IQ #244 Know the Truth

JOHN 8:31-32   To the Jews who believed in him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

This morning I was helping teach our Senior High Sunday School class, and the topic was about finding a scripture that represented each person’s New Year’s resolution. Up until this morning I really hadn’t come up with a new resolution for this year, but I thought I would let the Bible give me one.

I turned to the book of JOHN, and as I was turning the pages, the words, “The Children of Abraham” in the middle of Chapter 8, caught my eye. As I read verses 31 and 32 I decided that those verses would be my new resolution. When asked to explain the passages I chose, I said:

“To fully understand the teachings of Jesus Christ is to understand how I must live. To live as a true disciple of Christ does not keep me free of hardships and persecutions, but gives me the strength to overcome these obstacles, and show the world the strength, power, love and grace of God.”

Usually, the resolutions I have chosen in the past have been on a more personal level that centered on making me a better person. But, as I continue to learn more about God and grow in my relationship with Jesus Christ I am reminded about a line I comically use in reference to Dr. Phil, “It ain’t about you!” For me to fulfill this resolution I must focus my efforts in being a true disciple of Christ, and for Christ, by teaching God’s word to the youth I work with, and walking that ‘talk’ with them, my family, the people I work with, play sports with and those with whom I am with in social functions. How I conduct myself around strangers is just as important, as it says in 1 CORINTHIANS 9:19 “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”

How can I be a true disciple of Jesus if I only went to church services, listened to sermons, sang a few songs and read the Bible? Jesus Christ, the son of God, physically committed his life to me and to you, freed us from our sins, and through his teachings showed us the way to live, and with that the promise of eternal life in God’s kingdom.

I have made plenty of mistakes and have felt the hardships of life, and persecutions. I may be broken, but they have NOT broken my spirit, because my faith in God gives me the strength to overcome, the patience to endure, the power to continue his work, the love of Christ to share, and the grace of God to pass on.

My resolution is to keep growing in my relationship with Christ, that fuels my faith in God, and to physically commit my life to help others learn about God’s son, Jesus Christ, his teachings, and to know the truth.

Papa John 9:24:15

IQ #243 Facing the Challenge

To all brothers and sisters in Christ, be in thanksgiving for all the Creator has provided to you, give all praise and glory forever to God the Father. 

Every day of your life you are challenged in holding your commitment to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Peers, family members, co-workers, non-Christians, and media of all types temp you in ways that can separate you from God’s Word. These temptations seem unnoticeable and meaningless at first but if they catch hold of you and become a part of which you are, the love of and for God will become more spiritual in nature rather than a total immersion of your heart, mind, soul and body.

Having only a spiritual acknowledgment of God separates you from Jesus Christ, who came in the flesh, so that God could be seen, heard, observed and touched. Those who were witness to His physical presence have given proof that God does exist so that you can believe in the Almighty Father in a spiritual AND physical way, and that your walk in life emulates Jesus Christ, confirming to others that you are totally committed and a true follower to God.

The apostle Paul gives this helpful advice to Timothy so that he remains solidly grounded in Christian service and to endure the difficult days and times to come:

2 Timothy 3:1-5

3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

Whenever you read or hear about the terrible/difficult times in the last days to come, it is in reference to the time between Christ’s ascension and His second coming.

In this current time and the culture you are living in, narcissism is quickly rising as the most dominant of those ‘sleeper’ pitfalls that has crept into our society and is causing a separation from God.  I am not referring to the secular world, but in the Christian church where the secular atmosphere has made it into the church and is incredibly obvious.

Bigger is better. Lighting, stages, bands, videos and other visual effects are a drawing card in today’s modern churches, especially with many young people. Personal agendas have taken root. Conversation has been growing more in social media than in person to person. The ‘Like’ comment and ‘Selfies’ have taken over how we build relationships and personal gratification. Personal commitments to activities outside the church have taken away the time for good and growing fellowship between its members (observe how many people come just in time and then leave as soon as the class or service has ended on a regular basis).

Fellowship in the church among the followers of Christ Jesus is a vital part of your relationship with God.

1 John 1:3-4

³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

Yet, overall fellowship is dwindling in the church. Why?

Why is God playing second fiddle when he should be the concert master?

Facing the challenge Paul warned Timothy about is not what the world was doing but that Timothy remain steadfast in his commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Have the world’s desires crept into your life, causing separation from Jesus and His true followers.

As you look in the mirror are you facing the challenge and see God being reflected in your life or are you seeing what the world is luring you toward?

Papa John 9:18:15

IQ #242 "Fellowship"

My dear friends, I write to you on this day to celebrate the joy of knowing Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior, the Righteous One, who gave his life, his unending love, and his atoning sacrifice for our sins so that we may have new life with God the Father and be in be in fellowship with him now and throughout eternity.

Fellowship with Jesus Christ, the untainted light, perfect Son of God is ours to embrace. He gives us the hope we crave for a joy filled life, peace in our hearts and a friendship beyond measure. Fan-tab-u-lous!

This fellowship we attain by accepting Jesus as our Lord is a fellowship we are to pursue and enjoy with other believers in Christ.

1 John 1:3

“What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

Spend time with each other, have fun, play games, share stories, share the highs and lows of life. Be there for each other, pray with and for each other. Be willing to make sacrifices for a fellow believer in need. If you are with a non-believer or in a group of non-believers, be strong in your convictions, be a beacon of light so they will know that the Holy Spirit is alive in you, and if the opportunity opens the door, share your story and the gospel, so that they too may choose to live in the light and have the hope of eternal life and be in fellowship with God.

Take fellowship seriously and give thanks to God for sending his son, Jesus who atoned for all our sins, so that we could have fellowship with God, and with all other believers in Christ Jesus.

Fellowship is an act of love. God is love. How awesome is that?

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.:      Romans 15:13

Papa John 9:11:15

IQ #241 "When God's Word becomes a Living Testament"

"Improve Time in time, while the Time doth last.
For all Time is no time, when the Time is past."

--From Richard Pigot's "Life of Man, symbolized by the Months of the Year", 1866.

Greetings friends and followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, rejoice in the knowledge that God is alive! Embrace with all your heart that God came to us in human form as Jesus Christ to redeem all who believe in him, through his crucifixion on the cross and then defeating death, to free us from the world’s curse and sinful nature, and by the grace of God, given salvation and the keys to enter his eternal kingdom. Celebrate with praise and worship to God for his almighty acts, and give thanks that his Holy Spirit resides in your soul to guide you in the path of righteousness for His names sake!

To be honest with you, I have been very tired this past week. Maybe it is from the lingering cold I’ve been treating or from the increased work load over the past several weeks, but I believe it is from experiencing God’s Word coming to life right in front of my eyes.

Last Sunday our high school and middle school students were looking at God’s Word on time usage and how we waste a lot of it with needless junk that disconnects us from our relationship with Jesus Christ, and disconnects us from developing a deeper fellowship with other believers. One of the key verses we looked at was:

Psalm 90:12

¹² Teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

No one knows the amount of time each one of us has left on this earth and I believe it is for good reason. If we did know our time of expiration we would most likely live our lives quite differently. God gives us the choice on how we live and many examples on those who chose wisely and those who did not.

By studying his Word and obeying his commands we gain the knowledge he wants us to have and through life experiences we also gain wisdom.

At the end of the service that followed our classes I got to talk with a young man who survived a horrifying car crash that claimed his car but spared his life. Was God giving him another chance to live a healthier life and reconnect with Jesus? My thoughts and heart says yes. Many prayers have been said over time for this young man.

Immediately following my conversation with the young man I checked my cell phone to see if my lovely wife left me a message about having lunch. I did have a message from her, but when I read the message my heart sank. All it said was, “J….. R….. died. Seizure!!!! This was a 26 year old young man I have known since his birth. His mother was part of the first youth groups I had worked with.

The very next day (Monday) I was talking to one of my venders and she told me her two teenage daughters were having a real hard time, because two sisters that they were very close with and their father were killed in an automobile accident over the weekend. I offered prayers and support in any way.

As my prayers for all these families were mounting I kept thinking of Psalm 90:12.

Here is God’s Word, laid out for me to take in, and then having it unfold in front of me in real life time. But, God wasn’t through with showing me His Word in real life.

Two days later during our youth program, the middle school students were in a discussion about the burdens we carry and how Jesus wants to free us from this heavy load we often carry around within our heart and mind.

Matthew 11:28-30

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

It was during an activity to get a physical understanding of the burdens we carry, one of the students was weighed down with a barbell and then weights were slowly added one by one. When she could not handle the increasing weight any longer, friends came to her rescue to relieve her of her heavy ‘burden’.

Galatians 6:2

² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

While each friend was carrying off an individual weight, one slipped out of the hands of a young girl and landed directly on her foot. With tears of pain rolling down her face, everything was put down and everyone came to her aid. Ice, comfort, compassion and prayers were administered. Sitting on the floor with her, applying the ice, calming her emotions and checking for any significant injury our discussion continued, but with a real live situation and not off the printed material.

Sometimes when we carry another’s burden it becomes our own weight and the friend’s pain becomes our own.  By giving all our burdens to Jesus Christ, even the ones we carry for each other, he “will give you rest”.

Confessing all your sins to God will free you from these burdens that can affect how you live. Confessing to a fellow believer or believers so that you can pray for each other is the other step to be taken. Let God take control of your burdens, so that you will live a joy filled life.

Just reading the Bible is only part of what God wants from you. God wants to cleanse you from this world’s sins, to become righteous and holy by his grace, gaining His knowledge and the wisdom he has revealed to all who believe in him, and to be a living testimony for all mankind. Praise God for his almighty acts!

I pray for all the hurting families I have encountered this past week and will continue to do all I can for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, If I am tired from it, so be it. Rest will come.

On any day, at any hour, or at any minute, can be the time; “When God’s Word becomes a living testament.”                       

Papa John 9:4:15