International Day

Called & Accountable – Unit 1

Wednesday, August 22^nd, 2007

Called & Accountable – Unit 1

Why Does God Call Us?

John 14:15-17

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 16:12-15

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

1^st Corinthians 2:6-16

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

God reveals things through his Spirit. The Spirit is a Godly guide and provides direction for me, should I choose it. If I don’t have the Spirit, the direction God provides seems foolish, and could even make my angry and upset if someone challenges me spiritually.

Ezekiel 33:1-20

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’”

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.”

“Son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’”

“Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wicked man will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.’ If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done. And if I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but he then turns away from his sin and does what is just and right- if he gives back what he took in pledge for a loan, returns what he has stolen, follows the decrees that give life, and does no evil, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be remembered against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live.”

“Yet your countrymen say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and does evil, he will die for it. And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live by doing so. Yet, O house of Israel, you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his own ways.”

What message has God entrusted to me for the benefit of the body of Christ?

Sin causes a man to die. God does not delight in wickedness, but what is just and right. How a person lives, whether in sin or in righteousness, will be reflected by what that person does and how they respond to warnings and corrections.

Luke 1:35-38

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

Nothing is impossible with God. Mary’s response to the angel was: I am the Lord’s SLAVE. This translation says servant, but the word actually is slave. That is such a “taboo” word in this country. It’s a horrible word to many, and in today’s time, no one wants to consider them self a slave.

2^nd Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

Mary was strengthened because she was fully committed.

Will my name be added to the list of the faithful found in Hebrews 11:39-40?

Hebrews 11:39-40

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

I guess the question should be “Will I be commended for my faith?” I am starting to think so more each day. I am taking radical steps in various areas of my life. Prayfully, the effort will pay off spiritually. Prayfully. Johnny Out.

"Pure in Heart" - Post #1

Monday, August 20^th, 2007 to Tuesday, August 21^st, 2007

“Pure in Heart”

Sexual Integrity

Matthew 5:1-12

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

“Blessed” has the root of happy. It comes from the island Cyprus where it was so rich, it provided everything to make “perfect happiness” (blessed). To have life to the full, get to know these QUALITIES.

• Why
• Principles
• Learn More
• Vision

I was created for relationships.

Genesis 2:8-9, 15-25

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Man’s gift to God is purity - single focus. God ALONE is enough to meet my needs. That is purity and that is focus.

Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

John 4:34

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

Sin shows that God is not enough, not good enough, for me. So, is God enough, or do I need something else?

Eve was it for Adam. God did not make Eve and Yvette! Unity is between a husband and wife. It is an unselfish act and a loving act. Missing the target is sin.

Why Struggle: (Why do I struggle?)

• Trained and conditioned (objectifying)

I need to train to be righteous

• No training in intimacy

I was never trained in how to deal with emotions, so I search for comfort in unrighteous ways. I then resort to “false intimacy” or in general “anything”. False intimacy never lasts.

The “BIG” Myth: women want impulsive sex (from me). Are struggles due to “Biology”? When the brain experiences a good feeling, the brain will want more pleasure. EX: a rat pushes a button that causes pleasure in its brain and continues till it falls over exhausted. Frontal Cortex “disappears” on brain waves and person becomes unable to make decisions. This is what causes an addictive personality.

The Cycle:

• Emotional Pain
• Disconnection
• Searching Mode
• Acting Out Mode
• Regret Mode/Progression/Out of Control and Out of Body Experience

Other Factors:

• Deception (stretching the truth, lying, leaving something out when confessing)
• Compartmentalized (meaning to say “I’m OK in all these areas but just this one, so I’m good.”)
• Entitlement (I deserve it because…)
• Superficial vs. Intimacy

There is more to come with this. On a good note, I have a job in the bag, my first job since Mackenzie was 6 months old or so. Of course, it is having me work at 2:30 in the morning. Yowzah! Oh well, it is just a couple of hours long, so prayfully things will go well. I guess it calls for plenty of COFFEE and caffeine. Johnny Out.

Liar, Liar – Edition #2 - I Lied in Wait

Sunday, August 19^th, 2007

Liar, Liar – Edition #2

Genesis 18:10-15

Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

The thing that caught my eye is that Sarah was afraid. Emotions and feelings are the cause that makes people say and do things that is contrary to the Bible. In CR, there are the basics of “hungry, angry, lonely, tired, and embarrassed.” Seriously, these are the basics. But, there are plenty more emotions, such as:

• Gratitude
• Fear
• Joy
• Jealousy
• Modesty
• Pain
• Schadenfreude (pleasure from someone else’s misfortune)
• Nervousness
• Remorse
• Euphoria
• Limerence (emotional infatuation or lust)

There are others but this is an abbreviated list. These emotions can cause me to sin. And, to be honest, I do at times due to them. I’m not perfect in this regard, and maybe I am the only one who hasn’t mastered control over my emotions, but I am getting better. This was a great weekend, with a ton of learning. I start school tomorrow. And my school schedule it COMPLETELY awesome. It’s the best schedule that I have had to my recollection. In the NIV (which is the scripture above), the word “lied” is used six times. That is one up above. Here is another:

Joshua 7:1, 3-5, 10-12, 24-26

But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.

When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there.” So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.”

Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.”

Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Now, something that I took away (one of the things) from this weekend was that “Is GOD enough, or do I need something else?” Do I need something other than God? Achan did. He tried to serve two gods, the god of Greed and the Holy God. But as I know, you can only serve one master. Achan expressed emotions of fear and jealousy. Jealousy played the part in taking the items and fear played the part in hiding of the items. And the reason I used the parts of the story (not the whole story) is to show that Achan’s sin affected not only him, but it caused the death of his family and thirty-six others in the battle. How does my sin affect others? What emotions do I exhibit that cause me to sin? What emotions do I struggle with more than others? All good questions. I am in search of answers to these and other questions. Johnny Out.

Liar, Liar

Saturday, August 18, 2007

It’s nice to have DSL back up. It feels like FOREVER since I was really back online and reading the Bible like this. What is an extra special pleasure is what has happened last night and this afternoon. I attended the “Pure in Heart” meetings with Dave from Chicago. I’ll be looking more into that and studying deeper in the next several days (at the absolute least). What I want to look at right now is lying. It’s just something that has been on my heart of late.

Liar, Liar – Edition #1

Deuteronomy 19:15-21

One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

This is the “Old Law”… and this is “New Law”.

Matthew 5:38-42

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Now, I have tried this thing. It’s not easy, but what I like about both the Old and New Testament versions is that in the Old, the dynamic of what to do with sin. If someone finds another person in sin, it was dealt with in a TOUGH manor. They had the attitude of purging the sin or the “evil” amongst them. Did it work? Well, not quite what God had in mind, but at least at first, it did. Then people started going easy, making excuses, and became to accept the sin in their lives and in others. It’s not really all that different in today’s society. In fact, I think today is just the same as yesterday in regards to sin, but with more opportunity to create better excuses. That is what technology does for today. The internet is full of opportunity and excuses. It is also full of opportunity to do the right thing, but seriously, it doesn’t get used for the righteous things nearly as much as it should. I mean, how many pornography websites are created in one day? I couldn’t quickly find out what the “per diem” was, but there are more than 300,000 websites (according to nationalcoalition.org) as this moment.

More on this tomorrow... Johnny Out.