Kid's Devotion - Living a Blameless Life

1. Watch the following Doug Video

2. Doug Trivia - What is Doug's phone number?
3. What did Doug lose? What was he afraid would be the consequences of losing the journal?Who found his journal? Why didn't he make fun of Doug?
4. Do you have a journal/diary? If you do what do you write in it? Would you be embarressed if anyone read it? Why?
5. Read Matt. 12:25 which says "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them..."

   Read Ps. 139:2,13  

1. Psalm 139:2
   
   You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
2. Psalm 139:23
   Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

What do these verses tell you about God?  In a way, whether you have a journal or not, someone is reading your most intimate thoughts and that is God.

6. Read 1 thes. 5:23  1 Thessalonians 5:23

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

    Blameless is mentioned 54 times in the Bible. What does "blameless" mean to you?

 

Note to parents:

      What if all your thoughts were displayed on a big screen for the whole world to see? Would you be proud? Embarressed?

      Rev. 12:10 says Satan is the accuser of the brethern. Picture him standing before Jesus and accusing you. What would he say? Would God be ashamed of you? Would He have to apologize for you? This is what I think it means to be blameless. When Satan or unbelievers try to make a case against you would they have to make up lies like they did to Jesus? Lets pray that God would make us blameless because that is what He does according to 1 Thes 5:23

 

Raising Your Children According to Moses

   I was reading in Proverbs 4 the other day and was struck anew by something;

      ³ For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
⁴ Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.
⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have get understanding.
⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
⁹ She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown.”

     The author, Solomon, gives us some rare insight into the parenting of King David. David obviously spent some time with Bathsheba and Solomon and what Solomon remembers, after his dad has passed away, is David's instructions to him as a child that whatever his lot in life, the most important thing that he must seek is wisdom. Did the advice stick with him? It surely did as we can see in 1Kings 3 when God appears to him as a young king and says,"I will give you anything you want." Solomon answers,"wisdom", and God is so pleased with that answer that He gives him that and everything else.
      What are we passing on to our kids that when we are long gone will guide their live's into making decisions pleasing to the Lord? Moses gives us 5 pieces of advice and Joshua gives us one, that if followed should take our children on the right path. What if we don't heed the advice? Check out this passage in Judges 2;

    ⁶ After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. ⁷ The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. ¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. ¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. ¹² They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them

      The first time we see Moses instructing the people on passing on the faith to their children is in Exodus 12:21-27. In this passage we see him giving instructions on how to celebrate the Passover so that their children would remember the Israelite's deliverence. We in turn as Gentile believers (although we certainly can celebrate the Jewish holidays) can point to the great things God has done to deliver us such as the incarnation - Christmas  (although if you want to be totally random, celebrate the conception - April 2) or Easter. Birthday parties for Jesus, Resurrection Eggs, etc. are traditions that could be annual reminders of the great things God has done in delivering us and them. Come up with your own ideas or search the internet. Our family for example developed a BINGO like game (which was labeled JESUS) and the spaces on the card were filled with OT prophecies of the coming Messiah. We drew verses out of a bag and the first person to fill a line shouted out JESUS and got to open the first present. The second present would be opened by the winner of the Bible drill finding these verses as they were pulled from the bag.
      The second Mosaic instruction was found a chapter later in Exodus 13:11-16 where Moses gives them instructions on giving the firstborn to the Lord and making sure the kids see it and tell them why it was being done. We likewise need to let our kids see us giving of "our" wealth to the Church, the poor, missionaries ,etc. and tell them why we do it. What a rewarding sight when we see our kids giving a tithe or more the first time without coercion. Not only giving, but let them see you on your knees, studying your Bible, witnessing, etc. Model the Christian life to them. Why did the before mentioned Solomon go bad? Mainly he had a problem with women which coincidentally so did his dad. His dad, David, could teach him everything about wisdom but if he didn't model it, the impact was limited.
      Teaching your kids the scripture so they can determine right versus wrong behavior is the third instruction given by Moses in Deut 4:5-14. "Don't sass your Mom!" "Why?" "Because I said so!" is not as effective as "because God said it in the 10 commandments and in Ephesians 6 and etc." "God has given us the instruction manual for life and it is called the Bible. If you want life to work you need to follow it. If you don't, you will heap trouble on yourself." When your kids are having a sin issue, i.e. not sharing, we would make up a bedtime story involving fictitious animal characters that are wrestling with the same issue and they would always end up doing the right thing with the help of a Bible verse. This was much more effective than just telling them to stop being selfish. This website has been dedicated to helping you teach your kids these principles with scripture and video. Just type in "kids" or 'devotion'  in the search box and find one that pertains to what your kids are going through.
      Deut. 11:13-21 instructs the Israelites to teach the children with the goal of that- not being obedience as above- but to love God. If your kids are using the phrase "have to" -" we have to go to church, we have to go to youth group, we have to read our Bible, we have to have devotions, etc" it is a warning sign that your kids may be struggling in the Loving God arena. We should present Christ as the most winsome person to ever grace this planet not as a cosmic killjoy. Make devotions fun, kinetic, no-punish zone. If Church is something your kids are dreading - you may need to reevaluate the church too. When praying with the kids, I know the "Now I lay me downs" and "God is great God is goods" are a good starting point but they quickly need to progress. You need to teach your kids that "Jesus is right next to you - talk to Him." Teach them He isn't a religious icon or a concept but a real living person who loves them even more than mom does! He is the "Pearl of Great Price" which if grasped, should motivate and drive their lives.
      The last time Moses instructs them to teach their children is in regard to "The Song of Moses" which is 46 verses in Deut. 32. It is a lengthy song that talks about God's greatness and includes judgements and blessings. I can't overestimate the importance of music in your kids' lives. Not only can it be the basis for the friends they gravitate towards in school later on, but it is what they meditate on all day long. Why not fill their minds with Biblical truths in the car, in their bedrooms as they go to sleep, on their ipods. Please, buy them Christian music not Disney and One Direction/ Taylor Swift .Believe me, they will still know those songs without you encouraging them - you won't be harming them by oversheltering. We had our kids memorize whole books of the Bible to tunes we made up or borrowed. Make sure your devotions include a generous amount of singing! God inhabits their praise.
       I could stop here but I hate to skip over Joshua's instruction in Josh. 4:6. They had just crossed over a parted Jordan river and were instructed to take 12 stones from the middle of the river and build a monument to the Lord as a remembrance to the children of the great things God has done for their family. Besides point 1 and remembering God's gift of salvation to the world, what are some things uniquely God has done for your family? An easy one would be to celebrate the day they were saved. When you think about it, the second birthday is more important than the first. We liked to have "Angel Parties" whenever anyone we knew or led to the Lord got saved. We know that all the angels rejoice when someone gets saved so we would play Christian Raggae/Calypso music, do the limbo, bust a Pinata and grill out, etc. It was a wild and FUN time. Make your Anniversary and Birthdays not all about you but celebrations that God engineered your meeting, falling in love, your children's births etc.
       Be creative as you teach your kids  how God brought Salvation into the world and into your family, how He gave you a book called the Bible that teaches them how awesome God is and how much He loves them and how they can show their love to Him through obedience. Be persistant in guiding them through modeling Godly behavior and putting the right kind of music in their lives. Then maybe, unlike the Israelites who left the faith after one generation, when you are gone, a generation stronger then you will arise and change this world for Jesus!!

Kid's Devotion - confessing

1. Watch the following Doug video

2. Doug trivia - What is Doug's middle name?

3. What does Doug do wrong in this episode? Why is this so bad? Have you ever got into trouble in a similar way?

4. What were some of Doug's schemes to remedy the situation? Did they work?

5. Who almost took the blame? Was Doug happy about that? Has anyone ever gotten accused for something you did? Did you confess?

6. Finally, Doug confesses which he should have done immediately. (actually he did try with embaressing results) What were the consequences of his behavior?

7. Read Numbers 32:23  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+32:23&version=NIV   My parents would always quote this to me as a kid. What is this verse telling us?

8. Read Lev.5:1  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+5:1&version=NIV  How does this apply to this Doug?

Note to parents;
       In this Doug, Doug Yancey Funnie gets in trouble mainly because of boredom. When kids get bored, they get into trouble. Make sure your kids stay busy! Doug draws a non-flattering picture of his teacher which is a  disrespecting authority and as the verse in Numbers says, "Your sin will find you out." You will see that your kids, if they are believers in Jesus, will get caught every time. God will keep them on a short leash because He doesn't want them to have a lot of baggage that is going to impede them being mighty for the Kingdom in the future. The best and most freeing thing your kids can do is come clean, take their punishment, which may not be as bad as they think, and have a clean conscience. They need to know that staying silent while someone else takes the blame is a sin against that person and God. They should never do that!

The Gospel In The Books of Moses

^{1Cor. 10:1-12}
 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
⁶ Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” ⁸ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹ We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. ¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

        The Old Testament is filled with symbolism that points to the coming Christ and God's ultimate plan of redemption. It isn't a stretch or far fetched in any sense to look at the Exodus to finally crossing the River Jordan and entering the Promised Land and compare it to what God has done for us through Christ Jesus.


    1. Egypt and Pharoah = Bondage to Satan

         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. Eph. 2:1,2

    The children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt under a cruel taskmaster by the name of Pharoah. He was only interested in keeping them in bondage and using them for his purposes. He even ordered all the male children killed.
     Today we are in bondage and slavery to sin and Satan who only wants to kill, steal, and destroy. This is all mankind's condition we are born into. Isn't it interesting that when redemption comes, infants are killed. (Herod, Pharoah).

2. Moses/Passover Lamb = Christ our deliverer

      and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
²⁷ And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.” Rom.11:26,27

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 1Cor.5:7

        In the midst of this captivity to Satan and sin, God sent us a deliverer like Moses(Deut.18:15). This was Jesus. John said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world". Moses sent 9 plagues which decimated Egypt and showed God's power over the many gods of Egypt. Yet the 10th plague which delivered them was the passover of the death angel. Just like the blood of the lamb saved their lives, so the blood of Christ delivers us from the law of sin and death. Like Jesus, the lamb had to be a male, in the prime of life, spotless, killed in late afternoon and not a bone broken.

3. Blood on the doorposts = The Cross
   “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 1Pet.2:24
   and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Col. 1:20

      The Israelites had to apply the blood of the lamb on the doorposts  to be saved just as Christ's blood on the cross saves us if we apply it. It isn't enough to know what to do, or that He died, but to have faith and personally apply it. The blood was seen from the outside to everyone that looked just as we need to publically confess Christ by word and deed. And unfortunately there was no other way to save a life than the blood of the Lamb.

4. Crossing under the Red Sea = Baptism

      They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.   1Cor. 10:2
        and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1Pet 3:21

   The Israelites, like us, were delivered from bondage by the last plague and their faith in the blood of the lamb personally applied. They then passed through the Red Sea literally under the water as God held it up on each side. This symbolizes baptism which doesn't save us but says to the world we have left Egypt and followed God. The Egyptians trusted the water and died. The Israelites trusted God and lived.


5. Amelakites = Flesh

      But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Mark 4:17-19

    As soon as the Israelites were delivered their first foe was the Amelakites. They are children of Esau who traded in his birthright, the promises of God and the future, for the here and now - to feed the flesh. They picked off the weak and the stragglers(Deut.25:17-19). Moses defeated them by raising his arms to Heaven. When his arms got tired, he rested them on the rock and Aaron and Hur held them up(Ex..17:8-14). This is very symbolic of what happens when we get saved. The flesh battles against complete surrender. It attacks us when we are weak and alone especially. How do we defeat it. 1)Worship. Raise your head to the sky and praise the Lord. Pray, go to Church, listen to praise and worship and sing along. 2) Resting on the rock. Getting in the Word. Fellowship with God  3) Fellowship. Get with fellow believers who can build you up and hold you accountable. 

6. Manna = Jesus our Bread of Life

       Your ancestors ate the manan in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which people may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:49-51

     Just as the Israelites in the safety behind the blood on their doorposts fed on the sacrificed lamb, so we now too, once we are saved, feed on Christ. He is all we need. Our Bread of Life. We take him in daily as we feed on His word and we get our strength from Him. Like Manna, those who want a lot gathered much. Those who didn't want much gathered little. We can have as much of Him as we want. We do need to feed on Him daily.


7. Water from the rock = Our Rock, Jesus, was struck so He could give the Holy Spirit

     and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 1Cor. 10:4
    
     “‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
⁴³ “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”  Matt. 21:42,43

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
¹¹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:10-13

Christ was crucified and his blood like the passover lamb cleansed us from our sin. He rose from the dead to give us victory over death and ascended into heaven to intercede for us and to send us the Holy Spirit who is Christ's life welling up inside all believers. Without this we would not be "born again".It always made me wonder why striking the rock when God told Moses to speak to it was such a heinous sin that Moses was disqualified from going to the promised land. Then I realized how important this symbolism is to God.

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age ⁶ and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Heb.6:4-6

   Christ can only be struck once. He only could die for sins once. Moses' sin violated a divine principle of the redemptive plan and thus was extremely serious.

  8. Mt. Sinai = Presence of God 

         You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39,40

     Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3

   They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. Ex.29:46
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deut 30:19-21

We as Christians often get confused - why is it God saved us? So that we can go to Heaven? No, that is great but the real reason He redeemed us is in order that we can know Him and be in a relationship with Him. This was revealed in "the Exodus". God didn't deliver them to the promised land - no, He delivered them to take them to His presence at Mt. Sinai. There they learned how to be in a right relationship with Him while He gave blueprints on how He could live among them. They actually spent the next year there.

9. The Wilderness = Missing out on God's best   10. Canaan - The abundant life here and in Heaven

        Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? ¹⁷ And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? ¹⁹ So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Heb. 3:16,17,19

   God had something amazing planned for the Israelites and most of them missed out because of unbelief. We too are offered the amazing life of following Christ with all we have in radical abandonment of our selves. Yet we go in and out of that surrender and at times get glimpses of the beautiful life of total commitment and then fall back into the wilderness where we are missing out on God's best for us basically due to our unbelief. This seems to be the battle we will continue to fight until we truly cross "the River Jordan" in death once and for all and finally lose our sin nature.

When Is The Last Time You Saw Jesus?

On the Road to Emmaus

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^[a] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen."

Or you can watch this passage 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTb4UIbnOHE. Watch 3:57:25 to 4:00:45



      Do you know who Stan Lee is?   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee  . Watch the following Youtube video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_kpIzSCYS4 . You may have watched these 14 movies and never noticed Stan Lee because you didn't know who he is or you weren't looking for him. Yet he was there.
      In this passage of scripture, Jesus walked among these two men on the road to Emmaeus and they didn't recognize Him. Before we are too hard on these guys, let me ask you a question - Did you recognize Jesus this week? He was walking with you everywhere you went yet you probably didn't notice. He was there when you were at the gym, at work, at baseball practice, at the grocery store, in your home - everywhere. Did you see Him? I don't mean literally, obviously, but did you see His hand involved in everything?
       If there was one person in the Bible that saw God everywhere it was David. I especially like the story in 2Sam. 16:5-13 of David and Shimei.

     As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. ⁶ He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. ⁷ As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! ⁸ The Lord has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The Lord has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”
⁹ Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”

¹⁰ But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”

¹¹ David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. ¹² It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”

¹³ So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.

  David was being falsely accused by this man and showered with stones and dirt, yet he didn't retaliate because he said basically, "I see God's hand in this and if it isn't, then God will see it and He will feel sorry for me." Is this how we react to bad things happening to us? Or do we just "see" God when good stuff happens? I can testify that at times of real closeness to the Lord I see Him in everything. When I'm distracted from Him, I see these divine appointments as irritations or interruptions to my schedule.

     If seeing God in everything and "Practicing His Presence" is our goal in life, the question is how can we go from not being aware of Him to seeing Him? In this passage of scripture, on the road to Emmaeus, that is what happened to these disciples so maybe we can take some clues from Luke 24. I see 5 things that are hints to seeing Jesus more in our everyday walk.

     #1. Travel in pairs - vs. 13
            When Jesus sent his disciples out, he sent them in pairs. We read in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

and in Prov. 27:17 that "iron sharpens iron". Paul went out in pairs on his trips. One of the strengths of Promise Keepers was their accountability pairs where you would meet during the week and ask certain questions to ensure they were in position to see Jesus in their lives.
 

How much time did you spend in prayer this week?

Did you pray for others in this group?

Did you put yourself in an awkward situation with a woman?

At any time did you compromise your integrity?

What one sin plagued your walk with God this week?

Did you accomplish your spiritual goals this week?

Are you giving to the Lord’s work financially?

How have you demonstrated a servant’s heart?

Do you treat your peers and coworkers as people loved by God?

What significant thing did you do for your wife and/or family?

What was your biggest disappointment? How did you decide to handle it?

What was your biggest joy? Did you thank God?

What do you see as your number one need for next week?

Are you satisfied with the time you spent with the Lord this week?

Did you take time to show compassion for others in need?

Did you control your tongue?

What did you do this week to enhance your relationship with your spouse?

Did you pray and read God’s Word this week? What did you derive from this time?

In what ways have you launched out in faith since we last met?

In what ways has God blessed you this week? And what disappointments consumed your thoughts this week?

Did you look at a woman in the wrong way?

How have you been tempted this week? How did you respond?

How has your relationship with Christ been changing?

Did you worship in church this week?

Have you shared your faith this week? How?

What are you wrestling with in your thought life?

What have you done for someone else this week?

Are the “visible“ you and the “real“ you consistent in this relationship?

It is difficult to be a lone Christian. Find someone of your own sex to be accountable to. Or maybe it's your spouse. Did you know studies show that couples that pray together have less than 1 in 100 chance of getting divorced? Meet with someone early in the morning and pray with them. I bet you will see Jesus that day.

#2. Have spiritual conversations- vs. 14,15, 19-24

     What do you talk about with fellow believers? OK, March Maddness is worth discussing as are the kids, work, movies, TV, music so I'm not recommending a separation from sacred and secular or a monasterial life. However, how much time do you spend talking about what God has been teaching you this week or where you saw the Lord this week? If you want to see Jesus, your conversations should take your thoughts to Him. That is what true fellowship does.

   #3. Spend time in the scripture - vs. 27

    First of all, if you want to hear from Jesus you have to be in the Word. Get a journal, sit down in a quiet place with a cup of coffee and ask God to speak to you through His word and don't get up until you have written down what He said to you.
    And then, write down how you saw God in that passage. How did He get bigger in your eyes.
    Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 5:39 "You dilligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you might possess eternal life; (but) these are the scriptures that testify about me! Look for Jesus all over the Bible.

     #4. Pray passionate prayers - vs 29

     They urged Jesus not to leave them! What kind of prayers do we pray? Certainly not those kind. When is the last time like Moses you cried out for a glimpse of God or for His presence not to leave? Do you pant for God's presence like David in Psalms 42 and 63 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAsd7su5Rkc   (30:15-34:00)  or do you just pray for illnesses? Those are valid prayers but God wants more from you. He wants to reveal Himself and His presence to you. Just ask Him.

      #5. Discuss Him at meals - vs 30-32

     This is the practical part for families. At the supper table reflect/remember all the times you saw Jesus that day. If you don't, you will forget you ever saw Him or may overlook it. It will teach and reinforce to your kids that everyday Jesus is with them and our lives are about Him, not us. Who knows, it might keep them from taking Jesus to some places where they shouldn't go! Get spiritual heartburn!

   Don't go through life like the rest of the religious and non-religious people of the world. Moses recognized it. He said something like this in Ex.33.." the thing that distinguishes me from the rest of the people in the world is God's presence in my life. If I can't have it, I don't want to go on." How bad do you want it? It is what we are created for and you can have it - He is right next to you.

Jesus Takes His Disciples on a Short Term Mission Trip

     Short term mission trips are the rage in Christian circles. You could probably go to any evangelical church and find one to join at some point in a given year. If you read Radical by David Platt he goes so far as saying that everyone reading the book should strive to go on one during the year. What is involved in a short term mission trip? It usually is for a week or two, traveling a fair distance from home, usually to a different culture, enduring a certain degree of hardship, and sharing Christ with people. Not only does it have the potential for changing the lives of the missioned but the greatest change is often seen in the missionary. In a sense, Jesus also knew the value of these because He took His disciples on a"short term mission trip" (STMT) in Mark 4,5. If you notice, they were on the west side of the Sea of Galilee, their comfort zone, and Jesus tells them to get in the boat and sail to the east side leaving their comfort and enduring some hardship. They share with one or two people, they get saved, the  people on the east side tell them to leave and they sail back to their comfort zone. That is the Reader's Digest version , but now lets look at all the implications of this STMT and what we can learn from God's Word to apply to us today. I'd like to point out 7 principles from these chapters.

   #1. Sow (that's to plant - not a pig) (I can see where it could get confusing in this story)
          Jesus does a little pre-mission trip teaching (which BTW is a great idea) in Mark 4:26-32 where He gives 2 parables one of which all the other gospels leave out- "the parable of the growing seed". I'm sure that there are multiple interpretations for this and the following "parable of the mustard seed" but what I cant help but notice is that both emphasize seed that gets sown into good soil grows. I am by no means discounting the current Christian buzz word discipleship because I agree that is where it's at. The Great Commission confirms that. Nonetheless, I believe the Bible teaches that a true conversion will grow and persevere. We often are reticent to present the gospel and have people "pray the prayer" if there is no adequate followup. And as we come back and report the number saved, we are quick to report that such and such a church will be calling on them. Once again, I think that followup is great but don't let a lack of followup keep you from giving people the opportunity to be saved or shame you into not claiming victories in the name of Jesus. The demoniac in this story certainly had no discipleship and Jesus felt that was Ok.

    #2  Alone Time
         Mark 4:34 states that when Jesus was alone with His disciples He taught them the deeper meaning of His parables. I know a lot of Church Mission trips are about fellowship and hanging out with people you love. Maybe you are going with your spouse. Maybe you are hoping to gain a spouse. Don't miss the opportunity STMT's give you to be alone with Jesus! No TV, internet, malls, cell phones - Just Jesus. This was certainly a time when the disciples learned from Jesus. I'm always reminded of the account of Mary and Martha. Mary availed herself to alone time with Jesus, Martha didn't and she was reproved. When you strip everything away just one thing remains -Jesus. Take advantage of that. Study your Bible. Memorize it. Every spare moment. I remember one mission trip someone brought dominoes and suddenly that was the rage. Satan wants to steal your alone time. Don't let him.

     #3" Falling into place"
           There is a tendency to think that if we are doing something for the Kingdom of God, like something as noble as a STMT, everything should just fall into place and go smoothly. The money should come flowing in, the passports will all arrive in time, no luggage will be confiscated,the flights won't be delayed, noone will get Montezuma's revenge - and then we know God is really "in this". Look what happened here - they almost drowned on their way there and when they got there a couple of crazy people came running down the hill after them, and the people quickly asked them to leave. I wonder if Jonah thought," how convenient, a ship to Tarshish leaving now and I have just the right amount of money." Be sensitive to the Lord's leading. Yes He may be closing a door on you till a later date but also don't discount the possibility of opposition by Satan who knows you are on the way.

      #4. A Bigger God
         Mission trips, like nothing else, have the ability to give us a new revelation of God, and isn't this what life is all about anyway? There were two major God "explosions" in this passage - Nature took orders from Jesus and so did demons. Both of these displays of the glory of God blew peoples' minds. How do we know? "They were afraid" (4:41, 5:15). If Jesus is "cool" or "all-right" or your BFF, or homeboy, or the key to a good life, Heaven, etc. you really haven't met Him. Jesus doesn't allow a Ho-hum response. When we meet him , like we can anywhere-but especially on mission trips, our response should be nothing less than a Keanu Reeve's "Whoa!" We should enter into what R.C. Sproul or Francis Chan more recently talk about a terror of the Holy. A new found respect awe and love and a new level of trust and obedience resulting from that. God will show himself on STMT's in ways He doesn't in your comfort zone so be looking.

     #5. Saves people from the power of Satan
        The thief comes to steal kill and destroy and we see it clearly in the demoniac. He cut himself, cried out all night long, and his mind was crazed, and we see it dramatically in how the pigs behave once they are possessed - they kill themselves. This is where we go on mission trips - we battle not against flesh and blood but powers and principalities. Quite often this distinction is clearer on STMTs. Here, in our cultured areas where everyone is comfortable, Satan works in more subtle ways. He works behind the scenes making us so enamored with the status quo so that when something real , supernatural, life changing comes around, we say, "Please leave, We don't want you here Jesus." This is just as much Satan but more what one sees at home than on mission trips. Prayer is of utmost importance along with humility as we go into these areas to take on the powers of darkness because we have no more chance against Satan than the sons of Sceva

     #6. Cost -effectiveness
        A mission trip may not make good financial sense. For example, for the amount of money it may cost me to take my family to Kenya and see sick people for 2 weeks I could probably help put a local Christian Kenyan through medical school and serve Christ for life. OK, first of all, if we are honest, we could probably live so minimallistically here that we save enough money to do both. However, God is the source of all our means and wealth. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We can't be like Judas and say this perfume should have been sold and given to the poor. God doesn't work that way. The benefits of a STMT can't be quantified. And don't feel bad if you went on the trip where only one got saved - like Jesus' trip. It will still be more than worth it!

     #7. Missionary everywhere
        As Jesus left, the newfound believer wanted to go with Him and Jesus basically said, "No, you are to be a home missionary. You speak the language, they know you, they can see a change. You can reach these people, we couldn't." When I came back from my first few STMTs, the biggest change in my life was I started sharing the gospel at home with my patients. I thought, "I go overseas to share the gospel in a language I can't speak and I don't do it at home? That's crazy!" And that is just how I would open the discussion with my patients and living in the Bible Belt most appreciated it. If you carry an evangecube or gospel beads with you over there, do it overhere. If you do puppet shows or backyard Bible clubs over there do it over here. Otherwise it is somewhat hypocritical

     Please, please please... Go on a short term mission trip. It will change your life and many others!!!

Gimme That Ol' Time Religion - Returning to the Baseline

    I've been a Christian now for 52 years and I've been reflecting lately on the changes I've seen. A lot has been precipitating these thoughts - Christian periodicals, downloading messages, listening to Contemporary Christian music, reading current Christian books, talking to other "Christ-followers" (the 2013 version of "Christian") and just in general watching trends in Christianity. Let me share a few thoughts and challenges and see if these resonate with you.
     Lets picture it like a basketball court. At one end or baseline you have "Truth". At the other end you have "Error". At half court you have the line at which you cross from truth into error.

                                                                     TRUTH

                                                                     ERROR

       Now you might rightly say anytime you leave truth you are in error. I would agree with you in principle but the problem is in real life Christianity we are left with a lot of grey (the sign gifts - for today or ceased, predestination vs. free will, what Heaven is like, what Hell is like, home churches vs buildings, end times etc) which won't be answered until we get to Heaven, so in this world, we will define the whole backcourt as truth.
       I would label the baseline truth. This is "Old Time Religion" - the kind I grew up with 50 years ago and what my parents believed and their parents believed. This consists of 4 tenents regarding the Bible

   #1. The Bible is without error and written by God through men that were inspired by the Holy Spirit

   #2. The Bible is the complete all sufficient guide for life. It interprets itself and is relevant always.

   #3. The Bible is a reliable scientific and historical document

   #4. The Bible is God's word and is Holy. It is to be treasured and revered.

From what I have observed, here is the shift in the baseline

    #1. The Bible has some errors because it was written by men but God oversaw it to make sure the message is true.

      The buzz word here is story. You see it in books, in sermon series, etc. and the underlying message of this is "don't get bogged down with the minutia of the Bible. What is important and true is the story of redemption." I understand this and agree somewhat but I fear the underlying message of this is - not all the details of the Bible are error free but the underlying message is.

   #2. You must understand the culture and times of the books of the Bible, not to mention Greek and Hebrew to rightly interpret the Bible.

      In other words don't believe everything you read because what might have been true then may not be true today; or it says something different in Hebrew or Greek. Here is the problem with this - then the Bible truly is not open to the common man, and the common man is the one who Christ appealed to back then and appeals to now. What we are saying is that the educated man has a corner on knowing God. I've been on enough mission trips to know that this philosophy is coming from the tree of knowledge and is saying that you need outside sources to interpret the Bible. This is a very dangerous shift from the baseline. The buzz word here is cultural.

   #3. The Bible wasn't meant to speak authoritatively in areas of science and history and you must understand writing style.

      The buzz word here is poetry. In other words, if you understand the writing style (same objection as #2) you would see for example that the Genesis creation account was a poem and was never meant to be taken literally.

   #4. Worship God not the Bible

      OK, but why even say this unless you are apologizing for the Bible. Plus, God and His Word are pretty inseparable if you ask me.

     So what I see happening over the last 50 years is a shift in the baseline as seen in the diagram below. Let's say it has gone out beyond the arc out to the white line.
    

  Now I have to ask- why the shift?  I've come up with 3 basic answers but there may be more. Here are my three.

      1. Freedom to sin - This is a common one with youth. As soon as you hear a teen, who can't tell you if the Sermon on the Mount is in the Old or New Testament, pontificating about the cultural differences of then versus now - you know they are either planning on having sex or already have. "That part about not living together - that was the culture back then. What is a piece of paper anyway?"

      2. Wanting to fit in - This is especially big in academic cities or Blue states. Who wants to look like a fool, anyways. We all want to look smart, educated, contemporary - not a fundamentalist, Bible thumping Neandrathal. Unfortunately, Jesus warned us a number of times that we aren't going to fit in.

     3. To Win the Lost - This is a legitimate , to be commended, yet misguided reason. The thought is that if unbelievers are like metal shavings on the opposite end of the court, the closer we move the magnet to them (without going past half court) the more we are going to bring to our side.
        I got a glimpse of this kind of thinking on my flight home last week. I was sitting next to an elderly woman who goes back and forth to Japan and Australia as a missionary. She asked me what denomination I was in. I replied, "Southern Baptist." She then proceeded to tell me how Southern Baptists had hurt evangelistic efforts in her area because they had insisted a few years back that all Baptist missionaries sign a doctrinal belief statement, but in good conscience a number of missionaries could not sign the part about women not being allowed to be pastors so these people left the missionfield. Yet she said she works with a church that ordains homosexuals because "the bottom line is winning people to Christ. Right?"

        Is it?? Question- what is wrong with this stement; "The reason I exist is to win people to Christ". ?  Answer -  Going back to the beginning, take Adam and Eve (if you believe in them).. Did they exist to win people to Christ? How could they - there were no people! They, like us exist(ed) to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. (Eph. 1:12) Then, once we come into a relationship with God, we live to proclaim His praises. (1Peter 2:9) We can't "win people for Christ". Only the Holy Spirit can do that. We just carry His powerful presence into a lost world and proclaim His greatness and let God to the rest. When Paul came to Corinth he had no cleverly invented schemes, he just came with simple truth and God's power. When the Israelites left Egypt "many others (Ex.12:38) accompanied them." Did the Israelites become more like them to reach them? Far from it; the people saw God in their lives. When Jonah brought revival to Ninevah, did he soften the gospel or become like them? No! A fishy smelling, vitiligous, alopecious, foreigner who probably spoke a different language just said, "repent or you will perish." The power of God swept over them and they were saved. Did Paul change anything to reach the Phillipian jailor or did the disciples become socially acceptable on Pentecost? No; people thought they were nuts! In 1Cor 14:24,25 Paul says that when unbelievers come into your church, they will be won to Christ by the forth telling of the Word and the power of God seen in the believers' presence. We don't need to bring the theological line to them!
       But you might say, Paul says, "I've become all things to all men that the gospel may be preached." That is talking about watching NASCAR with an unsaved neighbor even though you hate it. That means going to a shooting range with an unsaved NRA neighbor even though you are a staunch gun-control advocate. That might mean going to Steak and Shake with a lost person even though you are a vegan. It doesn't mean if I teach them Hell isn't literal they might bite. It doesn't mean if I say the flood happened locally 4 billion years ago and man came from monkeys then faith might become palatable. That's not how people were saved in the Bible and that isn't how they are saved today.
        Not only that, but how far are you willing to go with the compromise? Eventually there is no way to get around that there is just one way to get to Heaven and that is Jesus and if you reject Him you aren't going. This is untolerable to the natural man. Even in Jesus day, John the Baptist was a tea totaller and purified himself from sinners and they said he was crazy. Jesus went to all the drunken parties to reach sinners and they said He was a lacivious carouser. No matter how far toward error you take truth, it won't be palatable to unbelievers until you cross midcourt.

       In conclusion let me make a few closing points.

     #1. Those who have shifted the baseline are still believers. Frankly they believe and have accepted the story which is necessary for salvation. Therefore embrace them, love them; let the world see the love we have despite theological differences and say "that is only possible through something supernatural."( John 13:35) That's why I didn't argue with the lady on the plane. The last thing people need to see is Christians fighting. I watched Terminator Salvation on the flight and was thinking that Christians fighting is like human beings fighting and killing each other while they needed everyone to fight against the machines. (OK, only sort of like that)

     #2. To those who have shifted the line- why??  You might say" this is the baseline and the Ol' time religion is in error". OK, examine your motives for why you believe as you do. If they are pure, ask, "How much more can I change without shifting into error? Can I deny the virgin birth? Can I deny the miracles? Can I deny the resurrection? Where do I cross the line?" You see, my fear is, if the line has shifted this far in 50 years, will it be across midline in another 50?

     #3. Teach the Ol' Time Religion to your kids. To those of you who are on the new baseline, is that what you taught your kids? Are they still following Christ? Really? Be honest. You see, if you teach your kids the conservative traditional view of the Bible, if they drift they will only drift to line 2. If you teach them line 2, when they drift they will drift to midcourt or beyond. It is like setting up guardrails well before the ravine. In dating, if you set your limits at holding hands, if you drift you kiss. Big deal. But if you set your line at petting and you drift.... well you get my drift.