I decided to study the book of Mark in the bible, I will blog my thoughts in a chapter by chapter day by day blogpost on the gospel. If anyone reading wants to study thru the book with me please feel free to do so and submit your thoughts! Jake
Ch. 5 has one of the most descriptive and quite horrifying explanations of a demon, in all of the bible. I think the content of the first 13 verses is very important, as horrifying as it may be, it shows us that these demons are absolutely terrified of the power that Jesus has over them. (keep in mind that in Jesus' death you now hold the power that these demons ran from) The man that was freed from the demons was sitting calm and silent when the crowds began to show, there's always a crowd. The people of the town were frightened by Jesus and begged Jesus to go and leave them be. I love that Jesus told the man that he healed to stay in the town and tell of the good things the Lord has done. This is so important because then the only idea they had of Jesus was one that they were afraid of. He needed this man not only to go out share the good news, he needed him to stay in his town and me a testament to the Lord's strength and grace.
We also read of a beautiful examples of how when you touch Jesus your life is forever changed, and how Jesus can restore a dead life!
Ch 6. I also took some time to meditate on this chapter, I felt like there were many lessons to be learned in this chapter. Jesus was rejected in his hometown. Why is this? You can never escape a small town can you. They had no faith and knew nothing of His power because they had seen everything Jesus had ever done sense he was a kid, keep in mind Jesus only taught for about 3 1/2 years. He was baptized shortly after he was 30 and was executed when he was 33. So for thirty years they saw Jesus as a regular working man. the Word tells us that in his hometown he only healed a few people. "5And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief." ~ Wherever you are right now; home, office, library I want you to stop and join in prayer with me. Pray for an unshakable faith and not only an unshakable faith but for a faith that sees miracles, a faith that gets people healed, a faith that moves mountains, a faith that rebukes demons in Jesus name.~ You want to see biblical miracles, miracles we were promised? believe.
Pride is a dangerous thing, king Herod's pride cost John the baptist his head. We read verses later that Jesus and his disciples decided to take a break and reflect on everything that had been taught. While on the way to their break place "33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things." In his own down time, he saw these sheep and taught them many things! He put himself aside, no matter how tired he was, and taught them! The lost were more important than what he was doing so he abandoned plans and shared the Good News. There are many wandering sheep in our world. How many plans do we need to abandon in our everyday lives?
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Book of Mark, ch 3-4
I decided to study the book of Mark in the bible, I will blog my thoughts in a chapter by chapter day by day blogpost on the gospel. If anyone reading wants to study thru the book with me please feel free to do so and submit your thoughts! Jake
I meditated a lot on ch3, there is a lot to this chapter and many lessons to be learned. Jesus heals a man's crippled hand even though it was the day on the Sabbath. This was obviously a questionable act to do on a day of rest, we know this because Jesus addresses the issue. Since it is the Sabbath, does that relieve us of our duties as humans to help those in need? We see Jesus get angry at the Pharisees and their lack of concern for the man. Due to the sinning in the garden, man is cursed and is told he will scratch at the land to produce his living (Genesis 3:17-19). So a man has to produce his living and provide by using his hands, therefore a man with lame hands cannot do either of the two. He is told to put his hand out and in doing this his hand was completely healed. This gives the man a future to work and provide and to help himself. Its a reoccurring theme for Jesus to help those less fortunate and help those who cannot help themselves, this is a great example and instruction on how to be more Christ-like. Reach for Christ!
Jesus later calls on his twelve disciples, he meets with them and immediately upon naming the twelve, gives them the power to heal, and to cast out demons, upon following Christ they were given authority over the enemy! We see, verses later, a way to cut off the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, DON'T BLASPHEME THE HOLY SPIRIT, we need all of him that we can get! I love the very end of ch3, Jesus proclaims that the people that follow and love him, are closer to his heart than his earthly family. Our family is huge and so powerful once we band together, tear down some walls, and pursue Him together.
Ch4, I remember the first time I heard the story of the different kinds of soil, I was a sophomore in high school and sitting in a house church that met on Tuesday nights. Lee Fruh began a message based around these four soils and it spoke a great deal to me. I could relate to every type of soil mentioned in the chapter, not exactly something to brag about, but it was the first time I felt like the Holy Bible was relevant in my life as a 15 year-old. The thorny soil is something that really spoke to me. The soil in which a seed is planted in very fertile soil but before it reaches its potential it is killed by thorny plants that grow right along-side of it. This has happened to me plenty of times, something great sparked a flame, but it was immediately extinguished. The enemy is so afraid of the power we are given upon accepting Christ. So afraid that he sends his strong forces to attack us, many times putting us out of the fight for a while. Our enemy knows when something huge is happening in our hearts and just like Jesus was tempted upon being baptized (born again) we will be too. Good news though, He is stronger than any force that has ever stepped foot on the battlefield. I was meeting with a really great guy and a huge inspiration to me, and he was telling me of a conversation he had with a Brazilian man who was describing the country of Brazil, the man said ,"We are a very fertile people in the sense of; if something bad is planted much bad will grow, but just as easily if something great is planted, so much good will grow". I feel like that so well describes our generation. So lets have our roots deep in Him and lets reap our harvest!
PS: v.39-41 The forces of nature obey the Lord, when He says, "Quiet down" they quiet down. C'mon lets have a little faith here.
I meditated a lot on ch3, there is a lot to this chapter and many lessons to be learned. Jesus heals a man's crippled hand even though it was the day on the Sabbath. This was obviously a questionable act to do on a day of rest, we know this because Jesus addresses the issue. Since it is the Sabbath, does that relieve us of our duties as humans to help those in need? We see Jesus get angry at the Pharisees and their lack of concern for the man. Due to the sinning in the garden, man is cursed and is told he will scratch at the land to produce his living (Genesis 3:17-19). So a man has to produce his living and provide by using his hands, therefore a man with lame hands cannot do either of the two. He is told to put his hand out and in doing this his hand was completely healed. This gives the man a future to work and provide and to help himself. Its a reoccurring theme for Jesus to help those less fortunate and help those who cannot help themselves, this is a great example and instruction on how to be more Christ-like. Reach for Christ!
Jesus later calls on his twelve disciples, he meets with them and immediately upon naming the twelve, gives them the power to heal, and to cast out demons, upon following Christ they were given authority over the enemy! We see, verses later, a way to cut off the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, DON'T BLASPHEME THE HOLY SPIRIT, we need all of him that we can get! I love the very end of ch3, Jesus proclaims that the people that follow and love him, are closer to his heart than his earthly family. Our family is huge and so powerful once we band together, tear down some walls, and pursue Him together.
Ch4, I remember the first time I heard the story of the different kinds of soil, I was a sophomore in high school and sitting in a house church that met on Tuesday nights. Lee Fruh began a message based around these four soils and it spoke a great deal to me. I could relate to every type of soil mentioned in the chapter, not exactly something to brag about, but it was the first time I felt like the Holy Bible was relevant in my life as a 15 year-old. The thorny soil is something that really spoke to me. The soil in which a seed is planted in very fertile soil but before it reaches its potential it is killed by thorny plants that grow right along-side of it. This has happened to me plenty of times, something great sparked a flame, but it was immediately extinguished. The enemy is so afraid of the power we are given upon accepting Christ. So afraid that he sends his strong forces to attack us, many times putting us out of the fight for a while. Our enemy knows when something huge is happening in our hearts and just like Jesus was tempted upon being baptized (born again) we will be too. Good news though, He is stronger than any force that has ever stepped foot on the battlefield. I was meeting with a really great guy and a huge inspiration to me, and he was telling me of a conversation he had with a Brazilian man who was describing the country of Brazil, the man said ,"We are a very fertile people in the sense of; if something bad is planted much bad will grow, but just as easily if something great is planted, so much good will grow". I feel like that so well describes our generation. So lets have our roots deep in Him and lets reap our harvest!
PS: v.39-41 The forces of nature obey the Lord, when He says, "Quiet down" they quiet down. C'mon lets have a little faith here.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Book of Mark, ch 2
I decided to study the book of Mark in the bible, I will blog my thoughts in a chapter by chapter day by day blogpost on the gospel. If anyone reading wants to study thru the book with me please feel free to do so and submit your thoughts! Jake
So in chapter 1 Jesus is baptized and received the Holy Spirit. After spending 40 days in the wild being temped by Satan, he met his first disciples; Simon, Andrew, James, and John. With his crew he went into the town of Capernaum where he healed a few folks and gave some good news. At the end of the chapter Jesus leaves the town. A few days later Jesus comes back to the town of Capernaum and so chapter 2 begins with his re-entry to the town. The news of his arrival spread and the house he was staying in became so crowded that there was no room for anyone, inside and outside. So he taught the crowd and a crippled man was lowered, by his friends, into the room from a hole in the ceiling, and Jesus saw their faith and healed the man. Jesus then went to the lake shore to teach, while there he finds Levi (later given the Greek name Matthew), his next disciple, collecting taxes.
Matthew's story really spoke to me and really inspired me. Matthew was a tax collector, possibly the worst job one could have, the scum of the earth basically. Jesus saw him and said, "Come be my disciple" he got up and left his job and followed Jesus. What I love about this story is how immediate Matthew is, not only did he drop EVERYTHING and follow his Lord, he held a dinner that night and immediately began introducing his fellow tax collector friends to Jesus. He wasn't trained, he wasn't studied, he had not practiced, he just followed the Lord and started telling people about Christ.
If we wait for timing to be perfect and for us to be trained enough with enough wisdom and practice, before we start telling of our Lord and Savior, will we ever reach the people that God so desperately loves? Levi had a goal and that was to follow Jesus. If we truly follow Jesus how could we ever keep from sharing his glory?
Be used...
So in chapter 1 Jesus is baptized and received the Holy Spirit. After spending 40 days in the wild being temped by Satan, he met his first disciples; Simon, Andrew, James, and John. With his crew he went into the town of Capernaum where he healed a few folks and gave some good news. At the end of the chapter Jesus leaves the town. A few days later Jesus comes back to the town of Capernaum and so chapter 2 begins with his re-entry to the town. The news of his arrival spread and the house he was staying in became so crowded that there was no room for anyone, inside and outside. So he taught the crowd and a crippled man was lowered, by his friends, into the room from a hole in the ceiling, and Jesus saw their faith and healed the man. Jesus then went to the lake shore to teach, while there he finds Levi (later given the Greek name Matthew), his next disciple, collecting taxes.
Matthew's story really spoke to me and really inspired me. Matthew was a tax collector, possibly the worst job one could have, the scum of the earth basically. Jesus saw him and said, "Come be my disciple" he got up and left his job and followed Jesus. What I love about this story is how immediate Matthew is, not only did he drop EVERYTHING and follow his Lord, he held a dinner that night and immediately began introducing his fellow tax collector friends to Jesus. He wasn't trained, he wasn't studied, he had not practiced, he just followed the Lord and started telling people about Christ.
If we wait for timing to be perfect and for us to be trained enough with enough wisdom and practice, before we start telling of our Lord and Savior, will we ever reach the people that God so desperately loves? Levi had a goal and that was to follow Jesus. If we truly follow Jesus how could we ever keep from sharing his glory?
Be used...
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Book of Mark, ch 1
I decided to study the book of Mark in the bible, I will blog my thoughts in a chapter by chapter day by day blogpost on the gospel. If anyone reading wants to study thru the book with me please feel free to do so and submit your thoughts! Jake
here are some of my thoughts on Mark 1...
v.21-21- the religious people in Capernaum were "amazed" (NLT) by Jesus' teachings, they were amazed because he was different. He spoke with authority. There was something about Jesus and his teaching that was much different than the teachers of the law, and the people responded greatly. speak truth.
v.44- After Jesus had healed the lame man, he told him to go into the town and show that he had been healed. He was told not to talk about it. This made me think of the effect it has when you recognize the change in someones life as opposed to when you hear that person talk about it.
People will notice that you are different if you are living in the Spirit. They only hear you have changed if you only talk about it, but they will be amazed when your life reflects a change. Becoming a christian WILL undoubtedly change you, but to reach people, lead by example and make that change appealing.
here are some of my thoughts on Mark 1...
v.21-21- the religious people in Capernaum were "amazed" (NLT) by Jesus' teachings, they were amazed because he was different. He spoke with authority. There was something about Jesus and his teaching that was much different than the teachers of the law, and the people responded greatly. speak truth.
v.44- After Jesus had healed the lame man, he told him to go into the town and show that he had been healed. He was told not to talk about it. This made me think of the effect it has when you recognize the change in someones life as opposed to when you hear that person talk about it.
People will notice that you are different if you are living in the Spirit. They only hear you have changed if you only talk about it, but they will be amazed when your life reflects a change. Becoming a christian WILL undoubtedly change you, but to reach people, lead by example and make that change appealing.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Dad
I was at the pool with some friends after church this past Sunday and while throwing the ball with my brother and Jeff I saw this really beautiful picture of a fathers love.
We were hanging out and this family walked up to the pool area, set their stuff down, then covered their little son with sunscreen. He could not have been over the age of 3. His dad brought him into the water and the kid immediately got scared. It took a little bit of time for him to become comfortable with the water. The dad would have never let his son be in harms way but the kid was still very scared. A little bit of time went by and the dad stood his son up on the edge and wanted him to jump into his arms. The boy looked like he would take the leap but as soon as he lost his fathers grip he was afraid again. The boy eventually jumped, but would he have known that his father would keep him safe and never let anything happen to him had he not have jumped?
This, to me, was such an amazing portrait of our relationship with the Lord. We are so afraid when we are not the one in control. Your Father has you. He is not going to let you drown... so jump.
"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" 2 Corinthians 6:18
We were hanging out and this family walked up to the pool area, set their stuff down, then covered their little son with sunscreen. He could not have been over the age of 3. His dad brought him into the water and the kid immediately got scared. It took a little bit of time for him to become comfortable with the water. The dad would have never let his son be in harms way but the kid was still very scared. A little bit of time went by and the dad stood his son up on the edge and wanted him to jump into his arms. The boy looked like he would take the leap but as soon as he lost his fathers grip he was afraid again. The boy eventually jumped, but would he have known that his father would keep him safe and never let anything happen to him had he not have jumped?
This, to me, was such an amazing portrait of our relationship with the Lord. We are so afraid when we are not the one in control. Your Father has you. He is not going to let you drown... so jump.
"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" 2 Corinthians 6:18
Friday, May 14, 2010
Forever Young
Last night I had a really great conversation with a good friend. We were talking about what it means to be an adult from the worlds perspective. you have to know my friend to understand his sense of humor but he said that from the worlds perspective of being an adult means taking a knife to your childhood dreams and brutally murdering everything you thought life would be and settling for what brings you the most "comfort".
It is a funny way to put it but think about it, how many folks do you know that look back at everything they dreamed about and realize that their life is very ordinary? When we were young the world was awesome, truly awesome, and we could have every bit of it if we dreamed big enough. God made us this way. So many people crucify their dreams on the the cross and move on with life. This isn't life! It can't be! Instead of surrendering your dreams surrender your life and the Lord gives you your dreams and and says run. I love this, Psalm 103: 2-5 the message "Praise the Lord O my soul. He forgives your sins - every one. He heals your diseases - every one. He redeems you from hell - saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal. He renews your youth - you're always young in his presence." He restores our youth. Why is it that as we get older and more "realistic" we give up on the things we have always wanted? The world used to be so full of wonder! It was magical, all of my friends were astronauts and baseball players. We were digging up bones in the back yard, we only knew what we believed in our hearts as true. Since Ive grown up the world has lost its wonder, the world has tried to sell me on what they say is true and has tried its hardest to get me to abandon my heart to follow their rules. The world was beautiful and now it just seems full of rules and responsibilities, not that God does not want us to be responsible (that is a whole blog unto itself). God did not create us to live by a list of visible limits. He created us to explore in His presence and His creation, and to give us our dreams.
Think about the world as you did when you were a kid, remember what you thought of the world? You were right.
It is a funny way to put it but think about it, how many folks do you know that look back at everything they dreamed about and realize that their life is very ordinary? When we were young the world was awesome, truly awesome, and we could have every bit of it if we dreamed big enough. God made us this way. So many people crucify their dreams on the the cross and move on with life. This isn't life! It can't be! Instead of surrendering your dreams surrender your life and the Lord gives you your dreams and and says run. I love this, Psalm 103: 2-5 the message "Praise the Lord O my soul. He forgives your sins - every one. He heals your diseases - every one. He redeems you from hell - saves your life! He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown. He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal. He renews your youth - you're always young in his presence." He restores our youth. Why is it that as we get older and more "realistic" we give up on the things we have always wanted? The world used to be so full of wonder! It was magical, all of my friends were astronauts and baseball players. We were digging up bones in the back yard, we only knew what we believed in our hearts as true. Since Ive grown up the world has lost its wonder, the world has tried to sell me on what they say is true and has tried its hardest to get me to abandon my heart to follow their rules. The world was beautiful and now it just seems full of rules and responsibilities, not that God does not want us to be responsible (that is a whole blog unto itself). God did not create us to live by a list of visible limits. He created us to explore in His presence and His creation, and to give us our dreams.
Think about the world as you did when you were a kid, remember what you thought of the world? You were right.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A city on a Hill...
What is the one thing that everyone was afraid of as a child? What is it that makes us uncomfortable walking to our cars late at night? The dark. I think that God planned us to be uncomfortable in the dark. Darkness is, by definition, the absence of light...
Matthew 5:14-16 "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." Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that we, believers, are the light of the world. Think about that for a minute, you are what keeps Gods light shining. You!
Think about a room that is completely dark. No light whatsoever. Now light a match, a little flame. You can faintly see everything around you. That little flame gave enough light for someone to be able to walk through the room with direction, instead of stumbling through the room falling over every pizza box you left on the floor. Now think bigger, the world we live in is a dark place. What is it that lets us see? Is it the light that radiates from the sun mixed with the receptors in our eyes? Think deeper. Lets not see with our eyes for a bit. Jesus' light gives direction and peace and we are commanded by Jesus himself to be the light of the world. Even in the dead of night there is a small light hanging in the sky that reflects light from a sun that is miles and miles away. You can walk outside at midnight and there is enough light to see, simply reflected from a huge source of light. I like to think about our walks as being little moons that reflect a much larger light.
So I know that most of us are not afraid of the dark. I would bet that most of us do not sleep with a nightlight or with the bathroom light on and the door cracked. Are we really not afraid or do we just understand the dark, and understand that there is nothing to be afraid of? We have been given a power that the darkness runs from, the Holy Spirit! Don't be afraid and let your light Shine!!
Matthew 5:14-16 "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." Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that we, believers, are the light of the world. Think about that for a minute, you are what keeps Gods light shining. You!
Think about a room that is completely dark. No light whatsoever. Now light a match, a little flame. You can faintly see everything around you. That little flame gave enough light for someone to be able to walk through the room with direction, instead of stumbling through the room falling over every pizza box you left on the floor. Now think bigger, the world we live in is a dark place. What is it that lets us see? Is it the light that radiates from the sun mixed with the receptors in our eyes? Think deeper. Lets not see with our eyes for a bit. Jesus' light gives direction and peace and we are commanded by Jesus himself to be the light of the world. Even in the dead of night there is a small light hanging in the sky that reflects light from a sun that is miles and miles away. You can walk outside at midnight and there is enough light to see, simply reflected from a huge source of light. I like to think about our walks as being little moons that reflect a much larger light.
So I know that most of us are not afraid of the dark. I would bet that most of us do not sleep with a nightlight or with the bathroom light on and the door cracked. Are we really not afraid or do we just understand the dark, and understand that there is nothing to be afraid of? We have been given a power that the darkness runs from, the Holy Spirit! Don't be afraid and let your light Shine!!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
LIFESTYLE OF SERVING
Hmm... I guess what I want to say in this blog is that I dont want our passion for the Lord and our passion for serving to be a sunday to sunday thing (fill in the weekday of your choice). We were made to love God and serve people! It is woven into our souls to serve, whether we serve healthy things or not is a completely different blog and discussion. I feel like many churches and many groups of people make serving into something that its not, they over-complicate it and add to it clouding the central message they are trying to get across. Love, thats it. Love is something that we never asked for, it was simply given to us for a price that we could have never afforded. Love is something that you dont have to have been schooled in, you dont have to be rich to have, you dont have to be smart to have, and you thankfully dont have to be perfect to have. It is something that answers some of the worlds most dificult questions but is so many times over-looked. Jesus was sent for our ransom because God loves this world and the people on it. John 3:16, everyone knows it but think about it "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life". So how do we make serving a lifestyle and how to we reach people? Do I even need to answer this? Ok I will because I know someone is scratching their head staring at the screen right now waiting for this sentence to end... LOVE!
We do not need to leave the country on a mission trip to reach people. Our neighbors need our help! Unfortunately we only have to look out of our front door to see people hurting. God's love is something that can be seen from the outside and is so contageous! So I challenge myself and everyone reading this to make serving the people that God loves, a lifestyle. You never know how simple it could be to plant that seed in someones heart, and the love shown through you just may be the light that saves that persons life.
"Many waters cannot quench love, many rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." song of songs 8:7 NIV
"Flood waters can't drown love, torrents of rain can't put it out. Love can't be bought, Love can't be sold- it's not to be found in the marketplace." song of songs 8:7 the message
We do not need to leave the country on a mission trip to reach people. Our neighbors need our help! Unfortunately we only have to look out of our front door to see people hurting. God's love is something that can be seen from the outside and is so contageous! So I challenge myself and everyone reading this to make serving the people that God loves, a lifestyle. You never know how simple it could be to plant that seed in someones heart, and the love shown through you just may be the light that saves that persons life.
"Many waters cannot quench love, many rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." song of songs 8:7 NIV
"Flood waters can't drown love, torrents of rain can't put it out. Love can't be bought, Love can't be sold- it's not to be found in the marketplace." song of songs 8:7 the message
Sunday, March 7, 2010
God in a bottle
For the longest time I wondered why miracles were a seemingly common thing when Jesus walked the earth but were almost extict in modern days. I really struggled with the fact that we never see seas part, or water turn into wine, or men healed of his blindness simply by speaking a few words. A few weeks ago at the college ministry I attend, this point was the subject of discussion. Dave Summrall spoke an entire message on this same topic that I struggled (keep in mind that struggled is past tense) with. So many times we ask God for healing over our bodies, relationships, ect. but when we ask for these healings and miracles do we truly believe that He is powerful enough to come through? I dont know about you but im not satisfied with living a dry spiritual life, I want to see some folks get healed! I want a blind man to look and tell me what he sees! Is our God not the same God that parted the sea and fed the 5,000? Has God changed?
"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new touges; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Mark 16:15-18
After Dave read this scripture he said something that changed my life. He said, "Its time we start believing that!"
God in a bottle? I had a conversation with a good friend today. We were talking about diferent missions work at we each had done. I can remember worshiping in Costa Rica in a church that was literally a square building made from concrete blocks with a paved floor and a few hanging light bulbs that hung from the ceiling. The folks in that church were going absolutely crazy praising Jesus! It was an experience I will never forget! Think about that for a minute... people with nothing, in a room with nothing, singing and dancing and screaming all in praise of our God! when was the last time you were in the states and were a part of a service like this? Im not saying the churches here are not filled with the Holy Spirit and are fake in any way and as a matter of act I absolutely love my church a feel extremely blessed to be a part of such an awesome church, but it just seems like we have made God's love and power into some kind of normal thing. My friend said it perfectly (when talking about his mission work in Africa) he said, "Its like we have put God in a bottle and limited his power" I have been thinking about this statement ever since our conversation and he's right! It seems like we have made God into another face in the crowd or put Him into a container and have put restraints on His power. I recently heard a story of a college aged girl that is a friend of a friend of mine and due to a rare illness she has not been able to walk for quite some time. One night her church was praying over her and her pastor took her aside and asked her if she had ever prayed for her own healing, she told him she had not so he told her to pray for healing of her body. She spent the next 45 minutes in her university chapel and in the middle of her prayer she felt a tingling in her legs, she then pulled the braces off of her legs and WALKED out of the building! God wants to heal the sick and raise the dead to bring glory to His name, we just need to actually and whole-heartedly BELIEVE that He can do these things!
"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new touges; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Mark 16:15-18
After Dave read this scripture he said something that changed my life. He said, "Its time we start believing that!"
God in a bottle? I had a conversation with a good friend today. We were talking about diferent missions work at we each had done. I can remember worshiping in Costa Rica in a church that was literally a square building made from concrete blocks with a paved floor and a few hanging light bulbs that hung from the ceiling. The folks in that church were going absolutely crazy praising Jesus! It was an experience I will never forget! Think about that for a minute... people with nothing, in a room with nothing, singing and dancing and screaming all in praise of our God! when was the last time you were in the states and were a part of a service like this? Im not saying the churches here are not filled with the Holy Spirit and are fake in any way and as a matter of act I absolutely love my church a feel extremely blessed to be a part of such an awesome church, but it just seems like we have made God's love and power into some kind of normal thing. My friend said it perfectly (when talking about his mission work in Africa) he said, "Its like we have put God in a bottle and limited his power" I have been thinking about this statement ever since our conversation and he's right! It seems like we have made God into another face in the crowd or put Him into a container and have put restraints on His power. I recently heard a story of a college aged girl that is a friend of a friend of mine and due to a rare illness she has not been able to walk for quite some time. One night her church was praying over her and her pastor took her aside and asked her if she had ever prayed for her own healing, she told him she had not so he told her to pray for healing of her body. She spent the next 45 minutes in her university chapel and in the middle of her prayer she felt a tingling in her legs, she then pulled the braces off of her legs and WALKED out of the building! God wants to heal the sick and raise the dead to bring glory to His name, we just need to actually and whole-heartedly BELIEVE that He can do these things!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
to the ends of the EARTH pt. 2
I have been studying the book of Matthew and a few verses in chapter 5 brought me back to the blog I posted a few weeks ago "to the ends of the EARTH"
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 5:14-16). The world is dark and the moment we asked the Holy Spirit into our lives we became that light of the world, whether we realized it or not. So how do we do this? How do we reflect the light we have recieved? Do we stand on the corners and shout repentance over people that pass by? Do we walk thru our campuses and workplaces preaching to people telling them what to change in their lives to become more righteous? The other night a band, that my brother and I have become good friends with, was playing in a bar in downtown Auburn. We were really excited to see our friends and more excited to hear some really awesome music! On the way to the bar we stood on the corner waiting for a good time to cross the street and we were met by a few men that were handing out small comic book things about people that, due to sin, were condemned in hell... I took what they handed me and kept walking, I finally read the "comic book" they gave me, and I was honestly pretty upset! I took great offense to the "get out of hell free" pass they gave me. I wanted to run back to the corner they were standing on and tell them my entire testimony and tell them how much I love Jesus, but instead I kept my thoughts to myself and had a very fun night with some really good friends that love Jesus and love good music! Im not sure if anybody gave their hearts to the Lord that night because of the evangelism on the corner, but I cant help but to think that there is a better way to reach people!
Love is the answer to the questions in the last paragraph. God and love go hand in hand and we must set examples to our lost world by spreading love!! Proverbs 10:12 says "hatred stirs up dissention but love covers over all wrongs" this has been my favorite verse for years because I feel like it truly defines what it means to love. "All wrongs" wow, thats a huge statement, try to think of ALL things you have done in this life, if you are like me, many of the things were probably wrong to do. God loved us so much that he abandoned his only Son so that we were shown love that covers over ALL wrongs. Jesus sets an amazing example of what it means to love people in John 13. In this chapter Jesus washes his followers feet, try to picture walking into work tomorrow and your boss telling you to relax and that he would do your chores. The disciple's master was washing their feet! Verse 14 says Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one anothers feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
We as the light of the world need to relfect love over everyone we come across. I understand that it is super hard to love some people because of many diferent circumstances, but God could have turned His back on us, but He loves us entirely to much to do so!
He is love and we are made in his image, so what does that make us?
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 5:14-16). The world is dark and the moment we asked the Holy Spirit into our lives we became that light of the world, whether we realized it or not. So how do we do this? How do we reflect the light we have recieved? Do we stand on the corners and shout repentance over people that pass by? Do we walk thru our campuses and workplaces preaching to people telling them what to change in their lives to become more righteous? The other night a band, that my brother and I have become good friends with, was playing in a bar in downtown Auburn. We were really excited to see our friends and more excited to hear some really awesome music! On the way to the bar we stood on the corner waiting for a good time to cross the street and we were met by a few men that were handing out small comic book things about people that, due to sin, were condemned in hell... I took what they handed me and kept walking, I finally read the "comic book" they gave me, and I was honestly pretty upset! I took great offense to the "get out of hell free" pass they gave me. I wanted to run back to the corner they were standing on and tell them my entire testimony and tell them how much I love Jesus, but instead I kept my thoughts to myself and had a very fun night with some really good friends that love Jesus and love good music! Im not sure if anybody gave their hearts to the Lord that night because of the evangelism on the corner, but I cant help but to think that there is a better way to reach people!
Love is the answer to the questions in the last paragraph. God and love go hand in hand and we must set examples to our lost world by spreading love!! Proverbs 10:12 says "hatred stirs up dissention but love covers over all wrongs" this has been my favorite verse for years because I feel like it truly defines what it means to love. "All wrongs" wow, thats a huge statement, try to think of ALL things you have done in this life, if you are like me, many of the things were probably wrong to do. God loved us so much that he abandoned his only Son so that we were shown love that covers over ALL wrongs. Jesus sets an amazing example of what it means to love people in John 13. In this chapter Jesus washes his followers feet, try to picture walking into work tomorrow and your boss telling you to relax and that he would do your chores. The disciple's master was washing their feet! Verse 14 says Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one anothers feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
We as the light of the world need to relfect love over everyone we come across. I understand that it is super hard to love some people because of many diferent circumstances, but God could have turned His back on us, but He loves us entirely to much to do so!
He is love and we are made in his image, so what does that make us?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
God is GOOD
"God is good" its a statement that is told to kids in vacation bible school. It was said before every meal I ever ate when I was young. It is on many stickers that hang on kids shirts. Its very easy to understand and very easy to recite, but is it over used?? I dont think so at all! Under- meant? maybe but certainly not over used! I dont think that it is said enough! We all try to use super fancy words in prayer and in small group meetings but the entire understanding of the Lord can be summed up in three words... God is good!!!
God is so good, and before I really focused my life the Lord I thought this was just another meaningless religious saying. The fact of it is, that God IS good and God keeps his children's best interest in mind. God created us so that we could love and worship him. God does not NEED any of us and if He wanted to He could wipe the earth completely clean of sinful people, us. The Lord provides for our every need, Luke 11:9-13 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy spirit to those who ask Him?" This is such an awesome example of God the Father, not God the ruler or God the master. God is very genuine and very sincere and longs to provide for his children! God will take care of us and never lead us down paths we cant handle and never present things in our lives that will break us to pieces. We get so stressed over school, and money, and relationships but we need to lean on the Lord and give all of our worries to Him because alone we could never survive in this world!
God is good, God is very very good! We need to adopt this phrase as sinful people and never forget that we are His children, and the Father provides for his children!
God is so good, and before I really focused my life the Lord I thought this was just another meaningless religious saying. The fact of it is, that God IS good and God keeps his children's best interest in mind. God created us so that we could love and worship him. God does not NEED any of us and if He wanted to He could wipe the earth completely clean of sinful people, us. The Lord provides for our every need, Luke 11:9-13 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy spirit to those who ask Him?" This is such an awesome example of God the Father, not God the ruler or God the master. God is very genuine and very sincere and longs to provide for his children! God will take care of us and never lead us down paths we cant handle and never present things in our lives that will break us to pieces. We get so stressed over school, and money, and relationships but we need to lean on the Lord and give all of our worries to Him because alone we could never survive in this world!
God is good, God is very very good! We need to adopt this phrase as sinful people and never forget that we are His children, and the Father provides for his children!
Friday, February 12, 2010
EASILY ACCESSIBLE
It is so awesome that we serve a God that is very accessible! So many times we think of God as standing in the center of a maze and once you make it thru the ever-changing maze you can see his glory. It is such a blessing that we dont have to search for the Lord! The God that spoke the earth into creation is within our reach and sent his son to die on the cross so that we may know him!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
to the ends of the EARTH
We, as Christians, are called to be living witnesses to a dying world. If God's only intention for our lives is to reach heaven he would have struck us dead the moment we asked Him into our lives. Our lives do not end at the cross, they simply begin with the cross! There are still places in the world where it is illegal to follow God, there are still places in the world where whole populations have never heard of our living God! The Holy Spirit is alive and powerful, we are simply God's instruments to reach the ends of the earth, places that might only have one link (YOU) between individuals and the creator of the universe!! We were not created to only worry about ourselves when it come to salvation, it is our obligation as followers of Christ to spread the word! Now, I understand that not all of us were called to be pastors and ministers, but our callings are all very personal and very appropriate! No matter your profession we are all called into the ministry! A coach can used his or her passion for a sport and their influence to spread the word of God, a teacher can use his or her love for educating to further the kingdom!! Lets face it, we are the next parents, teachers, business owners, husbands, wives, presidents, ect. if we want to SAVE the world it will be through our generation!! Its time to start believing that we can change the world, and its time to act on our calling...
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Religion?
Jan 2010 was by far the best month of my life! I have had many opportunities to play, sing and write with many awesome musicians around Auburn (Vince, Ashley, Meagan, Becca, Dru yall rock). I have also had one really awesome opportunity to minister to one of my closest friends in the world! God has done some super awesome things in my life and I cant wait to see what this semester will bring!
After a small group one night last semester I had a buddy come up to me and tell me that he thought what we were doing was really cool and he wanted to make some changes in his life, but he jus didnt want to be "all religous" he said it wasnt his thing... a few weeks ago I was thinking about is conversation and it hit me... religion isnt my thing either nor do I want it to be! I dont want to be "religious". It makes me sad that from the outside we all look like religious folk, sure we go to church and sure we surround ourselves with other christian people but as far as im concerned my relationship with my God is far from religious! God works in the strangest ways and if your walk with the Lord is boring or "religious" then you are doing something wrong.
Religion is a building, a relationship is a personal experience with the creator of the universe. You can chip away the electric guitars, the loud speakers, the pretty girls in the row infront of you, and the super stylish college pastor and if God is not present then you are left in an empty room all by yourself.
After a small group one night last semester I had a buddy come up to me and tell me that he thought what we were doing was really cool and he wanted to make some changes in his life, but he jus didnt want to be "all religous" he said it wasnt his thing... a few weeks ago I was thinking about is conversation and it hit me... religion isnt my thing either nor do I want it to be! I dont want to be "religious". It makes me sad that from the outside we all look like religious folk, sure we go to church and sure we surround ourselves with other christian people but as far as im concerned my relationship with my God is far from religious! God works in the strangest ways and if your walk with the Lord is boring or "religious" then you are doing something wrong.
Religion is a building, a relationship is a personal experience with the creator of the universe. You can chip away the electric guitars, the loud speakers, the pretty girls in the row infront of you, and the super stylish college pastor and if God is not present then you are left in an empty room all by yourself.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
01/04/10
For a few years now I have called myself a "Christian" but there were many things that I refused to surrender to the Lord. I attended Passion 2010 (Jan. 2-5) and I must say that for the first two days and nights I got absolutely nothing from it. I dont know if it was the distraction of 21,00 college students or the freezing weather but for some reason i was discouraged (I later realized that I did nothin to pursue God these two days). During a breakout session with Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, Joel Houston, Matt Redman, and Marilyn Skinner at Passion 2010 I finally felt the Lord begin pulling at my heart but it was not until the night service on January 4th that i felt God moving in me. I looked around the packed stands, at the Philips Arena, and saw about 16,000 college aged kids worshiping God and thats when it hit me. i thought to myself that there is no way that all 16,000 of us are being tricked into following some "god", there is no way we are all wrong. I raised my hand and said God I'm ready and in that very moment my life changed! I realized that the reason I have never felt God's presence is because every time I thought I felt him I ran as fast as I could away from him. I also realized that the reason God's never revealed his plan for my life to me is because I have never let him in to change me... I have been a musician for alot longer than I have been a christian and there is nothing in this world I care more about than music. My main passion is songwriting. I have felt God tell me that he wanted to use the talents he gave me to glorify him before but I did absolutely nothing to seek him. On Jan 4th I got my calling, God has called me to write worship songs and to lead through music! This calling was so obvious, it was as if someone stood a foot away from me and held a HUGE sign in my face telling me what to do. I have never been so excited in my life and I can not wait to see where God takes me!! I feel this generation could save the world, we need to band together and act on it!
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up dissension but love covers over all wrongs
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up dissension but love covers over all wrongs
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