The Sneaky serpent



I started a new Bible reading plan a couple of days ago. The reading for today began with Genesis 3. Before I began to read, I asked God to show me something fresh in a familiar story. And then, I read the very first verse...

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?

-Genesis 3:1 (ESV)

I have read this story a bunch of times. I am sure that every believer has read this story a ton of times. We all have those resolutions to read the Bible in a year but quit somewhere around Leviticus or Numbers, and then we will try again next January. That is me, too. Today, however, God gave me a fresh reminder about the sneakiness of the enemy in temptation.

Did you notice what the serpent did not ask? When I read Genesis 3:1, my natural thinking was "Why didn't the serpent ask if God said that they should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?" The serpent was setting Adam and Eve up. He wasn't going to come at them straight on but was going to sneak in the back door.

The serpent asked the question the way he did to place doubt in Eve's mind. When the serpent asked about "any tree in the garden," Eve thought, "Well, God did not say we couldn't eat from 'any tree' but He did point out one that we are supposed to stay away from." It was at this point that the serpent slipped in the doubt. He began to lure Eve to think that God was withholding something from her by not allowing Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Knowing the full story, we know that God was not withholding anything, but actually was protecting Adam and Eve from pain and seperation from Him. The thing about this story in the Bible is that the enemy has not changed his methods. Even today, the devil and demons are roaming around seeking to deceive and devour. The serpent of old is still very active and very deceptive.

Many times, sin does not occur the instant one is first tempted. It usually begins with a simple thought...often about something that God is withholding from us. Whether its power, wealth, pleasure, or many other things, the lie is the same as it was thousands of years ago. The enemy wants us to think what God has commanded us to refrain from is actually what will fulfill what we are lacking. And all of us know that when one gives in to those temptations, no one is satisfied...no one is fulfilled...we are just empty and ashamed. However, praise the LORD that the story does not end there...

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring

and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

-Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

God has promised to not leave us in our sin, shame, and guilt. God promised to the first fallen man and woman that He was going to send One who will defeat and destroy that sneaky serpent, remove the penalty of sin, and offer life and freedom to any who would believe in Him. Just as it did for Adam and Eve, the promise remains for us today.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

 -John 3:16 (ESV)



I saw my Maw Maw today...

I saw my Maw Maw today...at least it sure seemed like I did. While I was cutting grass at the seminary, I saw an old woman who, at first glance, looked like my grandmother...same white hair and same type of clothes. To many this may not seem like a big deal and you may not even care that I am sharing this, but I was reminded of my grandmother today and wanted anyone who reads this to maybe be encouraged by her story. Let me tell you why this was meaningful to me.

When I think about my grandmother, I think about 2 Timothy 1:5 where Paul reminds Timothy of the faith he gained from his Grandmother Eunice. I also think about Hebrews 12:1 when it mentions "so great a cloud of witnesses" that have gone before us. My grandmother was one of the most devoted prayer warriors and most generous people I ever knew. Toward the end of her life, health issues began to affect her mind sometimes. She was always such a generous person. It got to the point where my aunt and uncle had to take over her bank account because she kept giving money to people in need and didn't have enough to pay her own bills. I learned a great deal about giving from her.

In February 2008, God led me to go on a three-month mission trip to Peru. I took a big step of faith trusting God to provide all the money I would need for the trip. One week before the trip, I had finally gotten enough money to buy the plane ticket but was left with nothing. Later that day, my dad and I went to visit my grandmother because it would be the last chance I would have to see her before I left for Peru. It was a great visit. Before we left, my grandmother handed me a check for $25. God went on to provide all that I needed for the trip. However, that $25 check was the most meaningful donation to my trip that I received.

My grandmother passed away two days after I got back from Peru. The last thing that my grandmother ever did for me was give all that she had so that Peruvians could hear about Jesus. She will forever be a hero of the faith for me. She spent her life for God. When she died, she left a small house, a small amount of clothing, and a small piece of land. However, she left an enormous impact for Christ on this world. I miss her a lot but am so thankful for all that she did for me. Most of all, she prayed. I hope that God will use me to spread the Gospel and love of Christ just like my Maw Maw.

John Piper and the Gospel

Last weekend, John Piper spoke to our community group at Passion in Ft. Worth. He spoke on memorizing scripture and part of it was focused on memorizing for the purpose of sharing the Gospel. I found this article on his website and it is exactly what he talked to us about. I have, for a long time, had a problem with the "If you were to die today, would you go to heaven or hell?" approach to evangelism. This is why I liked the way John Piper presented the Gospel. It was such a beautiful presentation of the Gospel that I wanted to share it so that you may be encouraged but also be better equipped to share the Gospel with others. Instead of starting with how bad you are, he begins, as does Paul and everyone else in the Bible, with God and His glory. I do believe firmly that we need to be brought face to face with our sinful nature but this can only truly happen as we are brought face to face with how holy and glorious God is. Also if you are not strong in memorizing Scripture (like me), I would encourage you to memorize some of the verses in this Gospel presentation to help you explain better where the Bible talks about these things. I hope this blesses and encourages you.

A Summary of the Gospel to Help You Enjoy It and Share It
October 08, 1984 | by John Piper | Topic: Evangelism

God Created Us for His Glory
“Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory” (Isaiah 43:6-7). God made all of us in his own image so that we would image-forth, or reflect, his character and moral beauty.

Every Human Should Live for God’s Glory
“Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The way to live for the glory of God is to love him (Matthew 22:37), trust him (Romans 4:20), be thankful to him (Psalm 50:3) and obey him (Matthew 5:16). When we do these things we image-forth God’s glory.

We Have All Sinned and Fallen Short of God’s Glory
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “Although they knew God they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him…but exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images…” (Romans 1:21-23). None of us has loved or trusted or thanked or obeyed God as we ought.

We All Deserve Eternal Punishment
“The wages of sin is (eternal) death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Those who did not obey the Lord Jesus “Shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). “They shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46).

In His Great Mercy God Sent Forth His Only Son Jesus Christ to Provide for Sinners the Way of Eternal Life
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).

Eternal Life Is a Free Gift to All Who Will Trust in Christ as Lord and Savior
“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). “By grace are you saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8). “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).


http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/a-summary-of-the-gospel-to-help-you-enjoy-it-and-share-it

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Working out my thoughts...

The past few weeks have been great but intense to say the least. Two weeks ago, Sam and I got married. One week ago, we had an interview with a regional director for CARES teams (an apartment ministry we are applying for). And this past Friday, we were offered an apartment to serve in about 20 minutes from SWBTS.

Lord, why does this scare me so much? All we would be doing is loving on people like you command us to do already. You are a holy and righteous and just God. You are not a God who causes those who follow you to be fearful. God, I prayed and told you that whatever you wanted us to do, we would do it. Now that it seems you are leading this way, I keep praying for you to give direction and to lead us down the right path...YOUR path. What if that is what you are doing and I am afraid that I will fail? I have a pretty good feeling that is the case.

However, the funny thing is that it is not up to me to fail. Maybe to fail would be to not even try. I still feel like I will fail though. I know that God is in control of all of it and that anything I could do could never thwart His plan...otherwise, He would not be sovereign and all-powerful and all-knowing.

My desire is to make the gospel known to all nations, but sometimes I don't feel like I can do it. Then, I remember that I can't do it anyway. Every time I have gone on a mission trip (overseas in particular), it has been clear that it was God who opened the door and arranged the meetings with people who I was able to share the gospel with. And it was also Him who brought about the results. In my opinion, I have never shared the gospel or preached well. Any responses that have ever come as a result surprise me. I think, "I barely remember what I even said but I am pretty sure I did not share it well enough for this to happen." The thing is that I was right. I didn't share it well enough to cause any response at all. It was Him every single time.

I guess I often begin to focus too much on the weaker areas...where I think I can't do something, instead of focusing on what God is doing through me despite my weakness. Nonetheless, I can't allow fear to to guide me...it must always be the Lord.

Faith can be a scary thing sometimes. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to do something, we don't always know what lies on the other side of that step of faith. However, the fear of the unknown can't keep us from taking that step. We may know know what will happen but we do know that the One leading us is good and will not lead us astray.

"I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 3:7-14

I think God has something here...

I listened to a sermon today by David Platt, the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. The sermon was essentially pointing out that all believers have been issued the command to make disciples of all nations...not just the ones who become foreign missionaries. He shared a statistic/scenario that I have heard before (and you probably have too), but for some reason it struck a cord this time.

The first scenario goes like this...
If a single church led to Christ and baptized 10 people per week, they would lead 520 people to Christ in one year. If they continued this for 30 years, they would lead 15,600 people to Christ. Most churches in America would consider that a great success, but it would only put a small dent in the lost in the United States.

The second scenario goes like this...
If a single Christian led one person to Christ and spent an entire year discipling them, there would only be two by the end of one year. The following year both of them would disciple someone...bringing the number to four. If they kept doubling for 30 years, there would be almost 1.1 billion disciples of Christ. That is almost the entire population of China.

Platt went on to say that maybe the model that Jesus gave for making disciples was a lot better than our model. Granted the results are a lot slower at first, but God desires depth of relationship not amount of numbers in the pews on Sunday mornings.

Imagine for a second each one of us took Jesus' approach to making disciples. Imagine we took the time to show someone how to pray, how to study the Bible, how to serve the poor, how to give sacrificially and live missionally. Do you think that the world would look differently? Do you think that the Church would look differently? The reason you and I are Christians today (and this implies the work of God in our lives as well) is because Jesus entrusted the task of making disciples to 12 uneducated, lowly men.

May the followers of Christ of our generation be filled with a passion for the lost and be fueled by the grace and power of God. Whether we realize it or not, we do not have much time left on the earth. People and all of creation are groaning in eager expectation for the Bridegroom to return for His Bride, the Church. Let us respond swiftly to the command to go and make disciples of all nations.

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
-Matthew 24:14 (NIV)

The Greatest Wedding Ever

Imagine that today is your wedding day, and you are the bride (guys you too...stick with me for a minute). You are standing just outside the sanctuary. Your Father is ready to walk you down the aisle. You are nervous but excited at the same time. Your Father leans over and whispers, "You'll be fine. I will always be with you." All of a sudden, you feel as if peace has been draped over you like a warm blanket. You know that your future won't always be easy, but it will be good.

Then, you hear the music build. The doors fly open as everyone stands and turns toward you. You see their smiles as they think about how beautiful you are. But you smile because you know that it was your Father who paid for this day to be so special. All of a sudden, you notice that something is very strange.

As you make your way down the aisle, you notice that your Groom looks different. You have pictured how this day would look your entire life, but this day is not looking anything like you pictured it would. Instead of the Groom wearing a tux, He is only wearing a filthy cloth wrapped around His waist. Where you imagined a bright smile would be, you only see the grimace of agony as blood drips from His beard to the carpet (which the church building committee was not happy about). And instead of Him standing proudly at the altar, He is anguishing from pain due to the nails in His hands and feet that are holding Him to a cross.

At first, you are not even sure this is the Man who proposed to you. But that isn't all that is strange about the ceremony...there is no minister! You look to your Father with a confused look on your face. He smiles, leans over, and kisses you on the cheek. Then, He walks up and stands before you and your Groom and motions for everyone to be seated.

After a few introductory remarks, your Father looks to the Groom and says, "Do you promise to love your bride, to give yourself up for her, to pray over and wash her in the Word, to love her more than you love your own body, to love and to cherish her 'till death do you part?"* The Groom slowly lifts His head as He struggles to breath. He turns to you, smiling as if the pain is all worth it, and says, "I do." It wasn't until that moment that it began to click in your mind that your Groom was giving up everything, even His life, to be united with you.

Now, your Father turns to you and says, "Do you promise to love your Husband, to submit to Him in all things, to respect and to follow Him wherever He may lead, to put His desires before your own, to love and to cherish Him 'till death do you part?"** As tears begin to stream down your face, you turn to your Groom and say, "I do." After actually saying those words which you had been rehearsing for weeks and months, you now begin to realize that this union will also cost you everything.

What happened next was something that you will never forget for the rest of your life. Your Groom struggles to straighten Himself and yells at the top of His lungs, "IT IS FINISHED!" But before you even realize what is happening the ground begins to shake like in an earthquake, and like a flash, the power completely goes out. It is so dark inside the sanctuary that you can't even see your own hand right in front of your face.

After about three minutes, the power comes back on. Everyone is checking on the person next to them to make sure that they are ok but wait...where did the Groom go? You can hear similar whispers in the crowd as others begin to wonder the same thing. Then, you hear the sound of a door opening and look toward the doors you entered through. Out steps a Man robed in white and shining like a great Light. You realize that this Man is your Groom! However, He looks different now. He is no longer scarred and bloody on a cross. He walks as one who has won a great victory, and your heart seems to almost burst the closer He gets to you. Your Groom walks up to you and holds your hand as He turns and nods to your Father as if to say, "You can continue."

With joy overflowing, your Father looks upon both of you and says, "With my power, I now pronounce you Husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." In that moment, something changed inside of you. You knew that the rest of your life was going to be radically different. For so long, you had run from Him not understanding how He could love you after some of the things you had done. Until now, you did not understand why He pursued you the way that He did, but you are so glad that He did.

As you looked into His eyes, He smiled and said to you, "Even though life may be tough sometimes, I will always be with you and never leave you." Your smile grew even bigger as the both of you turned, hand in hand, to face the crowd. It still seemed so unreal, but you knew it was the real thing. Nothing had ever felt so real. After your Father shared a few final words, the two of you walked down the aisle and out the doors to begin your new life together.

*Ephesians 5:25-30
**Ephesians 5: 22-24

An Unnatural Way to Live

Have you ever noticed how selfish we all can be? How it is so natural that we rarely even notice? Have you ever gotten mad at someone because all they were doing was thinking of themselves but realized later that you were mad because they weren't doing whatever it was for you? We are all naturally selfish beings.

When Christ calls out to each of us "Follow Me," He is inviting us into a very unnatural way of living. God calls us to die to ourselves and our desires so that we may truly live. No longer is your life or mine our own. Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." No longer are we number one. We aren't even in the top ten anymore! We are dead last!!! Jesus said in Mark 12:30-31, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

I think we all pretty much are good with the command to love God with all that we are (even though it is a constant struggle), but the second part of that command is something we really have a problem with sometimes. I was in a Bible study with some guys the other day and the subject dealt with church discipline. We read in Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." What Paul says here and Jesus' command in Mark got me thinking. I know that I don't want to keep sinning. I know that I want my life to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. If I see a brother or sister struggling in sin or life in general, I should love them enough to go to them and bear their burdens with them. Denying myself to help restore them, and as a result, bring glory to God as His body is strengthened and His name and Good News are taken to the nations.

1 Corinthians 6:19b-20 says, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." For those of us who have been saved by God, this verse is who we are now. Our plans and our bodies and our desires are dead, but the awesome thing is that those things have been replaced with God's glorious plans, God's incredible desires, and one day, glorified and perfect bodies in heaven.

From the world's point of view, all of this looks so strange, so weird, so unnatural. But for those who truly believe in Christ who gave His life for our salvation, we have a hope and a promise that one day we will be with our Creator in heaven worshiping God in all his glory in our perfect bodies. Until that time comes, this life will not be easy. It will be a battle that can only be fought through the power and strength of God, but we can hope in the promise of James 1:12 which says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

For God so loved the WORLD...

This is John 3:16 in Waray, the language of the people that I ministered to in the Philippines in 2007. Many Americans forget about the world because we have so many material possessions to keep us occupied. God loves all people, even the one's that it takes five planes, two vans, three boats, and a few miles of hiking to get to. One day during that trip, I had the incredible privilege of sharing the story of the prodigal son with a dozen people who had NEVER heard it. Only one of them had ever held a Bible! Jesus says in Matthew 9:37, " The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." God loved you, me, and everyone else so much that He sent His Son to die for us. What have we done for Him?

Now, Jesus is calling us out to take "the gospel of God's grace" to all of the world. There are people in America, Philippines, and every place in between who have NEVER heard. What are you going to do about it? Will you continue to sit in your comforts content with your life now or will you die to your personal desires and comforts to share the love of Christ with the lost and those waiting for someone to come tell them?

The Ezra 710 Challenge

The gracious hand of God was on him, because Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey [it], and teach [its] statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Ezra 7:9b-10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)


Has the idea of studying the Word of God ever overwhelmed you? Do you ever get confused about how to study it or even where to start?

The Ezra 710 Challenge is a simple call to read God's living Word every day. That's it! Whether it's one verse, one chapter, or one book of the Bible, take some time each day to get to know the awesome and mighty God we serve.

So, what's the point? The more faithful you are to reading the Word, the more you will long to read. The more you read, the more you will desire to tell and teach others about God. As a result, God will be glorified, as His Word is spread, and you will be blessed, as you seek and wait upon Him.

Are you ready to take The Ezra 710 Challenge?

Wake up, Church!

“Think of the awful fact nineteen hundred years after Jesus Christ died on the Cross “for the sins of the whole world,” hundreds of millions are still living and dying without ever having been told a word about it! Think of those vast solid areas…where the task of evangelization has not merely to be finished, but has at this late date yet to be begun! Think of a thousand tribal languages into which not a word of the Book of Life has yet been translated! Nor have the existing missionary forces more than barely touched the fringe of the total need in field after field that we call “occupied.” The huge proportions of the unfinished task of missions even in this advanced day are nothing less than staggering, and how anyone who has experienced the blessings of Christ’s salvation can view the situation without deep conviction and concern is beyond our understanding.”

-Robert Glover- (The Bible Basis of Missions 1946, pp. 193-194)