Sacred Sunday

Christianity is based on the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord's Son, Jesus Christ.  How do you know Jesus?   How do we develop our Faith around a God whom we cannot see, a God-become-man who fits the stuff of legends, and a Holy Spirit that appears to move much more subtly in modern times?  We know these things to be true because of the Holy Bible- the Scriptures.  Christianity accepts the Word of God in its entirety, not a select few passages that give you a "good feeling."  The Living Word, the Bible, is meant to both uplift you, challenge you, convict you, and draw you closer to Him. 

It is time, dear Christians, to grasp the Bible, defend it against those who seek to water it down, and share it with those who are thirsty for the Truth.  Hide His Word in your heart, commit it to memory, read it, recite it, share it, and do not allow false Christians to muddy its message.

Hebrews 4 v 12-16
¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Matthew 4 v 1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
 ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

John 1 v 5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

2 Timothy 3 v 10-17
¹⁰ You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹ persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³ while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

And so I leave with you this final, emphasized verse from the last passage:
2 Timothy 3 v 16
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness,"

The Christian's Creed

The Christian’s Creed (modern adaptation of the Apostle’s Creed)

By Christina Borden

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
who is big enough, wise enough, detailed enough, powerful enough to single-handedly be the Creator of all creation, the earth, the stars, and the universe.

I believe in the one and only Jesus Christ, who is the one God's only Son, our Lord,
who left His Father’s side, came to our level, and who was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
He was born a common man of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered hatred, disdain, and disbelief under the hands of his own people and under Pontius Pilate.
He was brutally tortured, and hung on a criminal’s cross. He died and was buried.
He descended to the depths of Hell where He paid for the sins of all mankind.
On the third day, He rose again in Victory over the price of sin- death.
He ascended into Heaven, where He is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
On a day unknown to man, He will return to judge, as only He can, both those still alive and those who have perished.

I believe in the Holy Spirit who acts to empower me to accomplish His will and intercedes for me when my soul cries out to God.
I believe in the Holy Bible as the infallible and Living Word of God in its entirety.
I believe in the Christian Church, as a body of believers in Christ that calls on and accepts Him alone as its Savior.

I believe in the fellowship of Christians for encouragement, admonishment, accountability, and discipleship so that we may glorify Him in all we say and do.
I believe in the continual forgiveness of sins; He forgave me, so I will strive to forgive others.
I believe in the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of the body knowing as a Christian I may spend eternal life, so unlike this mortal life, with Him in Heaven.
I believe Christians are lead by example to love one another and to draw others to the Truth of the Christian faith.

I believe Christians who truly believe will be condemned, seen as outcasts, and ridiculed for adhering to an unwatered-down belief system in a world that seeks to inundate it with half-truths, political correctness, ignorance, and empty promises.
I believe no promises, no wealth, and no good fortune during this short life will equal the promises of eternal life with the Triune God.
I believe no matter how distorted the world tries to make Christianity appear, the true basis, the true foundations, and the true faith of the few will be enough to keep Christianity strong.

Corresponding Bible verses:
1 Cor. 12:14
1 Cor. 15:17
1 Peter 2:9
1 Peter 3:21-25
1 Thessalonians 5:21
2 Cor. 5:21
Acts 2:24
Col. 2:12
Deuteronomy 18:21-22
Gal. 2:20
Gal. 5:22-23
Heb. 4:15-16
Heb. 9:27
Hosea 4:6
Isa. 52:13-53:12
Isa. 7:14
Isaiah 1:18
John 1:14
John 16:8-14
John 17:16
John 5:16-27; 17:1-26
Jude 3
Luke 15:13
Matthew 6:9
Phil. 3:20
Ps. 8:1-3
Rom 4:22
Rom. 1:20
Rom. 1:4

Confusing Christianity

Reposted from 2008, a note I posted on my Facebook page.  However, due to recent events, this subject matter is still incredibly relevant.   It is intended to challenge you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Recently, I have been part of a couple conversations that really set me back on my heals. I have had these types of conversations before, and have steered clear of speaking Truth even though every fiber in me is screaming out at the lies that these people are clinging to.


First... When you say that you are a Christian, what is it you base that on? Is this merely a title that you claim because you were raised in church, or because it was the popular thing growing up and its a safe label to hide behind? Or do you TRULY know Him and He dwells within your heart?

Second... Because if you claim to be a Christian, then HE will not accept untruths. There will be no doubt that the Bible IS the Word of God. Not just parts of it... ALL of it. It's not a book of famous quotes that you get to pick and choose what fits best with YOUR own philosophy; it is HIS desire for us, HIS direction and guidance for us, HIS challenge and HIS TRUTH that will bare our souls and convince us and draw us closer to HIM and away from ourselves.


Third... Because you claim to be a Christian, and you KNOW that the Bible is His Word, BECAUSE He dwells within you, you cannot claim that you believe there is more than one way to Heaven because the Holy Spirit within you will not let you say so without a bitter taste in your mouth and strong conviction of the Truth in your heart.

Fourth... Because you are a Christian, you will see your own flaws and you will feel guilt over them but you will also KNOW hope, peace, forgiveness, and love and will be able to share those things with others. Because you have Him in your heart, you will see the Truth, and even though you may struggle against it and may rant against it, you will know deep down in your secretest of places that He will not be denied. No false prophet will be able to hold you long if the Holy Spirit is within you. No false teachers will be able to sway you from the Truth with promises and temptations of all those worldly desires because the Word of God will reveal their lies, and as a Christian, even if you have never read the Bible cover to cover, His Word also dwells in you, and those lies will sit heavy in your heart.

If you are truly a Christian, these things will be true for you.

If you merely claim to be a Christian, what I have shared will be as lies and judgment to you and will offend you. I will not apologize for this offense. I will pray that He makes His presence known to you. And I will hope that if offense is taken that along with it will be the desire to seek out for yourself if I am really wrong. Question the points I have made (not me) by seeking out the answers for yourself. Seek Him out in prayer. Open up that Bible that you are convinced is antiquated and half-fiction and seek out ways to prove the facts above wrong. I challenge you to seek His face and tell Him that He is not the only way to eternal life, that His Word is not the Living Word, that His eternal promises are somehow also for this earthly life. Confront Him! I dare you.

((This is not up for debate.  There is nothing to defend... This is Truth))

Musical Monday

 

The song I have chosen for this week is dedicated to the men and women I personally know who are struggling through deployments, moves, separations from family, separations from spouses, divorces, and deaths.

 

HE said... 

 

Do you remember what HE said?

 

The struggle does not mean He has left you.  The pain is real.  The sadness is real.  But there is Hope!  He offers Peace!

 

He offers His hand and wants to carry you through it.

 

He wants to see you become better and stronger on the other side.

 

God Bless You!

Sacred Sunday

Psalm 12

A psalm of David.

¹ Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore;
those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
² Everyone lies to their neighbor;
they flatter with their lips
but harbor deception in their hearts.

³ May the Lord silence all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue—
⁴ those who say,
“By our tongues we will prevail;
our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”

⁵ “Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan,
I will now arise,” says the Lord.
“I will protect them from those who malign them.”
⁶ And the words of the Lord are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times.

⁷ You, Lord, will keep the needy safe
and will protect us forever from the wicked,
⁸ who freely strut about
when what is vile is honored by the human race.

Musical Monday

Sing along...  What a beautiful song of praise and admiration!  An incredible way to start the week!

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?
And who told the ocean you can only come this far?
And who showed the moon where to hide till evening?
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Chorus:
Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testifies
This life within me cries
I know my Redeemer lives

Ye-e-eah
The very same God
That spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory

Now I know, my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I-I-I know
My Redeemer

He lives
To take away my shame
And He lives
Forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sins
Was the precious life He gave
And now He's alive and
There's an empty
Grave!

And I know
My Redeemer lives
He lives
I know
My Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I-I-I know my Redeemer

I know
My Redeemer lives
*I know my Redeemer lives*

Sacred Sunday

Are you thirsting for more?  Quench your thirst with His Word!  Here is a letter of encouragement!

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
² Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
³ Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
a ruler and commander of the peoples.
⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.”

⁶ Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
¹² You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”

~Isaiah 55