New Orleans Mission Trip

Reflect Bible Study:John 2:1-12

As we study through John the book seems to become more and more precious as the Spirit shows us more of Jesus. 

After Jesus is filled with the spirit and begins his ministry by picking his first disciples we see Jesus perform his first miracle. Turning water into wine which at first glance seems to be a small miracle in comparison but as we discovered is and was incredibly important and symbolic. 

This small miracle performed only for a few servents gives us a clear picture of Jesus intentions and purposes were. 

Jesus in turning water into wine is making a Comparison of Himself  to Moses. Moses first plague was similiar but much different in turning water of the nile into blood. 

Moses/Lawgiver

Jesus/Grace Giver

River/into Blood

Water/wine 

Law/Always bloodies things up

Grace/Always brings Joy

Understanding the Heart of Legalism is important because it is how the world defines the church. We must understand what it is to live in Grace and to share it with the world. 

Reflect Bible Study:John 1:35-51

This past week at reflect Bible study we studied Jesus as He began to pick people for ministry. 

He had just been empowered for Ministry by the spirit and began with choosing his first converts. 

1. John 2.Andrew 3. Simon 4. Nathanael 5. Phillip 

The Question we asked ourselves was "why these men?". 

1. John "son of thunder" a seemingly angry person

2. Simon "shifting sand" Faith was constantly challenged

3. Andrew "brother of Simon" Andrew is not even a strong enough personality to be mentioned outside the context of his brother in the entire scope of the Bible. 

The answer can be found in Mathew 13:44-46 were we see the Saved as described as a pearl of Great price the God would sell all He had for. 

You see God gets determine your value not man, and we were bought with a High price and paid in full. The father sold all He had, you and I were bought with the blood of His son. 

We are a Pearl of Great Price to the Lord. 

Reflect Bible Study:John 1:29-34

The baptism of Jesus is a unique picture that shows us the Humanity of God and is a perfect module of what we can hope for. 

Leviticus 8 describes a priests threefold anointing. 

1. Water baptism

2. Oil anointing

3. Blood anointing

Jesus fulfills two of these in this chapter. 

First Water baptism which was an example for us because Jesus knew no sin. Second in a sense an oil anointing which is a picture of the Spirit for us. As Jesus is being baptized the Spirit falls on Jesus and stays on him. 

Jesus shows us what it is to live a life in the Spirit, and that Jesus in the flesh needed to be filled with the Spirit as do we. Immediately afterwords Jesus begins his public ministry. In this we can also understand that one of the works of the Spirit is for the empowerment of ministry. Acts 1:1-8 confirms that Jesus Spirit filled life and the Power He received, as well as Jesus being the first fruits of the Baptism of the Spirit. 

If we are not experiencing Christ exalting Power in ministry, as in lives being changed, and people being saved. Then we should turn to Lord in repentance and ask to be filled and baptized in the Spirit. 

Reflect Bible Study:John 1:19-28

The testimony of John the Baptist was this, "I am not Jesus". 

John the Baptist gives us a unique picture of what it was to be a "voice". It is an especially important passage for the evangelist to which we all are called in a time when there are so many voices out there. 

John witnessed in the "I am not"

1. I am not your King

2. I am not your Healer 

3. I am not your Judge

 

In approaching witnessing from the perspective of John the baptist we are able to Elevate  Christ and move ourselves out of the picture. 

This is a brief introduction to How we are begining to get vision 

for the CSU college ministry 

Birthday of Tragedy

Its my Birthday tommorrow and I get a little nervous around this date because of the mass amount trajedy's on or around my birthday. 

April 19th 

-Start of the revolutionary war with the "shot heard around the world" 

-the ship the Iowa blowing up and killing 47 soldiers

-the Waco fire when David Koresh and his followers killed themselves 

-the Oklahoma City Bombings

-Getting mentioned the movie 23 as a tragic date, cursed the movie

April 20th

-Prophet Muhammads Birthday

-Hitlers Birthday

-Columbine

This Year Passover on the Jewish Calender starts on April 19th sundown 

is this all coinciedence who knows? 

Peace with you all tommorrow. 

Safety in Steeples

Rebecca and I went up on the top of one of Charleston's many parking garages to take some pictures. I had forgotten how many steeples there were, there must have been at least 20 to 30. There looming presence over Charleston reminded me of an old Charleston folklore that gave an explanation to all the steeples in Charleston. It was believed that if you were in view of a steeple that God could see you. In other words there was safety in steeples because people were afraid to commit crimes in view of God. Obviously a poor doctrine and representation of God to hold but it does give us a good figurative picture of a characteristic of church and makes us ask the question. 

Do these steeples still offer safety?

Ps 5:11 

But let all who take refuge in you be glad, let them ever sing for joy; And may you shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.

Ps 7:1 O LORD my God, In You I have taken refuge; save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,

Gem

Jude 1:24-25

I rediscovered a Gem of a verse the other evening that does my soul well. In the most solitary book in the new testament Jude  "now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our saviour through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority before all time and now and forever Amen". Now the mere fact that we will be able to be in the presence of God is awe inspiring. But the fact that we will be able to stand before the Lord, without stumbling, blameless, and with Great Joy is unimaginable. That these guilty hands will be seen as holy hands. That my treacherous heart will be seen as a pure righteous heart. That the sinful life I have lived is marked and looked upon in honor.

All thanks and honor, glory and power going to Jesus and Jesus alone. Abiding in Him and Him abiding in me. Seeking refuge in Him clothed in His righteousness we are made well with God and far beyond that.

Finding Purpose in People

Genesis 1:27,28 

The other night I had the blessing of talking to the teenagers in wednesday night meeting. I really felt as if the Holy Spirit was impressing upon my heart to speak on purpose. I can see them struggling with definition, placement, and guidance. I found the Lord laying upon my heart to teach "Original Purpose". Maybe one of the most simple effective passages in searching the scriptures for purpose. Looking at beginings may allow for us to move to restoration and redeemtion in the current. My prayer was that they would understand purpose in being made in God's Image and being mandated to "Bear fruit and multiply" and to "subdue the earth". 

Being made in God's Image what an amazing and humbling aspect of creation. God actually allowed us the ability to carry the reflection of God into the earth. The word image is something that means a resemblence to, but also the word means something in the nature of an idol. An idol in its basic form is not something that receives worship but ascribes worship to. A person is not worship a buddha idol they are saying this idol is the essence of buddha it reflects what I do worship. Except we are no doll we were/can be  living breathing active reflections of God. What a meaningful original purpose given to us!!

But it is not left at just that we were made to "Bear fruit and multiply" as well as "Subdue the Earth". At first glance those mandates seem fairly simplistic but they go much thicker and richer than we could ever grasp. Bearing fruit first and formost is mandate to discover a God Glorifying family but it goes thicker than that. In the Image of God we are called to Bear Fruit, which means in simple terms we are reproducing the Image of God over and over and over. Reflecting the Glory of God to all places. Second Subduing the earth in the Image of God leads us to place of harnessing all the earth has to offer to Glorifying God. It allows us to find freedom to do our Jobs to live life and all it has to offer in a God Glorifying type of way. 

I simply wanted to teenagers to understand how Original purpose is still relevent today in the redeemption of Jesus. That they could find purpose in the people around them coming to know the Lord bearing the Image of God (bearing fruit and multiplying). Also that in the giving of the Holy Spirit they could find purpose in every facet of life. Surfing, school, eating, work, fellowship, and so on do it to the Glory of God. So eat your Cheerios to the Glory of God. 

God Bless