Connected To The Vine

So Far Behind!

2006-12-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

I have not posted for a long time, so i am over due. The ministry i am involved in keeps me very busy, but that is really no excuse. Could you imagine Paul whining? Who would have wrote the letters to the Churches?

As believers let us remember that now is a great time to evangelize, because many hearts are open during this holiday season.

It is not just about the Christ child, but Christ crucified & ressurected that gives us eternal hope!

Praise the Lord and Happy Jesus birthday!

Surrender!

2006-10-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

Most of the time we as human beings set our own agenda. We think we know what is best for us, but we often have a very limited view. We grow up learning to follow our dreams and ambitions..our (fleshly) desires. The Lord has a different view because He is our Creator, to follow His will we must surrender ours.
Matt. 16:24 ¶ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matt. 16:25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Matt. 16:26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matt. 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

A Real Change of Heart

2006-10-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

A real change of heart brings about an active belief.

Rom. 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
Rom. 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom. 10:10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

These definitions are from the N.I. Bible Dictionary

CONVICTION (Gr. elencho, to convince or prove guilty). Conviction is the first stage of repentance, experienced when in some way the evil nature of sin has been brought home to the penitent, and it has been proved to him that he is guilty of it. Although the word “conviction” is never used in KJV, both Testaments give many illustrations of the experience. In the OT one of the most notable is found in Psalm 51, where David, realizing he has sinned against God, is overwhelmed with sorrow for his transgression and cries out to God for forgiveness and cleansing. In the NT the central passage bearing on this theme is John 16:7-11, where Jesus says that when the Holy Spirit comes “he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (kjv). Here the word “reprove” (niv “convict”) means “convince” (so rsv) or “prove guilty.” The thought is that the Holy Spirit addresses the heart of the guilty and shows how inadequate ordinary standards of righteousness are. The purpose of conviction is to lead to godly repentance.

REPENTANCE (Heb. naham, subh, Gr. metanoia). The process of changing one’s mind. In the KJV of the OT God himself is described as repenting (Exod 32:14; 1 Sam 15:11; Jonah 3:9-10; 4:2—using naham), in the sense that he changed his attitude to a people because of a change within the people. God as perfect Deity does not change in his essential nature; but because he is in relationship with people who do change, he himself changes his relation and attitude from wrath to mercy and from blessing to judgment, as the occasion requires. His change of mind is his repentance, but there is no suggestion of change from worse to better or bad to good. In contrast, human repentance is a change for the better and is a conscious turning from evil or disobedience or sin or idolatry to the living God (2 Kings 17:13; Isa 19:22; Jer 3:12, 14, 22; Jonah 3:10—using shubh).
In the NT repentance and faith are the two sides of one coin (Acts 20:21). They are a response to grace. Jesus preached the need for the Jews to repent (Matt 4:17), and required his apostles/disciples to preach repentance to Jews and Gentiles (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 17:30). Repentance is a profound change of mind involving the changing of the direction of life from that of self-centeredness or sin-centeredness to God- or Christ-centeredness. God’s forgiveness is available only to those who are repentant, for only they can receive it.
The positive side of repentance is conversion, the actual turning to God or Christ for grace. This is conveyed in the NT by the noun epistrophe (once only, in Acts 15:3) and the verb epistrepho (e.g., Acts 15:19; 2 Cor 3:16). The difference between metanoia and epistrophe and metanoeo and epistrepho is only one of emphasis, for a full repentance is truly a conversion.

CONVERSION (Heb. shuv, Gr. epistrophe). The words commonly used in the English Bible as equivalent to the Hebrew and Greek words are “turn,” “return,” “turn back,” “turn again.” Thus conversion is synonymous with “turning.” The turning may be in a literal or in a figurative, ethical, or religious sense, either from God or, more frequently, to God. It is significant that when the turning refers to a definite spiritual change, it almost invariably denotes an act of man: “Turn! Turn from your evil ways!” (Ezek 33:11; cf. Matt 18:3). Since the word implies both a turning from and a turning to something, it is not surprising that in the NT it is sometimes associated with repentance (Acts 3:19; 26:20) and faith (11:21). That is, conversion on its negative side is turning from sin and on its positive side is faith in Christ (“they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus,” 20:21). Although conversion is an act of man, Scripture makes clear that it has a divine ground. The turning of sinful people is done by the power of God (3:26). In the process of salvation, conversion is the first step in the transition from sin to God. It is brought about by the Holy Spirit operating on the human mind and will, so that the course of one’s life is changed. It is not the same as justification and regeneration, which are purely divine acts. It may come as a sudden crisis or as a more or less prolonged process.

SANCTIFICATION (Gr. hagiasmos from the verb hagiazo). The process or result of being made holy. As the article on HOLINESS makes clear, holiness when applied to things, places, and people means that they are consecrated and set apart for the use of God, who is utterly pure and apart from all imperfection and evil. When used of people, it can refer also to the practical realization within them of consecration to God: that is, it can have a moral dimension. Thus in the NT, believers are described as already (objectively) sanctified in Christ—“your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our sanctification” (1 Cor 1:30 rsv), and “those sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1:2). Also, though set apart in Christ for God and seen as holy by God because they are in Christ, believers are called to show that consecration in their lives—“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1 Thess 4:3), and “May…the God of peace sanctify you” (5:23). The same emphasis is found in Hebrews (2:11; 9:13; 10:10, 14, 29; 13:12). Because believers are holy in Christ (set apart for God by his sacrificial, atoning blood), they are to be holy in practice in the power of the Holy Spirit. They are to be sanctified because they are already sanctified.

A Precious Stone?

2006-09-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Or a Rock offense?
Is Jesus precious to you, or a stumbling block?
Some people do not mind talking about God, but do not say Jesus.
Just as most of the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah during the time of Peter's writing, people (Jew & Gentile alike) still do the same thing today.

1Pet. 2:6 For this is contained in Scripture:
“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone,
AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
1Pet. 2:7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone,”
1Pet. 2:8 and,
“A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”;
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

It has been a while

2006-09-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

We have some great new changes taking place at the Center. I can tell you this, it is all about Jesus! I will tell you more about our new ministry as it progresses. Let me just say that Jesus is the first thing, as it should be, now it is!

More to come!

praise the Lord!

2006-08-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

i have finished moving and getting settled in so i should be posting more often. I just got a great link from my friend Doug. It is of a pastor preaching a sermon and you have to see what happens...it is powerful. Here is the link, click here.

Moving Day : (

2006-08-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

I do not like moving, it seems to disrupt my life. I have already moved everything that is going to my new apartment, but i will probably be crashing at my old apartment for 2 more days. I am waiting for my landlord to do some final electrical wiring to hook up a new ceiling fan and put in the air conditioner. Now you know why i am staying at my old place for a couple more days. This is Florida after all. I still have cable at my old apartment and a little TV, plus i left my modem so i can hook up my laptop and be online.

Oh well, the Lord is in control, so everything will work out!

It is just a joke, or is it?

2006-08-21T05:03:00.000-07:00

HOMELAND SECURITY
Just wanted to let you know the New Homeland Security Bill has passed.
Things will be different now and Internet surfing as you know it will be tracked
by what the FBI calls a "non-intrusive method." The FBI says you will not
notice anything different.
For a demonstration, click on the link below:

Click Here

Important

2006-08-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

I received this e-mail from my friend Doug, and i thought it was worth posting. I hope you agree.

Try to imagine yourself in this man's shoes, being verbally
assaulted with hatred and venom on a daily basis at his job.
Try to imagine if you did the very best you knew how to do, and
STILL, you were despised and hated without reason. How would
you feel? How would you be able to function on a daily basis
at your job? How would you feel every time you went out in
public, knowing that people despised you and there was nothing
you could do to change their minds?
This is awesome - please view!
Click here

Oh boy!

2006-08-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not posting that often and then say i will change my ways and here i am again almost a week later. Truthfully i am in the midst of of moving this week, so i have to pack up and clean up my old apartment. I also have to clean up & set up my new apartment and tomorrow is my only day off before the move. Needless to say most of my nights will be long this week especially when i do not get home until 9:00 pm already. I have been residing on the Calvary House property, but it is time for me to go. With me leaving it gives one of their gradutes the opportunity to move in to my old apartment. I put the word out to some friends about needing to move about 2 months ago. About a month ago a friend told me that his former landlord had an apartment available, well i hestitated on telling him i wanted to look at it. So by the time he called for me someone had put a down payment on it seems the guy backed out and i found out and this time i went to look at it. The owner is letting me move in with no first, last, and security and it is alot closer to the office.

I just pray for the Lord's blessing and thank Him for what He has already done.

I also need to give the leadership at Calvary House their props.

Sorry!

2006-08-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been sending me words of encouragement about my blog, thanks. Also, i would like to apologize for not posting sooner and more often. I can not believe that it has been a week. I will try to change that starting now.

Well, i love the Lord and what He has done in my life so it is my pleasure to be His servant. When i got to the Center today i could see there were some who going through trials with a downcast spirit and some were going through trials with peace & joy. Let's face it, we all go through trials, but how are you going to handle them? Is the Lord in control of your life or do you still think you are in charge?

You see the ones who are downcast have many doubts, the ones with peace & joy know that the Lord is working something out!

Rom. 8:26 ¶ In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
Rom. 8:27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Rom. 8:28 ¶ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Fluff versus the real stuff

2006-08-08T12:44:00.000-07:00

So many people expect or want to hear the feel good gospel. One that will make them healthy, wealthy, and (worldly ) wise. Why not just be content with His plan? The way it seems to be lately is there are more and more professing Christians looking for their wants to be met as opposed to their needs. If we are real Christians (followers, servants of Christ) then we are supposed to be conforming into His image, through the process of sanctification. We are not to expect Christ or His word to conform to us.

His plan for our lives is far better than ours!

Christmas?

2006-08-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

Someone started talking about Christmas already. I have not even got to this weekend yet, so slow down. Let us not get to far ahead of ourselves. I believe in planning, but i am not getting that far ahead. If you can, Lord bless ya!

Just remember to let the Lord lead and guide us in all we do.

an interesting thing

2006-07-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

I was reading Psalm 83 yesterday and today i came across this website. I did not have time to read over the whole website, but i did read their breakdown of Psalm 83. So check it out and see if you agree with their views, or not.

Lord bless!

Seems like time

2006-07-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Time sure does move quickly, so we need to use it wisely. One of the men at the Center came into my Bible study tonight and i realized he has been there over 4 months already. Seems like he just came in the otherday. Then i look at the blog and see i have not posted since Tuesday...where did the week go? Some weeks seem like a blur and if you are in ministry you know what i mean, crisis (family, marriage, emotional), sickness, death.

So let us use our time efficiently to get the most out of what we have left!

Eph. 5:16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Eph. 5:17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Who are you in Christ?

2006-07-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Who are you are in and through Jesus Christ, prayerfully you are walking in a newness of life. We can not be the same people we were before Christ, because we are born again into a living hope. Do not let the devil lie and beat you up! The enemy constantly tries to tell you who you use to be, not who you are in Christ.

Read these words;

Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
Titus 3:6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Regeneration: only found in Matt. 19:28 and Titus 3:5. This word literally means a “new birth.”

In Titus 3:5 it denotes that change of heart elsewhere spoken of as a passing from death to life (1 John 3:14);
becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17);
being born again (John 3:5);
a renewal of the mind (Rom. 12:2);
a resurrection from the dead (Eph. 2:6);
a being quickened (2:1, 5).

Are you running away?

2006-07-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately when we sin it draws us further away from Jesus. What did Adam do in the garden? He tried to hide from God, but we can not hide from God. The truth is at that very time we should be seeking Jesus, not running from Him.

Remember this, His arms are wide open!

The Lord is in control!

2006-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

We as people tend to be impatient about a lot of different things. So when circumstances in our life take a rough turn we start to wonder...why me Lord.

The truth is, He in working something out in our lives for His good purpose.

John 9:1 ¶ As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
John 9:2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
John 9:3 ¶ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Take a look at how God worked things out in Job's life.

The following paragraphs are taken from Easton's Dictionary of the Bible.

"Job: persecuted, an Arabian patriarch who resided in the land of Uz (q.v.). While living in the midst of great prosperity, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a series of sore trials that fell upon him. Amid all his sufferings he maintained his integrity. Once more God visited him with the rich tokens of his goodness and even greater prosperity than he had enjoyed before. He survived the period of trial for one hundred and forty years, and died in a good old age, an example to succeeding generations of integrity (Ezek. 14:14, 20) and of submissive patience under the sorest calamities (James 5:11). His history, so far as it is known, is recorded in his book".

"the trial of Job, its occasion, nature, endurance, and issue. It exhibits the harmony of the truths of revelation and the dealings of Providence, which are seen to be at once inscrutable, just, and merciful. It shows the blessedness of the truly pious, even amid sore afflictions, and thus ministers comfort and hope to tried believers of every age. It is a book of manifold instruction, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16)".

"Revelation: an uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen".

"Providence: literally means foresight, but is generally used to denote God’s preserving and governing all things by means of second causes (Ps. 18:35; 63:8; Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). God’s providence extends to the natural world (Ps. 104:14; 135:5-7; Acts 14:17), the brute creation (Ps. 104:21-29; Matt. 6:26; 10:29), and the affairs of men (1 Chr. 16:31; Ps. 47:7; Prov. 21:1; Job 12:23; Dan. 2:21; 4:25), and of individuals (1 Sam. 2:6; Ps. 18:30; Luke 1:53; James 4:13-15). It extends also to the free actions of men (Ex. 12:36; 1 Sam. 24:9-15; Ps. 33:14, 15; Prov. 16:1; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1), and things sinful (2 Sam. 16:10; 24:1; Rom. 11:32; Acts 4:27, 28), as well as to their good actions (Phil. 2:13; 4:13; 2 Cor. 12:9, 10; Eph. 2:10; Gal. 5:22-25)".

The lesser of two evils?

2006-07-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

I was watching the t.v. show intervention Sunday night and there was a girl on who was addicted to herion. They did an update on her and she was now in a methadone program and her mother was saying how happy she was to have her daughter clean & sober....clean & sober?

I live around the corner from a methadone clinic and let me tell you people come out of there high, not clean or sober. I know the thought is to wean them off eventually, but i have seen some of the same people for several years now.

What about medically supervised detox and then just staying clean. I know herion detox is about the toughess there is, other than (would you believe it) methadone.

The lesser of two evils is still evil.

A Powerful Word

2006-07-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

I had someone ask me if i truly believe that a right relationship with Jesus would help them stay sober. I said...absolutely!

2Pet. 1:3 ¶ His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
2Pet. 1:4 Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Titus 2:11 ¶ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
Titus 2:12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

2Tim. 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
2Tim. 3:17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

What a joy!

2006-07-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

Our new Major/Senior Pastor is a good preacher who preaches the text in context. Today he preached from 1 John and it hit home for a lot of the men. I thank the Lord that He sent the White's to us.

In Bible college my hermeneutics professor Dr. Beatty would say "any text preached without context is a pretext".

BTW, Expository preaching is the most effective preaching.

1John 1:1 ¶ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

1John 1:2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

1John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

1John 1:4 We write this to make our joy complete.

1John 1:5 ¶ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

1John 1:6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

1John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

1John 1:8 ¶ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Following Directions

2006-07-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

It seems easy to write and just as easy to say, but we would all be better off if we would follow directions. It all starts with taking the time to read first. Yes, men & women both need directions. I watch some of the guys in our computer lab having problems navigating the web. Most of the time the trouble could be solved by just reading over what they are doing.

So let's use this as an encouragement to read the Bible daily. So we move in the right direction.

Matt. 19:4 ¶ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’

Matt. 21:16 ¶ “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. ¶ “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?”

Matt. 21:42 ¶ Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Matt. 22:31 But about the resurrection of the dead — have you not read what God said to you,

Mark 2:25 ¶ He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?

Mark 12:26 Now about the dead rising — have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?

Luke 10:26 ¶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

Acts 13:27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

The neglected ones?

2006-07-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

As church leaders, pastors, ministers, we sometimes have a tendency to neglect the saved. Sometimes a real how are doing is more important than a hello. Everyone has daily struggles...everyone. Yet we tend to be more concerned with those that do not know the Lord, That is cool, do not get me wrong, i know we need to reach the lost and there is no doubt about that. Just remember this, when Jesus was talking about the one lost sheep the other 99 were secure.

What does Jesus think?

2006-07-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

After checking out my buddy Bob Franquiz's blog yesterday and seeing what happened there (the Rick Warren post) it made me think about this. Even thought it was Paul who was the human author of Philippians and it is the Holy Spirit that is speaking to us as the body of Christ in Chapter 2.

Phil. 2:1 ¶ If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
Phil. 2:2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Phil. 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

We need to remember as believers that the world is on the outside looking in, so if you were on the outside...would you want to be joining in?

Like minded is Christ minded!