The Gift of the Holy Spirit

“The question of gifts is entirely within the sovereignty of the Spirit, and because of that we should always be open, in mind and in heart, to anything that the Spirit of God may choose to do in his sovereignty.”

- Martin Lloyd-Jones

Since the beginning of time the Holy Spirit has given gifts to men and women in order to accomplish the plans and purposes of God. The Bible teaches that the gifts of the Spirit are available to all believers. Christians may have one or more of the gifts. The main purpose of the gifts is to build up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:7-13).

Spiritual gifts are also given by the Holy Spirit to individual believers to empower and enable them to serve others (1 Cor. 12:4-21; Eph. 4-7-13; Romans 12:6-8). There are numerous gifts of the Spirit. There are motivational gifts, manifestation gifts, and administrative gifts.

The Sovereign Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the One who gives the gifts as he wills. The gifts are not the result of human effort, but they are completely the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sovereign and may give any gifts he wants at any time he wills (1 Cor. 12:11). John Owen reminds us, “He works sovereignly. The Holy Spirit distributes to everyone as he wills. He gives one gift to one person and another to another person. So the saints are to keep in constant dependence on him and his sovereignty.” Affirming God’s sovereignty over the gifts keeps us humble and dependent upon him.

Exercising The Gifts

It is important to note that spiritual gifts do not prove an authentic spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 13; Ephesians 4:7–8). The Corinthian church had manifestations of the Spirit, but they lacked spiritual maturity and holiness. Therefore, Paul dedicated 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 to address the correct exercise of the Spiritual gifts in the local church. The gifts are to be exercised under the leadership of the church and according to biblical guidelines (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12, 14).

In addition, we should not “believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). Many Christians have an uncritical acceptance of unbiblical practices in the name of the Holy Spirit. Just because we believe in the continuation of the gifts of the Spirit does not mean that we should accept everything. In conclusion, it is important for us to test the spiritual gifts by the Word and to know that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts.

                                             To be continued.

Daily Devotion

Galatians 1:10

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

Am I trying to please men, or myself, or God?

The starting place for learning to recognize God's voice in your life is an absolute commitment to living a God-focused life, rather than a self-focused or man-focused life! It is so easy to come to the conclusion that something must be God's will for me because I really want it to be God's will for me, or because I feel that other people really want me choose that way and so I must. And of course, God's will for you may be the very thing that would also be most enjoyable to you or others. But if you really want to learn to recognize God's voice in your life, you must first come to the decision that your life is for God, not for you and not for meeting anyone else's expectations—that anytime there is a conflict between what God wants for you and what you want for you, it is already decided that you will choose for God.

God wants you to know that when you are committed to pleasing Him above all else, then He will begin to reveal to you what would please Him in your life.

Random thoughts from the bathroom........

Random Thought......Why is there an unwritten rule that no one should talk with each other on an elevator? Even when I’m with someone I know and someone enters the elevator, I have to continue my conversation in a “quiet” manner. If you really want to freak people out, then next time get in the elevator, turn around, wave at everyone and say “would you join me in a chorus of ‘You Are My Sunshine’?” That’ll change the atmosphere

What Demons say about Jesus Christ

It is common to hear various non-biblical statements about the person and work of Jesus Christ. For example, "Jesus was just a man, not God" or "Jesus is only a teacher or prophet" or "Jesus' death was unfortunate, but didn't accomplish anything." Jesus claimed that he was God and that he came to seek and save the lost by conquering Satan, hell, death, evil, and sin. A few of his followers got that, but all of the demons that speak in the Gospels seem to understand this...and they shudder (James 2:19).

What Do Demons Think of Jesus?

It is interested to see what the enemies of Jesus Christ, the demons, thought and said about him. It's generally not a good rule of thumb to get your theology from demons, but in this case it is fascinating because what they say repeats what the rest of the Bible proclaims about who Jesus Christ is and what his life, death, and resurrection mean for us. The demons in the Gospels have better teachings about Jesus than some preachers with their weak doctrines of Christ!

"What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"—Matthew 8:29

"What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God."—Mark 1:24, Luke 4:34

"You are the Son of God."—Mark 3:11

"You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.—Luke 4:41

"What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me."—Luke 8:28, Mark 5:7

What Demons Reveal About Jesus' Authority

Prior to the demons' beliefs about Jesus is his command over them. In each of the passages, the demons are not even permitted to voice their beliefs without the permission of Jesus, the sovereign God. When they are permitted to speak, they acknowledge his cultural identity, his divinity, and his power over their each and every move. They acknowledge him as Lord, Son of God, the Holy One of God—and they shudder before him. The demons know that Jesus has come to earth from heaven to judge them (Rev 19:15), destroy the kingdom of darkness (Gen 3:15, Rom 16:20), disarm the demonic order (Col 2:15), and set captives free from sin and death (Rom 6:23, Rom 8:2). Calling him "Son of God" is a clear declaration of Jesus' divinity (Matt 26:63-64; John 5:17ff; 10:33-36), and the phrase "Holy One of God" is never used to describe anyone but God (Jeremiah 50:29; Isaiah 30:11).

Daily Devotion

Psalm 37:5-7

   Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him…

You can overcome temptation in your life by trusting God! The Bible tells us that whatever is not from faith is sin (Rom 14:23), and it's true that most sin finds its root in a failure to trust God. When Satan tempted Eve, she chose to trust Satan's words and her own judgment more than God.
Almost any sin in your life can be expressed in the words, "God, I cannot get what I need to fulfill me in life from you. I need to get it from this other thing". Satan caused Eve to be dissatisfied with God's way of life, to think she needed more in order to be fulfilled. What a deception!

Pursuing fulfillment outside of God's will for us is like drinking salt water. Feels good going down, but you end up thirstier than before! God is saying to you today that He designed you in such a way that you will only find what you need in Him. You can trust Him that if you walk with Him each day, living your life to please Him, then He will give you inner satisfaction that you will never find in anything else.

Is There Conflict Between Christianity and Science?

Before turning to the opening pages of Genesis where creation commences, a few prefatory comments are in order.


First, there is no conflict between Christianity and science itself. This is because the Christian worldview, which believes that God created the world with natural 'laws' and orderliness, is what undergirds the entire scientific enterprise. For example, inductive reasoning and the scientific method are based on the assumption of the regularity of the laws of nature. . . . Without this kind of regularity, we could not learn from experience, including the experiences of scientific testing. This also helps to explain why in cultures where creation is said to be an illusion or disorderly chaos because it was not created by an orderly God, the sciences have not historically flourished; indeed, the scientific method depends upon the kind of underlying worldview that a creating and providentially ruling God of the Bible provides.

Second, there is total conflict between Christianity and scientific naturalism. Naturalism is the belief that all phenomena can be explained in terms of presently operating natural causes and laws. The only true knowledge is that which comes through observable experiments. When natural science is the arbiter of all truth claims, religion becomes superstition and God is omitted from discussion.

Third, the Bible in general, and the book of Genesis in particular, was not written with the intention of being a scientific textbook. Rather, it is a theological narrative written to reveal the God of creation, which means its emphasis is on God and his relationship with humanity and not on creation. Genesis is far more concerned with the questions of who made creation and why he made creation than exactly when he did. Therefore, as Galileo said, "The Holy Ghost intended to teach us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go."

Fourth, one's view of the date of creation should not be the litmus test for Christian faithfulness. Within Christian theology there are open- and closed-handed issues. Biblical authority is a closed-handed issue. Christians receive what the Bible actually teaches as truth from God to be believed and obeyed. Regarding creation, anyone who claims to be a Bible-believing Christian must reject such things as the atheistic evolutionists' claims that there is no God and that creation is not a gift but rather an epic purposeless accident. Nevertheless, Bible-believing Christians, can and do disagree over the open-handed issues, such as exactly how God made the heavens and the earth, whether the six days of Genesis 1–2 are literal twenty-four-hour days, and the age of the earth. These sorts of issues must remain in the open hand.

Daily Devotion

Genesis 3:4-6

      The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.  What Satan said was not completely a lie (see v. 22). So what was wrong with it? What was the temptation? He was encouraging Eve to want more than God had given her—to want what was not right. He did this by stirring up pride in her—"you will be like God", and by appealing to her physical desires—"good for food…a delight to the eyes".

Pride—the desire to be popular, to be liked, not to be thought weird—has led so many people to compromise their spiritual convictions. And physical desire—sexual opportunities, overeating, laziness—distracts us from God and makes it easy to desire and even justify what God doesn't allow in our lives.



Someone has said, "The essence of temptation is the invitation to live independently of God". Feeling tempted? Get your focus back on God!

So Your Dead Now What????????

I am telling you guys You don't want to miss tonight!!!!

If you have questions about afterlife or is heaven/hell real, or  What is this life all about? This series will be great for you. We will wrestle with these Questions and see what the Bible has to say when it comes to these issues, plus we just got in this HUGE volley ball that we will use in tonight's games SOoOoOo DON'T MISS OUT!!!!!!

AMpd Youth Group

Sunday nights.......6:00-8:00 @ Grace Community Church in Wasco!!!

Daily Devotion

Genesis 3:2-5




The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"  The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Temptation questions God's love for you!

Satan told Eve that God didn't want her to eat the fruit because God wanted to keep wonderful knowledge for Himself. He was trying to get Eve to doubt God's motives and His love for her. When you find yourself questioning God's love for you, picture a huge warning sign flashing: "YOU ARE BEING TEMPTED!"  If Eve had taken a moment to ponder all of God's love, care and attention, she'd have instantly rejected such a thought. But she was focused on the temptation, not on God, so that thought became believable. "Why is God keeping that from me? Why is God allowing this bad thing to happen to me? He mustn't love me!" If these kinds of thoughts creep at you today, stop and focus, not on what prompted those thoughts, but on all that God has done for you in your life.

Grace for the Fifth Mile!

I’m training for some kind of crazy mud race in Bakersfield around November, and so far I’m still alive and not addicted to Advil, so yeah, it’s going well. So for the past 2 weeks I’ve taken to the 1-mile loop around my house.

Last Month my run consisted of a 5 mile run where I ran miles 1, 3, and 5 at a relatively slow pace and miles 2 and 4 about as fast as I could. By the time I got to mile 5  I was exhausted. Even though that last mile was a very slow jog, I WAS DYING!!

About halfway through that last mile I suddenly became aware of what I looked like. I was jogging very slowly, but I was winded, dripping sweat, and looking like I was ready to keel over. What if somebody I know drives past me right now? They’re going to think I’m terribly out of shape if a leisurely jog has me breathing this heavy.

I decided I’d make a note of anyone I knew who saw me, and then later in the day I’d casually drop by and let them know that I had ran 5 miles. Hey, we can’t have them thinking I’m out of shape, can we?

As I was thinking through all this another thought came to me. What I was afraid of was someone taking a quick mental snapshot of me and judging me based on what they saw.

Running slowly, yet about to die? He must be out of shape!

But the thing is, how often do I do the very same thing with the people I interact with?

Someone doesn’t give me the attitude I was hoping for? My reaction- What a miserable prick.

A friend doesn’t seem interested in my exciting news?  My reaction- He can be such a selfish jerk.

The thing is, in almost every case you and I have NO IDEA what the people in our lives are going through behind the scenes. The stinky kid sitting next to you at school that gave you attitude this morning? He might be a jerk…or maybe he’s going through the toughest week of his life at home. Your buddy who didn’t seem interested in what you had to say last night? He might be all about himself…or maybe he’s struggling with things you never imagined.

It’s by no means a profound thought, just something to consider the next time you take a quick look at a person or a situation and you want to cast judgment. Remember, you might be catching them on mile 5 (or mile 50) of a week where they’ve been running nonstop.

In fact, a little extra grace from you may be EXACTLY what they need.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:3

KAZAKHSTAN — Christians Targeted for Religious Activity

KAZAKHSTAN — Christians Targeted for Religious Activity

On April 1, Vissa Kim, pastor of Grace Light of Love Church, was fined 10 months' salary for "harming a woman's health by praying for her," according to Forum 18 News. "Now it looks like pastors will get fines for praying for the sick in churches," a member of Kim's church told Forum 18.
Elsewhere in Kazakhstan, government authorities are targeting Christian-run drug rehabilitation centers. Sergei Mironov, who operates a clinic in Taraz, southern Kazakhstan, was given one year's restriction on freedom of movement after being convicted of depriving a client of his freedom, according to Forum 18. Authorities have reportedly closed his clinic. In addition, a criminal case has been opened against the leader of another Christian-run rehabilitation center in Almaty. "Religious communities can do social work, but only if they do it in accordance with the Religion Law," a government official told Forum 18 concerning Mironov's case. Praise God for the courage of these Christians in Kazakhstan. Pray that they will remain faithful and that their testimonies will draw their persecutors to Christ. Also pray that the charges against the Christians will be dismissed.  

Daily Devotion

Galatians 5:16-17

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

Spiritual growth includes spiritual battle!

Your flesh—your old sinful nature—will be left behind when you leave this fallen world. But until then you'll face a daily battle. Your new nature, stirred up by God's Spirit, longs for intimacy with God, pursuing His goals for your life, spending time with Him, looking for ways to minister to others.

But your flesh resists everything that takes the focus off yourself and the gratification of your desires. It works against the time you're taking right now to read this devotional. It tries to distract you. It links arms with the secular world and the forces of evil to distort the perspective on life that God is building into you through His word.

How can you resist this powerful inward enemy of your spiritual life? By continually walking by the Spirit—turning to Him for guidance, leaning on Him for strength, calling on Him for help when you face temptation, asking Him to change the way you approach your work and your relationships and everything.

He's speaking to your heart right now. Journal your response to Him.

Daily Devotion

1 Peter 5:8-10

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

Never accept spiritual defeat in your life!

It is in the spiritual battle that you have an opportunity to take major steps forward in your spiritual life. The devil will attack you, yes. "But resist him!" As you do battle with him, look what God will do for you. He will "perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you".

Martin Luther once said, "Wherever the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved".

Whenever you sense that you are being attacked spiritually, remember that it is part of a much bigger spiritual battle that is being fought throughout the world for the glory of God. Do not accept defeat as inevitable, no matter how many times you have lost that battle before.

The Lord is assuring you today that He will enter into that battle as you make godly choices. No battle is so big that your God is not bigger. 

Daily Devotion

Ephesians 6:11-13

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Prepare yourself for spiritual battle before it comes to you!

We have a powerful and clever spiritual enemy, but God has given us armor and weapons that will enable us to defeat his attacks in our lives.

Still, unless we use that armor and prepare for battle we will experience constant defeat in our spiritual lives. As Charles Spurgeon said, "We may sleep, but Satan does not".

The time to start praying and reading your Bible and going to Bible study is not when you are in a tough time and being tempted and attacked spiritually at every turn. For sure, run to God then; but God is speaking to you today through these verses and telling you that the key to victory is to be walking in close fellowship with Him BEFORE the attacks come.

How can you strengthen your spiritual life today? 

Daily Devotion

Colossians 4:2-4

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

Pray for and look for opportunities to share God's word with the people around you!

Do you see what Paul prays that God will open a door for, in his contacts with those who don't know Christ? He asks for prayer "that God will open up to us a door for the word". God is reminding you today of the power of His word in a person's life.

Think of how He has used His word in your own life. Never underestimate the power of God's word when you share it with someone.

God wants you to ask Him for opportunities to share it with people. As you pray for those opportunities, be sure that you also make yourself available to God for Him to use you in this way when the opportunity does come.

Then keep your Bible handy, because you will probably need it!

Why bother with Orthodoxy?

Why bother with orthodoxy?

The major assumption behind Dan Brown’s best-seller, The Da Vinci Code, was that there were rival forms of Christianity in the earliest Christian centuries and these expressions of Christianity were all equally valid until one particular form (the one that insisted on the deity of Jesus) became triumphant due to the political power of the emperor Constantine in the fourth century.  Whilst Dan Brown’s novel reconstruction has been rightly dismissed as fiction, nevertheless, it is true that there were many different groups in these centuries who were claiming to be Christian, but whose teachings were far from the teachings of the Apostles and the New Testament.  According to Gerald Bray in his book, Creeds, Councils and Christ (IVP, 1984, page 96), creeds therefore arose in response to a pastoral need to define the faith in a memorable summary fashion in an age of theological confusion.  

                 Though the Apostles’ Creed in the form that we now have it dates from about the fifth century, its origins go back much further, namely to the second century in Rome, where a version of it was used to question baptismal candidates on their faith.  According to the Apostolic Traditions of Hippolytus, who was a presbyter in Rome around the early 200’s, candidates were questioned on their belief in God using words that form a large part of what came to be known later as the Apostles’ Creed.  Even before this, in response to the heresy of Gnosticism, particularly those of Valentinus and Marcion, who were active in Rome in the mid-second century, Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyon gave a summary of Christian doctrine in words substantially similar to those of the Apostles’ Creed (Against Heresies, circa 180 AD).  This ‘rule of faith’ was a summary of apostolic teaching in the New Testament and came to be very important apologetic and evangelistic tool, as well as a means of confirming young believers in their faith, as new believers would have been instructed in the doctrines of the creed before baptism.  Some scholars think that the Trinitarian shape of the creed originated in the Trinitarian baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19, which then became expanded to express the details of the Christian faith as it faced competition from Gnosticism and other heresies.     

      

       Certainly, the appearance of the Nicene Creed arose from a need to combat the heresy of Arianism, which in the fourth century threatened the very existence of orthodox or catholic Christianity.  About 311 AD, Arius, a presbyter in the Church in Alexandria, Egypt, put forward the view that Christ was created by the Father and therefore not fully God.  His teaching spread through the church so much that the new emperor, Constantine, called for a church council in Nicea in 325, where the bishops from the East and West rejected his teaching.  However the dispute about the full deity of Christ was not finally over until the Council of Constantinople in 381.  During this whole period from Nicea to Constantinople, Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria personally exemplified the struggle for the survival of orthodox Christianity.  Exiled a number of times from Alexandria during those periods when Arianism seemed in the ascendancy, he maintained a strong orthodox witness chiefly through his writings, which upheld the apostolic doctrines concerning Christ and his divinity.  He illustrated the fact that for the early Christians, right belief or adherence to the teachings of the New Testament, was quite literally a life and death struggle.       

          The reason that Athanasius and others before him, like Irenaeus, struggled in the case of orthodoxy was because they believed the teachings of the New Testament to be the truth.  After all, it is Jesus, in John’s Gospel, who tells us very clearly that he has the words of eternal life, is the Truth (John 14:6), and that the truth sets men and women free.   False teaching or distortions of New Testament teaching don’t set anyone free from their sins and leave men and women still in their sins.  When Paul tells Timothy to remain in Ephesus in 1 Timothy 1:3 to stop false teaching spreading, it is so that the true Gospel can bring all people to salvation (1 Timothy 2:3, 4).  God wants all people to come to a knowledge of the truth, and that means that any distortion of his revealed truth has serious consequences for the spiritual welfare of others.  Therefore, the development of the creeds was a useful tool for advancing the Christian faith by instruction of new converts and defence from false teaching.     

            If right belief was important then for the spiritual welfare of men and women, it is certainly still important now in our generation.  Whilst living in a vastly different age in terms of technological advance and scientific knowledge, our age is as spiritually pluralistic as those first few Christian centuries.  We live in a society where religious ideas are considered a matter of personal opinion and where claims to religious truth are dismissed.  Within Christianity, this prevailing spirit of the age has led to the emergence of various forms of teaching that leave many people confused about what constitutes true belief in Christ.  In short, it is an age of theological confusion and once again real, biblical Christianity needs to be visible and identifiable for the sake of the spiritual welfare of others.  Hence, we need to insist on right belief, on sincere adherence to the creeds and their apostolic doctrines.   

      

          In conclusion, the major success of  The Da Vinci Code has highlighted not only public fascination with Jesus, but also the almost universal ignorance and confusion about who the real Jesus is and what the real Gospel is.  Jesus is the truth and his Gospel proclaims the truth about God and mankind.  The creeds summarize the main points of New Testament teaching and play their part still in preserving and promoting the Gospel.  The church needs them just as much now as it did in those first centuries, not only to distinguish true Christianity from its many false imitators, but also for a clear concise summary of Christian belief to a world in need of Christ, the Saviour.

Daily Devotion

Monday 12^th April

Jeremiah 23:21-22

I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, then they would have announced My words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds.

Spend time listening to God if you wish to speak to people in His name!

We like speaking into people's lives, but we must be careful to be God's servant when we do so. We want to be thought of as wise, as having a word in season. We want to be the one to encourage or challenge someone. But what's God doing in their lives? What does He want to say? That's crucial.

These prophets were bringing a message of encouragement to God's people. Perhaps they thought that's what God wanted to communicate; but they never spent time with God to be led by Him or get His message. What God wanted to do was warn His people. That warning was never delivered. If it had been delivered, the people would have repented.

But because the prophets didn't take time to listen to God, both they and the people would face God's judgment.

God wants you to spend time with Him, just reading His word and listening to Him. Then you can minister to others the way He wants you to.

Daily Devotion

Read Psalm 119:161-168

My heart stands in awe of Your words. I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great spoil. I hate and despise falsehood, but I love your law. (vv. 161-164)

Make sure that your heart gets involved in the word of God!

It can be very easy for our heart to be left out when it comes to God's word. We get our minds involved—we try to understand the Bible. We get our will involved too—we try to obey the Scriptures; we try to build our lives around God's way of life. But if we fail to involve the heart, we will also fail at the level of both our intellect and our will.

So, why should our hearts stand in awe of God's word?

1. Because God's word ushers us into the presence of God. Remember, this is God's word; it is His revelation of Himself to us! Do you want to walk through life with a sense of God's presence? Then spend time with Him in His word!

2. Because His word describes the acts of God on the behalf of men and women. From the Bible, you can learn how God relates to you.

3. Because God's word is put together like a treasure map of great skill and intrigue. When we apply our minds and hearts to it, we find the most beautiful treasures. What treasure awaits you today? 

Random thoughts from the Bathroom

At what point does a towel really get dirty?

Daily Devotion

Read Psalm 119:153-160

Revive me according to Your word… Revive me according to Your ordinances… Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness. (vv. 154,156,159)

How are you going spiritually? Has some apathy crept into your relationship with the Lord? Do you sense hardness where your heart used to be really soft towards God? Has God moved from being the center of your life to being just one of the things that revolve around your own self-centeredness? Do you feel like your spiritual life has declined?

Then you need revival.

How does God revive you spiritually? He uses His word! If you need revival, God will revive you through His word. Are you spending lots of time there, listening for God's voice in your heart? When you need reviving, ask God to speak to you through His word. Make sure your heart is open to Him and ready to respond.

Why does God revive you? Because of His lovingkindness! Because you are God's child, His heart is tender toward you. He pursues you. He breaks through your hardness. He gets your attention. He reminds you that He loves you. He kindles a longing in your heart for the days when you walked with Him. And He revives you.

If you need reviving in your inner life, God is inviting you today to come to the only place you will find it—His word.

Getting Ready For the Conclusion of the "Battle of The Sexes"

Getting Ready for the Conclusion of "The Battle Of the Sexes"

I really had a great time these last three weeks. We have seen some kids really giving their heart completely to Christ in the areas of Sex, relationships, their identity. I really enjoyed the fact that we were able to separate the Boys and Girls, it gave us an opportunity to talk about issues that pertained to them more specifically. I just pray the kids leave from this series challenged to glorify God in all they do. Last night we concluded the teaching part of the series by having all of them together. Here are the notes from the message.

The Battle of the Sexes

week 3 

“Purity”

How does God desire us as people of God to live? 

let’s look @ I Thessalonians 4,1-8  

Here we see 5 things that Paul writes to the Thessilonian Church, 5 things that God desires for us to live and walk in.

1) Sanctification - verse 3  “For this is the will of God, your sanctification

What is sanctification?

it’s really in two parts:

1. sanctify- set apart to God.

when you step in to a relationship with God you are set apart from the world to God through Christ 

1. sanctification  - The process of a holy lifestyle set apart for God.. sanctification is a process  

When Lily and I went on our first date, things kicked off real well. But if we would have left the date and never talked again or seen each other again, could we say that we are boyfriend and Girlfriend six months later?

Why not?- because we spent NO time with each other

Its the same as our relationship with Christ just because we become a Christ follower and we sanctified (set apart to God) doesn’t mean that we can leave this place and never commune with Him.

Romans 8:29

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed(process) to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

This is a lifestyle/process to be conformed by the process of sanctification that will be completed in heaven 

We must establish this sanctification process by having a RELATIONSHIP with Christ

1. Abstaining from Sexual Immorality ( 1 Thess. 4:3)

Paul uses strong words in 1 Corinthians 6:18

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Why Flee?......

He could have said resist, rebuke, or any of the other words. Why Flee?

I feel it’s because Sexual Sin is against ones Body.

When we tell a lie, say something mean, rebel against our parents, that effects others around us.

Sexual Sin damages us (emotionally, physically - STD - Pregnancy)

Joseph in Gen 39 when he was confronted by Potiphar’s wife (His boss) the Bible tells us that he RAN!!!

He dropped everything.  All he new was that he needed to get away from that sin situation

We as people of God need to be pure before God and before our Future Husbands/Wives. FLEE, RUN, ABSTAIN from ALL Forms of Sexual Sin

Flee From - making out, parking, bad movies, - How far is too far? -  If you don’t feel comfortable doing it in public in front of the ones you love and know, DON’T DO IT

1. Control Your Body

This is one of the Fruit of the Spirit

Galations 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

What does it mean to walk in Self-Control?

What does it mean to be out of control?

What does it mean to be addicted to something? - Out of Control 

Living a life of Self-Control before God is having behavior suitable for God.- Again this is a process/lifestyle that we must strive for. (David’s example)

David blew it in many ways...... So why was he known as a man after God’s own heart? Not because he was perfect but because when confronted (convicted) he repented and turned. He strived to be closer to God.

It’s a process, you wont be perfect but you can strive to be closer to Christ.

How is your lifestyle? Is it a life of Self-Control, a behavior suitable for God?

We don’t strive to be accepted by God we strive to Glorify Him!!

 If humans or the World cannot respect our life style then would that be a right lifestyle before God? (A woman with a child out of wedlock is often looked down upon, Homosexuality, Ratings on Movies.......etc)

1. Holiness and Honor

Holiness - state of being Holy/Godly

Godliness - Careful observance of, or conformity to, the laws of God 

Honor -  High Respect, A Good Name, having A good Reputation

We as Youth for Christ  we need to have Honorable names, meaning what are you known for?

Holiness/Godliness is just like Sanctification

It’s a lifestyle, a process, something that we strive for.

What are you striving for these days?

Are you living a pure life before God?

In this day and age we are being pulled and pulled in every direction...... Just not to God

The culture we live in today is full of traps to pull us in every direction away from God. So why do we not invite our friends to Church. The enemy wants your friends, he wants you to be pulled away by distractions, So GO out and help your friends

What are you distractions?

Over the last three weeks we looked at some ways that God DESIRES us to live and respond to His word

Lets live our lives PURE and STRIVE for a right relationship with our creator!!!

NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE FINAL GAME NIGHT!!!!!!!!!

Last year when we did this the Girls won. Now the winning team walks away with some serious bragging rights because the loosing team has to get down on their knees and profess that the winning team is the superior Sex!!! Last year the Guys lost so they got on their knees and the girls just soaked it up.

We played tuns of crazy Games!!!!

This year will be even Better!!!!

When will this take place you ask???? THIS SUNDAY NIGHT!!!! 

          GATES OPEN 5:30: PM

THE BATTLE BEGINS: 6:00PM sharp!

         RIGHT NOW THE SCORE IS 

10,OOO POINTS - GIRLS
15,000 POINTS -  GUYS