Living for Eternity Ministry

Please Join us this Sunday!

2012-01-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

Please join us Sunday morning at 9:15 am as we continue looking at the Gospel of Mark, in a message titled, "Breaking through a hardened Heart." We will be looking at what causes a hardened heart, what the effects of a hardened heart are, and what the cure for a hardened heart is.

Has the Bible been changed?

2012-01-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

How do weknow that the Bible has not been changed from what was originally written?

The waywe can be confident that the Bible has not been changed from what wasoriginally written is due to the fact that there is ample evidence that theBible has been accurately protected throughout the ages to its originalwritings.

Thereare over 5700 Greek manuscripts from the New Testament alone, which still existtoday

Thereare also over 19,000 non-Greek manuscripts, for a total of 25,000 plusmanuscripts in all languages!

Thereare fragments that date no more than 30 years past Christ life on earth.

Thatis amazing considering the apostles didn’t sit down and write the New Testamentthe moment Jesus ascended into heaven, because they were too busy turning theworld upside down (cf. Acts 17:6).

Anotheramazing fact about the New Testament is that it has more manuscript supportthan any book of ancient history, including Homer, Plato, Aristotle, andCaesar.

There is also the unarguable evidence proving that the Bible has beenpreserved throughout the centuries thanks to the discovery of the Dead SeaScrolls back in 1947, which really gave great support for the Old Testament.

Therewere over 100,000 fragments that were discovered in the caves of Qumran. Withinthose fragments were over 200 Biblical manuscripts, which were more than athousand years older than any previously known copies of the Hebrew Bible. Whatwas amazing about the Dead Sea Scrolls is that they found that the onlydifferences that could be found were variations involving the spelling ofwords, but no variation that affected Biblical doctrines.

It isfor these reasons that we can be confident in the accuracy and integrity of theBible. However, if these proofs are not enough, we can rest with peace in theknowledge that Jesus said, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earthpass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all isfulfilled” (Matthew 5:18).

The Smallest Offering

2012-01-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

You can now listen to past Sunday's message, "The Smallest Offering", we give to God in faith, can enable God to do EXTREMELY BIG THINGS in and through our lives.

Apples, Eggs, Ice Cubes, and God

2012-01-24T14:43:00.000-08:00

SUPPORT FROM THE NATURAL:

What do apples, eggs,ice-cubes, and shamrocks all have in common? Each of them is but only a few ofthe many illustrations that have been used to help describe the Triune God ofthe Bible.

My personal favorite by the way, is the candle-flame illustration.The candle-flame illustration goes something like this; you take three candlesand light only one of them with fire. The fire from the lit candle now has itsown individual flame. Next, you take the other two unlit candles, and use theflame from the lit candle to light the other two wicks. Once you have lit thelast two candles with the fire from the first lit candle, you will come awaywith three separate candle-flames, all from the same fire – hence, threeflames, one fire.

Norman Geisler does awonderful job using a mathematical illustration in attempting to explain thisphenomenal mystery of our Triune God by saying; “Does not 1 + 1 + 1 = 3? Itcertainly does if you add them, but Christians insist that the triunity of Godis more like 1 x 1 x 1 = 1. God is triune, not triplex. His one essence hasmultiple centers of personhood. Thus, there is no more mathematical problem inconceiving the Trinity than there is in understanding 1 cubed (13)” (Geisler, p.732).

St. Augustine sought toexplain this great mystery by using a moral illustration to describe God’striune nature. He said that “God . . . had left triune footprints everywhere inthe created order” (Oden, Thomas C. Systematic Theology: Volume One. p.185), including in the very act of love itself.Augustine believed that “love requires a lover, one who is loved, and the lovethat unites them, in a kind of three-in-oneness, for in speaking of thesethree, we are speaking only of one thing, love” (Oden, p.186). Oden argues thatthese “are the conceptual requisites of tri-unity: all have unity, equality,and distinguishability” (ibid).

With all of the manyfeeble illustrations that we as humans attempt to conjure up in order toexplain the triune nature of God, it is no wonder that the concept of theTrinity still remains as one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith.When speaking about the Trinity it should be pointed out that it is a word thatis never mentioned in the Bible, (Neither is Eschatology, Soteriology,Pneumatology, or many other “ologies” used, but they are still accepteddoctrines throughout the Christian and Non-Christian world) yet the concept of Trinity is plainly taught throughout the Scripture.

SUPPORT FROM THE BIBLE:

There are two biblicaltruths that support the teaching of the Trinity. The first truth is the centraltheme of Judaism, which is called the Shema. The Shema comes from Deuteronomy6:4, and states: “Hear O, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” which wasechoed by Jesus as the first of all commandments (Mk. 12:29). David proclaimed,“You alone are God” (Ps. 86:10). The Lord speaks through His prophet Isaiah bytelling us, “That you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He.Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, amthe Lord, and besides Me, there is no Savior” (Isa. 43:10-11). When looking atthe Word of God, it is overwhelmingly clear that God is one (cf. Jn. 17:3; 1Tim. 2:5).

The second truth is thatthe Bible clearly teaches us there are three distinct persons revealed inScripture as God. The Bible tells us that there is God the Father, God the Son,and God the Holy Spirit. Isaiah the prophet reveals the triune nature of God byidentifying the One true God as a “Son” who is given (Son of God), “WonderfulCounselor” (a possible allusion to the Holy Spirit – cf. Jn. 15:26), and“Mighty God,” who is the “Everlasting Father” (Isa. 9:6). In this passage fromIsaiah it is very clear that Jesus is that Child, and Son that was given, as wellas the Wonderful Counselor, and Everlasting Father, who is known as the Onetrue “Mighty God.” We have three persons, yet One God.

Norman Geisler says; “Bysaying God has one essence and three persons it is meant that he has one “What”and three “Who’s.” The three Who’s (persons) each share the same What(essence). So God is a unity of essence with a plurality of persons. Eachperson is different, yet they share a common nature” (Geisler, p.732).

THE OLD TESTAMENT:

This idea of a Triune Godis witnessed from the very beginning of Scripture. Though Judaism’s centralclaim about Yahweh is the fact that He alone is the “One” true God, and thereis no other God but Him (cf. Deut. 6:4), it cannot be ignored that God in manyplaces throughout the Old Testament revealed His Triune nature to them. In factin the very first verse of the Bible, and the very first mention of God, weread: “In the beginning God” (Gen. 1:1). Jon Courson tells us that; “The Hebrewword translated ‘God’ is Elohim, [is a] compound unity. El is singular. Elo isused for two. Elohim refers to three or more. “Hear, O Israel, the Lord yourGod, Elohim, is one compound unity.” Listen carefully to the Shema, and you’llhear the Trinity” (Courson, p.555)

GENESIS 1:26

We see glimpses of God’striunity in Genesis 1:26, when He says, “Let Us make man in Our image,according to Our likeness” (cf. Gen. 11:7). Looking at Isaiah 48:16, we see whatI believe to be one of the most convincing passages in all of Scripture thatsupports the concept of the Trinity. Isaiah 48:16 says, “Come near to Me, hearthis: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that itwas, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me.” Oden states; “Isaiah48:16 is a principal prophetic text from which classical exegetes have argued animplicit triune intimation. The speaker is the Lord’s Servant, the promisedMessiah . . . The first person Me has been widely thought by classical exegetesto be anticipatory of the Son (viewed by analogy of faith from the NewTestament), who speaks of the Lord God by whom he is sent and the Spirit withwhom he is sent, thus keeping all the primary elements of triunity in place:unity, distinction, and complementary mission” (Oden, p.190).

It is quite clear that Godrevealed Himself to the Israelites as a triune God, but due to their spiritualblindness, they were not able to fully comprehend the greatness of God.

THE NEW TESTAMENT:

When looking through theNew Testament we see the Trinitarian idea even more clearly revealed.

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS:

At the Baptism of Jesus,we witness the Trinity. While Jesus is being baptized (Mt. 3:16), the HolySpirit is descending in bodily form (Lk. 3:22), and at the same time we hearGod the Father speak about how pleased He is with Jesus (Mt. 3:17). We have OneGod appearing in three distinct Persons. We can witness the Trinity in theGreat Commission’s Baptismal instructions (Mt. 28:19). We see this triuneteaching in Paul’s writings (Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16; 2 Cor. 13:14; Rom. 8:9-11).

DIVINE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD:

We can also see theTrinity throughout the Bible by the Divine attributes and acts that take place.For example, the Bible tells us that God the Father made us (Isa. 44:24), Jesusmade us (Jn. 1:3; Col 1:16), and the Spirit made us (Job 33:4), while at thesame time we read that God made us alone by Himself (Isa. 44:24). One God -three distinct persons – all taking part in our creation. The Bible describesGod the Father as the “Almighty” (Gen. 35:11), Jesus as the “Almighty” (Rev.1:8), and the Spirit as the “Almighty” (Job 33:4). One God - three distinct personswho are “Almighty.”

THE RESURRECTION:

The Bible tells us thatGod the Father would raise Jesus from the dead (Acts 3:15), the Holy Spiritwould raise Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11) and that Jesus would raise Himselffrom the dead (Jn. 2:19). One God - three distinct persons – all taking part inraising Jesus from the dead.

SALVATION:

The Bible also tells usthat no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them (Jn. 6:44), theSpirit draws them (Jn. 3:8), or the Son drawing them (Jn. 12:32; Lk. 10:22).One God - three distinct persons – all taking part in drawing us to Jesus forsalvation.

As we have seen, Godappears in the New Testament as Father, Son, and Spirit, and there is nosweeter picture of the Triune God throughout the Bible, than in His act on ourbehalf to secure our Salvation. He is God the Father who drew us to Christ (Jn.6:44), God the Son who paid for our sins (Rom. 5:8-9), and God the Spirit whodwells within us, and helps us (Jn. 14:16-17), and has sealed us for the day ofredemption (Eph. 1:13, 4:30).

CONCLUSION:

“Augustine concluded thatthe reason we talk about trinity at all is not because we can say somethingadequately about it, but rather because, in the absence of adequate speech, wemust say something” (Oden, p.224).

We should find greatcomfort in knowing that our God is not an apple, egg, ice-cube, or shamrock,but the One True God, who has revealed Himself to us as a Loving Father, aSacrificial Son, and a Comforting Spirit.

Amen.

____________

* Bibliography

Oden, Thomas C. SystematicTheology: Volume One. HendricksonPeabody, MA: Hendrickson. 1999

Geisler, Norman L. BakerEncyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.

Courson, Jon. ApplicationCommentary: Old Testament, ThomasNelson, Nashville, TN, 2005

Please join us this Sunday!

2012-01-21T21:53:00.000-08:00

Please join us Sunday morning at 9:15 am as we continue looking at the Gospel of Mark.

Can Angels Sin?

2012-01-21T21:39:00.000-08:00

Recently, in our church’s Women’s Ministry Bible Study, a question came up as to whether or not angels can sin. This question I was told, led to some very good group interaction. I am hoping it also led to the ladies going home to search the scriptures for some further revelation on the subject.
Can Angels Sin?
When answering the question, “Can Angels Sin?” the Bible does indeed shed some light upon this subject for us. However, we must also realize that what the Bible does share in regards to this topic is simply bits and pieces that we can put together in order to get an idea about this subject, but I am not sure there is enough information to make us experts on the topic by any means. I believe more information is needed before we could ever claim to have angels completely figured out, and yet more information regarding this topic is simply impossible to attain, due to the fact that the only authority on the matter is the Bible, and it simply doesn’t give us more to go on.
With this being understood, I would like to share a few thoughts on what the Bible (both Old and New Testament) does tell us about this subject matter. Hopefully through this study, we will be able to piece together a sound biblical understanding of what the Bible does reveal to us regarding this question.
Angels Definitely have the Ability to Sin:
The Bible is very clear that angels definitely have the ability to sin. When reading through Ezekiel 28:12-19, the LORD appears to be addressing “the king of Tyre” (Ezek 28:12). However, as we continue reading further in this chapter we quickly realize that it is no earthly king of Tyre that God is addressing, but an angelic being who is the ruler of that area of the world (Tyre), and he is none other than Satan himself. (Please refer to endnote for biblical support on this conclusion)[1]

The Bible tells us that Satan was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezek 28:12b). He was “in Eden, the garden of God” (Ezek 28:13), and was known as "the anointed cherub" (Ezek 28:14), who was "perfect in his ways from the day he was created, till INIQUITY was found in him" (Ezek 28:15), and he "SINNED" (Ezek 28:16). This anointed cherub "became filled with violence within and he SINNED" (Ezek 28:16),[2] and "therefore God cast him as a profane thing out of the mountain of God" (Ezek 28:16).

Jesus says when God cast him out it was like lightning (Lk 10:18), because he, Lucifer, "said in his heart; I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation" (Isa 14:12-16).

The Bible also tells us that when Satan rebelled he drew a third of the angels with him into his rebellion (Rev 12:4-9), and because of this, "God did not spare the angels who SINNED, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment" (2 Peter 2:4).

The Father of all Sin and Evil:

So this answers the question about angels and sin. Yes, angels can and do sin.In fact, angels were actually the first creatures to sin, and maybe that is why Jesus calls Satan "the father of all lies" and "a murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44). The reason that Jesus acknowledges Satan as being the father (or first) of all lies and a murderer from the beginning of time is because Satan was the first creature in all creation to sin, and his army of fallen angels followed right behind him.

Once Satan was cast down to the earth, he enticed Adam and Eve to sin (Gen 3:1-7), which brought about the death penalty (Gen 2:16-17; 3:19), and caused their sin nature to flow from their bloodline into the bloodline of every human being that has ever lived (Ps 51:5; Rom 5:12).[3]

Angels on the other hand do not have a sin nature, which means that they do not have to contend with fleshly desires. And therefore it would appear that there is no excuse for an angel when they sin, and thus, the consequences of their sin, is irreversible. Could this possibly be why those fallen angels do not get a second chance? [4]

These angels that fell are actually worse than a typical sinner, they are the embodiment of all evil, and a clear picture of what the full power of sin can do to a person’s life. Fallen angels (aka. demons, devils, evil spirits, ghosts) are one hundred percent EVIL to the fullest, the very inventors of sin and evil, without any capability or desire to ever do good. They, along with their leader are slaves to evil, seeking to only kill, steal, and destroy humanity (Jn 10:10), and to make war against God and His kids (Rev 12:12-17).

Examples in the Gospels:

When reading through the Gospels we can see how evil they are by looking at the Legion of demons that possessed the man from the country of the Gadarenes. They succeeded in destroying that poor man's life (Mk 5:1-13), until Jesus came along to deliver him and give him a new start in life (Mk 5:15-20). We are told that there were seven “evil spirits” that Mary Magdalene was healed of when she met Jesus (Lk 8:2). There is also the story of the man who pleaded with Jesus to deliver his son from the demon that possessed him. Apparently that demon repeatedly tried to kill the poor child by continually throwing him into the water in order to drown him, as well as into the fire in order to burn him to death (Mk 9:22).

These are just a few examples of how extremely evil Satan and his fallen angels are. In fact, when we look around the world, and see all of the evil that takes place (Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden, Abortion, Human Trafficking, etc), we must remember that it is these very angelic beings that act somewhat like the puppet-masters of evil (cf. 1 Jn 5:19). Humanity is still responsible for their sin of course, and each person is accountable to God for any and all sin they commit. However, evil was born because of these angelic beings, and the sin they originally committed in heaven. God expelled them from heaven because of their sin, and that is when Satan declared war on humanity (Rev 12:12). [5]

What about the rest of the angels that didn’t fall? Can they sin?

This is the question at hand, isn’t it? We know that the angels that chose sides with Satan in the heavenly rebellion sinned, and continue sinning even today. But what about the angels who didn’t get caught up in the rebellion? Can they sin? Do they sin? There really is no biblical answer for us on this, other than the fact that the fallen angels from Satan’s rebellion had the opportunity to sin, and chose to do so. [6]

So if angels are able to sin, as we have already established, what would keep the angels that are still in heaven from sinning? I don’t have a definite answer for this question, and I would caution anyone who would be bold enough to say that they do, as we are dealing with the Word of God here. Therefore, in my opinion, we can only speculate. However, it wouldn’t be difficult for me to believe that the following scenario could be true.

Angels are without a Sin Nature:

Because the angels in heaven do not have a sin nature, they do not have a fleshly appetite for sin as humans do.[7] I think to some extent angels could quite possibly be likened to Adam and Eve prior to the fall, only stronger and more disciplined in every way of course. Prior to the fall, Adam and Eve were perfect. God did not create them with a sin nature, nor as slaves to sin, as the rest of humanity became once the fall occurred (cf. Rom 6:18). Adam and Eve didn’t even consider disobeying God’s word (Gen 2:16-17), until Satan came along and enticed them to do so (Gen 3:1-7).

God had created Adam and Eve to live as perfect examples of what God intended humanity to be, but they chose to disobey God (because of Satan’s influence, just as a third of the angels did also), and therefore their conscious decision to disobey God, ruined their original sinless condition (cf. Rom 5:19), and that is when the sin nature became a part of every human’s DNA (cf. Rom 5:12).[8]

I wonder if this is how it was in heaven with the angels who fell? I wonder if they were just enjoying life in heaven with God (1 Cor 2:9), worshipping and serving Him day and night (Rev 5:13), experiencing the enormous pleasure and fullness of joy that comes from being in His presence (Ps 16:11). I wonder if the thought of a heavenly rebellion and all of the evil that the fallen angels have helped influence through the history of the world would have ever even entered their minds prior to Satan’s bold and rebellious attempt to lure them in and take part in a heavenly rebellion against God?

Could this be why Angels Can Sin, BUT don't Sin?

Could it be that angels, like Adam and Eve prior to the fall, are able to live perfectly when Satan (along with his tempting and deceptive ways) is out of the equation? [9] Could it be that even though the opportunity to sin is always present for angels, even at this very moment as you are reading this article, but because the fleshly desires that entice humanity to sin are absent from the angels DNA, they are able to not only resist sin, but actually completely ignore it? In fact I think we should even go a step further than saying they ignore it, and consider the fact that they are completely unaffected by it. Could this possibly be the answer to why Angels “can” sin, but don’t sin?

Much like no one in their “right mind” would ever think about going to the zoo, and hopping over the fence in order to get into the cage of a hungry lion. This is something that no one would ever consider doing, because the repercussions for it are irreversible. We have the freedom to go down to the Zoo, and once the zoo keepers are not looking, hop over the fence at any moment we choose. But we are unaffected by this choice, because in our right minds we have no desire to experience the repercussion of our actions. In fact, even as I write this out, I will probably even be taking a few steps further back from the lions cage the next time I go to the zoo!

The Future of Christians as an Example:

We can look to ourselves as Christians and see this same scenario one day becoming a reality for us in heaven. Right now as Christians, we still have to battle our sin nature (Gal 5:17), and even though we hate sin, unfortunately we still lose the battle from time to time (1 John 1:10). However, once Christ comes back for us, or we go to Him first, we will be given our spiritual bodies (1 Cor 15:42-50), and will be changed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor 15:51-52), and will NEVER sin again (1 Cor 15:53-56), “thanks to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 15:57).

In heaven there is no flesh allowed (1 Cor 15:50), which means there will no longer be a sin nature, because it will be eliminated (1 Cor 15:56), and there will at that time be “no more curse” (Rev 22:3). That is why we will no longer be able to sin against God, and I am sure that is why even though the angels of heaven can sin right now, they don’t sin.

Conclusion:

As I bring this article to a close, I would like to add that it was not my intention to present a dogmatic position on angels and their ability to sin. It was however, my intention to present some clear biblical concepts and truths that we see in Scripture, that will hopefully give clarity to the question that was asked, which was, “Can Angels Sin?”

Other than that, I think we would be wise to claim Deuteronomy 29:29, which is, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things WHICH ARE REVEALED belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." Meaning, whatever God’s Word clearly reveals to us, belongs to us. Whatever God’s Word doesn’t clearly reveal to us, belongs to God. Maybe He will reveal all of the secret things to us in heaven? That is something I look forward to!

Amen? Amen!

Endnotes:

[1] You can read the book of Daniel and see that the Bible recognizes fallen angels as demonic rulers that have dominion over certain areas of the world. Just as Ezekiel alludes to the king of Tyre (Ezek. 28:12) as being Satan aka. “the anointed cherub” who was “in Eden, the garden of God”, and was “cast” out of heaven (Ezek. 28:13-19), we know that the angel Gabriel told Daniel that there was a fallen angel who was known as “the prince of the kingdom of Persia.” Gabriel informs Daniel that the reason it took him twenty-one days to inform him that his prayer would be answered, is because “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” withstood him for twenty-one days until “Michael (the archangel), one of the chief princes (for God), came to help” him (Daniel 10:13). Another example of demonic forces ruling behind the scenes in different earthly locations can be seen in Mark 5:10, where the Legion of demons “beg” Jesus not to “send them out of the country” they were currently in. It could be argued that they had a responsibility to Satan for that area. Could it be that the one speaking to Jesus on behalf of the “many” (Mk. 5:9), was the “prince” of the country of Gadarenes, which is the country that Jesus was at in this story (Mk. 5:1)? This is only speculative but as we have seen there is scriptural support for it (cf. Eph. 6:12).

[2] Ezekiel 28:16 tells us that Satan, “became filled with violence within, and ... sinned”, and therefore God cast him out of heaven as “a profane thing.” It is no wonder then that the moment Satan is kicked out of heaven that Revelation 12:12 proclaims, “Rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” The moment Satan was kicked out of heaven, heaven rejoiced, while at the same time proclaimed a “woe” to the inhabitants of the earth. It is amazing how the inhabitants of heaven understand just how dangerous and destructive Satan is, but the inhabitants of earth have very little fear of Satan.

[3] Our sin nature is an invisible thread, visible only to God (Jer. 17:9-10) that runs throughout the DNA of every human being (Rom. 5:12). That is why it is impossible for humans not to sin (Rom. 3:23), and why it is such a battle for Christians to keep from sinning (Gal. 5:17).

[4] We know that “God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2 Peter 2:4). Meaning, they received zero mercy from God for what they did, and they have been given zero opportunity for repentance and salvation. It is interesting to note that when we read through the gospels, the demons who interact with Jesus never ask for forgiveness, mercy, nor salvation. Other than challenging Him to see if He was there to destroy them on the spot (Mk. 1:24), or to see if He was going to send them “out into the abyss” until the final judgment (Luke 8:31). But they never show repentance for their rebellion, they never seek forgiveness from Jesus, nor do they ever out of desperation express a desire to be made right with God again. It’s as if they know that they made an irreversible choice in heaven to cross a line that was drawn in the sand, and once crossed there would be no coming back. Who knows, maybe it was a choice for them to follow the Lamb of Glory from that moment on, or to reject Jesus and follow after Lucifer? This is speculative of course, but it is worth pondering.

Furthermore, not only will they not receive a second chance from God, the Bible seems to indicate that Hell didn’t even exist until Satan and his angels rebelled. The reason we know this is because Jesus tells us that Hell was created, or “prepared” for Satan and his fallen angels. When teaching His disciples about the judgment of humanity that is to come at the Second Coming, Jesus said, “Then He (Jesus) will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:41). So we see here that Jesus tells us that Hell was created for the devil and his angels, to be a place of punishment for anyone who sins. Hell was not created for fallen humanity, but it is the place that those who reject Jesus will spend eternity in (cf. Revelation 20:10-15; John 5:28-29).

[5] Satan’s first course of action was to influence the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:1-7). Satan had first hand experience and knew that if he could get Adam and Eve to sin, they too along with the entire human race, would be separated from God for all eternity. Of course he didn’t stop there. The moment Jesus came into the world in order to save us, Satan tried to permanently stop God’s plan to redeem humanity, by causing Jesus to sin (Mt 4:1-11). Thankfully our Savior is also our Hero and He didn’t fall for it!

[6] There is a hint of some type of angelic judgment that takes place in eternity, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:3a, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” The problem with this verse though is that it is very vague, and Paul doesn’t expand on this statement to tell us which group of angels we will be judging, nor does he tell us what we will be judging angels for. He doesn’t tell us if it is the angels that are currently in heaven, and are called to minister to us (Heb 1:14). Nor does he tell us if it will be the fallen angels that we will be judging with Jesus (2 Peter 2:4). When I say, “judging with Jesus”, I am envisioning more of an “agreement” with Jesus’ judgment on them. Much like a jury in a courtroom comes to a decision about a criminal and the judge agrees with their final verdict. Either way, we cannot and should not assume that when we get to heaven we will be judging the remaining angels for any sin they may or may not have committed, simply for the fact that the Bible has clearly explained to us that God will judge the fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4), and that God the Father has given “all judgment to the Son” (Jn 5:22; Rev 19:11-15), not to us.

[7] Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:50, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God...” which tells us that since there is no “flesh” allowed in heaven, there are no fleshly appetites that are controlled by sin nature in heaven.

[8] Refer to endnote #3

[9] I would like to point out that even when Satan was in heaven prior to the rebellion, two-thirds of the angels were able to continue living perfectly and obediently to God. This shows us that Satan has great power and influence to be able to lure away one-third of the angels, but he is not Omnipotent like God, and every creature has the ability to simply say, “The LORD rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9) as Michael the Archangel did.

Latest sermon uploaded

2012-01-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

You can now listen to this past weeks sermon, "Which Kingdom are you living for?" online.

Which Kingdom are you living for?

2012-01-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

Please join us Sunday morning at 9:15 am as we continue looking at the Gospel of Mark.

The Lord Will Provide

2012-01-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

Are you having difficulty trusting God to come through in an area of your life today? Are you struggling to believe that God has heard your prayers, and that God knows the desires of your heart, and that God is able to provide for you?

In Genesis 22:14, the Bible says;
"And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, 'in the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.'"

In Hebrew, The-LORD-Will-Provide is Jehovah-Jireh. Jehovah-Jireh is not simply an additional name that God is known by, but more importantly, it is a definition of who God is, and what God's nature is like. Meaning, Jehovah-Jireh is not what we call God, but instead its how we describe God. The LORD will provide!

In fact, this is a scriptural promise and unchanging truth about God, to all who trust in Him.

It is in God's VERY NATURE AND CHARACTER TO PROVIDE!

To access God's provision takes faith in believing He is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He is going to do.

Abraham went to that mountain of testing knowing that even with his most treasured possession on earth - his son Isaac - that God would still provide. That mountain was not only a mountain of testing, it was a mountain of death. To the unbelieving heart, it was a mountain that represented the death of Abraham's dreams, the death of God's promises, and the death of God's future work through the children of Israel. And yet, rather than give in to the doubt and despair that this event would surely bring upon any person faced with Abraham's situation, Abraham said to that mountain, "MOVE!" And it moved! The reason it moved is because Abraham had faith in Jehovah-Jireh, the LORD-Will-Provide! It's who God is! It's in God's nature to Provide.

Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 17:20, "... for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

What a wonderful example Abraham sets for us as a man who trusted in God to provide, even with his most treasured possession at stake. And maybe you have a mountain that stands before you and God's promise right now.

I am not sure what your mountain of testing looks like. But I am persuaded that God is still on the throne and is ever-willing to help you overcome that impossible mountain that has you believing your hopes and your dreams are dead, and that your situation is too difficult for you to handle.

It is my prayer that you will be fully persuaded to trust that the Lord is still Jehovah-Jireh, the Great Provider!

In the Presence of Faith

2012-01-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

You can now listen to this past Sunday's message, In the Presence of Faith online.

Don't Give Up!

2012-01-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

The following video from Pastor Perry Noble is a great reminder for us to never give up. God is not through with you yet! God does not have you at a dried up water brook in life because He is punishing you. He has you there to prepare you for greater things in life!

The Bible is quite clear that we can be "confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).

Please Join Us this Sunday!

2012-01-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Please join us Sunday morning at 9:15 am as we continue looking at the Gospel of Mark.

See you at Church this Sunday!

_________________

The Church at Promenade

in the movie theaters

www.ChurchatPromenade.com

Top 10 for 2011

2012-01-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

These are the top 10 most viewed posts for 2011.

1. The Great Adventure of Parenting
2. Three Secrets to a Thriving Marriage
3. The importance of getting Burned
4. Getting to Jesus through the Bible
5. How HITLER is changing hearts
6. What if... you really followed this?
7. Have you ever had an American Idol moment before?
8. Reflections from my first tornado
9. Alone with God
10. In Eternity

Why Christmas Changes Everything

2012-01-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

You can now listen to Why Christmas Changes Everything online.

Why Christmas is so Dangerous

2011-12-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

This is my latest article for Temecula Patch Online News.

Christmas Service

2011-12-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

Please join us for a special time of worship this Sunday, Christmas morning at 9:15am.

We will be spending time singing Christmas Carol Worship songs, and looking at a special Christmas message as to why this day should bring us so much excitement.

The Perfect Storm

2011-12-10T21:30:00.001-08:00

This message is from Mark 4, and is titled "The Perfect Storm", because the storm that Jesus and His disciples find themselves in, is a PERFECT storm to show us how Jesus is always with us during the difficult times in life. This storm is also a PERFECT way to show us how we are supposed to respond when we are going through difficulties.

Coming out of the Cave of Despair

2011-12-10T12:08:00.001-08:00

DESPAIR: "The complete loss or absence of hope."

Do you know anyone whose life resembles this right now? Do you struggle at times with this type of despair? If so, please Join us at The Church at Promenade tomorrow morning at 9:15 am, as we look at an important message from God's Word that will give you hope in your current situation, and purpose for your future.

Christmas Service

2011-12-10T11:38:00.001-08:00

Good Morning Church Family,

We wanted to remind you that we will be having a Christmas Service at The Church at Promenade on December 25, to celebrate the fact that God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son.

We hope you will join us as we worship with Christmas Carols, and celebrate the birth of our Savior through the Scriptures. On Christmas Sunday the children will be in church with the big kids, to celebrate together.

Please invite your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

We hope to see you at Church on Christmas Sunday!

_________________

The Church at Promenade

in the movie theaters

www.ChurchatPromenade.com

(951) 302-7933

Praise that Glorifies God

2011-12-06T17:35:00.001-08:00

There is no greater thing we can pursue in life, and receive such an amazing blessing and reward for, than pursuing God and loving Jesus! This morning in my alone time with God, the Lord was moving upon my heart and I hope that as you read this, you will be just as blessed and inspired as I was when He was speaking to me.

In my alone time today I was reading through Psalm 50:23, and it says, "Whoever offers praise glorifies Me: and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God".

I was thinking about how important it is for us to "offer praise" to God in our life so that we can bring Him glory. As I was meditating upon this idea, I thought of 2 key areas in my life, and in your life where we can be purposeful about glorifying God by offering Him praise.

1. In the way we live our life each day for God's purposes and not our own.

Jesus says, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Jesus is telling us that as we live out our lives for God each day, when people see us doing something good for others, or God uses us in some special way that draws attention to the action or to us, we are to give God the glory. That is one way we can begin practically praising God so that He is glorified.

2. The second way we can give God praise in a practical way is at church on Sunday.

During the worship service, we can truly worship God with our whole heart and soul, and not allow our tiredness or timidness to rule our lives.

The Bible says, "Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord" (Psalm 134:1-2). This is one of the reasons I love to stand and raise up my hands to God during worship. The Bible tells us right here that it "blesses" God when we do. David would also say, "Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name" (Psalm 63:3-4). David was a man who expressed his love to God by "praising" God, and "lifting up his hands" while he was praising the Lord. David also said, "Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary" (Psalm 28:2). In (Psalm 143:6) David says, "I spread out my hands to You; my souls longs for You like a thirsty land!"

This concept of "standing in the house of the Lord" and "lifting up our hands" to God is not what glorifies God in our worship in and of itself, because it is our hearts alone that God is concerned with in worship. But for some reason the bible seems to indicate that this is a posture we can take in worship that blesses God when our heart is in the right condition. Again, with a heart that is far from God, or focused on other things, it will be a meaningless and rote religious posture. But to the heart "whose soul longs for God like a thirsty land" (Ps. 143:6), it appears that our standing before the Lord and lifting up holy hands is an outward manifestation of an inward transformation of a heart filled with love and gratitude for God.

Once again, I am not suggesting that believers who do not worship God by standing and lifting up holy hands at church are not worshipping God with their whole heart, or are in some way giving God less of their heart in worship. That is not at all what I am suggesting. But what I am suggesting, and exhorting all of us with is seeking to truly "offer God praise that glorifies Him" (Psalm 50:23), which again, is somehow an indicator to God that our "soul longs for God like a thirsty land" (Ps. 143:6).

Worship is not meant to be a time of entertainment where the worship team impresses us with their abilities to sing or play. That would mean they would be getting the glory and not God. And if you ever come across a worship leader or team who wants accolades for their gifts, you should run far away, as fast as you can. The reason I say this is because of what happened to the first worship leader in heaven, who ended up having a heart that wanted all the attention (Isaiah 14:12-15). God kicked him out of heaven faster than lightning - (Luke 10:18).

Worship is meant to be a time for all of us as worshippers to express to God how much we love Him and how much we long for His presence and His love and His glory to be revealed in our lives. We are so VERY BLESSED that we have the freedom to worship Jesus in this manner! Why wouldn't we take full advantage of every opportunity we have, especially when we meet together as a body.

Did you know that there are fellowships in foreign countries at this very moment, who have to whisper during their time of worship, because if the authorities were to find out they were worshipping Jesus, they would be arrested and martyred. Oh that we would take advantage of our freedom to worship the King of kings and respond to the Psalmist exhortation to "SHOUT JOYFULLY to the Lord" (Psalm 98:4) each Sunday at church! The Psalmist also reminds us, "Praise the Lord! For IT IS GOOD to sing praises to our God; for IT IS PLEASANT, and PRAISE IS BEAUTIFUL" (Psalm 147:1).

If we are not approaching our time of praise and worship with God, with the same amount of importance and passion as we do in hearing the Word of God being taught on Sundays, then we are really missing out on so much. Worshipping God with Praise from our lips is a major way that we can express to Him that our hearts are longing for Him, and the Bible tells us that God is well-pleased with such sacrifices. In Hebrews 13:15-16 the Bible says, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, THE FRUIT OF OUR LIPS, GIVING THANKS TO HIS NAME (worship). But DO NOT FORGET TO DO GOOD AND TO SHARE (service), for with such sacrifices GOD IS WELL PLEASED."

So here we see that God wants us to offer Him Praise, which He considers "fruit" being produced in our lives, that comes from our "lips", just as when we "do not forget to do good and to share" is considered fruit that comes from our serving Him.

May we continue to be men and women who strive to offer God the kind of praise that glorifies Him!

Parable of the Sower

2011-11-19T18:42:00.001-08:00

Please Join us at The Church at Promenade tomorrow morning at 9:15 am, as we look at an important message from Mark chapter four, about the Parable of the Sower.

This is such a wonderful chapter from God's Word that teaches us about the importance of keeping our hearts receptive to what God's Word says. It is also an important reminder to us that Jesus always emphasizes that it is not a good sermon or good worship team that makes for a powerful worship service, but it is a worship service filled with hearts that are prepared to receive what He has given us from His Word.

We hope you will come with a heart that is hoping to hear from Jesus tomorrow.

Which Crowd are you following Sermon

2011-11-12T12:43:00.001-08:00

Please join us this Sunday at The Church at Promenade as we continue our journey through the Gospel of Mark.

How Hitler is changing hearts...

2011-11-08T13:59:00.001-08:00

You may have heard about this new 180 Video created by Ray Comfort and his ministry. This is a mind-blowing and powerful reminder that the truth can change a persons heart and set them free. Who would have ever thought that Adolph Hitler could help change peoples hearts? Watch this powerful video and see how.

in eternity...

2011-10-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Francis Chan shares a powerful sermon illustration about living for God in the limited time we have on this earth.

God is indescribable

2011-10-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is one of the books I am currently reading that has been profoundly blessing me. One of the subjects that Tozer talks about is our view of God. Here is a profound statement that he makes about God, that should cause us to pause what we are doing, examine how we view God, and then meditate upon what this statement means, and how God would want to transform our view of Him.
"God is always greater than anything that can be said about Him. No language is worthy of Him. He is more sublime than all sublimity, loftier than all loftiness, more profound than all profundity, more splendid than all splendor, more powerful than all power, more truthful than all truth. Greater than all majesty, more merciful than all mercy, more just than all justice, more pitiful than all pity. Nothing anybody can say about Him is enough." - A.W. Tozer
This is a great quote to go along with the current series we are going through at The Church at Promenade, entitled "God Unboxed."

God of Wonders

2011-10-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is the Church at Promenade's worship team playing God of Wonders.

GOD Unboxed Series

2011-10-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that many of us put God in a Box in certain areas of our lives. If you would like to discover how you can stop putting God in a Box, and begin living the life of faith that you know you were meant to live, please join us at The Church at Promenade tomorrow morning at 9:15am as we look at part one of the series God Unboxed.

Making your life count for God

2011-10-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

What does it take to be a person that Jesus can use to the fullest in life? In this message you will learn 3 important truths that will enable you to be that person...

Three Secrets to a Thriving Marriage

2011-09-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

My latest article for Temecula Patch Online News.

Obstacles of Faith

2011-09-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

You can now listen to this past Sunday's message online.

Press Enterprise Interview

2011-09-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

You can read the latest news article about The Church at Promenade from Press Enterprise.

Obstacles of Faith

2011-09-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Please join us this Sunday at The Church at Promenade, as we continue our study through the Gospel of Mark, with a message titled, "Breaking through the Obstacles of Faith".

When Jesus wakes up...

2011-09-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what Jesus did when He first woke up in the morning? Did He eat a bowl of cereal? Did He watch cartoons? Did He read the newspaper?
When looking at the Gospel of Mark, the Bible actually answers this question for us. The Bible tells us about Jesus getting up "a long while before daylight" (Mark 1:35), which is very early, and which came after a very busy day of ministering to people (Mark 1:21-31), that lasted well into the night (Mark 1:32-34).
It was the next morning after this extremely busy day, that we read about Jesus doing something very different, and for some, very difficult. And yet, it is what Jesus disciplines Himself to do each morning, that sets an amazing example for each one of us in how we should be living out our lives.
To find out where I am going with this, you can read how I recently challenged The Church at Promenade to begin following in Jesus' footsteps at the beginning of their day, by simply waking up 15-minutes earlier each morning.
I have been extremely blessed by the amount of people who have contacted me with praise reports about how God has been richly blessing them since accepting this challenge.
One recent report was from a college student who said over the past few weeks since the challenge was given, he has experienced many benefits from it. He said up to that point he had been very sporadic in this area of life, due to his busy work and school schedule. But when he saw that Jesus was also busy, and probably extremely exhausted each morning because of all that He did, it encouraged him to begin getting up earlier each day to do what Jesus did when He woke up. Because of this new revelation, and the blessing that has come into his life because of it, he said his days just seem to go easier for him. He said he is able to experience God's presence more, and have a right frame of mind to face each days challenges. He also said he has been challenging his friends to do the same! Wow, no greater joy for a pastor to hear taking place in a persons life than something like this!
If you would like to partake in this challenge, and experience the blessings that everyone is reporting back to me with because of it, I can assure you that God will do the same for your life, and you will begin experiencing God working in and through your life in a much more powerful way.

The Mission Community Church

2011-09-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to see what God is going to do in my good friend Dave Menard's life. Pastor Dave is one of my favorite bible teachers on the planet, and the Lord has called him to start a new work in San Diego.
The Mission Community Church is having their grand opening service this Sunday in San Diego. If you live in the area, I would highly encourage you to go visit this church. For directions you can go to their website at The Mission Community Church.

The King of Outcasts Sermon

2011-09-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

You can now listen to The King of Outcasts online.

Alone with God

2011-09-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday at church,I threw out a challenge to The Church at Promenade. The challenge was to beginspending alone time with God each morning. I wonder if they have been doingthis. I hope and pray that everyone has accepted the challenge and is beingrichly blessed by it.
In this past Sunday’smessage we looked at a message titled, “In the Secret Place with Jesus”, and wediscovered that Jesus spent an entire day pouring himself out by ministering tomany people. Jesus taught for hours in the synagogue, fought against demons andwon, healed Peter's mother-in-law of a fever, and spent the entire eveninghealing the sick, casting out demons, and ministering to the entire town (Mark1:21-34).
I don't know about you, butthat sounds like a very mentally and emotionally exhausting day! I know when Ihave extra busy days of ministry like that, when I wake up the next day I amcompletely drained, and the last thing I feel like doing is waking up extraearly to spend time in prayer and in God's Word. And yet, what is the firstthing the Bible says that Jesus did when He woke up the next morning? The firstthing Jesus did when He awoke was He got alone with His Father in order to getspiritually recharged for the day ahead.
The Bible tells us,"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He wentout and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed" (Mark 1:35).
When we follow the life ofJesus through the gospels we quickly come to understand that Jesus had thebusiest schedule a person has ever had to manage. He was constantly teaching,healing, delivering, and ministering to people. And in this verse here, Ibelieve we see a key principle found in the life of Jesus, and that principleis the importance of maintaining spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplinesare those things we do on a daily basis that enables us to grow closer to God,and strengthen ourselves spiritually.
By Jesus rising up early inorder to find a place where He could be alone with His Father, we see that Hesets an important example for each one of us to follow in our lives aswell. If Jesus was going to continue giving Himself out like He had done the daybefore (vv.21-34), He had to first be able to get fueled up each morning sothat He would have something to give. This is a simple life-principle in allareas of life. You cannot give what you do not have. You cannot spend if youare completely spent.
Just as Jesus needed to beable to be alone with His Father in order to get spiritually refueled, so too,do each and every one of us need to take time each day to rise up early andspend time with God, before facing the world.

LIFE APPLICATION:

So how do we do this?

Jesus tells us in Matthew6:6, "But when you pray (He is assuming we will pray) go into your room,and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is IN THE SECRETPLACE; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

Jesus tells us that as wepray in the secret place, or in other words spend alone time with God, He willopenly reward us and bless us for it! What a great promise to hold onto and toinspire us to spend alone time with God!

PUTTING IT INTOPRACTICE:

How can we begin to followin Jesus' footsteps each morning by spending alone time with God in order torefuel ourselves for the day? Below is just one example of how you can beginspending quality time with God each morning.

1. Wake up 30 minutesearlier if you have busyschedules:

There is no time limit.Martin Luther use to spend 4 hours every day in prayer because he said he wastoo busy not to. But any amount of time we spend with God, no matter how littleor how long, is better than no time at all. Just as you normally wouldn't go aday without eating and drinking in order to refuel your physical body, neithershould we ever go a single day without feeding our spiritual body. In fact,Jesus tells us we cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedsforth from God's mouth (Matthew 4:4). Jesus is telling us that it isimpossible to live a spiritually healthy life for God without getting spiritualnourishment each day from God’s Word.

2. Prayer List:

Create a prayer list thatyou can use each morning and pray over it

Praise God for how good He is (Hebrews 13:15)
Thank God for the many blessings in your life (family, friends, life, salvation, etc) (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9)
Pray for your spouse and children (if you are married and have kids)
Pray for your work day or school day (not only for your performance but also for the people)
Pray for God to use you to be a blessing to others today.
Pray for God to speak to you when you read His word.
Pray for your church leaders (I really like this idea!)
Pray for those you know are sick or hurting
Maybe print out the prayer request list that The Church at Promenade mails out each week, and pray for the needs of our church family.

As you can see, justpraying over these areas of life can quickly turn you into a powerful prayerwarrior for God.

Another idea about thislist. If that is too much to pray for in a single setting, consider breaking itup throughout the day.

Before getting into the ministry I use to work at thePhone Company. I would wake up in the morning and pray, read my bible, andjournal what God said to me. Then I would also read more and pray more at lunchtime, and then again at some point during the night. I never regretted a singlemoment of the quality time I dedicated to Jesus back then.

3. Read your Bible:

Read with a heart thatsays, "Speak to me God, and change me!" Maybe you could considerreading one chapter in the morning and one chapter at lunch time and onechapter at night. The Bible tells us the more we are in God's word the more weare going to experience life-transformation. Another tremendous blessing aboutbeing men and women of God's Word is that God will oftentimes use you toencourage other people throughout the day and week with what He encouraged youwith from His word. (You can listen to this past Sunday's message "In theSecret Place with Jesus", and my example from Joshua 1 in how this works).

4. Journal:

Take a journal into yoursecret place with God, and write down whatever God reveals to you throughprayer and through reading His Word. I used an example from Exodus 11:7 in thispast Sunday's message at the end of the message of one of my journalentries this week. This could be helpful for you to see how easy it is tojournal.

THE BENEFITS OFPRACTICING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES:

As you begin faithfullywaking up each morning and committing the first part of your day to God, youwill start to notice what a positive difference it makes in your day and life.

This is why Jesus says when we "Seek first the kingdom of God and Hisrighteousness, all shall be added" (Matthew 6:33). Not only will you feelspiritually refueled, but you will also notice that you will begin enjoyingyour time with God. In fact, you will begin longing for it and guarding it eachday. Not only that but you will discover that God actually delights in spendingtime with you also, and that He also desires to speak to you in prayer andthrough His words.

Furthermore, you will also begin to notice that God willbegin using you to encourage others with what He encourages you with in Hisword. And this is when you will begin to realize like never before that yourfaith is truly alive, and that the Living God is working in and through yourlife.

AN ALTERNATE ROUTE:

If spending 30 minutes withGod each morning seems like too much to bite off at first, try 15 minutes.Spend 5 minutes in prayer, 5 minutes in the Word, and 5 minutes journaling whatGod revealed to you in His word (or what seemed to encourage you in His word).

I pray that you will begintaking steps of faith to develop your spiritual disciplines, by walkingin Jesus' footsteps and spending time with Him each morning.

Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).

Let today be the day you invite Jesus in, so that you can begin experiencing the life-transformation that He has planned for your life.

in the Secret Place with Jesus

2011-09-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

You can now listen to this past Sunday's message, In the Secret Place with Jesus online.

Defending Lions...

2011-09-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

"The Word of God is like a lion. You don't have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself." Charles Spurgeon

Following the Right Authority

2011-09-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

You can now listen to "Following the Right Authority" online.

What kind of wings does your faith have?

2011-09-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

What kind of wings does your faith have? Does your faith have the kind of wings that cause you to want to fly away from the difficulties that life brings? Or does your faith have the kind of wings that cause you to trust in God, and rise up in faith with Him, in order to soar through the winds of difficulty that life brings our way?

It was March 8th of this year that I had just left a meeting with someone who I thought had cared about me and my family. This meeting turned out to be a disaster for me, that left me shell-shocked in disbelief, while at the same time feeling painfully let down and extremely disappointed in the horrible way that this person had acted. I remember leaving Starbucks that sunny Tuesday morning, getting into my SUV, and pulling out of the parking lot into the deepest, and darkest valley I had ever had to face in my ministry up to that point. I travelled over to the Sports Park and cried out to the Lord for help and for strength all morning long, while at the same time wondering where in the world God was at in my life at that moment. I can assure you, I wanted to run far away from the situation I was put in.

After spending a couple hours in prayer I drove home to get my wife. We live in Harveston, and as I pulled into the Harveston community I was feeling overwhelmed with despair, and I wanted to fly away from all of the troubles I was now facing. And as I was driving up to the Lake in Harveston, I saw two birds flying away from me in the opposite direction over the lake. In that moment it was as if the Lord was powerfully impressing upon my heart Psalm 55:5-8.

In Psalm 55:5 King David reveals to us how he was feeling one day because of the enormous difficulties he was facing in life at that time. David said;

"Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me."

This is exactly where I was at in that moment in time. I was overwhelmed with fearfulness, and anxiety, and I was literally trembling inside. David would go on to say:

"Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest."

It was in that moment of brief but perfect clarity that God showed me that those two birds that were flapping their wings as fast and as hard as they could in order to fly across the length of the lake, were symbolic of me in that very moment. Because if I had the ability I would have taken flight that very moment and flown away with them!

Have you ever been in that place before? Have you ever been so overwhelmed by the pressures that life throws upon you, or so discouraged by what you are facing that you wish you could simply fly far away from your troubles?

It is so easy for us to walk by faith, when it doesn't cost us anything in life. It is easy to walk by faith when our careers are going well, when our family is thriving, our bills are getting paid, our pets are behaving, when everyone likes us, and when no one let's us down. It's so easy to walk by faith when there are no obstacles in front of us, no fears we are facing, no difficulties before us, and the path ahead is safe and clear.

It is when our lives are filled with fear, overcome by set-backs, halted by obstacles, and crushed beneath the enormous pressure that the difficulties of life place upon us. It is when people are against us, and when people we trust let us down. It is when the valleys are the darkest, and the mountains seem the tallest that we are tempted to give up on God, and try to get through it in our own strength.

In the book Agape Leadership, written about one of my heroes of the faith, R.C. Chapman, he was quoted as saying, "If we act only because our path is clear of difficulty, this is not faith. Faith acts upon God's Word whatever the difficulty; and to walk by faith brings highest glory to God."

I know for me that the trial I was thrown into for several months because of one individuals actions, caused me to want to fly away from the situation in my own strength. But God in His goodness met me there in my time of great need.

What situation in life are you facing right now that is causing you to want to fly away from your troubles, and get through in your own strength apart from God? I can't emphasize to you enough, that God doesn't want me or you running away from our troubles, nor facing our difficulties in our own strength. The Bible is quite clear that God wants us to rely upon His strength to get us through the difficulties of life, in much the same way that an Eagle moves through the air.

The Bible tells us in Isaiah 40:28-31;

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young man shall utterly fall. BUT THOSE who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like Eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

I want to ask you this question again. What kind of wings does your faith have today? Does your faith have the wings of a dove, the kind of wings that cause you to want to fly away from the difficulties that life brings? Or does your faith have the wings of an Eagle, the kind of wings that cause you to trust in God, and rise up in faith with Him, in order to soar through the winds of difficulty that life brings our way?

When weconsider what a dove looks like as it flies away we picture it working hard,and using lots of energy to flap its wings. By the time a dove gets to itsdestination, it is in need of rest because of how hard it has to work when itflies. This is how we look when we try to escape from our troubles, and dothings on our own apart from God. It is an exhausting and difficult undertakingto face life's difficulties apart from God.

An Eagle on the other hand, makes very little effort to soar through the majestic skies. It simply spreads out its wings and trusts in the wind to raise it up, high above even the highest mountain peaks. And this is what we look like, when in faith we spread out our wings, and trust in God to give us strength to face the difficulties that life throws at us.

It is my prayer that we will be men and women who claim the promises of God and fully trust in Him, so that we will not allow the winds of difficulty to cripple our faith any longer. Whether this means we continue traveling boldly down a path in life that is filled with enormous difficulties, or shining like a light in the valleys of darkness, or overcoming with love the people who deeply hurt us. Whatever troubles you are facing right now, or whatever troubles life may bring to you in the future, may you trust in God and allow Him to strengthen you and raise you up with wings like Eagles.

Sermon: Finding the Right Purpose

2011-08-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

You can now listen to Finding the Right Purpose online at www.ChurchAtPromenade.com or on this site at the following link.

Finding the Right Purpose

2011-08-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

Did God put us here on earth, so that we could aimlessly seek after things that ultimately fall short of our expectations, and leave us unfulfilled and empty inside? Is that what our life is supposed to be like? Is that what we have been placed here on earth to experience? Has that been your experience up to this point in life?
Are you feeling as if there is more to life than what you have been living for, and that there is a greater purpose that you are supposed to be living for in life?
If so, then I would like to invite you to The Church at Promenade this Sunday at 9:15, as we look at a message titled, “FInding the Right Purpose”

Invite Cards

2011-08-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

Front of Card

Back of Card

These are The Church at Promenade's new Invite Cards. These were designed for our church to be able to give out to our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and just about anyone else who we may know that is in need of meeting our wonderful Savior. They are also great for leaving with your tip at restaurants, sending in with your cable bill, placing up on Coffee Shop community information boards, and wherever else you can think of.

They are the size of business cards, and will easily fit inside of a wallet, or purse. Let's be a church that is proactive in inviting people to join us on this incredible journey of faith that God has us on. What a blessing it would be for us to see hundreds or even thousands of people in heaven with us one day, simply because we took the time to invite them to church!

The invite cards are available each Sunday at our Welcome Table. Please be sure to ask our Welcome team for a stack of cards this Sunday! (And be sure to get more once you have passed them all out)

Temecula Patch Article

2011-08-23T00:58:00.000-07:00

You can now read my first article as Temecula Patch Online News "Religion Blogger".

Worship at The Church at Promenade

2011-08-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is our Worship team performing House of the Holy One at our Grand Opening Service.

News Article about our Church

2011-08-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

At our Grand Opening of The Church at Promenade, a local news reporter came out and covered it the event. You can read the article here.

Starting Over with Jesus

2011-08-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

You can now listen to Sunday's Sermon online at www.ChurchAtPromenade.com

Introduction to the Gospel of Mark

2011-08-14T06:05:00.000-07:00

Introduction to the Gospel of Mark

I. LIFE SETTING OF MARK’S GOSPEL

a. Intertestamental Period: It had been over 400 years since the final events of the Book of Nehemiah and the final prophecy of Malachi, since God had spoken to His people through a Prophet.

b. The Birth of the Pharisees: One of the most significant things that took place during that time is that a group from within the Israelites were created. They were known as the Pharisees. The Pharisees began as a great movement of God, men who wanted to protect the Word of God from corruption, and inspire obedience to God’s Word among the people.

c. A Spiritually Lost and Hurting Nation: However, as always, over the course of time the leaders of Israel got their eyes off of what was important, which is a growing and fruitful relationship with God, and they began coming up with many unscriptural traditions and turned the Israelite faith into man-centered religion.

d. A Turning Away from God: With the Religious Leaders turning their hearts from God’s Word, and creating their own form of man-centered religion, the people became “sheep without a Shepherd”, and the nation slipped back into a state of spiritual darkness, and hopelessness. Therefore the first words that Mark proclaims, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (1:1), would have been a welcomed and refreshing message to a spiritually lost and hurting people.
e. Jesus the Revolutionary: We are going to see that when Jesus comes onto the seen, it causes quite a stir among the religious community.

f. The Religious Leaders who opposed Jesus: It also created much conflict because the Pharisees were not willing to give up their positions of power, and their status of popularity among the people, and therefore, they along with the priests and scribes would eventually seek to remove Jesus from the scene.

II. THE AUDIENCE MARK WAS WRITING TO

a. CHRISTIANS IN ROME: Though there is much conflict within the Gospel of Mark between Jesus and the Religious Leaders in Israel, Mark seems to have been targeting Roman believers, particularly Gentiles, as his primary audience.

b. LANGUAGE: Rather than using Aramaic terms which the Jews would understand. Mark chooses to translate them for his readers (cf. 3:17; 5:41; 7:11, 34; 10:46; 14:36; 15:22; 15:34). He also chooses to carefully explain Jewish customs (7:3, 4; 14:12; 15:42), which further supports the idea that Mark's target audience were Gentiles, because Israelites would not have need any explanation regarding these things.

c. GENEALOGY: Mark leaves out the Genealogies (cf. Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38), which would have been important to the Jews, but insignificant to the Gentiles.

d. SIMON THE CYRENE: When mentioning Simon the Cyrene (15:21), Mark identifies him as the father of Rufus, a prominent member of the church at Rome (Rom. 16:13).

e. All of this supports the traditional view that Mark was written for a Gentile audience, located in Rome.

III. PURPOSE OF MARK’S GOSPEL

a. To present the Person, work, and teaching of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1).

b. Chapter one reveals to us that Jesus’ life and ministry were affirmed through those with the highest authority.

i. The Prophets (1:2)

ii. John the Baptist (1:2-8)

iii. God the Spirit (1:10)

iv. God the Father (1:11)

IV. SIGNIFICANT THEMES FROM MARK’S GOSPEL:

a. Jesus’ Authority: In chapter one Mark reveals to us right from the start that Jesus has complete authority over all aspects of life, and that He didn’t waste any time putting His authority into service for the kingdom of God. Jesus had authority over:

i. Over salvation (1:1)

ii. Over the Prophets (1:2-3)

iii. Over John the Baptist (1:7)

iv. Over the Gospel (1:15)

v. Over Peter, Andrew, James and John (1:16-20)

vi. Over the Word of God (1:21-22)

vii. Over demons (1:23-28)

viii. Over sickness (1:31)

ix. Over diseases (1:34)

x. Over His destiny (1:38)

xi. Over Leprosy (1:39-45)

b. Jesus Messiah, the Son of God: Mark’s Gospel also focuses upon the fact that Jesus is the Messiah (Mark 8:29) the Son of God (Mark 15:30).

c. The Suffering Servant: Mark also portrays Jesus as the suffering servant (cf. Mark 10:45)

d. Jesus Life and Ministry: This book is a book that describes Jesus as He moves from place to place meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the people.

e. Actions and not Words: Mark does not record many of the Lord’s sermons because his emphasis is on what Jesus did rather than what Jesus said. This is great reminder to us as Christians that even though we are all called to share the gospel with the lost, we have to first live the gospel out in our lives.

f. Miracles: Mark records 19 Miracles

V. BACKGROUND ON THIS GOSPEL

a. SHORTEST GOSPEL: Mark is the shortest Gospel. Written primarily to Christians in Rome.

b. INFLUENCED BY PETER: Tradition says that Mark’s Gospel is essentially Peter’s reminiscences.

c. AUTHENTICADED BY EARLY CHURCH FATHERS: Marks Authorship is authenticated by the early church fathers. Papias A.D. 110, Justin Martyr A.D. 150, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria, all support that the Holy Spirit used Mark’s pen to write this Gospel.

d. KEY WORDS IN MARK:

i. Immediately: This book is a book about immediacy, due to the fact that Mark uses the word “immediately” 41 times.

ii. Faith: pistis (2:5; 4:40; 5:34, 36; 10:52; 11:22) Faith is crucial if we are to have a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

iii. Gospel: evangelion (1:1, 14, 15; 13:10; 14:9; 16:15) The Gospel means “good news”. This Greek term originated from messengers who brought the good news of victory in battle. In the New Testament it point to the Good News that Jesus has given us victory over sin and death, and offers us a new life with new purpose, in a new Kingdom.

VI. THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

a. MARK’S GOSPEL: Mark is one of the three a synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). Synoptic means, Syn means “together”; optic means “seeing.” The most commonly accepted theory is the two-source theory which basically states that Mark wrote his gospel first, and then Matthew and Luke used Mark’s gospel as a reference. This is highly debatable though, and really adds little to our faith. All of the Gospels are Holy Spirit inspired and written precisely for the purpose God intended (Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The reason they say that Mark’s was possibly the first gospel is because almost 90% of Marks material also occurs in Matthew, Luke, or both.

b. MATTHEW’S GOSPEL: I have a hard time believing the theory of Mark being first though. The nearly unanimous testimony of the church until the nineteenth century was that Matthew was the first gospel written. Why would Matthew, an apostle and eyewitness to the events of Christ’s life, depend on Mark (who was not an eyewitness) even for an account of his own conversion? I am not arguing over which Gospel is more important, or attempting to discredit Mark’s gospel with this statement. I am simply trying to inform you that there is unfortunately a great debate amongst bible scholars as to which gospel was written first. Again, I believe it was Matthews.

VII. DATING THIS GOSPEL

a. 55-62 AD: There seems to be strong evidence that this Gospel was written sometime between 55-62 A.D.

VIII. WHO IS MARK?

a. NAME: The writer of this book is actually a Jew, and his Jewish name is John (Acts 12:12,25; 15:37,39). Mark is his Roman name. Much like the Apostle Paul had a Jewish name Saul, and a Roman name Paul.

b. MARK’S COUSIN: He was Barnabas’ cousin and possibly from the tribe of Levite (Col. 4:10).

c. MARK’S MOTHER: Mark’s mother’s name was Mary (not the virgin Mary), and they lived in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12).

d. PETER ESCAPES FROM PRISON: In Acts 12, when Peter escaped from prison he went to their house which was a meeting place for the Christians (Acts 12:12).

e. MARK TRAVELLED WITH PAUL AND BARNABAS: Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary trip (Acts 12:25). And then we find out later in (Acts 15:37-38), that Paul refused to let Mark travel with him and Barnabas on their second missionary journey because Mark had deserted them the first time. So Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus, and Paul chose Silas to go with him through Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:39-41). Later Mark must have proven himself to Paul again because Paul told the Colossians to welcome Mark (Col. 4:10). Paul listed Mark as a fellow worker (Philemon 24). Later, Paul told Timothy to “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11).

f. PETER’S INFLUENCE ON MARK: Mark’s restoration to the ministry could have quite possibly been due to the influence the Apostle Peter had in his life. After all Peter knew first hand what it is like to fail. He denied Christ not once but three times.

g. PETER’S RELATIONSHIP WITH MARK: Peter considered Mark his son (1 Peter 5:13). I don’t know if that means Peter led Mark to the Lord, or if He was just his disciple.

Creating our church from scratch

2011-08-13T03:30:00.000-07:00

This page contains examples of banners we use, church bulletins, sermon notes, welcome table decor, guest cards, invite cards, etc.

Below are the three banners that we place at the entry of our building. We use this signage to help convey the focus of our church family. We believe that the most important thing that anyone can do on their spiritual journey with God is to walk by FAITH with Jesus, live with HOPE in Jesus alone, and share God's LOVE with everyone. These are key essentials for all believers to live by if we are to experience the life transformation that God's Word promises us.

Below is our Welcome Table, with our logo banner (push pinned into the plastic table) and our Info banner standing next to it.

Below is the banner that we have inside where our Church worships together. (we actually have two of these, one on each side of the stage).

Below are the Bulletins we are using right now. These are 8x11 in size and are very reasonable in price $6.95 per 100.

Below is the inside of our bulletin. I created this on a word doc. If you would like the word template for this to work from, please email me and I will send it to you.

Below are the Sermon Notes that we place inside our bulletins. I created this on a word.doc as well. If you would like the word.doc template for this please email me and I will send it to you.

Below are the Guest Cards that we place inside our bulletins. I created this on a Mac with Pages. If you would like a pdf file of this please email me and I will send it to you. (you can't edit this one though, but can at least see what it looks like.

Front

Back

Below are our Church INVITE CARDS that are the size of business cards, and will easily fit inside of a wallet, or purse.

Front of Card

Back of Card

The Mission of our Church

2011-08-13T03:12:00.000-07:00

VISION of The Church at Promenade:

We believe that the reason we exist as individuals and as a Church is ultimately to know Jesus and to make Jesus known to others. Therefore, the vision behind all that we do at The Church at Promenade points us, and others to this chief end.

MISSION of The Church at Promenade:

We have four core values that we believe will enable us to faithfully fulfill the VISION of our Church. We seek to produce people who WORSHIP God, CONNECT with other believers, SERVE the Body of Christ and REACH the world.

Value 1

WORSHIP - This is how we express our love for God. By seeking to become people who pursue intimacy with God through WORSHIPPING Him with music, communing with Him in prayer, and growing in our understanding of His word through Sunday Sermons, mid-week Life Groups, and our own personal daily Bible reading and application.

Value 2

CONNECT – This is how we express our love for other believers. By seeking to become people who CONNECT with one another. This takes place most effectively by pursuing community with other believers through life groups, and other avenues of meaningful fellowship.

Value 3

SERVE – This is how we express our love for the Church Body we belong to. By committing to be believers who serve one another at The Church at Promenade, we are able to effectively function as God has created us for, “by which ever part (or person) does its share”, which “causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16).

Value 4

REACH – This is how we fulfill the second part of the Vision for our church, “To make Jesus known”! By expressing our love for those who do not know Jesus through random acts of kindness and through sharing the good news about Jesus Christ, we will be doing what God has saved us to do, which is make Jesus known to the world.

STRATEGY of The Church at Promenade:

We want to avoid producing people who are consumers or spectators of the faith. We desire that all people at The Church at Promenade move through a process of personal development through their relationship with Jesus.

The process that we have in place is to remain faithful to the mission of the church. This includes:

WORSHIP together (especially on Sunday mornings)
CONNECT together (especially in midweek life groups)
SERVE together (especially within the church body)
REACH out to the lost together

It is when each individual from The Church at Promenade, commits their lives to this mission, that we will be able to faithfully fulfill the Vision that God has given to our Church, which is to KNOW JESUS, and to MAKE JESUS KNOWN

Cause of out of control Ear Hair

2011-08-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Intensive studies have shown that ear hairs can grow uncontrollably if not treated. The study also showed that this is especially true for Christians.

Scientists have discovered that when Christians do not read their bibles, they have a higher risk of growing uncontrollable ear hair.

Some people believe that this was the real reason for Peter taking a sword and chopping off Malchus' ear (John 18:10). Peter got tired of looking at his ears, and was actually trying to trim Malchus' ear hairs down, but got to close with the sword and ended up chopping his entire ear off. Thankfully Jesus was there to put Malchus' ear back on (Luke 22:51).

The point behind this is that we should be diligent to read God's Word each and every day, not only to protect us from having our ear hairs grow out of control, but to protect us from the Peters' of this world, who may try to trim them down for us.

Do you Need a New Start?

2011-08-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Are you a normal person? Do you enjoy passionate, contemporary worship? Do you desire to hear relevant messages from God's word, that you can take and apply to your life? If so, then The Church at Promenade might just be the place you have been searching for. We are normal people, who enjoy worshipping Jesus, hearing encouraging messages from God's Word, and living for Someone much bigger than ourselves - JESUS!

We are a group of believers who are planting a new church in the heart of Temecula, and it is our desire to encourage you on life's journey, and help you and your family develop a growing and purposeful relationship with God. We are a perfect place for imperfect people, who desire to walk with Jesus in our day to day lives.

Please come to our Grand Opening celebrating at The Church at Promenade, located in the Edwards Cinema at the Promenade Mall in Temecula. Our service begins at 9:15am, and we are easy to find (We have tons of signage in front of Edward's Theater - you can't miss us!).

The theme for this Sunday's message is "Starting Over with Jesus", where we will be journeying together through the Gospel of Mark.

I hope to see you Sunday!

To my friends around the world

2011-08-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to say hello to some of my friends who visit this site from around the world.

We have visitors from such wonderful places as Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Columbia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

I want to thank you for visiting this site, and pray that the Lord blesses your life as you continue to seek Him on your spiritual journey. I hope and pray that you continue to receive encouragement from this ministry, and that God will abundantly bless you. Please remember that this life is far too short, and eternity is far too long, not to put Jesus Christ first in your lives, and to allow Him to be the Lord of your life.

When God says Go Series

2011-08-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

You can now listen to the 3-part series, "When God says Go" online at www.ChurchAtPromenade.com

This is what faith does

2011-07-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:8, "By faith Abraham obeyed God when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going." There is no greater example in all of Scripture of what it means to "walk by faith, not by sight", than in the life of Abraham. The Bible tells us here that when God came to Abraham, He called him to go, and when Abraham went, he went out, "not knowing where he was going."In other words, Abraham had to walk by faith in God, and not by what he was seeing with his eyes. This is how we walk by faith and not by sight, by following God's leading even when we don't know where He is leading us.

This is exactly what faith does. Faith Responds to God and follows Him everywhere in life. Through the good times and through the bad times, through the easy times and through the difficult times. Faith responds to God and follows Him everywhere!

There are people who say they have great faith in God, until it comes time to trusting God when it counts. It's easy to trust God when life is comfortable, and when everything is going well, and when things are great, and when people like you, and when you love your job, and when your marriage is great, and when your kids are earning "Student of the Month" Awards at school. You know what I mean, right?

But it's difficult to trust God when your world is crashing in on you, and your marriage seems shipwrecked, and your kids are out of control, and your boss is a tyrant, and you have no idea how you are ever going to get through the difficulties you are currently facing. But God wants us to follow after Him and trust Him everywhere He calls us, and into every situation we find ourselves in.

Faith Responds to God and Follows Him Everywhere. And the ingredient that strengthens our faith is the same ingredients that Abraham had. He trusted the Word of God, and he believed that the Promises of God were waiting for him on the journey. That is why the Bible tells us that "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance." (Hebrews 11:8).

Don't miss this guys! The Bible is telling us that Abraham walked by faith into the great unknown "not knowing where God was leading him", because he believed that the promises of God were waiting for him there! Abraham believed that the "inheritance" that God promised to him were there waiting for him, all that Abraham had to do was trust God at His word, and believe the Promise of God was waiting.

And today, in your life, whatever you are facing, God is calling you to walk with the same type of faith as Abraham. Trusting God's Word, and believing that the promises of God are waiting for you as you march forward in faith.

Let's keep our eyes on the prize this week and continue walking forward in faith.

When God says GO

2011-07-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

If the day comes when God says "GO" to you, how will you respond? Will you shrink from the calling, because it costs you too much? Most people do, and because of it they end up living life with many regrets. Or will you trust God and follow Him into the great unknown, so that you can experience a great faith adventure with Him?

Come join us this Sunday as we look at this very topic, and find great encouragement to continue walking in faith by answering the call of God.

doubting your doubts

2011-07-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

"If you are going to be a doubter, be sure to doubt your doubts as well as your beliefs. We are taught in our culture to think that a person who doubts is essentially smarter than a person who believes. But you can be as dumb as a cabbage and still say, 'why?'" - Dallas Willard

Mercy Me Concert

2011-06-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

In this video, Bart Millard of Mercy Me, shares a powerful message about God's love, and our privilege of being loved by God, while performing at the Del Mar Fair in 2011.

A strange thing indeed!

2011-06-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

I found this photo the other day, and began thinking about an odd thought. What if our Bibles could speak to us? And, if our Bibles could speak to us, would this be what it says?

This would be a strange thing for us to see on our bibles. Can you imagine if our Bible sent us a message like this each day, informing us of important truths that are going on within our lives. Obviously "Read me", would not be the words that anyone who loves God would ever want their Bibles to say, because that would say a lot about a person's spiritual condition.

The great thing about our Bibles, is that they actually do speak to us. In fact the Bible tells us, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND GODLINESS, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:2-3).

The Bible tells us here that because of our faith in Jesus, and our knowledge of Him, He through His divine power "has given us" knowledge about "all things that pertain to life and godliness". What this is saying is that God's Word has the answers to life, and the instructions for us to live godly in this world. The Bible may not answer every question we have in life, as some things will always remain a mystery to us, where only God Himself knows the answer (Deuteronomy 29:29). However, the Bible does speak to us about all of life's most important issues, and that is why it is so important that we put ourselves in a place to hear from God through His word.

How do we do hear from God? We do this by reading our Bibles. Not just reading it to check off a box, or to hurry through a certain passage or chapter each day so that we can tell ourselves that we did our duty of bible reading for the day (and now our pastor will be proud of us). We read God's Word with the mindset that we want to be changed by God's Word. When we approach the Word of God with this mindset, we will be changed by what we read.

The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2; "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The way that we renew our minds and live a transformed life is by reading the Word of God. And the blessing that comes from that is that we will then be doing what is "good and acceptable" and discovering what "the perfect will of God" is for our lives.

Let's keep living for eternity!

Sermon Outline: 1 John 5:5-12

2011-06-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

1 John 5:6-12

When God Bears Witness

Pastor Jason Stewart

I. Introduction:

a. When John began this letter, he started off by sharing his own testimony of how he had met and experienced a relationship with Jesus Christ. He then with authority teaches the believers of Asia Minor who Jesus is, and what a relationship with Jesus looks like. From his own eyewitness testimony, to his God-inspired teaching, John will now move on to the most authoritative testimony in all creation, and that testimony is from God Himself.

II. Revelation/Application: When God Bears Witness

a. The Witness of God the Spirit (5:6)

i. God sent Jesus to minister and die, and the Spirit of God bears witness of that (5:6)

1. The Greek verb “to witness” martyreo, and the noun “witness” martyria, are found a total of 113 times in the NT. Of these, 47 are found in the Fourth Gospel and 17 in the Letters of John. This means that more than half of the NT occurrences of these two words are found in the Gospel and Letters of John.

2. The verb that is used in this verse is in the present tense. Which means that the Holy Spirit is always at every moment presently bearing witness of who Jesus Christ is. This word is used 9 times in this passage of scripture, and the basic meaning is “someone who has personal and immediate knowledge of something.”

3. The Holy Spirit bore witness of Jesus at:

a. His Conception (Luke 1:35)

b. His Dedication (Luke 2:25-27)

c. His Baptism (Luke 3:22)

d. His Ministry (Luke 4:18-19)

4. We were not present at the baptism of Christ or at His death, but the Holy Spirit was present. The Holy Spirit is the only Person active on earth today who was present when Christ was ministering here. The witness of the Father is past history, but the witness of the Spirit is present experience. The first is external witness from the Father, the second is an internal witness from the Spirit – and both agree.

5. The Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) and therefore we can believe His testimony about Jesus.

b. The Witness of God the Son (5:7-8)

i. Jesus is the One who bore witness of Himself through water and blood, by being baptized and crucified.

1. Most scholars agree that 1 John 5:7 does not belong in the letter.

2. The facts are as follows. First, it does not occur in any Greek manuscript earlier than the 14th century. The great manuscripts belong to the 3rd and 4th centuries, and it occurs in none of them. None of the great early fathers of the Church knew it. Jerome’s original version of the Vulgate does not include it.

3. And so, this is the ONLY verse that doesn’t belong in the NT. Evidence of it existing in the early manuscripts is non-existent.

4. There is one early church father who makes reference to it, but we have no support as to what his source of reference was from. And so it is generally conceded by many that it is not in the original. However, even if we omit it, it does not affect the teaching of the Trinity at all.

a. 1 John 5:6-9

b. Matthew 28:18-20

c. And there are many others as well.

5. So when we read this passage from (vv.7-8), it should read; “For there are three that bear witness... the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”

ii. The Holy Spirit, the Baptism of Jesus, and the crucifixion of Jesus, all bear witness on earth of Jesus’ identity and mission (5:8)

c. The Witness of God the Father (5:9-12)

i. The Witness of God is Greater than the witness of man (5:9)

1. God’s witness is greater, and “the witness of God which He has testified of His Son” is that Jesus is the Son of God, and whoever “has the Son has life” (5:12).

2. God the Father witnessed to Jesus’ entire ministry.

a. The Father testified of the Son at the baptism (Mt. 3:17)

b. The Father testified of the Son at the Mt. of Transfiguration (Mt. 17:5)

c. The Father testified of the Son during the Passion Week (John 12:28)

d. Jesus said that the Father bears witness of Him (Jn. 5:32, 37; 8:18)

ii. The wrong witness (5:9a)

1. The first part of this verse reminds us that John is still refuting the early-gnostics, and their claim of receiving an “inner-light” witness of God.

2. The witness of man is definitely the wrong witness we want to cling onto in life.

3. John reminds his readers that the witness of God is greater than any witness of man! And it is God’s witness of who Jesus Christ is that matters most in this life, and in the life to come.

4. This issue of man’s errant “witness” to knowing God, over God’s witness about Himself, as has been revealed to us in Scripture is still an issue today, some 2000 years later.

5. The witness of man says that all roads lead to God. The witness of man will tell you that it is the sincerity within a persons’ heart that is the most important thing. The witness of man says that as long as your intentions are good, God will receive you in heaven.

6. I don’t know about you but I would much rather believe and hold onto the witness of God over the witness of man. And God says, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life!” (v.12)

III. Application/Conclusion: How can we apply this

a. Christians today cannot be eyewitnesses to Jesus, but we can be faith witnesses. Not just belief in Jesus, but faith because of Jesus. What He has done in our lives is what God wants to use as our testimony to this world.

b. The result of believing God’s witness about Jesus Christ, is that we too will then have a witness for ourselves.

Sermon Outline: 1 John 5:1-5

2011-06-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

More than Surviving! We’re Thriving!

Pastor Jason Stewart

I. Introduction:

a. We must go from Surviving spiritually to Thriving!

b. Romans 8:37

II. Revelation/Application: Spiritually Thriving

Spiritually Thriving:

a. Is the Result of trusting in Jesus (5:1)

i. Belief in this verse is “pisteuo”, and it is a word that means much more than intellectual belief. This word is a belief that fully trusts in the object of belief.

ii. It conveys the idea of our absolute “reliance” upon Jesus in our day to day lives, and in His securing our salvation throughout eternity. And for some reason it always seems easier for most of us to rely upon and fully trust Jesus to take care of us on the other side of eternity, when we get to glory. But for some reason we find it more difficult to rely upon and fully trust Jesus in our day-to-day life on this side of eternity.

iii. “Who begot, also loves him who is begotten of Him”. The Greek word for “begot” and “begotten” are both the same word that John uses when he says, whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is “born” of God. So basically the second part of this verse could just as easily say; “And everyone who loves God, Who is the one who causes them to be born again, will also love everyone else who has been born again” by God. In simple terms, if you are born of God you will naturally love those who have also been “born” of God. It is in our heavenly DNA the moment we believe in Jesus and are born again.

Spiritually Thriving:

b. Is the Result of Obeying God’s Word (5:2-3)

i. The Bible tells us that when we love God it will be displayed by our obedience to God.

ii. The Bible tells us in John 14:21, 23-24 that Jesus equates a person’s love for Him, through their devotion to obeying His Word.

iii. When the Bible says that when we love God and “keep” His commandments (5:3), the Greek word for “keep” is a verb in the present tense. When a verb is in the present tense it means that it is an ongoing command. The Bible is telling us in this verse that obedience to God’s Word, or in essence walking with Jesus through life, is what shows that we love Jesus.

iv. Furthermore, for a follower of Jesus Christ, living in obedience to God’s Word is not meant to be a burden to us, “His commandments are not burdensome” (5:3). In fact, it has been said, “The Word of God is not over us, to condemn us, but under our feet, to be a guide for our path.”

v. The Word of God is not meant to be burdensome to God’s child, but instead it is meant to be nourishment for the soul, clarity for the journey, and purpose for all of life.

vi. Our relationship with Jesus is not meant to be a difficult burden, that places a yoke of bondage upon our lives. In fact, we know that Scripture tells us quite the opposite. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30, that when we come to Him, He will take our burdens from us and give us rest for our souls.

vii. And so in (v.3) we see that the Bible tells us that Gods Word and being burdened are not synonymous, but in fact are polar opposites for the person who fully trusts Jesus as their Savior.

Spiritually Thriving:

c. Will enable us to overcome the world (5:4-5)

i. In this passage we discover that we face a powerful opposition in this world, opposition that would want to destroy our relationship with God.

ii. In this passage we see that John begins contrasting these two different worlds that are influenced by two different beings, and appeal to two different types of people, and result in two different types of outcomes.

1. Spiritual world vs. carnal world

2. God’s influence vs. Satan’s influence

3. Christians vs. unbelievers

4. People ruled by Faith vs. people ruled by the flesh

iii. For John the world system that the Christians had to live in was a corrupt and carnal world, that appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (cf. 2:15-17).

iv. Jesus tells us in John 16:33, that we overcome the trials and tribulations in this world through our faith in Him.

v. This passage (vv.3-4) seems to be alluding to the fact that we can overcome the world, and it’s fleshly pull and desire (cf. 2:15-17), by keeping and obeying the Word of God.

III. Conclusion: How can we apply this

a. This morning we have discovered that there are three distinct characteristics of having a thriving faith that overcomes this world:

i. Trusting Jesus (5:1a & 5:4-5)

ii. Obeying God's Word (5:1b)

iii. Overcoming the World (5:2-3)

b. There is absolutely no way you can ever expect to begin thriving in your faith, and living life as an overcomer if you are not willing to do these things. We are saved by grace through faith, but if we don’t put our faith into action, we will never thrive, and we will never survive!

reflections from my first tornado

2011-06-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I shared a story about my family experiencing the effects of a multi-vortex Tornado. It was on Tuesday May 24^th 2011 that an F5 Tornado touched down in Oklahoma. I received a text from someone asking me to pray for her aunt who lives in Oklahoma, because a Tornado just hit ground on the I-40. This text caused me to immediately call my mom to see if she was okay, because she and my dad just moved out to Oklahoma 2 months ago to stay with family for a while.

So I immediately called her and a recording came on the line saying, “The number you are dialing has been disconnected or is no longer in service.” I thought to myself, “Oh no my mom has been swept away!” So I called back again, and thank God she finally answered. She had just picked up my 6 year-old-nephew at school, and she and my dad were heading down to the basement of the school. I asked her if they were near the I-40, and she said yes, it is very close to where they are. And for the next hour I stayed on the phone with her, praying with her and for her, and trying to encourage her. The thunder and lightning that was taking place around them was severe and very intense. At one point towards the end of this ordeal, she told me the lights and electricity had just gone out at the school, and now they were sitting in the darkness of the school basement. Prior to the lights going off you could hear lots of talking in the background, the radio broadcaster giving updates on where the tornado was, Tornado sirens blasting, and there was an air of noisy nervousness all around. But the moment that my mom informed me that the lights had gone off, all of a sudden an eerie silence filled the air, and the only thing I could hear was the Tornado Siren’s and the thunder storm.

We both had a sinking feeling that the Tornado was quickly approaching, and would soon be upon them. Every minute seemed like an hour as we waited for this storm to end, when finally they received news that it had passed by them. It was a big sigh of relief for all of us. It turns out that this Multivortex Twister, which was over a half-mile in width, missed them by only 1 block, and did an L turn 2 blocks past them that would have leveled them if it would have turned 2 blocks earlier.

Thinking back to that extremely stressful and emotionally exhausting phone call with my mom as I sat on the phone with her during one of natures most destructive forces, and life’s most devastating events, I couldn’t help but think about how that tornado experience has many similarities to the effects that sin has upon a persons life when it overtakes them.

Sin is like a tornado in our lives, which has the potential to destroy us. When a person is trapped in the bondage of sin, they are plagued with fear. They are plagued by guilt. They are overcome with depression, and spiritual darkness, and they live in complete isolation of others.

And just like a tornado that has finished running its course has ruined everything in its path, destroyed homes, taken lives, and created years of difficult work for people to rebuild their lives, so too does a person who allows sin to rule their lives, and lead them into the destructive path that it creates for them.

And maybe today, you are feeling as if your spiritual life has been destroyed by the devastating effects of sins power over you, or because of its power over someone close to you. Maybe you are feeling as if you have gotten way off course in your spiritual journey with God, due to the choices you have been making or because of the choices you have made long ago that you are still feeling the effects of. Maybe you are feeling as if a tornado of sin has you trapped in the center of its powerful vortex, and it is impossible for you to escape.

If you find yourself in this place today, I want to encourage you to pay close attention to what the Word of God says in 1 John 5:18. The Bible tells us in 1 John 5:18, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”

When the Bible tells us that "whoever is born of God does not sin", it is not referring to being "perfect" as Christians. It is telling us that a Christian who has been born-again, will not habitually sin. This verse also informs us of a key element to protecting ourselves from sin. We know that it is crucial to be in prayer as Christians, and to be reading the bible daily, and allowing God to grow us and strengthen us. However, there is one more key to living victoriously as Christians. This verse tells us that we must “keep” ourselves protected from sin. The Greek word for “keep” here is “tereo” and means, “To watch over in order to protect. To Guard oneself.” The Bible tells us right here that in order to protect ourselves from the dangers and destruction that sin brings to our lives, we have to be alert, and guard ourselves, and put up protective boundary markers.

Protecting ourselves from sin by putting up immoveable boundary markers, can be a lot like protecting ourselves from tornados. The News was warning everyone. The Police were warning everyone. The Tornado Sirens warning everyone. And it would have been absolutely ludicrous for anyone to ignore all of the warning signs, and go about their normal every day routine as if there was nothing to worry about. It would have been completely insane not to go down into an underground shelter for protection and stay as far away as possible from that deadly monster.

And so too would it be absolutely ludicrous for us as Christians not to put up protective boundary markers in our lives to help shield us from the vicious and powerful devastation that sin causes in our lives. However, it is crucial for us to remember, that protective boundary markers will only work if you keep them up and leave them up.

I would like to leave you with one last word of warning, and encouragement from the Word of God. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13; "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed (be on guard) lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

Lord bless you, and be on guard!

Sermon Outline: 1 John 4:7-21

2011-06-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

I. Introduction:

On June 25, 1967 the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) commissioned the Beatles to write a song for the United Kingdom’s contribution to a T.V. show, called Our World, which was the first live global television link. The Beatles were asked to write and perform a song that would contain a simple message to be understood by all nations. What was the song that they wrote? “Love is all you need.” And with that song the Beatles struck a nerve that was felt around the world, as it hit home in the heart of over 400 million television viewers. After playing this song to over 400 million viewers, they quickly released it in the UK, where it soared to the top of the charts to number 1, and then after that they released the song in the US where it also reached number 1 on the billboard charts.

The concept of love reaches down into the deepest part of almost every human being’s heart and soul. It has such an appeal to the human race that Amazon has over 245,000 books with the word “Love” in its title. If you do a Google search on the word “love” you will find that it has over 474 million entries on it. Brittney Spears had a number 1 hit a few years back with a love song that’s chorus appealed to the love-starved masses: “My loneliness is killing me. I must confess, I still believe. When I’m not with you I lose my mind. Give me a sign. Hit me baby one more time.” And so for Brittney Spears, and millions who worship the concept of love with her through this song, it seems that being hit by someone is how she knows she is loved.

Even though there is so much interest in love, and so many ideas about what love is, it sure seems as if the world has truly missed the mark in understanding love as well as in defining love, and most importantly in practicing and experiencing love. And the reason I bring this up this morning is because we are going to be moving into a section of scripture today that sheds light on this somewhat evasive and abstract subject called love.

II. Revelation/Application: Why God’s Love Matters

In the last 15 verses in 1 John 4:7-21 the word “love” is used 29 times, over 2 times more than any other chapter in all of Scripture. This passage of Scripture also emphasizes the fact that God is love, and that each Person in the Godhead plays a part in making God’s love known to us. 1. God the Father showed His love by sending His Son for us (read 4:9). 2. God the Son showed His love by laying down His life for us (read 4:10). 3. God the Spirit affirms His love by dwelling in us (read 4:13)

The question I want to answer in this study is: “Why does God’s love matter so much”?

“Why does God’s love matter so much”?

1. Because God is the Source of Love (4:7-8)

We are called to love one another because “love is of God” (4:7). In fact, God is the source of true love. He is the initiator of love. He is the example of love, and He is the Creator of love. By loving one another we establish that we have been “born of God”, and that we “know” God (4:7b). Whoever does not love others does not “know” God (4:8).

In this passage we see why Love is important. The reason love is important is because God is love, the very source of love. And because God is the source of love, all that are impacted by Him, will become conduits of His love. Because God is the source of all love, it is essential that His children display God’s love to the world. We are going to see in this next passage of Scripture that God uses us to make His love known to the world. In other words, God’s love is identifiable through us!

The Greek word John uses for us “loving one another” is agapao while the word he uses to describe the “love from God” is apage. Agapao is a verb in the present tense. It is the verb for the noun agape, which is God’s unconditional, unwavering love for us. In this verse, the Bible is telling us that because God is Agape, we as His followers must display Agapao. In English: Because God is love we must live our lives by Loving others. This is essential to the faith. In fact, the Bible tells us here that showing agapao (love in action) towards others is what proves that we have been “born of God”, and that we “know God”.

“Why does God’s love matter so much”?

2. Because God’s Love is Identifiable (4:9-12)

Many people believe that love is a “feeling”. They unknowingly attribute the warm fuzzies one experiences after watching Hollywood’s version of a love story, or the overwhelmingly emotional fulfillment that takes place the moment we “fall in love” with someone. However, these emotional feelings are not love. They are in many cases the benefit or reward of experiencing love. But they are not love. Because God is love, and the source of all love, we must look to Him in order to define love. When looking at God’s Word we begin to realize that love is a choice, which produces action that benefits others. We also begin to realize that love is not a “recipient”. Meaning, love never receives it only gives.

Let me give you an example. My wife daily shows me that she loves me in practical ways. However, each and every time she does something to express her love for me in word and in deed, I receive the benefit of her love. I feel better. I get blessed. I get warm fuzzies. But, when I am experiencing all of the physical or emotional benefits of her loving me, and the emotional fulfillment that comes from that – if I am not in return doing the same to practically show her love – then in truth I am receiving the benefits of love, but am not loving her in return. Do you understand what I am saying? Love only gives, it never receives. But here in (v.7-8) we see that we can identify what love is. Not only is love identifiable, but more importantly, God’s love is identifiable through Jesus Christ (4:9-10), and through our Love for one another (4:11-12)

Why does God’s love matter so much”?

3. Because God’s Love is Experiential (4:13-16)

We can experience God’s Love in our lives. We can be assured of God’s love, while at the same time experience God’s love through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit is grieved by our sin, causing us to grieve (Eph. 4:29), so to do we experience God’s love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Just as John says in (v.14) that they have “seen and testify” of how God has sent Jesus, so too have we experienced God’s love through the way we have “seen” Him moving in our lives and given us a testimony for Jesus. Whoever confesses Jesus as the Son of God and confessing that He is the Savior that we are able to experience God’s love (4:15).

We “know” personally what the love of God feels like (4:16), because He has poured His love out into our lives through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5)

Why does God’s love matter so much”?

4. Because God’s Love gives us Assurance (4:17-19)

God’s love gives us assurance on the Day of Judgment (4:17). God’s love gives us assurance to overcome fear (4:18). Because it is Unconditional (4:19). God’s love to the believer is unconditional. We can never be separate from God’s love (cf. Romans 8:39). God’s love to the unbeliever is conditional (John 3:16 – whoever believes in Jesus).

III. Conclusion: How can we apply this

Even though there is so much interest in love, and so many ideas about what love is, the world has truly missed the mark in understanding what love is, and how it is supposed to be. And that is why it is so crucial for us as the Body of Christ to be Ambassadors for Christ, who love God with our whole heart, and love one another as Christ has loved us. Jesus tells us that it is when we do this that the world will know we are His disciples, and they will know what love truly is, and why God’s love matters!

The Great Adventure of Parenting

2011-05-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

Now that my wife Lyndsey and I are having our first child in October (a son), and are about to begin the great adventure of parenting, we are trying to arm ourselves with tools that will help us raise our little miracle baby. One of the books we are reading right now, is a book that was written by Dr. James Dobson entitled, "Bringing up Boys". In this book we read about the negative effect that TV has upon a child, especially those two and under.

Here is an excerpt from the book that we are reading: "Steve Rubenstein of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, 'Turn off the TV, moms and dads, the health of your little tyke is at stake. Children younger than two should not watch TV because it can interfere with healthy brain growth, according to a new policy issued this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatricians should urge parents to avoid television viewing for children younger than two. Research on early brain development shows that babies and toddlers have a critical need for direct interactions with (people) for healthy brain growth, the policy stated.” The report continued, “In previous issues of the association’s medical journal, Pediatrics, and doctors have warned that TV viewing by children can lead to violent behavior, obesity, apathy, lower metabolism, decreased imagination, constipation, and even death – in the event that TV should topple over and fall on the child. But this is the first time the association has called for an outright ban. The study also said that the average child is subjected to 14,000 sexual references on TV a year and is exposed to $2 billion worth of alcohol ads in other media annually. Common sense told us decades ago that regular viewing of graphic images of blood and gore were harmful to kids, but only recently has there been enough credible scientific evidence to prove it. Now the authorities on child development are in agreement."

The following information regarding the influence that TV has upon children reminded me of a tragic story that took place several years ago when I was a Children's Pastor. I received a call that one of the preschool students from our churches school had been in a horrible accident. She had just finished watching Harry Potter with her older siblings, when she decided to grab a broomstick, and head out into her backyard pretending to be Harry Potter. Once outside she proceeded to put the broomstick under her legs pretending to be a witch that could fly. This little four year-old then decided to begin her great adventure as Harry Potter by taking her broomstick and flying over the deep end of her families empty swimming pool, causing her to crash headfirst into the bottom of the empty 8 foot-deep cement flooring of the swimming pool.

She ended up being life-flighted out of her house to children's hospital. She was in critical condition with two fractures to her skull, a concussion, black eye, and worst of all she had a hematoma. A hematoma is when an artery or a vein ruptures between your skull and your brain, causing blood to leak. For the following two days the bleeding in her brain continued to get worse, and she had very little chance of surviving this horrible accident.

Don't worry, this story has a very happy ending. Through much prayer little Abby was miraculously healed by God, surprising the doctors, and bringing great joy to the church, showing once again we serve a God that still does the miraculous.

I share this story to encourage parents of young children to never let their guards down when it comes to their little one's and the TV. Not only should we be concerned with allowing our toddlers to watch TV, as studies show that it has a very negative affect on them (even interfering with healthy brain growth), but we should also be ever mindful of what our children of all ages are watching, as their minds do not come with garbage disposal's like our sinks. When negative influences or graphic and violent images reach their little minds, there is not a garbage disposal button that we get to push in order to remove it from their brain. They are forever stuck with that impression or thought.

As the Apostle Paul says;

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:8-9).

If this is God's instruction for us as followers of Jesus Christ to enable us to have spiritually healthy minds, how much more should we be guiding and protecting our child's minds with these boundary markers of the brain also. Let us always be diligent to protect the minds of our children, by helping guide what things are being processed through them.

I know that there are no perfect parents except for God Himself (and I know that when my little boy is born I am going to fall way short as well), but let us strive to continue fighting the good fight and making every effort to raise spiritually healthy kids. One area that is crucial in this great adventure of parenting is protecting their eyes and their minds from harm.

where to go when depression hits...

2011-04-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Bible tells us that after Elijah had done great things for God at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), that the evil queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-2). This caused Elijah to go from one of the most incredible mountain top experiences that anyone has ever had with God, into a complete downward spiral of fear, hopelessness, and depression. He was so depressed that he ran far away from everyone and hid in a dark and lonely cave. Too depressed to face life, too discouraged to even get up out of bed, the Bible tells us that the Lord came to Elijah and instructed him to get up and get going.

Maybe you can relate to Elijah today? Maybe you can understand the loneliness, and fear, and great depression that he must have felt. The type of depression that keeps you in bed all day, shut out from the world. If you are in this place today, it is my prayer that the following video will give you encouragement to take some simple steps to get back on track with God, and His plan for your life.

which door will you choose?

2011-04-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

If today was the last day in world history, and we placed every religious leader from every religion who ever stepped foot on this planet side-by-side next to each other, and each of them represented a door into eternity. In fact if we placed people like Buddha, Mohammed, and Jesus before us on the last day of world history, with each of them representing a door into eternity, which door would you choose?

Forget about religious agendas for a moment, and think clearly. Wouldn't you want to put your trust in the One who overcame death, and has been resurrected? Wouldn't you want to go through the door that overcame death? I don't blame you. Do you realize that Jesus Christ is the only one that has risen from the dead? Jesus is the only one who provided a way for us to go to heaven. That is why Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved" (John 10:8).

I hope this Resurrection Weekend, you will take seriously the Door that is before you, and choose Jesus Christ to be your Savior. Jesus tells us, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:25-26).
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For more information on how to find your purpose in life through Jesus please read what's my purpose?

For more information on why Jesus had to die for us please read are you 100% sure

For more information on why all roads lead to God, but only one road leads to heaven, please read all roads lead to God

a symbol of change

2011-04-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Richard Bandler is an author on “Modern Psychological Techniques”, which is an area of study intended to understand and change human behavior patterns. He tells one story about visiting a mental institution and dealing with a man who insisted he was Jesus Christ - not metaphorically, not in spirit, but in the flesh.

One day Bandler walked in to meet this man. "Are you Jesus?" he said. "Yes, my son," the man replied. Bandler said, "I’ll be back in a minute." This left the man a little bit confused. Within three or four minutes, Bandler came back, holding a measuring tape. Asking the man to hold out his arms, Bandler measured the length of his arms and his height from head to toe. After that, Bandler left. The man claiming to be Christ became a little concerned. A little while later, Bandler came back with a hammer, some large spiked nails, and a long set of boards. He began to pound them into the form of a cross. The man asked, "What are you doing?" As Richard put the last nails in the cross, he asked, "Are you Jesus?" Again the man said, "Yes my son." Bandler said, "Then you know why I’m here." Somehow, the man suddenly recalled who he really was. His old pattern didn’t seem like such a good idea. "I’m not Jesus. I’m not Jesus!" the man started yelling.

This illustration is a wonderful example to us of how the crucifixion of Jesus Christ dramatically changes things. The crucifixion of Jesus has the power to expose what is true from what is false. The crucifixion of Jesus also has the power to change a persons beliefs, and behavior.

When we read through God’s Word we come to the realization that the Death of Jesus Christ is the single most important event that could ever happen to us. The reason I say this is because this is the one and only action that God chose to take in order to display His love for us. Jesus tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We see here that Jesus tells us it is the Cross that displays God’s love for us. It is the death of Jesus that God chose to demonstrate His great love for us with (Romans 5:8).

In fact, I will go so far to say that without the Cross the Resurrection would be meaningless to us. Both of them are equally important to our salvation of course. However, without the Cross, we would still be dead in our trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1). And without the Cross, Christ could have never died (1 Cor. 15:3-4), and then resurrected from the dead (1 Cor. 15:5). It could accurately be said that the Cross displays God’s Love for us, while the Resurrection displays God’s Power.

Furthermore, as the confused mental patient that Richard Bandler interviewed (who believed he was Jesus incarnate) had a complete paradigm change as soon as he was faced to choose between a cross and the truth, so too does each and every person have to make a choice when they are facing the cross of Jesus Christ.

The Bible tells us in Romans 6:10-12;

“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.”

The choice we are called to make is simple, we choose Jesus. We choose to follow Jesus with our entire life. That is what the cross does. It changes everything for us.

The cross of Jesus Christ symbolizes change. From death to life. From guilty to free. From disobedient to obedient. From helpless to hopeful. From miserable to joyful. From condemnation to justification. On and on and on we see the difference that Jesus makes for us because of His great act of love on the cross at Calvary.

The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23;

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

May this Good Friday be a day that you remember that Jesus Christ died for you, so that you would fully live for Him.