I recently returned to my home town and had lunch with three of my childhood friends. A lot of the stories they told were stories I had spent the last twenty years trying to forget. While I did manage to forget several as soon as they began telling them the vivid picture of each on returned to my mind. I can’t say I am proud of them all but I now understand that they are part of who I am and what I have become.

My cousin reminded me of a story that deals with he and I getting exactly what we wanted. And it turns out just like most stories of people getting what they want.

We just wanted to go fishing and camp out. We pestered my dad for a couple of days to take us to the river bottoms and let us camp and fish for a couple of days. So Friday afternoon he relented and hauled us and our boat to a large creek where we could fish. We put the boat in the water and removed our camping goods from his truck, we said, “Goodbye” and watched him pull away into the distance. Wasting no time we quickly loaded the boat with our fishing gear and set out.

We spent the next couple of hours putting out trotlines, which are 50 footlong lines with hooks every foot, and yo-yo’s which are automatic fishing reals that hook a fish when it bites the hook and pulls it up out of the water. With this process done we landed the boat and began carying our gear to some friends duck blind.

I recently returned to my home town and had lunch with three of my childhood friends. A lot of the stories they told were stories I had spent the last twenty years trying to forget. While I did manage to forget several as soon as they began telling them the vivid picture of each on returned to my mind. I can’t say I am proud of them all but I now understand that they are part of who I am and what I have become.

My cousin reminded me of a story that deals with he and I getting exactly what we wanted. And it turns out just like most stories of people getting what they want.

We just wanted to go fishing and camp out. We pestered my dad for a couple of days to take us to the river bottoms and let us camp and fish for a couple of days. So Friday afternoon he relented and hauled us and our boat to a large creek where we could fish. We put the boat in the water and removed our camping goods from his truck, we said, “Goodbye” and watched him pull away into the distance. Wasting no time we quickly loaded the boat with our fishing gear and set out.

We spent the next couple of hours putting out trotlines, which are 50 footlong lines with hooks every foot, and yo-yo’s which are automatic fishing reals that hook a fish when it bites the hook and pulls it up out of the water. With this process done we landed the boat and began carying our gear to some friends duck blind.

As the evening progressed we checked our lines and put fish in a live basket to clean later. Then shortly before midnight it began to rain. Not sprinkle or drizzle but rain. This did two things. It prevented us from going back and checking our lines but it also meant we had to get up in the duck blind to try and sleep.

Since it was summer we didn’t bring sleeping bags or any type of sleeping equipment. We each took a corner an began to curl up to try and sleep. Within a few minutes we began to realize that the blind had not been built to withstand wind driven rain. Well the sides and top had not, the floor had been built very tight and held water nicely.

The next problem arose when my cousin turned on the lantern to check the growing water problem. When we looked around to find leaks to stuff paper in we discovered several large spiders on the ceiling. Since we were both scared of spiders we sat in the corner of the blind soaking up the water and making a game out of shooting the spiders of the ceiling with his .22 rifle. Yes this made made holes in the ceiling for water to come in but it also helped my psyche knowing the spiders were dead.

When we finally fell asleep we each had our behinds setting on 8 inch square dry spots made higher by cardboard boxes. Sleep is always welcome in these situations and it was exactly what each of us needed.

We got exactly what we wanted but we did not know what the outcome would be before we started. If we had asked instead of demanded my dad may have told us it was going to rain. Many times in life people head off and do things they think they want to do only to have to pay consequences later. I still pay stupid tax from time to time but I also learn about what I want and make more educated decisions about what I am doing.

Psalm 23 says, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.”  The next time you want something out of selfish ambition think of this funny story.

Final Installment of this class I should have a download page up by the end of the week so you can get both the Leader Guide and the Participant Book both.  It takes about two hours to teach the class because you are taking people through the bible that have never looked up scripture before.  Be patient it is worth the effort.

III. Bible Study and Scripture Memorization

What is the Bible? It is made up of 66 books written by 40 different authors over 1500 years on two continents. 2^nd Timothy 3:14-17 says that it is, _____________________

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So why do we study the Bible? Romans 15:4 say

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And Romans 12:1-2 says

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Finally look at Psalm 19:7-11. What does it have to say about the scriptures?

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Through prayer and the study of the scriptures we grow in our understanding and relationship with Christ. We mature in our Christian walk and while we may not understand everything we read at first over time our minds are changed and renewed. Along with scripture reading, comes scripture memorization.

What does Psalm 119:11 say about memorizing scripture?

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In Joshua 1:8 God told Joshua to Meditate day and night on the law and to never let it Leave his mouth so that he will do everything in it. A New Testament example of this mentality toward the scripture is found in Acts 17:10-11. The Bereans Examined the scripture every day.

I memorize scripture by finding a verse that really applies to where I am in my life when I read it. I am always careful to use the verse in context and not to over stretch it meaning. I write the scripture on a 3×5 index card and carry it with me. I read it often and begin to memorize parts of it starting with the book and verse number then the verse itself. I try to stay in the few chapters around where the verse is for a couple of days and really get the meaning of the verse in my head.

Our time spent with God is valuable. You would not try to make a new friend by ignoring the person you want to be friends with. Start your memorization with Romans 12:1-2 this will be your foundation to build your time with Christ on.

If you change your mind you will change your habits. If you change your habits you will change your life.

Sorry it has been so long since I posted the last section.  I have not had Internet service for over a week.

Here is part two of the New Believer’s Class dealing with prayer.

II. Prayer

Prayer is not a wish. Effective prayer can be learned but it may not come naturally to a new believer. Prayer is how we communicate with God, and build our relationship with Jesus Christ. In his book The Spirit of the Disciplines Richard Foster says, “To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives.”

Why Do We Pray

We are expected to pray.

Read Matthew 6, how many time does Jesus say when you pray?____________

In 1^st Thessalonians 5:17, what how does Paul tell us to pray?

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Our relationship with Christ determines effectiveness.

Hebrews 4:14-16 Tells us what about our prayer life

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If we are hiding sin Psalm 66:18 says what? ____________________________________

If we are not receiving answers what does James 4:3 tell us is wrong

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In His book Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster talks of Adoniram Judson and how he withdrew for prayer seven times per day, first at dawn, then nine, twelve, three, six, nine, and midnight. And of John Hyde missionary to India, who prayed so much he was nicknamed, “Praying Hyde.”

These were not extraordinary men, they were just Christians living out a life of prayer.

Tenaciousness is part of a prayer life. Read the story of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-7. How does Jesus say we are to pray for our needs?

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No is still an answer. We want so much to get our way even in prayer. We need to realize that God knows what is best for each and every one of us. He knows more than we will ever know.

Read 2^nd Corinthians 12:7-10, how did Paul respond to his no?

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Read Matthew 26:39, who did Jesus say should get there way? ­­­_____________

I am releasing this in segments on the blog first.  I plan on having it up as a download before the end of the month.  Feel free to share and share alike. This is a work in progress.  If you make changes or add to it, please send me your update and I will credit you and link back to your site on the page if I use the update.

What is a Christian?

A Christian is someone who follows the teachings of Christ.  Romans 10:8ff says:

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(NIV)

Why do a Class on Being a Christian?

18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(NIV)

I wish I had a class like this when I gave my life to Jesus.  It could have saved me years of development in my Christian walk.

So what did Christ teach?

Christ taught mainly this, 30”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:30-31, Matthew 22:37-38, Luke 10:27-28)

But Christ modeled so much more.  Prayer, Bible Study, Worship, Scripture Memorization, Fasting, Service…

In this class you will be given the basics for:
1) Prayer
2) Bible Study
3) Scripture Memorization

I.  Your salvation is not based on ________________.

Read 1 John 5:11-12 What does it say about eternal life?

Who gives it?_____________________________________________________

Who has it?_______________________________________________________

Why did John write 1 John look at 5:13_________________________________

He also wrote the book of John it says 30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But 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.

The Life of a Christian is not easy read John 16:33.  Jesus does not promise ease he promises eternal life.  When you feel like you are falling away or doubting, go back to God’s word and reaffirm what you believe even when you feel as if you don’t.

Read John 3:16-17, Acts 16:31, and Romans 10:9.  What do all these verses say about salvation? _________________________________________________________

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Commit these verses to memory, and return to them often.  They will stand as a platform for the rest of your journey in Christ.

But always remember it is not you that is doing the saving.  Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and Ephesians 2:8-10

We can not boast because we can not save ourselves.  We must put our trust in Christ and him alone for our salvation.

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In Matthew 25 we see a king going off to a far away land and leaving a very large sum of money in the possession of three stewards.  A steward is the one given the responsibility to manage a household. The Greek word translated into English literally is economy. In God’s economy he owns everything and entrusts us to manage what he gives us. No it is not biblical for our government to own everything and distribute it evenly but they think it is. ( I digress)

God gives to each of us and you are in charge of your portion, and whether it is handled wisely or poorly is strictly up to you. We see this played out in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13). First the seeds are people who either accept the gospel of Christ or deny the gospel of Christ. Those who accept the Gospel of Christ will produce either 30, 60, or 100 fold. But what ever you produce you will be held accountable for.

The Talents here are money not talents like we think of.  A talent is said to equal about 6000 denari and a denari is a days wage.  We work about 260 days per year so this would be equal to 23 years of wages.  In those days the man with 5 denari would have at least 2 1/2 life times worth of money.  But he did not use it unwisely, nor did the second man.  They both used what they were given to get more.  They multiplied their gifts for the kingdom.

I retrieved the following quote from Preaching Today.com:

In his Books & Culture article “A Lot of Lattés,” Ron Sider reviews Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money
, a book “about the pitifully small charitable donations of the richest Christians in history.” Sider offers a synopsis of some of the authors’ findings:

Twenty percent of American Christians (19 percent of Protestants; 28 percent of Catholics) give nothing to the church. Among Protestants, 10 percent of evangelicals, 28 percent of mainliners, 33 percent of fundamentalists, and 40 percent of liberal Protestants give nothing. The vast majority of American Christians give very little—the mean average is 2.9 percent. Only 12 percent of Protestants and 4 percent of Catholics tithe.

A small minority of American Christians give most of the total donated. Twenty percent of all Christians give 86.4 percent of the total. The most generous five percent give well over half (59.6 percent) of all contributions. But higher-income American Christians give less as a percentage of household income than poorer American Christians. In the course of the 20th century, as our personal disposable income quadrupled, the percentage donated by American Christians actually declined.

If just the “committed Christians” (defined as those who attend church at least a few times a month or profess to be “strong” or “very strong” Christians) would tithe, there would be an extra 46 billion dollars a year available for kingdom work. To make that figure more concrete, the authors suggest dozens of different things that $46 billion would fund each year: for example, 150,000 new indigenous missionaries; 50,000 additional theological students in the developing world; 5 million more micro loans to poor entrepreneurs; the food, clothing and shelter for all 6,500,000 current refugees in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East; all the money for a global campaign to prevent and treat malaria; resources to sponsor 20 million needy children worldwide. [The conclusion of the authors] is surely right: “Reasonably generous financial giving of ordinary American Christians would generate staggering amounts of money that could literally change the world.”

That is all total if you did not get it. Those things and more could be done if just the committed Christians would start giving.   Take care of what you have by being faithful with it.  It is not about success it is not about the big  house or car.  If you focus on those things they will end up letting you down.  It is o.k. to have money and be a Christian but you need to remember where it came from.  Every good gift is a gift from God.

If you go to a church that is not  at least tithing what they bring in.  Find a church that is and support them with all you have.

You have different talents from mine. The body of Christ is made up of many parts. You have a function. One of my talents is not understanding complex things. I just don’t. I am not willing to put the time in to learn because I am busy building up my gifts. When we understand that building up what we can do instead of trying to work on what we can’t do will increase our contribution to the kingdom. If you work on what you can’t do you will spend hours just spinning your wheels. But if you build on your gifts you will see fruit quicker and better because that is something you are good at.

I was a copier tech for twelve years and I could never troubleshoot what was wrong with a machine. I had to call someone every time I had a major problem. I never forgot the symptom and the fix after I was told what it was but I could not just troubleshoot a problem. The KISS principle is my motto. Keep it Simple Stupid. I work on what I do best to make it better. Look at Michael Jordan. He was the greatest basketball player of all time. He was one of the worst baseball players of all time. He should have never tried to play baseball because that was not what he was gifted in.

What you bring to the table is like what no one else brings. We need each and every person here to use what God has given them and it will bring glory back to Him who has given it.

Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi is an axiom of ancient Christianity, meaning, the rule of worship is the rule of belief is the rule of life. That is, the way we are oriented in worship (whatever it might be that we focus on most devotedly) orients the way we believe and the way we live.(1) I don’t know latin but I do know a good thing when I see it.

We are told through the Old Testament that the Israelites always went back to the idols of the cultures around them.  As American Christians we sometimes are no different.  We are emerged in a culture that tells us to beautify the gospel, don’t mention sin, don’t remind people how far they are from God.  We need to be aware of where we are in our walk with Christ.  As for me I get off track.  I love politics I get caught up in the conservative vs liberal debates.  I actually agree with both sides on some issues, but that is a different blog.  We can so easily get lost and focus our worship on a cult of personality, or the t.v., or a new car that we just have to get because ours is three years old.

We can worship; worship, no joke if you have been in church over ten years you have probably seen your churches worship service change.  Both sides of that argument are worshiping something other than God when they go into those sanctuaries.

My point is this.  What ever you focus your worship on is what is going to set the way you see yourself, others, and the church.  Are you studying your bible daily, are you praying and memorizing scripture, or are you putting junk into your mind?  This week turn off the t.v., turn off the computer and fill your mind with a little more scripture.  Get some 3×5 index cards and start memorizing it as well.

(1) Jill Carattini, A Slice of Infinity daily email Newsletter January 23, 2009.  Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

My sermon this week is on patience from James 1. But my cross reference took me to John 14

1″Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a]; trust also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Part of being patient is knowing God is in control. This passage let us know that Jesus has it all taken care of and we don’t need to worry about what will come in the future. When we rest in Christ we can know that we have a big future in store. He is going to prepare a place for us in heaven so who care what happens here on Earth.

I know it is a hard concept to grasp with all the layoffs and work closings that are going on right now, but it pales in comparison when we rely on him and him alone. Maybe a job loss is meant to draw someone closer to him. We are still trying to understand why my wife’s mother was called home last year, but we know that he has a reason and his reason is beyond our reasons.

In Romans Paul write that all things work to good for those who love the Lord. Give your burden to him and let him comfort you. He has it all under control and he will com back for us someday.

If you are in the Middleburg Florida area this Sunday we would love to have you. Our Church is located at 3965 Old Jennings Rd on the corner of Old Jennings and Long Bay

God Bless,