No More Hate

Matthew 22:36-38 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

I did a simple search using my favorite Internet Bible web site (biblegateway.com) for the words LOVE and HATE in the New International Version.

There were 508 'LOVE' references and only 74 'HATE' references!

1 John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

I think is would make sense to say then that, "those who do not love, do not know God".

Now, the question to consider; How do I "love" others? In other words, how does a person live a life of "love"?

Til next week... love!

Porn

I will be the first to admit that I work hard to keep myself sexually pure. I, like many men, want to see women naked. That is a desire I did not ask for, but I got it and became aware of it as a young boy.

Dictionary:

lust /lʌst/ –noun 1. intense sexual desire or appetite. 2. uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite.



I believe the key word in the definition for lust is "uncontrolled". I know if I left my mind to think what it wants, or my body to do what it wants... I am in trouble! If you are married, keep your lust controlled and directed toward your spouse. Some people think you shouldn't lust for your spouse, I disagree. Personally, I want Jana to lust after me, and she wants me to lust for her. Maybe a better word for lust in that context would be "WANT".

The REAL DANGER in Porn is... 2 things:

1) You are LUSTING for someone, adn something you can not have.
2) It's setting you up to be disappointed in your current reality!

Porn is NOT real life! I've heard many interviews with porn stars... and they all say, "we are acting. Our sex lives off stage are nothing like that."

And frankly if you believe sex is supposed to be like what you see in a porn movie, or picture... you are going to be disappointed in a big way. Don't get me wrong, sex is what you make it, and a couple must explore, create, dress up, innovate, give, enjoy, lavish, have fun, try new things, etc. But porn gives you a false sense of what to expect and I've seen it create much frustration in marriage.

Matthew 5:27-28 "You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery. But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."



James 1:14-16 "Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters."

Romans 8:6 "So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace."

Be Cool

Ephesians 5:1-2

"Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that." - MSG

I definately do not have the corner market on "cool", and really who does? But what I do know is that Jesus was the ultimate cool person. Of course this depends on how you define cool I would guess.

I do not define cool as it relates to culture, or Hollywood, or a pop magazines, but how it relates to being like Jesus. I would add that it's not in only "knowing ABOUT" Jesus, but "being LIKE" Jesus.

Q: And HOW can we BE LIKE Jesus?

A: Get to know Jesus; then do what He did!

"Now, go ye into all the world and be cool"

Balance

Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

When trying to maneuver through this life we often forget the reality of the scripture above. I know this is a message that resonates in my heart; "staying biblically balanced". It's so important that we stay balanced in all that we believe and do. It’s easy to get off-base and the fix for that are 2 very critical spiritual disciplines that lend to true spiritual formation;

1) Bible Study - Reading the scriptures!

2) Prayer - Talking with God!

There are 3 others that I believe are important too;

3) Solitude - Being alone!

4) Silence - Being quiet!

5) Fasting - Denying yourself of pleasures for a time... i.e. food, entertainment, etc.

It's very easy to get busy with the day... reading other books, watching tv, playing, doing, busy-work... all fine and good! BUT when we let life crowd out the giver of life we error!

Notice the scripture above; THY WORD is a LAMP and LIGHT…! Let’s stay true to the Words that bring clarity and light to our lives!

Shalom!

Giving to God

• 2 Corinthians 8 & 9
• Luke 16
• Malachi 3

Q: Is Myspace sinful?

A: No!

Mark 7:14-16 "Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart."

I am amazed at what some Christians get up in arms about; Harry Potter, Drinking, The DaVinci Code, Myspace, Gays, great music by great artists who aren't professing Christianity in each song they sing...

Myspace is what it is... a place to connect, engage in converstations, find friends, sell, promote, create community, reach people, meet people, etc. Yes you can see bad stuff on Myspace, hello, it's the internet! There are many places on the internet 50,000 times worse then Myspace! And to that I say... don't go there! Yes, Myspace has some stuff you have to be smart about... to that I say... BE SMART!

I personally have a software protection program that notifies 3 accountability partners what I have looked at on the internet and that includes Myspace profiles.

We (our church) have actually reached people through our Myspace page. This was the whole reason we even created a Myspace page. This is because we believe you CAN NOT reach the world by hiding in your little Christian Cacoon with other Christians.

There are many sites a lot like Myspace; i.e. Facebook, Bebobebo, hi5, flixter, friendster, yuwie, xanga and I am sure there are 100 others. I have heard Facebook is much cleaner (Rated PG) which would be a better choice for a teenager I would think.

Peace!

Beyond the "Box"

Thomas Edward Lawrence wrote, "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day [believing] that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."

We've all heard people talk about "thinking outside the box", but the box is still the reference point. I am not sure that is a good thing? Not saying that it isn't, I just wonder if it is a hindrance to all GOd wants to do IN us and THROUGH us?

I believe that the church, me included, needs to be deprogrammed to this kind of limiting thinking. I really think that the Wright Brothers were not just thinking “outside the box”, but BEYOND the box when they took their first flight. I beleive they were thinking way beyond the box!

Our culture, parents, school, friends teach us to live realistic, live on earth. Constantly telling us “we can’t…” not that living realistically is bad, we must “live in the now” as Garth told Wayne in the 1992 film Wayne’s World when he wanted a guitar he couldn't afford. But I think we should allow for the “beyond the box times” as well.

I feel this is extremely necessary for those who serve in the local church. We must think beyond the normal church “ways” of doing things, beyond what has been classified as “safe”, and let’s not use the “box” as a reference point. And just in case you are concerned about me, I DO NOT think the Bible is the BOX! The Bible should be our reference point not some “box” that has been passed down through the ages.

The “box” in my opinion is empty, and God is not in it, and most likely not even around it, He is beyond it!

Reconciliation

1 Corinthians 13:5

“Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable,

and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.”

TEXT: Luke 19

BIBLE CHARACTER: Zacchaeus

STEPS to RECONCILIATION

1) REPENTANCE.

2) RESTITUTION.

3) REHABILITATION.

CHALLENGE: Take the first step in reconciling a broken relationship.

DIG DEEPER

Monday

[Luke 19]

Do you need to reconcile any relationship?

Tuesday

[Pray]

Pray for the person you need to reconcile with.

Wednesday
[Reflect]

How do you feel about this person?

Thursday

[Think]

What would life be like to be reconciled?

Friday

[Do something nice]

Take that first step to reconcile.

Reflections on Beer and the Bible

Our Next...

BEER AND THE BIBLE

Tuesday, November 13 - 7:00pm @ FUEL

We had our first Beer and the Bible just a few days ago, and it went very well! We had 45 people there, and we had a wonderful discussion about John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son..."

Questions we discussed:

1) Who does God love?

2) What does His love mean to you? In you? Through you?

3) What should be our response to God's love?

4) How should God's love in us affect those around us?

5) How can we show God's love to others?

We had many great conversations... We hope you join us for the next one!

Help Those Who Can Not Help Themselves

CHILDREN’S CUP INTERNATIONAL RELIEF

http://www.childrenscup.org/

I must admit I am touched by the stories of hurting children and those who are oppressed around the world. And I would assume that every human on earth with a heart at all would be saddened by this as well.

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

The above ministry is just one of the 13 missions organizations we support each and every month to help hurting, lost children in VIETNAM, SWAZILAND, and ZIMBABWE by providing a permanent home for over 200 orphans and providing schooling for 500 at-risk young people.

When I see these children I am reminded of how much EXTRA we here in America have. I actually get sick to my stomach when I see all the excess that is here, when there are parents who are wondering if they will be able to feed their already hungry children. It breaks my heart! I hope it breaks your heart too, but in a good way!