Just a few Stats, and Comments for the peeps
Barely one third of all American Adults (31%) know the Gospel
Only (10%) of the people that die in the US each year are born again Christians
Every three and a half minutes a Christian Dies for his or her faith.
HMMMM
We as people are apt to believe what is pleasant to us rather than what is true.
There is a big difference between knowing about the “Truth” and knowing The Truth (Jesus Christ)
It’s not God That Quits, It’s us that Quites God’s ministry
Albert Einstein
“its not that I am so much smarter I just stuck to the problem longer”
WHO IS BEATING YOUR HEART?
ARE YOU? OR IS GOD?
We should Embrace Christ and his will he has for us.
We should make him #1 in our life over everything else.
JAMES 1:22-25
HABAKUK 2:3
ARE WE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO SATISFY US?
ARE WE TURNING TO EMBRACE JESUS?
OR ARE WE LOOKING TO
SELF
OTHERS
MEDIA
ETC.
ARE YOU TRYING TO BUILD YOUR OWN KINGDOM?
DO WE HAVE SOMETHING WE ARE PURSUING THAT TRAPS OUR LIFE AND TAKES US FURTHER AWAY FROM GOD?
WE CAN ONLY SERVE ONE (JESUS) WE SHOULDN’T TRY TO SERVE ANYOTHER
JAMES 4:1
JOHN 8:31-32
DO WE TRULY BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST?
WE CAN SAY WE BELIEVE THE TRUTH.
BUT IF WE DON’T EMBRACE THE TRUTH AND PUT IT INTO EFFECT IN OUR LIVES.
DON’T GET LED AWAY BY THIS WORLDS DISTRACTIONS.
ASK YOURSELVES
WHAT DO WE USE MORE
OUR CELLPHONES OR OUR BIBLES
_____________________________________
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Take encouragement
Jeremiah 1:17-18
Humbly questioning or making excuses?
“I am only a child” – Jeremiah says in v.7
Jeremiah’s statement was that of a humble boy.
God’s answer: don’t say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid for I am with you and will rescue you.
Jeremiah was to give a message to the people of Jerusalem
If Jeremiah was making an excuse, the story would end here.
What did Jeremiah do? What helped him?
-he listened to God’s encouragement
2Thessalonians 2:16-17
The Lord will encourage you
Acts 9:31b
Acts 11:22-23
Encouraging Verses
1 Corinthians 2:12
Humbly questioning or making excuses?
“I am only a child” – Jeremiah says in v.7
Jeremiah’s statement was that of a humble boy.
God’s answer: don’t say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid for I am with you and will rescue you.
Jeremiah was to give a message to the people of Jerusalem
If Jeremiah was making an excuse, the story would end here.
What did Jeremiah do? What helped him?
-he listened to God’s encouragement
2Thessalonians 2:16-17
The Lord will encourage you
Acts 9:31b
Acts 11:22-23
Encouraging Verses
1 Corinthians 2:12
Growing with God
-Hebrews 12:1-3
Spiritual growth isn’t easy
Growing spiritually begins with Jesus, the central focus of a maturing faith.
When you find yourself in the slums, usually we have lost our focus on Jesus.
Sin has many traps to entangle you in it’s web.
-Galatians 5:16-25
Who is leading you?
Jesus Christ should lead our lives, and we should follow his footsteps. That doesn’t mean we will always have a keen peachy time doing what God wants, or even have an easy time doing it. There will always be trials in our lives. But God never gives us anything we can’t handle.
God wants us to reach our potential for what he has planned our life to be. Not we reach our potential with God out setting on the sidelines. God should be our coach; we should be the quarterback making the plays he tells us to make.
Some Do’s and Don’ts AND WHAT THEY PRODUCE
The Do’s with Jesus leading us THEY PRODUCE
LOVE
JOY
PEACE
PATIENCE
KINDNESS
GOODNESS
FAITHFULNESS
GENTLENESS
SELF-CONTROL
The Don’ts having our own sinful ways lead us THEY PRODUCE
SEXUAL IMMORALITY
IMPURE THOUGHTS
EAGERNESS FOR LUSTFUL PLEASURE
IDOLATRY
PARTICIPATION IN DEMONIC ACTIVITIES
HOSTILITY
QUARRELING
JEALOUSY
OUTBURSTS OF ANGER
SELFISH AMBITION
DIVISIONS
EVERYONES WRONG EXCEPT YOU
ENVY
DRUNKENNESS
AND MANY MORE TYPES OF SINS
Making time for The Big Man Upstairs
Sometimes life just gets in the way of our time with God. What a shame! Because this world has nothing to offer us except junk. Why do we make excuses to put God in a box and carry him with us and only use him when we think we need him? Fooey he should be in front of us leading the way for us. (EVERYDAY)
LIFE becomes a schedule of sorts. When that happens you usually find it hard to make room for anything else in your life. (Probably like some of the teens bedrooms (so cluttered you can’t really fit anything else in the thing!!) Well finding time for God sometimes can seem unrealistic especially if you don’t know how to do it!
Lets stop making excuses and learn how to get rid of the junk and get the spunk going in our lives. Because the bible says all things are possible when GOD IS IN CONTROL.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO GROW WITH GOD
Not everyone can just wake up and know what to do right? That would be like a parent expecting a new born baby to know how to walk right away.
It doesn’t work like that. We all need to be taught how to do things.
Especially Growing Spiritually with God.
Bible Reading
Prayer
Quiet time (Shhhh, that means quiet time)
Alone time (just you)
singing or playing an instrument
fasting
scripture memory
serving
These are all ways to spend time with God, (Hang out with Him) The core of the group is Bible reading and prayer. We can’t grow without having these 2 in our life.
DEVELOPING AN APPETITE FOR GOD’S WORD
Don’t we want to know about God and his son Jesus Christ? I mean why wouldn’t you want to know about your savior that shed his blood for our sins! But so many times Bibles collect dust. But again it is something you have to learn to do. You have to be taught some way of reading what the bible has to offer you (and make it interesting for you so it will keep your attention) The Bible is God’s love letter to us, and most people like to read love letters don’t they! Reading your bible comes an attitude change, and comes an appetite for reading his love letter to us.
Some ways to help with reading the Bible
O bservation: Just the facts
Begin with prayer to prepare your heart to learn. Then read through the passage you have chosen (Anywhere from a chapter, a verse, etc.) take notice of the basic facts. (Read it more than once) SLOWLY so it soaks in to your brain. Ask yourself the basic question (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?) Find out what the author wanted the reader to get from this book, or verse, or chapter of the bible?
U nderstanding: Nothing but the truth
Once you’ve done a thorough job of figuring out the original message, it’s time to figure out the truth of the passage. Ask yourself What is it about this passage that is true no matter what? Your looking for answers. Question is simple but the answers are tough.
A pplication: What’s the point?
The final stage of studying the Bible is to take the truth and consider it in our personal life. Many people consider this the practical side of Bible study because God’s word helps you change your practices. James 1:22 says it like this: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is SAYS” People can know a lot of Bible facts (observation) but not live a life that honors God (Application). Some people believe that knowing God’s word is as good as doing it.
When pain leads to gain!
When life gets tough what would you normally do? Many people feel sorry for themselves, hang their heads, and wait for the pain to go away.
In the life of a believer, God can use the pain to bring about life-change gain. Don’t hang your head just know that God is their, and learn by what he shows us!
James 1:2-8
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8He is a double minded man, unstable in all he does.
Whenever you face trials
This passage doesn’t give us helpful advice in case we face troubles.
James knows that everyone will face troubles. The truth in this passage is like a parachute that slows our fall and keeps us from eternal harm. The world is not a perfect place, bad things will happen. The question is whether we’ll endure them with God’s help or not.
The Testing of your faith
God doesn’t make the pain. Some trials are so bad that it seems impossible to view them as character builders. Just because God uses terrible events to accomplish good does not mean that he makes such tragedies happen. Evil and suffering remain mysteries. But knowing God brings good out of bad gives us hope.
If any of you lacks wisdom
Wisdom is unusual insight into what’s real, how things work, what’s important in life, and how to live well. We can either try to make sense of trials on our own or we can ask God to guide us. God may not answer all of our questions, but he’ll give us wisdom into what’s important in our lives and how to live well in the midst of pain.
Ask God
A stubborn heart can’t learn. We can’t learn anything, gain wisdom, if we’re not firmly convinced that we need it. God doesn’t override our ability to choose him and his ways, so he doesn’t cram wisdom down our throats. We have to ask God because that’s the only way we’ll ever accept it.
Spiritual growth isn’t easy
Growing spiritually begins with Jesus, the central focus of a maturing faith.
When you find yourself in the slums, usually we have lost our focus on Jesus.
Sin has many traps to entangle you in it’s web.
-Galatians 5:16-25
Who is leading you?
Jesus Christ should lead our lives, and we should follow his footsteps. That doesn’t mean we will always have a keen peachy time doing what God wants, or even have an easy time doing it. There will always be trials in our lives. But God never gives us anything we can’t handle.
God wants us to reach our potential for what he has planned our life to be. Not we reach our potential with God out setting on the sidelines. God should be our coach; we should be the quarterback making the plays he tells us to make.
Some Do’s and Don’ts AND WHAT THEY PRODUCE
The Do’s with Jesus leading us THEY PRODUCE
LOVE
JOY
PEACE
PATIENCE
KINDNESS
GOODNESS
FAITHFULNESS
GENTLENESS
SELF-CONTROL
The Don’ts having our own sinful ways lead us THEY PRODUCE
SEXUAL IMMORALITY
IMPURE THOUGHTS
EAGERNESS FOR LUSTFUL PLEASURE
IDOLATRY
PARTICIPATION IN DEMONIC ACTIVITIES
HOSTILITY
QUARRELING
JEALOUSY
OUTBURSTS OF ANGER
SELFISH AMBITION
DIVISIONS
EVERYONES WRONG EXCEPT YOU
ENVY
DRUNKENNESS
AND MANY MORE TYPES OF SINS
Making time for The Big Man Upstairs
Sometimes life just gets in the way of our time with God. What a shame! Because this world has nothing to offer us except junk. Why do we make excuses to put God in a box and carry him with us and only use him when we think we need him? Fooey he should be in front of us leading the way for us. (EVERYDAY)
LIFE becomes a schedule of sorts. When that happens you usually find it hard to make room for anything else in your life. (Probably like some of the teens bedrooms (so cluttered you can’t really fit anything else in the thing!!) Well finding time for God sometimes can seem unrealistic especially if you don’t know how to do it!
Lets stop making excuses and learn how to get rid of the junk and get the spunk going in our lives. Because the bible says all things are possible when GOD IS IN CONTROL.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO GROW WITH GOD
Not everyone can just wake up and know what to do right? That would be like a parent expecting a new born baby to know how to walk right away.
It doesn’t work like that. We all need to be taught how to do things.
Especially Growing Spiritually with God.
Bible Reading
Prayer
Quiet time (Shhhh, that means quiet time)
Alone time (just you)
singing or playing an instrument
fasting
scripture memory
serving
These are all ways to spend time with God, (Hang out with Him) The core of the group is Bible reading and prayer. We can’t grow without having these 2 in our life.
DEVELOPING AN APPETITE FOR GOD’S WORD
Don’t we want to know about God and his son Jesus Christ? I mean why wouldn’t you want to know about your savior that shed his blood for our sins! But so many times Bibles collect dust. But again it is something you have to learn to do. You have to be taught some way of reading what the bible has to offer you (and make it interesting for you so it will keep your attention) The Bible is God’s love letter to us, and most people like to read love letters don’t they! Reading your bible comes an attitude change, and comes an appetite for reading his love letter to us.
Some ways to help with reading the Bible
O bservation: Just the facts
Begin with prayer to prepare your heart to learn. Then read through the passage you have chosen (Anywhere from a chapter, a verse, etc.) take notice of the basic facts. (Read it more than once) SLOWLY so it soaks in to your brain. Ask yourself the basic question (Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?) Find out what the author wanted the reader to get from this book, or verse, or chapter of the bible?
U nderstanding: Nothing but the truth
Once you’ve done a thorough job of figuring out the original message, it’s time to figure out the truth of the passage. Ask yourself What is it about this passage that is true no matter what? Your looking for answers. Question is simple but the answers are tough.
A pplication: What’s the point?
The final stage of studying the Bible is to take the truth and consider it in our personal life. Many people consider this the practical side of Bible study because God’s word helps you change your practices. James 1:22 says it like this: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is SAYS” People can know a lot of Bible facts (observation) but not live a life that honors God (Application). Some people believe that knowing God’s word is as good as doing it.
When pain leads to gain!
When life gets tough what would you normally do? Many people feel sorry for themselves, hang their heads, and wait for the pain to go away.
In the life of a believer, God can use the pain to bring about life-change gain. Don’t hang your head just know that God is their, and learn by what he shows us!
James 1:2-8
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8He is a double minded man, unstable in all he does.
Whenever you face trials
This passage doesn’t give us helpful advice in case we face troubles.
James knows that everyone will face troubles. The truth in this passage is like a parachute that slows our fall and keeps us from eternal harm. The world is not a perfect place, bad things will happen. The question is whether we’ll endure them with God’s help or not.
The Testing of your faith
God doesn’t make the pain. Some trials are so bad that it seems impossible to view them as character builders. Just because God uses terrible events to accomplish good does not mean that he makes such tragedies happen. Evil and suffering remain mysteries. But knowing God brings good out of bad gives us hope.
If any of you lacks wisdom
Wisdom is unusual insight into what’s real, how things work, what’s important in life, and how to live well. We can either try to make sense of trials on our own or we can ask God to guide us. God may not answer all of our questions, but he’ll give us wisdom into what’s important in our lives and how to live well in the midst of pain.
Ask God
A stubborn heart can’t learn. We can’t learn anything, gain wisdom, if we’re not firmly convinced that we need it. God doesn’t override our ability to choose him and his ways, so he doesn’t cram wisdom down our throats. We have to ask God because that’s the only way we’ll ever accept it.
Challenge: Challenging Teens to Live the life of Christ
Ephesians 4:24
More and More today, we hear that you can live the way you want and still go to Heaven. All I ask is, Is this what Jesus would have wanted? Jesus Christ, God's Son, came to this world to set an example for us.(philippians 2:5)Who are we to say to people out in the world, it's ok to live in sin. It's ok to do what you want. That was no way the purpose for Jesus. Jesus, God's own son, wasn't even called to do his own thing and He is one with the Father. Matthew 26:39 tells us that Jesus didn't want to do what the Father wanted. No body wants to die and especially on a cross. He was human and I am sure he felt the way we would have. In this verse, he asks if the Father would change His mind. But you know what? God had a plan and becasue the Son was obedient, even to death, he was crucified for our sins. Don't we understand? We may not always like what God's will is, but we are to always be obedient to Him. Are we, the leaders, falling to the world's concepts or are we setting the standard for a Christian life of Christ. If we are telling kids and teens that they can live the way THEY want, then they are not doing God's will and therefore can not be children of God because of their disobedience. Could have Jesus not obeyed God? If so we would not even be able to have eternal life. So we must fulfill God's plan.(James 4:17) James says, anyone who knows what they are to do and does not do it, sins. Why then are we telling them that they can do what they want? Sure they can, but if they are not doing what they are supposed to do they are sinning and will pay the wages of those sin....Death. (Romans 6:23) If we sin, we will DIE. If we live for God, we will gain eternal life.Ok, those have gotten upset with me thru this already, think to yoursleves for a minute. Whether I am right or you are, which would you rather see? A world with young people and christians living like Christ and going out like Jesus Christ teaching and training others, or those christians that can live the way they want and no one will ever see a difference between them and the world???? Let's tell teens and others to strive to be like Christ. Do the will of the Father and your life will be fulfilled and He will bless you with Eternal Life. If we live like the world, then we will spend eternity in the same place as those worldly sinners. Let's set the example and not only save the world,but show them that being a Christian is more than a name, rather it is a way of life that is not ours but for God!
Lastly, when we give our hearts over to God inorder to be saved, aren't we to leave our heart and life in His hands or are we to take it back? Let's give our lives over to the One who created us and not live for me and the way that I want for then we are only living for oursleves and God has no part. Live for God and live like Jesus. I challenge each of you to set the standard for Christianity today
Setting the Example for the World today
Do not conform to the world any longer.
(Romans 12:2)
Do not conform to the world any longer.
(Romans 12:2)
Ambassadors for Christ
Our sole purpose on this earth is to do what God has assigned us
Read 2 Corinthians 5:19-20
Look at how active God is in our world:
Ready to judge the world – God came to Noah (God worked through Noah)
Ready to deliver the children of Israel – God came to Moses (God worked through Moses)
Ready to redeem a lost world through His son – God gave Jesus 12 disciples
Read Amos 3:7
God wants to involve you in His work. When He is ready He will show you where he wants you to join Him in His work.
God may spend years developing you and your relationship with Him before you are called or get your first assignment from Him.
Be patient
Jesus didn’t start His ministry until He was 33 years old!!! Even Jesus waited on God, His Father.
We all think we are strong enough for anything and want God to use us now now now!! But let’s look at what happened to Peter:
Luke 22:33-34
Peter, himself, really thought he was ready. Jesus knew he was not yet strong enough. He was still growing Peter’s belief.
Just because we are waiting, does not mean we are idle. As you obey, God is working in you, shaping your character and attitude, wants and desires.
Don’t use human standards to measure the importance of an assignment from God. His assignments are always important.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:19-20
Look at how active God is in our world:
Ready to judge the world – God came to Noah (God worked through Noah)
Ready to deliver the children of Israel – God came to Moses (God worked through Moses)
Ready to redeem a lost world through His son – God gave Jesus 12 disciples
Read Amos 3:7
God wants to involve you in His work. When He is ready He will show you where he wants you to join Him in His work.
God may spend years developing you and your relationship with Him before you are called or get your first assignment from Him.
Be patient
Jesus didn’t start His ministry until He was 33 years old!!! Even Jesus waited on God, His Father.
We all think we are strong enough for anything and want God to use us now now now!! But let’s look at what happened to Peter:
Luke 22:33-34
Peter, himself, really thought he was ready. Jesus knew he was not yet strong enough. He was still growing Peter’s belief.
Just because we are waiting, does not mean we are idle. As you obey, God is working in you, shaping your character and attitude, wants and desires.
Don’t use human standards to measure the importance of an assignment from God. His assignments are always important.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
