Matthew 5:13-16 Our christian testimony
Salt: Seasons, cures, preserves.
Sweat and tears are salty, We should work hard and morn for people who do not know God.
Light: We are a reflective light of Jesus Christ
Romans 13:12, Ephesians 5:8 & 14
Our good works should be a light that shines before others so that they would praise God.
God Bless, Mike
Monday, August 20, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Is there only one way to Heaven?
Why do people have this infatuation with Heaven?
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Is there only one way and what is it.
Matthew 7:13-14
Narrow - The nature of Truth is that it must be narrow. If there is only one truth it is narrow. Truth illustrations?? Another suggestion is that it is narrow because we can’t take anything or anyone with us.
Unfortunately “Narrow minded” is a negative characteristic of a person
What is the narrow way? Gospel Matt 1:21, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16
Acts 4:12, John 14:6
Difficult- This is not saying that God makes it difficult but it is difficult for people to accept truth it is difficult for people to turn their backs on sin selfishness and give their lives to God
Few- the harsh reality that the majority reject God and His plan. Maybe only few enter because only few seek. Jesus said if you seek you will find.
Wide Gate
Broad- Is the way to destruction (not annihilation but ruin or loss) Broad minded open accepting. How broad minded are you when you spouse cheats on you or someone robs your home?
Many enter it because there are many ways.
God Bless!!
Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Is there only one way and what is it.
Matthew 7:13-14
Narrow - The nature of Truth is that it must be narrow. If there is only one truth it is narrow. Truth illustrations?? Another suggestion is that it is narrow because we can’t take anything or anyone with us.
Unfortunately “Narrow minded” is a negative characteristic of a person
What is the narrow way? Gospel Matt 1:21, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16
Acts 4:12, John 14:6
Difficult- This is not saying that God makes it difficult but it is difficult for people to accept truth it is difficult for people to turn their backs on sin selfishness and give their lives to God
Few- the harsh reality that the majority reject God and His plan. Maybe only few enter because only few seek. Jesus said if you seek you will find.
Wide Gate
Broad- Is the way to destruction (not annihilation but ruin or loss) Broad minded open accepting. How broad minded are you when you spouse cheats on you or someone robs your home?
Many enter it because there are many ways.
God Bless!!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Why does God allow suffering?
Listen to the podcast if you were not there to hear Madalaine's testimony.
Here are some passages I used in the message.
Suffering alerts us that there is a problem
Romans 5:12 tells us sin is in the world
Romans 8:18-22 talks about suffering focuses us on the afterlife and we realize that the whole world is subject to sin.
Suffering directs our perspective
Prverbs 3:5-6, Romans 8:18
Suffering shapes our spiritual life and drives us toward maturity.
Romans 5:3-4 & James 1:2-4
Suffering also unites believers together
1 Corinthians 12
Suffering gives us opportunities to meet the needs of others
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 & Galatians 6:2
We are the hand and voice to comfort others in their time of suffering.
God wants to comfort you in your suffering.
If you need to talk with anyone please contact me at mike@the5church.com
God bless!
Here are some passages I used in the message.
Suffering alerts us that there is a problem
Romans 5:12 tells us sin is in the world
Romans 8:18-22 talks about suffering focuses us on the afterlife and we realize that the whole world is subject to sin.
Suffering directs our perspective
Prverbs 3:5-6, Romans 8:18
Suffering shapes our spiritual life and drives us toward maturity.
Romans 5:3-4 & James 1:2-4
Suffering also unites believers together
1 Corinthians 12
Suffering gives us opportunities to meet the needs of others
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 & Galatians 6:2
We are the hand and voice to comfort others in their time of suffering.
God wants to comfort you in your suffering.
If you need to talk with anyone please contact me at mike@the5church.com
God bless!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Were we created or are we here by chance?
Here are some "Quick facts" that can help us to know that we are not here by chance.
QUICK FACTS
The odds of the simplest single celled life form assembling according to Harold Morowitz are 1 in 1099,999,999,916
The odds of all the functioning proteins assembling in one place according to Fred Hoyle 1 in1040,000
The odds of any individual being born with a “favorable” mutation 1 in 10 billion to 1 in 1trillion
The 2nd second law of thermodynamics says that all things start out with more order than they end with (decay) the theory of macroevolution says the opposite. Law beats theory any day of the week!
The divine watchmaker argument shows that common sense alone can prove that order doesn’t come from chaos in our universe. Interesting patterns like crystals and fractals maybe, but not information.
The fossil record shows us that species exist, then die, and are replaced by another species right after. As opposed to neo-Darwinian evolution which says that a given species tends to slowly change into another.
The fossil record also shows a reversal of the speciation rate; since modern man came on the scene no new species have appeared and instead several go extinct each year. (note: the term species has many definitions)
“The production of a new animal species in nature has yet to be documented” Paul & Anne Ehrlich(biologists)
With all of our modern technology, we haven’t yet created any form of life under ideal (laboratory) conditions.
DNA is one of the most complicated things in the universe, following a complex set of rules and grammar, while maintaining incredible amounts of information. Information is created, it doesn’t luckily appear.
They say that DNA packets the size of 2 aspirin could hold the genetic information of all the people on Earth. Yet all the computers in the world couldn’t yet match this information density (efficient packaging). Generally speaking, the more complex anything in our universe is the faster it breaks down (unless it has help).
The # of electrons in our universe matches the # of protons to a precision of 1 part in1037. If this were not so gravity wouldn’t hold planets in orbit because electromagnetism would be a more powerful force.
1037 is equivalent to this; Cover the entire North American continent with dimes, to a height equal to the moons orbit about 239,000 miles up. Now cover 1 billion North American continents with dimes and paint one dime red. Blindfold a friend and have him choose a dime at random. The odds he will pick the red dime are 1 in 1037! To pay our national debt off with dimes (some 6 trillion dollars) would cover 1 square mile less than two feet deep in coins. That’s 60 trillion dimes!
We have only one universe to use as a sample, because we can never even in principle know of another outside of our own. The universe we live in is finite, believed to contain 50 billion-trillion stars, and it is alone. Many scientists argue for multiple universes to improve the odds for evolution, but they do so from faith, not facts. In our one known universe the mathematics say life shouldn’t exist.
The laws of physics are said to control the processes that allow evolution to occur. Someone had to write those laws. No judge would ever claim that he could sentence someone to jail for violating a law that wrote itself. Our moral values (instincts) that allow us to write moral laws are anti-Darwinian.
These facts can all be found in the books cited in the above paper by Hugh Ross and Fred Heeren. Almost none of the ideas are mine; they are adaptations and combinations of all the things that I have read. Certain values have been updated due to ongoing research since the writing of the cited books.
Check out these passages about creation
Genesis 1, psalm 19, Romans 1
Listen to the message giving by Chris Bird on the audio link
QUICK FACTS
The odds of the simplest single celled life form assembling according to Harold Morowitz are 1 in 1099,999,999,916
The odds of all the functioning proteins assembling in one place according to Fred Hoyle 1 in1040,000
The odds of any individual being born with a “favorable” mutation 1 in 10 billion to 1 in 1trillion
The 2nd second law of thermodynamics says that all things start out with more order than they end with (decay) the theory of macroevolution says the opposite. Law beats theory any day of the week!
The divine watchmaker argument shows that common sense alone can prove that order doesn’t come from chaos in our universe. Interesting patterns like crystals and fractals maybe, but not information.
The fossil record shows us that species exist, then die, and are replaced by another species right after. As opposed to neo-Darwinian evolution which says that a given species tends to slowly change into another.
The fossil record also shows a reversal of the speciation rate; since modern man came on the scene no new species have appeared and instead several go extinct each year. (note: the term species has many definitions)
“The production of a new animal species in nature has yet to be documented” Paul & Anne Ehrlich(biologists)
With all of our modern technology, we haven’t yet created any form of life under ideal (laboratory) conditions.
DNA is one of the most complicated things in the universe, following a complex set of rules and grammar, while maintaining incredible amounts of information. Information is created, it doesn’t luckily appear.
They say that DNA packets the size of 2 aspirin could hold the genetic information of all the people on Earth. Yet all the computers in the world couldn’t yet match this information density (efficient packaging). Generally speaking, the more complex anything in our universe is the faster it breaks down (unless it has help).
The # of electrons in our universe matches the # of protons to a precision of 1 part in1037. If this were not so gravity wouldn’t hold planets in orbit because electromagnetism would be a more powerful force.
1037 is equivalent to this; Cover the entire North American continent with dimes, to a height equal to the moons orbit about 239,000 miles up. Now cover 1 billion North American continents with dimes and paint one dime red. Blindfold a friend and have him choose a dime at random. The odds he will pick the red dime are 1 in 1037! To pay our national debt off with dimes (some 6 trillion dollars) would cover 1 square mile less than two feet deep in coins. That’s 60 trillion dimes!
We have only one universe to use as a sample, because we can never even in principle know of another outside of our own. The universe we live in is finite, believed to contain 50 billion-trillion stars, and it is alone. Many scientists argue for multiple universes to improve the odds for evolution, but they do so from faith, not facts. In our one known universe the mathematics say life shouldn’t exist.
The laws of physics are said to control the processes that allow evolution to occur. Someone had to write those laws. No judge would ever claim that he could sentence someone to jail for violating a law that wrote itself. Our moral values (instincts) that allow us to write moral laws are anti-Darwinian.
These facts can all be found in the books cited in the above paper by Hugh Ross and Fred Heeren. Almost none of the ideas are mine; they are adaptations and combinations of all the things that I have read. Certain values have been updated due to ongoing research since the writing of the cited books.
Check out these passages about creation
Genesis 1, psalm 19, Romans 1
Listen to the message giving by Chris Bird on the audio link
Monday, July 23, 2007
Is the Bible reliable?
Here are my notes with some (not all) of the info.
1. What the Bible claims of itself
2 Timothy 3:16 “Inspired by God”
Matt 24:35 God’s truth will live forever
2 Peter 1:21 Men moved by God
Ways God communicated His Word. Audible, dreams, visions and recording experiences
2. How we got the Bible we read today. The Cannon
In 397 The Council of Carthage recognized the books of the Bible we have today.
3. Manuscript evidence
There are over 24,000 manuscripts
Old Testament dated from 200BC-70AD Burned Copies
New Testament dated from 125AD- 250 AD
There are no original manuscripts found but the manuscripts found compared to one another validate the message. They were found in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Greece and Italy. There are variants in some manuscripts but none have an effect on any Christian doctrine. They are spelling errors, duplicate words or numerical errors.
No other ancient writing has anything close to the amount of manuscripts the Bible has. Next in line is Homers Iliad with 600
Why is it so important to have this many manuscripts?
Biblical manuscripts are 99.5% accurate
4. Historical (non Christian) writings that confirm Biblical accounts of things
Tacitus 1st century
Josephus 38-97
Thallus
Pliny the Yonger 112
Emperor Trajan
Talmud
5. Predictive Prophecy
100% Accurate not a guess based on experience
Non-messianic
Daniel 2:37-42 The succession of the Great Kingdoms of the world Babylon, Medeo Persia, Greece and Rome. So accurate that critics constantly attack it.
Isaiah 44:28-45:1 Predicts Cyrus King of Persia 150 years before he was born.
Ez 37:7 Return of Israel to the land
Daniel 12:4 Increased travel and knowledge
Messianic prophecy
Isaiah 53:2-12
(Forgot to mention this one) Daniel 9 actually predicts the year that Christ would be crucified.
Zecheriah 12:10
Psalm 22:16
6. Personal Experience Hebrews 4:12 Living and active
God’s Word has the power to transform lives.
Books I used for this message and the links where you can buy them.
Who Made God? by, Zacherias/Geisler
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=47103&netp_id=305603&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW
The Case For Christ by,Lee Strobel
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=26465&netp_id=120237&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW#curr
Baker Encyclopedia of Christin Apologetics by, Norman Geisler
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=1021510&netp_id=127912&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW
Enjoy!! See you next week at "The Five"
1. What the Bible claims of itself
2 Timothy 3:16 “Inspired by God”
Matt 24:35 God’s truth will live forever
2 Peter 1:21 Men moved by God
Ways God communicated His Word. Audible, dreams, visions and recording experiences
2. How we got the Bible we read today. The Cannon
In 397 The Council of Carthage recognized the books of the Bible we have today.
3. Manuscript evidence
There are over 24,000 manuscripts
Old Testament dated from 200BC-70AD Burned Copies
New Testament dated from 125AD- 250 AD
There are no original manuscripts found but the manuscripts found compared to one another validate the message. They were found in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Greece and Italy. There are variants in some manuscripts but none have an effect on any Christian doctrine. They are spelling errors, duplicate words or numerical errors.
No other ancient writing has anything close to the amount of manuscripts the Bible has. Next in line is Homers Iliad with 600
Why is it so important to have this many manuscripts?
Biblical manuscripts are 99.5% accurate
4. Historical (non Christian) writings that confirm Biblical accounts of things
Tacitus 1st century
Josephus 38-97
Thallus
Pliny the Yonger 112
Emperor Trajan
Talmud
5. Predictive Prophecy
100% Accurate not a guess based on experience
Non-messianic
Daniel 2:37-42 The succession of the Great Kingdoms of the world Babylon, Medeo Persia, Greece and Rome. So accurate that critics constantly attack it.
Isaiah 44:28-45:1 Predicts Cyrus King of Persia 150 years before he was born.
Ez 37:7 Return of Israel to the land
Daniel 12:4 Increased travel and knowledge
Messianic prophecy
Isaiah 53:2-12
(Forgot to mention this one) Daniel 9 actually predicts the year that Christ would be crucified.
Zecheriah 12:10
Psalm 22:16
6. Personal Experience Hebrews 4:12 Living and active
God’s Word has the power to transform lives.
Books I used for this message and the links where you can buy them.
Who Made God? by, Zacherias/Geisler
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=47103&netp_id=305603&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW
The Case For Christ by,Lee Strobel
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=26465&netp_id=120237&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW#curr
Baker Encyclopedia of Christin Apologetics by, Norman Geisler
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=1021510&netp_id=127912&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW
Enjoy!! See you next week at "The Five"
Monday, July 16, 2007
Beatitudes Part 2
Beatitudes part 2
Matthew 5:7-12 Blessed = happy are
Vrs 7 Merciful - the feeling that is motivated by compassion
Matthew 18:21-35 Denarius = days wage 6 Thousand Denrii == a talent. 10 thousand = 60 million days wages
Result: If you are merciful others will be more likely to be merciful to you. God will also be merciful Psalm 18:25
Ap. We should be inspired by God’s mercy to be merciful to others.
Vrs 8 Pure in heart- purity-freedom from guilt and sin
The only way a person can be pure is giving there lives to Jesus.
Psalm 24:4 not worship another and not given allegiance to another.
2 Tim 2:14-22 As a believer we need to strive for purity
Result: See God Salvation=eternal life
Christian living see God work
Vrs 9 The peacemakers - hard work to keep the peace between people - desire to help people cooperate. Sometime a thankless office
Result: "called sons of God" Other people will see you as Jesus’ followers.
Vrs 10 Persecuted - your commitment to God provokes others to persecute. Be happy you are doing something right
2 Tim 3:12 "Yes, all who live Godly lives will suffer persecution"
Some go to great lengths to avoid persecution Gal 6:11-12
Result: Kingdom of heaven. Something spiritual happens. Stephen and other martyrs God gives you extra strength
Vrs 11-12 Eternal reward and you are in great company
Matthew 5:7-12 Blessed = happy are
Vrs 7 Merciful - the feeling that is motivated by compassion
Matthew 18:21-35 Denarius = days wage 6 Thousand Denrii == a talent. 10 thousand = 60 million days wages
Result: If you are merciful others will be more likely to be merciful to you. God will also be merciful Psalm 18:25
Ap. We should be inspired by God’s mercy to be merciful to others.
Vrs 8 Pure in heart- purity-freedom from guilt and sin
The only way a person can be pure is giving there lives to Jesus.
Psalm 24:4 not worship another and not given allegiance to another.
2 Tim 2:14-22 As a believer we need to strive for purity
Result: See God Salvation=eternal life
Christian living see God work
Vrs 9 The peacemakers - hard work to keep the peace between people - desire to help people cooperate. Sometime a thankless office
Result: "called sons of God" Other people will see you as Jesus’ followers.
Vrs 10 Persecuted - your commitment to God provokes others to persecute. Be happy you are doing something right
2 Tim 3:12 "Yes, all who live Godly lives will suffer persecution"
Some go to great lengths to avoid persecution Gal 6:11-12
Result: Kingdom of heaven. Something spiritual happens. Stephen and other martyrs God gives you extra strength
Vrs 11-12 Eternal reward and you are in great company
Monday, July 9, 2007
Beatitudes Part 1
Sermon on the mount- Jesus’ Teaching style was either a response to what was happening or a challenge of the prevailing assumption. Not to impart info but to change lives
Beatitude = Supreme happiness, People learn by experience and are blessed when they learn. If we truly learn we put into practice.
Jesus was challenging the prevailing attitude “if your life stinks you must be doing something wrong”
Vrs 3 Poor in spirit. Need for God, down and out, realizing we are sinners. Gospel
Result- Salvation = God’s Kingdom
Vrs 4 Sorrow over, loss, sin, other souls
Result - God Comforts
Psalm 30:11, Isaiah 12:1 (over sin)
Vrs 5 Meek: Psalm 37:11 Gentle, humble, submissive & easily imposed on.
Jesus’ up-sided-own kingdom Phil 2:5-11
Result - Content with position and God continues to promote.
Vrs 6 Desire for righteousness Pr 11:23 . Isa. 26:8
Righteousness is the truth of God Sermon series can help peoples huger and thirst.
Result - Live well have a full life
Beatitude = Supreme happiness, People learn by experience and are blessed when they learn. If we truly learn we put into practice.
Jesus was challenging the prevailing attitude “if your life stinks you must be doing something wrong”
Vrs 3 Poor in spirit. Need for God, down and out, realizing we are sinners. Gospel
Result- Salvation = God’s Kingdom
Vrs 4 Sorrow over, loss, sin, other souls
Result - God Comforts
Psalm 30:11, Isaiah 12:1 (over sin)
Vrs 5 Meek: Psalm 37:11 Gentle, humble, submissive & easily imposed on.
Jesus’ up-sided-own kingdom Phil 2:5-11
Result - Content with position and God continues to promote.
Vrs 6 Desire for righteousness Pr 11:23 . Isa. 26:8
Righteousness is the truth of God Sermon series can help peoples huger and thirst.
Result - Live well have a full life
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