Modeling

I love working in education.  Now don't get me wrong, there are days that I get frustrated with the woes of working in public education.  The pay is terrible, and the hours can be long.  Many times I have to take work home.  And there are always those students, that no matter what you do, just don't care.  However, each child that comes to me and says thank you, or comes back to visit after graduation just to visit me and ask for help outweighs all of the bad.

Now one of the best strategies that I have for teaching, and coaching, is modeling.  I try to model what I expect them to do.  If it is an assignment, I show them how to work out some examples.  If it is a concept, I give them a chance to create a real life example, or I make up one, to help them visualize.  When I coach, I get on the field and practice with them.  I show them exactly what I want them to do, and do it with them.  To me, this is the best way to learn.  Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a good lecture every once in a while.  But, the best way to learn is by experiencing it.

The same is true with Christianity.  The best way to share it, is to show it.

John 5:36
"But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me."

Here Christ was telling of His testimony, not by words that He had said, but by the works that He did.  That was the testimony of who He was.  As we strive to be more Christ-like, we have to model what we learn in the bible.  It is not just enough to quote scripture.  Anyone can do that, and learn it.  But it is the actual application of it to our daily lives that is the biggest witness to others.  Do they here us and see us live it?  There are a lot of people in this world that are playing church.  As Revelations 3 teaches us, they are lukewarm.  Neither cold nor hot.  They put on a good show to go to church, but do their actions away from church show the same life.  When we model the Christian faith, or live it outwardly, we show the world a true look at what Christianity really is.  And not what they see and hear from TV and some internet counterfeits.

So, the question today is, what are you modeling?  Because, what we model is what we truly believe in.

Thanks for reading, and I pray that God will bless you all!

We Three Kings?

I just love Christmas carols.  It is one of my favorite things to do this time of year.  I look forward to signing them at church, hearing them on the radio, and going Christmas caroling.  They really seem to lock in on the true meaning of this time of year.  We set aside time now to celebrate the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Now was Christ really born on December 25th?  Probably not.  For more on that, you can read my post entitled Traditions for my beliefs and scripture about that.  However, there is one Christmas carol that I never did understand.  And that carol is "We Three Kings".  We're there really three Kings?  What does the bible say?  That is what I would like to talk about in this post.

Matthew 2:1-12
"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way."

Now there is a lot of good information here in this text.  My first question is, how many were there?  Actually, we don't know.  It just says magi from the east.  We don't know if it was three, or three hundred.  It never really said.  All we know is that they brought three types of gifts.  Gold, which represents his Kingship, frankincense, which represents His royal Priesthood, and myrrh, which was symbolic of His death that would come on the cross for our sins.  And because of this we traditionally say that there were three of them.  But, we don't know for sure.

My next question is, were they kings?  That is not what the scripture says.  In the scripture above, it says that they were magi.  Now, historically, magi were known as wise men.  They were experts at astrology with there beginnings in Persia.  These were men, who spent their lives studying the stars and there movement to try to predict what was going to happen.  They were by no means kings.

My last question is, how did they know that the star in the sky was significant to the birth of Christ?  They were not Jews.  They were from Persia.  So how did they know?

Daniel 2:46-49
"Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense. The king answered Daniel and said, “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel made request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s court."

I just love how God can take a bad situation and turn it good.  Daniel was taken from his home when Judah fell to the Persians almost 600 years before the birth of Christ.  During that time, he was a part of interpreting many prophecies about the coming of Christ and the End Times.  And because of this, he was made the ruler of the "wise men".  WOW!  I am sure that he took the opportunity to share the prophecies with the wise men under his charge.  Including his 70 weeks prophecy, which talked of the coming of the King, and the Tribulation.  At the end of the 69th week, Christ would enter the gates of Jerusalem.

I know that at the time of the birth that it was getting close to the time of that entry into Jerusalem, and the magi, that at one time were under Daniel, must have been looking for a sign of the coming of the King, which was His star.

Numbers 24:17  
"I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall crush through the forehead of Moab,
And tear down all the sons of Sheth." 

So, were there really three kings?  No.  But, there story is still a true sign that He is our Lord.  And I will still sing the song for that reason alone.  I hope that you all enjoyed this little study.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless you all this Christmas season.  

The Truth About the Lordship of Christ

 It has been a while since I have had the privilege to read on a regular basis. But the time became available here recently. Now, I love reading any kind of book with a Christian undertone. And, lately I have been viewing quite a few video clips of the teaching and preaching of John MacArthur. I know my pastor references him quite a bit, so I decided to check out some of his books. This is the first book by MacArthur that I have read, and enjoyed it so much I read it in two days. Which I believe is a record for me. Anyway, here is a review of his book, The Truth About the Lordship of Christ.  

Synopsis 
This book explores the doctrine of the Lordship of Christ, and how we should respond to his holiness. It starts with a detailed view of the biblical proof of what Lordship is, and explains what is means that He is the Lord of the Universe and the Lord of Our lives. The rest of the book is a look at how we are to respond to His Lordship. It expounds on the necessity of submission to His authority, holy living, confession, restoration, and the ultimate destination of humankind. He ends the book with certain statements of faith that define what a true christian must believe. I really enjoyed reading this book. But, not only using it as an interesting topic to read about, but as a study tool. I love the fact that everything that the author talks about, he backs it up with scripture. And not just one verse, but many examples of how the bible explains these topics. I also likes the way that he also gives examples of the opposite lifestyle. He shows the differences in the lives of those who are truly saved, and those that are not. He makes the case for the bible and does it in a simple manner that anyone can understand. I think this would be a wonderful book for any Christian to read, to strengthen their knowledge of the bible, as well as any other book by this author. I will definitely continue reading his work myself.  

About the Author
Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, since 1969. His pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, audiotapes, and CDs by the author. He is the president of The Master's College and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical.

If you get a chance, I urge you to read this book.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless You all this week!

This book was provided me free from the publisher by BookSneeze.com blog book reviewers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Who is Jesus?

You have no idea how excited that I am that school will be out soon. It is the last week of exams, and graduation is on Monday next week. I do not believe that the students understand how we as teachers need the summer break just as much, if not more than they do. As I prepare for this summer, I am looking ahead to some good intensive bible study of my own. I figure, I will have all this free time, what better way to spend it than to dive into the Word of God. Not just to read, but to study, and break down scriptures to gain a better understanding of the will of God. Now, do I dive right in? No, not really. Just like I do on the soccer field with my athletes, I need a good warm up. As I wrote about last week in my post Unless You Believe, I was involved in a witnessing workshop with a dear brother Marty Minto. From what I learned, I am resolved to change the way I witness. But, in order to do that, I need to spend a great deal more time in the Word. I need to spend more time on the Gospel of Christ and His salvation.

The most important question to be asked is who is Jesus? I know, it seems a little weird to ask this question. You would think that most people have heard of Jesus. But, how do we know? Have we ever really asked that question to someone to see what their answer would be? I did here recently, and here are some of the responses that I got. 1. "He is the guy we learn about at church." 2. "He is the leader of Christianity." 3. "He is a good buddy of mine." 4. "He is the Son of God, Savior, Messiah." Do the first three answers surprise you? Do you think that they "really" know who Jesus is? So, who is He? Let's check the Bible.

Jesus asked the same question in the bible.

Matthew 16:13
"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”"

The following are a list of things people, at His time, thought He was.

1. A resurrected prophet. Matthew 16:14 - " And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”"

2. A carpenter's son with brothers and sisters. Matthew 13:54-56 - "He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”"

3. He was a lunatic. Mark 3:20-21 - "And He *came home, and the crowd *gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “ He has lost His senses.”"

4. He was a good man/liar. John 7:12 - "There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.”"

5. He was possessed. John 10:19-21 - "A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”"

But who is He really? He IS God!
Hebrews 1:8
"But of the Son He says,“ Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom."

John 1:1-3;14
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.....And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 5:17-18
"But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God."

John 8:23-24;58
"And He was saying to them, “ You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”.....Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”"

John 10:30-33
"I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”"

John 14:23
"Jesus answered and said to him, “ If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him."

And there is so much more! Some of this I learned from my brother Marty, and some on my own research on the subject. But as for the rest, it will have to wait until a later post. This is just the start of my studies. As I learn more, I will share more. It is my prayer that this will aid in your understanding of who Jesus is, and help you in your daily witness.

Thanks for reading, and God bless you all this week!

Journey of Life

I am forever amazed at all the things in life that I have experienced in my short 29 years on earth. Many experiences have been joyful, and some sorrowful. There have been instances in my life in which everything seemed easy. Likewise there have been times in my life that I did not know how I would get through. And there have even been times when I questioned God as to why He was not there. And then times when I realized that He never left my side. I come to realize that the life I have lived, and the remainder of what is in front of me is a journey that everyone has to follow to it's end. The choices that we make, affect what experiences come about, and ultimately what will happen in the end.

The biggest part of this Journey, has been my commitment to serve God above all else. I have submitted my life to follow Jesus Christ where ever that may lead. And one day I will be home. However, I am not home yet. This place that I reside here on earth is nothing more than a path on my journey. And everything that I go through is just there to show me who I truly am.

Hebrews 12:1-3
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Every bad thing that occurs in our lives is nothing more than a trial. A bump in the road so to speak. How we handle this trial, or twist, helps us to identify where we really stand in our faith. As the scripture above says, run the race with endurance. This means that there are going to be many things to deal with along the way. Just because one tragedy occurs does not mean that we should give up on life, and/or question God as we sometimes do. We need to continue to seek God in those times for strength and assurance. And by continuing to fix our eyes on Christ, we can finish strong. Not only that, but we are able to show others who we really are. Not by the things that we say, but how we continue to praise God in all of our circumstances.

Psalm 23:4
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;"

I count every trial that I have been through a blessing. That have shown me how strong, and sometimes weak, my faith is. They have taught me to rely on God more than I rely on myself and others. They have taught me to look to God for understanding of situations, and not just asking for help. Because everything that God does, He has a purpose for. And we need to realize that it helps us to grow.

Romans 5:3-5
"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

So how is your journey coming? Do you tend to see more mountains to get over, than valleys to ease through? If so, that's okay. Look for what God is trying to teach you and fix your eyes on Him. Because the journey we are on, is nothing compared to the joy and victory we receive at the end when we finally make it home.

Thanks for reading, and God bless you all!

Do Good People Go to Heaven?

During my life I have been blessed to know some very good people. I have grown to love them, and appreciate what they mean to me. Many of them have been instrumental in helping me be who I am today. So many good people have made a huge impact on my life. Yet, as I think of all of these people, were they saved or not? Some I don't even have a clue. But surely since they are really good people they are going to be alright, right? As much as it saddens me to say this, wrong? Being a good person does not ensure your entrance into heaven. The truth is, none of us are good enough to get into heaven. Now there are a lot of people out there that believe if they do the very best that they can, and do good to everyone that they should make it. But, has any of us truly ever done this all the time?

Matthew 22:36-39
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’


Have any of us ever truly kept this law all the time? The answer to that is no. None of us can. There is nothing we can do on our own that would make us worthy enough to go to heaven.

Romans 3:20
"because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin."

There are many people who try to justify themselves in all the things that thy do. "Well, I am a good person." "I have lived a very moral life." They give to charity, they work in civic organizations to help the community, they even attend church. But none of this is good enough. We all fall short everyday, no matter what we do.

Romans 3:10
"as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;"

We can do nothing on our own to please God who is our judge. None of the things we do on this earth mean anything to God. That is why Jesus came to earth. He was sent to die as the only sacrifice worthy enough to cover all of our sins. Jesus said,

Matthew 9:13
"But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”"

Isaiah 53:6
"All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."

Our Lord Jesus took our punishment on the cross so we could be declared righteous before God.

2 Corinthians 5:21
"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

The only way to be declared righteous, is acceptance of Jesus as our Savior. We must truly believe that He died on a cross for our sins, and rose again on the third day. And we must obey what He wants us to do. If we truly love Him, we will obey Him.

John 14:15
"“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

So, do good people go to heaven? Not unless we have been declared righteous through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. If we have not, then we will never reach heaven. If you have read this post, and do not know the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I pray that you would seek Him now. You can click the Plan of Salvation tab at the top of this page, and it will show you how much you need Him, and how Salvation works. If you have read this today and are saved, I pray that you use this to determine who those people are in your life that you care deeply about that are not saved, and reach out to them before it is too late.

Thanks for reading, and God Bless You all this week!