Thursday, June 27, 2013

I Wanna Win!

I don't wanna get paid to lose. I wanna win!

...Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
1 Corinthians 15.7 NASB

The Quote



The Scripture

1 Corinthians 15 is the obligatory Sunrise Service portion of scripture. It rings out on every Easter morning. Death is swallowed up in victory. Yes. We follow the winner. Call us Christians bandwagon fans, but we know that in the ultimate game of life and death, we choose to side with the One who has kicked Death in the butt.

Death is swallowed up in victory.
The picture is amazing here. Death—Mighty Death—is swallowed up. Consider: how big does one thing need to be in order to swallow up another thing? Twice as big? Three times? I, as a 5-foot, 10-inch individual, need to cut a little 6 oz. steak into pieces in order to chew it before swallowing.

Sometimes we picture a grand struggle, where Jesus labored and fought and scratched and clawed before finally wrenching the keys of Hades from Death. But 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that His greatness was big enough to swallow death, much like a human swallowing a bug. Almost, as if, by accident. With little to no effort comparatively. And that victory has been secured and passed on to us. It is in this vein that John Donne penned the following:
72. "Death be not proud, though some have called thee"

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee, 5
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell, 10
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

To the victor goes the spoils. Christ, The Victor, has defeated Death and now lords it over him by granting the victory to us. You may ask, why do you capitalize this term: Death? Isn't that something that just happens to us at the end of this life? The answer is no. This is not the death that was defeated. What was defeated is the active force that infects all of humanity. It is the Death that springs up from within and corrupts the activity of mankind, causing all of us to fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3.23) Without Christ's victory we would have no hope—neither in the next life nor in this one.

The Application

To live the Christian life with a defeated attitude is like being paid to lose. It's like Nacho Libre getting a paycheck to be some loser's punching bag. Don't be Satan's punching bag in this life. God has much more for you than just a home in heaven, He wants you to make a difference in this life. Strengthen yourself by abiding in His Word. Let that Word influence your thinking and activities. Then you will see victory in your life, the victory that glorifies God because He has provided it to us.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Wearing Stretchy Pants

Chancho, when you are a man you wear stretchy pants in your room, it's for fun. 

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. 
But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 
—1 Corinthians 13:11 NLT

The Quote


The Scripture

Paul, in the seminal chapter of love, begins his conclusion in verse 8 with the statement that love never fails. There is never a circumstance in which true love comes up short. Selfishness and impurity are sure to falter if even virtues that are good and just fail. Even the gifts of the Holy Spirit fail, but love never does because love is an expression of the divine nature.

It is implied that we should strive to perfect this divine attribute in our own lives. That is why Paul continues the concluding argument in verses 11 and 12. He says that we need to grow in love and mature in our spiritual walk. Some things are acceptable for children in the faith, but are disgraceful for mature spiritual Christians to partake in. By that same token, there are certain things that no one should expect a spiritual infant to partake in which a man nearing their spiritual prime must do.

Life is expressed in seasons. We have beginning, middle and end seasons—all of which have their individual rites of passage and milestones. Despite this progression in maturity one directive remains: we are to continually put off the Old Man and put on the New Man—the New Man whose life has been reinvigorated by the Lord Jesus. This is God's expectation regardless of which stage you find yourself in your spiritual journey.

The Application

What are you learning from scripture that needs to be applied to your life today? Maybe you are struggling with something you know scripture condemns as wrong. Maybe you are struggling with a question of doctrine or grappling with the philosophical implications of scripture. Know that the process of learning questions those things which you think you know. Sometimes what you thought you knew turns out to be false. Sometimes what you thought you knew is confirmed.

Just because your traditional spiritual life is different does not make it right or wrong. Sometimes, as with Ignacio, when we get older we wear stretchy pants in our room. Sometimes, when informed by the wisdom that comes from experience, we will undergo a dramatic change in our position on certain things.

The acceptance of that fact is called maturity.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Monday, June 17, 2013

300th Post: Reflection in triplicate

300 Articles


So here we are. I have composed, published and promoted 300 articles covering all kinds of Holy Topics. Woohoo! To celebrate, I am looking into my vault at various quotes, notes and posts that have to do with the number 3. I will link where appropriate and credit whoever said what. Enjoy!

Bold Service


[NOTE] There are three synonyms for service
  1. Working
  2. Giving
  3. Loving

Marks of prayer

[NOTE] Three marks of mature and effective prayer
  1. Contrition and acceptance of God's sovereignty.
  2. Acknowledgement of his place with the sinners.
  3. Thanksgiving and confidence in God.
Dr. David Humphreys

Growing Green

[POST] The theme Growing Green is expanded into three parts. These three parts are essentially phases in the life of a tree and are used to mirror the process which should be occurring in the Christian’s life. The three phases are as follows: Rooted, Grounded and Established... http://jmnz.us/11KIIVQ

Elements of trust

[QUOTE] "Trust often includes three beliefs: ability, integrity and benevolence."
Song and Zahedi

A little inspiration

[POST] Firstborn of the Three, inspired by +Andy Fritchey ... http://jmnz.us/17TqU2v

Post on Reading the Bible

[POST] From Passing the Faith along: Read the Bible, it's Simple and Easy... http://jmnz.us/11KJr9B

Religious sin

[NOTE] on Jude 11: The three examples are of religious sins. Cain committed murdered over the sacrifice. Balaam was frustrated as he tried to curse israel. Korah rebelled against the religious order and establishment.

A little Latin

[QUOTE] Trespass personae, una substantia.--Three persons, one substance.

A little Faith

[NOTE] Three Enemies of Faith (Numbers 13-14)
  1. Sight (13: 32-33)
  2. Human Reasoning (13:31)
  3. Feelings (14:1-3)
Randy Amos

Three thoughts

[QUOTE] ''There are three things I think about in the morning. My new identity in Christ. My security in Christ. My value in Christ.'' 
Glenn Craig

Gifts

[NOTE] The Spiritual Gifts may be restructured and organized into these three categories: Prophetic, Priestly and Kingly (Royal). It forms a trinity.

Conclusion

In scripture, great things come in triples. Consider that God's revelation of Himself is triune (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). In addition, many sermons are put together with three points or illustrations in mind. The number three seems to resonate within our minds. I hope these thoughts have been an encouragement.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Sunday, June 9, 2013

A New Deal: Dr. Gary Cohen

These are my notes from today's sermon at Bible Truth Chapel in Miami, Fl. 

"Some people see the pain in this world and decide to hurt others instead of helping others as a result."

Daniel: Prophet to the royal court in Babylon
Ezekiel: Prophet to the camp of Jews who were captured to build the new Babylon. 
Jeremiah: Prophet who stayed in Israel to preach to the people left behind. 

- Jer. 31.3 is God reassuring his people that he still loves them. It's easy to love those who love us, it's hard to love those who do not love back. 
- About being overly critical: "Live and let live or else you won't have any friends."
- "Some people seem perfect, but those tend to be the people we don't know very well."

Jer. 32.31-36: The New Deal
- The last deal was a tender one (by the hand)
- The agreement was broken, they needed a new one. 
- Everyone (Gentiles) are included in the new agreement. 
- The God whose love did not expire for Israel is the God whose love does not expire for us. 

Matt. 26.27-29
- Jesus would not drink of the "cup of gathering" until the great gathering once the New Deal is fulfilled. 

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Family Camp Talks of Holy Things (Part 2)

Now or Later...Continued

I was planning to add a cool voice over to this presentation so it would be more interactive and self-explanatory. But I realized that there was no time for that, and since the iron has cooled off a bit, I decided to strike while it was semi-lukewarm. But you already knew that from yesterday, didn't you?

Spanish Family Camp was fun. I really enjoyed speaking to the kids who didn't want to listen to a message in Spanish. I think they really liked the chocolate I gave out during sword drills. It was a symbiotic relationship, really. I thought that was clever, can you tell?

So anyways, here's my Prezi Presentation used for the "Spanish Family Camp Message for the Jovenes That Want to Hear a Message in English." Actually, this is my second presentation. But who's counting?

Resources

Here are the articles referenced in the presentation. These posts have the expanded explanations I based the message on. (Listed in order of appearance during the lecture.)


This was an interactive lesson, let me know what you think of it with a comment. I'd love to get some feedback!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Family Camp Talks of Holy Things (Part 1)

Now or Later

I was planning to add a cool voice over to this presentation so it would be more interactive and self-explanatory. But I realized that there was no time for that, and since the iron has cooled off a bit, I decided to strike while it was semi-lukewarm.

Spanish Family Camp was fun. I really enjoyed speaking to the kids who didn't want to listen to a message in Spanish. I think they really liked the chocolate I gave out during sword drills. It was a symbiotic relationship, really.

So anyways, here's my Prezi Presentation used for the "Spanish Family Camp Message for the Jovenes That Want to Hear a Message in English."


Resources

Here are the articles referenced in the presentation. These posts have the expanded explanations I based the message on. (Listed in order of appearance during the lecture.)


This was an interactive lesson, let me know what you think of it with a comment. I'd love to get some feedback!

Christopher M. Jimenez. Powered by Blogger.

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