the house of God

Psalm 69:9

"zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me."

During the week, I just long to be back in church. I long to see my church family. My heart aches.

words.

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

We have the opportunity to take part in distributing God's grace to people with our words.

Shout out to Kurt Gebhart.

gossip.

This is on my dad's refrigerator. It is a great reminder.
I've always heard it said, "If you are not part of the problem or the solution, then don't say anything."
Some use this rule liberally and jump at the chance to be part of the "solution".

If you think you can be a part of the solution... then please do so. But when participating in the solution, only talk to those involved and that means no outside "consultation" from others.

Psalm 101:5

"Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure."

Proverbs 17:9

"He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the
matter separates close friends."

Ephesians 4:29

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only
what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it
may benefit those who listen."

Preach it

2 Timothy 4:2-5

Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Take note of the fact that Paul said nothing about how people would respond. He did not say anything about the size of Timothy's church, or how much money they received, or how influential it was. Paul did not tell Timothy that the world would respect, revere, or even accept him, in fact Paul's emphasis was on commitment, not success or acceptance.

In many churches we see them infatuated with standards of success, rather than fruits of righteousness. We need to be focused on growing to be more like Christ rather than how many people go to our church, or how much money the church takes in. We need our focus to be on God rather than success. We should be focused on our commitment to Christ and our ministry rather than the success, or popularity of our ministry.

advice vs. biblical advice

If you are giving advice or receiving advice... the first and most important question to ask yourself is...

IS IT BASED ON SCRIPTURE?

If it isn't, (and is soley based on opinion, psychology, polls, secular books, or even what is best for you) then it has huge potential to be faulty advice.

Hebrews 4:12

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

John 17:17

"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. "

Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

2 Peter 1:3-4

"seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."

If advice has an absense of scripture - then it has potential to be dangerous.

Colossians 2:8

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, but according to Christ.”

Tame your Tongue

James 3:5-12

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

persecution? rejoice!

Luke 6:22-23

"Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets."

it's inevitable that we will be persecuted... when we are obedient.

Marriage

"Marriage and sexuality is a stuardship. I must give my wife back better than I received her. And I must give the world we shared back to God better than we received it. Marriage is yet another arena in which to live out your vocation to serve Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once spoke to a love-struck couple in a marriage homily: 'In your love you see only the heaven of your own happines, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind.' We do nothing in this life unto ourselves alone. Even a happy marriage is not only for the happiness of husbands, wives, and children; it is for God's glory."
-Ben Patterson

Plant the seed

This Friday God gave me the opportunity to share the gospel with my doctor. She rejected it, but its OK because the seed is planted and God willing someone will water it and God will grow it. Can you guys just pray for her. Her name is Jeane. Its amazing how God opens the door and gives us opportunities if we ask him and if we are willing to share the good news. Praise God that he has in the past few weeks, given me the courage to share the gospel with several different people. We have to continue to pray and ask God to give us the courage and oppurunites to share the gospel. Scripture says that if we ask anything according to his will He will give it to us. I am positive that if we ask him for opportunities he will give them to us.

This week...

... has been amazing. I've had the courage to witness to more than one person which is an accomplishment for me.

Yesterday this girl was totally hitting on me. She told me that she wanted to get to know me, that I should tell her something about myself. So, I told her I was christian, and it just went on from there. It got more tough for me when I found out she was muslim. I didnt know what to say.....

Can you guys please pray that witnessing be a continuous thing for me, not only this week but for the rest of my life...

Pray for...

We should be in constant prayer for eachother and continually thanking God for eachother. I thank God everyday for the people he has put in my life who encourage and pray for me. We can never stop praying and encouraging one another. Please pray that the gospel would spread, that when persecution comes that we would praise God, that we would live a life of love and truth that glorifies God, pray for our church that we would be achurch on fire, and please pray for eachother that we would grow to be like Christ.