Hitler, God, and the Bible

I was ecstatic when I saw our local library attained a Ray Comfort book, and even more excited when I saw which one it was.  Hitler, God and the Bible is the sequel to the movie "180" that talks about abortion. 

Comfort starts this book with the birth of Hitler, and proceeds to give a biography of his life, all the way up through the holocaust.  Through reading about Hitler's hard life, it gives you a more personal look at this man and the way he thought.  All of these culminated into turning him into the man we know him as.  

After fully learning about the history of Hitler, Ray tackles whether or not Hitler was a Christian during WW2.  He takes this topic and proves his point beyond a shadow of a doubt... showing that Hitler had not repented and put his trust in the Savior.  Ending this section of the book, he gives a clear gospel message.

He ends with a chapter on the modern day holocaust in our own America... abortion.  The thousands of babies murdered is horrible, just like the holocaust.  He compares the two and how alike they really are.  

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I would like to say that this book should only be read by mature readers.  As you may imagine, with in depth information on the holocaust, abortion, and other topics, a young reader should consult his/her parents before reading it.   

Matthew

~The Challenge~

Over the last ten days we have been discussing the ten commandments laid out in Exodus 20.  I want to summarize something very important in this post, one I hope all of you will read and ponder.

Through going over these commandments, all of us have seen areas we have failed in.  Failed by doing, or by not doing something.  But, through all of this we may never reach the heart of the issue. Where will you spend your eternity? How can you know?

I personally do not know all of you who are reading this now.  But I honestly care about you and where you will spend eternity. I am pretty sure if I ask you if you would sell one of your eyes for a million dollars, you would say no. Why is that?

That is because your eye is precious to you. How much more precious is your soul?

One of the standards God has set for us are the Ten Commandments.  By looking at these we can see our true sin.  Have you ever told a lie?  Have you ever dishonored your parents?  The Bible says that whoever breaks one of his commandments is guilty of the whole (James 2:10). We are wretched sinners, and all deserve hell and damnation before God.

Nothing we can do will reconcile us to Him, neither will any amount of worship or promising you will never do it again. If you are in a court of law and you have stolen millions of dollars, you might appeal to the judge saying, “But judge, I promise I will never steal again, ever!” If you do that, he may feel compassionate towards you, but still, a just judge, had to sentence you according to what you have done.

Since we have established there is nothing we can do on our own to attain salvation, we need to look at Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. When He died on the cross, He took our sins upon Himself so that we could reconcile ourselves to God.

Mouthing a prayer and saying you are saved will not save you.  There are two things you must do to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.  Repent and Trust.

Trusting in Jesus Christ includes faith. Believing in Him and what He has done on the Cross.

The other part is that you need genuine repentance. You are sorry you have broken God’s law and want forgiveness since there is absolutely nothing you can do on your own. If you then truly believe that Jesus died for your sins and is the Lord of your life, you will become a true born again Christian.

So let me challenge you all today.  If you have not already, repent, and trust in the Lord.  Through that, you will find the True Light, Jesus Christ, and make Him your Lord and Savior.

If you have any questions, the Dedicated Christian team will be happy to help in any way the Lord enables us.  Please email us at dedicatedchristians@gmail.com.

God Bless,
Matthew

You Shall not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14 states this:

"You shall not commit adultery."

Now I would guess most of you have not committed adultery during your lives.  But there are probably some of you who have never heard this verse in Matthew 5:27-28.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

This verse should jolt us all.  If we have so much as looked with lust at the opposite sex, we have committed adultery of the heart.  You may not think it is such a bad thing, but since we have broken God's law, it is.

It seems like something that cannot be controlled to an extent, but it can.  You should do things like quote scripture.  Todd Friel gave an analogy once that when we have a bad thought, one thing we can do is instead of the thought, picture Jesus hanging on the cross.  On the cross with blood pouring down His sides, paying for your sin.

There are some verses that talk about this concept I would like to share with you.  They are pretty self-explanatory, so I will post them without commentary.

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." ~ Romans 13:14

"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.  Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation." ~ 1 Peter 2:11-12

"Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life." ~ Proverbs 4:23

There is one more verse I would like to leave you all with today.  1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize?  Run in such a way that you may win.  Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified."

You can do anything with Christ, friend.  Strive for the goal!

Matthew

"You shall not make for yourself an idol"

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." ~ Exodus 20 4-6

The second commandment talks about worshipping other gods, and replacing the One True God. The word "idol" is seen in different lights. One way is in the terms of a famous person, such as in the popular show, American Idol. But the other way goes back to what Josiah said about the first commandment. Things such as television, music, internet, and even food... All of these can be things you put above God. Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary has several definitions of the word idol. I will post one of them:


"[An idol is] Any thing on which we set our affections; that to which we indulge an excessive and sinful attachment.


Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5.


An idol is any thing which usurps the place of God in the hearts of [H]is rational creatures."

The last sentence is especially true. An idol is anything that usurps the place of God in the hearts of His rational creatures.

Look at the verse that is at the beginning of Exodus 20.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery..."

The Lord is GOD! How dare we put things above Him in our lives? If we put anything above God, it is like saying that object is more important that He is in our lives.

"You shall not make for yourself an idol."

Matthew

Kudzu

During our trip through the south a few weeks ago, kudzu was a common sight.  In light of that, I did a little research on the plant.  I found that in 1876, the government imported a plant called kudzu from Japan and payed farmers to plant it for erosion, herbs, and food for their cattle.  They soon found out it would totally take over the south if not stopped... but they were too late.  It spreads fast and there is no biological way to kill it.  The above picture, believe it or not, is a house covered with kudzu.

It starts with one plant, and spreads rapidly over everything, leaving destruction in its wake.  If you think about it, sin can do the same thing in our lives.

When you sin, it can be like a vine, leading to sins that are worse and worse.  This creates a labyrinth, one that is hard to escape.

We start to cover up the cross with our sin and guilt, forgetting what He has done to make us right, and instead indulging with pleasure in our sinful acts.

Man's nature is sinful from birth.  The Bible says that from birth the wicked go astray (Psalms 58:3).  But there is hope for those of you who know Jesus Christ as your Savior.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says this:

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

The best way to stop sinning is to stop it as soon as you realize your problem.  This verse offers a wonderful promise, that God is faithful and will not allow us to be tempted above what we can bear.  It talks about a way to escape, and there always is.

This verse is not telling us we can escape our sin alone, and I am sure most of you know that is impossible.  The way of escape is God.  Through the power He gives us we can overcome sins and find grace and peace at the cross.  He is the only way to free us, as He has give us salvation.

If you do not know the Lord God as your Savior, please click on this website, www.needgod.com.

If you have any questions about the Christian life we would love to try answering it.  Please email us at dedicatedchristians@gmail.com and we will do our best, with the Bible as our guidebook, to answer to the best of our abilities.

Matthew

Should we "dance" in church?

Mrs. Pastoor sent us an e-mail asking what we thought of dancing in church. Here is what she asked:


" Some people think that dancing in church is a sin. Do you think you can write something about dancing to show that dancing in church is good as long as you are dancing to god praising to him. That would be very wonderful if you did that because that is something that has always confused me."

Below are the responses from several of the authors.

From Matt: 2 Samuel 6:14 says "Then David danced before the Lord with all his might....."

David worshiped the Lord with dancing. We can worship God in song and in dancing. God wants us to give him Glory in everything that we do. If you dance, then you should dance in a way that glorifies God and brings Him honor. If you play the piano, you so pay in such a way that brings honor and glory to God. The same with Football, and anything else.

Dancing to praise God is great, but I would say that it is not appetite to dance in front of everyone in church. You should be aware of what you are doing, too. Some dances are not appropriate or meant to bring glory to God. Exodus 32:19 "So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain." Lots of dances are made to worship idols, not the one true God.


I would conduct your own bible study on dancing and see what conclusions you come up with.


From Victoria: I think it’s obvious that dancing for the Lord is a positive thing. It’s accounted so many times in Scripture as a legitimate worshiping of our Lord, I think it’s pretty undebatable. Things become less obvious when we start talking about dancing in church. So is dancing in church a sin? The short answer: no I don’t think it’s a sin. Is it wise? That depends. Like everything we do in church from singing, to raising hands, to clapping, to testifying, I believe there’s a time and a place. Church is for the saints, and more specifically for the edification of the saints (1 Corinthians 14:12), so whatever we do in church must be to encourage and lift up our brothers and sisters. Does dancing in praise to God fit that bill?

Before you start dancing in the aisles ask yourself these questions. Am I doing this for Christ and will this edify my church, not causing dissension? If the answer is yes to those, then I believe you are perfectly in the right to rejoice. "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." 1 Corinthians 14:33 I don’t believe dancing in church fits into the “confusion” category of this verse. I think if entered into with discernment and the right heart attitude, rejoicing before the Lord in the house of God can edify your fellow believers and bring much glory to Him.



From Josiah: Just like Matt quoted from the Bible, David did dance to glorify the Lord. He danced along side the ark of the Lord! Now I have mixed feelings about this topic, and hopefully I'll be able to clarify what I mean in the following paragraphs.


First off, glorifying the Lord in anyway, whether by dancing, singing, or praying, is wonderful; however I don't think that we should be a "scene" or make others marvel at what we do. Don't be like those rock stars who draw people's attention to yourself. You are doing it for God, not for man. Keep that in mind.


Second, today's culture in America (not sure about other cultures, but they are probably the same) dancing is a form of drawing closer to someone intimately. If you were dancing on your own in church, then it might be okay, but if your dancing with others then that is probably not okay in a church.


Overall, I would just be careful, don't dance in a church because you want to show off your skills, dance with someone, or be popular; dance because you want to glorify the Lord in what you do best. I wouldn't say that dancing for the Lord has to be done in church, you could do it at home also! :-)


From Matthew: Throughout the Bible and throughout our culture, dancing has been used as a form of expressing joy and having fun. My friends have expressed that in their responses. I do not have the time to go into all of the concepts and topics I would usually like to, but I do want to go into a few things that have not been covered yet.


When I read the question, the words "in church" stick out at me. I am not against dancing as a whole, and usually enjoy doing it. But in church is a different matter entirely. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 14:40.


"Let all things be done decently and in order."


When in church, our affections should be set on the Lord Jesus. When I dance, it is usually at an organized event where everyone dances in sync... to a degree. But if one person is dancing in church and another is singing, etc. That does not seem orderly to me. When worshiping, we worship in order. When we dance, we disturb that worship. That brings me to my second point. Let's look at Romans 14:13.


"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way."


When we are in church, it is a place of fellowship with other believers. Though a lot of true Christians disagree on several minor points, we all get along together with the unity and love of Christ. The second part of this verse talks about not being a stumbling block for another. I have several friends who do not believe dancing is something they should do. This falls under a minor point in theology, meaning it is not something that determines Salvation. But we should still be considerate of another's Christians beliefs. If you are dancing in a church where others have convictions against dancing, it can hurt their spiritual walk.


So I would not recommend dancing in church... but dancing as a whole is alright in my opinion.

From Tirzah:

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:" Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

Personally I love to dance; I think that to truly dance for Jesus, and Him only, is an incredibly beautiful sight. I believe that certian kinds of dancing, however, are not pleasing to Jesus. Some kinds of cultures only learn certain dances though, so I think that your dance, if it proves to be a stumbling block to others, should be done someplace where it is just between you and God.

"A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;" Ecclesiastes 3:4

Hopefully these responses answered your question Mrs. Pastoor!


God bless!


The Dedicated Christians Team

The Importance of The Lord's Supper

"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world." ~ 1 Corinthians 24-32

The Lord's Supper is a very important part of the Christian life. Though it is so important, it still is ignored by most Christians. And the ones that do, still do not understand the full implications of it. I am not an expert by any means, but I want to share with you some of the things our family has learned and practiced over the last several years.

At our church, we practice The Lord's Supper on a weekly basis. I think that most of you who have grown up in a church understand that it is an symbol of Jesus Christ's blood and body and a reminder of His sacrifice on the cross, as He explained to his disciples at the last supper (Matthew 26). If you do not fully understand this, please email us at dedicatedchristians@gmail.com and we will try our best to explain it.

What I wanted to focus on today are the verses that come after that.

"But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup."

Our family talked about this verse a lot when we were in a house church. Examining yourself means to search your inner being and ask God to reveal your sin to you. Then repent of your sins. Though Matthew 5:23-24 is not specifically talking about The Lord's Supper, the concept still applies.

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

The purpose of this is that you should not partake in The Lord's Supper if you have sin harbored in your heart. If I am angry at my brother, I should not participate in the Lord's supper. Instead, I should refrain from it until I have made up with him. This concept will hopefully become more clear in a moment.

"For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep." (1 Corinthians 11:29-30)

If you are a Christian and have not been reconciled with your brother, you are drinking judgment to yourself. But more importantly, if you are a non-believer, God will judge you for taking of The Lord's Supper. It's not something you do because others are doing it. It is not something you do because you do not think it will hurt you. It is not something you do because you think it will make you look holy. God despises people who take of the cup in an unworthy manner. When Paul uses the words, "Many [of you] sleep," he is using the word sleep as in death. God does judge people that are still alive, and can kill you if He sees fit. Violating his commandment of taking the Lord's supper when you do not trust in Him alone is a huge offense in His eyes.

So, next time you partake in The Lord's Supper, make sure your heart is right and, more importantly, that you know Jesus as your personal Savior. If you do not know Him, I encourage you to get a Bible and read the book of John.

Matthew

"Lead Me"

It is no secret that families are struggling. Our culture is trying to tear away the man, and now the woman, from the home. This song is a beautiful portrayal of what a family should be.

This song has empowered husbands and wives to change their lifestyle and be more family oriented, and base their family on Christ. And you are probably saying, "this is a great song, Matthew, but with no application for us young adults." I could not disagree more.

Most of us (unless the Lord leads otherwise) will get married and have a family. Now that may seem far away, but it really isn't. This song should inspire us to start out right. As we consider future jobs and our role in our future home, focus on how these concepts will apply in your family.

A lot of us, I am sure, have starry visions of having a family one day. We think it is all going to be, "living on love" and we will not have any problems. Though some days I still believe that, through knowing different couples, I see that is not always the case. I have also seen that it is impossible for anyone to work through it without Christ as the head.

(I now I'm covering a lot of topics). The best time to start building your life on Jesus Christ is right now. Instead of thinking you can wait until you are older to dedicate your life to the Lord, do it now... Especially now. Now that you are unmarried, you can spend more time learning and growing in Christ.

I know, I covered quite a lot of topics. But I hope you will ponder them deeply and see how you will apply them to your life.

Matthew

"Only After You"

I just recently heard this song and from the beginning of the song I was quite disappointed in this song. But I was quite surprised after I took a look at the band's website and read this in their biography.

"'It is our desire to be a band of servants, humbly offering our gifts and talents to reach this world for Christ. We know we're just a bunch of normal guys, living each day in the grip of God's grace,' says front man Josiah Warneking."

But this song sounds like a popular pop love song. The Lord, the Cross, Jesus Christ, grace, etc. are not mentioned in this song at all. "I wanna fall in love... and I'm ready to give up on every other love." Turning Jesus Christ, the God we should FEAR, into a boyfriend/girlfriend is destroying our view of Him and His nature. "In Your every whisper, I hear Your heart." This sadly reminds me of a popular country song I know.

Contemporary Christian music has been going off track. One of the things they are leaning towards is "cross-over" songs, songs that can easily be sold as Christian songs or secular pop songs. Are these songs meant to bring in people to the music, in hopes to convert them? Or, on the other hand, are these songs supposed to encourage believers in the Lord? I think they are accomplishing neither.

I want to present an idea on which I would like you to ponder.

Is music what we are supposed to use to bring people to Christ? Or are we supposed to be witnessing to them and telling them about the Lord Jesus and His death on the Cross? If someone was telling you where a fabulous treasure is, would you like them to sing to you (sometimes vaguely) in the hopes you will find your way, or would you like them to present the truth to you so that you know how to find the treasure without a shadow of a doubt?

Matthew

A Flaw in Christian Contemporary Music

(If you want to see the music video for this song here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF5CjtrIl_c )

I was listening to Todd Friel (I do not recommend everything by him, so please use discretion) recently and he played this song, claiming it to be the "worstest" (Yes, that is what he said) song out there today. He told us about the music video, which I've attached a link to above, so I later went back and listened to it again with the video. I know I say that Christian songs have to mention the cross, Jesus, God, or something to be considered as songs I would recommend.

This mentioned all of them but yet has a horrible message. The message is a failure that I think could mislead someone in the fundamentals of Salvation.

The message of this song is that you are someone special and YOU ARE WORTH DYING FOR! That is a horrible lie. The Bible clearly states that we are hell deserving, rotten sinners that deserve eternal punishment. It clearly states that Jesus Christ came down to this earth, lived a sinless life, and died on the cross for us... but we DID NOT deserve it! He did it because He loved us! "For God SO LOVED the world." Not, "For God thought we were people that were worth dying for so he decided to come... save the cool guys."

More and more CCM music is an abomination to the Lord and the Christian faith, and we should rid ourselves of all but the best music with good and true messages.

Matthew

The Ever-Loving Truth

Can Faith Thrive In A Post-Christian Culture?

I first heard Voddie Baucham speak at a homeschool convention a few years ago. He is a wonderful preacher/teacher and our family decided to buy some of his books. I have benefited from some of his other books over the last year or two but never read "The Ever-Loving Truth." Recently I finished it, and here is what I thought of it.

The book is filled with information on a lot of topics which most people avoid. He breaks his book down into three different parts.

In the first part of the book he talks about Pre-Christian Attitudes in a Post-Christian Culture. In this part he sets the stage on what we are up against and gives some good examples on it. He also talks about how people in America hate to hear about God.

The second part of the book is called "Drawing a Line in the Sand." Basically he talks about what a joy we should have in sharing the gospel, and how we should go about it.

The third, and last, part of the book is called "What Shall We Say?" And he goes into a lot of apologetics on how we should share our faith.

Wonderful book that I really enjoyed reading and learning from. I recommend this book.

Matthew

Chicken in the Woods

There is a story behind this sweet chicken. Several weeks ago we were coming back home from dropping something off and stopped to get the mail. I suddenly saw this chicken in the woods across the street and went over with my brother to find her. She was relatively friendly so we caught her and put her in a cage. I thought about possible owners and came to the conclusion that she probably belongs to a man farther up in our subdivision. He didn't answer his phone so I went up and asked him if it was his. He told me it was his but he did not want them anymore so I could go ahead and keep her.

This story's beginning sounds like what the Lord did for us, doesn't it? My sweet little girl was out in the woods with tons of predators surrounding her and ready to close in as soon as night fell.

But she was rescued from that fate!

Romans 3:23 says:

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

She had no reason to be saved, she had no hope. So much like us, we were lost and in need of someone to protect us and help us. Ephesians 2:8-9 states:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

There was no one else to rescue her out in the woods. The closest neighbors wouldn't have cared. We read in Acts 4:10 that:

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

No one cared about her. Just like us, the world doesn't want us nor does it care about us. Jesus Christ came because He loves us and cares for us! He will not let us die if we only lean on Him and trust Him with our lives. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says:

"...For He says, "At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is the acceptable time," behold, now is "the day of salvation."

I am sure we all can quote John 3:16 by memory, but read it carefully once more.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

God loves you enough to send His Son to save us! That is a magnificent gift. Just like the chicken in the woods, we are helpless and in need of a Savior. Just like the owner of the chicken did not want her, the world will dump us out. Only Jesus truly loves us. If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior you can do so right now.

ADMIT you're a sinner, that you need Christ as your savior, and that all those who call on the Lord Jesus and obey Him will be saved. You can't be saved without Him, nor add to or take from what Christ has done for you (Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23).

BELIEVE the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. You can know He is Who He says He is by the hundreds of prophecies that came true in His Life. Many things foretold hundreds of years before His birth came true in His lifetime, and others He Himself made came true later (Romans 10:9, 10:10).

CONFESS to the Lord and admit to yourself that you have responsibilities and that you have commitments as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. The more you know about the Lord Jesus Christ, the more you'll want to tell other people about Him (Romans 10:13, 11:36, John 1:1).

(Thanks to the Baptist Page for their resources)

If you have prayed and asked Jesus into your heart, the Dedicated Christians would love to celebrate with you! So please email us at dedicatedchristians@gmail.com.

Matthew

The Well

I have to say that I was a little disappointed with Mark Hall after reading his newly released book, The Well. After reading one of his other books and listening to the album, "Come To The Well," I was excited about reading this book and soaking up his knowledge of the Bible like I have before, but that isn't what happened.

But I did learn from the book. The whole book is based on the story of the woman at the well. He talks about how we draw from our own wells instead of the Lord's wells. He talks about the holes (wells) of approval, control, religion, talent, and a lot of others. He goes into these and talks about how they get ahead of Jesus.

My complaint with the book was that it was not very deep. He was a little flippant when he re-quoted Bible stories in his own words. He used modern day language which (in my opinion) was not very reverent.

All in all, a good book. I did learn from it but it did not teach me as much as a lot of other books I have read.

Matthew

Role Models

I have been thinking a lot about role models, especially in the areas of who your examples are compared to who they should be. Without meaning to, I have written several different things on this topic. Today I would like to try combining all those things.

I would like to start by asking you this question:

Who are the role models in your lives?

Let me give you a few ideas...singers, movie stars, friends, pastors, dancers, your boss, etc. You've got them for sure. Do you see any role models that ring true in your lives? For me personally, I have made some friends my role models and sometimes people that star in movies. I want to now proceed to ask you another question.

Why?

That simple question is really hard for me personally to answer. When you think about it, you may come up with reasons like, "he's popular," "she is really pretty," or "I like his boots." I want you to stop reading for a moment. Now really evaluate the reasons you like those people. Let's move on to the third question.

Should these people really be your role models?

This is a difficult question and when I answer it for myself, a person comes to mind. I hold him up as an role model just because he is cool. He is popular and people like him, therefore I want to be like that. My point being that a lot of times you are following a person for the wrong reasons.

Before, when I was following that person (last paragraph) he was not a very mature Christian, still young and not caring much about God or his faith (things have changed now and he is growing). He should not have been my role model as he was not living a lifestyle where God was always the center.

Now for those of you whose role models are Godly men and women that are strong in the faith, that is a good thing, but it is not the best example you can have.

Go again through the question posted above, find out where you have fallen short in this area. After that take a look at the following verse, which I am sure we all know, from Exodus 20:3:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

Now, you probably think of idols as statues that you worship instead of God. You may even think of idols as television, iPod's, or even things like food. But have you ever thought your role models can be your idols? Just think of the name of one of the most popular shows in America, American Idol. The winners of that show are idols to millions of people. They watch them, talk like them, dress like them, etc. And a lot of those people are not people we should follow. They are idols in our lives. Even your friends (like the one mentioned above) can become idols, people that are higher in your life than the Lord Jesus.

The Bible says, "let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5)." Our example in life should be first and foremost the Lord Jesus Christ! He is the perfect role model that never fails or leaves us. We must follow Him first.

Though Jesus should be your highest example, He should not necessarily be your only role model. As mentioned above, pick Godly men and women that are strong in the faith.

So this post is meant as a challenge, when you went through those questions, you hopefully identified some bad role models, bad idols, that you are following. Then I hope you see what your highest role model should be and realize then who you should follow. I am challenging you to reevaluate, pray about it, and change your examples to ones that please the Lord.

Matthew

Crazy Love

While I was at Journey to the Heart, one of the staff said to us, "How many of you have ever thought this was a weird book (by its cover) and wouldn't really read it?" And most of us said "Yes." After the Journey I got some more recommendations for it and decided to read it.

While reading Crazy Love (~ Francis Chan), I kept thinking to myself: "I would like to write about this," and "Wow, I would like to share this passage." But after doing that 20-30 times I thought it would be better for you to read it. The wealth of information and knowledge in this book is amazing and eye-opening! It's about how we, as Christians, should be totally in love and obsessed with our Lord instead of just honoring Him out of duty and thinking He will be satisfied with just a small part of our day and time. Here is a quote from the book:

"I wrote this book because much of our talk doesn't match our lives. We say things like, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,' and 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart.' Then we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises."

Throughout the book he offers examples and tells how we can become closer to Christ. It really was an amazing book and I recommend it to all readers!

Matthew

The Room

I originally heard this when I went to the camp called Journey to the Heart. It was really impactful to me and I wanted to get a copy, but forgot about it. Recently I ran across it quite by accident and wanted to share it with you. Joshua Harris wrote it and I believe it rings true in all of our lives. (From what I know, this was an actual dream he had. This is not copyrighted so you can use it if you want).

"In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features save for the one wall covered with small index-card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in either direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read "Girls I Have Liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one.

And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match.

A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I Have Betrayed."

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. "Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I Have Given," "Jokes I Have Laughed At." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things I've Yelled at My Brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger," "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than I expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my 20 years to write each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "Songs I Have Listened To," I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that such a moment had been recorded.

An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: "No one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In an insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh. And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With." The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key.

But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him. No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus.

I watched helplessly as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read every one?

Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card.

"No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood.

He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished."

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were still cards to be written.

By Joshua Harris. Originally published in New Attitude Magazine. Copyright New Attitude, 1995. "

Sobering, yet true! I'll tell you the truth, as I consider the things I have done in the past, this scares me. This should scare all of us as we consider our past deeds and things we will do in the future. But it should also humble us and give us a heart of gratefulness as we remember the debt that was paid on our behalf by the Lord Jesus.

I hope this touched you today as it did me.

Matthew

Going Through the Motions?

'Cause just okay is not enough

Help me fight through the nothingness of this life

I don't want to go through the motions

I don't want to go one more day

Without Your all consuming passion

Inside of me

In don't want to spend my whole life asking,

"What is I had given everything,

Instead of going through the motions?""

Do you "fake" the Christian life? That is the question we should all ask ourselves. No excuses. The truth. And the answer, "I go to church, youth group, church functions, pray, and read my Bible," doesn't cut it.

Over 50% of Christian youth are faking that they are really saved (America's Research Group, led by Ken Ham. Look for the book "Already Gone."). They love church and sing Christian music, but have never actually made a commitment to follow Christ and find their own Jesus. It's the sad truth. Numerous books have been written on this subject and hundreds of statistics have shown this.

Even Christians can fake how much they really love Christ; I was like that for several years. You're a Christian, you believe in and "like" God fine, but you didn't love the Lord the way you should have... one of the reasons you go to church is you like seeing your friends.

So now Christians are having to witness in our own churches, when our focus should instead be out in the community reaching and teaching those who maybe have never heard the gospel before. We're fighting the battle from the inside as well as from the outside. How do we know if our friends and fellow church-members are really saved. Then what do we do about it?

Our main criteria for people in and out of the church claiming to be Christians should be looking for fruit in their lives (Matthew 7:16). But even more important is witnessing by sharing the gospel and your lifestyle. Christians and unbelievers can benefit from your example if you're living a life of following the Lord. But before you start talking to your friends about spiritual things, check yourself (Matthew 7:5).

In what areas are you going through the motions? Maybe your video games, friends, or books are more important in your life than the Lord. Think of it like this, there is a throne in your mind. Only one thing can sit on the throne. Is it the Lord? Is it your friends? Or is it yourself? You need to ask the Lord to take the throne of your mind, the throne of your life, and rule over all aspects of it. With the Lord's help, you can change your patterns and instead live a life pleasing to Him. Once you have done this, you can be a better witness and testimony for the Lord Jesus, as well as gain a deeper relationship with Him.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please email us at dedicatedchristians@gmail.com.

Matthew

Attending Church... is it really necessary?

In Josiah's recent post, there was some comments on "hating organized religion." The thought of attending church (a part of an organized group of believers) has been on my mind for a while now, and I wanted to share my findings.

People frequently say that they don't need to take the time and risk missing the football game to go to church or meet with others when they can substitute listening to the radio or a preacher on television for a message during commercial breaks if they remember. They also say that Christian people are not any different for going to church, therefore there is no reason to go. Is this really a problem or not?

The following is a quote by Joshua Shelor

"...How important is it that we meet together? Is it important that we come to all of the meetings of the church? What should our attitude be toward the meetings of the church? Let us begin by looking at a passage of Scripture. In Acts 2:42 we read that the early disciples “Continued steadfastly in the teaching of the apostles, in the fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers.” They committed themselves to all four of these specific gatherings. Why did the early believers feel that it was so important for them to be committed and steadfast in the meetings?"

They met every day! Can you imagine taking time out of your day to fellowship with other believers, every day of the year? That's hard with our busy schedules where we tend to leave God at church and live our lives like the world for the rest of the week. Shelor goes on to say:

"If we look more closely at the context of the passage mentioned above we will see that the purpose for gathering together is always focused on encouraging and taking care of others, not ourselves. We see in Acts 2 that the believers met together daily from house to house. These daily meetings may have been for nothing more than fellowship, but it shows how well they understood how a body functions. We also read in this chapter that they did not hold anything to be their own, but were happy to share what they had with those in need. Well that sounds just like a body. A hand doesn’t say things like, “Those are my fingers; you need to get your own.” Members of a body don’t worry about personal possessions."

When you're part of a body (church), you should want to work together and be with the other parts of the body so that you can function properly. Church attendance is a must so that you can fellowship, befriend, help other believers. If you don't attend church your theology can become skewed since you don't have anyone else there to correct or lovingly challenge you. By being part of a church or other body of believers, you have the opportunity to sharpen one another and to be sharpened yourself. Coming away rejuvenated to face another week of the world pushing and fighting against your Faith.

But please don't think you can go to any local church and grow and thrive there. We have been blessed with a local church family that teaches straight through different books of the Bible and uses Scripture as the final authority. Please note that this is not always the case and you need to be careful about choosing a church.

I hope you have seen that the Bible clearly instructs you to attend church and/or be in fellowship with other believers. By being active in your body you can display a more biblical picture of what God has instructed us to do in this regard.

*Special thanks to Joshua Shelor for his resources, thank you for doing all that you do, I'm really encouraged by reading and listening to you.*

Matthew

Book Review 2

"'Do you have your own Jesus?' Why do you feel close to God one minute and so far away the next? Why does your faith seem empty? Why is it so easy to compromise with the world? Perhaps it's because we have merely inherited someone else's Jesus, relying on what we've seen and heard from family, friends, or pastors."

I am sure most of us have heard of Mark Hall through the band, Casting Crowns. When I saw he was also a writer and had written several books, I was interested to see what he had to say. What I found was an amazing book with a lot of truth in it.

Not knowing our own Jesus is a stumbling point in our Christian walk, but how can we know Him more? Hall answers this question in the book, "Your Own Jesus," where he writes on how to draw closer to Jesus and know Him more personally rather than inheriting our parent's, friend's, or pastor's faith.

He separates it into six different chapters, each starting with a few lines of one or two parts of his songs from the album, "Every Man." He then delves more into the topic of the song. An example would be that he posts some of the lyrics of "East to West" and then talks about the magnificent grace of God. He is a masterful storyteller and has some great stories riddled throughout the book.

The only questionable content in the book is that he broaches some adult topics as he shares stories and thoughts on how to overcome different parts of your life. Because of this, I would not recommend this book for anyone under 13-14 without your parent's permission.

All in all, a very enjoyable read in which I learned a lot. I highly recommend it.

Matthew

Happy New Year!

Well, Christmas is over. The presents are all in use and you might want to stay up late and watch some glass ball thing fall on New Year's Eve. You also might be working on your New Year Resolutions. As Christians, what should be our resolutions as we go into 2012? I want to present to you today 3 points that you should add.

We should read our Bibles.

Reading our Bibles is known theologically as "special revelation," the way God reveals Himself to us. It is a sure way to draw us closer to Him. So I challenge you to consider a yearly Bible reading plan with me. If you'd like to do this, please leave a comment so that we can keep each other accountable to it. Or if you'd like, you can send me an email at dedicatedchristians@gmail.com.

We should pray.

Where are you in your prayer life? Do you really believe that God answers prayers? Well, He does. He's answered many prayers in my life, even for small things that most people would think God doesn't care about. He really does care about you and what your individual needs are. Praying is our way of talking to God, a direct line, if I may. Praying is another vital part of the Christian life.

And last, but not least...

We should reflect on and share the news of Jesus Christ.

When people look at us, we want them to see Jesus shining through us and His joy radiating from us. This is also vital. Acts 4:13 says: "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." Do you want that to be said of you? That you were with Jesus and people could see Him through you?

Not only should people "see" Jesus in us, but we should "tell" them the Good News! We do this by witnessing every chance we get.

Contrary to popular belief, we do need to change. As Christians, we continually go through the sanctification process. We are changed to become more like Christ. Through the things I have discussed above, you can cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ.

I challenge you today to include these into your resolution-- that you'll read your Bible, pray, and reflect Jesus by sharing the Good News.

If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, feel free to contact me through my email address (above) and I'll try and help answer any questions you may have.

God Bless, and Happy New Year!

Matthew

dedicatedchristians@gmail.com