Blooming Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

This Scripture ought to move and excite a child of God! So exciting that we want to be rooted in Him, deeply! The "fruit of the Spirit" which has a tendency to make Christians agreeable to one another and this was very suitable to the caution or exhortation he had before given (Galatians 5:13), that they should "..not use their liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.."

God exhorts us to:
Love: love God and love our neighbors
Joy: this is much better than happiness, a delight in God regardless of any circumstances
Peace: with God and conscience and in behavior toward one another
Patience: this refrains from anger
Kindness: courteous, and easy to be under restraint when any have wronged us
Goodness: a readiness to do good to others (all) as we have the opportunity
Faithfulness: justice and honesty; in what we profess and promise to others
Gentleness: this governs our passion and resentments
Self-control: depending on the circumstances, do not in excessiveness and immoderate in use of them.

Let's pray:

Lord, grower of spiritual fruit,

Let the fruit of the Spirit blossom, mature, and ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these.

Let me possess them!

Since I belong to Christ, I have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Let me live by the Spirit.
Let me walk by the Spirit!
Let me show no self-conceit, give no provocation, have no envy toward anyone else.
Let me live in, through, and for Christ Jesus, as he lives in, through, and for me and his whole church.

In the name of Jesus I ask you to perfect us, whatever that may take, and give us the grace to endure your renovation process so that the Spirit in every faithful Christian may bloom!

Amen!

Change Your Lives

"Shameless people, change your lives before you become like a dry and dying flower. In the heat of day, a flower will wilt and die. You will be like that when the Lord shows his terrible anger. So change your lives before the Lord shows his anger against you! All you humble people, come to the Lord! Obey his laws. Learn to do good things. Learn to be humble. Maybe then you will be safe when the Lord shows his anger." Zephaniah 2:1-3 (EVD)

Zephaniah was an Old Testament prophet known for quoting, "The Day of the Lord is coming.." (NIV); "Because the Lord's day for judging the people is coming soon!" (EVD). Zephaniah, most of you probably have never read this part of the Old Testament prophecy, had confronted God's people, Israel (Jerusalem) with rebuke and encouragement. Yet, Israel continued on to sin against God. If you read the next chapter, "Jerusalem, your people fought against God! Your people hurt other people, and you have been stained with sin! Your people didn't listen to me! They didn't accept my teachings. Jerusalem didn't trust the Lord. Jerusalem didn't go to her God." Zephaniah 3:1-2 (EVD)

If you remember, at the beginning of this Blog, the Lord had a conversation with Zephaniah about a "flower" that may, again with emphasis, "may" fall and wilt. This is very similar to the teachings of Jesus when He told His disciples the parable of a Sower in Matthew 13. If you fix your eyes on one Scripture, "But when the sun rose, it burned the plants. The plants died because they did not have deep roots." (6) We understand the seed as the Word of God. The soil is our heart. So it all depends on your heart: hard, rocky, infested with weeds or soft. God had to deal with the heart of Israel. Their hearts were hard as they fought against the command of God. They refused to listen to the prophets of the Lord Most High. See how Jesus felt when He approached Jerusalem:

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." Matthew 23:37 (NIV)

My! Jesus knows the heart of God's people. He weeps for them. He aches in His heart because of their ignorance. They aren't understanding the whole point of God's divine plan. They didn't take His Word deep in their hearts.

What happens, then, when people remain "unchanged" in their hearts. "The Lord said, "So just wait! Wait for me to stand and judge you! I have the right to bring people from many nations and use them to punish you..." Zephaniah 3:8 (EVD) But when we do change our hearts and keep on changing for the glory of God, "Then, Jerusalem, you will no longer be ashamed of the bad things your people do against me. Why? Because I will remove all of those bad people from Jerusalem. I will take away all of those proud people on my holy mountain. I will let only meek and humble people stay in my city (Jerusalem). And they will trust the Lord's name. The survivors of Israel won't do bad things." Zehpaniah 3:11-13a (EVD)

"All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." Matthew 25:32 (NIV)

When we live a constantly changing lives for the glory of our Lord, the Lord is with us. He loves a heart that keeps on changing for Him. When we learn and accept His teachings, His teaching changes our attitudes and hearts. When we help other people make good decisions, this shows we're different from the world. When we fear the Lord, we show a changing lifestyle. God wants us to respect Him and His Word.

"The Lord your God is with you. He is like a powerful soldier. He will save you. He will show how much he loves you. He will show you how happy he is with you. He will laught and be happy about you, like people at a party." Zephaniah 3:17-18 (EVD)

When we show a "changing life" before the world, the world will return to the Lord with praise! Change your lives, people!

I Will Sing

Good morning! What a beautiful day it was yesterday, despite that most of us have stayed inside working. I am up early this morning (5:20 a.m.) letting a girl of a single mother inside. We're helping her by getting her daughter to school each morning, except Thursday and Friday. She is now re-catching some Z-z's before the rooster crows at 6:30 a.m..

Today, will you sing with me? I love to sing songs to the Lord! It's a wonderful way to express our love to God. He loves to hear our hearts sing to Him. We pour it out before Him with adoration and praise. I am reading Don Moen's article about singing. Thought you will enjoy this just as I did! Here it goes:

****
When you're privileged to do what I do, to travel around the country and minister to others through worship, you see a lot of church signs. And depending on what neck of the woods you're in, some signs just don't make a lot of sense to those passing by. Like the one I saw out in front of a beautiful white clapboard chapel on a state highway in Louisiana. It said, "Today's Sermon: the Word of God." Trouble was, besides the obvious fact that all sermons should be based on the Bible, I passed that sign on a Thursday. That sermon was long finished."

Another sign I saw recently confused me. It read: "Potluck Revival, Sunday-Wednesday." I'm still not sure if that church was having a revival or a four-day buffet.

But one church sign seems to be cropping up more than others these days:

"Sinners Welcome Here."

And everytime I see one, I think: "Thank the Lord for just telling it like it is."

The only difference between the sinners inside churches and the sinners outside churches is the amazing grace and forgiveness of God. The saints really are sinners who still fall down, but by the outstretched arm of a merciful God, we get up again. And again.......

Trouble is, too many Christians think that they have to be worthy to worship the Lord. Many walk through the work week feeling that God is far away. They don't try to pray because they're not convinced He's listening. And besides, the anger and fear and doubt that consume their thoughts isn't really the stuff you're supposed to tell God about, right?

Few things are farther from the truth. Psalm 145:18 says, "The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." You can - in fact, God wants you to - tell Him what you really think. To be honest about what's going on in your life and in your heart. He already knows what's going on anyway, but He longs for you to tell Him all the same.

THE REALITY: is that everyone goes through days when we feel God is far away. There's a phoniness in some Christian circles that says you don't admit that. But just look at Psalm 109 where David - the sweet psalmist of Israel who said, "I will bless the Lord at all times" - tells God all about his fear and doubt, in no uncertain terms. Why is David so bold? Because he couldn't be anything but honest before the Lord. That's what God wants in our worship - our spirit and our truth.

The truth really does set us free. Free to worship with our whole hearts.
****

And "Free to sing praise, sing praise, sing praise before our loving God!" We worship because God is worthy and that is the only reason we need. He is Holy and we're made holy through His Son. He is Worthy and we're made worthy through the sacrifice of Jesus. He is Mighty and Jesus is mighty to save us from condemnation. That's why we worship Him. That's why we praise Him. But in the last few years there are some things I have been thinking and this you ought. God uses worship to prepare our hearts to receive ministry, to prepare us to minister to others, and I believe that many battles are won in the spiritual realm when we worship. Amen? When we worship Him in spirit and truth, people who don't know God are drawn to Him! And because of God, I will sing!

I WILL SING by Don Moen

Lord, You seem so far away..
A million miles or more it feels today..
And through I haven't lost my faith..
I must confess right now..
That it's hard for me to pray..
But I don't know what to say..
And I don't know where to start..
But as You give the grace..
With all that's in my heart..

I will sing, I will praise..
Even in my darkest hour..
Through the sorrow and the pain..
I will sing, I will praise..
Lift my hands to honor You..
Because Your Word is truth..

I.... will...... sing.........

Be desperate Nike of God!

Born Once, Die Twice; Born Twice, Die Once

"And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence the earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged, everyone of them according to their deeds... and death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15).

Last weekend, Michelle and I watched a movie, "Luther" based on the life of Martin Luther during the 15th century (1517). My, it was a good movie! You can feel the thermostat rise in your very bodies when Luther constant tries to persuade the Catholics to reform their ways and rely on the truths of the Bible. But the Catholics turned against him calling him a heretic asking him to "recant" which means to take back what he has said and stick with their doctrine, or otherwise be condemned to death. Luther has shown tremendous faith confronting the papacy, even unto death! We highly recommend that you rent this DVD movie, "Luther"! I would like to share with you an article (one of hundreds of articles written by Luther) emphasizing the importance of baptism. Here's what Luther wrote:

What is baptism? Answer: Baptism is not merely water, but it is water used according to God's command and connected with God's word. What gifts or benefits does baptism bestow? Answer: It effects forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and grants eternal salvation to all who believe, as the Word and promise of God declare. How can water produce such effects? Answer: It is not the water that produces these effects, but the word of God connected with the water, and our faith relies upon the word of God connected with the water. For without the word of God, the water is merely water and not baptism. But when connected with the word of God the water is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit."
-The Smaller Catechism; Martin Luther; 1529 A.D.

"Born Once - Die Twice"

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our lord." (Romans 6:23). There are several states referred to as "death" in the Bible. There is "physical death". This is the one we usually mean by the term. The Bible points out that the physical body is dead when the spirit separates from it (James 2:26).
There is also "spiritual death". This is the state that describes sinners who are separated from God by their sins (Ephesians 2:1;12). It was in this sense that Adam and Eve died in the very day they disobeyed God. They died spiritually, and also became subject to physical death.
Finally, there is the "second death". This is the eternal state of alienation from God described in Revelation 20:11-15; the "lake of fire". There is much we do not know about this last state mentioned, but we do know enough to understand that it would be the worst tragedy to suffer such a plight. There are many passages which describe the "second death" (Revelation 21:8; 20:10; 14:9-11; Mark 9:42-48; Matthew 25:30,41,46; 22:13).

"Born Twice - Die Once"

Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Truly, truly I say unto you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God... unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:3,5). The way to avoid the second death is to be a partaker in the second birth! Jesus said that there were two necessary parts in being "born again". He referred to it as "being born of the water and the Spirit".

Later, following His resurrection, He will send out the apostles to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:18-20, cf. Mark 16:15,16). Obeying His commands, the apostles taught the believers on the day of Pentecost to "repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:37,38). When the Ethiopian nobleman heard the gospel and then saw some water, he expressed the desire to be baptized in the water, and subsequently was (Acts 8:35-39). Saul of Tarsus was told, "Arise, and be baptized, washing away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16). This is how "baptism does also now save (us)" (1 Peter 3:20,21).

Therefore, we're born once (natural birth), die twice (spiritual and physical death); born twice (natural and spiritual birth), die once (physical death).

Open

"My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises." Psalm 119:148

When you close your eyes, what do you see? Nothing. Pitch black. No color of any kind. No picture. No abstracts. No perspective. If we close the eyes of our heart, can you explain the seriousness of this condition?

When we contemplate Scripture, God's very personal message to us, it moves our hearts toward Him - sometimes it even inspires a song! It enables us to look up and see with "spiritual eyes" instead of focusing on ourselves and earthly problems. It corrects our "perspective".

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. " 2 Corinthians 4:16

When our "spiritual eyes" are closed shut, we do not understand the troubles we're wrestling with. We cannot grasp that God's love is greater than our pain. We do not kneel before God to help us in our time of great need. And we don't understand all that life is!

I encourage you, as you go through your daily routine, to keep a portion of Scripture - whether it's what you've read, heard from a minister, discussed with a friend, or heard in a song - in your thoughts. Put is down on a Post-it note on your car dashboard or on the mirror in your bathroom or on the refrigerator door. Remind yourself of it regularly. What does it really mean? How can you apply it to your life? Pray that the Lord will enlighten you and bring appropriate verses to mind as you need them, especially during a time of trouble.

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart,
I want to see You...
I want to see You...

To see You high and lifted up,
Shining in the midst of Your glory,
Lord, pour our Your power and love,
As we sing, Holy, Holy, Holy....

Beautiful song! One of my favorite! Not only do we want our "eyes open" to see God's truth in Scripture and in the world, but as this prayerful song says, we want to see God for who He is and understand Him as fully as we can with all of our earthly struggles and limitations.

Let's pray: Lord, we long "..to see You high and lifted up.." and "..shining in the midst of Your glory!" We humbly ask that You, "..pour out Your power and love, as we sing, 'Holy, Holy, Holy..'" I can't imagine closing my "spiritual eyes" before You and walk blindly the rest of my earthly life. I pray that, not only me but the rest of those who loves You, will stand in awe of Your beautiful light through Your Word and the examples of the faithful. We must fall down to our knees, bowed down in humility - overwhelmed by gratitude and amazement at the thought of You wanting us to know You and have fellowship with You!

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see You.

Become!

I don't know about you but I believe yesterday's worship was awesome, especially when we all knelt before the One before time! I don't know about you but when I asked the congregation to kneel before God and knelt before Him, I felt the fresh outpouring of the Spirit come into me! I could feel the transformation in me and I pray that is true for each of you!

It is all mysterious! When we kneel before Him, we declare that He is God: pure, holy, blameless, magnificent, ultimate, beyond decay, awesome, and reigning high on His throne with His Son, Jesus, on the right! We humble ourselves before Him declaring His majesty. When we kneel, we ask to constantly transform us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus. But in the world we live, we're exposed with all kinds of evil portraits that invades the very eyes of our soul and eventually creeps into the very core of our hearts. The heart is where transformation begins. However, Satan clouds the channel we may have with God poisoning our eyes with doubts and confusion slowing the transformation process.

In the world, there's so much hatred passing through the channel leading toward our hearts. Instead, we need to ignore such evil and train our eyes on LOVE. Often, we hear this, "God is love." "For God so loved the world He..." "He loved us and gave Himself for us.." How many times, in the Bible, did the word, "LOVE" appear? Count the stars in the sky? You can't? Then that's how many there are in the Bible. You cannot destroy love. You can't even create it. To get love, it had to come from the source of love itself, and it slowly but surely seeps its way through every inch and pore of our beings. And through its power, it transforms everything it touches into the workings of His will. God, the lover, becomes Love itself.

God's gift of love to the world is: JESUS! It is far beyond our imagination! It is a breathtaking realization: IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY! Love never, will never leave you. You couldn't shake it if you tried. Yes, about Jesus! A man lashed onto a tree (cross). The desperate cry of "My God, why did You forsake Me!". The sun leaving the sky, unable to bear the sight below. God painted on that sorry, lonely hill, when all of love seems to have forever vanished! But it was not. It could not be destroyed. And just as He said it would, three days later, love transformed death into one empty tomb of life!

So we have this one great hope that the love (Jesus) in you will forever transform you, whether you struggle in its clutches or bask in its comfort, that everything dead in you can gloriously rise each new day into the wonderful new life, forgetting what "Yesterday" did! There's always a New Beginning! Only Jesus can provide that when we humbly kneel before Him and ask Him to help us Become Jesus!

PERSEVERE!

"Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds." Hosea 6:1

I hate it when I sin against God! And I know you do, too! It is the pain that helps us understand that there's more to life than itself! Pain is good, sways us from things that are life-threatening. If I get a cut, no matter how nasty it is, quickly I take the piece of my flesh away from it and hold it to keep it from bleeding. Then I soothe it with some ointment and cover it with some bandages to prevent an infection. Then the wound heals, scar is visible for a while then vanishes!

What is interesting is that an injury that is serious leaves a visible scar as a reminder to learn from whatever caused it as a precaution that we don't do it again. Other injury that doesn't leave a scar often becomes a repetition, even though we learned not to injure ourselves again, we do it anyways!

It is the same with sin. Most of our sins appears so small that we repeat it all over again. But a sin that appears to great that it leaves a scar in your heart, it persuades you to refrain from such sin.

So suffering will always be in the world where we live. You may say, "As for me, I don't want it. Suffering, that is. I don't want to have to spend hours running from it. And if it did catch up to me, I wouldn't care to take any lessons from it. If the rules mean I have to go through hell to learn something, I'd rather just read about it in a book. Unfortunately, yet again, I am not in charge here."

Then God came near. "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains." wrote C.S. Lewis, and that perhaps is more a reflection of our human character than it is of God's best plan for reaching His creations (that's us!). If we'd listen to His whisper when everything was rosy, it wouldn't take a megaphone of pain to get our attention. But why and how He chooses even to speak to us in the first place still remains a mystery. And how pain could be His calling card - a greater one still.

Explain the Holocaust?
Explain the Twin Towers in New York?
Explain the Tsunami?
Explain our own pain we're trying to endure?

Did it make anyone strong? If it did, I can't imagine that it was worth the price. Consider this, "Surely he bore our sorrows.." writes Isaiah, and surely He did see suffering from both its side. As a man He walked and wept with every broken heart that met His gaze, and as a Messiah on the cross! We crushed Him! Our sins crushed Him. We crushed Him with our evil hearts! We crushed Him with every evil intention we thought and have done! He suffered and persevered from the garden to the cross! Instead of Jesus sending legions of angels to destroy us, He made us stronger. We killed Him and He made us stronger to persevere through our own trials!

God works in mysterious ways!

Check it out!

Brother Cesone posted a neat blog called, "Ten Things God Never Says..". Thanks to Dennis for posting this for us.

http://denniscesone.blogspot.com

Remember His Grace

My what a month we had (January)! We had two snowy (and icy) weekends in a row resulting in one Sunday postponement and one Sunday cancellation. It sure makes me thirsty and hungry when I miss the important day of the week, worshipping God! Though, we couldn't come to praise Him altogether, we continue to praise Him from home. That was more of an appetizer to us. Worship is a main course and fellowship is our dessert! Oh, how we need God to soak our soul with His loving grace! That's what I am going to talk about today! GRACE!

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect." 1 Cor. 15:10

Someone saw a bumper sticker on an old car that says, "GRACE HAPPENS". You can imagine how many words on the bumper stickers fills in the blank before "happens" like, "----------- HAPPENS". I have seen a bumper sticker says, "HAPPENS HAPPENS". But this one, "GRACE HAPPENS" meant so much more!

I read a article regarding the powerful word, "GRACE". It reads like this,

***
"A plane goes down and the newscaster, without emotion, can read the numbers of people who won't go home again. People with bombs bigger than their ideas randomly pick a building and take it and all the people in it away in one awful blast. And innocents die, and love ends, and life remains eternally unfair. And we wonder, for the millionth time, why bad things have to happen, even to strangers - because we know it just as easily could be us.

But grace tiptoes along more silently and invisibly than those clanging chimes of doom. The kindness of a stranger streaks its light across our room; mercy is in the middle of the heart of someone whose forgiveness we beg; another plane bursts through the air, defies all laws of ground and gravity, and brings home the one we love most. And when that good happens, we forget to ask why. The One we easily blame and whine to for all the bad is still the Giver of all good things who never gives up trying to show us the miracle of just being alive."
***

The real grace for you and me is - God opening our ears to hear the music of life buzzing around us and widening our eyes to the ever-present, extravagant light of His love. God's grace happens everywhere - even in a traffic jam on I-66 and 495 in Virginia! The jam that left you with nothing to do but read every bumper sticker or license plate that surrounds you. Remember to look for Him while you're there. Don't forget to honk if you love what they're displaying on the back of their car!

Remember His grace - all day, everyday! And, in addition to that, remember you're a NIKE of God! Those with great faith are more than conquerors of the Holy One!

I Worship

...because I can't help it.

The more I understand about the overwhelming love and grace of God that compelled Him

to place the very Lamb of God (Jesus) into the body of a teenage girl (Mary),

to be born into a culture and time that would hound Him at every turn,

that would allow Him to be nailed to the nightmare of our sinful lives

all for love of His lost sheep (us),

the more I cry "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lamb."

Knowledge that doesn't lead to worship is empty.

The whole purpose of my life is love, LOVING HIM!

- Sheila Walsh

Life is worship so let the adventure begin. Worship is very important! It is like breathing, it is essential to life. Without breath, there's no life in us. We're just a lifeless entity. Without worship, we cannot fully communicate to our Creator. When we miss the grandest opportunity to worship God, not only on Sundays, but everyday, it is like we're lacking breath and our fragile body is dying. God is like the wind, He blows into our soul when we fix our eyes upon Him in worship. He breathes His Spirit in us when we praise Him. He soothes our soul when we come together in fellowship. Here are a few elements of worship:

1. A time when my soul is receptive and searching for Him.

2. A context in which there aren't a lot of distractions from the here-and-now.

3. A sign of Himself through a song, something said in a sermon, or a memory of God in my past experience that comes to mind.

And then worship occurs!

January Scriptures

Here are the Scriptures to memorize this year.

Jan. 2nd: Romans 12:1-2
Jan. 9th: Galatians 2:20
Jan. 16th: Ephesians 5:1-2
Jan. 23rd: Colossians 3:16-17

Jan. 30th: this Sunday!

One Cold Day!

After getting a nice accumulation (snow) all day Saturday, it was a cold, cold Sunday morning and worship was postponed to a later time that day (2 p.m.). Despite the wind cold weather, we were especially excited about worship! The family got to eat at McDonalds nearby Fairfax church then just as time drew near, we hurried over to give God our hearts and praises! There were very few to worship God, 23 were present showing God's glory!

We returned home to watch the NFL playoffs. I was actually rooting for the teams that lost both championship! I was hoping to see Falcons play in the Super Bowl against the Steelers. I am not a fan of the Eagles (sorry, Eagles fans). ; ) Something caught my eye as we watched the games. The people! They were faithful, even to the point of a potential hypothermia!

The weather forecast was: 11 degrees (and dropping) with a minus 1 (-1) wind chill (and dropping).

The stadium was, with great emphasis, "PACKED"! They rooted, roaringly, for their home football team. They braved the frigid cold to watch their team do one thing, "Win and go to the Super Bowl." Faces were painted. In spite for attention, some bare (upper bodies) were visible. Philadelphia had the worse accumulation of snow than we did in Virginia, yet the fans braved the impossible road conditions to get to the game. Even most of the fans stood outside of the stadium in what is called, "Tailgating" cooking and drinking hours before the start of the game. It shows their desperation, their love of the game.

How we wished it was the same with Christians! Despite the cold and the snow, we long to worship God along with other brothers and sisters like the fans. How marvelous it would be if we "tailgated outside the church" hours before the start of worship! A hearing member of the church came up to me asking if worship begins at 2 p.m.. I told her, "Yes." Then she went on to say, "But it's really cold out there." I told her, "Beats sitting outside at the football stadium for 3 hours watching the football game today!" God desires that we feel such assurance and desperation. Regardless of any circumstances, He enjoys our company and longs to spend time with us. It's unfathomable, really! The majestic Lord of all creation - of water, earth and sky.... ruler of the universe who ordains the sun to rise and fall.... Almighty God of wonders beyond our galaxy - dwells in our very midst... in spirit. He knows our heart. Do you know your own heart? Is the "fear" (respect) for God in your heart?

So when we admire the brave fans of football, how much more do we admire the brave Christians who comes to worship God regardless of the weather! We need to realize like never before - THE VULNERABILITY.... Joy near dread.... A wonderful ache.... Unconditional love.... Gaining profound insight concerning the heart of our Holy God - Abba - our Heavenly Father. He created us to be "intimate with Him, passionately intimate."

Instead of allowing the effects of the cold weather hinder your faith, we ought to feel the warmth of God's love by singing this:

God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy...., holy.....
The universe declares Your majesty,
You are holy...., holy....
Lord of Heaven and earth....

Then "One Cold Day" will be a warm one!

"Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!" Ps.8:1, 3

Jesus Christ Today

Tonight, we're going to begin studying the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a masterful document written to the Jews who were evaluating Jesus or struggling with this new faith. The message of Hebrews is that Jesus is better, Christianity is superior, Christ is supreme and completely sufficient for salvation. This book begins by emphasizing that the old (Judaism) and the new (Christianity) are both religions revealed by God (1:1-3). The writer of Hebrews identified Christ as the following:

Christ is Superior because Jesus alone can forgive your sins. He has secured your forgiveness and salvation by his death on the cross. There are no alternative or substitute. If you're struggling to find peace through material things, you will never find them. Only Jesus can because He is the Superior One.

Christ is the High Priest. He guarantees our access to God the Father (John 14:6). He intercedes for us so we ca boldly come to the Father with our needs. When we are weak, we can come with confidence to God for forgiveness and ask for His help.

Christ is the Sacrifice. He removed our sins, which barred us from God's loving presence and fellowship. We must accept Jesus' sacrifice for us by believing in Him, repenting and confessing our sins, be baptized to wash our sins away and live a Christ-like life. So many so-called "religious people" say they love God but continue to sin intentionally. We struggle with sin but His sacrifice clears the way for us to have eternal life.

Christ the Maturity. It takes time to process our lives toward spiritual maturity. Some of us spurt on fast! Some of us extremely slow because we do not understand things of God. Daily commitment and service produces maturity. You and I know if we do not, daily, seek God, we slow the process of maturity. If we do not seek His favor in class, worship and fellowship, how can one grow. It is similar to our body and food. When we stop eating, our bodies wither and dies. When we stop drinking fluid, the inside portions of the bodies dehydrate and shuts down the functions of each parts. When we do not seek God in His Word, we're dying spiritually. When we are mature in our faith, we are not easily swayed or shaken by temptation or worldly concern.

Christ the Author of Faith. If you trust in Jesus Christ for your complete salvation, He will transform you completely. A life of obedience and complete trust is pleasing to God.

Christ the Endurance. You can have victory in your trials if you don't give up or turn your back on Christ. Stay true to Christ and pray for endurance.

Whatever you're considering as the focus of life, Christ is better. He is the perfect revelation of God, the final and complete sacrifice for sin, the compassionate and understanding mediator, and the only way to eternal life. Read Hebrews and begin to see history and life from God's perspective. Then give yourselves completely to Christ. Don't settle for anything less.

Scarborough Country

I was so exhausted, last night, after arriving home (late). Played with our black lab, Hope, and chatted with Michelle while she was watching a tv program called, "The Biggest Loser" where the contestants compete to see who loses the most weight. I believe this is a wonderful tv game compared to other reality shows because they encourage the hopeless that they have hope to lose unwanted pounds. After this program, Michelle just got ready for bed and I was flipping back and forth from the OU v. USC Orange Bowl football game to MSN News.

I stumbled into a news program called, "Scarborough Country" with former Congressman Joe bringing before us, viewers. a debate between a Christian woman representing women in the world, a Jewish rabbi, an American athiest, a Christian authors (I can't remember the woman's name and Tim Lahaye, author of Left Behind). They were all debating regarding the terrible disaster in Asia (Tsunami) and its relationship with God. Joe, a devout Christian, asked all kinds of questions such as, "Why does God allow this to happen? Would a "good" God do this to people? Could God have prevented this calamity?"

There were discussions that these were "signs" that the end is near. An athiest discussed why a good God would allow suffering to happen in the world. If there is a good God then there should be no evil in the world. Another commented that it is a form of punishment to the people/nation because of sin (sexual immorality, homosexuality) and God "allowed" natural disaster to happen in hope to bring people to repentance. The Christian woman mentioned that, in Asia alone, over 40 million abortions had been performed! How do you think God feels about it? The rabbi blatantly yelled at the Christians that God would never do that and He is never involved in any way! He argued that there are "righteous" people in these cities than Sodom and Gomorrah (when Abraham questioned God if He would destroy the city along with the righteous?). I wasn't too fond of the rabbi's attitude as he was very brute and annoying.

Congressman Joe opened a Scripture, Matthew 24 (NIV), ".."Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?... ...Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.... ...Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famine and earthquake in various places.." We understand that Jesus is talking about the "end of the Jewish age", the destruction of Jerusalem which happened in 70 AD when Rome came. How do we know this had happened? Jesus said it would happen during that time (..this generation..), "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." Matthew 24:34 (NIV) There were all kinds of comments surrounding Matthew 24.

After the program ended, I took a quick glimpse into the Scripture. I prefer that God speak to me through the Bible rather than hearing many different views of what each believe. I made God speak to me this way, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Matthew 24:42-44 (NIV)

God loves us and that's the reason He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. When we gave our lives to the Lord in baptism, we are dead to self and alive in Christ. We feel His marvelous love. He promises us that, one surprising day, He will return to bring His children home in heaven. He gives us all an opportunity to repent from our sins and continue to walk with Jesus, our Lord. When a situation collapse around us, we need to be assured that there is a loving God who cares for us. Such situation helps us seek the Lord for His power and guidance. We ought to thank God for natural disasters because they bring us closer to God in prayer. Instead of looking at natural disaster as a curse, we look at them as a blessing!

Resolution Solution

It seems like eons ago when I last placed a blog. I thank God that my family and I are well rested before the new year rang in! Now that 2005 is here, it is time, again, to roll up our sleeves and begin the work God has for each of us.

Last Sunday was a great, great day! A handful of people were present to worship and praise God together. It's a sure blessing to come together every first day of the week and that's what we love to do and that is life itself! For those who were not present, we encourage you to remember these two powerful verses as a "Resolution Solution". Before the beginning of each new year, we come up with a "New Year's Resolution" but sadly, they tend to be ignored and broken. Your resolution gets some pollution. You jam in January, fade in February, and turn to mush in March. You may say to yourselves, "Why can't I keep my resolutions? What is wrong with me?" That's why I want to challenge you to remember these verses daily then the rest will go along as well:

1. Philippians 3:8, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

Everything in life is pale. Paul's "life resolution", not yearly (in case it didn't happen), is to know Christ! Is that your "life resolution?"

2. Matthew 6:33 is about priority! It is about priority! "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

If you're committed every first day of the week, if you gave the first few moments each day, I mean, each day, if you tithe regularly, what would happen in your life and mine? A proper priority! We understand that God expects our love and devotion everyday! He does so on the first day of the week (Sunday) as well. When we come together to worship God, we show to the world that God is our number one, a numero uno!

So what do we do? According to Philippians 3:8, first, we give our life to the Lord, we died to self, we live no more but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20) and second, according to Matthew 6:33, we fulfill His will, we seek Him as number one, we place Him at the top of our daily to-do-list. Make that your "life resolution". Now, that's our resolution solution!

Faith That Works

Wow! What a weekend we all had! Tim and Cario Stewart had told me that we have broken the 100 mark of those in attendance for our last Saturday's 5th Annual Christmas banquet! Finally, after 4 years of "Showing Jesus" to our visitors during the banquet, God provided the triple digits! Even with the triple digits, some of our members could not attend the banquet this year.

I want to extend my thanks to all those who took part of the planning, set-up and clean-up! Without each of you, there will be no banquet to celebrate Jesus and to shine our light and love on those whom we have invited. May God bless those who have served. A very special thanks to our chairpersons, Dennis and Cindi Cesone, for their hard work keeping us focused and prepared! Again, what an awesome weekend! God is good!

Let's talk about "Faith That Works"... James offers several similarities to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount than any other book in the New Testament. James relied "heavily" on Jesus' teaching and this is something we, as Christians, ought to do: "Rely Heavily On God's Word!". Here's the lesson:

1. When your life is full of difficulties and persecutions, guess what? BE GLAD! A reward awaits you! (James 1:2, Mt. 5:10-12)
2. You are to be PERFECT, MATURE, and COMPLETE, not lacking anything. (James 1:4, Mt. 5:48)
3. ASK God, and He will answer. (James 1:5; 5:15, Mt. 7:7-12)
4. Those who are HUMBLE (who don't amount much by the world's standards) should REJOICE in their position as those whom God loves. (James 1:9, Mt. 5:3)
5. Watch out for your ANGER. . . . . It can be dangerous! (James 1:20, Mt. 5:22)
6. Be MERCIFUL to others, as God is MERCIFUL to you. (James 2:13, Mt. 5:7; 6:14)
7. Your FAITH to others express itself in helping others. (James 2:14-16, Mt. 7:21-23)
8. Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS; they sow in peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3:17-18, Mt. 5:9)
9. When we HUMBLE ourselves and realize our need for God, He will come to us and lift us up. (James 4:10, Mt. 5:3-4)
10. Don't SLANDER or speak against others, it speaks against God's command to love one another. (James 4:11, Mt. 7:1-2)
11. Be PATIENT in suffering, as God's prophets were PATIENT! (James 5:10, Mt. 5:12)

If we do not rely heavily on God's Word everyday, then how can we grow in faith? If we only learn God's Word on Sundays and Wednesdays, then how can we become strong in the faith? When we do the things that pleases God, won't you hear God speak to your heart saying, "Well done, my faithful servant!" Do the faith that works!

God, we're so blessed to have You in our lives! We feel Your love as we continue to worship You and serve out Your Will in Your Kingdom! Blessed be Your Name, Lord! Blessed be Your Name! Pray that we will grow to be a mature Christian before You. Please help us learn these important characteristics of faith. Our strength comes from You! Especially, when we face trials of all kinds, help us be GLAD! We rejoice in Your love. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

God's Standard of Giving

Lord, thank You for yesterday, when we came to worship You! You surely have blessed us in many ways and Your Word is heart-piercing and eternal! All I want to say, on behalf of the Fairfax Deaf Ministry, is that You are an Awesome God! How awesome are Your ways! How awesome is Your love!

God, bless those who came to worship God yesterday and bless those who worshipped God elsewhere! It was an awesome day and thank You, God! I must say that all of us were hit hard, as if by a freight train, when the lesson is about, "Giving". We're selfish from the day we're born! As a baby, you're always saying, "Mine! Mine!", even through our childhood, we say that. As a teen, we say, "More! Want!" and we crave for the things we need to fulfill our "selfish desires". We're nothing but hungry animals seeking to please ourselves. That's where we need God the most! Why? We ask Him to help us be humble, seek others when they are in need, instead of fulfilling self, we fulfill our Spirit by helping others in their need of fulfillment. Then in turn, those who have matured as a Christian will change to deny self and begin to fulfill others in their needs. Therefore, "giving" is the least talked about anywhere, especially in the church! However, it's the second greatest theme in the Bible next to salvation!

The word, "Believe" is used 272 times. Believe is pretty important, huh? 272.
The word, "Pray", (Hey, Christians should pray daily!) is used 371 times. Pray, 371.
The word, "Love". God is love as the Bible tells us. "Love" is used 714 times. Yes, important!

"Hand wave" everyone! (drumroll)

The word, "Give" is, ladies' and gentlemen, used 2,162 times! "Giving, gave, give, given" and Jesus used this more often!

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 (NIV)

If I don't understand God's standard of giving, (here! pay attention), if I don't understand God's standard of giving, then I don't understand what it means to truly know Jesus Christ personally. God talked about it not once, twice but 2,162 times! If you're interested in a full version outline, please go to www.fxcc.org/deaf and click on sermon outlines/notes. It will be posted after 12/8/04. ;)

"The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to fear the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 14:23 (NLT) He doesn't need your money! He owns it all! He's the Creator and He created all things on earth! Everything is the Lord's! He is saying, "I want you, people that I love, people that matter to Me, I want you to give as a reminder that I am first place, that I am Lord in your life."

"On every Lord's day each of you should put aside something of what you have earned during the week." 1 Corinthians 16:2 (NIV) Every Christian has a responsibility. This shows that we're expected to be assembled to worship God and prepare for the "offering" showing that God is "first in my life."

"Remember this, whoever sows sparingly, will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV) If we come to God with a teacup offering, we will get a teacup blessing back. If we come to God with an eighteen-wheeler truckload of offering, whoooooom, what is going to happen? You will receive so much blessing that you won't be able to handle it.

"Give", it is the only safe investment for eternity (1 Timothy 6:18-19 (MSG)) You can't take it with you but you can send it on ahead. You invest your money in people who are going there (heaven). It is an eternal investment. No risks involved. That is basically why I should follow God's standard of giving, right from the Bible!

Streams of Life

Here's a couple of lines from one of the Zoe songs:

All who are thirsty,
All who are weak,
Come to the fountain,
Dip your heart in the streams of life....

Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13-14 (NIV)

Also read Ezekiel 17 which awesomely applies to our lives, especially Christians whom are rooted into the "streams of life.":

"But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its root toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water. It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine." Ezekiel 17:7-8 (NIV)

We must understand that "grapes" in the Old Testament symbolized Israel's fruitfulness in doing God's work on the earth and producing fruitfulness among each other. John 15 also talks about the vine which is Christ and that God is the gardener who cares for the branches to make them fruitful. The fruitful branches are true believers who, by their living union with Christ, produce much fruit. But those who become unproductive - those who turn back from following Christ after making a superficial commitment (lukewarm Christians (Rev. 3:16)), will be separated from the vine, namely Jesus. Again, I hate to say this but it's the truth, that unproductive followers are as good as dead and will be cut off and tossed aside.

Picture yourselves as a flower in God's flowerbed... Do you think God would want to leave a withering flower in His bed? Even though, He has tried over and over, through His servants, through your dreams, through His Word (water) as you read it, to change you into a beautiful flower. He pours out streams of living water into the flower of your soul but you may refuse to drink it with joy.

If it is written in the Word what will happen to withering, unproductive, dried-up Christians, I pray that each of His people return to the "streams of life" where you will abundantly drink His goodness and love and be changed so the world will see the "streams of living water" welling up from your soul (John 13:14)

Drink Jesus!

Power of the Spirit

There was a story of a couple during the first winter that he and his wife were married was marked by severe blizzards. They can vividly remember one Sunday when we awoke to find that the electricity had been knocked out by an ice storm. Huddled around a battery-powered radio for news on that frigid Sunday, we heard a most unusual announcement. The announcer, before giving the list of church services canceled due to the ice storm, said, "The following churches will be closed due to lack of power." What an interesting comment! They knew what he meant, but they were struck by what he said.

The idea of churches closing due to lack of power leads us to some spiritual parallels that directly tie into Jesus' promise of the Spirit. Just before His ascension, Jesus told His men in Acts 1:8, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." He was talking about the coming of the Spirit which will be given to the empowering believers. This gives us reason to examine some important issues in this concluding part.

What Is Power? The word power used by Jesus in Acts 1:8 is the Greek word, "dunamis." It is defined variously as "strength, power, or ability." Specifically, it refers to "supernatural power, strength or force, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth." This spiritual power is not natural to the believer, however. Notice, very carefully that it is natural to the Person of the Holy Spirit who resides within the believer. How does this power display itself in our lives? Here is one possible (though probably more) and clear ways the Holy Spirit expresses His power in the lives of the redeemed.

Power For Life. How does the Spirit express life in us? By causing our lives to be obviously different from the hopeless world that surrounds us. Notice Paul's words in Romans 15:13, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

The power of the Holy Spirit provides for us the things that human effort, religion and righteousness could never achieve. He is there to empower our living with a glorious inspiration of joy, peace, and hope that can carry us through the trials and hardships. Here are a couple of things that I learned the contrast between the world and God:

In a world that is in crazy pursuit of happiness, we can have joy by the power of the Holy Spirit. In a world that is crying out from the grief of constant conflict, we can have true peace.
In a world that is filled with empty despair and a vague future, we can have a bright hope.

Why?

Because the power of the Holy Spirit can builds us (equip) for life in a way that the world cannot understand! His power can enable us to experience the things that the world longs for, but are ours by the Spirit. This is the abundant life Jesus spoke of--a life that is full and rich and deep and lasting. A life that is lived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Here's one of my favorite song that I have not sung in such a long time:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow--
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! Great is Thy faithfulness!

How is the power in your life?

Deeper

Please read this article I found on the internet in regards to, "Deeper".

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22

Have you ever heard the following statement: “I wish the sermons at church would be deeper?” Maybe you have even said it yourself. Many times we feel like our study of God’s word is too superficial and that we need to study “deeper” material. But the question that we should really ask ourselves is, “What is deeper?”

This is an excellent question for those of us who seek to truly know the Bible and follow Christ. Too many times we simply don’t know how to articulate what or where “deeper” is. Often, we are really just looking for an emotional fix to our current life situation. The problem with emotional fixes is their inherent inconsistency. What does it for us one day may not do it for us the next. Our emotional responses change right along with life’s circumstances. What we need to remember when we start looking for something new is that we are often following a shift in our emotions, not necessarily our spirit.

This shift is very important to recognize because Satan can use it as a tool to drag you away from where God wants you to be. If you spend your life looking for a certain emotion, you will merely drift from one place to another, like a ship without a rudder. Eventually you will run up on dry land, trapped by the very shallowness you were trying to avoid.

To avoid drifting we need to follow the true “deeper” journey that is presented to us in the Bible. One of the greatest examples is the command that Jesus gives us in Matthew 22:39, “'Love your neighbor as yourself.'” This command calls us to accept another person, regardless of how we feel about them. Jesus was calling us to get outside of our comfort zone and to do life the way that he did. Jesus didn’t spend all of his time with his closest friends. He ate with prostitutes and tax collectors while others disapproved. He touched the untouchable and loved the unlovable. It wasn’t easy, but it was deep.

The Bible and all of its lessons can take you as deep as you are willing to go – and beyond. But it takes work. You have to take the leap. Don’t follow your emotional tide. Put the lessons into practice – then try it somewhere other than your comfort zone. Take what you already know and apply it to your life. God will take you on a “deeper” journey than you ever knew was possible.

Mark's note: Amen to this! Going "deeper" into the Word of God is going to those who need us the most: our love, our eyes, our hands, our hearts, and most of all - our time. Many of us attend church for many reasons: because we have to, because my friends go there, because my parents says so, or because it is what everyone does. But we attend church to learn to walk like Jesus by studying and listening to His Word. We bring home a verse or verses we learned and chew on it everyday. It feeds the Spirit living inside us and helps us be "Deeper Christians" among our friends and families. This is my prayer for each of those who are "committed" to Him!

E X C E L L E N T L I V I N G

God bless you all!

This past Thanksgiving weekend has been great for me and my family! And I hope its the same for each of you!

I talked with the congregation this morning about "Excellent Living" and pray those who received His message will allow God to work through each one of you! As for those who missed today's message, you missed out a great lesson because it applies to me, too! Oh, how I love God's Word! It is sweet to my soul!

Life is a series of choices. God gave each of us the ability to make our own decisions. If you're going to live a life of excellence for God, then you've got to concentrate on making wise, godly choices that bring honor to the name of Jesus and not shame or disappointment. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 says, "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold or silver, but also of wood and clay; some for honor and some for dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself, he shall be a vessel unto honor, made holy and useful for the master's service and prepared for every good work."

1 Corinthians 11:28, "Let each man examine himself..." tells us to CONSTANTLY evaluate your life and make sure that you're NOT making decisions and choices that are hindering your walk with the Lord... Every major decision you face, you should ask yourself the question, "What would Jesus do in this situation?" "How would He respond?" "What type of attitude would He have?" Every place you go, especially when you're not real sure you should go there, you should ask yourself, "Would I be comfortable bringing the Lord Jesus Christ with me into this place?". After all, He lives on the inside of you. If the church gathers together in His Name, Jesus is there with you! But if we, instead of gathering together, decide to stay home for a very personal reason (I mean inexcusable reasons), then you ought to feel uncomfortable sitting at home knowing Jesus isn't happy with you.

I hate to say this, but you probably agree that's the generation we're living in right now! We've lost our sense of value and unless we go back to the foundational principles in God's Word, we're never going to really know what the truth is. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, "Satan blinds the minds of those who believe not." If you're going to live a life of excellence before God, you're going to have to base every decision you make on God's Word! Do I hear an, "Amen!"?

A couple of things I talked to the Lord's church are these:

1. SNOOZE BUTTON: See that God speaks to every single one of His children through His Word. He wants to guide you and help you make the right choices throughout life. But many times, we don't recognize how He speaks and we feel that uneasiness that we begin to push it down and ignore it. When you wake up in the wee morning hours of the night to the alarm, we push the snooze button ignoring the reminders to wake up. We push God's goodness down so much, it becomes so common and so routine we can't even hear Him anymore.

2. A OBEDIENT PERSON LIVES A LIFE OF EXCELLENCE FOR GOD: See that every person here, every person listening, has the ability and you have the opportunity to live a life of excellence for God.

3. THE SPIRITUAL DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE: I honestly want to tell you this. Too many people today are "Sunday Christians". They think a church as a social gathering, deaf club. They come in churches with their Bibles and notebook and they, you know, shout in all the right places, they sing the loudest, they say "Amen!" at the right places. But you know what? Monday is a different story. They're two-faced, just like the Devil. They talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk.

Friends, if you're not grounded in God's Word. If you don't know who you are in Christ. If you are not sober and vigilant and serious about your relationship to God, unfortunately, you're not going to have a chance. And that's the truth. There's no way you're going to be able to live an overcoming, victorious Christian life. But the good news is that God is alive and has been since the Beginning! God is looking for someone who won't compromise, someone that won't live like the rest of the world. God is looking for people who is full of integrity and hey, you can hide from me and the rest of us but you can't from God!

Alas, I told a story about a man and a woman involved in a car accident. Of course, every story has its ending. For those who missed today's celebration of the Lord's Day, you missed not only the story but the experience. The experience of a commitment toward "Excellent Living!"

Don't Throw Away Your Confidence - Be A Nike!

"Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36

If you persevere, you will receive.
If you persevere your task will be completed, your ministry will grow, your body will be healed, your marriage will be changed, and your children will come into the Kingdom of God.

You don't get anything for quitting.

You have to keep on persevering. There's no question that opposition will come. I guarantee it! Whenever you do something for God, you're going to face opposition. The devil will do his best to tear you down, to defeat and destroy you. He'll come at you with persecution, discouragement, and compromise. He'll do everything he can to get you to give up on that call of God on your life! But, praise God, you can overcome!

Blessed Father, I thank You that You have called me. Man didn't call me, but You called me to accomplish this task. And because You called me, You have anointed me, equipped me, and given me the courage I need to see it accomplished. Thank You, Father, that I can and I will overcome all opposition that the devil throws at me because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Thanksgiving For The Faith We Have

To the brothers and sisters with the Fairfax Church of Christ, I want to thank those who have took the time to reach out and invite friends to next month's Christmas banquet! You are awesome! Cario just informed us, yesterday during the praise team practice, that we have ovr 45 addresses and 82+ "new" people to invite this year! I think this is a "record" number of people you have invited! Last year, we had a total (including members) of 122 people who have RSVP'd when only 95 attended! Currently, we have 55 members of the Deaf Ministry added to the 82 that makes up to 137, not counting those we have invited in the last 4 years!!!! Therefore, let's pray for those who have received the wonderful and beautiful invitation to RSVP soon!

Here's Paul's thanks to the church in Thessalonica, "We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (NIV)

The Thessalonians in the church in Thessalonica were a very young group of Christians who loves the Lord. Paul learned of their work of faith, labor of love and endured with the hope they have in Christ! So Paul commended these young Christians for their work. These characteristics are the marks of effective Christians in any age!

Father, thank You for Your great, great love! Thank You for this life You have given us! Thank You for helping us endure through our trials and joining with us in celebrative joy regardless!! You brought smiles to our faces and lifted us up to praise You. I pray that Your love will abound more and more as we continue on in the faith we have by carrying out Your will with love and endurance! May You continue to bless Your church in the world! Forgive us if we have lacked in anything and lead us in filling such void! Again, I thank You for the church here at Fairfax and all those who continues to serve You! Come, Lord Jesus, come! In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Salty Living

“Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear,

but it does not cease to exist.

We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water.

Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen,

will be made evident to others from the love which he imparts to us.”

— Sadhu Sundar Singh

Paid In Full

“What our Lord did was done with the intent, and this alone, that he might be with us and we with him.” — Meister Eckhart

In the movie, "Passion of the Christ", I watched the part where Jesus approached to the time of His last breath. All bloodied from series of strokes from a whiplash, nail-scarred hands, crown of thorns, pounding on the ground because of the heavy cross and the men who demanded Jesus to prophecy on which fist hit Him, Jesus looked up toward heaven and said,

"It is finished."

It was a very touching movie! The cinematography! The power it displayed! It actually brought us to the scene of Jesus' final hours. The movie quoted it in a similar way, "It is accomplished." Therefore, until the time of Jesus' torture, crucifixion and death, a complicated system of sacrifices the priest, for thousands of years, had atoned for sins.

Sin separates people from God, and only through the sacrifices of an animal, could people be forgiven and become clean before Him. But the problem lies within. People continued to sin. Once sin entered their lives again, sacrifices were required for the remission of their sins.

Jesus, however, became the Final and Ultimate sacrifice for sin. The word, "finished", is the same as "PAID IN FULL". Jesus came to accomplish, finish God's work of salvation to pay the full penalty of our sins. With His death, the complex sacrificial system ended because Jesus took all sin upon Himself for us. He did this in order for us to restore the "once lost relationship with God."

Is your soul stamped, "PAID IN FULL" with Jesus' blood?

JESUS died on the cross to pay the price for SIN.

"For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

(2 Corinthians 5:21).

Those who believe in Jesus and place their trust in Him (Acts 16:31),

repent of sin (2 Corinthians 7:9-10),

confess Him before men (Romans 10:9-10),

and are baptized (immersed) into Christ (Acts 2:38),

received the forgiveness of their past sins.

Those who CONTINUE to follow Christ as a way of life will CONTINUE to be cleansed from SIN (1 John 1:7).

Circumcised By Christ

Before we believed in Christ, our nature was evil. We disobeyed, rebelled, and ignored God (even at our best, we did not love him with all our heart, soul and mind (self-seeking)).

"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Colossians 2:13-15 (NIV)

The Christian, however, has a new nature, "..in putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." Colossians 2:8-12 (NIV). God has crucified the old rebellious nature (see Romans 6:6) and replaced it with a new loving nature (see Romans 3:9-10). The penalty of sin died with Christ on the cross. God declared us not guilty! Salvation is through "FAITH" in Christ (see Romans 10:17) that includes: (H)earing, (B)elieving, (R)epenting, (C)onfessing, (B)aptizing, and (L)iving Christ.

This chart will help you determine where you stand today: (1) A religion by self-effort or (2) Salvation by faith in Jesus?

Religion by self-effort:
1. Goal: please God by your own good deeds.
2. Means: practice, diligent service, discipline and obedience, in hope of reward.
3. Power: Good, honest effort through self-determination.
4. Control: Self-motivation, self-control.
5. Results: Chronic guilt, apathy, depression, failure, constant desire for approval.

Salvation by faith:
1. Goal: Live by faith; live to please God according to His Word (His Will).
2. Means: Confess, submit, and commit yourselves into Christ's control.
3. Power: The Holy Spirit in us helps us do good work in Christ's Kingdom.
4. Control: Christ in me, I in Christ (Galatians 2:20)
5. Results: Joy, thankfulness, love, guidance, service, forgiveness.

Salvation by faith in Jesus seems to be an easy task for many people. They would rather think they have done something to save themselves. So their religion becomes one of self-effort that leads either to disappointment or pride. The simple way is through Jesus and Jesus only! He alone is the door to eternal life.

Got Bread?

The Model Prayer

"Give us each day our daily bread."Jesus in Luke 11:3
"Give us today our daily bread."Jesus in Matthew 6:11

It is not Texas toast, sourdough bread, New York style bagels, hot dog buns, or tortillas. No. It's the "spiritual bread". Jesus is the "bread of life" and we need to feed from Him. The question is, "How often?" Can you go without food for 2, 3, 4 days? How about weeks? How about a month without food? Man! I didn't think so.

If you have gone without "spiritual bread", you're dying spiritually. Jesus is also the "Living Water". If you have gone without "spiritual water", your spiritual life is drying up or have already dried up. This person has lost the fear (respect) of God. They return to their old selves, to the normal way of life they once lived. This "normal way of life" is a pathway to death.

Two things Jesus wants us to know:

1. Jesus wants us to be conscious of the daily dependence on God for the necessities of life, not just bread but any necessity for the day.

2. Jesus wants us to be grateful for what we have and the gratefulness causes me to want to share with others the blessings we have and want to share the abundance to someone else's needs.

Are you, daily, eating the Bread of Life? We ought to model this to ourselves and others: "Give us today our daily bread." If you haven't eaten it, DAILY, you're not doing what Jesus encourages us to do. Don't let your soul die of spiritual starvation!

Becoming Like Children

During the prayer meeting last Wednesday night, my wife, Michelle and I volunteered to spend an hour with the children while their parents are in the prayer meeting praying to God for those hurting, depressed, oppressed, afflicted, weak and sick. We worked with the children making get-well-cards and we're-praying-for-you-cards. This is the first time, in almost 3 or 4 years since the launch of the prayer meeting, we're doing this in effort to teach our children the importance of thinking of others in their times of trials.

Michelle and I sat down explaining the reason for this "new project" and assigned each names we're praying for to each children. We had glue, crayons, crafts, construction papers, Christian symbols and many more. The kids, tireless, focused their energies on this project and asked us questions such as, "When will they get better?", "Why aren't they coming to church?", "Will they love God like we do?" and the list is endless! You know! They're kids asking neat questions! These questions made them think and made us think, too! These will apply to themselves in the future when they become teens, 20-something, 30's, 40's and on!

Just at the end of the hour-long project, one of my daughters became frustrated that she didn't finish her project in time (it was her second card-work) and just barked at me telling me to finish it. I didn't like the tone and expression of my girl, especially when she's giving this kind of negative influence on other girls in the room. Gently, I instructed her the proper way to behave and be an example to other girls. She humbly apologized and "rephrased" her question in a more gentle and fruitful way, "Dad, can you finish this for me, pleeeeeeze!!" (laughing) Certainly!

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3-4 (NIV)

If you are a child of God, be like an earthly child, sweet, innocent and subjective to correction. In today's society, Christians (deaf and hearing) have problems humbly accepting correction. When a child of God becomes defensive against correction and offensive with belittling words, they aren't a child but a brute beast growling, clawing and snapping back. So what should every child of God do?

A child desires the sincere milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2).
As children, be harmless and inoffensive, avoid malice (1 Corinthians 14:20).
As children, governable, and under command (Galatians 4:2).
The child of a gentleman will play the child of a beggar ("..but be willing to associate with people of low position." Romans 12:16).
And lastly, we should, in like manner, behave and quiet ourselves (Psalms 131:1-2).

Father, we thank You for this rainy day! You have blessed us, abundantly, with water for us to drink, for the plants to grow, for the food we eat and many more. We can't never say enough to express our thanks for everything! They all came from You. God, we ask that You help each of your children to learn the importance of humility. That includes me, Lord! Let us keep our eyes on the children, watching and learning how they humbly respond to correction. Jesus loves them! When we behave like the little children, Jesus will love us! Thank You, Lord, for this message. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Perseverance, Persistence, the Prize!

The Christian life was never promised as an easy way to live, instead, Paul constantly reminds us that we must have a purpose and a plan because times will be difficult and Satan will attack. But we never persevere without the promise of a prize - a promise God will keep.

In 2 Timothy 2:1-13, especially this verse: "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs - he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops."

As Timothy preached and taught, he would face suffering, but he should be able to endure. Paul used a comparison with soldiers, athletes, and farmers who must discipline themselves and be willing to sacrifice to achieve the results they want.

Like SOLDIERS: we have to give up worldly security and endure rigorous discipline.
Like ATHLETES: we must train hard and follow the rules.
Like FARMERS: we must work extremely hard and be patient.

But we keep going despite suffering because of the thought of victory, the vision of winning, and the hope of harvest. We will see that our suffering is worthwhile when we achieve our goal of glorifying God, winning people to God, and one day living eternally with him.

Let's pray, I stand in awe of You, God, for all of Your children at Fairfax. I pray that each of Your children will take the time to repent, give up the worldly security they may have, once again, become entangled with, train hard by praying, reading and studying in their home, renew their purposes in life (living up to God's five purposes!) and being patient as they "continue to work out their salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). Those who do not pray, study and worship You are deprived of Your power and love. Their shield is gone. Their faith is weak. They are standing on "sinking sand" rather than on the Solid, Rock of Jesus Christ. Again, I pray that they not be "sidetracked" but carefully put their attention and devotion on Christ and His Word. Eventually, those who faithfully endure with the Solid, Rock of Christ, will receive the victor's crown in Heaven! And that's His promise to each of the faithful! In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Standing Firm In One Spirit

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved - and that by God." Philippians 1:27-28 (NIV)

Philippians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Paul wrote this encouraging us to be joyful in suffering, serving, believing and giving! Chapter one is all about the joy of suffering. I pray that Christians, including myself, be humble to accept the fact that opposition will always come to the door of your heart.

As I read the Scripture above, I led myself on a journey back into the Old Testament to the time of Gideon in the book of Judges (Judges 6-7). If you don't know the story about Gideon, I recommend that you read this section of the book as well as the rest of the judges during the times of Israel. We understand that Israel was oppressed by the Midianites because Israel sinned against God. God handed Israel over to the Midianites in hope that Israel will repent. Eventually, they cried to God asking for His help. God sent Gideon as a judge to defeat the Midianites and freed Israel from bondage. Read this small part of this chapter where the Midianites turned against one another in Judges 7:22, "..the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords." Man! They were asleep as Gideon and God's army encircled them creating an ambush. When Gideon and God's armies blew a war-cry, the soldiers woke up, dazed and didn't know what was happening and turned on each other because it was dark outside. They killed their own! And God handed the victory to Israel because of their repentance.

Let's turn this the other way around. Let's picture Satan in the body of Gideon. Satan uses his armies to encircle the camp of God's church. Their eyes are on us. Many churches fall because they aren't unified! Many churches split over a mere issue. But Paul encourages the believers to be unified, as they "stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith." How sad that much time and effort is lost in some churches by fighting against one another instead of uniting against the real opposition! It takes a courageous and conquering church to resist in-fighting and maintain the common purpose of serving Christ.

Lord Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your great love that You have lavished on us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I pray that Your church continues to grow in the faith. Please lead Your church in the right direction according to Your Word. Indeed, Satan has been working extremely hard to cause trouble among the church and I pray that we will keep alert and together stand firm as conquerors of the faith. Let us do a "war-cry", as a church together, against Satan's counter-attack. Lord, if there's anyone in Your church that's self-seeking with a desire to cause more harm than good in Your church, I pray that such person will repent and take his/her stand with us. Otherwise, we know You will judge such person because you gave us a sign that such person will be destroyed. Lastly, I pray that every Christian will be a "NIKE MAN"! Let's SWOOSH Satan! Lord, we embrace You and Your Son forever. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Training For The Christian Life

As a great amount of training is needed for athletic activities, so we must train diligently for the Christian life. Such training takes time, dedication, energy, continued practice and vision. We must all commit ourselves to the Christian life, but we must first know the rules as prescribed in God's Word.

"Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules." 2 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)

I encourage you to open your Bible and find these verses:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27:
Metaphor: RACE
Training: Go into strict training in order to get the prize.
Goal: We train ourselves to run the race of life. So we keep our eyes on Christ - the goal - and don't get sidetracked or slowed down. When we do this, we will win a reward.

Philippians 3:13-14:
Metaphor: RACE
Training: Focus all your energies toward winning the race.
Goal: Living the Christian life demands all of our energy. We can forget the past and strain for the goal because we know Christ promises eternity with him at the race's end.

1 Timothy 4:7-10:
Metaphor: EXERCISE
Training: Spiritual exercise will help you grow in faith and character.
Goal: As we must repeat exercises to tone our bodies, so we must steadily repeat spiritual exercises to be spiritually fit. When we do this, we will be toned Christians, living in accordance with God's will.

2 Timothy 4:7-8:
Metaphor: FIGHT, RACE
Training: Fighting the good fight and persevering to the end.
Goal: The Christian life is a fight against evil forces from without and temptation from within. If we stay true to God through it all, he promises an end, a rest, and a crown!

Sometimes, trying to live a perfect Christian life can be so difficult that it leaves us drained and discouraged. We may feel so far from perfect that we can never please God with our lives. Paul used perfect (2 Timothy 3:12) to mean mature or complete, not flawless in every detail. Those who are mature should press on in the Holy Spirit's power, knowing that christ will reveal and fill in any discrepancies between what we are and what we should be. There is no excuse for a lagging devotion, and Christ provides relief and assurance for those who feel driven.

Pray for our Nation

1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NIV)
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and on mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all men - the testimony given in its proper time."

Tomorrow is the day when America will place their votes! I urge you to get down on your knees and pray to our Lord for our leaders (Govenors, Senators, politicians, Judicial Court and President), and plead God's mercy and love upon them. Many issues that have been discussed are at stake. We urge you to be in prayer for this process, as well as for the leaders of our world. We want God's will to be done, His Word to be spread, and His people to be used to glorify Him.

Let's pray, Oh Lord, we thank You for the freedom we have to worship You in this world! We want to extend our hearts to those who do not have such freedom to praise You in other countries. Pray that Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We know You can choose a terrible leader for our nation to show us the sins America is swimming in. This way, You will help America see a great need to restore themselves to You! We know You are in control of everything in life and You choose for us the right leader to lead our nation so we live peaceful and quiet lives in godliness and holiness. In Jesus' Name, Amen!