Bible Study?

I read on a facebook page that the church that these people attend had bible studies.

That used to mean that people brought their bibles, opened them up and someone who put a lot of time and effort into study of the passage, taught on it.
The people then went home and studied the passage for themselves to see if the scriptures backed up what was taught.

Today, for the postmodern church, a bible study means that they found an author that they agreed with who wrote a book on a passage from the bible that says what they want other people to know and believe.

2 Timothy 3:16 and 17 says the following...

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,
17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

If I write a book about the bible the only thing that is guaranteed to be inspired by God are the bible verses that I quote.

Study a book and it can change your life.
Study the bible and it will change your heart...

And from the way that the postmodern church is going, we will have a "nicer" world, (which I think is a good thing) but we will have millions of nice people in the church who don't know Jesus and don't know a single word that He said!

Kind of like "money is the root of all evil".
Guess what?
It's not in the bible.

I don't agree with what the post modern church is doing, like I don't agree with gay marriage.

But no where in the bible does it tell me that
1. You don't have the right to do it.
2. I have the right to stop you.

Don't rely on postmodern pastors to tell you the truth.
Why?
They don't know the truth themselves.

Believe me, if Jesus walked into a postmodern church today, they would tell him to shut up, wear nicer clothes, cut his hair and trim his beard.

What to Do? part 2

James 1:1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Let me ask you,

Is our brother James the only one who was called to be a bondservant?

As a Christian, are you called to be a bondservant?

What is a bondservant?

Simply put, a bondservant is one who has willingly given up their own freedoms to serve the needs and desires of someone else.

James, a bondservant…

Sounds cool and authoritive doesn’t it?

Put your name in there and call yourself a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

Really, write it down.

Put it on paper.

Look at it.

Doesn’t feel right does it?

I mean, we fall so short.

We feel so inadequate and unable.

Any true Christian man, or woman of God for that matter, knows that if Jesus went by His feelings, any chance for our redemption would have ended in the Garden of Gethsemane .

I know that things are not as simple as I sometimes make them, but Jesus put aside His rights just to serve you.

Ya, you who wrote down that you are a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

You just can’t match up to the sacrifice.

And guess what?

That’s exactly what every born again believer has to come to the knowledge of.

You aren’t Jesus.

Never were, never will be.

You will never do as good a job as He did.

You will never be as faithful as He is.

You will never match up or compare.

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD WOULD BE MOTIVATED BY MY LOVE FOR GOD.

AND I FOUND OUT THAT IT DOESN’T WORK.

MY LOVE IS SELFISH,

MY LOVE IS WORLDLY,

MY LOVE IS BASED ON MY SITUATION.

MY LOVE, IS

UNSTABLE.

But what, as a man, can I do?

I can be a bondservant.

I can be an even better bondservant by just being available.

No special talent or gift.

No special training or equipment.

Just a willingness to serve.

Bob, a bondservant of God and of the LORD Jesus Christ!

I am what He made me,

and not the inadequate,

untrained poor excuse for a Christian

that I sometimes feel that I am.

Imagine if Jesus has that same attitude!

James, our older brother in the faith then says…

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

THAT WORD, TRIALS,

IS ACTUALLY TEMPTATIONS.

James is telling us something really, really important here.

NOT ONLY WILL TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS COME,

BUT WE WILL FALL INTO THEM…

Part of being a stable man is to be a man who knows that from time to time the devil, or maybe just your own flesh, is gonna have a trap set for you and you are going to spring that trap on yourself.

It’s a fact of life.

It’s also a major trick used by the devil to get us men to give up our leadership role.

We think that we need to portray this image of infallibility.

 That my friend, is not being stable.

I am gonna stop for now, but we really need to decide right now, 

before we go any further in this first chapter of James, 

if we are thinking, speaking and acting like a bond servant of Jesus.

Truth is, I already am what God has called me to be.

1Cor 7:22  For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ's slave.

23  You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

24  Brothers, each person should remain with God in whatever situation he was called.
Remember Jesus in the Garden?

I am so thankful that Jesus remained with God in whatever situation He was called...

What to do? part 1

It is the quality of being free from change.

It is consistency in character and purpose.

It is being steadfast, reliable, and dependable.

THE WORD IS STABILITY.

 

BEING STABLE IS ALSO BEING RELIABLE.

What can YOU rely on?

THAT TODAY in the US alone,

532 KIDS UNDER 18 AND 4,250 ADULTS IN THE US

WILL BE CONVICTED OF A DRUG CRIME.

What can YOU rely on?

That today in the US alone,

63,300,000 people will be either murdered, robbed, raped or assaulted.

What can YOU rely on?

That today in the US alone,

3,700 babies will be aborted.

(That would only take 23 days to wipe out the entire population of High Point.)

And 126,000 BABIES world wide.

THESE ABORTION STATISTICS ARE BAD ENOUGH BUT GRAB THESE STATISTICS…

IN THE US…

OUT OF 3,700 BABIES MURDERED TODAY,

1,384 OF THEM WERE ABORTED BY WOMEN OF THE PROTESTANT FAITH.

1,158 OF THEM WERE ABORTED BY WOMEN OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH.

48 OF THEM WERE ABORTED BY WOMEN OF THE JEWISH FAITH.

877 OF THEM WERE ABORTED BY WOMEN OF NO FAITH AT ALL.

AND HERE IS THE KICKER…

666 BABIES WERE ABORTED BY WOMEN WHO CLAIMED TO BE…

OF THE BORN AGAIN/EVANGELICAL FAITH.

DOESN’T THAT NUMBER, 666 STUN YOU?

ARENT YOU OVERWHELMED BY THE FEELING OF DEMONIC ACTIVITY?

ROMANS 8:1 SAYS…

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

FIRST OF ALL

WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMMENSITY OF GODS TOLERANCE,

LOVE

AND ABILITY TO FORGIVE SUCH A SINFUL PEOPLE.

SECOND,

OUR WORLD IS IN BAD SHAPE.

OUR WORLD IS DESTINED TO END UP IN A FACE TO FACE BATTLE WITH THE KING OF KINGS.

THIRD,

WALKING IN THE FLESH WILL ONLY END UP IN DEATH.

 WALKING IN THE SPIRIT,

AND THATS WALKING WITH CHRIST JESUS,

WILL RESULT IN NO CONDEMNATION.

THAT’S NONE, ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH.

NO CONDEMNATION IS A FREEDOM GIVEN TO US BY THE BLOOD SACRIFICE OF JESUS ON THE CROSS.

NO CONDEMNATION IS THE RESULT OF OUR FAITH IN CHRIST AND HIS DEATH TO SIN AND RESURRECTION TO NEW LIFE.

GOD HAS GIVEN THE RESPONSIBILTY OF THIS WORLD TO THE MEN IN THIS WORLD AND WE, JUST LIKE ADAM, GIVE IT RIGHT OVER TO THE DEVIL.

MEN  DON’T WANT THE RESPONSIBILITY.

MEN WANT SEX,

BUT WE DON’T WANT THE RESPONSIBILITY.

MEN WANT MONEY,

BUT WE DON’T WANT THE RESPONSIBILITY.

MEN WANT SIGNIFICANCE,

BUT WE DON’T WANT THE RESPONSIBILITY.

WE WANT TO BE RESPECTED,

BUT WE DO IT THROUGH FEAR AND INTIMIDATION.

GENESIS 2:7 TELLS US… And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

MEN,

YOU HAVE THE BREATH OF GOD HIMSELF WITHIN YOU.

+

IT IS WHAT GAVE YOU LIFE.

NOW WHAT DOES YOUR BREATH DO TO THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE?

ARE YOU BREATHING LIFE OR DEATH?

ARE YOUR WORDS CONVICTING BECAUSE THEY ARE WORDS OF LOVE?

ARE YOUR WORDS RESPECTED BECAUSE THEY ARE PROVEN BY YOUR SERVICE TO OTHERS?

DO YOUR WORDS HAVE WEIGHT BECAUSE YOU ARE HONEST, RELIABLE, AND TRUSTWORTHY?

ARE YOU A STABLE MAN?

STABLE…

ARE YOU  free from change?

ARE YOU consistent in character and purpose?

 ARE YOU steadfast, reliable, and dependable?

MEN,

YOU WERE BORN A KING.

YOU WERE BORN TO RULE.

THAT IS YOUR GOD APPOINTED ROLE IN THIS WORLD.

Wow…

Some pretty sad statistics don’t you think?

Sounds kind of hopeless doesn’t it?

So why go from these sick statistics to men being stable?

Well, find out on the next blog!

Hint: New Testament book, 1^st chapter, Epistle.

The Author of Love

God is the author of love,
Jesus His gift from above,
the Spirit to draw us all near,
in God there is no fear.

When God's hand is heavy upon you,
when your soul is filled with despare,
when your sin, has found you out,
God's forgiveness is there.

God is the author of love,
Jesus His gift from above,
the Spirit to draw us all near,
in God there is no fear.

Let all those who trust in the Lord rejoice,
for lovingkindness will surround them,
be glad in the Lord, you Righteous ones,
shout for joy you upright in heart.

God is the author of love,
Jesus His gift from above,
the Spirit to draw us all near,
in God there is no fear.

I believe in Jesus

In the morning light,
I bring my soul to Him.
Offering, all that I'll do today.

Though He knows my hearts desire,
my love is proved by fire,
to make me, even more, to be like Him.

I believe in Jesus,
I believe in Jesus,
I believe that Jesus Christ is God.

Well, as my day goes on,
I find myself, falling down,
Being distracted, by false image's of light.

You know, it looked so good to me,
Satan's false reality.
Bringing death to all who buy it,
Oh dear Lord, help me deny it.

If there is anything for sure,
it's that the love of God is pure,
and you'd never be the same,
if He would touch you.

And if you'd look down deep inside,
past your foolishness and pride,
you'd find we all, have a need to be loved.
Don't you want to be loved?

I believe in Jesus,
I believe in Jesus,
I believe, the Son of God loves me.
and that He died to free me,
Jesus died to free me,
and nothing will ever enslave my heart again.

Does it really matter "how" you go?

bullet in.

brains out.

Heaven.

That doesn't sound so bad now does it?

Fear...

Fear

According to the NASB, the first mention of “fear” appears in Genesis 9. It reads as follows…

Genesis 9:1 AND God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

2 The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.

That’s a pretty good thing for us isn’t it?

I mean the whole idea that lions and tigers and bears (oh my)

are actually afraid and terrified of us.

Sure, a lot of animals call kill and eat us rather easily if we venture into their territories unprotected. But most often, unless they are being attacked, protecting themselves or their younguns, or really, really hungry, they prefer to leave us alone.

They even run and hide from us!

Why?

Because they fear us.

Fear is reverence…

It’s the same word we use when we say “fear God.”

Why did God put the fear of man in animals?

I think for one basic reason.

God said that we can eat them.

Good reason to avoid someone like that if you are an animal.

If I could make a rather odd point here, non domesticated animals would rather run and hide from humans in the same way that Adam and Eve ran and hid from God…

Maybe they just didn’t know what God was going to do with them when He found them.