Justified or Incarcerated

"So Agrippa said to Paul, 'You have permission to speak for yourself.' Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:  'I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews,  especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. 'My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews.  They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!  Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? '...

http://thespinalconnection.com/wp-content/ uploads/2012/05/kid-computer.jpg The context of socialization is changing.  People used to get together and socialize, today, people have smartphone and electronic devices for social life, that is suitable for most.  The trend is leaving from real face to face communicate to a face, screen, face communication.  Today, more and more teenagers, kids learn the use of technology–and they love it.  If the gospel used to be heard on the street because that's where the people were, today, the gospel needs to be heard on social forms, that is where the people are now. The question is, how we, as Christians, share the gospel using internet?

I've asked Guillermo Powell's of his notes, who was performing Ivan's and Tania wedding August 11, 2013.   I was encouraged by a wise council that came from his experience and God's word.  Here's his script:   " Charge to the Bride and Groom You both have travelled through this road called LIFE to find each other. In fact, in your case the road for Ivan started in Santa Fe, Argentina and took you through New York state, and Texas; and for Tania it started in DEEDICHI, Ukraine, to meet, in all places, in Bellingham, WA. Each comes with family backgrounds that are unique, different cultures, different personalities and experiences which have made you who you are today – and you obviously like each other! This road does not stop here; on the contrary, it becomes much more exciting now, it is wider and deeper, fuller and robust… because now you will walk it TOGETHER. It has been this way from the beginning of times. - God made the sexes to be mutually comp...

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Part of God's grace in our Life. . .  

"The main problem for those young people was that their parents' churches were indeed pathologically shallow and worldly.  The students had grown up being entertained far more than they were spiritually fed.  When they began to move out of the youth group into the adult world, they were turned off by churches that simply could not keep up with changing styles.  In reality, even the trendiest seeker-sensitive churches were still wedded to the tastes and convictions of a modern, not a postmodern, generation."   This is the quote from the book "Ashamed of the Gospel" written by John MacArthur.  As I got involved in church ministry, I have noticed a big difference between my generation and my parents generation christianity.  I've asked my self constantly, what contributed a none passionate Christian culture?  In other words, why Christianity slowly sliding into a dry religion.  The word "God" or "Christ" mostly mentioned only in Sunday ch...

On the day of Christ crucifixion, disciples were emotionally down, discouraged on what happened to their teacher—he was killed.  So much hope they had in their hearts towards God's kingdom being revealed to the humanity, was gone now.  At that day, it was not only a spiritual battle for Christ, it was a spiritual battle for his followers.  This happened because God had a plan.  It was a disaster, looking at  Christ on the cross.  He was humiliated before the crowed.  Isaiah says, "one from whom men hid their face... Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers" (53:3-7).  This was before the disciples eyes.  Peter, sneaked to the area where Jesus was tortured, became fearful.  Looking at how Jesus was torture, he denied any association with Jesus – this was not a pleasant moment in disciples life.  I just wonder what was the impression of those faces that evening.  What was the...

"'Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.' When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, 'Say to the people of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.' Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward." (Exodus 33:3-6) First, God knows the people heart; therefore, He knows if he goes with Israel, he will destroy them with in a single moment.  The problem was in their hearts.  The word that God used to describe these people is "stiff-neck." We all known what happens if the person has a stiff neck, he can't turn his head right to left, the neck is stiff.  That's how God describe...

"All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" 3But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" (Exodus 17:1-3) All of us face disappointments, they very and different from each other.  Do to the context of our lives, for example if the person is single, married, divorce, in jail, work as a police officer will experience disappointments in one area or another.  But what all disappointments have in common is the reaction of the person.  Ether the person submits to the situation and goes on thankful...

http://wallpaperscristaos.com.br/christianwallpapers/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/faith-God-wallpaper_1920x1200.jpg Previously we answered the question that  defines faith .  We said faith is a positive response towards truths which we humans can't see.  Right away we can say, hold on, how do we know what to believe?  Someone down the street can come up and speak things that would not be rational and you want to say this is true?  But even if it was rational, does it still make it true thats the question.  It all depends on the object of faith. Today, we have around 730 religions that are established which broken down to 3200 different sects according to  wiki  answers all describing the object of faith.  It is even possible for a person to read scrolls that spoke of God and still believe in a false god.  Jesus speaks to people who were masters of the Old Testament, but still fell short in seeing the real truth....

Most of Americans where shocked seeing the tragedy of Connecticut shooting.  20 children among 26 victims were pronounced dead at the scene.  It grieves me just writing about this.  Today, four firefighters responded to a fire outside Rochester, NY.  At the scene all four were shot by a gunman, only two were pronounced dead.  Also today, in Houston, a police officer was killed by just doing his job.  Men who serve the people by people are being targeted.  There was another man who came to serve two thousand years ago, but by his own people was murdered.  His name is Jesus Christ.  "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." (John 1:11).  It looks like people have hard time receiving help when they really need it. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/police-officer-fatally-shot-houston-18057335#.UNjJWqWiwiU http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/firefighter-shot-at-scene-of-blaze-in-western-ny-2-homes-burn...

http://wallpaperscristaos.com.br/christianwallpapers/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/faith-God-wallpaper_1920x1200.jpg “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen"—Heb 11:1 Friend of mine recently asked me what I knew about faith.  Right away I made an attempt explaining him faith since I’ve been a Christian for few years now.  After a long discussion, we both decided to study faith and get back to this topic.  Faith is a word often heard in churches; when reading the Bible, just in New Testament we find 243 verses that mention the word faith.  When I began reading all these verses and thinking about them, I understood that I had little knowledge of faith.  Faith is a general and practical topic in Christianity, but I knew little about it.  So the question I want to ask is this: what is faith? Studying the scripture, the best description we find is in Hebrews chapter eleven verse one: “Now faith i...

Today me and my wife (Ira) are celebrating our first year marriage anniversary.  What a year! God has been so gracious towards two of us in brining us together in this world.  So I decided to share what I faced being a husband during my first year of marriage.     Before I continue writing my experience, I want to say that I am not a perfect husband (it's hard to know this unless you are my wife), but everyday I find my self in need of God's grace to be that husband.  I rely not on my ability to reason and lead, but I rely on the scripture and it's ability to lead me where God want's me to be.  In the humblest way, there are great man who love God and their wives, and I am honored to learn from them towards how to be a godly husband.   In my fist year being a husband, I found myself being challenged in three areas: I was a man who needed to understand my wife, know where to lead our family, and show genuine care towards her.  I tell ever...

Trusting in God's Sovereignty – Grace Bible Church You can get more sermons here:   http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Audio-and-Multimedia/Speakers-Lectures-and-Sermons/Jerry-Bridges/

Four reasons why I think the men's hiking was a blessing to our church.  Since God calls men to lead, the men's hike contribute towards the biblical understanding in who is a man. Here's my reasons: Leader who trusts God One of the events that we had at this men's hike was to look at the life of Joseph.  We observed how Joseph was sold to slavery by his brothers, how he was slandered by Potiphar's wife.  But through his life, even the circumstances that were unpleasant and hurtful, he remained trusting and fearing God.  Joseph, looked at the evilness of his brothers and saw the good in it.  "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Genesis 50:20).  For the man to lead, he needs to put his trust in God and live the life to the fullest no matter how others treat him, no matter how different are the circumstances—a thought that was in my m...