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Name: Mark
Country: United States
State: South Carolina
Metro: Greenville
Birthday: 4/8/1982
Gender: Male
Interests: Having Fun. Enjoying life. Ministry. Goofing off. Movies. Driving/road trips. Reading. Writing poetry and stories. Writing/producing music. Listening to music. Talking/having conversations. Walking. Hanging out with friends. Serving God. Sports. The list goes on.
Expertise: Graphics, Website Design, Making up quotes, quoting dumb and dumber and family guy, definately not relationships right now, my faith, poetry, driving... definately driving.
Occupation: Student
Industry: Other
Message: message me
AIM:  MarkLuvGod
Member Since:
4/24/2005
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| Decided to give a little update here... I am going to gather some studies that I have and maybe make a mini devotional book in a series. Hopefully PJ will help to put on DVD and such.
Plus some other things. | | |
| Sorry for the lack of updates. I know people cannot read this everyday and I don't think I can post everyday.
Tomorrow or most likely later tonight I am going to post about
something that I think will be interesting. What is our role in
the world today?
We'll talk about it.
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| Hope everyone is reading, if not.. please start from the first study
and work your way up. If you cannot comment, thats fine.
Becoming Disciples - Commandments
First two studies I talked about becoming disciples and
crucifying yourself. Now let's talk about the commandments.
Jesus said, "Whoever has my commands
and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will
be loved by my Father and I too will love him and show Myself to him." (john 14:21)
Also, in verses 23-24 in that same chapter... 'Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will
love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These
words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.'
Following a command shouldn't be an obligation nor job, but a
priviledge. If you love your job, for instance, you won't
complain about the rules as much as you would a job you hate.
Christianity is not a forceful "job". You don't have to be a
Christian. Being a Christian should be a priviledge for us.
Judas, in John 14, asked Jesus, "why do you show us yourself and not to
the world?". Jesus talked about God living in us. By living
out the life that God has changed in us, we reflect Jesus so they do
see him, just not physically.. but in action and attitude.
We will talk more about what exactly are the commands... I am pretty tired so. enjoy the day.
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| Day Two Bible Study
Being Disciples - Crucify part 2
Please read the first study if you haven't.
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of
Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of
Me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (matthew 10:37-39)
Once again Jesus talks about taking up the cross and following
Him. Last study I talked about what it meant to take up the cross
and to deny yourself. But.. what about the extra? "..and follow me.."
What does it mean to follow Christ? To take up the cross, deny
ourselves is one thing... but how do we follow Christ?
There are costs in following. Let's look at a few examples:
"But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."
(matthew 8:22)
Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell
everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me." (mark 10:21)
Like Peter said, "We have left everything to follow you!" (mark 10:28)
It will cost a lot. Sometimes a better job or career where you
can make lots of money. Sometimes a drawn line against family and
friends. Sometimes your own desires. Sometimes, even your
own self.
We would give up money and other things if it was a choice to have that
or life. Because we like life.. we like to live and be
alive. We like ourselves. That's why Jesus said to deny
yourself. It is the hardest thing to push to the side.
Money? Yeah, at times. Career? Yes. Family and
Friends? Yes. But when it boils down to it, the
hardest to push aside is ourselves.
Jesus told each Apostle in the NT, "Come follow me." They got up
and followed Him. Sure, they had doubts down the road..
confused.. scared.. worried. Yet, do you see the end
result? Peter dieing on an upside cross, John being boiled
(remained untouched), Andrew on an X shaped cross, Stephen stoned to
death, and the list goes on.
Following Christ will cost. But if we are "dead" and the life we
live now is lived by faith in the Son of God... (gal 2:20), it really
doesn't cost us much.
We have problems, yeah. Trust me! But think about it, if we
are on Earth for 70 years... compare that to ETERNAL joy, peace,
etc. Is it worth following Christ to you?
Memorize Verse: "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy
of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy
of Me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (matthew 10:37-39)
Assignment: Give
up something this week for God (tv, computer, food, soft drinks, less
time with friends, less time doing other activities, etc.) Give
up anything, small or big.
Don't forget to comment... and read study one.
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| Day One Bible Study
Being Disciples - Crucify
The first study I want to conduct is an important part of our
Christianity walk. The assignments and memory verse will be at
the end of each study so that you can understand it more. Let's
start with the scripture I am going to be talking about:
"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." (gal 2:20)
Also look at Matthew 16:24-26, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross and follow me. For
whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
me will find it. 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?"
First let's look at Matthew. Jesus said, "if" and "would".
Two words that are choices. We have the choice to follow or
not. But Jesus gave us a specific outline. If we choose to
follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. Deny
means to reject. We must change our way of thinking. Peter
and Paul talk about us being as aliens to this world. An legal
"alien" is someone who can somewhat speak the language, but has their
own native language... one who looks at things different. We must
ignore the thought of possibility and move to the thought of
impossibilities. We serve a God who nothing is impossible with,
so why should we believe in anything less?
Taking up our cross is a sign of surrender to something we love.
Jesus gave up His own life as a ransom for many (matt 20:28).
Jesus came from heaven, something we cannot fathom (no sickness, no
depression, no pain, in God's presence, etc) to come to Earth to
experience things He never has. Jesus left the comfort of Heaven
to come to the lowly sinful Earth and to lay His life down for
us. In more simpler words, Jesus came from comfort to die for
something He loved (us) no matter the consquence or outcome. He
died not for an outcome, but just to demonstrate how much He loves us
and by that love we may in return accept Him so we can be with Him.
Taking up the cross. It's us getting out of our comfort (the
world in which we grew up in), reject the lifestyle of sin, and a
willing to die and lay down our life for God to show Him how much He
means to us. How much we love Him. That's why the Bible
says, "whoever has my commands and obeys them, He is the one who loves
me.." (john 14:21).
We shouldn't do it out of a obligation, but out of love. The
cross was not a job, Jesus didn't have to go through with it and God
didn't have to send Jesus to be anything higher. He did it
because He loves us. Simply put. The cross is a symbol of
pushing ourselves out of the picture in a sense and show God how much
He means to us that we are willing to go through persecution, friends
turning on us, suffering, etc .to be His disciple.
We should not live an ordinary life. We have a higher
calling. We are to be disciples of Jesus. God's disciples
were sent among the world to heal the sick, raise the dead, bring good
news, etc. Are you a disciple?
Disciple's first step is to deny himself and take up the cross.
It's to be in love with Christ not because of anything He can do.. but
for what He already has done.
Memory Verse: Galatians 2:20 (remember reference also)
Assignment: Comment if
you are willing to live above the norm. On one piece of paper....
write down today's date, your struggles, be open, you will be the only
one seeing it. On another piece of paper, write down your hearts
desires and your dreams.
On the first piece of paper, fold it up... somehow get it to me.
I won't read it. Some of you can come with... but I am going to
put all these letters (with struggles and such) in a box, and burry
them in the ground. Why? Because today, May 1 2005.. you
have decided to die. "..you no longer live, but Christ lives in
me/you."
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