Kid's Video Devotion - Labeling

                 Kid's Video Devotion - Labeling

1. Watch the following Doug video

         
2. Doug trivia
    What is Doug's middle name?
     What is Doug's height and weight?

3. What label does the substitute give Doug? How did it effect his behavior? How did it effect how others saw him? How did it effect how he saw himself?

4. How have people labeled you either in the past or currently? How has it effected you?

5.  Read Judges 6:12-15  How did the angel label Gideon? How had he labeled himself?

     the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
¹³ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
¹⁴ The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
¹⁵ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

      Read Judges 6:25-27  How did Gideon's label of himself effect his actions?

 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. ²⁶ Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”
²⁷ So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

       Read  Judges 6:32  What was the new name he was given?

So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

   Read Judges 7:10-15   Why did God have to give Gideon a fourth sign?

¹⁰ If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah ¹¹ and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. ¹² The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.
¹³ Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
¹⁴ His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”
¹⁵ When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”


Note to parents/teachers

    Andy Stanley has a great message on labeling addressed to Middle schoolers at the following link. http://northpoint.org/messages/youll-be-glad-you-did/label-maker/   He makes the point - who is allowed to label something? The owner, inventor, designer only. If you go into someone's house with a Sharpie and start labeling people's things that is not allowed. In the same way, kids may call you ugly, dork, fatty, zit face, etc but they don't have that right. The only one that can label you is God because He designed you, created you, and owns you. Gideon had believed the lie that he was worthless, weak, unloved, and Baal bait. God labeled him a mighty warrior. Had he believed God instead of people he could have saved himself a lot of trouble, obeyed quicker, and been known as a man of faith not as the fleeces guy. (ha, I just gave him a new label) Talk with your kids about how God sees them and not to believe what the world wants to put on them. 

Have You Been Saved or Vaccinated?

             Have You Been Saved or Vaccinated?

      When I use the word saved in the South everyone knows what I'm talking about. They have all been saved usually as a child at Vacation Bible school, summer church camps, Sunday School, Backyard Bible clubs, youth revivals, etc. When you ask a Northerner "have you been saved?" you might get "saved from what?", "I didn't know I was drowning", "No, but I've been reserved" or multiple other answers because it is not a part of their culture like it is in the Bible Belt. The danger of that, here in the south, is that they might not really be saved but just vaccinated. Let me explain using the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8.
        In this parable, the sower sews seed that falls in four areas - the path, the rocky soil, the weed patch, and good soil.The plights of the seed are trampling on, light growth until the sun burns it out for lack of root growth, choking the early growth out by the weeds blocking the sun and taking the nutrients, and exponential growth respectively. Jesus later tells the meaning. The sower is anyone who shares the gospel of Christ (seed). The gospel is this
       1. God created us to be in relationship with Him
       2. Man is sinful and separated from a Holy God who can't be in the presence of sin
       3. God became a man (Jesus) and lived a sinless life. He paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross, rose to life, and ascended into Heaven to be our advocate
       4. By faith we receive His death for the forgiveness of our sins
       5. He sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts to change us into His image
       6. Out of gratitude we live the rest of our life not for ourselves but to please Him
       7. When we die we get to live with Him forever in Heaven rather than experiencing Hell
The path is anyone who hears the gospel and ignores it. The rocky soil is the person who receives the gospel and is initially changed but then because of persecution, being left out, being odd decides to opt out. The thorny soil also receives it initially but the things of this world such as money, fame, pleasure, power, comfort become more important than following Christ and denying self and they, whether they realize it or not, opt out. The last soil allows the gospel to grow in their lives. they receive it and their life changes.They tell others, they enter into close fellowship with Jesus and fellow believers. They start manifesting the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. They start putting their treasures in Heaven rather than banks. They start living for eternity rather than vacations, weekends, retirement, football hunting or fishing seasons.
            In our office, we offer vaccinations. What is a vaccine? Usually it consists of a virus that has been inactivated. It tricks the body into thinking that it has been infected and the body builds up antibodies. Then when the real thing comes along the body won't be infected but fights it off. The Bible Belt, and I say this in love because there are many more Christians here than in the North, in general has been vaccinated with an inactive form of the gospel and they are immune to the real thing. Evangelists have taken #7 from above, put it in a message and had us swallow it like the polio vaccine. Then we write the day we took it in our Bible knowing it is a vaccine that lasts for life and we are saved. Right? This parable says, no! Matt. 7:21-23 and Luke 13:25 -27 say, no!

   Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
²⁶ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
²⁷ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’

   When we are "infected" by the true, full gospel our lives change. We are seized by the power of a greater affection. We live for God not ourselves. We live for the kingdom of Heaven not the kingdom of Earth. We start viewing ourselves as strangers and aliens and short timers here on this planet. Getting to know Christ and worshipping Him become our priorities. Our job becomes the evangelization of the planet and our vocation becomes the means, gifts, and talents by which we do it.
         When a Bible Belt person hears this message they invariably say, "you're right, I need to start witnessing, reading my Bible, praying and going to Church more regularly." No!(and yes I suppose) What you need is to get saved. I don't need to go home from work and say, "well, I guess I need to spend time with my wife and talk to her tonight" Why not? Because I'm married to her and love her and that's what I want to do. I don't say, well I better watch some NFL today. Why not? Because I love football. Similarly, if you got saved to avoid Hell and go to Heaven you have missed the true gospel and that is receiving and following Jesus out of love for what He did for you and hatred of the life of darkness you used to live.
         How does one "catch" the real thing when everything in their body is rejecting it? It's tough. It's God working on their heart to show them they are lost. How are people getting the flu this winter when they have all been vaccinated? They are getting a different strain of the virus. Maybe we need to present the gospel more correctly. We are commanded in 2Cor.13 to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. Are you examining yourselves? I Can examine you and give my verdict. In fact that's what I do all day - try to determine who is really sick and who isn't. Who is telling the truth and who just wants drugs. Here is how I would go about it. First I would look at your Facebook profile. If being a Republican is the closest I can get to connecting the dots that tells me something. Then I would look at your checkbook and see where your treasures are going to. Then I would ask your kids a few questions like do your parents teach you about Jesus? Do you see your parents reading the Bible or praying? I think that would be enough to diagnose 90% correctly because only God knows the heart.
          But it isn't my job to judge you - that is between you and God. Examine yourselves to see which soil you are. Examine yourself to see if you have really been saved for just taken in a fragment of the whole gospel . Get saved today! 

   

Studies Through 1John - Lesson 3

                              Studies Through 1John - Lesson 3

                     The Benefits of Being A Christian

We write this to make our joy complete.
⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  1 John 1:4-7

   Last lesson we looked at 5 claims to Jesus' deity in the first 3 verses and if you were to debate with John, he would probably say, "Did you meet Him? Did you touch Him? Did you hear His teachings personally? Did you see Him raise the dead, heal lepers, make the lame walk? Did you see Him calm a storm and walk on water and feed 5000 - twice?  Did  you hear Him forgive sins? Did you see Him transfigured? Did you see Him die and come back to life 3 days later? Did you see him levitate and disappear into heaven? Well, I did, so you are basically talking about stuff you know nothing about." I don't know if John would have been that blunt later in life but he may have been.

   Today I want to go over 3 benefits from believing that Jesus is God from these 4 verses; joy, takes us out of darkness, and fellowship with other believers.

 1. Joy - "we write this to make (y)our joy complete"

    What is joy? The Greek word is chara which is related to charis - grace. The first thing we have to realize is that you can't have joy without the grace of Christ. Those who have not received the free gift of God's grace in salvation (Eph. 2:8,9) can not have joy. People without Christ can experience happiness which is contingent on favorable circumstances happening to them but Christians can experience an inner happiness or deep sense of well being and favor even in...
 
     trials - "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds," James 1:2

      troubles - "I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds." 2 Cor. 7:4

     poverty - "In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." 2 Cor. 8:2

     getting kicked out of town -"They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹ So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit " Acts 13:50-52

    severe suffering - "You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit" 1Thes. 1:6

   insults, persecution, confiscation of property - "Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴ You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property," Heb. 10:33,34

    Tim Keller often uses the illustration of the house he bought in Pennsylvania on a hill that always had a wet basement even in times of drought and his grass was always green when there was no rain. His neighbors told him finally that it was because there was an underground river that ran through that hill. So even in times of drought there was water because he had an underground stream and when it poured, he was flooded. This is what joy is - an underground current of happiness that is always there, sometimes enough for a dehumidifier but sometimes enough that you need a pump. How is that possible? Only through the grace of God  He ...

     1. Gives the Holy spirit- Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) We can't produce it- only God can
              
      "You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit" 1Thes. 1:6

      " the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, "  Rom. 14:17

     2. We know that bad things happening to us help us become more like Christ which is our main goal in life

        Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything  James 1:2-4

    3. Knowing we have something the world can't take away

         the salvation of our souls

            " Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell".  Matt.10:28

   " Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls."  1 Peter 1:8,9

     eternal treasures

    " and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." Col. 1:12

   “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."  Matt. 6:19,20

    Love of Jesus

     ^"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Rom. 8:38,39


     So, what can we do to increase the Joy in our lives? Here are 4 areas to look toward. Joy is like the floater in my eye - if I try to look for it, it moves away. The Beatitudes say "blessed are the ______". They don't say "blessed are the blessed" because joy isn't found by pursuing joy it is found by pursuing other things and as you do that, joy will come. Here are some of those things;

    A. fellowship - we will talk in depth about this in a little bit but it is amazing to see how many of the verses in the Bible on fellowship also talk about joy.

       fellowship with one another -

              "In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you." 2 Cor. 7:13

       fellowship with God (worship) -

    "Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." Luke 24:52

   B. Fulfilling your ministry - "The seventy-two returned with joy..."  Luke 10:17

  C. Meditating on the future -"... leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven." Luke 6:23

  D. Discipling - "For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. ⁹ How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? " 1Thes. 3:8,9
     Leading someone to the Lord and then seeing them grow is one of the most joyous activities you will ever be involved in.


2. We are taken out of darkness

     People like me who were saved at an early age probably have a harder time understanding the condition of darkness. Being raised in a Christian home the "light" has surrounded me my whole life. As I get older, I am seeing more and more darkness brought to light that is deep inside of me that God brings to light to remove yet still what is described in Ephesians 2 is still a little foreign to me, yet true;

    As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Eph. 2:1-7

   This was our condition prior to salvation - Zombies; walking dead our one desire satisfying our flesh in the kingdom of darkness headed by Satan. Satan's kingdom is referred to as the kingdom of darkness and hell, despite talking about fire, is referred to over and over as a place of darkness(see below). God's kingdom is called a kingdom of light because as John says in vs. 5 (above) there is no darkness in God at all. Therefore, salvation is described as being taken from that Eph. 2 kingdom of darkness into a kingdom of light. Here is how Paul and Peter describe it;

   "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Acts 26:18

  "to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."  Col. 1:12-14

  "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1Pet.2:9

     "We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." 2Pet. 1:19

    As I've pondered darkness over the years, two pictures have come to my mind. First the problem of evil and second the picture of salvation.
     First, the problem of evil. If God creates everything doesn't He have to create evil? I am a baseball fan and exclusively a Brewer fan. Growing up we would go to County Stadium for night games which wasn't in the greatest part of town. We would arrive early and tailgate which means grills cooking Bratwurst, Kilbassa, Polish Sausage, Sauer Kraut and throwing baseballs, footballs, Frisbees, etc. It was a party atmosphere with happiness, revelry, singing, and anticipation of a victory. The smell of charcoal and grilling filled the air and to this day the olfactory pleasures bring a feeling of well being. After the game when the lights went out and the cars were gone, out came the rats. The metal garbage cans gave off the odor of smoldering rubbish and homeless people slowly descended on the lot looking for remains. It became a somewhat dangerous place. What was the difference between happiness and dread - the absence of light. Similarly God is light. Can you imagine a world without His light? Revelations gives a glimpse of it. Post Apocolyptic movies and TV shows often show the darkness of humanity when the light of God is taken out of the world. God doesn't need to create evil - evil is just the absence of Him. C.S. Lewis in his chapter "The Invasion" from Mere Christianity talks about evil in the same way saying that "badness is simply spoiled goodness." (He gets much deeper than that)
    Second, a picture of salvation. Imagine you are living in a dark your whole life. You are content with this until one day God opens your shutters, which you didn't know existed, and light shines in. You suddenly see how filthy your cottage is - years of dust, spider webs, dirt filling your house. Your clothes are filthy as are you. You have 3 choices - close the shutters and ignore the filth, open the shutters and embrace the filth, detest the filth and clean up using the light to guide you. In a spiritual sense, I believe that at some point in our life, God shines His light on our heart. It could be a blinding light like Saul/ Paul got on the road to Damascus, or it could be a brief pen light but nevertheless we will stand before God without excuse. When the light of the Spirit's conviction shines on our dirty hearts we have a choice to make - ignore it, say I don't mind it, or be appauled by it and get in the light.
     This, hopefully gives a little insight into what it means to be in the Kingdom of darkness. The Bible gives some more insights into darkness in the following passages.

    1. Hell is Darkness - we will never have to go to Hell

      "But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matt. 8:12, 22:13, 25:30

    "  And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.... ¹³ They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever."  Jude 1:6,13


     2. Death is darkness - we will never die

       the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned. Matt 4:16

    to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace  Luke 1:79

      Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.  Heb. 2:14,15


    3. Sin is darkness - we have been delivered from the bondage of sin

    This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God  John 3:19-21

    For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rom. 1:21

     The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh  Rom. 3:12-14

     4. Walking in darkness - the life without Christ is described this way which to me implies randomness, no orientation, no real direction, slipping and falling a lot, depression, gloom, etc

   Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light  John 12:35,36


3. We have fellowship with fellow believers

    Fellowship is from the Greek word Koinonea and the root word of that means "common". We have a common partnership. We begin doing life together through the common bond of salvation. As Children of God belonging to the Kingdom of light we now have a new family . We become a body which functions best as we belong to each other.

         " For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."  Rom. 12:4,5

 ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it  1 Cor. 12

    Even Jesus in His prayer in John 17 for us says 

 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³ I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

    He is praying for Fellowship; fellowship with the Father as we saw in the last lesson and fellowship with each other as we see in this section. Lets look at some of the things that we have in common besides pot-lucks and Bingo games. (as above, notice how many times we see joy come up in these verses)

   1. A common mission - our job has become to partner in the evangelization of the planet Earth before time runs out. My job isn't a doctor; my job is to partner in the evangelization of the planet as a doctor.

   "  I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now," Phil. 1:3-5


  2. Common Possessions - After all, don't you share things with your family? And "things" aren't yours anyway - everything belongs to God.

      "In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people." 2 Cor. 8:2-4

  "  All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." Acts 2

 " All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ^... there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need." Acts 4


   3. Common Persecution - you mess with my family, you are messing with me

    " Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. ³³ Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴ You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions"  Heb. 10:32-34


  4. Common future - Is Heaven going to be big enough to avoid certain people for all eternity? Time to start getting along with them down here.
 
  " To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: " 1Peter 5:1

  5. Common needs for encouraging, strengthening, refreshing -

    "so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed." Rom. 15:32

   " for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me." Phil. 1:25,26

    "And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God" 1Sam 23:16

   " I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith." Rom 1:12

   "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."  Heb. 10:24,25

     You see the Church is so much more than a hospital for sinners, it is a mash unit to put us back together and back into the battle against the evil one to free those enslaved by him. The church is a launching pad and we are the church.

                         
    

   

Kid's Video Devotion - Getting to Know God and People

 Kid's Video Devotion - Getting to Know God and People

1. Watch the following "Doug" video

     
2. Doug trivia

     What were the names of the Sleech family?
      What was their address?
     What kind of cereal do the Funnies eat?

3. Are there any weird kids in your class that everyone tries to avoid? What stories do people tell about them? Are they true? What could you do to help people accept them more?

4. How did the Sleech's get to know Doug and his family. How did they want Doug to know them? What did Doug do to get to know the Sleech's?

5. Read John 3:1-21  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+3%3A1-21&version=NLT  How did Nicodemus get to know the truth about Jesus? What were some of the misunderstandings about Jesus? According to this passage, why did people not want to talk to Jesus? Why did the Sleech's not want Doug to talk to their dad?

 6. Read Rom.1:20  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom+1%3A20&version=NIV What can we know about God from creation? What can't we know from creation only?


7. Heb.10:19-22 says Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God...

   How should we get to know God personally? What are some ways people go about it wrongly?


Note to parents/teachers

    In this "Doug", Doug is assigned to do a report on the Sleech's. No one wanted to be assigned to them because they were odd. Stories were made up about them and imaginations ran wild. The Sleech's got to know Doug by examining garbage and his house rather than talking and listening to him. Isn't that the way a lot of people get to know God. They look at nature or current events or just their preconceived notions and come up with a "god" that isn't God at all. Why not come to Him personally? Probably because they know what they will find and it will contradict them. The Sleech's wanted Doug to know their dad by what they said, not meeting him. Doug wouldn't settle for that and by doing so met someone awesome and blessed the class and helped the Sleech's be accepted. A lot of people want to get to know God through someone else like their parents, preacher, Sunday School teachers, movies,... anything else but meeting with Him themselves. Jesus came that we might know God and then made a way that we might enter into His presence at any time. Do you know about God or do you know Him?

Studies Through 1John - Lesson 2

                   Studies Through 1John - Lesson 2

                     Is Jesus Really God??

                           1 John 1:1-4

    Last week we looked at the purpose, dating, audience, and author of 1John. As opposed to the Gospel of John, this was not written to unbelievers that they "might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you might have life through His name" (John 20:31) but rather to believers that they might fight off false doctrine and be assured of their salvation. Thirty six times the word know appears and 4 times the word confident appears in 1John.
      There are 2 common denominators of all cults or false teachings - they deny that Jesus is God and they preach salvation by good works. This was no different for the false teachers of this day. They were teaching that Jesus could not have been God because to take on a human body would have made Him sinful. Lets look at 1John 1:1-4 from this framework showing 5 reasons John might say that Jesus was and is God.

           That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our joy complete. 1John 1:1-4


         ^{1. From the Beginning
                   One of the traditional arguments for the existence of God is the argument of cause and effect. The following is taken from "gotquestions.com"}
           The Law of Cause and Effect. This law of science states that every cause has its effect and every effect has its cause. This law is the basis of all science. As such, this law bears a relationship to the origin of the heavens and the earth. In fact, scientists agree that the universe has not existed forever, that it had a beginning at some point in time.

The theory of relativity, which is almost universally accepted among scientists, has certain implications for this Law of Cause and Effect. One is that the universe, defined as time, space, matter, and physical energy had a beginning, that it is not eternal. And it is through Einstein’s equations that scientists can trace the development of the universe back to its very origin, back to what is called the “singularity event” when it actually came into being. Science has proven that the universe really did have a beginning. This means that if the universe had a starting point in history, then it obviously began to exist, and it must have a cause for its existence.

Therefore, if the universe needs a cause for its coming into being, then that cause must be beyond the universe—which is time, space, matter, and physical energy. That cause must be something similar to what Christians call “God.” Even Richard Dawkins, probably the most prominent proponent for atheism in our time, admitted in a TIME magazine article that “there could be something incredibly grand and incomprehensible and beyond our present understanding.” Yes, and that is God!

We can best summarize this cosmological evidence with the following statements:
(1) Whatever begins to exist must have a cause for its existence.
(2) The universe began to exist.
(3) Therefore, the universe must have a cause for its existence.
(4) The attributes of the cause of the universe (being timeless, existing outside of space, and so on) are the attributes of God.
(5) Therefore, the cause of the universe must be God

    As we look at some scripture regarding this lets look at the following 2 verses from Isaiah and compare them to a passage in Revelation;

⁴ Who has done this and carried it through,
    calling forth the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord (Jehovah)—with the first of them
    and with the last—I am he.” Isa 41:4

“This is what the Lord(Jehovah) says—
    Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
    apart from me there is no God. Isa 44:6

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸ I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Rev.1:12-18

     In the Isaiah verses you clearly see that God is claiming to be "the first and last - the alpha and omega" and in the Revelation passage it is clear that Jesus is claiming it. Which is it? Both, because Jesus is God.

    2. The Word
  
  As in the intro to the Gospel of John, John loves to refer to Jesus as the Word or Logos in Greek. What concept is he trying to get across and how is this proof that Jesus is God. First of all look at John 1:1-4

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:1-4

 You can see a lot of similarities to 1John there. Notice in verse 1, "The Word was God" a clear claim to Jesus being God. But why is He referred to as Word?

    A. The word Logos to the Greeks had become synonymous with "the meaning of life". John is claiming that Jesus is the meaning of life. Both David and Paul give the meaning of life in the following passages

         Save us, Lord(Jehovah) our God,
    and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.  Ps 106:47

  "... in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his (Jesus') glory".   Eph 1:12

        The reason for living is to give glory to Jesus who is God. With that as our basis we find maximum freedom and fulfillment in life.

      B.  Logos is the root for logic. It refers to wisdom. The ultimate wisdom of the universe is God. He is so far above us that we can't begin to know and understand all the things He knows. One of the pleasures of eternity with Him is an eternity of learning from Him. Science today is only scratching the surfaces of His wisdom. All the great discoveries being made were spoken into existence by Him millennia ago in six days.

By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
    by understanding he set the heavens in place;
²⁰ by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
    and the clouds let drop the dew. Prov. 3:19-20

Jesus came to Earth to make audible some of God's wisdom. Just like God's glory could not be looked on without "melting" so a visible form of God came to Earth and we beheld Him without being destroyed, so an audible form of God's wisdom came in the person of Jesus Christ to make knowable a fragment of the unknowable.

      C. The Word is how we get to know someone. If you see someone at a party, unless they have a Pandora bracelet on,(joke) all you can do is make general assumptions/ first impressions about them until they open their mouths. Then we find out who they really are and we can ask questions of them. God is the same way. We can get general revelation about Him through creation (Rom. 1:20) but we can't know for example His love except Jesus came to Earth and revealed it (John 3:16)

       D. The Bible is called "The Word of God" The relation of Jesus to the Bible is seen in John

         ^"You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me (Jesus), ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life". John 5:39,40
 
        Jesus and the Bible are inseparable; in fact the whole Bible points to Jesus.  http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/jesus66books.htm


    3. The Life appeared.

      Not "a life" but "The Life". Think of the audacity of that claim. If you were to say "I am a life on this planet" everyone would agree and probably say, "And your point is...?" But if I were to say "I am THE Life on this planet" people would be incredulous. It is a claim to being the most significant living person on the planet or it is a claim to being the source of life on the planet - the life force from which everyone else is deriving their life. Both are true of Jesus. The Eternal source of life, the giver and creator of life who stands outside of time stepped in to time to reveal how we can have that life in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus says, "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" and He says "I come that they might have life and more abundantly." "I am the resurrection and the Life"

    4. Son of God

  This claim meant more to the hearers than it does to us. It is somewhat lost in cultural translation. When Jesus said He was the Son of God that meant to the hearers that He claimed to be the same nature as God and to be in fact God. We see the response to that claim in the gospels. To say He was the Son of God was to blaspheme.

      The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” John 19:7

      And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! Matt 26:63-65

     5. Brings fellowship with the Father

       This is the greatest need of mankind - to commune, know, be one with, partner with or have fellowship with our creator. Back in the garden that was the norm (Gen. 3:8-10). Adam and Eve sinned and suddenly that fellowship with God was gone because a Holy God cannot be in the presence of sin. (Hab. 3:11)When God delivered His people from Egypt, instead of taking them to the promised land, He took them to Sinai. Why? So that they could begin a relationship with Him.

     They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.  Ex. 29:46

     When the glory departed from the temple in Ezekiel, God's presence was finally gone until 600 years later Immanuel (Jesus), God with us arrives on the scene. His name was called Jesus "for He will save His people from their sins".(Matt 1:21-23). He made it possible to come back into fellowship with the Father again by just humbling ourselves before Him and believing, receiving, trusting in His atonement for our sins on the cross. His death tore the veil in the tabernacle signifying once we were kept out of fellowship with God and now we have direct access through Jesus.
       But how does that prove He is God?   David said in Psalms, "Against You only have I sinned" When we sin, all sins are directly against God. When Adam and Eve sinned, they broke God's rule, no one else's. Therefore to get forgiveness, God has to give it. Lets say I invite the youth group over to my house and they start rough- housing, despite me telling them not to, and down falls my $2000 TV and breaks. For Bob to go to Bill and say, "I'm sorry for breaking Doc's TV"  and Bill to say, "I forgive you" wouldn't cut it. Why? Because it isn't Bill's TV and he is not the grantor of forgiveness; I am because I was the one "sinned against". So if Bob comes to me and is genuinely sorry and humbly asks for forgiveness, I would probably say yes and then say "don't rough house anymore." All is better right? Wrong! I now have a decision to make - I have 3 choices; 1) make Bob buy me a new TV which he can't afford so that option is out  2) Live without a TV - who can do that so that option is out  3) buy myself a new TV. You see sin leaves a debt that God had to pay. No one else could afford it nor forgive it. God - Jesus - came down to Earth to offer forgiveness because He was the one sinned against and He alone could pay the debt. When Jesus healed the man lowered through the roof He first said "Your sins are forgiven". The question was, "Who could forgive sins but God Himself?" The answer is "Yes".