The Day of the Lord

Interesting how the Bible describes the Day of the Lord. Sometimes in Scripture it describes the overall judgement of the entire earth and its contents, and others are coming judgements for that area that prophets like Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habbakuk all warned about coming.
One that I want to focus on is Zephaniah....

What do we know about the Day of the Lord?

Well we know that it it will come like a theif in the night-1 Thess. 5:2

It also says that a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day to God in regard to the Day of the Lord-meaning it can come at anytime like the theif reference--2 Peter 3

But let me not stray too far from what I want to talk about.....

IN Zephaniah, there is a great warning coming from God against Judah. He declares that He will sweep everything away (Zep. 1:2-3) and calls out Judah and Jerusalem in vs. 4.

This judgement from Zephaniah is not one of the Final Judgement but one for Judah and Jerusalem for the ignorance and disobedience for worshipping idols and living wickedly.

At the same time though the descriptions are going to be the same when the Final Judgement comes and I want to focus on these descriptions:

vs. 14-describes about how the great day is coming and fast...
vs. 15- that the day will be like a day of wrath
(wanna know what wrath means okay good----its main definition is "forceful anger, punishment, divine retribution for sin" a great synonym for this word would be displeasure)

God is not happy with the people of Judah. Looking back at vs. 4-5 it describes how the people had temples built still to Baal and along with that had names of pagans and idoloturous priests still teaching and preaching their filth. They would climb on their roofs and worship the stars, yet also worship the Lord at the same time (called syncretism) This is not acceptable in God's eyes and He alone is the only God to be worshiped (see the problem!)

vs. 15 continued.... now are descriptions of what the day will be like....

a day of distress and anguish
-distress means to cause stress or anxiety and or suffering
-anguish means agonizing physical and or mental pain or torment

a day of trouble and ruin
-trouble meaning to cause distress, disturbance, difficulty , inconvience
-ruin meaning total destruction

a day of darkness and gloom
-darkness can be synonyms here describing the dismal state that God will create

a day of clouds and blackness
clouds in the sense of no clarity (is repeated by the description in vs. 17 of how they will walk like blind men because of there sin)
Blackness--no light, but complete surrounding of darkenss, blackness and no light to guide them, God's judgement will cover all who defy Him.

a day of trumpet and battle cry

-I like this verse because it decribes the Lord coming like a battle cry for the judged Judah to fear. The Lord is coming not to provide peace nor a way out but to judge and the trumpet is used all over the Bible to describe the Lord coming for battle. (hint Revelation several times, Daniel also)
I end there because these descriptions put alot of things in perspective like who looks forward to these things? Well no one wants distress, anguish and blackness but people will endure it.

THE POINT:
The Final Judgement laid out in Revelations will be similar but much more intense with fire and sulfur for those who do not believe in Jesus being who He said He was. Sounds harsh, well Jesus endured harshness(Luke 22:63-65, Jn. 18:19-24) , darkness( Mark 15:33), distress, anguish(Luke 22:44), trouble and even abandonment(Mark 15:34) so that we wouldnt have to. Remember that....

First Christian rap

Wow who would thought that I would try rapping. (cause you know I am tight like that) Well my sisters boyfriend is a huge rapping guy and has professional programs to record and rap with intrumental music and such. One day on Thanksgiving break he wanted me to just make a Christian rap song (he is usually making other stuff) so I was just playing and took lines from Christian rock songs that I liked and rapped it just to be funny. He used it in a song which I hate to hear my voice anyway I thought I sounded stupid. So I returned for Christmas break only to hear him say he wanted to write another thing and put me on the track. So I thought that I would just play a trumpet lick on the rap beat to kinda give it flavor. Well instead I began to read the Word of God as he was playing with the beats and splitting hot fire into the mike and something hit me. The Word of God speaks for itself with no assistance from man. So I began to take scripture and put it into a rap lyric. Honestly I thought it corny at first but the more I did it the more it just seemed awesome because it was all directed to God from God. This is what I have come up with.....

I heard my Saviour, and my heart pounded, (Habbakuk 3:16)
at the words that my LORD has ever made resounded.

How long will people lie in parched and begin to start, (Jeremiah 12:2)
You always seem to be on their lips but far from their hearts.

Of what value is an idol? (Habbakuk)
Can it breathe, teach, and give guidance or make life final?

Yet I will wait patiently for Him on that day, (Habbakuk 3)
when the LORD brings this world His calamity.

Jesus told to simply just love each other, (John 14:21)
Promising"He who loves me, will be love by the Father."

What man can live and not see death, (Psalm 90:48)
or save himself from the barrels of this ugly mess.

Wisdom, pleasure and toil are all meaningless, (Mixture of Eccle.)
trying to seek these things will leave you breathless.

Salvation is found in no other name, (Acts 4:12)
so why do you continue to play all these stupid games.

So we are called, to be wise in the way we act, (Col. 4:5)
to give Him glory that is a natural fact.

Were not here to please you, but God who tests our hearts, (1 Thess. 2:6)
I know that I never ever want to be apart.

From the Truth, the Light, that makes me alive today,
Accept Jesus and all those problems fade away away away...

and thats all for now cause I am still writing but I know that I dont have a career in this but its interesting to see that God can work through His Word to do ANYTHING! Praise God for all he is and has done!

If He can do it for him....He can do it for you!

This was completely motivated by something I just saw about 5 mins ago. Cnn has a show called Paula Zahn and on that show she had Brian Welsh. Many of you wont recognize the name right away but you will remember what band he was a part of. (I hope) He was part of the band named Korn. A metal, alternative band with lyrics depicting sex, drugs, rock and roll, death, cutting one's self, and rebellion. It caught on greatly with teenagers and they wont 2 grammys, even I myself bought 3 of there records and felt a sense of liberation from my anger, and issues at the time as well. I dont want to give too much away because it got me thinking of a type of sermon that I have wanted to write for a while named If He could do it for him....He can do it for you!

Salvation, that word can turn many people in the complete other direction. "Get saved" is a scary word to some people. But it is also a reality. God does save. He saves us from the filth that we involve our live into. He saves us from death, and raises us into a new lifestyle and a renewing of the mind. Know now that if you know Jesus but dont have a relationship know that the following writing is for you as these are examples of people with the same problems, same issues that you may have gone through. To know that if He can save these people with these live, He can do it for you! For those who know Jesus, let this be an encouragement to you, to know that there are people that you may admire in sports, politics, and entertainment that have had a rocky road but a Saviour to smooth it out, the same Saviour that smooths your road out too.

#1- This man grew up in a very intense family. Expectations were high and his family was surrounded by politics he was immersed in the public life. Raised in a small town religion was an intergral part as the whole town attended. Growing up, he was forced to go and didnt really grasp or hold onto the beliefs that were taught in church. With this he grew into a party animal and drank heavily. He was the life of the party, and everyone enjoyed his prescence. He loved the attention that he was getting from friends, and the ladies. He had money, good looks, and vibrant personality to go with it; he was on top of the world. He went on to make some major investments that ended poorly. He lost thousands of dollars, but continued to hold his own. He tried to do things his way, taking the route of politics after several failed business attempts. Through this he met a beautiful, faithful Christ centered woman. They hit it off as he could not be the wild man he was around the beauty of this woman. They married and continued together on his political reign. They attended church (motivated by her) and went to Sunday School. He would poke fun of others, singers and the choir when he could. He would make noises, and purposefully set his alarm clock to go off when he felt the preacher was going too long. During sunday school he would pose questions where he could throw in a joke or two, even standing up and giving a comedy routine. As his political career increase and became on the rise, his personal life was rough. Continously drinking made him unstable, and couldnt fill the void that was being left inside him. He sought the counsel of some high powered political men that he knew were Christians. He talked and debated, questioned them for answers to things that he didnt understand about God. A year passed by and the answers stuck in his head. On April 3rd, 1984, at the age of 38 came to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour in his life. He furthered this a year later when he carried a conversation with Billy Graham to motivate him to not only believe but put that faith in work and action. He later left his families Espicopalian church for his wife's Methodist and more conservative church. His faith was evident as during the 2000 primary everyone was asked who was there favorite philosopher and he stated "Christ, because he changed my heart."

This man is George W. Bush President of the United States.

#2- This man was talented, despite that he came from a family of 17 children he wasnt overlooked. He was fast, and an excellent athelete. He breezed through the sports deparment at the University of Miami and was drafted 11th in the first round of the 1988 NFL draft. He was cocky, and didnt fit well into the new team he was a part of. He would park in No Parking spots during training camp, and would frequently visit the bars and strip clubs. (despite being married) He developed a habit for cocaine and in 1996 was arrested for cocaine possession on his 30th b-day. He was obligated to pay 10,000 dollars and do community services. His life was also empty and need something more. His wife was a pillar and she remained with him through the hard and good times. She knew that God has a plan for his life and that he needed to just recognize where he was going. He remembers sitting outside looking up and thinking about what his life meant. He decided that in 2002, he put his partying, and bad lifestyle to rest and professed to be born again. His life with his wife improved and began a career in broadcasting. In 2005, evil found him again as he was pulled over and charge with Class C misdemeanor as having possession of a bag with marijuana residue and a pipe. He stated that he kept it from a friend who is dealing with a drug problem. He claimed his innocence and states that Jesus is his drug of choice. That he is willing to put being put into the Hall of Fame because of this if that means his friend gets better. To him he stands firm in that he hasnt resorted to past sins,and that he continues to fight the media and society's opinion on this matter. Whatever has gone on the Lord God that He professes knows, and is not hidden to His sight.

This man is Hall of Fame reciever Michael Irvin


#3-Born in 1970 in to a Christian home, this kid had talent and began to show it through his guitar. WIth loving parents they encouraged him to play and he forms at the age of 18 a band. This band expands and grows faster than any of them anticipated. More money more problems, along with their fame drugs and sex became a common theme with them. There lyrics centered on death, sex, drugs, the waste of life and suicide. At 26 the only way for him to feel good was to get high or get drunk. He dreamed of being a rock star and now it was coming true. The band won 2 Grammys and hit huge success and millions of dollars. As quoted from him the more the band was successful the less happy he became. He described how he hated church people, that they were just wierd, but obviously there was some god in those buildings because they acted so strange. In 1998, he became the father to a baby girl. In 2000 he divorced from his wife due ro differences. The emptiness inside of him grew till he almost exploded. A friend asked him to come to church, and this began the course of change in his life. What change him most was when he heard his little girl recite some lyrics of a song from his band and he knew that he needed to change his life. He decided to stay in a motel for 4 days and detox himself from the drugs that he was so used to taking. He met with the pastor of Valley Bible Church and they discussed how to come into this relationship with this Jesus. So in Jan. of 2005 he became saved. His former life nothing but memories or nightmares as he put it. Later that same month he quit the million dollar band citing that he just couldnt do it anymore, GOd didnt want him there.
With this new life he hasnt touched drugs nor alcohol. He lives for Jesus and Jesus alone and his daughter has felt the effect quoting "that my daddy is different because all he does is for Jesus" He went along with the church to a pilgramage to the Jordan River and was baptized. Now his heart and life are full of the love and strength of Jesus Christ. Now he uses his music skill to write music for God. He also uses all money that he recieves from music to go toward his ministry of giving children the message of Christ in India.

This person is Brian Welsh former guitar player of the band Korn.

If Jesus can save these people then he can save you. You may think that you have to look a certain way, and do alot of things to get to this "salvation" by Him. In fact all He asks is that you confess on your lips......to confess is to "to admit and acknowledge" Confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you shall be saved ( Romans 10:9) Acknowledge that Jesus was who he said he was.....believe truly believe that God raised Him from the dead and you WILL be saved. And the nothing in this world can take that from you! Not that all those things that plagued you simply BAM go away. But you have a renewing of the mind, a joy to know that you dont need a huge bank account, fine clothes, fancy cars, the latest technology or the biggest house to come into a relationship with Christ. So if he can save these guys and millions more......
He can and will save you..but He is waiting....so what will you do?

Hebrews 13

Ahhh, my most favorite parts of the Bible are when they give us exhortations. As I venture through Hebrews I have found that this book is more interesting that when I read it 3 years ago. It is entirely Jewish and was directed to newly converted Jewish people. I have always held and still hold now that it is a comparison book, and shows from side to side the differences in Judaism and Christianity. All through out the book it shows what we used to do in the OT or old convenant. Now that it is useless, but we have a more perfected way of doing things and therefore dont need to do the old ways anymore. If you ever get a chance and want to know alot of the changes from the OT to the NT then read Hebrews.

Now for the chapter at hand...Hebrews 13. Exhortations are thrown all over this chapter. God is giving us certain things to look for and to "DO". I think people forget sometimes that we need to read the Word of God, but the only way it is affective is DOING what it says. Reminds me of James 1:22 'Do not merely listen to the Word and so decieve yourselves but DO what it says." Well we are given 11 things to do in this chapter so here we go:

1. We are to keep loving each other, as brothers (vs. 1)
-This is the call to continue in love with everyone we come into contact with. ANd what is unique its not loving someone like they are foriegn but loving them as if they were a part of your flesh and blood family. This exhortation is very important as we are called to do everything in love and no matter what is going on, what happens we are required to display it at all times.

2. Entertain strangers.(vs. 2)

-This may sound odd but this entertainment of strangers goes back to the OT account of what happened to Abraham, and Gideon. (Gen. 18)With Abraham it was when he was sitting at his tent on a hot day. He saw 3 men standing near him, Abraham catered to them, bring them food, and water, and washed there feet. He spoke calling himself a servant and had great humility. He didnt realize these men were angels sent by the LORD.
(Jud. 6)-Gideon was working the wheat when he was approached by a man. They had a discussion about the horrible conditions and things going on during that time. Gideon went and did everything this man commanded, and prepared a goat, flour, and meat and offered to this man to eat along his journey. His kindness was recognized and the angel revealed himself to be an angel of the LORD, and Gideon simply rejoiced. (vs.22)

All in all, this verse to me says treat strangers kindly because you never know when you may come across someone the Lord has placed into your lives for a specific reason. Abraham and Gideon werent being nice to these people because they were angels, infact they didnt know they were angels until the angels revealed themselves to be just that. It was there wholehearted kindness (without an adgenda) that entertained the angels. Be on guard and always know that God is watching.

3. We are commanded to remember those who have been imprisoned, mistreated, or suffering.
-This means for our fellow brothers and sisters in other countries who are imprisoned, beaten, not fed, mistreated and even killed for the Gospel of Christ. We recognized this because it calls them our fellow prisoners, and how they are suffering as we have. Paul is writing this to people who have endured suffering, mistreatment, and possibly jail time. This verse is meant as a call to perserverance. The Hebrews writer mentioned this same thing in great detail in Hebrews 10:32-34.

4. The marriage bed kept pure. (vs. 4)

-Yes now the writer moves onto a topic that the apostle Paul has talked about plenty in about every single book that was written by him--sexual immorality. It says that the marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure. The marriage bed (sexual relations between the hisband and wife) should be kept pure( meaning that both partners will honor the marriage by not sleeping around) Adultry is the matter addressed here, and it goes on to tell us that God will judge the adulterers and the sexually immoral. This is repeated over and over...

Sexually immoral will not inherit the Kingdom of God--1 Corinthians 6:9
" Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders"

We should abstain from it--Acts 15:20
Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality

The body is not meant for it--1Corinthians 6:13
" The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body

There shouldnt even be a hint--Ephesians 5:3
" But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality,"

They will burn along with unbelievers in the 2nd death--Revelations 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

5. Keep your lives free from the love money..(Vs. 5)

-God has told us throughout the Bible that our love is not to be of matierial things but of the things above. 1 Tim. 6:5-10 describes that we came into this world with nothing and we can take nothing with us. For "godliness with contentment is great gain"

6. Remember your leaders...(vs. 7)
-remember the people who led the church, lived the Gospel out, so therefore imitate their faith, their strength that was displayed through Christ.

7. Dont be carried by other strange and false teachings...(vs. 9)

-We are warned to stay away from strange teachings. In this specific case it is in regards to ceremonial foods and washings (legalistic Judaism) which is now gone since it was all taken care of on the cross there is no point in reviving it.

8. Let us continually offer to God...praise(vs. 9)
- we are called to give God his due praise. A sacrifice as an offering to give God praise which he deserves in every which way.

9. Share with others...(vs. 16)
-Since we have this praise for God, and the confession of Christ....share it with others. Did you know you were called to share? Yes Paul reinforces it in Philemon 1:6 "I pray that you be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of the good things in Christ Jesus."

10. Obey your leaders and submit to their authority...(vs. 17)
-Here is the call to obey and submit regardless of who is president, Bush, Kerry, the government. Now this isnt a call to take persecution, or an oppressive government thats goal is to harm, hurt and destroy its people. But this echos Romans 13 where we are called to submit to the governing authorities...(Romans 13:1-6)

11. Lastly but most importantly....pray for us (vs. 18)
-we are called to pray for all fo God's people. Here the writer desires to live honorably in every way and asks for prayer that he may be restored. Prayer is an integral part of our lives and communion with God. This importance of prayer is labeled in James 5:13-15, that if we are troubled, sick then pray, if we are happy, pray. The importance is furthered by the example of Elijah in James 5.

These are what we are called to DO!! These are exhortations, not sayings. So therefore and let us begin to do these things, not out of obligation but out of love and reverance for our Lord Jesus Christ who was truly God and man, and who gave His life and came back from the dead to save us. He is the only way to God and no other way is available and is in fact false.

Fantastic song

Now this may not be a direct biblical thought but it does deserve mention. Now I am known in my own little world to be late on music. My friends seem to know all the new Christian bands that are coming out and when, how, and they have met them all. Well I was just shopping around for some new Christian music (as I get this way about every 4-6 months) and came upon 2 groups. 1- was called 4th Avenue Jones and I was highly impressed. THey were a mix of rap, r&b, jazz, and rock. IT was like mixing switchfoot, with lauren Hill, and Brian Mcknight expect with a positive message. I really was feeling the beats and the singing and they give praise to Jesus which makes it even better. 2-Underoath which I have heard there old album like 2 years ago and was hooked on them but didnt follow them (like I do with many bands). They have a cd that came out a year ago (dont know the name) but there is a song on that album that blew me away. The song is called Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape. This song blasted my heart with love and humility mainly due to the words. Underoath is one of those bands that doesnt directly scream out God in their lyrics but lays it very very thick. This song struck me with lyrics like:
"Hey unfaithful, I will teach you. To be stronger, to be stronger.
Hey ungraceful, I will teach you. To forgive on another.
Hey unloving, I will love you, I will love you....

Jesus I am ready to come home.

Outright wonderful. Perfectly displays the message that Jesus tells us daily the unfaithful, the ungraceful, unlovable, the unable, are strengthened, given grace, loved and are able through Him who strengthens you! May the One who gave His life for you and me so that we may live forever! Jesus Christ.

Intelligent Design or Evolution

Interesting debate going on in our schools over whether ID should be taught in science classes around the nation. Should ID be taught in science classes? The arguement is that evolution is a theory and merely a theory not fact. A theory by definiton is a set of statements that have been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted. That is all evolutoion is a theory. It doesn't give us a definite answer to the creation of the world, how we developed, but they have theories thats it. Now people are saying that the Christians are just pushing to get God into the classroom. From some Christians yes, but shockingly this debate didnt arise from Christians but from scientist and Christians jumped obviously onto the bandwagon. All these scientist want is for the classroom to be open to another possible theory. They are not advocating a theology lesson about the Trinity nor are they trying to talk about Jesus and the NT, or OT. They simply want science to acknowledge that there are alot of things that could not have taken place without some sort of Intelligent Designer. Stating that "this is simply just another theory, a possibility that has just as much credible evidence."
When you shred away the right wing Christians and the left wing people and see things for what they are you get a better idea of what is being debated. I personally think that ID should be taught, and that there is no harm investigating another theory and teaching it in a science class. Its not like that is going to be taught about all semester but just be added to the curriculum when the topic of evolution is taught. Are kids going to not want to be doctors, lawyers, presidents because they hear that there could possibly be another theory of the creation of life??? Of course not. Will there view of science be messed up, of course not. This is not a theology class, it is a simple discussion of a theory just like that of evolution and teaching kids to keep there minds open. Some have suggested teaching ID in another class. I disagree cause then yes you would be bringing a religion class or a seperate class from the others. This is not what these people are looking for, but many right wing Christians have screwed this vision with there big mouths (ie Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell)


So with that said should ID be taught in public school science classes?? Should they create another class for that, not have it taught at all? What?
Thanks

Hebrews 12

I really love this passage of scripture because it has a family connotation to it. It shows how He is our Father in heaven and He will disciple us like we are His sons. But this passage is signifigant to me because the only mentor I ever had about 4 years back made me memorize vs. 1-3. At the time it did nothing but looking back I am able to still quote this verse with ease and I thank the love and care the Rob Sheppard had by taking me under his wing. God Bless you.
But I started to read this and began to think. There is a loving, and encouraging message here.
First in vs. 1 it desribes a race that we run. That race is life. Whats interesting is that it describes sin from our vantage point-( it hinders and easily entangles us) With this in mind GOd tells us to run with perserverance the race marked out for us. God has laid the groundwork for you and I. He has a race marked out for every single one of us, whether you run it is the question. You cant run a race your not a part of? SO how do you become a part of it well accept Jesus Christ into your heart. Sounds complicated. No its not its much simpler than you think, the only thing it may hurt is your pride. Some of you are just walking the race, wavering in and out of the lanes. You accepted Jesus but your in and out. Kinda like dipping your toe into the pool to see how good it is for you, but never really committing to jumping in. Then there are the runners, where you have been knocked down but not out. You have endured sin, the miry dirt, the hardships, problems, stresses of this world. Jesus says keep on running with perseverance.
Vs. 2 tells us the most important part of this race, to fix your eyes on Jesus. Why? Because he is the "author and perfector of our faith". In the Gospels there is a story of Jesus walking on water. The disciples go a head of Jesus and they see Him walking on the water towards there boat. They freak out, He tells them to calm down and Peter calls out to Him. "Lord if it is you call me out there to you". Jesus says: "Come!" So Peter steps out walking water with Jesus, and he is excited walking focused on Him, but then he looks around. He sees the waves, and the wind blowing around him, and he begins to lose focus and falls into the water. HE cries out to Jesus to save him and Jesus grabs his hand pulling him out of the water.
During the race of life we must "fix our eyes on Jesus" to keep focused of why we even run the race. There will and are many things in life that will try to take your focus off Him. Health, friends, school, material possessions, work, personal gain, money, relationships and many other things. These things can take the focus off Him, and lead us into the sinking water. He is our author, and perfector of faith.
Vs. 3-4-He tells us that He knows what oppossition is---He endured the most from men. And when you struggle think to yourself have you not resisted to the point of shedding your own blood??? You and I have it easy. We are in a day and age where we dont have to give our lives for the cross in the USA. There is no sin that you have encountered where you have shed blood for it? Have you? Then respond to this thread! The disciples were jailed, beaten, punished, killed( murdered) for the Gospel. James,Paul and John the Baptist were all beheaded, the church historian Clement detailed Peters death as him being nailed upside down not feeling worthy to be murdered the same way our Lord was. Andrew was crucified, John died in a prison filled with rapists and murderers. SO remember in your struggle that there have been men and women that have shed there blood for this Gospel and that the struggle you endured may be tough but you havent resisted to a point of shedding blood.

May the only way to Heaven Jesus Christ give you strength and mercy.
In Him,
Chris
Psalm 32:8