Romans 1c - In a Nutshell

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Romans 1b - More on THE GOSPEL

14 Baptism - Basic Doctrine Series

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13 Prayer - Basic Doctrine Series

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10 Atonement - Basic Doctrine Series

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05 The Fall - Basic Doctrine Series

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The Commands of Jesus: Make Disciples

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The Commands of Jesus: Preach The Kingdom

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The Commands of Jesus: Do Not Judge

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Happy Birthday Baby Jesus - sort of

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The Commands of Jesus: Beware of False Prophets

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Interstate 29 runs through the town I live in.

Now I-29 can take me to Omaha (if I drive north) or to Kansas City (if I drive south) but it will not take me to Miami. All roads do not lead to Miami.

And I’ll tell you another destination to which all roads do not lead – Heaven.
That’s right. Contrary to popular belief – all roads do not lead to God any more than all roads lead to Los Angeles, or Paris, or … you get the picture.

And that is exactly why Jesus warned us about the falseness of false teachers.
Here is an excerpt from His Sermon on the Mount.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit…. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. (Matt 7:15-17 and 20)

Jesus confirms it.

There is such a thing as “the wrong way.” We can be deceived. We can be misled.

Sometimes wolves clothe themselves in wool and make sheep-like sounds.
And because we can know a tree by its fruit, we must therefore keep an eye on what sprouts from the lives of those who claim to know the way. Not everyone is legit.

All roads do not lead to heaven; and many of those who are standing behind pulpits selling “maps” and giving “directions” are willfully ignorant, and others are just flat out liars.

So beware my friend. Drive carefully. And keep your eyes on the road - the right road that is.

 

The Commands of Jesus: Pray and Keep Praying

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I recently stumbled upon an article by a guy named Charles Shahar.
Mr. Shahar has degree in clinical psychology from York University in Toronto and the article I read was

entitled, Social Vampirism: The Needy Personality - it is one of twelve articles in his Neurosis Handbook.

Yes, being excessively needy is considered by many to be a neurosis. And yes, if you know a truly needy person, you understand what Mr. Shahar meant when he used the term “social vampirism” - because an excessively needy person can suck the life right out of you.

The problem with needy people is well, they’re so darn needy – and therefore most folks are loath to be with them, and do all they can to avoid them.

Most folks - But not God.
God loves needy people. Really, He just adores them.

Listen to Jesus’ encouragement toward neediness in His Sermon on the Mount,

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matt 7:7-8

What is Jesus talking about here? I think you know.
He’s encouraging chronic, obsessive neediness. In other words…
He is describing someone with a healthy prayer life!

Oh yeah. To “pray” literally means to ask. And, according to Jesus…
             You don’t just ask once – you keep on asking.

Jesus is instructing us to live in a constant state of neediness and dependency on God – through prayer.

Because if we are not frequently, consistently praying - then we are, in effect, saying, “I don’t really need you God.” And, uh, we do not want to say that.

So embrace the neurosis. Constantly require God’s attention, affection, or affirmation.
Be desperate for any type of support God can give you. Pray and keep on praying.

And don’t worry about Heaven labeling you a Social Vampire.
You cannot suck the life out of God – He has already freely given us His life in the person of Jesus.

 

Share Your Cookies

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You’re playing in the backyard with five of your friends.
Mom steps out the back door and hands you a plate of twelve cookies. What do you do?
Keep seven for you and give one for each of your buddies?
Twelve for you and none for them?
You have some options. But what do you think mom expects when she handed you twelve cookies in a yard with six kids?

Perhaps mommy expects us to be familiar with the words of the Apostle Paul where, in talking to rich people, he writes about the importance of sharing with others.
“Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.” (1 Tim 6:18)

Whether we realize it or not, we’ve have been given a lot of cookies.
It’s very safe to say that, because you are viewing this video on a computer or smart-phone, you, my friend, are in the top 10% of the wealthiest people on the planet. No joke.

So what are you doing with the cookies you’ve been handed?
You’re not making excuses are you?

             “Well, their really not very good. No one else would want them.” Or…
             “I really don’t have that many.” Or…
             “Lot’s of people have way more cookies than I do”

Come on. Don’t be that guy.

One day soon we will all stand before the great Baker in the Sky and give an account for what we did with the goodies He gave us. So…be smart, be generous, share your cookies.

 

Thankfulness and the Will of God

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Have you ever wondered what God wants you to do with your life?

I hope you have. That is one of the signs of a healthy believer.

But discerning God’s specific will for our tomorrow is not always an easy thing to do today.

So here’s what I like to tell people about determining God’s will for their future…

Do what you know and you’ll know what to do. That’s right.
Do what you know and you’ll know what to do.

So, what do you know today, that God wants you to do today?

Here’s something, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Well, there you go. God’s will for us today (in addition, of course, to loving Him and loving others) is that we be grateful. There is always something, somewhere, in every circumstance for which we can and should give thanks and it is God’s will today that we do exactly that.

Why is it so important to God that we be people of gratitude? - because thankfulness breeds satisfaction, peace and joy. And God wants those things for us also.

So if you want to know what God wants to do with your life,
focus on what God wants you to do today.

Be thankful.
Do what you know – then you’ll know what to do.

 

The Commands of Jesus: Do Not Worry

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I can honestly say that I have not spent one minute of my life worrying
about the plight of the common sparrow.

I’ve never seen one begging.
I’ve never found one featherless, shivering in the cold.
Apparently, God takes good care of sparrows.

And that’s why Jesus said,

“…Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? …But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt 6:25,26 and 33)

Because God cares so much about His creation (even little birds matter to Him) Jesus therefore says that we should not worry at all about God’s ability to care for us.

And that makes beautiful sense.
So why is it so hard not worry?

Maybe it’s because while you and I do not know any hungry, homeless sparrows…

We have seen humans begging for food. And we have met people under-clothed and shivering in the cold.
And, If those things happened to them – why shouldn’t we worry about those things happing to us?

Dear Christian, here’s why…

Because, as followers of Christ, nothing comes into our lives that does not first pass through the hand of God. And, in the Cross of Christ, God has proven that He is for us and seeks only what is best for us. We need not worry about God’s desire or ability to provide for our ultimate needs – because all things work together for good to those who love God. Our Father always has our best interests in mind and no one, and no thing, can snatch us out of His hand.

So don’t worry about food, or clothing or anything.
Seek first the kingdom of God and let Him worry about you.

 

The Commands of Jesus: Store Your Treasures in Heaven

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I keep my kids in car seats and seat belts when driving.
However, even the addition of airbags and helmets
can not keep them perfectly, completely, safe while we’re on the road.

I carry my laptop in a high-quality protective backpack.
But the durable canvas and thick padding that guard my machine from dings and dents
will not protect it from the sticky-fingers of a determined thief.

It’s true…

A wise man keeps his valuables in a safe place.
A prudent woman protects and guards the things she treasures.

But is anywhere really safe?
Can anyone or any institution guarantee the 100% protection and safety of the things we hold dear?

Nope.

And that’s why Jesus said this,

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:19-21)

Yup. The only truly safe place for anyone or anything is in the infinitely mighty hands of God.

Therefore we must make sure that the things we value in this life are things that have will have value in the next.

TVs, smart-phones, houses, cars and even gold bars are all vulnerable to one form of loss or another.

No sense in investing ourselves in those things. One nuclear bomb can ruin their whole day.

But the things we do for Jesus, the investment we make in His kingdom and the age to come, can never be lost, destroyed or stolen.

So - wear your seat belt, lock your doors, protect your laptop, but - store your real treasures in heaven.

 

The Commands of Jesus: Do Good for Right Reason

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The Commands of Jesus: Forgive

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The Commands of Jesus: Be Willing to Be Wronged

#7 in my series: The Commands of Jesus

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The Commands of Jesus: Keep Your Word

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