Without question, the most known Bible verse in all the world is John 3:16 – and it’s a great one! But do you know what vs 15 says? Vs 17? The context has to do with what it means to be born again. (This is actually one of those verses that CAN be pulled out of context because it describes so much of God’s heart.) Nicodemus, curious about Jesus, comes to Him one night with a compliment towards all Jesus had done. Jesus tells him “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Nic doesn’t get it and so Jesus explains that it is not about religiosity. It’s not about DOing. It’s not about keeping “the rules.” It’s about a totally new relationship – a spiritual one! How does this occur? “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Why? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” What an awesome invitation! And He did this to SAVE us not condemn us! But what about those who don’t believe? “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” Jesus is Light and Light exposes evil and some people will sadly love evil more than Light. I used to.
The chapter finishes with John the Baptizer describing his position in regards to Jesus. John is a friend, not the Savior. “He must become greater; I must become less.” – was JTB’s disposition!
SO WHAT?!
*Memorize John 3:16 if you haven’t already!
*We all must be “born again” to have eternal life, there is no in between. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." To remain neutral to Jesus is still a form of rejection. Lets continue to lovingly pray for our friends who tell us “Jesus is good for you”, because they truly just don’t understand!
*Who is increasing in your life? Jesus or You? Oh Lord, please help it to be Jesus!!!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Annual Easter Post - THE RICH FAMILY IN CHURCH
By Eddie Ogan
I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12,and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money.
By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially.
When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. When we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us babysat for everyone we could. For 15 cents we could buy enough cotton loops to make three pot holders to sell for $1.
We made $20 on pot holders. That month was one of the best of our lives.
Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering.
The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change.
We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before.
That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering.
We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet.
But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt rich.
When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us kids put in a $20.
As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills.
Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our Mom and Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night.
We had two knifes that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor.
That Easter day I found out we were. The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed--I didn't even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor!
I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time. We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know. We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way.
Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week.
Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.
When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."
Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100."
We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary said so? From that day on I've never been poor again. I've always remembered how rich I am because I have Jesus!
[forwarded by Willard Caddell, who was a very rich man...RIP]
I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12,and my older sister Darlene 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with seven school kids to raise and no money.
By 1946 my older sisters were married and my brothers had left home. A month before Easter the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and give sacrificially.
When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. This would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for the offering. When we thought that if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible and didn't listen to the radio, we'd save money on that month's electric bill. Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible, and both of us babysat for everyone we could. For 15 cents we could buy enough cotton loops to make three pot holders to sell for $1.
We made $20 on pot holders. That month was one of the best of our lives.
Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night we'd sit in the dark and talk about how the poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. We had about 80 people in church, so figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would surely be 20 times that much. After all, every Sunday the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering.
The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store and got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all our change.
We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never had so much money before.
That night we were so excited we could hardly sleep. We didn't care that we wouldn't have new clothes for Easter; we had $70 for the sacrificial offering.
We could hardly wait to get to church! On Sunday morning, rain was pouring. We didn't own an umbrella, and the church was over a mile from our home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill the holes. The cardboard came apart, and her feet got wet.
But we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about the Smith girls having on their old dresses. I looked at them in their new clothes, and I felt rich.
When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting on the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill, and each of us kids put in a $20.
As we walked home after church, we sang all the way. At lunch Mom had a surprise for us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs with our fried potatoes! Late that afternoon the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, and then came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was, but she didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money. There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 and seventeen $1 bills.
Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat and stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor white trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our Mom and Dad for parents and a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and see whether we got the spoon or the fork that night.
We had two knifes that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, but I'd never thought we were poor.
That Easter day I found out we were. The minister had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress and worn-out shoes and felt so ashamed--I didn't even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor!
I thought about school. I was in the ninth grade and at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew that we were poor. I decided that I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade. That was all the law required at that time. We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark, and we went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally on Saturday, Mom asked us what we wanted to do with the money. What did poor people do with money? We didn't know. We'd never known we were poor. We didn't want to go to church on Sunday, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way.
Mom started to sing, but no one joined in and she only sang one verse. At church we had a missionary speaker. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs. He said $100 would put a roof on a church. The minister said, "Can't we all sacrifice to help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week.
Mom reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy. Ocy put it in the offering.
When the offering was counted, the minister announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from our small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."
Suddenly it struck us! We had given $87 of that "little over $100."
We were the rich family in the church! Hadn't the missionary said so? From that day on I've never been poor again. I've always remembered how rich I am because I have Jesus!
[forwarded by Willard Caddell, who was a very rich man...RIP]
Thursday, April 5, 2012
260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 69 - John 1: Jesus – THE WORD
Introduction to John:
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John all describe the life of Jesus from different eyewitness accounts. Matthew, Mark & Luke are often called the “synoptic” gospels because of their “common view.” The Gospel of John differs quite a bit in content as it focuses on Jesus being God from the very beginning. John’s purpose for this book is clearly defined in 20:31: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
This book was written by the apostle John in approximately 85-90 AD and is one of the last books written in the Bible. The author does not mention himself by name, but instead refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” Love is a key theme in all of John’s writings. “Signs”, “Believe” and “Life” are three additional key words as well. John’s Gospel is an excellent book for a new believer to read to get a grip on who Jesus is and what new life in Christ is like.
John 1: Jesus – THE WORD
This chapter totally rocks! As a new believer, I was challenged to memorize it and I can’t tell you how many times God has brought these verses up as I’ve shared Jesus with others since October of 1982!
The first five verses explain that Jesus is God (deity). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Only God has been around since the beginning, so “the Word” has to be God. This is confirmed by saying that “the Word” created all things and is the source of life and light.
Next comes two amazing statements. The first is a sobering one: “He (Jesus) came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” The Jews in Jesus day rejected Him and many still do that today. The second statement offers incredible hope: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” How amazing is that? ALL who believe & receive now enter into God’s family!!! Then comes “the Christmas verse” (14): “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” This is exactly what we celebrate at Christmas – that God became a man in the form of Jesus! So when you include verse 14, the mathematical solution goes something like this:
The Word is God.
Jesus is the Word.
Therefore, Jesus is God!
The rest of the chapter has to do with John the Baptizer. (He wasn’t “Baptist” or “Methodist”, etc…he baptized people) Basically, he denies being Jesus (because people were wanting to follow him) and instead points people TO Jesus!
Finally, I love Andrew’s response when finding Jesus: “Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, '"We have found the Messiah"' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
SO WHAT?!
*Either Jesus IS God or he’s a liar or a lunatic, because He claimed to be God. How should this truth impact you & me? It should lead us to both Know Jesus & Make Him Known to others!
*Have you believed in and received Jesus yet? If so, then you are the King’s kid – Royalty! WOW - to think that God would adopt us into His family – whoohoo!!! Are we privileged or what?! Take some time to thank Him today!
*Finally, when was the last time you “brought someone to Jesus?” You don’t have to know much, you just have to WANT others to know Jesus. Bring people to Jesus by sharing the Gospel, by living the Gospel, by bringing them to church or student ministry, etc….
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John all describe the life of Jesus from different eyewitness accounts. Matthew, Mark & Luke are often called the “synoptic” gospels because of their “common view.” The Gospel of John differs quite a bit in content as it focuses on Jesus being God from the very beginning. John’s purpose for this book is clearly defined in 20:31: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
This book was written by the apostle John in approximately 85-90 AD and is one of the last books written in the Bible. The author does not mention himself by name, but instead refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” Love is a key theme in all of John’s writings. “Signs”, “Believe” and “Life” are three additional key words as well. John’s Gospel is an excellent book for a new believer to read to get a grip on who Jesus is and what new life in Christ is like.
John 1: Jesus – THE WORD
This chapter totally rocks! As a new believer, I was challenged to memorize it and I can’t tell you how many times God has brought these verses up as I’ve shared Jesus with others since October of 1982!
The first five verses explain that Jesus is God (deity). “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Only God has been around since the beginning, so “the Word” has to be God. This is confirmed by saying that “the Word” created all things and is the source of life and light.
Next comes two amazing statements. The first is a sobering one: “He (Jesus) came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” The Jews in Jesus day rejected Him and many still do that today. The second statement offers incredible hope: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” How amazing is that? ALL who believe & receive now enter into God’s family!!! Then comes “the Christmas verse” (14): “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” This is exactly what we celebrate at Christmas – that God became a man in the form of Jesus! So when you include verse 14, the mathematical solution goes something like this:
The Word is God.
Jesus is the Word.
Therefore, Jesus is God!
The rest of the chapter has to do with John the Baptizer. (He wasn’t “Baptist” or “Methodist”, etc…he baptized people) Basically, he denies being Jesus (because people were wanting to follow him) and instead points people TO Jesus!
Finally, I love Andrew’s response when finding Jesus: “Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, '"We have found the Messiah"' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
SO WHAT?!
*Either Jesus IS God or he’s a liar or a lunatic, because He claimed to be God. How should this truth impact you & me? It should lead us to both Know Jesus & Make Him Known to others!
*Have you believed in and received Jesus yet? If so, then you are the King’s kid – Royalty! WOW - to think that God would adopt us into His family – whoohoo!!! Are we privileged or what?! Take some time to thank Him today!
*Finally, when was the last time you “brought someone to Jesus?” You don’t have to know much, you just have to WANT others to know Jesus. Bring people to Jesus by sharing the Gospel, by living the Gospel, by bringing them to church or student ministry, etc….
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 68 - Luke 24: Jesus is Alive!
You can visit the graves of every religious founder such as Joseph Smith, Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius, etc…. And why? Because they are DEAD. Yep, all of them. Not so with Jesus! He and He alone rose from the dead – an event verified by many witnesses (1 Cor 15:3-7)!
We read today that early in the morning (after keeping the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) women came to bring spices to complete Jesus’ burial. They arrived to find Jesus gone and angels reminding them what happened. The women, in turn, went back and told the disciples. The disciples didn’t believe them, yet Peter ran to see for himself and was still baffled!
I love the next story! Two guys are walking on the road to Emmaus, talking and discouraged about all that had happened in Jerusalem (to Jesus). Then, like out of nowhere, Jesus is walking with them…..listening…..hmmm……..I see………..hmmm…..and they begin to tell Jesus their twist on the story. Side note – Jesus has a better grip on how things are. Anyway, Jesus sets them straight in sort of a Hello duh, didn’t Jesus have to suffer & die?! Then, He took them through the scriptures to show them, ate with them and as He broke bread they recognized Him and poof – He was gone!
Later, while the disciples were talking about all this, Jesus pops in and says, “Peace be with you.” And yeah, you & I would have freaked out too! They think it’s a ghost, Jesus tells them to look at his hands & feet (I believe in order to see the scars), and then asks for some food.
Then in verse 45 we read, “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures.” We all need the Lord to understand the scriptures! Then He gives them their calling: Preach in His name, be His witnesses and I’ll give you the power to do it! After that Jesus ascended into heaven and the people worshiped & praised God!
SO WHAT?!
*Faith in Jesus Christ alone rests completely on the validity of the resurrection! The apostle Paul puts it this way, “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” – 1 Corinthians 15:17-19. Do you believe it? Let’s remember, as we tell others about what Jesus did for us, not to leave Him in the grave! HE’S ALIVE!!!!! Maybe instead of wearing crosses we should be wearing open tombs?
*Do you have a hard time understanding the Bible? Pray before you read your Bible and ask God to “open your mind” so you can understand. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job and He loves to do it!
I've LOVED growing with y'all thru Luke's gospel!~
We read today that early in the morning (after keeping the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday) women came to bring spices to complete Jesus’ burial. They arrived to find Jesus gone and angels reminding them what happened. The women, in turn, went back and told the disciples. The disciples didn’t believe them, yet Peter ran to see for himself and was still baffled!
I love the next story! Two guys are walking on the road to Emmaus, talking and discouraged about all that had happened in Jerusalem (to Jesus). Then, like out of nowhere, Jesus is walking with them…..listening…..hmmm……..I see………..hmmm…..and they begin to tell Jesus their twist on the story. Side note – Jesus has a better grip on how things are. Anyway, Jesus sets them straight in sort of a Hello duh, didn’t Jesus have to suffer & die?! Then, He took them through the scriptures to show them, ate with them and as He broke bread they recognized Him and poof – He was gone!
Later, while the disciples were talking about all this, Jesus pops in and says, “Peace be with you.” And yeah, you & I would have freaked out too! They think it’s a ghost, Jesus tells them to look at his hands & feet (I believe in order to see the scars), and then asks for some food.
Then in verse 45 we read, “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures.” We all need the Lord to understand the scriptures! Then He gives them their calling: Preach in His name, be His witnesses and I’ll give you the power to do it! After that Jesus ascended into heaven and the people worshiped & praised God!
SO WHAT?!
*Faith in Jesus Christ alone rests completely on the validity of the resurrection! The apostle Paul puts it this way, “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” – 1 Corinthians 15:17-19. Do you believe it? Let’s remember, as we tell others about what Jesus did for us, not to leave Him in the grave! HE’S ALIVE!!!!! Maybe instead of wearing crosses we should be wearing open tombs?
*Do you have a hard time understanding the Bible? Pray before you read your Bible and ask God to “open your mind” so you can understand. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job and He loves to do it!
I've LOVED growing with y'all thru Luke's gospel!~
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
260 in 2012 - DEVOS - Day 67 - Luke 23: The Crucifixion, Death & Burial of Jesus
A few years back I took an unbelieving friend with me to see “The Passion of the Christ” and it was like no other film we’d ever been to. It was not your laughing, popcorn eating, sit back & enjoy type of movie. I will never forget exiting the theatre afterwards…………..it was dead silent. The somber look on people’s faces is still etched in my brain. My friend didn’t even want to talk about it with me for weeks. Why is it we can watch people get blown up and splattered in films all the time but have this depiction grab us – believer or unbeliever - so deeply? It’s Jesus! He is like no other.
We begin with the unfair trials of Jesus. The “whole assembly” was the Sanhedrin, consisting of probably 70 men. These were the “holy heavies” of the day. They bring Jesus to the governor Pilate accusing Him of “subverting our nation.” It was a deliberate lie to say He apposed paying taxes because they had addressed this before (20:20-25). He was indeed Christ (Messiah) – so guilty as charged. YES “He stirs up the people all over Judea by His teaching” because it made the religious peeps look bad, but NO the sinless Jesus was not guilty of any crime. Pilate knew it (vs 4) but because he was afraid of the people, sent Jesus on to further trial. Jesus became a problem to both Herod & Pilate, ironically uniting them. And eventually, Pilate granted the cries of the crowd to crucify Him.
Being led away to be crucified, Jesus profoundly tells the mourners they should really be more concerned about where they and their offspring are headed when they die than Him! Then as they were crucifying Him, the mercy of God again shows itself in Jesus’ words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And as the guilt-ridden thief on the cross asks Jesus to remember him, Jesus again mercifully tells him that “…today you will be with me in paradise.” Amazing how Jesus is constantly thinking of people to the very end!
The time of His death had come. It was preceded by a sunless darkness and as Jesus committed Himself to His Father, we know from other gospels that there was an earthquake as well. Those there gave praise to God! They realized this was no ordinary man. Some left the scene in anguish, others stood at a distance in shock.
Finally we are told that not all of the Sanhedrin agreed to put Jesus away, at least not this Joseph. He took Jesus down from the cross and properly buried Him in a tomb.
SO WHAT?!
*Just like the reactions of those who saw the Passion movie that day, the crucifixion of Jesus should sober us. The cross is a symbol like no other. Think about it. If someone today were to wear a guillotine or an electric chair around their neck, we’d be a bit freaked out & wonder if they might be the next school gunmen or terrorists. But to wear a cross is ok? Again, it’s symbol is Jesus. This unique death & event is the ONLY way by which we can be made right with God. Have you ever put your faith & trust in Jesus ALONE for the forgiveness of your sins? There’s a big difference between knowing OF Jesus and KNOWING Jesus. He’s still offering you the opportunity today! Romans 10:9-10
We begin with the unfair trials of Jesus. The “whole assembly” was the Sanhedrin, consisting of probably 70 men. These were the “holy heavies” of the day. They bring Jesus to the governor Pilate accusing Him of “subverting our nation.” It was a deliberate lie to say He apposed paying taxes because they had addressed this before (20:20-25). He was indeed Christ (Messiah) – so guilty as charged. YES “He stirs up the people all over Judea by His teaching” because it made the religious peeps look bad, but NO the sinless Jesus was not guilty of any crime. Pilate knew it (vs 4) but because he was afraid of the people, sent Jesus on to further trial. Jesus became a problem to both Herod & Pilate, ironically uniting them. And eventually, Pilate granted the cries of the crowd to crucify Him.
Being led away to be crucified, Jesus profoundly tells the mourners they should really be more concerned about where they and their offspring are headed when they die than Him! Then as they were crucifying Him, the mercy of God again shows itself in Jesus’ words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And as the guilt-ridden thief on the cross asks Jesus to remember him, Jesus again mercifully tells him that “…today you will be with me in paradise.” Amazing how Jesus is constantly thinking of people to the very end!
The time of His death had come. It was preceded by a sunless darkness and as Jesus committed Himself to His Father, we know from other gospels that there was an earthquake as well. Those there gave praise to God! They realized this was no ordinary man. Some left the scene in anguish, others stood at a distance in shock.
Finally we are told that not all of the Sanhedrin agreed to put Jesus away, at least not this Joseph. He took Jesus down from the cross and properly buried Him in a tomb.
SO WHAT?!
*Just like the reactions of those who saw the Passion movie that day, the crucifixion of Jesus should sober us. The cross is a symbol like no other. Think about it. If someone today were to wear a guillotine or an electric chair around their neck, we’d be a bit freaked out & wonder if they might be the next school gunmen or terrorists. But to wear a cross is ok? Again, it’s symbol is Jesus. This unique death & event is the ONLY way by which we can be made right with God. Have you ever put your faith & trust in Jesus ALONE for the forgiveness of your sins? There’s a big difference between knowing OF Jesus and KNOWING Jesus. He’s still offering you the opportunity today! Romans 10:9-10
Monday, April 2, 2012
Mr Bill - Resume
My Career Objective is to:
In my life, with my family and in my calling to work with students, my life’s pursuit is Knowing Jesus & Making Him Known.
Ministry Experience
Feb 2006 – Feb 2012 Student Pastor, Redeemer Community Church, Katy, Texas.
Accomplishments:
• Developed a purpose statement & vision.
• Laid out 1, 2 & 5 year ministry goals.
• Recruited & trained 20+ adults to serve with.
• Discipled, counseled & mentored students & families.
• Planned and coordinated 5 community-wide student conferences with up to 13 churches & 1100 people.
• KEYS Mentored 7 students thru the Katy Independent School District.
• Coordinated 10 community outreaches & a church-wide ministry in Galveston to hurricane Ike families.
• Regularly study, prepare & teach weekly Bible studies to junior high & high school students.
• Trained over 80 students how to share their faith.
• Planned, equipped & led 4 summer mission trips.
June 1990 – Dec 2005 Youth Pastor, Katy Bible Church, Katy, Texas.
• Developed, implemented and maintained a purpose-driven, great commission obsessed youth ministry.
• Studied, prepared and taught 23 books of the Bible – verse by verse.
• Trained and equipped over 350 students to share their faith.
• Personally discipled 47 students (1-3 yrs. each) to become multiplying disciplemakers.
• Planned and coordinated a city-wide youth event for 3 years reaching over 1,000 teens each year.
• Worked with district superintendent to develop a campus visitation ministry for youth workers.
• Planned, equipped and led 14 missions trips involving over 250 students and leaders.
• Designed, supervised and constructed a commercial playground for our church.
• Presently lead the Katy Area Youth Ministries, a multi-church ministry network to students.
Other
Jan. 2005 – Jan 2006 Dare 2 Share Houston Coordinator and Trainer for youth evangelism teams.
Jan. 1988 – May 1990 Youth Intern, Faith Presbyterian Church, Aurora, Colorado (1 ½ yrs. JH, 1 yr. SH).
Oct. 1986 – Dec. 1987 Junior High Assistant, Bear Valley Baptist Church, Denver, Colorado.
Philosophy of Ministry
• Pray, Study, Equip Ephesians 4:11-17
My responsibility as a youth minister is to be a facilitator of the Gospel. I am to pray, to teach the Word of God, to love,
encourage, guide and equip students within families to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and in service to others.
• Shepherd the Flock 1 Peter 5:2-4
My responsibility as a youth minister is also to look after those whom God has placed in my trust. This involves building
lasting relationships, modeling a Christ-like life and serving our Lord Jesus Christ together.
• Disciple the Faithful Matthew 28:19-20
Finally, as a believer, I have the privilege of calling students to surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I want to tell
as many as I can while I can! Those who believe are the ones I pour my life into so they too can “make disciples.”
Education
-August 2004 Tested and ordained by the elders of Katy Bible Church.
-June 1990 – present Continuing yearly education
-May 1990 Bachelor of Arts, Colorado Christian University
- Major in Youth Ministry
- Minor in Business Administration
*Additional resume material & references available upon request
In my life, with my family and in my calling to work with students, my life’s pursuit is Knowing Jesus & Making Him Known.
Ministry Experience
Feb 2006 – Feb 2012 Student Pastor, Redeemer Community Church, Katy, Texas.
Accomplishments:
• Developed a purpose statement & vision.
• Laid out 1, 2 & 5 year ministry goals.
• Recruited & trained 20+ adults to serve with.
• Discipled, counseled & mentored students & families.
• Planned and coordinated 5 community-wide student conferences with up to 13 churches & 1100 people.
• KEYS Mentored 7 students thru the Katy Independent School District.
• Coordinated 10 community outreaches & a church-wide ministry in Galveston to hurricane Ike families.
• Regularly study, prepare & teach weekly Bible studies to junior high & high school students.
• Trained over 80 students how to share their faith.
• Planned, equipped & led 4 summer mission trips.
June 1990 – Dec 2005 Youth Pastor, Katy Bible Church, Katy, Texas.
• Developed, implemented and maintained a purpose-driven, great commission obsessed youth ministry.
• Studied, prepared and taught 23 books of the Bible – verse by verse.
• Trained and equipped over 350 students to share their faith.
• Personally discipled 47 students (1-3 yrs. each) to become multiplying disciplemakers.
• Planned and coordinated a city-wide youth event for 3 years reaching over 1,000 teens each year.
• Worked with district superintendent to develop a campus visitation ministry for youth workers.
• Planned, equipped and led 14 missions trips involving over 250 students and leaders.
• Designed, supervised and constructed a commercial playground for our church.
• Presently lead the Katy Area Youth Ministries, a multi-church ministry network to students.
Other
Jan. 2005 – Jan 2006 Dare 2 Share Houston Coordinator and Trainer for youth evangelism teams.
Jan. 1988 – May 1990 Youth Intern, Faith Presbyterian Church, Aurora, Colorado (1 ½ yrs. JH, 1 yr. SH).
Oct. 1986 – Dec. 1987 Junior High Assistant, Bear Valley Baptist Church, Denver, Colorado.
Philosophy of Ministry
• Pray, Study, Equip Ephesians 4:11-17
My responsibility as a youth minister is to be a facilitator of the Gospel. I am to pray, to teach the Word of God, to love,
encourage, guide and equip students within families to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and in service to others.
• Shepherd the Flock 1 Peter 5:2-4
My responsibility as a youth minister is also to look after those whom God has placed in my trust. This involves building
lasting relationships, modeling a Christ-like life and serving our Lord Jesus Christ together.
• Disciple the Faithful Matthew 28:19-20
Finally, as a believer, I have the privilege of calling students to surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I want to tell
as many as I can while I can! Those who believe are the ones I pour my life into so they too can “make disciples.”
Education
-August 2004 Tested and ordained by the elders of Katy Bible Church.
-June 1990 – present Continuing yearly education
-May 1990 Bachelor of Arts, Colorado Christian University
- Major in Youth Ministry
- Minor in Business Administration
*Additional resume material & references available upon request
260 in 2012 DEVOS - Day 66 - Luke 22: Last Supper, Betrayal, Denial & Jesus’ Confession
These last three chapters in Luke record the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ – the Savior of the world. No event in history has had more impact or ever will until He returns. I pray these last three chapters sink deep into our souls and transform us!
Cool start - wouldn’t it have been tight to be Peter & John looking for the guy carrying water and everything be just as Jesus told them!?~! Ha – would love to have been there!
Anyway, we first read about Jesus’ passion to have one last moment & Passover celebration with his disciples. I’m ever amazed at His desire to spend time with people – even those who betray Him. Amazing how someone could spend three years with Jesus and still turn on Him like Judas did. Jesus continued and will continue to reach out, but woe to those who don’t turn to Him!
Jesus then addresses greatness. Our world’s system of leadership brings out a lot of selfishness & arrogance, but God’s system is quite opposite. The way up is truly down. You want to be great, you be a servant of all. Humility is God’s way and Jesus exemplified it!
Then we read of Peter’s painful denial of Jesus. Fear had overtaken his call to follow and three times he denies his Lord. Jesus told him he would, but lest we condemn Peter, Jesus also predicted Pete would turn back. And certainly God used him greatly!
Then there is the garden. At the most crucial time in His life, Jesus asks his disciples to pray. He returns to find them nodding off – not that any of us would ever nod off in church……. What a lonely & trying time for our Lord this must have been.
The chapter ends with Jesus’ confession that He is God! If the religious leaders were not peeved by now, this would do it. To claim to be God was the ultimate blasphemy………unless of course you ARE God, which they refused to believe He was!
SO WHAT?!
*I believe that just as Jesus had a passion to spend time with His disciples, He has that same passion for us. Yet often times, the first thing to go when we get busy is our Bible reading & prayer time. How’s your 260 in 2012 going? Lets not let the busyness of life to allow us to ditch our time alone with our Creator!
*Are we guilty of denying Jesus? Do your friends, co-workers, family members know that HE is what you live for? Let’s be like Paul who was “not ashamed of the Gospel.”
*Who are your “garden friends?” Friends who will be there in our time of greatest need, who will be Jesus to you & weather storms with you. You need ‘em and so do I. And who are WE that garden friend to? As believers we were never meant to be “lone rangers”……….. and hey, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!
Cool start - wouldn’t it have been tight to be Peter & John looking for the guy carrying water and everything be just as Jesus told them!?~! Ha – would love to have been there!
Anyway, we first read about Jesus’ passion to have one last moment & Passover celebration with his disciples. I’m ever amazed at His desire to spend time with people – even those who betray Him. Amazing how someone could spend three years with Jesus and still turn on Him like Judas did. Jesus continued and will continue to reach out, but woe to those who don’t turn to Him!
Jesus then addresses greatness. Our world’s system of leadership brings out a lot of selfishness & arrogance, but God’s system is quite opposite. The way up is truly down. You want to be great, you be a servant of all. Humility is God’s way and Jesus exemplified it!
Then we read of Peter’s painful denial of Jesus. Fear had overtaken his call to follow and three times he denies his Lord. Jesus told him he would, but lest we condemn Peter, Jesus also predicted Pete would turn back. And certainly God used him greatly!
Then there is the garden. At the most crucial time in His life, Jesus asks his disciples to pray. He returns to find them nodding off – not that any of us would ever nod off in church……. What a lonely & trying time for our Lord this must have been.
The chapter ends with Jesus’ confession that He is God! If the religious leaders were not peeved by now, this would do it. To claim to be God was the ultimate blasphemy………unless of course you ARE God, which they refused to believe He was!
SO WHAT?!
*I believe that just as Jesus had a passion to spend time with His disciples, He has that same passion for us. Yet often times, the first thing to go when we get busy is our Bible reading & prayer time. How’s your 260 in 2012 going? Lets not let the busyness of life to allow us to ditch our time alone with our Creator!
*Are we guilty of denying Jesus? Do your friends, co-workers, family members know that HE is what you live for? Let’s be like Paul who was “not ashamed of the Gospel.”
*Who are your “garden friends?” Friends who will be there in our time of greatest need, who will be Jesus to you & weather storms with you. You need ‘em and so do I. And who are WE that garden friend to? As believers we were never meant to be “lone rangers”……….. and hey, even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)