What's up dudes? me, i'm sittin here watching 300...getting absolutely fired up, and packing for a long season...hopefully longer than most. My topic today is inspired by a Bible study that i'm in right now. I'll will be writing of The Traits of a Legacy Builder and "What does it take to be the Real Deal"? Guys i came up with as examples right out of the shoot were athletes: Smoltz, Peavy, Jordan, Tiger. Then i thought of Godly real deals:Ravi Zacharia, Rick Warren, Billy Graham, and Joe Stowell.
Here are some of the traits of being defined as the REAL DEAL: unselfishness, servanthood, sacrifice. We are called to be unselfish players, and servant leaders on Gods team as well as ours. Real leaders lead the way by going first, by going further, and by giving maximal sacrifice. Just like Leonidas. Well...when you put it that way...guess who defined that best? Jesus Christ. He was the perfect servant leader.
Studs...are we making our teamates the most important on the team or are we making ourselves that way. God has given us an ultimate playbook called the Bible. He has given us a Mentor in Jesus and he has given us teamates and coaches that we can desciple and teach with our walk as Christian servant leaders.
So, sounds good...sounds easy...but heres the challenge. To lay aside our selfish ambition and needs and follow Him. Again, that sounds easy but to do this it takes total Trust in God. And in doing so we must not try to Control Him. Sometimes, most times actually, i think i'm in perfect control of everything...what an idiot. We must be obedient, and properly use the tools he has given us. He wants us to succeed to give Him glory on the best platform.
Instead of focusing on what we want...i wonder if its possible to focus on helping others. Is it possible to treat others just as Christ would treat them? It'll be hard thats for sure...but heres to trying and heres to the process.
-waino
PS.. we do that....and we'll be The Real Deal in Gods eyes...and that is all that matters.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
God Made me Fast, and when I Run I Feel God's Pleasure
Have any of you seen the movie Chariots of Fire? It is a true story about two English men in the early twentieth century who were Olympic runners. Eric Liddell was a Christian who was also a runner. Harold Abrahams was a runner, that's it. That was who he was. In fact, that was his life. It was his identity.
Have you ever met someone, who wrapped up all that they were in baseball. Everything else took second place including God. Normally, not always, these players are kind of high strung, on edge, as if their life depended on going 3 for 3 because the big dogs were watching, or who have their whole identity so wrapped up in baseball that they obsess over their ERA. Every night tallying up the numbers to see where their numbers were. They are the ones who show up the shortstop who kicked the ball with two outs and as a result you gave up four runs and were pulled that same inning. They might act like team players, but deep down they are me-monsters, because baseball is their god and they don't like to disappoint their god. By the way, I am all up in this illustration as many of you know. This was Harold Abrahams. This was the opposite of Eric Liddell.
Back to the story. There was a point in the movie where Harold said that his next ten seconds were going to define his life. He was about to run the hundred in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Everything about who he was was riding on those next ten seconds. What a tragedy! Do you think he enjoyed the journey? No way! He was probably a wreck!
Now let's look at my man Eric Liddell. Eric, by the way, refused to run on Sundays, which cost him medals and his reputation. Anyways, Eric's sister was a missionary in China and was annoyed that Eric would waste his time running. She knew he was called to the mission field in China, so one day she had had enough and confronted Eric about this. She asked him (my paraphrase), "why in the world are you fooling around with this kid's stuff when there are kingdom things to be done?"
Listen to Eric's words and let them sink deep within your soul (actual quote), "God made me fast, and when I run I feel God's pleasure." One of the greatest quotes of all time! How did Eric reach the highest level of track & field and win a gold and a silver medal? Because in his life God was God and running was just a means to bring Him glory and pleasure.
May all of you who are still playing get to the point where you can say, "God made me a pitcher, and when I pitch I feel God's pleasure." "God made me a hitter, and when I hit I feel God's pleasure." May all the rest of us get to that same point in whatever God has gifted us to do.
Have you ever met someone, who wrapped up all that they were in baseball. Everything else took second place including God. Normally, not always, these players are kind of high strung, on edge, as if their life depended on going 3 for 3 because the big dogs were watching, or who have their whole identity so wrapped up in baseball that they obsess over their ERA. Every night tallying up the numbers to see where their numbers were. They are the ones who show up the shortstop who kicked the ball with two outs and as a result you gave up four runs and were pulled that same inning. They might act like team players, but deep down they are me-monsters, because baseball is their god and they don't like to disappoint their god. By the way, I am all up in this illustration as many of you know. This was Harold Abrahams. This was the opposite of Eric Liddell.
Back to the story. There was a point in the movie where Harold said that his next ten seconds were going to define his life. He was about to run the hundred in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Everything about who he was was riding on those next ten seconds. What a tragedy! Do you think he enjoyed the journey? No way! He was probably a wreck!
Now let's look at my man Eric Liddell. Eric, by the way, refused to run on Sundays, which cost him medals and his reputation. Anyways, Eric's sister was a missionary in China and was annoyed that Eric would waste his time running. She knew he was called to the mission field in China, so one day she had had enough and confronted Eric about this. She asked him (my paraphrase), "why in the world are you fooling around with this kid's stuff when there are kingdom things to be done?"
Listen to Eric's words and let them sink deep within your soul (actual quote), "God made me fast, and when I run I feel God's pleasure." One of the greatest quotes of all time! How did Eric reach the highest level of track & field and win a gold and a silver medal? Because in his life God was God and running was just a means to bring Him glory and pleasure.
May all of you who are still playing get to the point where you can say, "God made me a pitcher, and when I pitch I feel God's pleasure." "God made me a hitter, and when I hit I feel God's pleasure." May all the rest of us get to that same point in whatever God has gifted us to do.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Just Do It
Hey, this just came to me so I wanted to bring it up. We started earlier last week to talk about what we can do to reach out to those in need in our communities and now we've moved into more theological debates. Now don't get me wrong here because I'm possibly the biggest fan of anyone here of Biblical wisdom and theological discussions. For that reason alone, I was surprised that this message was laid on my heart so strongly. I strongly feel that I am supposed to right this message to keep us from being distracted. First, I want to say that let's please continue the revelations study because I'm really loving every bit of it. I just want to add to it by continuing to discuss what we each can do to start some kind of e-fellowship ministry. We got so close to getting something started with the sleeping bag idea and the baseball camp idea and talking about Nolan's thing that maybe Satan is glad that our attention got diverted to a theological discussion. Satan would much rather us be hearers and talkers of the Word as opposed to being doers of the Word. So let's keep both topics (Revelations & e-Fellowship Ministry) going side by side. Should we all pick a day and actually carry out the sleeping bag idea on the same day but in our own cities? That might be kinda cool to know that we're all doing the same mission work but in several different cities at the same time? What can we do guys? Let's do something.
-TEvans
-TEvans
Preparing For Eternity (part 3)
Preparing For Eternity (Part 3)
So on Sunday we saw how God will pour out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world (chapter 8 and 9),that is what chapters 6-19 basically cover (there really is no basic about it because there is so much detail but it is hard to interpret by ourselves). I will try to scratch the surface and get us through 19 so bare with me.
Chapter 10 is a sunnier chapter that follows 9’s dark and dismal setting. We have an angel come down from Heaven (has taken on many of God’s attributes because he has been with Him for so long) and a rainbow is on his head.
Revelation 10:1 “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head…”
Verse 4 brings about much speculation but we need to understand a few things.
Revelation 10:4 “And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.”
Why would he (John) mention something and then not explain or tell us? The Seven day Adventists and Mormons have a lot to say about these thunders sealed message, but in my book that is adding to the script because my Bible (all Bibles) is mute on this point. Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to Me, says the Lord.” So here is Jon Courson’s stance on the blessing of not knowing what the thunders said.
Not knowing keeps us:
Humble- we are humble when we don’t know everything, pride is a beast and usually shows up in a guy with a wealth of knowledge “know it all”, don’t they erkk you! Sadly that can be me to often.
Useful- keeps us focused on what He has blessed us with knowing, “stay focused man!”
Stable- God gives us a peace that passes our understanding (Phillipians 4:7 /thanks Blake). Focus on Him and we have peace but when we try to figure the world out we have anxiety.
Chapter 11 – about the halfway point of the tribulation
Revelation 11:1 “…rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.” This implies that the temple (4th) will be rebuilt at least before the middle of the tribulation. Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” This verse is introducing the fact that there will be two witnesses on the earth who will be doing major work for the kingdom, hollering out “Repent and be saved”. If you read on you see that God gives them great authority and power to bring down plagues and shoot fire from their mouth to devour their opposition. So you can imagine that all the pagans (non-believers on earth) will hate these two (I have been taught they will be Elijah and Moses) witnesses for convicting people and bringing in intense plagues. Verse 7 we see Satan come from out of the bottomless pit and battle these two (like Darth Vador verse Obie One) and be victorious. The witnesses then will lie dead in the street for 3 ½ days while the inhabitants of the earth party all around them, rejoicing that the devil killed them. Then in verse 11 God’s spirit enters them and they stand up infront of a crowd of people only to have a voice from heaven say “Come up here”. Prompted by the Spirit and the voice they ascend to heaven miraculously blowing the onlookers minds, can you imagine? The chapter goes on to convey God’s wrath through an earthquake, lightning storms, and hail storms. The people who corrupt and pollute the earth will be destroyed while the witnesses who serve God will be saved. Unfortunately in verse 18 we read that “and the nations were angry” implying that instead of worshipping God for His power and sovereignty they are mad and hate Him, weird.
Well I failed at getting us to chapter 19 and you can see why, Revelation is filled with too much meat. I don’t want to fill you all up too much it takes time to digest this stuff. I once again hope you all are enjoying this. There is a powerful witness in being able to explain the contents of this book and like Tyler said, we will all be blessed for reading it (Rev 1:3).
So on Sunday we saw how God will pour out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world (chapter 8 and 9),that is what chapters 6-19 basically cover (there really is no basic about it because there is so much detail but it is hard to interpret by ourselves). I will try to scratch the surface and get us through 19 so bare with me.
Chapter 10 is a sunnier chapter that follows 9’s dark and dismal setting. We have an angel come down from Heaven (has taken on many of God’s attributes because he has been with Him for so long) and a rainbow is on his head.
Revelation 10:1 “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head…”
Verse 4 brings about much speculation but we need to understand a few things.
Revelation 10:4 “And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.”
Why would he (John) mention something and then not explain or tell us? The Seven day Adventists and Mormons have a lot to say about these thunders sealed message, but in my book that is adding to the script because my Bible (all Bibles) is mute on this point. Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to Me, says the Lord.” So here is Jon Courson’s stance on the blessing of not knowing what the thunders said.
Not knowing keeps us:
Humble- we are humble when we don’t know everything, pride is a beast and usually shows up in a guy with a wealth of knowledge “know it all”, don’t they erkk you! Sadly that can be me to often.
Useful- keeps us focused on what He has blessed us with knowing, “stay focused man!”
Stable- God gives us a peace that passes our understanding (Phillipians 4:7 /thanks Blake). Focus on Him and we have peace but when we try to figure the world out we have anxiety.
Chapter 11 – about the halfway point of the tribulation
Revelation 11:1 “…rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.” This implies that the temple (4th) will be rebuilt at least before the middle of the tribulation. Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” This verse is introducing the fact that there will be two witnesses on the earth who will be doing major work for the kingdom, hollering out “Repent and be saved”. If you read on you see that God gives them great authority and power to bring down plagues and shoot fire from their mouth to devour their opposition. So you can imagine that all the pagans (non-believers on earth) will hate these two (I have been taught they will be Elijah and Moses) witnesses for convicting people and bringing in intense plagues. Verse 7 we see Satan come from out of the bottomless pit and battle these two (like Darth Vador verse Obie One) and be victorious. The witnesses then will lie dead in the street for 3 ½ days while the inhabitants of the earth party all around them, rejoicing that the devil killed them. Then in verse 11 God’s spirit enters them and they stand up infront of a crowd of people only to have a voice from heaven say “Come up here”. Prompted by the Spirit and the voice they ascend to heaven miraculously blowing the onlookers minds, can you imagine? The chapter goes on to convey God’s wrath through an earthquake, lightning storms, and hail storms. The people who corrupt and pollute the earth will be destroyed while the witnesses who serve God will be saved. Unfortunately in verse 18 we read that “and the nations were angry” implying that instead of worshipping God for His power and sovereignty they are mad and hate Him, weird.
Well I failed at getting us to chapter 19 and you can see why, Revelation is filled with too much meat. I don’t want to fill you all up too much it takes time to digest this stuff. I once again hope you all are enjoying this. There is a powerful witness in being able to explain the contents of this book and like Tyler said, we will all be blessed for reading it (Rev 1:3).
Great Quotes on Honesty
Here are a few quotes from godly men to go along with Blake's excellent post.
"No honest man ever repented of his honesty." - Anon.
"If faith does not make a man honest, it is not an honest faith." - C.H. Spurgeon
"One's mere word should be as trustworthy as a signed agreement attested by legal witnesses." - Curtis Vaughan
"No honest man ever repented of his honesty." - Anon.
"If faith does not make a man honest, it is not an honest faith." - C.H. Spurgeon
"One's mere word should be as trustworthy as a signed agreement attested by legal witnesses." - Curtis Vaughan
Monday, January 26, 2009
Be a man of your word.
"Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will', or 'No, I won't.' Anything beyond this is from the evil one."-Matthew 5:37 NLT
"But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earthy or with any other oath. But let your 'yes' be 'yes,' and your 'no,' 'no,' lest you fall into judgement." -James 5:12 NKJV
"When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said."- Numbers 30:2 NIV
"Or if a soul swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsover it be that a man shall pronounce with an oath, and it be hid from him:when he knoweth of it, then he shall be guilty in one of these." -Leviticus 5:4 KJV
"Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool." -Proverbs 19:1 NLT
"Yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant He had made with David..." -2 Chronicles 21:7 NKJV
"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men that are truthful." -Proverbs 12:22 NIV
"Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy. So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body." -Ephesians 4:24-25 NLT
Truth is in God's word. Sorry for the late bread...
Dailey I commend you for being a light to me and being a man of your word. You walk it brethren!
Blake
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Preparing for Eternity, Part Deux
Fellas,
I love this subject, but I also know how daunting it can be. I am going to play this like an artist in concert. I will give you something you like (radio hit), then you give me something I like (side B garage lost single). So, this post will keep things splashy and normal, then on part 4 I think things are going to get weird.
Revelations is extremely complicated with so much sssssyybolism of lions with 7 heads and crowns and beasts with 7 horns and white robes and doom and gloom. It becomes very easy to tune out and head back to John 3:16 for your comfort scrip. The verse in the bible that keeps me coming back to tough interpretations is 2 Cor 4: 8-10..."we are perplexed, but not in despair" Yes, the bible is tough at times to fully comprehend and it is easy to get bogged down in theories and texts. But, we must remember that this is not in despair or waste. Or how about this scrip to keep you coming back (Rev 1:3) "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near". Wow! That is an intimidating text. We might be confused, but we aren't lost. Keep your heart, 3 stacks. Keep your heart.
Ok, onto where Jules left off (or where I'm taking this) CAN CHRISTIANS BECOME TOO HEAVENLY-MINDED?
The short answer is NO CHANCE! This is what we are called to do says Paul (Col 3:2) "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things"
Jules hit on Revelations 3: 10-11, which is our greatest promise from the Lord, "...since you have kept my command, I will keep you from the hour of trial...." ( I will talk about a snippet of that trial in closing of this post)
This is the dilemma that happens to many of us when we become Christians. We get the message, it finally rings true and we sit on it. We forget to share the good news. We just found a new toy and don't want anybody to play with it yet, not yet... let me hold it for awhile until I'm ready. Or we might get caught up in escapism. Or, the idea of just sitting in your rocking chair and waiting for the rapture. You got the message, it was right there for everyone else. Might as well not stress over this world, right?
Sorry kids, we don't get to do that as warriors of the Word. We are called to get the good news out. That is our job while we are here. Take this sentence to heart, "We don't escape this life by dreaming of heaven, but endure this life because of the certainty of heaven"
Ok, I say that to remind you to be thankful for the time God gave you to turn from sin. We need to use that time to work to help others turn as well. I want to wrap this up by showing you some of the horrors that await non-believers to jump start your drive to help out that co-worker, teammate, parent, sibling less they have to go through this.
Sounding the 7 trumpets...please, please don't skip this. Gotta open your bibles to Revelations 8:6-12 about the first 4 trumpets. I'll wait....ok now read on to 13. Those weren't even the bad ones if you can believe it. One point I want to make is that the next 3 horns cause spiritual harm. It talks of the "inhabitants" of the earth. I think these inhabitants are the non believers. There will be believers created immediately after the Rapture. Can you imagine being someone who went to church and went through the motions, but never believed? When you see people disappearing it is going to give you a quick realization that Jesus is real and things are about to get terrible. But, with the last 3 trumpets I don't think that the believers left on earth go through them because God has guaranteed believers protection from spiritual harm (Rev 7: 2,3)
Revelations 9:5-6 (speaking of the 'locusts' from the Abyss. Most believe these are demons) "There were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them."
A sobering lesson for us that feel strong in our faith, but haven't spoken up to that certain someone that is on our minds. The person that we KNOW if they died today would not be heading to paradise.
I remember reading chapters 8 and 9 of Revelations and having to put the bible down and take a second at how scary it was and how relentless the Judgement was.
I don't know where Jules wants to go from here. I was all over the place on this one. If you are confused or want to expand on a certain part of Revelations after reading it a little, hit up a comment and Jules can run with it or I can in part 4. I know there is always debate on the Tribulation, Birth Pangs, Daniel prophecy connection, 144,000 saved, Olivet Discourse, etc...
ONE.
Ty
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday Night Live...in Him
Alright, so my 21 day fast and read is almost over. today was the last day, and let me tell you something...the devil is alive and menacing. My wife Jenny and I gave up fried foods. As i said before, it doesn't sound like much but the south is a fried food culture. Never in my life have i been presented with so many chances to eat something fried. At one restaurant the owner even went as far as to surprise us with an appetizer...usually very welcomed, but he brought out a plate of tempura fried snapper with a sweet and sour glaze. I had to let that beautiful appy sit on the table as i told him thankyou but i would have to pass....and i sorta felt like i had kicked his puppy. But, as my wife reminds me, it was also an opportunity to tell him why we were takin a pass on his generocity. We as Christians are to be bold with our faith and not shy away from opportunities to grow the Kingdom. Not to be overlooked in this experience was the routine that my wife and i got into. As i said, we read a chapter of John everyday of the fast and although it seems kinda amateur, we found it kinda enlightening. Its not that we haven't read John before, its that we enjoyed the accountability of the whole process. It was kinda cool to say no to all the fried foods...and each night the first question we asked each other as we climbed in bed was "Did you read yet". Just five minutes ago she asked me what book we were going to read next. I'm fired up for this time in our marriage. We are growing closer to God together, and closer to each other in the process. Here is the final line of the book of John25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. John 21:25 Jesus is doing so many things in our lives ...the most we can give him is a few minutes a night.
just sayin
waino
just sayin
waino
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Great Exchange
"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:21
What this verse is talking about is what theologians call, "The Great Exchange." Christ took upon himself our sin, and in exchange we received his perfect righteousness. How does this transaction take place, by faith, not by works. This is the pure, unadulterated Gospel at its best. This is what we are to shout from the rooftops! In Christ there is reconciliation with God! In Christ there is forgiveness of sins! In Christ we are we are regarded by God the Father as righteous! No condemnation! No shame! No guilt! Christ took it all!
Why did he do it? This verse says, "For our sake." Who's initiative was this wonderful plan? Some would say Jesus because the Father is an angry Judge who Jesus finally convinced to go through with the plan. Wrong! It was the Father's initiative. The verse say "he made him." Who is he? The Father.
Jesus knew no sin the verse goes on to say. Has there ever been a time in your life where you were mistreated unjustly. I remember to this day my first night in Peoria with the Chiefs. We had a banquet to kick off the season and our fearless leader, Joe C., who frequented the titty bar nightly we came to find out, started introducing all the players. It was a dark and spooky banquet hall across from our hotel. Think "The Shining." Anyways, he rattles off all the position players names, talkin 'em up, feeding there egos and he doesn't call my name (middle infielder). So I think maybe he will get me after the pitchers and so he goes through the pitchers and then the show is over. Everybody around me begins to look around awkwardly, while my host family is wondering whether I am really a player. So, to make a long story short, someone whispers in his ear, "you left out Tyler," and he then talks about how happy he is I'm on the team....REAL HAPPY. Yeah right.
It was embarrassing, I felt wronged, and I felt I wasn't taken seriously. But I am still a sinner. I have done the same to others before. "He made him who had no sin," the verse says. Jesus was sinless. Of all the people in the world who deserved better it was him. But he was spit on, stripped naked, beaten to a bloody pulp, laughed at, mocked, put to shame. What worse, it was on a cross. The was shameful death you could die. Why did he not call down ten thousand angels and destroy these people, and make them pay for putting to shame the one who created them and will judge them in the end? The answer: for our sake he didn't. That is for those who repent and believe in him for their salvation.
For his sheep, he bore there sins upon that bloody cross, but he did more, he gave us his perfect righteousness. We have become the righteousness of God.
Let's now live like it.
- Durham
What this verse is talking about is what theologians call, "The Great Exchange." Christ took upon himself our sin, and in exchange we received his perfect righteousness. How does this transaction take place, by faith, not by works. This is the pure, unadulterated Gospel at its best. This is what we are to shout from the rooftops! In Christ there is reconciliation with God! In Christ there is forgiveness of sins! In Christ we are we are regarded by God the Father as righteous! No condemnation! No shame! No guilt! Christ took it all!
Why did he do it? This verse says, "For our sake." Who's initiative was this wonderful plan? Some would say Jesus because the Father is an angry Judge who Jesus finally convinced to go through with the plan. Wrong! It was the Father's initiative. The verse say "he made him." Who is he? The Father.
Jesus knew no sin the verse goes on to say. Has there ever been a time in your life where you were mistreated unjustly. I remember to this day my first night in Peoria with the Chiefs. We had a banquet to kick off the season and our fearless leader, Joe C., who frequented the titty bar nightly we came to find out, started introducing all the players. It was a dark and spooky banquet hall across from our hotel. Think "The Shining." Anyways, he rattles off all the position players names, talkin 'em up, feeding there egos and he doesn't call my name (middle infielder). So I think maybe he will get me after the pitchers and so he goes through the pitchers and then the show is over. Everybody around me begins to look around awkwardly, while my host family is wondering whether I am really a player. So, to make a long story short, someone whispers in his ear, "you left out Tyler," and he then talks about how happy he is I'm on the team....REAL HAPPY. Yeah right.
It was embarrassing, I felt wronged, and I felt I wasn't taken seriously. But I am still a sinner. I have done the same to others before. "He made him who had no sin," the verse says. Jesus was sinless. Of all the people in the world who deserved better it was him. But he was spit on, stripped naked, beaten to a bloody pulp, laughed at, mocked, put to shame. What worse, it was on a cross. The was shameful death you could die. Why did he not call down ten thousand angels and destroy these people, and make them pay for putting to shame the one who created them and will judge them in the end? The answer: for our sake he didn't. That is for those who repent and believe in him for their salvation.
For his sheep, he bore there sins upon that bloody cross, but he did more, he gave us his perfect righteousness. We have become the righteousness of God.
Let's now live like it.
- Durham
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Mission Advice
I just got through reading "Under The Overpass" by Mike Yankoski which has given me great insight and conviction towards helping the poor and the homeless. Basically, this author, Mike, and his buddy Sam decide to live the life of two homeless men for about 6 months. They take nothing with them but their guitars and the clothes on their backs and travel to 5 different US cities as homeless men. The are forced to panhandle, sleep outside buildings, and eat from the dumpster at times. They were able to take two showers during this entire journey. A little crazy, I know, but they forced themselves into a extreme situation where they were forced to trust in their Lord for daily provision much like the Israelites were forced to do during their 40 years in the wilderness. They learned a lot about themselves through this journey and met some very interesting people. They also obviously learned what its like to look at society and the church through the lens of a homeless man. Anyway, I'm done selling this book to you guys but I wanted to include some advice that they gave toward the end of the book that may help us with our mission work.
1. Do more than just give some homeless man some cash because you don't want to be supporting any alcohol or drug habit he might have. No surprise that tons of people on the street have temptations they struggle with just like us. However, in light of the situation, their temptations are more obvious to the everyday observer.
2. "Go downtown with a friend or friends (never go alone). Buy cups of coffee or a bag of take-out food, find a homeless person sitting around asking for money, share your gifts, and enjoy a conversation. No agenda, no plans, no purpose other than to be with that person. You'll be amazed at what unfolds." - they found that more than anything most homeless people enjoy a simple gesture or acknowledgment of their existence. they are ignored over and over again day after day that whenever someone takes time to treat them like a normal human being it brightens their day. this should be a no-brainer but how many times have we ignored the guy on the corner instead of smiling and saying hello?
3. "Is it cold outside? Go to your closet and grab the sweater, sweatshirt, or coat you keep telling yourself you'll wear sometime but know you won't. Call up four friends and tell them to do the same thing. Then go downtown and hand out your warm clothing to the men or women huddled under the overpass or in a doorway."
4. Become a spokesperson in your community and church for those who have no voice. Be relentlessly suspicious of your comfortable life, and of the comfort zones that render so many Christian fellowships insensitive and ineffective in our communities. God calls us to do more than talk."
I could keep going but this is already longer than most of you may like so I'll wrap it up. Lets turn e-fellowship into a ministry that reaches out to the hungry and the needy. We also have a valuable resource in Nolan and his ministry to reach out to those living less comfortably than we are. Nolan can use our help in many different areas of his ministry. His doing big things so lets follow in his footsteps. I'm also thinking that as we do something like Tyler's sleeping bag mission lets talk about what we did and how it went. I'm not saying we should add up our fruit but lets talk about what we've done and what we're doing in a way that encourages all of us to keep doing more. Ok, we can continue this conversation later since I've talked enough. I love you guys. Thank you Jesus!
-TEvans
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Preparing for Eternity
Preparing for Eternity
Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work God does from the beginning to the end.”
God has put a yearning for eternity in all of our hearts; it gives us hope for more because this world often seems so shallow and broken. We all sense that there is something more after this life and we may not be able to describe why that is but we sure can feel it. The worst fear that I have for many non-believing friends (praise God I no longer have to worry about some closest to me) is that they will die and not have prepared themselves for eternity. The focus of this study is eternity and how God’s word is real and He has given us ample information on how to prepare and what to expect when the end times are coming. It isn’t possible for me to cover all of Revelation but I wanted to touch on some of it. This book scares a lot of people because they say it is so difficult to understand but the word itself (revelation) means the unveiling, the revealing. God has blessed men with an understanding of these scriptures and fortunately I have been blessed with a Bible commentary that is pretty good with it.
Chapter 1- discusses the reality of the Resurrected Christ.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” … “who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Chapter 2-3 – Things which are, Jesus gives seven messages to seven churches, wherein lies the chronological flow of church history from the beginning of the early church to the present.
Revelation 2:11 “…He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” This is talking about the great white throne judgment for the non-believers who rejected Christ and because of their actions they will cast to outer darkness away from God forever (Rev 20:6-15).
Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept My command to preserve, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Believers will be raptured to heaven and not have to endure the trials of the tribulation (seven year period where antichrist rises to power on earth).
Chapters 4-5 – Things which shall be hereafter… The church is raptured and taken to heaven for a seven-year “honeymoon” with the Lord.
Revelation 4:1 (part D) “Come up here…” This verse helps support the verse from Thessalonians (4:16-18) which explains that the believers will be brought up to heaven in the clouds to meet with the Lord. I can’t wait to hear Him say “Come up here”, I know I’m going and so should this group. Heaven is real and so is hell, we all need a savior to save us from ourselves and give us a pass to fly with Jesus in heaven for that honeymoon (7 years) and then to reign on earth for eternity, more on that later.
This is the 1st of a four part series that Tyler Parker and I are going to do on the end times and Revelation. So look forward to Sunday like I am to hear what God is going to speak through Parker. I hope this is intriguing to all of you.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work God does from the beginning to the end.”
God has put a yearning for eternity in all of our hearts; it gives us hope for more because this world often seems so shallow and broken. We all sense that there is something more after this life and we may not be able to describe why that is but we sure can feel it. The worst fear that I have for many non-believing friends (praise God I no longer have to worry about some closest to me) is that they will die and not have prepared themselves for eternity. The focus of this study is eternity and how God’s word is real and He has given us ample information on how to prepare and what to expect when the end times are coming. It isn’t possible for me to cover all of Revelation but I wanted to touch on some of it. This book scares a lot of people because they say it is so difficult to understand but the word itself (revelation) means the unveiling, the revealing. God has blessed men with an understanding of these scriptures and fortunately I have been blessed with a Bible commentary that is pretty good with it.
Chapter 1- discusses the reality of the Resurrected Christ.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” … “who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Chapter 2-3 – Things which are, Jesus gives seven messages to seven churches, wherein lies the chronological flow of church history from the beginning of the early church to the present.
Revelation 2:11 “…He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” This is talking about the great white throne judgment for the non-believers who rejected Christ and because of their actions they will cast to outer darkness away from God forever (Rev 20:6-15).
Revelation 3:10 “Because you have kept My command to preserve, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Believers will be raptured to heaven and not have to endure the trials of the tribulation (seven year period where antichrist rises to power on earth).
Chapters 4-5 – Things which shall be hereafter… The church is raptured and taken to heaven for a seven-year “honeymoon” with the Lord.
Revelation 4:1 (part D) “Come up here…” This verse helps support the verse from Thessalonians (4:16-18) which explains that the believers will be brought up to heaven in the clouds to meet with the Lord. I can’t wait to hear Him say “Come up here”, I know I’m going and so should this group. Heaven is real and so is hell, we all need a savior to save us from ourselves and give us a pass to fly with Jesus in heaven for that honeymoon (7 years) and then to reign on earth for eternity, more on that later.
This is the 1st of a four part series that Tyler Parker and I are going to do on the end times and Revelation. So look forward to Sunday like I am to hear what God is going to speak through Parker. I hope this is intriguing to all of you.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Impact Church
Dublin, GA
Dear friends and family,
I am excited to finally write you again and let you know about the recent happenings of Impact Church. Since our last correspondence alot has happened.
In my last letter I listed a few things and I asked you to help me pray that God would reveal himself in these matters…well He has!!! Since August, when my last letter was written, pretty much all 4 of the listed prayer requests have been answered and continue to be answered. I knew that God was calling me to start a church, but I didn’t have lots of clarity as to what that would look like and I also didn’t have much direction either. Today, I’m excited that I know exactly where God wants me to start building His church.
It is a long story so I’ll spare you all the tiny details that God has used, but He has confirmed that I should start His church in an “inner city” community. Translation…I LIVE in a house in the middle of the ghetto, across from a drug house, kids running everywhere, neighbors smoking crack, obvious poverty and they are even poorer spiritually. I have already had incredible opportunities to build relationships and meet needs in the community. God has been real to me in revealing His will for my life and giving me clarity and direction for this ministry. I am going to begin having meals in my home for the folks in my neighborhood…through this I will build relationships so that they know I’m not treating them as a “church project”. Eventually, sooner rather than later, I will be starting a Bible study in my home so that I can share the AWESOME news of the Gospel with them. Thank you so much for your prayers…this is just the beginning.
One way I’m going to meet a need in the community this summer is by building a playground in an old, trashed, vacant lot nearby. Believe it or not…almost every time I drive up to my house there are kids playing amongst broken liquor bottles, on old furniture and nasty mattresses that were thrown back there when someone in the neighborhood was evicted from their home. It will be a great way for the church to show that we care about these kids.
I can go on and on…whether it’s telling you about taking a group of 3rd and 4th graders to Chick-fil-a for only the 2nd TIME IN THEIR LIVES, or taking a single mother to the gas station and being able to bless her with a gift from God in the form of petroleum.
You may be asking yourself how can I get involved??? Good question…support me and this ministry in prayer FIRST. With fixing meals and taking hungry kids to eat, the costs are beginning to add up. You can send gift cards to Kroger, Wal-Mart (I do all my grocery shopping at one of these two stores) or you can send gift cards to any fast food chain (McDonalds, Chick-fil-a, Dominos, Zaxby’s, BK, etc.). It is hard to tell them that God will provide their needs when they are hungry…that’s something that God has enabled us to be able to do.
By the way…I’m in the process of filling out all my 501c3 papers to become an official non-profit organization. I know I’m going a little long, but I gotta tell you about this one. The lawyer that I am using to get this done, who was a complete stranger, has offered to do this for me pro-bono. This is a total God thing because there’s no telling how much it would cost to pay this out of pocket. God’s will, done God’s way, never lacks God’s provisions…
Thanks again for being a part of this ministry. Please continue to pray that God will do huge things in Dublin through the ministry of Impact Church…
In Christ,
Nolan Gottlieb
e-Fellowship USA Tour
Alright, Sam started this whole idea and I stayed awake most of the night last night thinking this over. We can make this thing happen but we got some serious brainstorming to do if we are going to do this right. For those of you that have no clue what I'm talking about, Sam brought up the idea of touring the country and putting on camps/missions in our local areas. Personally, I feel this is the direction e-Fellowship could succeed in going. So here are some questions that I came up with that we need to be thinking about. Please don't just read this particular post and not comment because we need everyone's opinions and ideas to make this thing work efficiently.
What is our camp/mission format?
Who are we trying to reach out too? (this could change each mission)
How do we fund this? Donations? Should we ask for donations at each camp to fund the next one?
Do we need a non-profit status?
How do we plan to advertise these missions?
How are we going to schedule these based on everyone's availability?
How many people do we need per mission to run a successful operation?
What is our roster of people who are in and where do they live and what are their resources?
These are what I came up with last night but I know there are many more things we need to consider and figure out. But lets get this thing heading in the right direction by talking about it and sharing opinions and ideas. Consider this post an e-Fellowship board meeting. Also, there is going to have to be someone who steps up and takes the reigns of this operation. Someone in this group needs to be the leader who organizes this whole thing and keeps this process running efficiently. Last question.
Who wants to be the leader of the e-Fellowship Tour?
I love this group and the possibilities that are soon to be presented. Use us our Lord and King!
-TEvans
The Shack
It's an interesting book to say the least. It's killing in the book stores and I was reading on the plane last night and I had to share this with you. It's a fiction book and this is a conversation between Jesus and a guy named Mack.
"Do you think humans were designed to live is the past, present, or future?"
"Where do you spend most time in your mind and imagination? "
"I live in the present! Not the past. All though much can be learned from the past, but only for a visit, not an extended stay. And for sure I do not dwell in the future you visualize or imagine. Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind... Rarely if ever pictures me there with you?"
Why do I do that?-Mack
"It is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can't. It is IMPOSSIBLE for you to take power over the future because it isn't even real. Nor will it ever be real! You try and play God... Imagine the evil that you fear becoming reality and then you try and make plans to avoid what you fear."
Why do I have so much fear?-Mack
"Because YOU DONT BELIEVE! You don't know that we love you. The person that lives by there fears will not find freedom in my love. You sing about it, you talk about it, but you don't know it! "
"I live in the present! Not the past. All though much can be learned from the past, but only for a visit, not an extended stay. And for sure I do not dwell in the future you visualize or imagine. Mack, do you realize that your imagination of the future which is almost always dictated by fear of some kind... Rarely if ever pictures me there with you?"
Why do I do that?-Mack
"It is your desperate attempt to get some control over something you can't. It is IMPOSSIBLE for you to take power over the future because it isn't even real. Nor will it ever be real! You try and play God... Imagine the evil that you fear becoming reality and then you try and make plans to avoid what you fear."
Why do I have so much fear?-Mack
"Because YOU DONT BELIEVE! You don't know that we love you. The person that lives by there fears will not find freedom in my love. You sing about it, you talk about it, but you don't know it! "
Yea, I'm still talking about Paul.
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine..." Phil 1:3 NKJV
"For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ." Phil 1:8 NKJV
Do you make it a point to pray for others the way you pray for yourself? Paul says these words- always, every, greatly long, and affection. I'm sure we've all made prayer lists or tell people that you will pray for them. But how long does it last? "Always" and "every" is not partial, and if we have any motivation to be like Christ Jesus why not start with Paul? His heart was open to all and his writing demonstrates humility and peace. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13
You might think you will never be able to achieve that inner peace that Paul had, but God has NO limits. Don't limit your faith, cut yourself open and lift your neighbor up in prayer.
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hardpressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is FAR BETTER." Phil 4:21-24 NKJV
Is anyone hard pressed to live or die!? If God asked you to leave earth right now would hesitate? Would you ask why? What a special moment in our walk to attain that level of faith and NEVER question God's will in our lives. That's a heavy scripture to meditate on today... Let's pray that God will continue to mold us and fill us with his Holy Spirit to draw us closer to him.
Love God with all your heart and soul, then love and witness to everyone. You've heard put yourself second... How about third?
"For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ." Phil 1:8 NKJV
Do you make it a point to pray for others the way you pray for yourself? Paul says these words- always, every, greatly long, and affection. I'm sure we've all made prayer lists or tell people that you will pray for them. But how long does it last? "Always" and "every" is not partial, and if we have any motivation to be like Christ Jesus why not start with Paul? His heart was open to all and his writing demonstrates humility and peace. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13
You might think you will never be able to achieve that inner peace that Paul had, but God has NO limits. Don't limit your faith, cut yourself open and lift your neighbor up in prayer.
"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hardpressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is FAR BETTER." Phil 4:21-24 NKJV
Is anyone hard pressed to live or die!? If God asked you to leave earth right now would hesitate? Would you ask why? What a special moment in our walk to attain that level of faith and NEVER question God's will in our lives. That's a heavy scripture to meditate on today... Let's pray that God will continue to mold us and fill us with his Holy Spirit to draw us closer to him.
Love God with all your heart and soul, then love and witness to everyone. You've heard put yourself second... How about third?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
He Rose From the Dead and You Can't Get Out of Bed
I know that many people following this group come from sports backgrounds. I don't know if it is that fact along with many others, but I know that we all know the importance of showing up and being on time. If you're not 15 minutes early then your late right? How many times were you late for stretch in spring training...once, maybe. Twice if you were a real slacker. I have taken that into the business world as many of you will. I know that I have never been late to a meeting with a client or customer and why? Because it looks bad, they can make me money, respect.
So, I take that intro into my topic today. Anybody late for church this morning? Anybody not go because something came up? Sleep in? Baby sick? If you did make it to church did you peel out during closing songs or prayers to get out of the parking lot? I know I have done this time after time. I like to blame it on the wifey and the fact that we have a one year old now, but then during research for this post I just started thinking back before then and I would be late because I just couldn't get my sorry self out of bed. How disrespectful is that to our Creator?
Take a look at this scrip 'Matthew 26:40' Then He returned to his disciples and found them sleeping, "could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. This hitting home with anybody?
Sloth- Aversion to work or exertion; laziness, indolence
It takes effort or exertion to get places on time and show respect. Like Waino talked about teaching our kids, and memorizing texts. What am I teaching my daughter by rolling in on the 3rd song Sunday mornings? This seems small but it is a slippery slope. Tardiness to sloth to deception. We know how quick it can creep up on us. Eye wash for coaches by going through the motions in early work, or by looking busy at your desk when you just minimized a YouTube video of dunk highlights by Henry Bekkering, ha. Anybody take a "ball a day" from the yard for your BP stash in the off season? Hello, kids thats stealing! And we are stealing from our time with God in his house by showing up late or not at all.
Soak up some of these Proverbs:
6:9 - "how long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep"
18:9 - "One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys"
20:13 - "Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare"
22: 6 - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it"
I remember being late for a meeting with my old manager. I was about to say, "ya, sorry I was...(insert excuse)" He stopped me mid sentence by saying, "NO, just be on time" Enough said right there. I know not a happy post on Sunday when everyone is high on Spirit coming out of church, but just FYI for everyone to remember that someone is always watching. Be respectful, be prompt and DO WORK!
ONE.
Ty
Saturday, January 17, 2009
saturday morning buffet
Good mornin fellas. Hope yall had a good week and are getting excited for the message you will hear this Sunday at service. But, before that happens lets go to church real quick on here. We are the body of the church, and we can have fellowship over the internet, at home in bed with a deep conversation or in the Word, or at lunch with a brother in Christ or fence rider. Anywhere there is work being done for the kingdom you are at church. Which brings me to my question this morning...are we really spending enough time "in the word"? For me, the answer is not even close. A few, if that, chapters a day in the bible. Maybe a bible study once a week...that's when i get all self righteous and leave study feeling like i'm Billy Graham. I have hidden your word in my heart, so that i might not sin against You. PSALM 119:11 . Studs we should make it our personal goal to memorize scripture, and get so accustomed to the Word that it becomes second nature for us to spit out scripts. I used to laugh at people who had their kids memorizing stuff and singing songs about Jesus. I remember saying, thatta way...force it on em. But heres the reality...living a life that pleases God is the most important thing we can do. Memorizing things like that is absolutely vital for the younger generation of Christians. What if someone said "man that reading stuff is for the birds, and i won't force learning the alphabet on my kids...no way". You'd look at that guy like he was nuts. But lets ask ourselves...what's more important...learning to read or learning where your eternal destination is. DUH. You ever talked with someone who will, in the middle of a conversation, drop a "just like in corinthians 3 or that reminds me of john 4? I know i have, and i want to be that guy. We as Christians should live our lives with a joy and we should Work willingly at whatever you do, as if you were working for the Lord rather than people. Colossians 3:23. And even though i failed this test last week when i fussed at yall for not replying we are called to live life without searching for an earthly reward...in Mathew 6 it says basically that if we depend on men for a reward that's all we'll get. An earthly reward...no thanks...ill take some Jesus please with a side of manna. preciate ya. Lets put the xbox down, and get off our facebook pages and open the Book with all the answers.
just sayin
waino
just sayin
waino
Halos accomplished
I know it is not my day, but I just wanted to let everyone who prayed for me that it worked. I have accepted a new job and turned in my two weeks on Tuesday. I much appreciate the "halos tossed up". there is travel involved with this new job, so hopefully I can catch some of ya'll while I'm out and about. I will be calling on athletic trainers of pro football and baseball orgs as well as big D-1 programs....whoops. As I said, thanks for the prayers, because this job could not fit any better.
I love you guys
ONE.
Ty
Friday, January 16, 2009
Christian Character
Question: How do you want others to formulate their opinion of you?
* Do you want it to be based on your looks?
* The fact that your shredded?
* Your performance?
* The fact that you play professional baseball?
* How much money you make?
* The fact that you can win any argument, because you are smarter than the other meat-heads in the locker room?
* The fact that your wife, or girlfriend, is hot?
Here is the reality. If any of these things are how you want others to formulate their opinion of you, you will struggle with pride and insecurity the rest of your life.
I grew up in a home where my dad would humiliate me and my brothers for poor performances in athletics. Everything was based on performance; so when I did well my dad was on cloud nine, but when I sucked it up, wrath would follow. When I did well I was full of pride and when I did bad my life was over.
Everything in my life began to be about performance. My happiness and peace were based on how well I did. As a result, the pendulum of my life swung from pride to despair but never settled on consistent. I'm sure some of you can relate.
As a Christian, the answer to the question of how you want others to formulate their opinion of you is real simple. Your goal should be for others to formulate their opinion of you based on your Christian character, and that alone.
All the others things are temporary, but your character will last forever. Lou Priolo in his book, " Pleasing People: How not to be an Approval Junkie" quoted a man name Hugh Blair on this topic of Christian character. Hugh says,
"There is no form of behavior that will please all men at all times. As a rule, what seems to please most people most of the time, and commands lasting praise is Christian character. Sincere devotion to God, the ability to demonstrate genuine love to others, the faithful fulfillment of life's responsibilites, a pure and undefiled conscience, an unwavering commitment to justice, mercy and truth.....these are the qualities that render man truly respectable and great. Such character may, at tiems, incur unjust reproach. But the clouds which from as a result of man's prejudice and envy will gradually disperse; and its (Christian character's) brightness will in the end, shine through as the noon day sun. Throughout history, the truly illustrious men and women are those who did not court the praise of this world, but who performed the actions which deserved it."
May we be a group of men who seek to cultivate Christian character through the power of the Spirit, instead of chasing after the praise of godless men. In the end, our names will live on forever.
-Durham
* Do you want it to be based on your looks?
* The fact that your shredded?
* Your performance?
* The fact that you play professional baseball?
* How much money you make?
* The fact that you can win any argument, because you are smarter than the other meat-heads in the locker room?
* The fact that your wife, or girlfriend, is hot?
Here is the reality. If any of these things are how you want others to formulate their opinion of you, you will struggle with pride and insecurity the rest of your life.
I grew up in a home where my dad would humiliate me and my brothers for poor performances in athletics. Everything was based on performance; so when I did well my dad was on cloud nine, but when I sucked it up, wrath would follow. When I did well I was full of pride and when I did bad my life was over.
Everything in my life began to be about performance. My happiness and peace were based on how well I did. As a result, the pendulum of my life swung from pride to despair but never settled on consistent. I'm sure some of you can relate.
As a Christian, the answer to the question of how you want others to formulate their opinion of you is real simple. Your goal should be for others to formulate their opinion of you based on your Christian character, and that alone.
All the others things are temporary, but your character will last forever. Lou Priolo in his book, " Pleasing People: How not to be an Approval Junkie" quoted a man name Hugh Blair on this topic of Christian character. Hugh says,
"There is no form of behavior that will please all men at all times. As a rule, what seems to please most people most of the time, and commands lasting praise is Christian character. Sincere devotion to God, the ability to demonstrate genuine love to others, the faithful fulfillment of life's responsibilites, a pure and undefiled conscience, an unwavering commitment to justice, mercy and truth.....these are the qualities that render man truly respectable and great. Such character may, at tiems, incur unjust reproach. But the clouds which from as a result of man's prejudice and envy will gradually disperse; and its (Christian character's) brightness will in the end, shine through as the noon day sun. Throughout history, the truly illustrious men and women are those who did not court the praise of this world, but who performed the actions which deserved it."
May we be a group of men who seek to cultivate Christian character through the power of the Spirit, instead of chasing after the praise of godless men. In the end, our names will live on forever.
-Durham
Thursday, January 15, 2009
No More Middle School...
Do you remember the days in middle school where guys never really talked to girls and girls never really talked to guys??? It was kinda silly because both wanted to know the other...both wanted relationships...but nobody really talked face to face. We all sent friends to do the talking for us. You know what I'm talking about...right??? It just seemed easier to send a friend because we didn't want to hear first hand what the other might think. There was most always another party involved.
This was silly right??? Immature...middle school...and ultimately there were no real relationships being built.
Well isn't that what we do with God alot of the time??? I know that's how I treat Him too often...I will be quick to use someone else to be a middle man. It's easy to sit and listen to Matt Chandler, Perry Noble or Steven Furtick...those guys are great teachers of the Word and I feel like I learn something every time I hear them. As long as I'm always using a middle man I will NEVER be able to grow my relationship with God to the place it needs to be. I mean well...but the bottom line is that it's as if I'm too scared, busy, whatever (immature I guess) to be man enough to say I've got to clear my schedule, avoid all distractions, prepare myself to spend some real one on one time with the creator of the universe I'll never really know who He is.
Again, like in middle school we can run up to the cute girl and say, "I think you're pretty." and then instantly run away...we often run up to God and say, "I love you...You're awesome." then quickly run away. That's just not how things were meant to be...It takes guts to sit down and have quality time with that person.
This post is coming from personal experience...it's time for me to graduate from this middle school mentality with God...
This was silly right??? Immature...middle school...and ultimately there were no real relationships being built.
Well isn't that what we do with God alot of the time??? I know that's how I treat Him too often...I will be quick to use someone else to be a middle man. It's easy to sit and listen to Matt Chandler, Perry Noble or Steven Furtick...those guys are great teachers of the Word and I feel like I learn something every time I hear them. As long as I'm always using a middle man I will NEVER be able to grow my relationship with God to the place it needs to be. I mean well...but the bottom line is that it's as if I'm too scared, busy, whatever (immature I guess) to be man enough to say I've got to clear my schedule, avoid all distractions, prepare myself to spend some real one on one time with the creator of the universe I'll never really know who He is.
Again, like in middle school we can run up to the cute girl and say, "I think you're pretty." and then instantly run away...we often run up to God and say, "I love you...You're awesome." then quickly run away. That's just not how things were meant to be...It takes guts to sit down and have quality time with that person.
This post is coming from personal experience...it's time for me to graduate from this middle school mentality with God...
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Too Busy???
Fellas...long time no see. Sorry for the absence. Alot has been going on in my world recently. As most of you know I am starting a church in Dublin, GA so I've been super busy getting things done.
There have been alot of great things that God is doing so far...providing money to buy kids Christmas gifts who wouldn't otherwise have much on Christmas morning, a lawyer offering to do all the work for making Impact Church a incorporated non-profit FOR FREE, building relationships with folks in my neighborhood fairly easily, etc...I've got several stories that I can tell when given enough time, but that's not the reason for my post.
In reading through the story of the prodigal son and reading the post on here about it, I became aware of a real and dangerous situation.
Like the older son, we can become so busy working for the Father that we miss the heart of the father all together. I often feel like there is always something I need to be doing...whether its church planting, reading books, studying, etc. when all God wants sometime is to know His heart. And because I'm so busy, I miss that all together.
How many of us does that include?? I know that's me...Please be in prayer for me to not miss the heart of God and to take some things off my plate that cause me to be to busy "working for" God.
With that being said...I know God is doing some cool stuff in Dublin. A few of you will be getting a newsletter in the mail...for those of you who I don't have addresses, I'll put one up on here when I get to another computer.
Keep the faith...
Nolan
There have been alot of great things that God is doing so far...providing money to buy kids Christmas gifts who wouldn't otherwise have much on Christmas morning, a lawyer offering to do all the work for making Impact Church a incorporated non-profit FOR FREE, building relationships with folks in my neighborhood fairly easily, etc...I've got several stories that I can tell when given enough time, but that's not the reason for my post.
In reading through the story of the prodigal son and reading the post on here about it, I became aware of a real and dangerous situation.
Like the older son, we can become so busy working for the Father that we miss the heart of the father all together. I often feel like there is always something I need to be doing...whether its church planting, reading books, studying, etc. when all God wants sometime is to know His heart. And because I'm so busy, I miss that all together.
How many of us does that include?? I know that's me...Please be in prayer for me to not miss the heart of God and to take some things off my plate that cause me to be to busy "working for" God.
With that being said...I know God is doing some cool stuff in Dublin. A few of you will be getting a newsletter in the mail...for those of you who I don't have addresses, I'll put one up on here when I get to another computer.
Keep the faith...
Nolan
The Prodigal God
The Prodigal God
Prodigal- (adj); lavish, recklessly extravagant, having spent everything.
Luke 15:11 “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. NKJV
We have heard this story, and the younger son goes off and blows it and comes back, yada, yada, yada. However I willing to bet you have never heard it the way Timothy Keller explains it in his book “Prodigal God”. See in the NKJV Bible the story is called “The Lost Son” but there are actually two lost sons in this story. There is the younger son who is blatant in his offensive request of his entitlement before his father dies, ouch if you’re the father (your son basically wishes you were dead). Then there is the older brother and his sin is that he has a misconception of what faith and Christianity are about. So fast-forward in the story, the younger bro has come home from his mistake and the father has embraced him and is now throwing a huge party (cooking the fatted calf and all) on the account that the younger bro was lost and now he has come to his senses.
Luke 15:28 “But he was angry and would not go in (to the party). Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. “So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ‘But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
So the older brother is caught in his piety (exalts himself above others because of his good works) and he shows no forgiveness for his own brother because his perspective is flawed (selfish, I, me, my). Both brothers have chosen different paths that are so prevalent in our society. The younger brother has chosen the way of self-discovery (I will do it my way) and the older bro has chosen moral conformity (doing what community and tradition say is right). Both ways are often sinful because they both can rely heavily on self. The way of moral conformity is a huge deception as so many of us think that doing good works will get us into heaven but it is a lie, giving your heart to Christ is the only way (sorry Oprah). The point to this bread is that we have to love and be loved never thinking we are better than anyone for the way we live. Sure we know the truth and they may not, but remember that was us a while ago and the best way to put Christ on display is unconditional love. Be forgiving, count it all joy regardless of the pain because you know it is all His will, and be humble. Know that God has spent everything on us and has recklessly given extravegently to us. His love is amazing, think about it, amazing! God forgives us so of so much we aren't even worthy to be looked at but yet there He is loving us. I will leave you with this nugget to chew on for a week.
“Salvation is not only objective and legal (faith in Christ is the only way) but also subjective and experiential (coming to the Father is not the same route for everyone).” Timothy Keller
Prodigal- (adj); lavish, recklessly extravagant, having spent everything.
Luke 15:11 “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. NKJV
We have heard this story, and the younger son goes off and blows it and comes back, yada, yada, yada. However I willing to bet you have never heard it the way Timothy Keller explains it in his book “Prodigal God”. See in the NKJV Bible the story is called “The Lost Son” but there are actually two lost sons in this story. There is the younger son who is blatant in his offensive request of his entitlement before his father dies, ouch if you’re the father (your son basically wishes you were dead). Then there is the older brother and his sin is that he has a misconception of what faith and Christianity are about. So fast-forward in the story, the younger bro has come home from his mistake and the father has embraced him and is now throwing a huge party (cooking the fatted calf and all) on the account that the younger bro was lost and now he has come to his senses.
Luke 15:28 “But he was angry and would not go in (to the party). Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. “So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ‘But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’
So the older brother is caught in his piety (exalts himself above others because of his good works) and he shows no forgiveness for his own brother because his perspective is flawed (selfish, I, me, my). Both brothers have chosen different paths that are so prevalent in our society. The younger brother has chosen the way of self-discovery (I will do it my way) and the older bro has chosen moral conformity (doing what community and tradition say is right). Both ways are often sinful because they both can rely heavily on self. The way of moral conformity is a huge deception as so many of us think that doing good works will get us into heaven but it is a lie, giving your heart to Christ is the only way (sorry Oprah). The point to this bread is that we have to love and be loved never thinking we are better than anyone for the way we live. Sure we know the truth and they may not, but remember that was us a while ago and the best way to put Christ on display is unconditional love. Be forgiving, count it all joy regardless of the pain because you know it is all His will, and be humble. Know that God has spent everything on us and has recklessly given extravegently to us. His love is amazing, think about it, amazing! God forgives us so of so much we aren't even worthy to be looked at but yet there He is loving us. I will leave you with this nugget to chew on for a week.
“Salvation is not only objective and legal (faith in Christ is the only way) but also subjective and experiential (coming to the Father is not the same route for everyone).” Timothy Keller
Monday, January 12, 2009
Monday Bread after Terry's ambush.
"Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only starts fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people." -2 Timothy 2:23-24 NLT
Good teaching never promotes fights or foolish arguments. Always remember to listen to people's questions and treat them respectfully. If you do this, people who oppose you will be more willing to hear what you have to say and perhaps turn from their faults.
"Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching." 2 Timothy 4:2 NLT
Preaching the word of God is the most important thing in our lives. Period. If you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior I urge to study his word closely and to better prepare yourself for that moment to share the gospel with someone you don't know. Study, study and study. Ask questions if you don't know, be hungry for Christ and act like it's #1 on your priority list. Going to Church on sunday is not enough. Reading for the "10 minutes a day" is not enough. We spend way more time on things that aren't nearly as important.
Paul just continues to amaze me. That heart of this man is incredible. "To live is CHRIST, and to die is gain." -Phil 1:21 NKJV
To live is Christ. We need to let that marinate for minute................. TO LIVE IS CHRIST. Lord I pray that you bless me with the wisdom and strength to even come close to being the man Paul was. Praise God for his perfect word.
The Wilderness Test
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." - Matthew 4:1
Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted and to put His faith in the Lord to the test. God isn't the one tempting Jesus since God is never the agent of temptation, but He does allow Satan to tempt Jesus in order to test His faithfulness. This is a direct mirror image of when God led His people out of Egypt and into the wilderness, to humble them and test them, to know what was in their heart, whether they would keep His commandments or not (Deut. 8:2). Let's get to the 3 temptation's Satan threw at Jesus and see how Jesus responds and then how His response relates to the testing of the Israelites.
"And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' But He answered and said, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" - Matthew 4:2-4
Jesus responds to the first temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 which is basically saying that God will ultimately provide. Jesus has complete confidence and trust in God as the ultimate provider. Jesus knows God will sustain Him. This verse in Deuteronomy refers directly to when the Israelites were tested through their hunger in the wilderness. "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord" (Deut. 8:3). This was a lesson in faith and trust that the Israelites had to learn in the wilderness. God "allowed them to hunger" and fed them only with manna which was a mysterious food from Heaven that was completely unknown to them. The manna would appear each morning, but would quickly mold and melt if stored (Exodus 16:20-21). This meant that the Israelites could only gather enough food each morning for just that day and then had to trust that God would provide more the next day since nobody could store any of the manna for later. The Israelites were humbled and forced to trust in God's Word that He would provide their nurishment each morning by literally providing them with their daily bread (Exodus 16). The Israelites struggled with their faith and trust as most of them continued to try and store the manna, but Jesus' faith and trust in His Lord is proven in His immediate response to Satan. Jesus - 1, Israelites - 0
"Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him. 'If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, and in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.' Jesus said to him, 'It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" - Matthew 4:5-7
Jesus responds to the second temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 which is a direct reference to when the Israelites tested and questioned the Lord at Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17:1-7). Even though when they were hungry and questioned what they would eat and God provided, in chapter 17 of Exodus we find the Israelites hitting the panic button and questioning God again once they became thirsty. They end up "putting God to the test" by asking "Is the Lord among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7). Which meant, if God is truly with us like He says He is then show us a sign and give us some water. Basically, prove Your presence by giving us some water. However, Jesus refuses to test God by jumping off the roof and letting God prove His presence by saving Him. Satan tries to turn scripture around on Jesus, but Jesus' faith cannot be shaken.
Jesus - 2, Israelites - 0
"Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" - Matthew 4:8-10
Jesus responds to the third temptation by paraphrasing Deuteronomy 6:12-14 which is a command to the Israelites to remember "the Lord who brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage" (Deuteronomy 6:12). This is another temptation where Jesus succeeded in a situation where the Israelites had previously failed. In Exodus 32 we read that while Moses was atop Mt. Sinai getting the "two tablets of the Testimony", the Israelites made a golden calf that they began to worship as their god and even stooped so low that they claimed that this golden calf was their god that brought them out of Egypt (Exodus 32:4). Jesus, on the other hand, never turned to worship anyone or anything other than the Almighty Lord and served Him only.
Jesus - 3, Israelites - 0
Jesus' experience in the wilderness relates directly to the Israelites' wilderness experience. Jesus, just like them, was led into the wilderness to be tested. Unlike them, our Lord and Savior and King withstood every aspect of the test. Praise Christ the King for His perfect righteousness.
-TEvans
Saturday, January 10, 2009
saturday script tease
Studs, I'm not sure how much longer I have on this earth. the Lord tells us that we aren't promised tomorrow, and I feel amazing knowing that when the "end of days" comes i'll be spending my time with Him in Heaven. But, i feel pain knowing that theres a bunch of my friends that will be spending their time in a much different place. The Bible is pretty black and white about sin...what we should do and what we should not do etc.... The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. GALATIANS 5 19-21 How many times have i said "man, i cant stand that joker.." More times than i'd like to admit. Scripture tells us that when we hate someone we are guilty of murder....ouch. Good thing for me the Christ came and died on the cross for my sins, or otherwise i'd be in bad, bad shape. The wages of sin are death. So, in Gods remarkable grace, He sent the only thing holy enough to heal our sinful earth. He sent Jesus. Jesus IS ENOUGH. He is the light that we find refuge, and there is no other flashlights needed...just Him. That same chapter of Galatians also tells us the kind of fruit that The Holy Spirit produces inside of us...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Thats GALATIANS 5 22-23. Those are pretty tough to follow all the time, but as Christians the Lord has given us a heart that wants to pursue those things...and pursue Christ. On a side note, i have been touched deeply by my bible study that i'm apart of. We are following a book called Winning Gods Way and it is outstanding. Along with the book we are memorizing one or two bible passages a week...doesn't sound like much but its adding up nice. Thanks, e-fellowship for letting me grow in, and with, this group.
waino
ps...everyday people are trying to find a reason to not follow the lord...and...they will be looking directly at us. And, for a lot of people, WE will be the only Bible some people read....
pss...anthonylreyes is interested in becoming a speaking member of this group. and has been challenged to hault playing xbox for 21 days while reading John. any encouragements to him would probably be appreciated.
waino
ps...everyday people are trying to find a reason to not follow the lord...and...they will be looking directly at us. And, for a lot of people, WE will be the only Bible some people read....
pss...anthonylreyes is interested in becoming a speaking member of this group. and has been challenged to hault playing xbox for 21 days while reading John. any encouragements to him would probably be appreciated.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Christian Hip-Hop imix on Itunes
If anyone is interested in Christian Hip-Hop I created a imix on Itunes today. It's called E-Fellowship Hip-Hop Vol. 1
About 24 tracks that Ben and I think would be a good starting point. I would have never thought I would convert over. I've been listening to Hip-Hop since I was 7 years old and have over 6,000 explicit lyric tracks in my library. Praise God for opening my ears to these guys, and I can't wait til some of these artists get radio time so kids can be influenced in a positive way.
Don't be surprised to see jules and i drop an album in the near future. haha! no seriously. haha.
Be Blessed,
Blake
"I want my life screaming Jesus lives!!!" -Dre Murray
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Are You In the House?
"In the house" what a saying? It has lasted (stayed popular and relevant) for decades, for me now it is straight anoying but hey...
2 Corinthians 5:1 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
Have you ever been so beat down that you just wish you were anywhere but where you were, in that painful situation or mindstate? Have you ever felt so small and irrelevant that you wondered if anyone would care or notice if you disappeared, I mean really really care? Or better yet being in a situation where you just wish you could warp back to your childhood house where Mom was standing with a fire burning, hot chocolate, and a warm bed? Mmmmm hope that painted a good picture for each of you. This scripture compares any house on this earth to a tent in comparison to our heavenly estate that God has waiting for us. But this verse isn't just talking about a house but our bodies, which are the place of residence for our mind, soul, and spirit, the house that we can't get away from, though we try (alcohol, drugs, various pleasures). Our bodies are dying daily and we get concerned with how old we feel/look and it depresses us and beats us down to where we just wish we could go back to the old days when we were 12yrs old hitting tanks over the fence and slow trotting around the bases because we thought our best friends sister was watching (whoops). Point is our God offers us a house to go to any time of the day, a place where we find peace, rest, and encouragement and strength for the oncoming battles. Looking to heaven where we have hope and a wonderful inheritance is good but it doesn't always get it done, so... We can look into our earthly house/body and find a Spirit that is waiting to help us and give us rest and peace. The Holy Spirit is with us where ever we go (scripture ?) and all we have to do is stop and acknowledge Him (God-Son-Holy Spirit=trinity). More than that our house is our group.
Hebrews 3:6 "but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end."
God (Christ, Holy Spirit) has taken up residence in us (His own house) and He is at work amongst us so by fellowshipping we are interacting with the Holy Spirit and in return we are finding peace from our problems (that are most often caused from being selfish and not focusing on the power and beauty of God's plan). So you see in the Hebrews scrip that "house" means people. Thats us, congratulations! Let me run back a point here; Where does the Lord choose to dwell? In us! Amazing! Who else loves you like that? So lets remember that we can find peace when we turn to Him and he is only one call away (pray, reading His word, fellowship, etc...). Are you in the House? Hahaha!
2 Corinthians 5:1 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
Have you ever been so beat down that you just wish you were anywhere but where you were, in that painful situation or mindstate? Have you ever felt so small and irrelevant that you wondered if anyone would care or notice if you disappeared, I mean really really care? Or better yet being in a situation where you just wish you could warp back to your childhood house where Mom was standing with a fire burning, hot chocolate, and a warm bed? Mmmmm hope that painted a good picture for each of you. This scripture compares any house on this earth to a tent in comparison to our heavenly estate that God has waiting for us. But this verse isn't just talking about a house but our bodies, which are the place of residence for our mind, soul, and spirit, the house that we can't get away from, though we try (alcohol, drugs, various pleasures). Our bodies are dying daily and we get concerned with how old we feel/look and it depresses us and beats us down to where we just wish we could go back to the old days when we were 12yrs old hitting tanks over the fence and slow trotting around the bases because we thought our best friends sister was watching (whoops). Point is our God offers us a house to go to any time of the day, a place where we find peace, rest, and encouragement and strength for the oncoming battles. Looking to heaven where we have hope and a wonderful inheritance is good but it doesn't always get it done, so... We can look into our earthly house/body and find a Spirit that is waiting to help us and give us rest and peace. The Holy Spirit is with us where ever we go (scripture ?) and all we have to do is stop and acknowledge Him (God-Son-Holy Spirit=trinity). More than that our house is our group.
Hebrews 3:6 "but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end."
God (Christ, Holy Spirit) has taken up residence in us (His own house) and He is at work amongst us so by fellowshipping we are interacting with the Holy Spirit and in return we are finding peace from our problems (that are most often caused from being selfish and not focusing on the power and beauty of God's plan). So you see in the Hebrews scrip that "house" means people. Thats us, congratulations! Let me run back a point here; Where does the Lord choose to dwell? In us! Amazing! Who else loves you like that? So lets remember that we can find peace when we turn to Him and he is only one call away (pray, reading His word, fellowship, etc...). Are you in the House? Hahaha!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Peace
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
The word supplication is more than petitioning, it's your intensity of extended prayer. We don't gain points by many words, but to fully unload your heart upon God's hands is what is called for in prayer. When you read the words 'surpasses ALL understanding' you should feel that urge to dive into scripture and prayer like never before. All of us are just beginning the scratch the surface of God's peace that can fill our lives! Paul had that peace, and lived for nobody else but Christ our Lord.
Striving for the GLOW...
Blake
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Mosab Hassan Yousef
The following is off the FoxNews.com website:
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other world leaders try to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, one former member of the militant Islamic organization said there will never be lasting peace between the two groups.
"There is no chance. Is there any chance for fire to co-exist with the water?" said Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of the group's founding members.
Yousef added: "It's not about Israel, it's not about Hamas: it's about both ideologies."
Yousef, son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of the most influential leaders of the militant group, said the organization betrays the Palestinian cause and tortures its own members.
Hamas, formed in the late 1980's as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the radical Muslim Brotherhood, is considered a terror organization by the U.S. government. Hamas seized power in the Gaza strip in 2007 in a violent coup against the more moderate Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas.
Yousef said he was indoctrinated at an early age to use violence to challenge Israeli control in the region. As a teenager he moved up within the organization and became the leader of the radical Islamic Youth Movement that fought Israeli tanks and troops in the streets, celebrated suicide bombings and recruited young men to the cause.
Yousef, 30, said he realized the true nature of Hamas and radical Islam during a stint in an Israeli prison. He renounced his Muslim faith, left his family behind in Ramallah and converted to Christianity.
"Islam is not the word of God," said Yousef. "If you want to be offended it's your problem. But you know something? Go study. Think for a second that I might be right. So wake up, look at your path, see where you're going. Are you really going to heaven with 72 virgins after you kill yourself and kill another 20 people?"
Yousef has sought asylum in the United States and now attends an evangelical Christian church in San Diego, Calif.
"The Hamas leadership, including my father, they're responsible; they're responsible for all the violence that happened from the organization. I know they describe it as reaction to Israeli aggression, but still, they are part of it and they had to make decisions in those operations against Israel (for) which there was the killing of many civilians."
Yousef talks more about his extraordinary story of faith, courage, violence and betrayal in a FOX News documentary, "Escape From Hamas," hosted by Bill Hemmer.
Escape from Hamas airs Sat at 10p, with repeats at 1am and 4a, EST, and Sun at 9pm, with repeats at 12 midnight, 2am, EST
As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other world leaders try to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, one former member of the militant Islamic organization said there will never be lasting peace between the two groups.
"There is no chance. Is there any chance for fire to co-exist with the water?" said Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of the group's founding members.
Yousef added: "It's not about Israel, it's not about Hamas: it's about both ideologies."
Yousef, son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of the most influential leaders of the militant group, said the organization betrays the Palestinian cause and tortures its own members.
Hamas, formed in the late 1980's as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the radical Muslim Brotherhood, is considered a terror organization by the U.S. government. Hamas seized power in the Gaza strip in 2007 in a violent coup against the more moderate Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas.
Yousef said he was indoctrinated at an early age to use violence to challenge Israeli control in the region. As a teenager he moved up within the organization and became the leader of the radical Islamic Youth Movement that fought Israeli tanks and troops in the streets, celebrated suicide bombings and recruited young men to the cause.
Yousef, 30, said he realized the true nature of Hamas and radical Islam during a stint in an Israeli prison. He renounced his Muslim faith, left his family behind in Ramallah and converted to Christianity.
"Islam is not the word of God," said Yousef. "If you want to be offended it's your problem. But you know something? Go study. Think for a second that I might be right. So wake up, look at your path, see where you're going. Are you really going to heaven with 72 virgins after you kill yourself and kill another 20 people?"
Yousef has sought asylum in the United States and now attends an evangelical Christian church in San Diego, Calif.
"The Hamas leadership, including my father, they're responsible; they're responsible for all the violence that happened from the organization. I know they describe it as reaction to Israeli aggression, but still, they are part of it and they had to make decisions in those operations against Israel (for) which there was the killing of many civilians."
Yousef talks more about his extraordinary story of faith, courage, violence and betrayal in a FOX News documentary, "Escape From Hamas," hosted by Bill Hemmer.
Escape from Hamas airs Sat at 10p, with repeats at 1am and 4a, EST, and Sun at 9pm, with repeats at 12 midnight, 2am, EST
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Middle East Mess
Ever wonder why "we can't all just get along" in the Middle East? You ever feel like no matter what the great USA does to save Israel or Afghanistan or Iraq, it will never be enough? Anybody sick and tired of not understanding why these people cannot just call a 20 second time out, pop a regroup, and "talk things out"? Let me help you out.....it will never ever stop until the end of the world. This issue in the Middle East is not about oil, drugs, capitalism, crops or flags. It is a huge biblical event that has been unfolding before our very eyes for 2500 years. This is a sibling rivalry between brothers and the decision of God on who to place his covenant with.
This is all about Isaac and Ishmael. Let's hit up my favorite book of the bible... Genesis 16 when God made His Covenant with Abraham's son Isaac, and basically told his half brother to hit the bricks. Don't get things mixed up. God blessed Ishmael and made him and his descendants a great nation. (whom are your Arabs, or Muslims of today), In Genesis 16:13-16 (years before Abraham's second son Isaac was born) the Angel of the Lord told Abraham's servant Hagar that her son Ishmael would be "...a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him; and he will live to the east of all his brothers." hmmm, that sound familiar to what you see on the news in the desert?
Let's get this story rolling. Galatians 4 tells us that Ishmael had been "born according to the flesh" while Isaac had been "born according to the promise". Isaac replaced Ishmael as the favored son and heir. This, of course, made Ishmael jealous and bitter. As a result, he heavy weight taunted and hated on his half-brother. Eventually the situation became so "bruce wayne" that Abraham's wife Sarah demanded that Ishmael and his Egyptian concubine mother, Hagar, be sent packing permanently from Abraham's family.
Now as I said, God loved Hagar and Ishmael and blessed them and theirs greatly, but it was never good enough. This amazing jealousy and envy of God choosing Isaac created an unparalleled hate which has set off war after war after war for four thousand years. When God handed over the keys to the kingdom to Isaac He started the battle between Jews and Arabs which has lasted all the way up to present day, and its going to keep on happening til the fat lady finally sings in End Times and this world becomes a foot note.
So, here is how you can use this story. I hope this has armed you with some big Biblical knowledge to put in your arsenal. Next time you hear about Hamas or Israel lobbing cruise missiles at each other from someone or you are standing next to a co worker or teammate watching Fox News or CNN hit em in the mouth with a few tidbits from this amazing bible story that is still yet to be completed.
ONE.
Ty
Bible Reading Plans
Happy New Year!
I found a great post at www.theologica.blogspot.com, on Bible reading plans. This is by far my favorite blog. I have it under favorite links at our E-Fellowship blog.
The post gives 5 different Bible reading plans to choose from for the new year. I strongly recommend you check it out and get started on a plan.
CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS POST TO GO TO THE WEBSITE. LET ME KNOW WHICH ONES YOU CHOOSED.
- Durham
I found a great post at www.theologica.blogspot.com, on Bible reading plans. This is by far my favorite blog. I have it under favorite links at our E-Fellowship blog.
The post gives 5 different Bible reading plans to choose from for the new year. I strongly recommend you check it out and get started on a plan.
CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS POST TO GO TO THE WEBSITE. LET ME KNOW WHICH ONES YOU CHOOSED.
- Durham
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