One Vote

When I started this blog I told myself I was not going to do anything Political on it. In 7 days America will be making a choice in one of the most important presidential elections of my lifetime. Not because of either candidate, but because of who they may appoint to the Supreme Court. I am not going to endorse either candidate because everyone needs to pray about it and make that decision on their own.

Romans 13:1 KJV Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Paul is telling us to submit to authority because it is God who appoints that authority. In America God has blessed us even more. He allows us to vote for a leader. In my opinion He puts a great responsibility on us as Christians. We are that city on a hill. (Matthew 5:14) and our vote tells the rest of America and the world how we feel about God’s commandments.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD: Psalm 33:12

AFA Voter Guide

The Fall & Sacrifice

The Fall

Adam and Eve were in paradise. They had everything they could want. God provided for their every need. The only thing he asked for in return was obedience. All they had to do was to avoid one tree. (Genesis 3:3) The bible mentions two specific trees in the middle of Eden. (Genesis 2:9) The tree of life led to salvation. The tree of knowledge of good and evil led to damnation. We have this same choice today! We can follow Christ to salvation or the world and Satan to damnation. Just as God instructed Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge, we are instructed by the bible to avoid the sin of the world. (Genesis 3:1-5) Satan tempted Eve the same way he tempts us. He uses pride, doubt, confusion and self satisfaction to deceive us. Instead of doing what God wanted Eve did what satisfied her. Genesis 3:6 says “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was…pleasing to the eye.” Sin is often pleasing to the eye and makes us desire it. The Devil has many ways of making sin look appealing. Many times when we plan to do evil we will try and talk others into sinning with us like Eve carried Adam into sin with her. (Genesis 3:7) “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked” When we sin we realize we have failed God and feel shame. (Genesis 3:8) “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God…, and they hid from the LORD God.” We should be happy that God seeks us out, but when we are in sin we are terrified and hide from His presence. (Genesis 3:9) “But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"” God knows when we sin yet He still seeks us out and while He knows what we have done He wants us to confess to Him. (Genesis 3:12-13) When Adam was confronted with his sin he blamed Eve who turned and blamed the serpent. When we are confronted we often try to blame our sin on others and if all else fails, “The Devil made me do it!” In Genesis 3:16-19 God tells them what there punishment will be. When we sin and dishonor God we will be punished.

The Sacrifice

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Genesis 3:21
This verse points us to our salvation. We can’t cover our sins with something we do anymore than Adam and Eve could cover their’s with fig leaves. The leaves did not hide their sin from God’s eyes and neither did the garments he made them. It was the sacrifice of the animal that atoned and brought forgiveness for their sin. The Old Testament repeatedly mentions a sin offering. In the New Testament we receive the perfect offering that ended the need for sacrifice. Jesus’ blood is our sin offering, all we do is accept it. Just as Adam and Eve needed the sacrifice to remove their sin, we couldn’t be forgiven without the crucifixion of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
MSW

Thank You

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to everyone who comes to this blog regularly. I pray that something I write may be a blessing to you. This blog has been a blessing for me and knowing that there are several people who read it regular gives me encouragement to keep on. Posting this month will probably be slim as work has picked up and I'm looking in to some side projects. I have two essays I'm working on that are requiring a lot of study. Hopefully I'll get them up soon. Again thank you and may God Bless you.
MSW

Fireproof

I finally got to take my wife to see fireproof. If you haven't seen it I recommend it.
It is an awesome movie with Christian values and many ideas that can help even a strong marriage. In this day when Hollywood rarely has a movie that strengthens Christian viewpoints instead of tearing them down we should throw all our support behind this company
Go to Sherwood Pictures for more information about this movie and their others.

Britney by Bebo Norman

A few months ago I started to write about how it annoyed me some of the stupid stuff celbrities do. Children look up to them and want to be like them and they lead them down a hard road. I didn't feel like God wanted me to write it so I didn't. I heard this song a few weeks later and realized why. Many of our young celebrities do not know Jesus and they have no one who will show them Jesus. Many people want to see the bad things that happen to these celebrities and the media won't show the positive things. When all you ever hear people say about you is bad, it tears you down. So as you listen to this song think about the celebrities our children look up to and pray for them. If their is anyone you know who has been torn down by gossip pray for them also.

Noah's Ark

I received an email the other day with pictures of a biblical sized replica of Noah's Ark. Its located in Schagen Netherlands and was built by a dutch contractor. I thought I'd put a few pictures up. I'm going to include the text from the Email since it appears to be accurate.

Working Replica of Noah's Ark Opened In SCHAGEN, Netherlands . The massive central door in the side of Noah's Ark was opened the first crowd of curious townsfolk to behold the wonder. Of course, it's only a replica of the biblical Ark , built by Dutch Creationist Johan Huibers as a testament to his faith in the literal truth of the Bible. The ark is 150 cubits long, 30 cubits high and 20 cubits wide. That's two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-story house. Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors as they arrive in the main hold. A contractor by trade, Huibers built the ark of cedar and pine. Biblical Scholars debate exactly what the wood used by Noah would have been.

Huibers did the work mostly with his own hands, using modern tools and with occasional help from his son Roy. Construction began in May 2005. On the uncovered top deck - not quite ready in time for the opening - will come a petting zoo, with baby lambs and chickens, and goats, and one camel.

Visitors on the first day were stunned. 'It's past comprehension', said Mary Louise Starosciak, who happened to be bicycling by with her husband while on vacation when they saw the ark looming over the local landscape.

'I knew the story of Noah, but I had no idea the boat would have been so big.' There is enough space near the keel for a 50-seat film theater where kids can watch a video that tells the story of Noah and his ark. Huibers, a Christian man, said he hopes the project will renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands.

The Gift

Many new and some longtime Christians have a hard time grasping the fact that all God asks us to do to gain eternal salvation is confess with our mouths and believe with our hearts. (Romans 10:9) When you look back at all the sins you’ve committed, it’s hard to believe that you don’t have to do anything, but accept Jesus into your heart to be saved. God came down from Heaven in the form of a man to be beaten and crucified just so you can live eternally in heaven with Him. Many Christians feel there has to be something else you have to do. This causes them to doubt whether they were ever saved. They start to ask questions like: “Am I truly Saved?” “How can I know?” These doubts build frustration and the frustration can lead us away from our savior.

How can you know yes I am truly saved? Look at Romans 10:9. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Okay, you say I did confess and I do believe Jesus died and arose on the third day. But He has to expect something out of me and I try to be perfect but I Can’t. God realizes we can’t be perfect Romans 3:10 "There is no one righteous, not even one; What you must realize is your salvation is a gift from God. Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! If you’re a Christian you should know that your fleshly body is evil. Now let’s apply this verse to the gift of salvation. You give a gift to your child, not for any reason other than you love them. What do you expect in return? Think about it for a minute. A thank you is nice, but you aren’t going to take the gift back because you don’t get one. An “I Love you!” is nice, but again you aren’t going to take it back if you don’t get one. Your Child cleaning their room without being told as a thank you is nice, but you didn’t’ feel they owed it to you. We are evil and this is how we feel about giving a gift. Think about how much more our Heavenly Father loves us.

To me the greatest joy in giving a gift is in seeing the joy of the one who receives it. This is the reason God gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins. (John 3:16) He gave us a gift! He expects nothing in return. It was a gift to show that He loves us. God loves it when we worship and praise Him, but salvation is a gift with no strings attached. Realizing this, it is easy to be sure of your salvation and start showing God you love Him.

MSW

Gods Holy Temple

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1 HCSB

I had do my testimony in front of the church a couple of weeks ago. As I thought on what I was going to say, I realized I had fought a fifteen year alcohol addiction that ended with five words. Lord, take this from me! Since then I have heard of two people I care about going down the road of drug use. So as I write this and use the word alcohol or drunkenness it also applies to drug use.
Why should we not drink? I have often times heard people say stuff like I don’t have a problem, I just drink socially. If you didn’t have a problem you wouldn’t feel you should have to justify it! Second while you have the right to do anything, not everything is beneficial. (1 Corinthians 6:12) So why do it? Even if you don’t feel you have a problem what about your brother that does? Look at Romans 14:21 It is wrong for a person to do anything that causes a brother or sister to stumble. Then in Romans 14:22 we are told blessed are those who do not condemn them selves by what they approve. In 1 Corinthians 5:11 Paul is talking about immorality among members of the church. “But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with any who claim to be fellow believers but are ...drunkards ... With such persons do not even eat. ” Acts 17:24 tells us God does not live in temples built by hands. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 tells us we are God’s temple and that He will destroy anyone who tries to destroy His temple, which is exactly what drugs and alcohol do. This is why God allows us to destroy ourselves once we take the freewill to do alcohol or drugs. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states again that our bodies are God’s temple and that we should honor God with our bodies. Destroying ourselves with drugs and alcohol is not how God wants us to treat His Holy temple. Besides defiling God’s temple Ephesians 5:18 tells us that getting drunk leads to debauchery. In Genesis 9:20-25 Noah’s drunkenness allowed Ham to sin. In Genesis 19:31-38 Lot’s drunkenness allowed him and his daughters to sin. Drugs and alcohol will always lead us to sin. Think of how many people you have heard talk about getting drunk and waking up with someone they did not know. No matter what anyone tries to tell you alcohol and drugs are addictive and what ever we are addicted to becomes our master.2 Peter 2:19 and we cannot serve two masters or we will hate the one and love the other. (Matthew 6:24) So how do you stop an addiction? You can’t! It takes God and you have to ask Him. Jesus told the Pharisee in Matthew 23:26, “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” If we let God into our Hearts, the outside will become clean and no addiction can hold us. Galatians 5:16 says walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. If you call on God and ask him to help you leave your addiction behind, He will!
MSW

My Servant Nebuchadnezzar

In Matthew 20:1-16 we have the parable of the workers. This parable is about a man who hires workers at four different times during the day. At the end of the day he pays them all the same amount. The ones who worked the longest were upset because they thought they would get more even though they had agreed to the amount they received. The owner of the vineyard showed his generosity to everyone the same. This parable isn’t really about money though. It’s about God’s gift of eternal life and how He shows His grace to those who come to Him at the end of their life, just as He does to those who come early.
I studied the book of Jeremiah last month and while I found nothing about bullfrogs or joy to the world, I did find mention of wine. (Jeremiah 25:15) If you didn’t get that joke you are making me feel old. Anyways I spent most of my time studying Jeremiah in the book of Daniel. All because of two words. Before I start let me say I believe the Bible is the Divine Word of God written by God through Man. I also feel every word was intentional and used for a reason. When I study I try to look at each word individual and see why it was used. When I saw Jeremiah 25:9 refer to My Servant Nebuchadnezzar; I had to wonder why God referred to him as His servant. No mistake about it again in Jeremiah 27:6 under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar appears. Okay why is He calling Nebuchadnezzar His servant. Nebuchadnezzar is an evil man, he throw men in furnaces, (Daniel 3:11) kills children in front of their father before poking his eyes out,(2 Kings 25:7) his army bashed in the heads of babies,(Nahum 3:10) oh yeah and he encourages worship of an idol that requires them to put their children through fire. Yeah we have a real saint here. Most of the commentaries quickly say that this just shows God uses evil people to do His will. Okay that makes sense, but I’m still not ready to bite. If that is the reason then there has to be another occurrence of the words My servant talking about someone who does evil to achieve Gods purpose. There isn’t. So to see who old Neb really was I went to Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel ruler over his kingdom and allowed Daniel to appoint his friends to offices. I believe Daniel was fond of Nebuchadnezzar. When he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, He said “if only it were your enemies.” (Daniel 4:19) Daniel 4 is written by Nebuchadnezzar near the end of his life around 562 BC. Look how it starts in Daniel 4:1-3 "King Nebuchadnezzar, to those of every people, nation, and language, who live in all the earth: May your prosperity increase. How great are His miracles, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation." "I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders the Most High God has done for me.", sounds like the beginning of a testimony to me. Now look at Daniel 4:34 “But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion. and His kingdom is from generation to generation." Now jump to Daniel 4:37 "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true and His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride." That sounds like a man who has had God turn his life around.
Now back to Jeremiah 1:5 "I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations." God knew whether or not we would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus before long before our creation. Now look at the beauty and grace in these three words: My Servant Nebuchadnezzar. To God Nebuchadnezzar was already His servant twenty something years before he called on God. Even before we decide to confess and repent God considers us one of His own. Look back at your life and all the sins you've committed and think the day I was born God looked down and referred to me as His servant.
Heavenly Father I praise Your glorious name. Lord I thank You for all You do in my life. Father to see Your Grace and Forgiveness demonstrated in the book of Jeremiah with such simple words as My Servant. Lord it brings Joy to know that You forgave me before I even knew the mistakes I would make. Father thank You for the grace You have shown me. Father I thank You for Your Word to give encouragement. In Your Son’s Holy name in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen

MSW

The Devil Among Us

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8 KJV

This line in 1 Peter is often mentioned when talking about Spiritual warfare. I doubt any Christian would deny that the devil has turned Earth into his playground. You can’t turn on the TV without being tempted by sin. You can’t go out on Friday night without seeing it everywhere. If you work in the secular world, someone is always talking about how drunk they got or the one night stand they had or their extramarital affair. Yet these invites and temptations are easy to resist, because we know they were put there by Satan.

Now let’s look at war. For many centuries one foe gathered on one side the other gathered on the other side. Then they tried to see who could kill the most. It’s a little more complicated now with tanks, aircraft, missiles and bombs. Still the object is to do enough damage so that the enemy surrenders. But these are just battles not war. War takes place a long ways off from the battlefield. It takes place in our military headquarters. Generals are planning each and every battle. They place men in strategic locations with very specific missions. The most powerful weapon any military has is it’s spies. The intelligence gathers. They let the adversary know where their enemy is going to be and they stir up confusion. There is a show on TV called the Mole where a team has a task they are supposed to do, yet the whole time one member of the team is trying to sabotage everything. The object of the game is to determine who the mole is. This also is Satan’s most powerful tool. Just about any book I have read where a pastor talks about the biggest problem in their ministries, it is from within. The gossipers, backbiters, and slanderers are what destroy ministries. That is what spiritual warfare is. It is fighting Satan when he is amongst us. I just finished reading The Ten Offenses by Pat Robertson. In it he mentions a man that had his life ruined by a little gossip. He lost his wife, his reputation, and his business went bankrupt. All this was because another Christian started a little white lie, and other Christians passed it on.

Now I want to look to the bible. I’m going to start with David. Think back to Absalom’s Conspiracy (2 Samuel 15) it hurt David that his son turned on him, but he knew that it was God’s judgment on him and accepted it. What hurt him though was Ahitophel’s betrayal. (2 Samuel 15:31) In Psalm 41:9 David says even my close friend, someone I trusted…has lifted up his heel against me. David understood his son’s greed for power. He understood God’s punishment on him. But the one person he thought he could count on betrayed him.

Job had lost everything. In one day he lost his livelihood and all his children. (Job 1:13-21) Then to top it off he became sick! (Job 2:7) What did Job need; a friend to encourage him, a shoulder to lean on. Instead he got three friends that proceeded to tear him down.

Even Jesus was betrayed by someone he loved. Yes, he knew what was going to happen yet he still loved Judas. (Matthew 26:14) We are told to encourage one another. (2 Corinthians 13:11) We should try to lift one another up. We should try to help each other and not tear each other down. Our old sin nature and adversary the devil wants to see us tear each other down.

I imagine everyone of us knows a fellow Christian going through a hard time. Do we reach out and help or do we hurt them as Job’s friends did him.

MSW

Thomas Bilney

A while back I was reading about Thomas Bilney. He is not well known among the reformers, but he led many of the well known reformers to their belief in Salvation through Christ, not works. While many other martyrs suffered worse deaths than he did his story and testimony just jumped out at me. I believe it’s important for us to study the persecution of Christians in the past. Here in America we really don’t have an understanding what it would be like to suffer pain and death for our religious beliefs. We need to realize that we are truly blessed in being allowed to worship freely without persecution. The early Christians did not have that luxury and in many countries today they still do not. The news media does not show us the violence that missionaries and Christians in countries like Iran, Africa, Iraq, India, Pakistan, and many others have to suffer. Second it doesn’t matter if you believe in rapture before, after, or during the tribulation, Our Christian brothers and sisters will suffer during that time! The testimonies and faith of the Martyrs help us see that God will take care of those brave enough to die for Him.

Rather than tell Thomas Bilney’s story I will just place some links at the bottom of this post for anyone who would like to read more about him. Bilney was born in 1495 and became a catholic priest in 1519. He performed all the rituals, rites fasting, purchasing of indulgences, but like many other reformers he did not feel secure in his Salvation. The Priest had forbidden him to read the Greek New Testament, but his curiosity (or God’s Grace) got to him. After getting a copy, he locked himself in his room and opened it up to 1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.(KJV)” This verse changed his life. This verse Saved him! If Jesus died to save Paul then his death would also save Bilney. I remember when I read this verse I probably felt the same way as Bilney did. “Oh Paul you just don’t know, I’m going to have to take that Chief sinner title from you.” I love how when I’m having doubts about myself, my salvation or just how my life is going God will use a simple verse to say “Hey get out of your pity party and look! I’m here for you! I love you!”
So Bilney was now truly saved and he prayed for others to come to that same saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He talked with his friends about his new found faith. As God took his shyness away he started preaching publicly. Then just as happens with us Satan set him up for a fall. In 1527 he was arrested and charged with heresy. The typical practice in that day was if you denounce your heresy then you would be allowed to live. As he sat in his cell his friends begged and pleaded with him to denounce his teachings so he would escape execution. He gave in and as his punishment he had to publicly burn a stack of Tyndale Bibles. He did this and because of his denial of Christ, his life lost its meaning. I understand his pain. I know what it’s like to feel you have failed your Savior. To feel you have crucified Christ all over again! Then just as he did with Peter Jesus called him into service again. (John 21:15-19) In 1531 he was arrested for heresy and sentenced to be burnt at the stake. The night before his execution as he sat talking with friends he stuck his finger into the flame of a candle and left it till it was burned to the bone. When his friends asked what he was doing he read from Isaiah 43:2 “…when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (KJV)” The next day he was tied to a stake and as his flesh melted from his body he called Jesus! and I Believe!
Would you go out and witness to the lost if you knew you would be burned alive? How about being tied to a red hot iron plate? If you read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs you will see being burned at the stake was not the worst means of execution. The Romans and The Catholic Church were very creative with pain and death. As I read Foxe’s Book I noticed that as the martyrs were dying they all seemed happy and at peace. Many even asked God to forgive their persecutors, just as Stephen did. (Acts 7:59-60) You may have seen video on the news or the internet of Muslims beheading their victims. The crime of being a Christian is still punishable by death in many places. As you reflect on this or as you study the Martyrs, remember the souls under God’s throne waiting for vengeance (Revelation 6:9-10) and pray for those who dare to take the word of God to these violent places that don’t know Jesus. Pray for those who live in these areas and are brave enough to trust in Christ.


Lord I pray for those who have been willing to give their lives for you. Those who sacrificed their bodies to ensure your word would make it to me. Father I pray that while I live in a country where I can worship you freely, where I can write about you, and be a witness to others of your grace and gift of salvation, that I will not waste my opportunities to serve you. Father I pray that You will remind me of those less fortunate who risk death just to call on Your Son’s Holy name. Father I pray for those with the courage to go to the countries that are hostile to Your gospel. Lord I pray that You will protect them and Lord those who must die in Your name Father I ask that you comfort them in their time of pain just as You did with Stephen. Lord I thank You for Your grace and love. In Your Son’s name I pray. In the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen
MSW
www.Thomasbilney.org

www.williamtyndale.com

chi.gospelcom.net

www.banneroftruth.org

Wake Up Call

I was looking to see if I could find any interesting videos yesterday and I stumbled across this one of Kirk Cameron doing street evangelism. I love his approach. Well it led me to the website way of the master. There are several videos to help show you how to share the gospel there and if you go to the street witnessing videos they have more high definition videos of using the ten commandments to witness. so here is the video Wake Up Call and below it I'm going to put a KJ52 video that asks the question Do you think God is going to think you're a good person?



Okay I decided to include this one also.



Everyone who has been saved needs to try and bring other souls to heaven with them. If you are truly a christian then you love everyone and do not want to see anyone go to hell. It's hard to go up to a complete stranger and just start talking about God but when you do it God will do the talking.

Is Anyone There?

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6 NIV
It amazes me some of the things God uses to talk to us! I was at work the other day when he used something I see everyday to teach me. The machine I run has a light sensor to keep the machine from cycling when someone is in the way. It sends a laser beam to a reflector which reflects it back to the box to say all clear, or to tell it someone is there. As I’m looking at the reflector, it dawned on me that that is what we as Christians are. We are reflectors! We are supposed to reflect Christ in our life which lets a lost world know someone is there. Have you ever been driving down the road at night and saw the reflectors on a bicycle? In the dark you can’t see the bicycle or the rider, but when your lights hit the reflectors you know someone is there. The world is that darkness. A lost person going through the darkness is hopeless! Until up ahead they see the light and then they know someone is there. John 1:1-5,9 refers to Jesus as the Light. Paul tells us we should imitate Christ. (Ephesians 5:1) People should be able see Christ in us. They should see The Light that is Jesus in us reflecting off of us.We can’t generate that light ourselves, because we are flesh and therefore sinners. (Galatians 5:17) We are the darkness. Yet when we accept Jesus as our Savior He comes to live inside us through His Holy Spirit. Now look at Psalm 119:74. We should be able to recognize other Christians. We should rejoice when we see other Christians. There should be a joy and hope that reflects off them. Just as we can see it so can the lost. They will want to know what is the source of our hope and joy.(1 Peter 3:15)

As you go through the rest of the week, ask yourself “Am I reflecting Christ in my life? When someone is alone in the darkness of the world and they see me, do they know Someone is there?”
MSW

School Prayer

Another school year has begun. My children have new teachers, new friends, and new pressures. Christian parents can’t shield their children from the real world forever. Our children are going to meet children who drink, use drugs, use profane language, and many other things. Some of our own children will make choices to do these same things. Many parents today fail to teach their children that they should have respect for themselves and other people. Thanks to cable TV raising children and being the only role models many will receive, premarital sex is not only accepted, it’s expected. Alternative lifestyles are encouraged along with drugs, atheism and Satan worship. This isn’t just in the high schools and it isn’t just in the big cities. So what are Christian parents supposed to do? We can’t follow our children to class and hold their hands all day. Although it is fun to see the look on their face when you tell them you are! Private schools are expensive and eventually our children have to enter the secular world. Plus there’s no guarantee that they won’t see the same things in a private school. So what do you do? The courts did away with prayer in the schools in the 90s. So far the Supreme Court has not said that it is illegal to pray at home about school. (I hope I didn’t give them any ideas.) God wants us to pray! Jesus did say “ask and you shall receive” (John 16:24). While many Christians start their day with prayer, most pray alone. I suggest that families form a prayer circle, hold hands and pray. Pray that God will be with each of you throughout the day. Pray for God to fill you with hope and strength. Pray that God will keep evil away from your family. Pray that he will lead each of you away from temptation. Don’t stop with just your family though! Pray for the school! Pray that God will be with the principals and teachers. Lift them up in your prayers. Pray that God will protect the students. Pray that his Holy Spirit will move through the hallways and in the hearts of the children! Pray that those who don’t know Jesus will learn that he is searching for them. Even if you don’t have kids in school, take a moment in your morning prayer to ask these things for the children at school. God is not in schools because we allowed him to be taken out. If we all pray that His Holy Spirit once again moves through the halls, our children will once again be safe in school.

MSW

Why Study?

For the past couple of months, I’ve wanted to write about why we should study the bible. I started by searching the bible to see what it says. It says a lot. That’s why it took a couple of months to see what it said. There are many Christians who have never read the bible. They hear the preacher give his sermon. They go to Sunday School, but they have never sat down and let God talk to them through His Word. The first reason we should read the bible is because God actually tells us to. (Deuteronomy 31:10-11) “…at the end of seven years … you shall read this law before them in their hearing.” So right there we have the word of God saying read me. He even gives us a time frame. Why does God want us to read His Word? So His children that do not know His Word will learn to fear the Lord. (Deuteronomy 31:13) Seven years, Sixty-six books, that’s not even a book a month. Any one can do that. What else does it say about reading the bible? In Joshua 1:8 God tells Joshua to keep this book of the law on your lips; meditate on it day and night. Meditate that goes beyond just reading. That means stop and think about what I’m saying. Let’s look at some of the promises god makes if we will study His Word. He told Joshua it would make him Prosperous and Successful. (Joshua 1:8) We can find the promise of blessings. Blessed is the one who reads aloud. (Revelation 1:3) Blessed are those who delight and meditate. (Psalm 1:1-2) It will help keep your way pure. (Psalm119:9) It will be our Counselor. (Psalm 119:24) The bible will give you advice that will never fail! We will live long. (Deuteronomy 6:2). The list could go on and on.

Let’s say you’ve tried to read the bible and it is just too confusing. Let’s look at Acts 8:26-10 An Ethiopian official was sitting in his chariot trying to read Isaiah 53:7-8, when Phillip asked if he understood what he was reading. The man replied “How can I unless someone explains it to me?”(Acts 8:30-31) While Phillip might not be nearby when we are studying, the Holy Spirit is. All you have to do is pray and ask God for understanding. (John 14:26) Let’s go back to Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:26-27) “…teach me your decrees. Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.”

We have seen that God says we should read the bible. We see why we should study the bible. We know how to get understanding. Now let’s look at what it says about God’s word. (2 Samuel 22:31) “As for God his way is perfect; the Lord’s word is flawless…” (Psalm 33:4) “For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.” (Psalm 119:103) “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:105) “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:130) “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” (Job 23:12) “…I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35

I want to include some links to some study aids and give a few ideas for studying. First and foremost to get anything out of the bible you must pray and ask for understanding. If you have never had God show you something in the bible it will amaze you when he unlocks a secret. Before you try a study bible or a commentary read the bible all the way through. In an average regular print bible you can do that in about 3 months reading around 10 pages a day. 2 pages a day can be done in a year. If you travel a lot get a bible on CD. I have seen several different versions with different people reading them. Find one that you will actually be able to listen to for hours at a time. I personally like the version with Johnny Cash’s voice. It's New Testament only. The Word of Promise is a New Testament NKJV done as a radio drama. It has several well known actors and actresses reading the parts plus sound effects in the background. It’s awesome.

Start looking at the cross references once you have read the bible all the way through. Many bibles have these in them. It will point you to similar verses, which will help interpret stuff. Make notes in your bible or keep a notebook with you when you listen to a sermon. Afterward read the verse and study your notes.

Bibles

. Go to the International Bible Society or Bible Gateway and compare the different translations until you find one you like and can understand. I use about five translations when I’m studying. The different translation of some words can completely change the way you see something. If you like gadgets Olive Tree bible software has downloadable bibles for most phones and Ipods.

Software

There are several bible study programs out there. I like Esword. It’s a free download. It has several bibles and commentaries available. Many of them are free and the rest are at very reasonable prices. It has a built in word processor for doing studies and a tool for making your own commentaries. I use it to do many of my studies and to prepare the lessons for my class.

Other resources

Sermons are a great way to get interpretations. Most of the well known preachers have sermons on their websites. Many small churches are starting to put sermons on their websites. Many times you can find a great pastor by just searching Churches. One Place Now has several Sermons and so does Sermon Audio. Vernon McGee’s Thru the Bible site has the five year radio program available as mp3s. In my opinion this is an excellent verse by verse bible audio commentary. John Mac Arthur on his Grace to You website has sermon transcripts these are a great helps to study the bible.

Now don’t let commentaries and sermons stop you from reading the bible. You still need to devote time to reading in addition to your study time. I also don’t recommend letting commentaries stop you from letting God help you interpret the bible.

Again do not let anything take the place of bible reading.

Slaves of Christ

A couple of months ago I picked up a Holman Christian Standard Bible. As I was reading through it I noticed the word servant was replaced with Slave. I stopped reading to think about the significance of that. I had never seen it used that way before. A short while later I was reading The Christian Journey, a blog I enjoy reading. I noticed he had a post called Servants Or Slaves talking about a sermon John Macarthur had done on the word Doulos (Greek for slave) That transcript is available here. I recommend taking the time to read it. Anyway, I got to thinking about what the word slave means. The dictionary defines a slave as someone who is subservient to a domineering force. A slave is owned by someone. A slave does everything to please his master, without the expectation of a reward. When we accept Christ, we give our life over to Him. He bought us with His Blood. Everything we do should be to please him, not for a reward! In Matthew 6:25 Jesus tells us not to worry about what to eat or what to wear. Everything will be taken care of! (Matthew 6:33) God will provide for us, just as a master would provide for his slave. Now let’s look at what a servant is. A servant is hired. He can quit if he wants. He expects payment for his service. A servant does want his master wants so he can get his reward. A slave is called upon just as God calls us. (Romans 8:30) He can’t quit. He belongs to his master, just as we belong to God and are sealed with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14) A slave may try to run away, but his master will look for him. No one can snatch you away. (John 10:29) Once you accept Jesus as your savior he pays your debt and you become a Slave of Christ (Galatians 1:10) and that is a wonderful thing to be!
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God Will Provide

Genesis 22:1-14

When Abraham was 75 years old God called him. He asked him to leave his country and his people. (Genesis 12:1-4) God made a promise to Abraham. He promised to make a great nation out of him. He promised that all people would be blessed through him. Think about that, ALL People. Not just some, but all people. Abraham was a man who put his trust in God. He packed his things, left his family, and went where God would lead him. The only family the bible says he took was his wife Sarah and nephew Lot. I’m guessing that Lot was like a son to Abraham. Sarah was sixty-five and Abraham was seventy-five and they had never had children of their own, though it was the wish of both of them. When Abraham and Lot’s herdsman started quarreling Abraham let Lot chose the land he wanted. (Genesis 13:8-9) When Lot was taken captive by the four kings it was Abraham that went after him. (Genesis 14:11-16) When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, it was Abraham who pleaded on behalf of Lot. (Genesis 18:22-33) Abraham treated Lot as his son. He still did not have his own son with Sarah though! When the Lord came to Abraham and offered him a reward, Abraham said “You have given me no children. A servant will inherit my land.” (Genesis 15:1-3) God took Abraham outside and promised him his heirs would be as numerous as the stars. (Genesis 15:4-5) Several years later Isaac is born. At the age of one hundred Abraham gets his son. Think about this, all Abraham ever wanted was a son. He raised Lot, but Lot was not his flesh and blood. He had Ishmael, but that went badly. (Genesis 21:8-10) Now in his old age he gets his son. (Genesis 21:5) Isaac grows into a young man and then God tells Abraham take your son and sacrifice him for me! (Genesis 22:2) Now notice Abraham never questioned God. He didn’t say let me pray about this for a few days. He didn’t try talking or bargaining God out of this. He got up the very next morning and went to do as God told him. (Genesis 22:3-5) I wonder what Isaac was thinking during all this. So they been traveling along for three days, (Genesis 22:6-8) Isaac’s thinking that the old man has really lost it now. He is getting senile in his old age.

He asks “Hey Dad, you forgetting anything.” Abraham said “Nope nothing I can think of. Why you ask?”

“No reason. I was just wondering where this lamb you are going to sacrifice is at?”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that, “God will provide the lamb.””

So they get to the top of the mountain. Build an Altar and Abraham says “Hey Isaac, Why don’t you lie on this firewood and let me tie you up. Doesn’t that sound fun?” (Genesis 22:9-10)

All right I’m going to get serious now. Isaac is in his thirties he is a grown man able to carry all the firewood up the mountain by himself. If he did not want to be placed on the altar he could have stopped it. He trusted God and his father enough to allow himself to be tied up. Think about that. We have been looking at the trust and sacrifice Abraham had been willing to make for God. Isaac was going to give up his life. Now Abraham lifts his knife and prepares to plunge it into his son whom he loves. Next, God says stop. There is a lamb over there sacrifice it instead of Isaac. (Genesis 22:11-13)

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, which he had wanted for so long. God did sacrifice his son. Look at Genesis 22:8 “God himself will provide the lamb for sacrifice.” We can’t make it to heaven without blood to atone for our sins. God provided a sacrifice for us. God loved us so much and wanted us to have eternal life with him so he provided the lamb.

John 1:29 NIV “… look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

John 3:16 NIV "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Everyday we should think about what God has done for us and thank God that he provided that Lamb in the form of His Son.

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Obama & McCain

On Saturday the 16th Rick Warren held a civil forum with McCain and Obama. I'm going to link to Trevin Wax's Kingdom People Blog for the video's of the forum.The transcripts are available on Rick Warren's news site. This interview has a lot of questions in it that should be important to Christians. I believe that with an upcoming election it is our duty as Christians and American citizens to learn where the candidates stand on issues personal to each of us and get out and vote.
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The Lost

My church is having revival this week and our speaker Dr. Hal Poe kicked off revival Sunday morning talking about what it means to be lost. There was something he said that jumped out at me. “Something is only lost, if someone cares about it and has right to possession.” Yeah, Wow! I’m also currently reading Dr. Thom Rainer’s book The Unchurched Next Door. It’s about the lost and how to witness to them. Dr. Rainer had 300 interviews conducted amongst unchurched people. The points he has pushed so far are that the majority of the lost are open to hearing the gospel, most are willing to go to church if invited, and many want Christians to tell them about Jesus. There was one interviewer who said that when he asked a coworker if he could interview him, the coworker was so excited. The coworker told him, he had wanted someone to tell him about Jesus but noone ever offered. God said we are to be a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:6) yet many of the people interviewed said they felt Christians were ashamed to talk about religion. If this sounds like you, you are not alone. If this is you, it’s not okay! Peter says we should be prepared to share the hope that we have. (1 Peter 3:15)Yes sometimes it’s intimidating to talk about Jesus to someone who is not a Christian. They might get hostile or they might ask a question you don’t know the answer to. The list of excuses goes on and on. When God told Moses to go talk to pharaoh he responded that he wasn’t eloquent of speech. (Exodus 4:10-12) The thing you must realize is that if God makes an appointment for you to talk to someone, He will give you the words to say. I ask God on a daily basis for opportunities to serve him and I ask for wisdom and the words to say. I may have failed on my part of that deal but God never has! I promise it is a wonderful feeling you get when someone you’ve talked to comes to church or drops to their knees and says the prayer of salvation. It’s hard for someone who goes to church to understand how a lost person feels. Imagine feeling that Christians look down on you. How do you ask someone who looks down on you for help? Imagine feeling that God could never forgive your sin or that you are not worthy of his forgiveness. As a Christian you know all you have to do is Admit there is a God, Believe he sent His Son to die for your sins, and Confess your sins. If you have never been to church, it’s hard to believe it could be that simple. It is our duty as Christians to tell the lost about Jesus. The thought I want to leave you with is what Dr. Poe said in his sermon Sunday morning. “Something is only lost, if somebody cares about it and has right to possession.” In his sermon he referred to that somebody as God. I think it goes further than that. For us to want to see the lost saved we have to care about them. Think about that.

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For Someone to be lost, Someone has to care about them!

Spiritual Awakenings

Revival is upon us once again. What is Revival though? A time when we try to reach out to the lost? Aren’t we supposed to do that all the time? A time when you have to be in church all week? Why? A Revival is a spiritual awakening. Let’s look at revivals in the bible. When Asa became king he removed all the Idols the Jews had been worshipping.(1 kings 15:8-13) He Prayed to God for help.(2 Chronicles 14:11) God sent the prophet Oded to tell him “The Lord is with you when you are with him.” (2 Chronicles 15:1-2)Asa assembled the people and held Sacrifices to the Lord. Then they entered a covenant to seek the Lord. Think about that. Imagine the whole community coming to God and making a covenant to actively seek Him. If you read all the verses that go with this story you will see they came from several tribes because they could see that God was with Judah. (2 Chronicles 15:8-15) Well Judah goes back to idol worship until Hezekiah comes along and makes a covenant with the Lord. He tells Judah to Stand before the Lord and serve Him, to minister before him. (Chronicles 29:10-11) At the age of sixteen Josiah began to seek the God. (2 Chronicles 34:1-3) As the Levites were cleaning out the temple they found the Book of the Law of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 34:14-18 ) He renewed the covenant to follow the Lord and keep his Commandments with all his heart and soul. Then he had everyone in Jerusalem pledge themselves to it. (2 Chronicles 34:31-32 ) Next we have revival after the Israelites were freed from Babylon captivity. Ezra stood at a podium in front of the water gate and read aloud from the Book of the Law. From daybreak till noon Ezra read. As he read Priest and teachers walked amongst the crowd instructing in what it meant, making it clear and giving it meaning so that the people understood what was being read.(Nehemiah 8:1-8 ) For seven days Ezra read the Law. Later that month the Israelites confessed their sins. All of these revivals involved everyone seeking God. They involved studying the word of God. Ezra prayed before revival, “O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens. 7 From the days of our forefathers until now, our guilt has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.” We have to want revival and pray for it. During revival sermons we must listen, understand and study the word of God. For a true revival we must confess our sins to God. Vow to seek Him. Then go out and minister. Imagine standing in the hot sun from daybreak till noon listening to someone read the bible. Some people can barely sit in church for an hour. This was seven days for half the day. I pray that God will use this year’s revival not only to bring in the lost, but also to awaken all Christians.
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"Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.

Nehemiah 9:5 NIV