Empower
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The life you live is yours, and it’s up to you how you fulfill it. Living, loving, and smiling is how I’m choosing to live....
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“I’m at the point in my life where I am past focused on my goals that lie within my dream. I’m past the point of thinking and dreaming, and even...”
Who Told You Could Preach - Church Thugs
I been watching this series Church by Sean Plummer and its SO FUNNY! Check them out HERE!
I literally died all today!
Meaning watch what people tell you about the Bible. As a Christian, you must read the Bible for yourself and do your research. As a believer in Christ, don’t put all your faith into man when it comes to the word. Read it yourself. God put the Bible on this Earth so you can get to know him. So get to know Him! How can you say you love someone if you don’t know anything about them?
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.[a]
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
These are the verses that we went over in Bible Study…so let’s dig in.
This letter was wrote to Paul by the church of Corinth, because they were struggling with sin. Basically this text is saying that there are no idols. There is only one GOD and as believers we fully comprehend this. (1- 4) So if food is sacrificed to another idol it does not affect us, because we know the truth. Let’s use a temple for the God of Orange Juice for example. You could be walking and someone invites you into the the God of Orange Juice temple to get some Orange Juice (I know this is silly, but just follow me here). We can enter and get some juice, because we know that there are no other Gods, but our God.
However we must be careful that what we do does not tempt our brother who is struggling. What does that mean? It means if we have the knowledge that Jake was once a God of Orange Juice believer and entering in there will tempt him, then as his brother/sister in Christ we should not enter. (I hope this is making sense) Let me try to put this in better context:
If people that have been worshipping idols all their life, but leave to worship Christ yet they still live, eat, hang out etc. in the same place its going to be hard not to fall back in temptation. Some people have to totally separate themselves from their old environment to help out in their work. If we have knowledge of their weaknesses, but continue to encourage them to live, eat, hang out in the very places that may allow them to remain weak, then we are responsible.
As brothers and sisters in Christ we must encourage and help one another out. Not only that, but we must be mindful of our actions at all times. Sometimes the only Bible that people get a chance to read is you.
We also discussed how if you say you are Christian you should try very hard to be like Jesus. I know its hard and we are all going to make mistakes, but you must attempt. There are people looking at you. Now this does not mean that you allow people to control your actions, because they are looking at you. There are two types of people you deal with when you are a Christian or with anything.
1. Those that just want to tell you what to do
2. Those that look up to you.
Forget about the first one, but the second one is very vital. The second type of person you may be responsible for. They can see you as you claim to be a Christian acting wild, sleeping around and getting drunk all the time and have either of these two reactions: One, they can say “Man I thought they really were a Christian” or Two, “Well, Jasmine is a Christian and she does all these things so it must be okay.” You must attempt to do what’s right.
Well, that’s all we went over in Bible Study on 10.19.2011
Sorry about the postings on our Bible Study. I been slipping, but I will attempt to do better. Promise.
Background- Lecrae
My favorite Lecrae song!!!
Why gain the whole wide world if I am just gonna lose my soul?
exactly.
You were made by God and for God-and until you understand that, life will never make sense.
Forever reblog. Reblog forever.
(via shawntelllive)
(via revelationsofmp)
Looking for a good Christian read?! Well look no further. I promise you will love this story of forgiveness. Support Christian art. This is an amazing novel that was written with a vision. It can change your life.
(via shawntelllive)
Exactly.
(via revelationsofmp)
Look to yourselves [take care] that you may not lose [throw away or destroy] all that we and you have labored for, but that you may [persevere until you] win and receive back a perfect reward [in full]. Anyone who runs ahead [of God] and does abide in the doctrine of Christ [who is not content with what he taught] does not have God; but he who continues to live in the doctrine of Christ [does have God], he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine [is disloyal to what Jesus Christ taught], do not receive him, do not welcome or admit him] into [your] house or bid him Godspeed or give him any encouragement. For he who wishes him success [encourages him] is a partaker in his evil doings.
2 John 1:8-11
**I used the Amplified Bible because I liked the brackets and the way they explained things sorry if it is confusing, I think it helps though**
Plain and simple, this is why I refuse to argue with people about the Bible. I plan to study Apologetics (the defense of the Christian faith) in seminary at some point soon, I will not argue with people about the Gospel of Christ. If someone is truly seeking answers I will sit with them for days and pour through the Bible answering the questions that they have. I am a minister and I have no issue with that. But I will not encourage the fervor to argue that seems to exist within those who tr to uphold a false doctrine. I go by the Bible. I will not add anything to it nor will I take anything away. I go by what I see when I open up the Holy Bible.
So many times Christians feel the need to argue and fight with people about what is written in the Holy Bible. I want to encourage you not to do so. It is pointless. If you are positive that you are right and someone else is positive that they are right then what will you be accomplishing? All that you will accomplish is a lot grandstanding about who knows the most Scriptures. If you lose that battle then you look like you are wrong and you simply further enforce what they are saying (to them and anyone listening to the battle). The Bible tells us not to even give those type of people any attention or time. It says do not receive them. In other words do not allow them into your space. Do not feed into the arguments that they want to have with you because it is only going to encourage them. Like I said, if you are a true Christian then you should drop any and everything to show someone the light if they are TRULY seeking it, but do not get caught up in arguing with someone who is clearly not seeking. This Scripture even says that if you do you are a partaker in their evil doings. Consider this story:
Two men were were having a debate one day in the middle of a busy coffee shop. One man was a professor with two doctorate degrees and the other was a high school drop out. They were arguing about something that the professor had written a dissertation on and was very learned in the subject. The other man was simply saying what he had heard growing up and stating assumptions that were holistically unfounded. The debate got heated and turned into an argument. Both men were raising their voices. A woman walked into the coffee shop with her son and says “Look at those two fools arguing.”
The point of the story is that even if you are right and the other person is obviously wrong, you will both look like fools to other people. It doesn’t matter to the audience. And as a matter of fact if you are not prepared for the argument then you could end up looking like you are the one who is wrong and unlearned. This could lead others astray. Trust me when I say that people who are following odd doctrine have all kinds of proof that they are right. They are not simply saying these things, they really believe what they are saying. The one Scripture that you have that proves your point has probably been “debunked” and proven to not be accurate by their scholars. Nothing you say can affect change on the way that they think. So do not even bother with them!!
I am not telling you not to proclaim the gospel. I am not telling you to be ashamed of it. I am simply saying that there are scholars who have dedicated their lives to proving the Christian faith valid (I plan to be one some day) and their work is published in books or online. If a person following a false doctrine really wanted to know the truth they could EASILY find these works and read them for themselves. You can’t say ANYTHING that has not already been said.
We live in an age where people decide that they aren’t going to give up their vices and they begin searching for things like “What does the Bible ‘REALLY’ say about _____?” or “_____ is not really a sin”. Believe it or not there are people who can twist a Scripture until it allows you to do WHATEVER it is that you want to do. And if not then there is a scholar somewhere who has discovered that somehow historically the Bible was not talking about _____ so that means it was never prohibited and it is fine to do (even if it is directly referenced at other points in the Scripture).
People are searching for THEIR answer instead of searching for THE answer. You cannot combat that. It threatens their way of life. They might have to actually admit that they are a sinner. Let them establish their own righteousness and you focus on following righteousness according to Christ.
(via revelationsofmp)
What is it that renders death terrible? Sin. We must therefore fear sin, not death. - St. Alphonsus Liguori
(via revelationsofmp)
More Level 3:16….
