Acts 14 "Im Good"

One of the earliest ways people tried to deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ was to say that the disciples were lying.  They went around saying that either, Jesus never died or that He never rose again, and the disciples just stole His body from the tomb.

That argument pretty much gets blown out of the water when you think about what the disciples were willing to go through to preach the gospel.  If they were making it up, they would have quit after getting beat up, stoned, thrown in prison, and watching stephen get killed for his faith.  

Look at verse, 19-20 "Now some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the crowds into a murderous mob.  They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, apparently dead.  But as the believers stood around him, he got up and went back into the city."

Paul had had an experience!  He had met the resurrected Jesus Christ and had been filled with the Holy Spirit.  Paul was willing to go through whatever came against him in order to remain faithful to Jesus.

Not only was Paul willing to be beaten up for his faith, "he went right back into the city."

Thank you sir, may I have another?  

He gets nearly killed, then he hop's back up and says "Im good" and runs back into the city that just about killed him.

That is some crazy devotion.

I know you serve God when everything is going your way.  But, are you willing to serve God even when things are tough?

When you get made fun of or lied about for being a Christ follower, remember what the apostles went through for their faith.

 

Acts 13

This is the beginning of Paul's ministry.  The first half of Acts focused on Peter and his ministry to the Jews while the second half focuses on Paul's ministry to the Gentiles.  A gentile is a person who is not Jewish.  Most of us are probably gentiles so we should read this with a little extra thought.  The only reason we are christians today is because Paul brought the good news to the gentiles.

We would probably be worshipping other gods if it wasn't for Paul, thank God for the apostle Paul being obedient to do what God called him to do.

Paul stands up in front a crowd and preaches.  He tells of the past first and recounts some famous stories but then he brings the message around to Jesus.

vs. 38 "Brothers, listen!  In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.  Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God-something the Jewish law could never do."

"Everyone who believes in Jesus is freed from all guilt and declared right with God."

Look at the verbs (action words) in this sentence, believes, freed, declared.  This is a picture of Grace.  By Faith and Faith in Jesus alone we are freed and declared right with God.

We don't read our bibles to be freed from guilt and declared right with God.  We don't pray to be freed from guilt and we don't obey God to be declared right with God.  There is only one way to be made right before God and that is through Faith.

You might say, "If I am freed from all guilt and declared right with God by believing in Jesus can I do whatever I want to now? Does it give me a license to sin?"  

Look at that word "freed" and think of Slavery. I have never heard of a slave being set free, and then returning to the house to be a slave again, "I really enjoyed being a slave so I thought I would just give up my rights as a free person and continue to be a slave, thanks anyways but no thanks, I think I will just stay in slavery!"

Who in their right mind would return back to slavery?

I want to give you a quote from a book I am reading.

"Sin loses its appeal when you encounter the Person of grace, Jesus Christ, and realize all that He has blessed you with and done for you on the cross.  You begin to realize that you have been given this great gift of righteousness and that you did nothing to deserve it.  You did nothing to earn it and you did nothing to merit it.  Now, what happens?  Does this encounter with Jesus cause you to want to go out and sin?  Of course not!  On the contrary, it will cause you to fall in love with Jesus all over again.  It will make you a better husband, better father, better housewife, a better student.  It will make you someone who desires with all your heart to guard the glory of our Lord Jesus by living a life that is victorious over sin, by His grace and strength!"

If you have faith in Jesus Christ, You have been set free from the power of sin.  You have been freed to live a victorious life!  God looks down at you and sees a winner, not a weaner!  God declares you right before Him because of your faith!  That makes me want to jump up and run around the room.  Jesus is so powerful, that all I have to do is believe in Him, and he takes care of the rest.  He gives me the power and ability to overcome the sin in my life.  Praise God!!!

Have you been focusing on what Jesus has done for you (grace) or have you been focusing on what you should be doing for Him (works)?

If you are focused on what you "should be" doing for him you will never defeat the sin in your life.

Today, right now, make the decision to begin to focus on what Jesus has done for you through grace.

Let's right down vs. 38, put it in our pocket, put it in our lockers, and put it in our cars, so we can  memorize it and it becomes a part of who we are.

vs. 38 "Brothers, listen!  In this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.  Everyone who believes in him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God-something the Jewish law could never do."

Acts 11&12

Chapter 11 pretty much restates what happened in chapter 10.

Chapter 12 starts out with some serious action.

James, John's brother, is killed with a sword for being a Christ follower.  Then Peter is thrown into Jail and put under armed guard for being a follower of Christ.

vs. 5 "But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him."

"Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel said, "Quick, get up!"  And the chains fell off his wrists."

God didn't stop Peter from being arrested, but he did miraculously set him free from prison.  I know this is a little extreme but what would you rather have.  God never let you go to prison or God letting you stay in prison one night and then showing up with a bright light and an angel to rescue you.  Now I have no desire at all to go to prison, but that would be pretty awesome to see God show up like that.

vs. 12 "After a little thought, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer."

Some amazing things happened in this story.  People ask me all the time why miracles don't happen as often anymore as they did in the book of Acts.  I know that miracles happen everyday, but when was the last time an Angel popped somebody from prison?  

I believe there are several reasons why we don't see as many miracles as we should.  One, people don't have the Holy Spirit Up On them, that is where the power to get results comes from.  Two, we do not pray with passion, expectancy, or regularity.

Jesus said, "we have not because we ask not."  Prayer is very important but I have found in my life that dull, boring, casual prayers rarely get answered.

Why did Peter get set free by a miracle?  "The church was praying earnestly for him" The word earnestly is another word for passionately or praying with some fire, some emotion.  If you can remember back over the last 12 chapters every time something awesome happened the believers had been meeting to pray before the miracle.  

Peter and John were on their way to pray when they healed the lame dude, the believers were praying before the Holy Spirit showed up, Peter was praying before he saw his vision from God, when the apostles met the other believers they prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit and they did, when peter was in prison the believers prayed that he would be released and he was.

I don't even have to ask the question because I already know the answer.

We don't pray enough.  If we want to see God do some miracles in our church and in our lives on a regular basis we need to start asking Him for them and believing that he will do it.  When we pray, we need to pray with some excitement, some passion.  One of the reasons I pray with such passion and excitement is because I think about the answer before I ask God to do it.  I think about the lives of the teenagers being changed before I ask him to change them.  I think about 1,000 teenagers worshipping God in one room before I ask God to do it.  I think about the teenager being set free from drugs or pornography before I ask God to do it.  That gets me fired up!

What gets you fired up?  Let's pray for that!  Can you see 100 students from your school coming to kyc and finding God?  Let's pray for that!  Can you see 2 coffee shops being opened and ran by us?  Let's pray for that!

What gets you fired up?  What should we be praying for?

"The atmosphere of expectancy is the breeding ground for miracles!"

Acts 10 "Everyone's included"

Im reading from the message this morning.

"It's God's own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites!  It makes no difference who you are or where you're from-if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open."

"No sooner were the words out of Peter's mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners.  The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on "outsider" non-Jews, but there it was-they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them praising God."

Sometimes when we read the book of Acts, because it is in story form, we miss the application that is meant for our lives.  Let's not miss this.  God play's no favorites.  He doesn't only choose the good looking, talented, and popular.  God is willing to work through anyone who "lives worshipfully before God, helps others in need, and has the habit of prayer."  

When this book was written, Jews did not associate with "outsiders."  The Jewish people thought that they were the only race of people that were going to go to heaven.  Jesus destroyed that thought, he was Jewish but still ministered and spent time with people on the outside of his race.

Now, after Jesus death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit is opening up the gift of salvation and speaking in tongues to everyone.  This is the only reason that some of us are saved today.  If you are not Jewish you should be really thankful for what is going on in this story.  We were "outsiders" but now we are called insiders because God opened up this gift for everyone to be a part of.

Aren't you glad that God does not show favoritism?

If God does not judge people by their outside appearance, popularity, and talents do you think that we should? How often do you ignore someone because they don't fit in with your type of friends?  

The bible says that the way we treat others, is the way He will treat us.  That is a scary thought.

Is there someone in your life, that you need to start treating better?  Maybe it's a kid in the lunch room, a girl on your basketball team, or someone you work with.  God does not show favorites, do you?

Acts 9 "Remember the Time"

In this chapter we read about Saul's conversion experience, how he went from Christ hater to Christ follower.

Have you had a life changing experience with Jesus Christ?

It doesn't have to include a blinding light, getting knocked to the ground, and Jesus' audible voice but every one needs to have a moment when they can say, that is when I made the choice to follow Christ.

In revelation Jesus talks to a church that has gotten lukewarm in their faith.  He yells at them and then charges them with this command, "Return to your first love."  By that he means, return to the devotion that you had to Christ in the very beginning.  Most people are pretty passionate about following Christ in the beginning but they stop doing the things that keep the love strong and they grow luke warm.

Saul never grew lukewarm because he could always go back and remember His first real experience with Jesus Christ.

Can you do the same?

Do you remember the time when you first really met Jesus Christ?

How has He changed your life since then?

Chapter 8

So it goes one, then two, then three, then four, then six and seven.  

My math skills are a little rusty.  Yesterday was supposed to be chapter 5 but I skipped it on an accident.  We are in it now so I am just going to go on and continue with chapter 8.

"A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the apostles fled into Judea and Samaria."

"But the believers who had fled Jerusalem went everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus."

God promises in the Bible to take the things that the Devil intended for evil and turn them around for our good.  He says that "all things work together for the good of those that believe."  Now this is a little hard to understand, especially while we are going through tough times but read those two verses again.

God used persecution to pass the message on to others.  Because the apostles were persecuted so strongly they were forced to flee into surrounding towns and villages.  While they went, they kept on preaching and teaching about Jesus.  This is how the message of Jesus spread so fast.  As people believed, they were persecuted and had to run, when they got to their new town they just kept telling everyone they met about Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the faith spread like a wild fire.

It is funny to me that Satan wanted to kill them and he sent men to do that, but God used those plans to spread the good news about Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Satan has a little bit of power to mess things up in our lives but in the end God holds all the power and Satan ends up looking like a chump every time!

Persecution sucks, but it strengthens our faith.  We are made fun of while other nations still jail and kill christians.  Our persecution is nothing compared to other nations but to us it still feels tough sometimes.

If you are going through a tough time in your life it might be God preparing you for a special task.  Your blessing might just be on the other side of your obedience.  So I will say it like a coach.  Suck it up!  Push through!  When the going gets tough, the tough get going!  Trust that what God say's will always come true.  He promises to take anything the Devil throws at us and turn it around for good.

How does that make you feel knowing that God is still in control even when bad things happen?

Have you had an experience where something bad happened to you or someone you know and God turned it around and used it for good? Share it with us.

Acts 6 and 7 "Today is a Two for One day"

These two chapter tell the story of one man who was "full of faith and the Holy Spirit."  When the disciples needed someone to lead a ministry to the poor, Stephen was one of the men who stepped up.

Stephen was also a great debater, or arguer for the faith.  Vs. 8 Say's that he was "full of God's grace and power", and that he "performed amazing miracles and signs among the people."

Stephen was a Christ Follower.  He was a good example for us to follow.

In Chapter 7, Stephen has been lied about and brought before the synagogue-which is basically their religious court.  Stephen stands there with all of the faith he can muster and preaches history lesson to the court and then finishes it up with this in your face application.  

"You stubborn people!  You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth.  Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? But your ancestors did, and so do you!  Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute!  They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One-the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.  You deliberately disobeyed God's law, though you received it from the hands of angels."

Stephen knew what they were going to do.  He knew what his words were going to cost him, yet he said them anyways.  

vs. 57 "Then they put their hands over their ears, and drowning out his voice with their shouts, they rushed him.  They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.  The official witnesses took off their coats and laid them at the feet of young man named Saul.  And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  And he fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!"  And with that, he died"

Stephen was willing to give up his life for the message of the cross.  He was willing to die, because Jesus had already died for him.  Stephen became the first martyr for the Christian faith.

Stephen's life is a continual challenge to all Christ followers.  Because he was the first to die for the faith, his sacrifice raises questions:

How many risks do we take in being Jesus' followers?

Would we be willing to die for him?

Are we really willing to live for him? 

Acts 4 "From boring to bold"

I am sure that you have picked up on the fact that the book of Acts is a lot different from the other books that we have been studying.  The first few books we read were a part of the "letters" section of the new testament.  They were written from an apostle to a church leader to deal with church and life issues.  The book of Acts is under the category of "Early Church History" and is written more like a history book.  It is an account of the apostles and early Christ followers receiving their new partner in life "the Holy Spirit" and shows us what life can be like when we are fully devoted, spirit filled followers of Christ.

What does the Holy Spirit do for you?

vs. 13 "The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training.  They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus."

A few short weeks before, Peter was denying Christ in front of a young servant girl.  You probably remember the story, Peter denies knowing Christ three different times within a few hours, while Jesus is being beaten and prepared for crucifixion.  When the going got tough, Peter bailed on Jesus.

But here he is, a few weeks later and He is standing up preaching with great boldness about Jesus resurrection and power.  He was amazing people!  What was the difference?  Acts chapter 2 was the difference.  Peter had received the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit gives us boldness.  The next couple of weeks I am going to preach on the Holy Spirit.  I am going to teach who He is, what he does, and what he wants to do in each of us.  I am going to show you how to receive Him and how to walk with Him in your daily life.  It will change your life.  I would hate prayer if it wasn't for the Holy Spirit.  The only reason I can pray with any boldness at all is because of the Holy Spirit.  Lets look again at these apostles Prayers.

vs. 29 "And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give your servants great boldness in their preaching.  Send your healing power, may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

We need to start praying some Big, Bold, BA prayers like that. That's the prayer of Faith!

And look what happened!

vs. 30 "After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  And they preached God's message with boldness."

These apostles had already been filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.  Did they spring a leak?  No, you can be filled with the Holy Spirit over and over.  In fact, the more you are using your faith and boldness the more you need to be refilled with the Holy Spirit.

So how's your boldness in sharing Christ?  How are your prayers, are they bold or boring?  The answer for boring is the Holy Spirit!  If you want the Holy Spirit to give you boldness like you have never had before, you better not miss tonight's KYC.

Acts 3 "What's in a name?"

"The name of Jesus has healed this man-and you know how lame he was before.  Faith in Jesus' name has caused this healing before your very eyes."

Peter and John heal a dude who was crippled and they gave all the credit to Jesus.  "In those day's a man's name represented his character; his authority and power"-NLT study bible.  Peter and John wanted everyone to know that it was Jesus who had healed the man even though Jesus was supposed to be dead.

This is so opposite of what normal men would do.  Men want to take credit for things.  We want to be the masters of our universe, the kings of our jungle and we want everyone to know how hard we have worked and how good we are doing.  

The apostles wanted everyone to know how much God could do "through" them.  The name of Jesus is not a magic word but it does represent Jesus and all of His authority.  When we use the name of Jesus in prayer, appropriately, we are using all of the power of heaven to get results.

When we pray in Jesus name, Jesus shows up.  When we Pray in Jesus name, Jesus power and authority shows up.  

Are you living and Praying in Jesus name and power or your own?  Who gets the credit for the good things that you do?  

Remember, faith is His name is what heals the sick, saves the sinner, and set's the oppressed free.

Acts 2: The Fellowship of the Believers

I have read this chapter many times over the years and a passage jumped out at me that I have probably just read over 50 times before.

Acts 2:44-47

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Can you imagine if everyone that was in our church "everyone" decided to sell everything they had and distribute it to everyone who was needy. Imagine if all 300 of us did that together at the same time. Imagine if day by day we came to the church to worship God and hear his word.

That is exactly what these people did in Acts 2.

I believe to a certain extent that this is what the church is called to do. If we all would be completely focused on God and not on impressing other people the church would explode. If we would as a body always be looking for that person who has a need, their would be no needs in the church.

What do you think would happen if the whole church decided to sell all the crap they didn't need and give the money to people who did need it?

Acts 1: Get in the Action

Reading from The Message:

Introduction:
“Because the story of Jesus is so impressive-God among us! God speaking a language we can understand! God acting in ways that heal and help and save us! - there is a danger that we will be impressed, but only be impressed. As the spectacular dimensions of this story slowly dawn upon us, we could easily become enthusiastic spectators, and the let it go at that - become admirers of Jesus, generous only with our oohs and ahs...”

The book of Acts is full of Action. The story of the establishment and expansion of the Church. A book filled with the coming of the Holy Spirit, exciting journeys, imprisonment, death, the conversion of Paul the Apostle, and extreme hardcore cut-throat evangelism.

In chapter one, the Apostles, Mary, Jesus’ Brothers, and 120 other believers are gathered in Jerusalem. There they united in prayer, awaiting Jesus’ promised “helper” the Holy Spirit. Saying “We’re in this for good!” (v14 msg)

As a church, are we “in this for good”? Or are we the described “spectators” in the introduction?

The story of Jesus is truly an amazing story. But, it is so much more than that. Jesus did not come to impress, he came to empower. He came to give. He came to save. He came to love. He came to heal. He came to establish his Church.

That’s You.

Are you in Action? Or are you still a Spectator?

Jesus wants you to be involved.

What are some ways you could move from the grand stands to the playing field today?

James 5 "A bunch of Good stuff"

This chapter has stuff about money, prayer, healing, patience, and being a disciple.

What spoke to you in this chapter?

Here is one of the verses that really jumped out at me.

"My dear brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again, you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins."

We have a great responsibility as Christ followers.  We are responsible for sharing our faith with others but also for confronting our friends who know the truth but aren't living it out.

Well what do you think?  Do you have any questions about this chapter?

James 4 "send the devil runnin'"

"God set's himself against the proud, but He shows favor to the humble.  So humble yourselves before God.  Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you."

"When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependance on him, he will lift you up and give you honor."

God say's when you do this, I will do that.  He put's the power in our hands.  We don't have to beg and cry to get God to bless us, look what those verses say.

If I humble myself-----God will show me favor, that means I will be blessed.

If I resist the Devil----He must flee from me.

If I draw close to God-----God will draw close to me.

If I bow down before God and give him all of me-----He will lift me up and give me honor.

So many people are waiting on God to do something in their life when God has already done everything for us.  When Jesus died on the cross, the last words he said was "It is finished."  Jesus has already done everything for us, now it is up to us to get closer to Him.

If you want to know God, it is up to you to draw close to Him.  If you want to be blessed It is up to you to humble yourself.  If you want the devil to flee from you, it is up to you to resist him.

I believe there is only one way to do all of this.  Through studying, meditating, and speaking God's word.  I humble myself by allowing the Bible to direct my life.  I draw close to God by spending time with Him in His word.  I resist the devil just like Jesus did in the wilderness, I speak the word of God to him.

If you want some good scriptures for speaking over your life you can click here.

So are you doing your part to draw closer to God?

James 3 "The Prequel to tonight"

What a coincidence!

We will be using this scripture tonight at KYC.

The NLT says, "So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do.  A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.  And the tongue is a flame of fire.  It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life.  It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself."

I know my tongue has gotten me in more trouble than just about anything else in my life.  Lying, gossiping, making fun of people, and just being negative.  The Bible say's that our tongue has tremendous power.  Enough power to destroy our lives.

The good thing is that power can be used for good or bad, it is up to us.  Think of your tongue as a flame of fire.  Fire can be used to burn a house down and kill people but it can also be used to cook food and keep warm.  Your tongue has power, but it is up to us to use it for good.

I know that I have killed people with my tongue.  When I was in High School I used to make fun of people so bad that they would cry in class.  My friends would laugh but I was killing that person with my words.  Now that I have grown up a little and realized the power in my mouth I have made the decision to try to build people up with my tongue.  I try to use my tongue to encourage instead of discourage.

So how are you using your tongue?  No, I am not talking about making out!  

What types of words are you speaking on a daily basis?  Words of life or Words of death?

Make the decision today to speak positive words of life to everyone you meet.  Maybe you should write something on your hand today to remind you or you could wear a bracelet or a ring and every time you look at it remember to speak words of life today.

Faith shows itself through our actions.  Speaking good things is one of those actions.

James 2

Im reading from the message again:

"The full meaning of "believe" in the scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action.  It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend."  Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?"

So many people live like hell but then say that they are christ followers.  They assume that what they "believe" has nothing to do with how they act. This portion of scripture destroys that idea.

We show our faith by what we do.  Our actions prove our faith.

"The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse.  Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse."

Does your faith feel like it is dying?  Is it already dead?  Check your actions.  Your actions help keep your faith alive. If you have been believing one thing but living another, you are about to wind up with a corpse on your hands.

Are you praying, reading, meditating, talking to your friends about Christ?  Are you giving?  All of these actions build and prove our faith.

What are your thoughts... click on the comment button and let me know.

James 1

Time flies... This is already our third book of the New Testament that we have been studying together, one Chapter at a time.

This letter was written to confront, diagnose, and deal with areas of misbelief and misbehavior that had sprung up in the early church.

Remember Wisdom is not just knowing, it is knowing and doing right.

Today I am going to pick a verse that really speaks to me.  I will elaborate on that verse and then try to apply it to my life today.  I want you to do the same.  Highlight in your bible, the verses that really "jump" out at you.  Of those verses which ones move you to change something in your life?  Post your verses, thoughts, and actions in the comment section.

"Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other.  Act on what you hear!  Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like."

So have you ever been sitting in class or something and gotten that really weird feeling in your nose.  You know the one, where it feel like you have something hanging from one of your nostrils.  What a dilemma!  You have 30 classmates surrounding you, you know that you can't just finger it.  Especially if you have some good looking classmates!  So what do you do?  I know what you do!  You try the nose rub, but that dosen't work, it just moves it around a little bit.  Then you try the big Sucker, inhaling really loudly through your nose, but it still feels funny.  You know that it is very possible that "the hanger" is still holding on.  So what do you do?

You get a bathroom pass.  If you are like me, the first thing you do when you get to the bathroom is check the mirror.  You want to see just how bad it was.  Was there really a nasty green booger hanging from your nose or did it just feel like it.  This scripture reminded me of that.

"those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are or what they look like."

It is like going to the bathroom, looking in the mirror, seeing the big "hanger" and then shrugging your shoulders and returning to class.  The mirror doesn't do you any good unless you act on it.  When you see the bogey you got to blow your nose, pick it off, and make sure it is gone.

The word of God is just like that mirror.  It shows us what is jacked up in our life, but it won't help if we don't act on it.

The Bible isn't just for information transfer, it is for life change!

I want you to read that last statement three times.

When you read scripture are you reading it for life change or just information?  Scripture is alive, when I read scripture for life change it has a way of reading me.

What scripture read you today?  Did the mirror of God's word point out a booger in your life today?  What are you going to do about it?  Post your responses on the comment link below, I would love to hear from you.

Hebrews 13 "Lets flip the switch here!"

Read Hebrews 13 and then post your thoughts, questions, insights, or comments on the text.  

Click on the Word "Comments" below. 

Hebrews 12 "The Esau Syndrome"

In the message it says, "Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite.  You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God's blessing-but by then it was too late, tears or no tears."

We do this all the time.

We trade life-long blessings for short term fixes.

We trade love for lust.  We trade hard work and saving for debt.  We trade the Truth for a short term lie.

Esau traded his "birthright,"  which is pretty much his inheritance, for a bowl of soup.  Yeah, he was pretty hungry but He let a short-term appetite steal from his future.

I know of grown men that have done the same.  They have traded high paying jobs for another hit of marijuana.  They have traded their marriages and families for a quick affair with the secretary at work.  It isn't always that extreme either, sometimes we trade another 9 min on the snooze alarm with a thriving relationship with Jesus. 

Who in their right mind would trade their inheritance for a bowl of soup?  Who would trade their family for a one night stand?  Who would trade a thriving relationship with Christ for another 9 min of sleep?

Answer:  Anyone who hasn't done the hard work of denying himself and crucifying their short-term appetites.  

This is also another great reason we should make goals.  When you compare short-term appetites to your long-term goals you can usually see how detrimental they can be.  You can see how a lustful relationship now, could hurt all your relationships in the future.

Are you trading short-term appetites for long term blessings? 

 Let me know what you think, click on the comment link and drop me a note.

Hebrews 11 "Faith has a good track record"

"By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see."

Faith has a pretty good track record.

It has shut the mouths of lions, quenched fiery flames, split the red sea, delivered people out of slavery, destroyed jericho, built a huge ship, raised the dead, toppled kingdoms, won battles, and healed the sick.

Something very much unseen, has changed things that are seen.

Butch, a man in our church, had smoked for over fifty years. One of the first services he attended at the Rock God told him that He was setting Him free from that addiction, Butch chose Faith. He believed, and now it has been over a year since he has smoked a cigarette. He say's that the desire to smoke isn't even there anymore.

That's faith, Choosing to believe God instead of circumstances.

The Bible says that Real faith comes from "Hearing the word of God."

People have faith in diet pills, energy drinks, and designer clothes but those things don't have a guarantee. They might produce results but they might not. God's word has a 100% money back guarantee. God's word will produce faith, and Faith will produce results.

I'm not talking Cadillac's and mansion's here, I'm talking about life change where life change is needed. God's word mixed with your faith can destroy addictions, remove depression, and heal the sick.

So I got one question for you, "Got Faith?"

If not, start learning, listening, and memorizing God's word. If you haven't made first level yet, click here.

Hebrews 10 "5 steps to receiving God's promises"

New Living Translation today, "Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."

"Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens.  Remember the great reward it brings you!  Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will.  Then you will receive all that He has promised."

Your reward is in your confidence!  This is no easy thing to do.  It is too easy to get caught up in the cares of this world and not even realize that you have lost your confidence in what God wants to do in your life.

People think and believe that God responds to need.  God does not move because of need, millions of people always have needs and some go unmet.  God responds to faith.  God responds to the confident trust that He will keep His promise.  That is how I will get my reward, that is how I will receive all that He has promised me.

Five steps to receiving God's promises.

1.  What has God promised you in His word?  Do you know the scriptures?

2.  Memorize and Meditate on them to gain confidence in them.

3.  No matter what happens, keep your confidence in God's promises.

4.  Continue to do God's will, no matter what!

5.  Then you will receive all that He has promised.

Hebrews 9

After reading this chapter I think we all need to start taking advantage of what Jesus did. He took the place of all the animals that had to be sacrificed and forgave sin forever, all you have to do is believe in him. It was amazing to me what the priests had to do to get into God's presence. They had to sacrifice an animal to cover the peoples sins and their own. They could only enter the holy place once a year. The way I understand it is that this priest was doing this for the people in his tribe or city or whatever. I dont know about you but I don't really like the thought of having my sins and eternity rest on the shoulders of a mere man who is a sinner himself. Thank God that Jesus has made himself the ultimate sacrifice that we now are set free from the bondage of sin, and sin has no power in our lives. For those of you who still feel like you are in bondage to sin, maybe a sin that you keep repeating over and over. Start speaking Hebrews 9:26 over your lives. "He came once for all time, at the end of the age, to remove the power of sin forever by his sacrificial death for us. We have power over sin, so start believing it and start speaking it.

Hebrews 8 "A little more of the same"

I never really realized that Hebrews is all about the same thing.  Chapter after Chapter the author reiterates the same main points.  God changed things.  God changed the way He deals with Humans.  Through Jesus Christ, His very own Son, God's Kingdom came to this earth to redeem mankind through Faith, and God wants us to know about it.

"This time I'm writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts.  I'll be their God, they'll be my people.  They won't go to school to learn about me, or buy a book called God in Five easy Lessons.  They'll all get to know me firsthand, the little and the big, the small and the great.  They'll get to know me by being kindly forgiven, with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean."

Read that five more times....I'll wait.

We have the privilege to get to know God, personally. Not just learn about Him through the Bible, books, and pastors.  We can all know God for ourselves.

If your wondering how, I would say the same way you get to know a person.

1.  Spend time alone with them.  Prayer is thoughtful conversation with God.

2.  Learn about their pasts.  Read and Study God's past through Scripture.

3.  Share your struggles.  Depend on God, Have faith in Him. Put your trust in Him.

4.  Work towards a common goal together.  Get on the same page with God, are you working towards things that excites Him?  Are you sharing your faith, Building His church?

5.   Be available.  If your friend can never get anytime in your schedule they won't be a friend for long.  Make yourself available to God everyday.  I would challenge you to do it first thing in the morning if you can.

People lie.  Getting to know God is not difficult.  It just takes work, like any other relationship.  But Oh is it worth it. 

How are you doing on the list that's above?  Is there an area where you are weak?

What can you do today that will improve your relationship with God?

Did I miss anything?  Is there something else that should be on the list?  Drop me a comment and let me know.

Hebrews 7 "A better way!

"This makes Jesus the guarantee of a far better way between us and God-one that really works!  A new covenant."

A new way of doing things.  An upgrade.

Jesus, the guarantee, to a far better way.

In the New Testament right after Christ's crucifixion, followers were not called christians they were members of "the way."

Short for "the way of the master."

Sounds like a kung-fu movie.

Are you living the way of the master or are you in the way?

In my experience people fall into three categories.

Outsiders who don't know the way.

Insiders who get in the way.

and Followers who desire to walk in the way of the master.

My passion is for the first and third groups of people.  Insiders who think they have a handle on God and all they ever do is tell you what can't be done really get on my nerves.

Where do you find yourself?  Outsider, Insider, or Follower?

Followers of the way, are like padawan learners.  Jesus is teaching me his new black belt face stomp against my enemies with scripture.  

What is He teaching you?

Have you learned any kung-fu worthy scriptures lately?  Are you practicing them?

After I master the face stomp, I want  to learn the throat punch.  That sounds like a good one.

Good luck, padawans!  Happy kung-fuing!

Hebrews 6 "So much more..."

It's coming late today, sorry all!

The messages reads, "So come on, let's leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art.  Grow up in Christ.  The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on "salvation by self-help" and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions, laying on of hands, resurrection from the dead, eternal judgement.  God helping us, we'll stay true to all that.  But there's so much more.  Let's get on with it!"

There is more than salvation by faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection, and eternal judgement?

Wow!  I think that most "church people" believe that there is nothing more than those things. Sometimes I find myself thinking that is all there is too a life in Christ.

So often, You go to church and that is all you ever hear preached and taught, so we have bought into the lie that that is all God is about.  Hebrews destroys that lie.  The author says that our life with Christ is supposed to be so much more than those things.  More than rules, regulations, and sacraments our life with christ is supposed to be a real living relationship.

Think of it as a lifeline.  A way of staying connected to God.  God speaks to us through this life line with Christ.  He teaches us, trains us, and leads us to real abundant life through this lifeline, this relationship with Christ and His word.

"When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, his rock-solid guarantee- God can't break his word.  And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable."

God's word is absolutely rock-solid!  God cannot Lie, if he said he will do something, HE WILL DO IT!

Our relationship with Christ "Its an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us."

So what else is there other than rules, laws, and sacraments?  What is greater than all those things?

A relationship, A lifeline to God, through Jesus Christ that positively affects every relationship and decision I could ever make.  God's word and our relationship with Christ is like taking a test with the answers in hand.

Are you focusing on your relationship with Christ or are you stuck fingerpainting?

Hebrews 5 "Milk or Meat?"

NLT version again, "You have been christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others.  Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures.  You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food.  And a person who is living on milk isn't very far along in the christian life and doesn't know much about doing what is right.  Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right."

Don't get upset if you are a young christian.  The Author of Hebrews really isn't talking about you here.  Babies drink milk and toddlers eat Baby food that is just the way it is when we are young. Hebrews 5 is talking about people who have been Christ Followers for a while but they still act like young or baby christians.

So what is the difference between Milk and Meat teaching?

Milk is easy to swallow.

Milk wants entertainment, but no life change.

Milk is wanting heaven, but nothing more.

Milk is worshipping to the "good" songs, but screwing around during others.

Milk is only reading my bible on Wed. nights.

Milk is more worried about the delivery or style than the message.

Babies live on milk but when they mature, the mature into eating solid food.  That is the way we should be maturing.  We should be craving some spiritual food with some substance.  We should be craving steak!  Milk does a body good but once we mature we can't live on just milk.

So Has your spiritual diet changed?

Are you digesting the "Life change" scriptures just as much as the "You can do all things" scriptures?

The Grace and Salvation scriptures are Milk, The faith and sacrifice scriptures are Meat.

A person really starts to grow when they have the teeth to chew into the meaty portions of scripture and digest them into their life.

When you get to the point where all you have to do is "show it to you in scripture" and you will believe it and begin to live it, you are on your way to maturity.

So How is your diet?  Are you getting enough Meat in your spiritual diet?  If you are still young in your faith, don't worry, drink milk until your ready.

Statement to meditate on today "Milk or Meat, God's word is like to food to your soul, are you eating enough?"

Hebrews 4 "No pain, No Gain"

Verses 12-14 in the message bible reads like this, 

"God means what he says.  What he says goes.  His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything.  Whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.  Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word.  We can't get away from it-no matter what."

God's Word is sharp and God is an expert surgeon.  His Word's have a way of cutting us, that hurt but help.  If you think about a surgeon performing open heart surgery or really any type of surgery they have to inflict a little bit of pain before helping the patient. They must first cut open your chest, pop your rib cage, and slice into your heart that does not sound enjoyable.  But they are doing it to help you in the long run.  They know that a little pain today could keep you alive several more years.

No pain, No gain right. 

 

God's word is similar to that surgeon and his scalpel, but far more important and eternal.  God Uses His Word (The Bible) to show us some things that are wrong in our life so that we can allow him to cut them out or off of us.  When we allow God's word to mess us up, He gives us a new heart for Him and people, he gives us desires to live a life in Christ's footsteps, and most importantly he gives us eternal life.

Have you allowed God's words to cut through the crap in your life?

His words will cut through the doubt, fear, unbelief, and will fill you with faith if you allow them to.

Maybe your new to this and you really don't know what God has been saying to you and about you.  That's okay for now, but why don't you start on a search to find out what God's word say's about you.  Want a link to some cool scriptures about you, here you go.  Print some of those pages off and think about a few of the scriptures while your at school or work today.  Pray to God and ask Him to perform surgery on you today and "cut you up" with His word in order to make you a better person.

God doesn't want to hurt us, He want's to help us.  Remember No Pain, No Gain.

Hebrews 3 "Today is the most important day of your life!"

I'm reading from the NLT today.

"Be careful then, dear brother and sister.  Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.  You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.  For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.  But never forget this warning: Today you must listen to his voice"

Today is the most important day of your life.  You can't change yesterday, and can't change tomorrow, you can only change today, today.  Many times our hearts turn on us.  Jesus said, "our hearts are wicked"  sometimes they cause us to want things that will destroy us and our relationship with God.  We must guard our hearts because it affects everything we do.  Jesus said "guard your heart because out of it flows the issues of life."

So how do you guard you heart?  Things get in your heart by what you read, watch, listen to,meditate on and do, basically through your senses.  So guarding what goes into your heart is one way to prevent bad stuff coming out of your heart.  But look at the next verse.

"You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God."

We are supposed to guard what comes into our own hearts everyday but we are also supposed to be warning each other everyday.  In other words, we are supposed to be helping each other out.  When we see a brother or sister in christ getting close to something that can hurt them, we are supposed to warn them.  "Dude, I think you have been spending way to much time with your girlfriend, how has you time alone with God been lately?"  "I know school and sports are important but are you developing a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ?"  Every day we should be encouraging and warning each other in the faith!

Why don't we start using facebook for that?

Why don't we text that message?

Many people get discouraged because of what they did or didn't do yesterday, you can't change yesterday, you can only change today and then changing today, changes your tomorrow.

Are you helping your friends and brothers and sisters in Christ follow after Jesus today?

Pass this message along to all of your friends in Christ and lets start today!

Hebrews 2 "Drifting"

The message bible reads, "It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off."

Drifting is moving in a certain direction on a current of air or water.  So what is so bad about drifting through life?

One problem with drifting is that you inevitably flow with the current, downstream.  We get caught up in the day to day stuff called life and our faith ends up somewhere downstream.  This is so common in every type of organization.  Managers call it mission drift, counselors speak of marital drift, but the writer of hebrews is talking about spiritual drift.

When we don't keep God's word at the forefront of our minds, we drift downstream.  The current of life is strong and it takes great spiritual strength to swim against it for a long period of time.  I see many people get excited about their faith for a season, but only a few people pay the price to keep that passion.  

We keep God's word at the forefront of our mind by reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on His word daily. Honestly, I don't think it has ever been easier than it is today.  If a person has a computer, they have countless options available for bible study, devotionals, preaching, accountability, and journaling all for free!

Are you drifting away from God?

Have you stopped swimming against the current because life got too difficult or you got to busy?

It is not too late, today, the first day of the new year, you can start chasing after God again.