"TRUTH"

“30Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him. 31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:30-31) [NIV] also (John 18:37)

Open: Who is the most truthful person you know? What do you think motivates them to be truthful?

Back Ground Comments:

Here are a few excerpts from different commentaries that I read in preparation for my post. Read through them carefully while referencing your Bible at the same time.

If the truth sets you free, ask God to speak to you in truth as you answer the questions at the end.

(v. 30) As He spoke these wonderful words, Jesus found that many professed to believe on Him. Doubtless some were genuine in their faith. Others might only have been prompted to give lip service.

(v. 31) Then Jesus made a distinction between those who are disciples and those who are disciples indeed. A disciple is anyone who professes to be a learner, but a disciple indeed is one who has definitely committed himself to the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are true believers have this characteristic - they hold to His teaching. This means that they continue in the teachings of Christ. They do not turn aside from Him. True faith always has the quality of permanence. They are not saved by abiding in His word, but they abide in His word because they are saved.

(v. 32) The promise is made to every true disciple that you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The Jews did not know the truth, and they were in a terrible form of bondage. They were in the bondage of ignorance, error, sin, law, and superstition. Those who truly know the Lord Jesus are delivered from sin, they walk in the light, and are led by the Spirit of God.

Jesus Himself is the truth that sets you free (see 8:36) He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Thus, Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God. As we seek to serve God, Jesus’ perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be.

Explore:

What do you think about this statement, “Truth is the foundation for everything?”

What promises did Jesus make to those who believed in him?

As a believer how do you determine what is truth or false?

Get it:

What kinds of spiritual pride tempt people today to a false security that prevents true dependence on Jesus?

In what sense did you have to humble yourself in order to accept Jesus as Savior?

Since becoming a Christian, what is an instance in which God’s truth has made you free?

How can we explain to nonbelievers the importance of the divinity of Christ?

Apply:

Will you ask God to show you an area where you have depended on your knowledge instead of fostering your personal dependence on God’s truth? How firm a grip on the “truth” do you have?

Quoted from”Life Application Bible”, Illumina, Serendipity Bible and Believers Commentary

Living Like A Man After God's Own Heart

“9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” (Romans 12:9-16) [NIV]

Is there a man in the house? If so, have you ever wondered what a real, godly man looks like?

Sadly to say, many children in our community will go to bed tonight without a man in the house.

How did we get from Ricky and Lucy to Ricky Martin? What happened to cause this hug shift in our society? Well we need first of all to understand a little bit of our past culture in order to answer this question.

In the 1950's it is was an exception to find the absence of a man in the house. I remember as a young boy hearing for the first time that someone was getting a divorce and how confused I was with that. I didn't know anyone who had been divorced. Yes there were problems, but they were different in the 1950's than we have today. Post war men came back, in my parents generation, came to know Christ, you do that when your at war, … with dreams of being married, having a family, buying a car and owning a home.

In the 1960's again, it was an exception to find a home without a father and divorce was still not a very common thing. This, however, was the decade that the American male began his evolution. It was the decade that sex was separated from responsibility. It was the time known as “peace”, “flower child”, LSD and free sex.

Along came the 1970's with it's feminist movement. Men's roles began to shift in the home and family. He began to think “who am I” and “what am I”? He went from being John Wayne to being Richard Simons.

The 1980's was the decade of greed, power, buy, buy, buy, earn, earn, earn, work, work, and work some more. Men would go home completely exhausted not having any energy left to be men at home, play with their kids, and be the leader, thus surrendered that role to the wife.

1990's We have men who grew up thinking that the goal to life was to play. How many of you have seen grown men acting like young boys? The goal of most men in the 90's was to play and make lots of money. I remember growing up with teachers, Dr.'s, coaches, police men, and astronauts being my heros. Who are our boys hero's today? It's the entertainers, it's the athletes who are winning the attention of our boys.

Let me share some facts we need to be concerned about. Nineteen percent of babies born in America are born out of a traditional marriage. They will grow up never knowing their fathers or experiencing their love for them. The National Center For Children And Poverty tell us boys who are raised without a father in the home are two times more likely to drop out of school, two times more likely to go to jail, and four times more likely to suffer emotional problems requiring treatment.

William Pollack in his book, “Real Boys”, states that divorce affects both boys and girls, but that it is devastating for males. The lack of discipline and supervision caused by a father's absence and his unavailability to teach boys to be men has devastating effects on them.

What's the basic problem? Absent fathers, absent fathers, absent fathers and more absent fathers. It's a vicious cycle. Fatherless families are producing fatherless families.

Dr. Eliam in his book “Raising A Son”, says that the reason there are so many troubled boys is contributed to distant uninvolved fathers, resulting in mothers who have to take on more responsibility to fill the gaps.

Sociologist Peter Carl states that eighty percent of a boys time is spent with women resulting in not knowing how to act as a man when they grow up. The relationship between the sexes is affected and men become more like big kids. And in the homes that the father is present but not involved the wife becomes confused. She sees a man in the market place who is in control, who rules with authority, a man who is involved in his occupation and then comes home and spending the rest of the evening on the lazy boy with remote control in hand ignoring his children and in his wife.

This Sunday we are going to wrap up our r12 series taking an overall look at Romans 12:9-16). As you read this passage of scripture ask yourself, “What does 'Living Like A Man After God's Own Heart” look like? What are the qualities listed in these verses? Write them down and you also strive to live your life according to the list you came up with.

Open:

What is your favorite memory with your father, step father, (father figure) or grandfather?

Explore:

How does it make you feel after reading the statistics and facts above?

Have you been affected by the “culture shift” and the “redefining of man”? If so, how?

Read (Romans 12:9-16) What are the characteristics of a godly “person” that you identified? Here is a list I came up for with: be sincere (v. 9), be considerate (v. 10), be energetic (v. 11), be prayerfully patient (v. 12), be warm (v. 13), be different (v. 14), be understanding (v. 15), be one (v. 16).

Be honest, which one of these do you struggle with?

Which one of these do you do easily?

Apply:

This Sunday is Father's Day. Honestly evaluate your relationship with your father/father figure. How is your relationship with “him”? What needs to improve? Will you take the initiative? When?

SACRIFICIAL SURRENDER

“1The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”(Psalm 23) [NIV]

Comments:
Psalm 23. Such a familiar passage in the Christian world, yet it is one that I've drifted away from recently. Not because I don’t need it, but because I brush it off as a passage I’ve heard over and over. Kind of like the “been there, done that, got the t-shirt” passage. However, I have not allowed myself to rest in that scripture and I need it. It encompasses all phases of life.
After a near fatal car accident almost ten years ago that left me paralyzed (mind you, I was a missionary when it happened), I found myself questioning many things about God, Christianity, and life in general. I suddenly felt so alone and afraid of a world I knew nothing about.
Have you ever felt that way? Alone? Confused? Frustrated? Needing a break from it all? Many people do all around the world for many different reasons.
Please join me this Sunday as we take a look into Psalm 23. He has anointed and prepared a place for us at His table, and so we should rest in Him when times of trouble come our way. Read through Psalm 23 before Sunday, and get excited about the “Sacrificial Surrender” that I’ll lead you through as you allow God to transform your life in an amazing way which will allow you to be a blessing to others!

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Alyson Roth will be sharing her powerful testimony and about Free Wheel Chair Mission this Sunday in both services. You don’t want to miss. Plan to be here and bring someone with you.
Pastor Ruben

Open:
With what formulas for dealing with stress were you raised? “Forget it”? “Pray about it”? “Sleep on it”?

Explore:
Read this Psalm again in the negative (“The Lord is not my shepherd ...”) What verse is most disturbing to you?

Get It:
What dark valley do you walk now? Has God rescued of protected you with His “rod” and “staff”? What “green pastures and still waters” has he brought your way?

Apply:
Who are your “enemies” today? What would you like your cup to overflow with? Take a moment and ask God to be all that Psalm 23 says for you.

HOW TO OVERCOME THE EVIL INTENDED FOR YOU

Text: (Read Genesis 37-50) & (Matthew 5:43-44) [NASB] & (Romans 12:17-21) [NIV] “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Background Comments: Have you ever been hurt or attacked so bad that you wanted to grab a rock and fling it with all your strength at your offender?

I remember a few years back when I had one of those incidents. Of all places it happened at church. The name of the person or the details of the incident doesn’t really matter but the impact it had on me was one that wound me deeply. To say the least, I had a difficult time getting over it. My self esteem, confidence, and leadership were attacked. It was so bad that it even affected my marriage.

Thank God for a godly mature woman who discerned the evil that was intended for us before it happened. It was like God had already prepared her for what would attack us.

Gayla had warned me ahead of time, and had pleaded with me to not validate and elevate this person into a influential ministry position. As all good husbands do, I disregarded her counsel. Valuable lesson number one, listen to your wife!

Thank God that the truth was found out. The evil intended for us could have broken my marriage, ruined my testimony and finished my ministry. For almost 18 months I carried this wound, and sadly to say, often nurtured it. I had those “rock flinging” thoughts and even wished the worst for my attacker!

God works in mysterious ways. I remember when God laid it on my heart to share an interactive sermon on forgiveness where I had positioned two crosses on either side of the stage. I then instructed the audience to write the name of an offender on a 3X5 card, to come up and nail it to the cross. Which represented that you were trusting Jesus with that person and offense and that you were letting it go in an act of forgiveness. After sharing that message, God did a work in me. I forgave my offender, really forgave them! How did I know that I had forgiven them? Because I would see them in town and no longer “pick up” a stone. I would see them and not be overwhelmed with anger towards them. God had freed me to be able once again to pray for them and bless them.

I know that my story resonates with you. Too many of us have been hurt unintentionally, or in my case, intentionally by others. Maybe you are still carrying around a “handful of rocks” waiting to run into the person who has offended you so that you can through one directly at them.

It’s time to drop the rocks! It’s time to forgive! It’s time to do good to those who have hurt you! It’s time to live at peace with everyone, if it is at all possible.

Please understand me. This is not minimizing the pain or excusing the misconduct nor condoning someone else's behavior. It’s simply recognizing the offender, forgiving him, and loving him in spite of his sins - just as Christ did for us.

Forgiveness involves both attitudes and actions. If you find it difficult to feel forgiving toward someone who has hurt you, try responding with kind actions. If appropriate, tell this person that you would like to heal your relationship. Lend a helping hand. Send them a gift. Smile at them. Often you will discover that right actions lead to right feelings. I pray that God would give you the courage you need and success to your efforts!

Open: What is the dumbest thing you have done in anger?

Explore: What did Jesus teach is to be our response when evil is aimed at us? (Read Matthew 5:43-45a)

Get It: How did Jesus model “the way” we are to respond to the evil aimed at us. (Read Luke 23:32-27 & Ephesians 4:32) How does understanding (Ephesians 4:32) help in forgiving someone who has hurt you?

Apply: What is Jesus saying to you about your response to someone who has hurt you deeply? (Read Matthew 6:12-13) If you are going to have a conversation with someone who has hurt you in the past, what are some precautions you should take? What steps do you need to take now to deal with your hurt?

Quoted from "Life Application Bible", Illumina and Serendipity Bible

Gayla's Birthday Reflection

A Birthday Reflection:

What matters in life is often viewed as peripheral to the things that we usually focus on. As the saying goes: "The most important things in life aren't things at all!"

Over time, passion takes a backseat to production, wellness to working, and balance to busyness. The old adage that "life is not a dress rehearsal" is so true, and yet we act the contrary by putting off what is truly important or wasting precious time and energy by indulging in things that aren't!

On your next birthday, stop focusing on your age and meditate on your life at that moment. Ask yourself how can you make it better, how can you make a difference! Rearrange your priorities. Spend less money and more time with your loved ones. Be grateful! Give to those in need. Love others sacrificially and love yourself enough to make caring for yourself a priority. Live everyday on a constant quest of discovery, especially for what really matters most to you and then live your life as a true reflection of what that is! "He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to give what he cannot lose!"

Thank you, God, for my life. May it glorify you and bless others. Today, I celebrate me!