Christian Bible Study Blog (CBSB)

CBSB Video Contest: Evidence For God

2008-03-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

This is the chance to let your creative side out for everybody to see!

CBSB Video Contest: Evidence For God
Video Length: 1-3 minutes
Video Style: Animation, short film, documentary, other.
Contest End-Date: May 10th, 2008 11:59pm
Details: Create a 1-3 minute video on the evidence you have found that God exists. Be creative: this video can be your personal feelings on the matter, things that have happened to you in your own life to show you that God exists, scientific evidence for the existence of God, or a mixture of all three.

1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, and honorable mentions will be announced by May 17th, and will also be posted on CBSB's video page: http://christianbiblestudyvideos.blogspot.com/

The more creative and professional looking the video, the more likely the video is to be a winner. Any scientific information presented must be accurate and must have the necessary sources cited so that video viewers can look up the information for themselves.

To make a submission for this contest, your video title must start with: CBSB Contest 1 EFG and then the title of your video. Your video must be submitted through YouTube. You can do this by using an existing or creating a new and free YouTube account, uploading your video, and submitting it here: http://www.youtube.com/group/CBSB

Good luck!

-CBSB

Q and A! Up and running!

2008-02-27T01:21:00.001-08:00

The new Q and A section of CBSB For Non-Believers is now up and running! You can take a look at the page here.

House for Sale

2008-02-08T02:32:00.000-08:00

HOUSE FOR SALE!

ADDRESS: Heaven

FEATURES:
Many rooms with a master suite
Spacious love
Open floor plan for peace
Large eat-in grace
Fenced in mercy with room for expansion
Son room with a marvelous view of salvation
Pool of milk and honey in the back
Pearly gates in front

DIRECTIONS:
The only way to the Father is through the Son

PRICE:
$0.00 - Calvary - Owner financing

COMMUNITY:
Friendly angelic neighbors
Great family and friends
Praise the Lord all day and night

BONUS:
Crown of stars, new luxurious robe
Golden slippers with matching wings
Bring a friend and get a reward

For more information...
Call your local agent or representative...
Name, address and phone number listed below:

NAME: Jesus Christ
ADDRESS: Repent Highway and Streets of Gold
PHONE: Dial John 3:16

Author: Pam Ryans

In my Father's house are
many mansions; if it were not so,
I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself, that
where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:2-3

For more on Salvation (going to heaven), please click here.

Comments!

2008-02-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

We'd love to know what you think about CBSB! Feel free to leave us a comment on any of our blogs, or on this one.

We'd love to know:

What you think about CBSB in general.
What you think about CBSB's other pages (Videos, Bible Trivia, Poetry, God for Kids, and CBSB for non-believers).
What you think about content on the site.
What you would like to see added to the site, or what you would like to see more of on the site.
What you would like to see improved on the site.
Any other questions, comments, or concerns you have about CBSB!

Thanks for your future comments!

New Page up! CBSB God for Kids!

2008-02-04T23:47:00.000-08:00

CBSB's new page God For Kids is finally up and running! Have a look if you have kids or know a youngster that might be interested in: Bible coloring pages, Bible word searches, links to kid-friendly Christian sites, articles about faith for kids, Christian comics, Christian flash-animations for kids and more!

-CBSB

Sin

2008-01-24T17:49:00.000-08:00

Sin

Contents:

What is sin?
How did sin enter the world?
Does everybody sin?
What is the punishment for sin?
Can my sins be forgiven?
Do Christians have a "license to sin"?

What is sin?

God has many rules for us to live by... do not lie, do not cheat, do not steal, do not hate, do not murder... if you know it is right to do something than it is wrong to not do the right thing... God has hundreds of rules for us to live by. Originally God only had but one rule for humans to live by ("And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2:16-17).

To sin is to miss the mark God has set for us by breaking one of God's rules. Even just to break it once is to sin. Have you ever lied? Even just a little white lie? Have you ever stolen? Even just a penny? Have you ever said God's name in vain (as a cuss word)? These are all sins. God laid down laws for us to abide by, just as our Government today gives us laws to live by, and just as there are punishments for breaking the law wherever you live, there are punishments for breaking God's law.

"...by the law is the knowledge of sin." -Romans 3:20 God has not only given us the law in His Word the Bible so that we may know how to live good, spiritual lives, but also to show us that we are missing the mark he has set for us.

The Bible also says:
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." -James 2:10 This means that even if you tell just one little white lie, it is the same as stealing, cussing, doing drugs, cheating, and yes, even murder. Every law of God is a good, and just law, making them all equal. How many lies to you have to tell to be considered a liar? How many times to you have to steal to be considered a thief? The truth is, a white lie is just as bad a sin as telling a great big lie, and stealing even one penny is just as bad as stealing a million dollars.

How did sin enter the world?

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12
That one man that sinned was Adam, and of course his wife Eve sinned also. Through them, their original sin was passed on to each and every one of their descendent's (every person on earth).

If you read all of chapter 3 in the book of Genesis (found here) you learn the story of Adam and Eve (the first man and woman ever made). God created Adam and Eve (making him their father), and placed them in the Garden of Eden. The garden of Eden was a wonderful place, and God gave Adam and Eve all they needed. God only gave Adam and Eve one rule, and this is the first rule in history: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2:16-17

Adam and Eve went about their life doing as God commanded, eating what they wanted except from the forbidden tree. One day however, Lucifer (we also know him as Satan and the devil) descended from heaven in the form of a snake, and tricked Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit from the forbidden tree. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." - Genesis 3:1-5

Now before Adam and Eve broke God's one and only rule, they had no troubles in their life... they walked around naked, and were content to be naked, because they were not cold, there were no harsh elements, and they didn't know what shame was. After they ate the forbidden fruit, they suddenly became ashamed of themselves for being naked. God came down to the Garden of Eden to find his children, and when he found them, they hid themselves because they were naked, and God found out that they had broke his one and only rule.

Because God was Adam and Eve's father (and is our father) he needed to punish Adam and Eve so that they would know what they did was wrong (just as a parent would punish their child for drawing on a white wall with a black permanent marker, or just as a parent would be displeased with their child for cussing, and punish them so that they would not do it again).

Does everybody sin?

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." -1John 1:8 "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." -Romans 3:10 Every man woman and child has sinned.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23 You may be a good person, but even sinning just once (which we all have) we still fall short of the Glory of God (we miss the mark), because God is without sin.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12 We are all descendent's of Adam and Eve, and because Adam and Eve sinned, we are then born into sin because it is passed on to us, so even if you've never lied cheated or stolen, you are still guilty of sin. Alarming isn't it? This is why we cant get into heaven just by being good people... even good people sin. (To read more about going to heaven, please click here).

What is the punishment for sin?

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12

Now we know from the Bible that Adam and Eve were created perfect... and a perfect body would never die. In Revelation we also see where Jesus gets rid of death all together to bring man back to his former, perfect state, which also suggests that if Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would have lived forever. Because they did sin, and God as their father needed to punish them to show them that what they did was wrong (just like we would ground a little kid for drawing on a wall with a permanent marker), Adam and Eve became less perfect (less perfect enough to die). This is how death entered into the world... Adam and Eve brought it upon themselves and all of their descendants. We do not die today because God is evil, but because he is a just, righteous father, and loves us, and so wants to show us through chastisement that sinning is wrong.

"For the wages of sin is death..." -Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 is pretty specific: if you sin you will die. We know that when Adam and Eve sinned, they separated themselves from God. They could no longer live eternally. God still offers us eternal life, through his Son Jesus Christ, so that we may regain that perfect state. Keep in mind that we cannot be perfect on our own, but with God's help we can be... we'll go into this a little later in this study.

For sinning, you will obviously die (and we now know that every person on earth has sinned at least once), but the Bible speaks to us not only of physical death, but of spiritual, eternal death. If there is eternal life, there is also eternal death. If there is spiritual life (being one with God as Adam and Eve once were) there is also spiritual death.

"...for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." -Genesis 2:16-17 Now when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree, they didn't keel over and die, but instead they were separated from God... this is how we know that we become spiritually dead by sinning: "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." -Isaiah 59:1-2 To be separated from God is to be dead, and to be with God is to live eternally. If your sins are forgiven by God and you have God in you, you are going to heaven, to spend eternity with God. If you are separated from God (your sins are unforgiven), we know that God will not allow sin into heaven, and therefore you must bide your time in Hell, and then spend the rest of eternity in the lake of fire with Satan, eternally dead and separated from God.

Can my sins be forgiven?

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1John 1:9 Wow... did you hear that? If we confess to God that we are sinners, He will forgive us! Now, notice here it doesn't say, "The preacher is faithful and just to forgive us..." no man, woman, or child can forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from your unrighteousness... only God can do that. We know already that no human being is faithful and just... only God is, and only God can forgive you of your sins.

"If any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." -1John 2:1-2 Jesus died for the sins of the whole world... all we need to do to obtain that salvation that he offers us is to ask for it by believing in him and confessing that he is God and we need his help to get into Heaven. When the Bible says, "we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the Righteous," I like to think about it this way. When it comes time to be judged, we are going to stand before God and He will go over our lives. The devil is going to be there pointing out all of our faults (just like he does other places in the Bible). Jesus is going to be there, just like a lawyer for us, saying, "Father, I died for their sins so they did not have to. They accepted the sacrifice I made for them, and are now clean and free of sin." The cool thing is, Jesus isn't going to just be our lawyer, but also be the advocate for every person to ever have lived on earth.

"For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." -1John3:8-9 Now, we already talked about dying spiritually (being separated from God), but you can also be reborn spiritually (you can be reunited with God). How do you become born spiritually and become reunited with God? Simple: Accept that Jesus Christ, God's one and only Son, died for YOU, on the cross for sins he did not commit, so that you may be free of sin. You must confess to Jesus in prayer that you are a sinner, and cannot make it to heaven without him. Thank him for sacrificing himself for you, and believe that he is the one and only true Son of God, and that God raised him from the dead after 3 days. (To learn more about getting your sins forgiven, and going to heaven, please click here).

"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:34-36 Here we see again that Jesus, the Son of God, will live forever, and if you have the Son's sacrifice (when Jesus died on the cross for you), you will be free of sin, and will no longer serve it!

Do Christians have a "license to sin"?

Some people say that because after you accept Jesus as your savior your soul no longer sins that you then have a "license" to sin, meaning that because you can't lose your salvation by sinning you can do whatever you want... murder, lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery...

True, even murderers, liars, cheaters, and adulterers can get into heaven by accepting Jesus Christ's sacrifice for them, but this does not mean that after you are saved you should go burn the town down... When we get to heaven God is going to have rewards for us based on the type of life we lead.

Also, after we are saved, there is a change that takes place within us... we should want to do things to please God, not disappoint him. Now that's not to say that God expects you to lead a perfect life... he doesn't. But when you are saved, there is a spiritual "rebirth" if you will... it separates our soul from our body, so that while our flesh may still continue to sin, our soul does not. When you are saved God sends the Holy Ghost into your soul... and if you have a piece of God in you, you can't help but want to do things differently than you would without the Holy Ghost.

The Bible also tells us:
"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:34-36

Do you really want to be the servant of sin? Think about it. For example: Doing drugs is a sin. Say a person does heroine just once... they know that it's wrong to do heroine, and that it isn't good for them, but they do it anyway, and then they get hooked. Now they are serving their addiction... they live from fix to fix, and spend all their time and money trying to get more heroine to do more drugs... their life certainly isn't very good living to serve their addiction. This is only one example. Wouldn't you much rather willingly serve God your Heavenly Father instead of serving sin?

If you would like to know more about going to heaven, and having your sins forgiven, please click here.

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at cbsbdotblogspot@yahoo.com

-CBSB

Chalk one up for God

2008-01-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

I found this on the site: Stand to Reason. I think this is great.

Chalk one up for God

Gregory Koukl

A certain atheist professor of philosophy had as a primary goal to prove to his students God couldn't exist. At the end of every semester he would say to his class, "Anyone who believes in God is a fool. If God existed, He could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that He is God, and yet he can't do it." Then he would drop the chalk and it would shatter into a hundred pieces on the tile floor of the classroom.

If you confront anyone who tries this silly trick, here's how to respond.

Tell the students that you will prove how futile this professor's test is. Have someone stand right in front of you with a piece of chalk and declare that if you really existed in front of them, you could catch the chalk and keep it from hitting the ground and breaking. Then have them drop the chalk and allow it to fall the ground and shatter.

Then say, "I guess this proves I don't exist and that anyone who believes otherwise is a fool. Is this a good test for the existence of God? Of course not. The only thing this professor's exercise proves is that if God does exist, He's not a circus animal that can be teased into jumping through hoops to appease the whim of foolish men.

New Resources!

2008-01-19T22:54:00.000-08:00

We've been hitting the net pretty hard, and now have links to many new resources (now posted on CBSB on the right hand side of the page).
Under: Bible Study Links:
1) One of these sites is called HeLives.com. It has excellent flash animations going over church history, Jonah, Hosea, and Ephesians. I have a feeling many more flash movies/flash Bible studies will be posted on the site.

2) http://www.biblemap.org/ will take you to an awesome site that combines Google Maps with Bible History, allowing you to see maps of where certain verses of the Bible take place. It shows you cities and nations spoken about in the Bible. A great tool to aid you in your study of the Bible.

3) http://onlineparallelbible.com/ (Compare Bibles) will lead you to a site where you can read any passage of the Bible in a side by side view, where you can choose to view two different versions of the Bible at the same time.

4) God's Yellow Pages is a phone book... of sorts. Instead of giving you numbers to call, it tells you where to look in the Bible to find out about things like: Being Anxious, Backsliding, Being Discouraged, Leaving Home, Being Sick, Being Worried, Having Endurance, Being Angry, Going through Divorce, Being Greedy, and much more.

Under: Other Christian Resources
1) Apologetics: A Reasoned Defense of Christianity. Learn how to defend your faith.

2) Comparison of Denominations is a chart showing you the main differences in beliefs between several mainstream Christian denominations. You must scroll partway down the page to get to the comparison chart.

Other:
A whole slew of new things has been added under the "Just for Kids" section... well, heck, the Just for Kids Section is new too, lol. We've been thinking about a "Just for Kids Page," but it will have to wait a little while until we get a better handle on the "For Non-Believers" page.

Check back for more updates and more newly added Bible study tools!

-CBSB

CBSB Newsletter!

2008-01-13T22:50:00.001-08:00

If you would like to receive a newsletter about significant updates on CBSB please e-mail us from the e-mail address you would like to receive the letter to at cbsbdotblogspot@yahoo.com. In the e-mail please specify that you would like to start receiving the newsletter. If at any time you do not wish to continue receiving the newsletter, simply e-mail us and ask us to stop, and you will never again receive it from us.

We promise not to spam your e-mail, and we promise not to sell or give away your personal information to any person not on the CBSB staff.

Thanks!

-CBSB

New Page

2008-01-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

CBSB is now constructing a page specifically for Non-Believers. If you have content you would like to see added to this page, please e-mail us at cbsbdotblogspot@yahoo.com. This page is currently under construction and will be up and running within 4 days. We'll post an update when it's mostly finished!

Thanks!

-CBSB

CBSB Tour

2008-01-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the tour of Christian Bible Study Blog, also known as CBSB!

This is a basic rundown of the site for newcomers to orient you with CBSB and where things are located. FYI, new links, posts, polls, videos, and bible studies are always being added to this site, but in general the site layout remains the same.

CBSB Pages:
To start off, I'd like to show you that CBSB has a main page (the page you just came from), a Video page, a Bible Trivia page, a Christian Poetry page, and a page specifically for non-believers and new Christians. Links to all CBSB pages can be found on the top right hand side of not only the main page, but also on every CBSB page. (See picture below).

Bible Study Links:
Also on the right hand side of the page, and below the links to other CBSB Pages, are a list of Bible study links, which include links to other pages with valuable resources meant to help you while studying the Bible. (see image below).
Other Christian Resources Links:
Below the Bible study links on the right hand side of the page are other links labeled "Other Christian Resources." These are links that are not necessarily "Bible study" oriented, but are interesting and sometimes helpful links relating to other aspects of Christianity. Some of the links include links to an online Christian radio station, a Salvation flash animation, a link to a Christian forum site, and several other links. Often links that you will find in blogs about evolution and carbon dating and other Christian blogs and online magazines will also appear here. Note: All links placed on CBSB are links to free sites... CBSB does not advertise for any site, but does aim to bring sites with useful, factual, and correct information to you. (see picture below).
Links for Non-Believers:
Just below the "Christian Resources links" you will find links "For Non-Believers." These are links for people who do not know God, do not know Jesus Christ as their personal savior, or do not believe or trust in God. They are meant to answer questions and to provide useful information. These links include links to articles on Creation vs. Evolution, as well as articles about knowing God and becoming saved. Whether you are a non-believer yourself, or are having trouble leading somebody to Christ, they are definitely worth taking a look at. (See picture below).

Now that we've covered links to other sites, or other portions of CBSB (all on the right hand side of the page), let's take a look at links to articles from the main CBSB page.

CBSB Faith Statement:
On the top left hand side of the page just below the "welcome to CBSB" statement, you'll find a link to something called "CBSB's statement of faith." This "statement of faith" contains CBSB's personal views on God, the Bible, the holy trinity, Jesus Christ, Salvation, and a few other things. It outlines in detail (including scriptures for support) the things most people would want to know before trusting an online Bible study source. Feel free to browse through the statement of faith, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at cbsbdotblogspot@yahoo.com. (See picture below).

CBSB Bible Studies:
Below the Faith statement on the left hand side are links to "CBSB Bible Studies." These are for the most part, commentaries on specific books of the Bible, but not always. Sometimes we take an in depth look at what the scriptures in the Bible say about things like prayer, speaking in tongues, etc... and these are also under the "CBSB Bible study" links. Note: Sometimes for larger books of the bible, studies are split up by book and chapter for easier reading. All are clearly marked in the title, and within the post. (See picture below).

CBSB's Most Interesting Articles:
Under the links to CBSB bible studies are links to CBSB's most interesting articles. Many articles are posted on CBSB's main page, but not all contain article worthy content. For instance, sometimes when changes are being made to the site, or a new link is added, an article is posted detailing information about it. Articles with content relating to controversial issues, evolution, salvation, conversions, different types of bibles, etc, are listed under "CBSB's best most interesting articles," so that you don't have to go searching through the entire site's archive. (See picture below).

CBSB Archive:
If you do want to take a look at our archive (a list of every article posted by CBSB, sorted by year and month, feel free to take a look by clicking on the little green arrows to the left of each date and month. There are still many worthy articles and things worth taking a look at in the archive. (See picture below).

Other Features of CBSB:
Now that we've got links thoroughly covered, let's have a look at some of the site's other features. On the right hand side of the page, under all of the links you will find a Bible toolbox. This is a great tool where you can type in a scripture, a quote from the Bible, a Christian related phrase or word, or something you want to find a picture of, then select the source you want searched. The toolbox will find many interesting things for you to look at based on the topic and search parameters chosen. (See picture below).

Polls:
Throughout the site, as well as on each CBSB page, you will find polls related to the site, or to other Christian topics/issues. You can only vote once per computer. These are a great way for CBSB and other readers to get an idea of how other people feel, or what other people think . We'd love to know your opinions! (See picture below).
Daily Bible Verse:
Towards the bottom of the page under the CBSB posts you will find a white module with a daily bible verse from the KJV bible. These are updated automatically. (See picture below). At the top of the page there is a thought/quote of the week (10 day week) posted by CBSB, right above the main article section. Instead of one verse from the bible, there are generally 2-4 related verses all relating to the same thing.

Posts:
New posts themselves can be found in the center of the page between the links and polls on the left and right hand side. These posts are arranged by order of newest (most recently posted) first (at the top). If you scroll down to the bottom of the last post on the main page, you will find a link to "older posts". The page is set to display a certain number of posts (articles) per page. Once you have reached the end of the set amount, click on "older posts" to view more articles. Another good way to view all CBSB articles is to visit the Archive (see above for information about the CBSB archive). (See picture below).

Comments:
We love to hear from readers. Whether it's to hear your score on a bible trivia quiz, or to hear your opinion about the site or a specific article/issue, or to hear your questions, we want to know what you think. Comments from all users has been enabled for CBSB, so you don't need to have a Blogger account to leave a comment. Simply click on the "0 comment" link at the bottom of an article you wish to discuss to leave us a comment. (See picture below). Once you have clicked on that link, you will be brought to a comment form, where you can leave us your comment! (See picture below).

Comment Form:

In-post Links:
Occasionally you will find links to other articles or sites in an article. The links are generally a different color, and like all other links, all you need to do is click the word "here" or the link below the discussed topic to be taken to the next page. (See picture below).

We hope you find CBSB a useful site, functional site with correct information. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions for how we can make the site better, or for things you would like to see added to the site, feel free to e-mail us at cbsbdotblogspot@yahoo.com.

God bless!

-CBSB

2008 Bible Quizzes!

2008-01-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

We've posted four new Bible quizzes for the month of January! Go check them out! Click here to visit our CBSB Bible Triva page.

-JW.

Past Thoughts/ Quotes of the Week

2008-01-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

December 2007
1Corinthians 2:5
...your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

1Corinthians 1:25
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men: and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
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January 1-10 2008
Isaiah 40:31
But them that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 56:11
In God have I put my trust: I will not fear what man can do unto me.

Psalm 55:16
I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me.
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January 11-20 2008
Job 13:15-16
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him... He also shall be my salvation."

Job 5:17
"Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of God."

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January 21-31 2008

Job 4:17 "Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

Job 7:17 "What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?"
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February 1-10 2008
John 8:34-36 'Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
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February 11-20 2008
Romans 1:22 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools."

Psalm 53:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."
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Feburary 20-29 2008
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." -1John 1:8
"As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one." -Romans 3:10

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." -Romans 5:12
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April 24-31 2008
"In the Shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." -Psalm 57:1
"When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know: for God is for me." -Psalm 56:9

The Book of 3 John

2007-12-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

Bible Study: The Book of 3 John

1:1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

In 1:2 we can see that John recognizes that Gaius’ soul is prospering (in other words he is laying up treasures in heaven rather than on earth… following the ways of Jesus). John wishes him as much good health and prosperity as his soul has.

1:3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Brethren have reported back to John in 1:3 that Gaius is walking in the truth (John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me). Obviously Gaius is following Jesus’ teachings. In 1:4 when John refers to Gaius as his child, I believe he is referring not to his physical child, but to his spiritual family… John probably lead Gaius to salvation, then making him his child and John his father… John is very pleased that Gaius has continued to walk in the ways of Jesus.

1:5 Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers;
1:6 Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well:

Gaius does good for not only those he knows and is spiritual brothers with, but also shows his love and kindness to strangers… we need to recognize that only showing that we have Christ in us to those who are already saved doesn’t do any good for those that aren’t saved… we should show our love to all people… look at Christ, who prayed for his enemies while he was hanging on the cross. Jesus has given us the best example of how to live our lives… we need to walk as Jesus walked and do as he did, because this is the way we will do well, not only here on earth, but also in heaven.

1:7 Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
1:8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth.

Even though you and I may not be good at preaching the word, we should accept the help others may give us in doing this so that we can do our part to get the word out and tell everybody the good news.

1:9 I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

Diotrephes is the pastor of another church. John wrote him a letter, but Diotrephes, who likes to be the most knowledgeable and be in charge is unwilling to allow John to visit the church.

1:10 Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

Diotrephes speaks badly of John and his followers, probably out loud to the church congregation (something a good pastor wouldn’t do). Diotrephes won’t even receive John’s followers, Diotrephes fellow brethren, and forbids anybody in his church to receive them. If somebody doesn’t do something Diotrephes likes, he casts them out of the church… this seems like a dictatorship to me, instead of a family. To me this church sounds like it would be an unhappy one.

You know, the Bible talks a lot about doing things that are edifying to God and to the church, instead of to yourself… Diotrephes seems to only want to do things edifying to himself. Romans 14:19 also says, “Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” We should try to lift other people up and help them, and not just try to make ourselves look good. Diotrephes doesn’t want John and his followers to pay the church a visit, because he is afraid he will not look as good or as smart if they do.

1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

John reminds us that we need to good, not evil. A person who does good is of God, and a person who has evil in his heart and does evil things obviously doesn’t known God… I think you have to wonder about a person who claims to be saved, and yet does evil things. Diotrephes would be an example of one of these people… just reading John’s description of the things he does or refuses to do, I have to wonder if he really accepted Jesus as his savior and Lord of his life… when you become saved, a change takes place within you… not a physical change, but a change in your heart, because the Holy Ghost will be in you, and you will want to do good things, or to change for the better for God. Don’t forget, our flesh will still sin, but our soul will not. It is human nature to sin, but there is a difference between simply sinning, and trying to be better, than to have evil in your heart and want to do evil.

1:12 Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.
1:13 I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee:
1:14 But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

In this epistle (letter) John has shown Gaius an example of a bad role model (diotrephes) and a good role model (Demetrius, who hath good report of all men and of the truth itself).

Having too much to write to Gaius in a letter, he tells him that he will be coming to talk to him in person. He wishes him peace, gives him greetings from friends, and tells him in the end to greet friends by name.

-JW.

The Book of 2 John

2007-12-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

Bible Study: The book of 2 John

Note: While there is no reliable source that tells us John the apostle is the author of this book, “The elder” in verse one is traditionally thought to be John. Second John touches on a few things the book of 1 John goes into in more detail.

1:1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

While some believe “the elect lady and her children” are a noble woman and her family, I think this verse is John addressing a church and the church’s congregation.

1:2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

When John refers to “the truths sake” he is referring to Jesus. John 14:6 says: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus tells us he is the “truth” which is obviously what John is referring to here. We also know this because we know that once we are saved, we have the Holy ghost in us, and we will never lose our salvation (“and shall be with us forever”).

1:3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Here the author is trying to bless the “elect lady” and her children, and is quick to remind us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

1:4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.

The author is pleased to hear that the elect lady and her children (church and congregation) are keeping God’s commandments and walking in the truth. Because Jesus is the truth, I believe that this also means to follow Jesus and the ways that he has shown us. At every step of Jesus Christ’s life he has shown us how we should live. 1Peter 2:21 tells us, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” 1 John 2:6 says, “ He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” We know from the Bible that it is not enough to just say you believe in Jesus. A good example of this would be: If you walked around drunk all the time, and then one day went out to try and save some souls, you are probably going to run into people who have seen you stumbling around drunk, who are then not going to care what you have to say, because you’re not acting very much like Christ. People will think, “How can he be a Christian? They can’t even take care of their own life, why should I trust them to take care of my soul?” So we can see why John is so pleased to hear that this elect lady and her children are walking in the truth, and not simply claiming to be believers.

1:5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

In 1:5 John is pleading with the elect lady to follow God’s commandment to love one another. John admits that this is not a new commandment, but one that we have had from the beginning. In 1:6 John tells us what love is: “that we walk after his commandments.” If we love God, we will try to do as he wants us to, and walk as he walked.

1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
1:8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

John tells us in 1:7 that there are many “deceivers” that are in the world… people who would act as if they are connected to God in some way, but never confess that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior… that he was born as man and died as their sins. He tells us these people who would try to deceive us into believing they are followers of God but never accept Christ are called an “antichrist.”

1:9 tells us that whoever doesn’t abide in Christ’s teachings doesn’t have God and isn’t saved. Remember that once you are saved, your flesh will continue to sin, but your soul is clean, and will not sin… your body doesn’t go to heaven, but if you are saved, your clean soul does go to heaven.

1:10 tells us that if an antichrist comes to you, don’t bid him God speed… I think this is important: why would you bid somebody God speed, or, “May God go with you and help you with your task,” if they don’t have plans to do things for God… people who aren’t saved don’t have God in their hearts, and don’t want to do good things for God. Now that’s not to say it’s not ok to pray for the unsaved. 1:11 tells us that if you bid the antichrist God speed you then become part of his evil deeds. I'm pretty sure this is just like being the getaway driver for a bank robber...

1:12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
1:13 The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

Because John has many things to speak to the “elect lady” he is planning on trying to meet with them instead of writing it all out on paper.

In 1:13 when he says, “The children of thy elect sister greet thee,” I believe this is also a sign that the “elect lady,” and her children refers to a church, and not an actual person. If you think about the word “elect” defined in the Websters 1828 dictionary as: “Chosen, but no inaugurated, consecrated or invested with office; as bishop elect; emperor elect; governor or mayor elect. But in the scriptures, and in theology, this word is generally used as a noun.” And also defined as, “Chosen; selected; set apart as a peculiar church and people; applied to the Israelites. Is.45,” we can see that this elect lady is probably a type of office, such as the one the pastor of a church might hold. If the elect lady and her elect sister were two churches, it would make sense that their children are the congregations of those two churches.

-JW.

Saving Kids

2007-12-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Chick Publications makes some great tracts (easy to read comic strips that lead people to salvation) just for kids. Click on the links below to read some comics about God, heaven, and salvation with your kids. (These comics may seem a little hokey to anybody over the age of 13, but keep in mind the following are made especially for kids).

Lil' Susy
The Little Ghost
Best Friend
One Way
Here Kitty Kitty
Apes, Lies, and Ms. Henn
The Little Bride

When talking about salvation to kids, I think it's important to remember that kids are young, but they're not stupid... they understand a lot more than we give them credit for, but at the same time we need to speak to them in a way that they will understand, which doesn't mean quoting mass amounts of scripture at them. I have tried to talk to my little sisters (4 years old and 8 years old) about salvation and God before, and I found the best way was to show them what I mean. Chick Tracts are one way of doing that, just like a picture book.

-JW.

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The Book of 3 John

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