The Light Study #5

Psalm 89:15-18
Happy are the people who know how to praise you. Lord, let them live in the light of your presence. In your name they rejoice and continually praise your goodness. You are their glorious strength, and in your kindness you honor our king. Our king, our shield, belongs to the LORD, to the Holy One of Israel.

• There are ways you can praise God. There has to be knowledge in how to do it, as some KNOW how to praise the Lord. Those who know how to praise God life in the light.

Psalm 97:10-12
People who love the Lord hate evil. The Lord watches over those who follow him and frees them from the power of the wicked. Light shines on those who do right; joy belongs to those who are honest. Rejoice in the LORD, you who do right. Praise his holy name.

• If you love God then you hate evil. Light shines on those who do right. 

Psalm 119:105, 113-114, 117, 120
Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. I hate disloyal people, but I love your teachings. You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. Help me, and I will be saved. I will always respect your demands. I shake in fear of you; I respect your laws.

• The word is like a light for my path. The word lights the way.

Proverbs 6:20-23
My son, keep your father's commands, and don't forget your mother's teaching. Keep their words in mind forever as though you had them tied around your neck. They will guide you when you walk. They will guard you when you sleep. They will speak to you when you are awake. These commands are like a lamp; this teaching is like a light. And the correction that comes from them will help you have life.

• Do I look at God's commands like a light? The corrections that come from them give life direction and help me have life. Am I going aimlessly or do I have direction?

Isaiah 5:20-21
How terrible it will be for people who call good things bad and bad things good, who think darkness is light and light is darkness, who think sour is sweet and sweet is sour. How terrible it will be for people who think they are wise and believe they are clever.

• How terrible it will be for people who think that darkness is light and light is darkness.

The Light Study #4

Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

 The Lord is light and salvation. Goes back to Genesis 1 where it talks about in the beginning there was light. God is light. Question: Do I see God as my possession? Do I see him as my salvation?

Psalm 36:5, 9
Lord, your love reaches to the heavens, your loyalty to the skies. You are the giver of life. Your light lets us enjoy life.

 Having God's light allows me to enjoy life. Without the light, it is truly difficult to enjoy life on a deep level.

Psalm 43:3
Send me your light and truth to guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to where you live.

 God is the one who can send light. Light is also a guide.

Psalm 56:12-13
God, I must keep my promises to you. I will give you my offerings to thank you, because you have saved me from death. You have kept me from being defeated. So I will walk with God in light among the living.

 This passage shows thanks... but the key thing to take note is that I must keep my promises to God to walk in the light. God is the one that has kept me alive and from defeat.

The Need for Light

1 Peter 2:9-10
Out of darkness into the light.

Did you know that the US is only 4% of the world population?

7 BILLION sinners in this world. The world is a dark place. What can I do to change it?

I live in a dark world. People are hurting. Satan doesn't want me to see the world that way. He 'spins' it to look differently.

Galatians 1:6-9
No one can change the gospel. An angel can not change the gospel.

Matthew 5:14-16
We are called 'a light'. The light of the world. The world needs more light. Jesus changed twelve people to change the world. How do we get more light? Change people.

Matthew 9:35-38
---the solution is more workers.

Do I see the world as Jesus sees the world? Do I see people as harassed and helpless?

Luke 10:29-37
Action and compassion go hand and hand.

Am I indifferent to the needs of others? Do I pay attention to the needs of other people? A 2 year old is hit by a van. Twice. And people just walk by as if nothing has happened. A homeless man finally helps the injured child who later dies due to the injuries sustained.

Love my neighbor as myself. People have no hope. They are hopeless. My neighbor feels hopeless, harassed and helpless. Am I going to do something?

Acts 17:16-17, 22-23
Paul shared with people... who happened to be there.

Acts 19:8-10
Don't let obstinacy get in the way of sharing my faith. Texas needs more light. DFW needs more light.

The Light Study #3

Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

This Psalm is becoming... kind of like my inspiration right now. It gives me hope in my moment of darkness and trying to be restored to God.

The Light Study #2

2 Samuel 22:26-30
“To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.”

2 Samuel 23:2-4
“The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’

Job 12:22
[God] reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light.

Job 24:13-17
“There are those who rebel against the light, who do not know its ways or stay in its paths. When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up, kills the poor and needy, and in the night steals forth like a thief. The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed. In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light. For all of them, midnight is their morning; they make friends with the terrors of darkness.

Job 28:11
They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light.

Job 30:26
Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.

Psalm 19:7-8
The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The Light Study #1

Exodus 35:4-29
Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the LORD has commanded: From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

“All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded: the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; the ark with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain that shields it; the table with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; the lampstand that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle; the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin with its stand; the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

 Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD. Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the LORD, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.

Sodom and Gomorrah Video

He Hesitated

Genesis 19:16
When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

Mercy Study #4

I do this search when I study out mercy and I find it interesting to see that over and over again God shows mercy to the Israelite people.

Nehemiah 9:29-31

You warned them to return to your teachings, but they were proud and did not obey your commands. If someone obeys your laws, he will live, but they sinned against your laws. They were stubborn, unwilling, and disobedient. You were patient with them for many years and warned them by your Spirit through the prophets, but they did not pay attention. So you handed them over to other countries. But because your mercy is great, you did not kill them all or leave them. You are a kind and merciful God.

I love that it says that God is a kind and merciful God. 

I found this on Wikipedia and it is pretty good. It shows that mercy can be a work but is more about benevolence, forgiveness and kindness than anything else, at least when referring to Christianity. It is my belief that if you are forgiven of your sins, you would naturally want to help others out, either in a 'works' type basis (IE: serving someone or a group of people) or on a spiritual level (IE: praying for others, studying the bible with people, etc.). So if you receive mercy, the tendency would be to give mercy. If you don't receive mercy, the tendency would then to be more inward focused rather than outward focused.

Mercy Study #3

Matthew 5:1-10

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a hill and sat down. His followers came to him, and he began to teach them, saying: "They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. They are blessed who grieve, for God will comfort them. They are blessed who are humble, for the whole earth will be theirs. They are blessed who hunger and thirst after justice, for they will be satisfied. They are blessed who show mercy to others, for God will show mercy to them. They are blessed whose thoughts are pure, for they will see God. They are blessed who work for peace, for they will be called God's children. They are blessed who are persecuted for doing good, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them."

I couldn't help it. I had to check out Spiritual Poverty. I had assumed it would be just one word in the Greek, but it is actually two words. Click and have fun.

They are blessed who show mercy... the mercy there means mercy and can not mean anything else. It's just like saying dirt is dirt is dirt and can not be anything but dirt because it is... dirt. So mercy here means mercy which means mercy. This is the Greek word eleemon (pronounced el-eh-ay'-mone). 

Mercy means to be compassionate or to have kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power. To put it another way, you can either be merciful to someone or be cruel to them, as cruel is an antonym. 


Now... God will show mercy to them. The mercy used there has a slightly broader definition, but does mean 'to have compassion toward' and 'to give mercy to'. So if God shows kindness and compassion toward me, isn't that a good thing? And all I have to do is be kind and compassionate toward others.

Gotta Have Faith #2

Genesis 22:1 After these things God tested Abraham's faith. God tests a person's faith. Or does he? The King James Version says that God tempted Abraham, however, the Bible also says that God does not tempt a person, but only their sinful desires... Bible Tools says that test or prove may be a better choice of word than tempt. I personally don't think that God tempts, as the Devil is the one who is the tempter. God does, however, test.

Isaiah 7:7-9 

But I, the Lord God, say, " 'Their plan will not succeed; it will not happen, because Aram is led by the city of Damascus, and Damascus is led by its weak king, Rezin. Within sixty-five years Israel will no longer be a nation. Israel is led by the city of Samaria, and Samaria is led by its weak king, the son of Remaliah. If your faith is not strong, you will not have strength enough to last.' "

I think it is clear that faith and strength are directly related.

Matthew 14:29-31

Jesus said, "Come." And Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink. He shouted, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. Jesus said, "Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?"


Faith can be measured... I believe it is measured in strength. It can be tested and it can run out. Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it rests. This is not necessarily a bad definition, however, I feel it is lacking. In what, I am not sure, but it just feels incomplete. I think it put it simply, faith is belief in action.

Mercy Study #2

Exodus 25:10-22

"Use acacia wood and build an Ark forty-five inches long, twenty-seven inches wide, and twenty-seven inches high. Cover the Ark inside and out with pure gold, and put a gold strip all around it. Make four gold rings for the Ark and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. Then make poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the Ark, and use these poles to carry it. These poles must always stay in the rings of the Ark. Do not take them out. Then put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you. Then make a lid of pure gold for the Ark; this is the mercy seat. Make it forty-five inches long and twenty-seven inches wide. Then hammer gold to make two creatures with wings, and put one on each end of the lid. Attach one creature on one end of the lid and the other creature on the other end. Make them to be one piece with the lid at the ends. The creatures' wings should be spread upward, covering the lid, and the creatures are to face each other across the lid. Put this lid on top of the Ark, and put in the Ark the Agreement which I will make with you. I will meet with you there, above the lid between the two winged creatures on the Ark of the Agreement. There I will give you all my commands for the Israelites.

This doesn't have anything to do with mercy directly, but the mercy seat is the lid that went on top of the Ark. It was also called the place of atonement. I thought this was pretty cool, so I decided to add it to this study.

Atonement: satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends.

Exodus 33:18-20

Then Moses said, "Now, please show me your glory." The Lord answered, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will announce my name, the Lord, so you can hear it. I will show kindness to anyone to whom I want to show kindness, and I will show mercy to anyone to whom I want to show mercy. But you cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.

What is interesting is how mercy and love can be used in place of mercy. And it is true. God can show love to whomever he wishes. But can you think of what it would be like if God didn't show love? I think that love is available to whomever wishes to have it, you just have to invest in it. Mercy and love and kindness are always there for you, you just have to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Which brings me back to why am I having these quiet times anyway? Why am I doing this? I pray that I am drawing closer to God by doing so... Johnny OUT.

Mercy Study #1

What I read today:

Psalm 30

I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit.  Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: “What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help.” You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Psalm 28

To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts. Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back upon them what they deserve. Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD and what his hands have done, he will tear them down and never build them up again. Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy.  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.


As I studied deeper, I found that the NIV took a little liberties in their translation on Mercy on Psalm 28, although it appears to fit well in English... I think the best translation for Psalm 28 goes to the NCV. In fact, Psalm 30 in NCV is pretty solid, too. I think I will post in the future in the NCV, well, at least for now.

I then went to Bible Tools to study the meaning of chânan, which means to have mercy shown upon (evidently there is a particular context which can change the meaning of the word. I think it depends on the surrounding words, but I am a novice at best when it comes to this sort of stuff).

A Simple Message

Notes from service on 12/4/11

Jamie Parker did the communion service. He referenced a passage on 1 Timothy 1:12-17 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. And when he read this, I couldn't help but notice the mercy part. I was shown mercy. Do I live a life that reflects that I, Johnny Ray, have been shown mercy? Do I even feel that compassion has been shown to me? I mean, God has to have immense patience with me, simply because I am a jerk, for lack of a better word.

Anyway, I need to study out mercy Biblically. I feel I could glean a whole mess of stuff just by cracking open the Bible and seeing what it has to say about mercy.

Jason Lugo actually gave the message, not Jamie Parker. It was entitled 'A Simple Message' and gave focus to John the Baptist (or JTB, as I call him in my mind... probably should be left there, in my mind, I mean).

We first looked at Matthew 3:1-8 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."


JTB called people to repent. Everyone came and everyone got the same message... ----REPENT----

Jason went over the meaning of repentance or metanoia (see link above)...

We then looked at 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. and we looked at 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.


It is important to look ahead, but it is also important to not hesitate in going back. Looking ahead can keep us on track and going back can prevent larger mistakes. It is like studying for a test in college. You look ahead to the test and prepare for it. And when you are taking the test, it is wise to check your answers, to go back over the test (time willing, of course), to prevent mistakes. When walking with God, it is important to look ahead and not stay stagnant in your spiritual walk with God. It is also important that if you find yourself becoming stale with God, to go back to the beginning, to check your work and hit back to the basics to get fired up again.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


Acts 3:17-19 “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord...


Repentance brings times of refreshment from God.

Listen to God

Romans 10:14-17 (The Message)
But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That's why Scripture exclaims, "A sight to take your breath away! Grand processions of people telling all the good things of God!" But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: "Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?" The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ's Word is preached, there's nothing to listen to.

Gotta Have Faith - Study#1

Isaiah 7:9
If you don't take your stand in faith, you won't have a leg to stand on.

Hosea 4:1-3
Attention all Israelites! God's Message! God indicts the whole population: "No one is faithful. No one loves. No one knows the first thing about God. All this cussing and lying and killing, theft and loose sex, sheer anarchy, one murder after another! And because of all this, the very land itself weeps and everything in it is grief-stricken — animals in the fields and birds on the wing, even the fish in the sea are listless, lifeless."

Nehemiah 1:5-9
I said, "God, God-of-Heaven, the great and awesome God, loyal to his covenant and faithful to those who love him and obey his commands: Look at me, listen to me. Pay attention to this prayer of your servant that I'm praying day and night in intercession for your servants, the People of Israel, confessing the sins of the People of Israel. And I'm including myself, I and my ancestors, among those who have sinned against you.

"We've treated you like dirt: We haven't done what you told us, haven't followed your commands, and haven't respected the decisions you gave to Moses your servant. All the same, remember the warning you posted to your servant Moses: 'If you betray me, I'll scatter you to the four winds, but if you come back to me and do what I tell you, I'll gather up all these scattered peoples from wherever they ended up and put them back in the place I chose to mark with my Name.'

Salt of the Earth

What is my identity?

• Disciples
• Christians
• Priests
• Family of God

Matthew 5:13

1) Salt is a Preservative

(2000 years ago). Salt was very valuable. 

Sodom & Gomorrah

~2000 BC

It was a very wealthy city mostly because of the salt trade

Ezekiel 16:49 

This was before the 10 commandments, but God still held their actions against them. It was against their law to help the poor. You'd be burned at the stake for helping someone.

Genesis 18:20-33

God says that a little bit of righteous goes a long way with him. God will tolerate the unrighteous because of the righteous in their presence. The righteous preserve the unrighteous

Luke 13:18-21
Your presence makes a difference in the lives of those around you. God likes to use small groups to do big things.

2) Salt Makes Men Thirsty
II Corinthians 2:14-16
Some people will be drawn to your life; others will be repulsed.

The Church of God

Who is She?

"My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her" (Song of Solomon 6:9)

In the midst of the great apostasy of the last days, God has a true Bride. She is "called, chosen, and faithful." The Church of God is the worldwide, divine institution of believers committed to accepting the whole Bible rightly divided as their rule of faith, practice, government, and discipline, as the Holy Ghost has revealed it in the Scripture. Established by Christ in 28 A.D. and arising from the Dark Ages in 1903, The Church of God is committed to fulfilling the four-fold purpose of Her divine creation.

Information taken from: The Church of God

I was met by a couple of nice guys from the Church of God a couple of days ago. I mean, they were really nice guys. One was originally from Korea, while the other gentleman really didn't speak at all. I noticed several things. First they had this belief that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit really aren't a Trinity, although they will say that they do. They described it as one person doing carrying three different titles, ignoring that Jesus acknowledged both God and the Holy Spirit... and that God acknowledged his Son and so forth. They also introduce a new 'person' to the mix and that is the Mother. So, there is the heavenly Father, the heavenly Mother, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, however, God is at least the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit... and could be the heavenly Mother. Probably is, although the bride is referenced to being Jerusalem and the church, which we discussed, but it really did get as clear as mud as to the point they were trying to make. So, I look at this scripture as to why Jerusalem is important in the book of Revelation: Matthew 5:33-37 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Does this make Jerusalem a player alongside the Trinity? No! The Great King is from Jerusalem. Which great king? David? Solomon? Christ? You know, I don't know. I am not going to pretend to act like I know, but what I am sure is that the bride (which I know is the church, the body of Christ) is something that is not directly apart of the Trinity and really shouldn't be considered an equal, even though disciples are brothers with Christ, thus indicating a certain quality of equality (but that is for a WHOLE different discussion). I believe that the Jerusalem in Revelation is mentioned as now (or, as the Bible was written), Jerusalem was the center for the Jews, a religious center, everything in the Jewish world came from Jerusalem. And so in Revelation, a new Jerusalem means something like a new center for information, a new center of knowledge to learn and respond to instead of what the norm has been for them and their lives. Now I could be way off base, but it could also be in the context that they were in heaven, and the bride is the body of Christ, could it be that this new Jerusalem, this bride were the people who did the will of God and Christ on Earth? That, to me, makes the most sense.The bride isn't a 'person' or 'being' unless you are talking about the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, his church. And as far as the mother, the only mother in the Bible (well, actually, there are a whole bunch of mothers in there) is Mary, the mother of Christ. But there's also John the Baptist's mom, Samson's mom, etc. etc. etc.

Godly Sorrow Study #2

Today is October 13, 2011 and for what it is worth, I am really bummed about not sleeping. It’s just not healthy.

2 Corinthians 7:8-13a

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—  yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. By all this we are encouraged.

Earnestness means a serious intent, so if I was earnestly seeking ‘Godly Sorrow’, then you would be able to tell be how serious I was in trying to get Godly Sorrow. Here’s the thing, if I wanted to have Godly Sorrow in regards to something, I would have to have a serious intent, probably to the person I sinned against would make the most sense. If I took a casual or lazy attitude toward whomever I sinned against, that would make attaining Godly Sorrow extremely difficult.

In my restoration process, I lack the earnestness quality. I think having a serious state of mind is difficult, at least for my character and the health challenges that I face. I also think that if I commit myself, my state of mind to being earnest and serious, then I can be repentant and restored to God’s church.


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Godly Sorrow is:

1. Earnestness is having a serious intent toward something or someone. 
2. Eagerness
3. Indignation is a strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base; a righteous anger. Now, I thing of a righteous anger, well, really just any kind of anger, and knowing that this passage means I have to be angry, enraged at my sin. I would have to think that Godly Sorrow has to have some form of anger toward the sin, especially since the sin itself consists some sort of attraction to it or even a form of love towards the sin. To actually repent, the love has to change to anger (indignation) for it to work and stick.
4. Alarm
5. Longing
6. Concern
7. Readiness

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October 12th, 2011

Today is October 12^th, 2011. I felt the need to maybe explain how I feel on a daily basis, mainly to just put it on paper for my personal benefit. On a medical level, I am somewhat of head scratcher. First off, I have Bi-Polar Disorder, so I am depressed somewhat often along with a mania-style episode, where I can go sleepless for a substantial amount of time. What makes that a little worse is that there is some Psychosis that can come with the manic episodes, so there can be hallucinations, both visual and auditory. What that means is I can sometimes hear and see things when I am manic, or I could be depressed. And then there are the times in between these two where I am normal, which, thanks to modern medicine, is quite often.

I also suffer from Fibromyalgia, which is a type of chronic pain disorder. As I write this my wrists and forearms are in a good deal of pain. It is a burning pain, like the pain you get from carpet burn. My right leg hurts, too. The hip was replaced several years ago, and it has been sore ever since. The muscles in the leg are constantly aching, like after having a workout and you overdid it in a bad way. Both of my feet are terrible. I am not sure I can describe how bad they feel, but I will give it a shot anyway. My toes are typically stiff and hurt to bend them. The top of the foot, toward the outer side, feels like it has been cut with glass, like tiny little glass shards going into it, so it is like an acute burning sensation. That same sensation kind of flashes on and off all over my foot, but it is always a constant in that particular spot.

My lower back and neck are typically problem areas for me. My shoulders tend to burn and feel stiff on a normal day. They can get worse, but they maintain a lot of normal days, with tightness and bleeding pain on rare occasions. My neck feels like a knife has been jabbed into the base of my neck. I say knife, but really I would say that an ice pick would be more accurate. It is a fiery, piercing pain that tends to throb with its own heart. It sends out surges of pain, almost like a distress call for reinforcements.  My lower back is typically a tightness of dull pain, but can get pretty intense. The dull pain can be crippling at times, almost paralyzing as it can spread from the lower center of my back to my entire lower back, with noticeable tightness and pain at the spine. It is like my spine says no to movement.

When I try to go to bed, I have trouble sleeping, as then my elbows, particularly my left elbow, with awaken with its pain. My elbow just doesn’t like to be touching anything, it is like a ticked off nerve ending, not allowing me to have any comfort what-so-ever. Sleeping is also mission-impossible, as I have Sleep Apnea, a sleeping disorder where I stop breathing while I sleep. This makes things difficult, not the disorder, but the equipment used to treat the disorder. The CPAP machine, well the mask, is difficult to sleep with, as the mask has a hose connected to the machine and I tend to toss and turn while I sleep, so just imagine having an elephant nose while trying to sleep and you get a general idea of what I go through each night.

Speaking of treatment, the medication that I take each day has its own troubles. The combined side effects tend to make my body believe that it is 150 degrees constantly around me, and I’m not sure if that is Fahrenheit or Celsius. I sweat almost constantly for no apparent reason what-so-ever.

With this all said, I do have to say that I feel blessed. I still have two arms and two legs. I have ten fingers and ten toes. I can still walk and talk. I have two wonderful children, a beautiful wife, and a very supportive family around me. I may hurt all the time and I may not be able to sleep as well as I would like, but the point is that someone out there does have it worse than me. In fact, there are a lot of people who don’t have it as good as I do, that would love to be in my situation.

Philippians 4:11-13 says to be content with whatever situation you are in. The key is to be content with the situation that God has given me, to be grateful for what I do have and not constantly wondering who has the greenest grass around town. I have a lot to be grateful for in my current situation.