How Should the "Good News" Be Given?

This is what I sharred this pastt Friday at Group...I'll probably add a little more to since this is a huge topic and needs lots of discussion to make lasting convictions. As I said in the meeting your personal conviction of this area could change the entire world...

1 Peter 3:15-17
15.
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence ;
16.
and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
17.
For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

Well...what is our motivation for giving the Gospel to others? Are we always sure that it is with the best intentions or do we have other motives for telling people a message of love? One thing is for sure though if we needed help form God to achieve salvation then we are most probably(I've been hangin around JJ a lot) are going to need his help in telling other people about it.
As men our hearts can be deceiving, Jeremiah 17:9-"The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick ; Who can understand it?" , we can not give the Gospel if our hearts are sick can we...we need God to work in our hearts to give the Gospel in the right way.
So as the verse in 1 Peter says we must sanctify Christ in our hearts. To sanctify means to set something apart and make it holy for sacred purposes. This is a process not a quick fix, this is a devotion to but Him first in your heart as soon as you get out of bed in the morning. True and meaningful grow takes time and effort, and it also might be painful for a time. This process is Jesus sanctifying our hearts so that in turn we can set him apart in our lives, without him cleansing you from the inside-out you cannot give the Gospel as he intended it.

On a side note, if you have not made a decision for Jesus Christ to be the Savior of your life then I beg you do so now. This will not really make sense if you don't and more importantly you need God's unmeasurable love in your life. If you pray to accept that Jesus paid for your sins and ask him to come into your heart then that will happen. This only takes less than a minute and the choice is yours....

Compare 1 peter with...Col 4:5-6
5.Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders , making the most of the opportunity.
you should6.Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how respond to each person.
...a big problem today in Christian culture is integrity. We say one thing and do another, which makes it hard for people to believe what we say is true. Before we go any further, remember that our God is one of grace and mercy...whatever you have done He forgives not matter what if you come to Him. Do not let the enemy confuse you, if you have believed in JC then you are His "adopted child" and have received His Spirit, he cannot reject Himself can he? (Eph1)
This is paraphrased from Ravi Zacharias-"If I were to take your clothes and rob a store would that be fair? When the police show up and see me in our clothes then go to your house and arrest you is that fair? We say someone wearing your clothes robbing the store and no one else they would say....we wear the cloak of Christ be careful how you live."
To my knowledge no one alive has physically seen Jesus so, when people want a tangible example of someone who is supposed to know him they look to Christians. We are the only example they have, if we don't have good integrity then we are lying to people about Jesus.
When giving the Gospel this issue comes up in being judgmental and angry towards people. On campus we have a group of people who use microphones to preach a message of hate to the campus. This is not the way Jesus wants his love to be told, and on the flip side "I don't need to tell people about God, I live my life as an example so they know I' a Christian," when you get down to it that is like the biggest cope out I've ever heard.
We are supposed to glorify God with our lives and our words. How does God feel when we don't and try to make ourselves look like something we're not?....
Numbers 20:7-13
7.
and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
The Water of Meribah
8.
"Take the rod ; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink."
9.
So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him;
10.
and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels ; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock ?"
11.
abundantlyThen Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod ; and water came forth, and the congregation and their beasts drank.
12.
in the sightBut the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
13.
Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the LORD, and He proved Himself holy among them.

0.

Because Moses tried to make it look like it was him who brought the water he was not allowed to go to the promised land. In what ways are you doing this in your life now?

I will post the rest later

An Old Man and His Smokes, The New Man and His Heart

Man...I have not blogged in a while...here is the latest on what God has been teaching me. And this past week I bought New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell, and I am very excited to post in the future on what I will learn.

At one of our last meetings it was Pablo, Josiah, and me at a Starbucks in Canton right after our activity at a nursing home. It was just the three of us for the meeting and a couple new people came for the first time too.

First, watch the video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLY7yI1xV-M

We read the entire Chapter of Romans 8, and talked about the Holy Spirit.

First, the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is the same one that lives inside us. We have the power to overcome the world at our fingertips everyday. The problem however is that these tents we live in are in the way of God's will and his love. Our sinful nature or default modes as Mandy says are hostile towards God. Paul said that the mindset of the flesh is death because nothing it produces can please God and lead to spiritual death. However we are in the Spirit...which means our minds are supposed to be on peace and life, this is what it means to bring every thought captive to the throne...that we humble ourselves and check our attitude to see if it falls in line with Jesus.

The Bible says that our flesh could be compared to an old man who is depraved and has sin written in his heart. Imagine a ragged old beggar who keeps bothering you just so you can buy him some smokes or a drink. This man can look as far as his next high, drink, etc. That is who we were before we came to Christ and accepted his love, however, that does not get rid of the old man inside or his addictions. When we are reborn then a new man is created to the glory of God and he is what will be raised up on the last day. I am not going to even attempt to describe the image of this man because it would be an injustice to the workmanship of God. This is the heart of peace and life that the Father has given us, its desire is to bring a sword to evil in the world and to bring light to the rest of the lost. This man is in a war with the old man from the moment of his birth and will be until he is raised on that day. So how does this man grow from being a baby to a warrior for God? Walking in the Spirit....

How can we know for sure if you are in the spirit or not?....Well, for starters have you accepted that Christ came down and paid for your sins with his very life, and then ascended to Heaven to be with you forever? If you have not made a sincere decision for Christ then you don't have The Helper AKA The Holy Spirit, so make that choice to accept that God chose to love you and everyone else despite who we "really" are on the inside. If you are having trouble understanding this then email me, you can also ask God to give you understanding then read THE GOSPEL OF JOHN ....If you have already made that choice then this next paragraph is for you.

If you have accept Christ...TERRIFIC...NOW WHAT? Well, if you have not looked at that video then do so now. Notice in the beginning that they energetic and are just going through the motions, much like religion asks us to do...to go through the motions. When they start singing it's a bunch of mumbles and weighted hearts. So what do they do, they go back to basics and just do exercises...isn't that a waste of time and even embarrassing? Well when the start singing again it was not embarrassing but amazing at all but beautiful.

The concept is really quite simple...you have to feed the new man inside you to over power the old man. Which ever one is stronger in the moment is going to be the one who wins. So we have to feed and workout that new so the old man does not have any opportunities to grow. Because how can something grow if it does not have the means to do so? It can't...so create those moments for the new man to grow and read God's word so that you have knowledge of the truth. Finally, it won't happen unless you decide for it to happen.

God Bless'
Kyle Howington

Life, The Great Adventure!

I've been thinking about life, contemplating on my life...

I've been thinking about life... How it's simply a journey. Parts of this journey are beautiful, other parts are not, but ultimately, what makes this an exciting and adventures journey is the ultimate desitnation...

C.S. Lewis said this, "You have not met a mare mortal."

Click Here to read the rest of my Post at www.JJSierra.com/LivingTheDash

What I learned at Faithwalkers

Faithwalkers for those of you who have not been, is a life changing experience that can not be expressed as anything but God's hand being but on your heart for three days.

I loved everyday of that conference because I was convicted to my core. God sharpened me to a great extent during those three days.
During praise and worship God gave me this scripture:
Ephesians 3:1-19

And then the second day he gave me the Entire chapter of Daniel 5. The King of the time had taken the cup out of the Lord's temple and used it in his dining hall for all his wives and guests. They dishonored the Lord by doing this. Using the cup for their own selfish desires instead of His glory. During dinner in the palace a "hand" appeared and wrote this on the wall: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. Which was a prediction of the end of his reign. No one could translate this for him until they summoned Daniel. They offered to give him a purple cloak, a gold necklace, and then make him third highest in the kingdom. This is what he replied:
17Then Daniel answered and said before the king, "Keep your (AA)gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.
He did not care whether or not his efforts were recognized or not but that he would be faithful and true in his motives. He served the king because that was what he was called to do. Not praise himself. He translated the words for the king and told him straight up that he was in the wrong with God and was going to pay for it. Then he still was rewarded even though that is not what he valued. That night the king died and a new king took his place.
I felt God convicted me of this attitude of pride and what was my motivation for giving the Gospel. The cup in Daniel represents the cup of salvation God has given me. What is the purpose of that cup? That I may have everlasting life with the Godhead of course but is that all. No, let it never be for us alone. Correct me if I'm wrong but our cups are supposed to run over are they not? The cup of life that God gives to all is to be for his glory not ours. When love is given it is not love if you are looking to hear "thank you" from the other person. It is to see that you have loved and if they are willing, that the person given the cup drinks it.
Recently after going to that conference I realized that I had an unintentional attitude of wanting to receive praise for my efforts in apologetics and there was a underlying sense of pride for the knowledge I've gained. God showed me that my cup was meant to serve Him with and not on myself. and that my strength should come from his love and the Holy Spirit, not my will to succeed.My knowledge is useless without love and a purpose of edifying others with it. For this reason we bow our kness to the Father, that we may do His will for us on Earth. He gave us a gift, a cup of living water that is his love, his power, and his glory. And for those of you who read and do not know Him, ask him for this cup for it is given freely. It is meant for "you" to have and how can you use it if you don't accept it?
It is my prayer that all who have this cup that your's would overflow.

God Bless you all, Kyle.

:: The Law ::

Question: What is the purpose of the "law?"

Romans 3:20,27-28 -
20) because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

-- Through the law comes what?... "Knowledge of sin"
-- Can following the "law" justify our sins?... "NO flesh will be justified..."
-- In who's sight do we need to be justified?... "in His [Jesus] sight"

Many people believe they are "good." The question is, accordng to who's standards? If we need to be justified "in His sight," then we're in trouble! Because who can live up to a standard of perfection?! Ha... But reading the rest of the chapter we find out that it is not by the "law," but by our faith.

2 Highlighted verses from Romans 3 --

27) Where then is boasting? It is excluded By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28) For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

....So then that leaves the question of "faith in what" or more importantly, "faith in who?"

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" - Romans 5:1

Here is more on "Faith" --
1) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
2) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3) For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."
4) Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.
5) But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness...

-- To Be Continued... More thoughts coming soon...

This is What CCA is ALL ABOUT...

3) This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

- 1 Timothy 2:3-4

Light Unto The World

"Preach at all times, and when necessary use words." - Unknown

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16

"Ian Can't Help You"

There is one fundamental difference between Christianity and all other religions...

You can remove Buddha from Buddhism and you still have Buddhism.
You can remove Muhammad from Islam and you still have Islam.

You CAN NOT remover Christ from Christianity and still have Christianity.

"If you remove Christ from 'Christian' you get Ian, and Ian can't help you." - Rabi Zacharia

The center of my faith and Christianity is the person of Jesus Christ and His resurrection...

12) Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13) But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14) and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. - 1 Corinthians 15... Click Here to Read Chapter

One Solitary Life --

Here is a young man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30, and then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book, He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place he was born He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

While he was still a young man, the tide of public opinion turned against him. He his friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While he was dying his executioners gambled led for the only piece of property he had on earth, and that was his coat. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Nineteen centuries wide have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race, and the leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever sailed, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as has that ONE SOLITARY LIFE.

- Anonymous (from the Bible Study Book "Beginning In Christ - Book 1")

I say it again - "If you have not met me, you have missed little. If you have not met my Savior, you have missed everything."

Today, the guys and I began to look into the core of our faith, Jesus Christ and the Gospel...

We have started our study with Romans 3:23 - For me to understand that I needed salvation, I first needed to understand that I am a sinner and that I needed salvation. A Doctor can only heal someone who is willing to be healed. It is a proven fact that it is much harder to help a sick person who does not want to get well then someone who does. Many say that they are "seeking the truth." But the question is, are they REALLY seeking? Are they willing to follow the truth where ever it leads? So my challenge to you the seeker, is that if you are truly seeking, then ask God to reveal Himself to you to lead you to the Truth. Then do YOUR PART and open the Bible and read the Book of John in the New Testament and see for yourself. Do not take our word for it on what we write in the blog. I challenge you to follow up on all we write and find out for YOURSELF.

-- What we want to do next is look at obstacles of other world views that hinder others to recognize there need for salvation and to recognize that they are sinners (not perfect) and that there is a moral standard set by God...

We will started with "Post-Modernism." Next, we will look into other world views. Now, I want to keep things to the basics, and just to what matters in the life of someone who is truly seeking the Truth...

"Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." - Jesus Christ

...Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" - Post Modernism has existed since the time of Jesus Christ. This is nothing new.

Until Next Time, I leave you with this...

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. - John 14:6

Power In The Gospel

Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes...

Kyle and I will be go over the core of our faith, the Gospel and who Jesus is as our Savior. Stay Tuned...

-- We are till working on this blog. We will be creating a resource page soon with links etc.

God Bless -