denies the trinity.

     

I could go on. You get the point.
I respect Google's right to make money and its right to acccept ads from advertisers. I just want to warn you what you are getting into. Be careful what you read. Judge all things by what the Bible says.. that is, if you are a Christian.

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.

Render To Caesar

   Our pastor keeps telling us to render to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar when it comes to job responsibility. Also at tax time he says the same. And in Romans 13 we are told to be subject to the governing authorities.
    God is very interested in our daily life and does not wish us to be disobedient. The reason being is that He has set them up as authority. Government has got to control man. Mankind, since the fall, has needed control. It makes no difference if the authority is good or evil. God placed them there and to God they will give an account.
    Knowing that makes all the difference. God will judge, not you.
   How am I doing? Is there any issue you wish to have me comment on? Of course, it will be from the Christian viewpoint. Here I stand, I can do no less.

Christain Growth Needed

    It is important  once a person becomes a believer that growth happens.Growth happens through attending a Bible Believing/ Bible Teaching church. Growth happens through prayer and the application of faith. You must also read your Bible. Martin Luther made it possible to have a translation in your mother tongue. Before him all that was available was the one chained to the pulpit for the priest to read and interpret.
    People had to be taught to read. Then they had the Bible they could pick up and ingest. I suggest that you take a small section and read it. Take notes as you do so. Find a verse or two in the day's reading to memorize.
   "Your word have I hide in my heart that I might not sin against God."  Psalm 119:11.
    And there are books you can read to help. I will offer you one link and you can go see about it; Click here.  The offer is for Ebooks.
    Growth is slow but steady so don't get discouraged

Christmas Coming Up

  Soon it will be .December 25. That is the traditional time for Christmas. There will be family gatherings and present giving. Yes, all that. But we must not forget the reason for the season. That is that God sent His only begotten Son to earth.

    Now I know it wasn't in winter that Jesus was born. More likely in the spring. (Shepherds in the field watching their flocks by night) 

    And we must not forget that God gave the first Christmas present- His Son.

    Of course what I am talking about is an American thing. I don't know how it is done in other countries. I am aware that this blog is being read outside the USA. Share with me some of what you do around this time of year.

    This past Sunday Pastor Joe of Acts,(Info.,) gave a sermon on what Christmas meant to him. It was very well done. Christmas is a special time where God broke into history and changed it. It has nothing to do ultimately with pagan ritual. That is just a smokescreen that Satan and his demons have constructed. Yes, the date is not necessarily a good one. But it has been adapted by the church as the day to celebrate God's greatest gift.

God is a Trinity

 The important thing to understand about God is He reveals Himself as one essence in three persons.God in the beginning created. The Father spoke.Jesus created. The Holy Spirit hovered over the deep. The Father oversaw it all. Jesus always existed. I AM is one of the names God reveals Himself under. The self existing one. The one who revealed Himself to Moses when the Israelites were needing a way out of Egypt.
   When God became flesh in Jesus, the Holy Spirit overshadowed a young woman named Mary. The Son became flesh. The Holy Spirit dwelt inside Him to direct Him and the Father was always there to answer prayer.
   That is a bit simplistic.
   This ks one of those doctrines you have to believe if you are a true christian. You can't fudge on this one. It is what theologians call a fundamental. A must.
  

Age not a Disease

  It happens to all of us. We all age. In fact, everyday we get up we are a day older. And there is nothing we can do about it. Nor is it anything to be ashamed of. It just happens.
  Yet we need not fear it. God has set it up that way. We are not meant to be on earth forever. God created us eternal creatures. We have a birth. And we will live forever. I discussed in an earlier  posting the subject and I am sure you can go back to the index or whatever and look at that.
   What brougt this subject up is I am reading a book by Billy Graham, his latest, Nearing Home. I will be reviewing it in my other blog as soon as I finish it. Just wanted to share with you the idea that making it to old age is good. If we are one of the few who make it we should be active in giving back and helping others. "Plan for the golden years. You may get to experience them" was said by good old unknown. He also said "Don't resent growing old. many are denied the privilege."
    When we get up in years we are not able to do everything as fast as we have done it in the earlier years. But we can share our wisdom and pray. Prayer is very important. And we don't need any equipment.
     So have a good day and keep looking up.
     Comment on how you think I am doing. Let me know your story.