Aren't all religions the same? Is there really only one way to God? Does one religion have the truth? Are you saying that other religions are wrong? So everyone who doesn't believe in Jesus is going to hell? How can it possibly be fair that Jesus is the only way?
Over the next 7 weeks my church is doing a series called Destination Truth and is going to answer these questions. What's so cool is that you can watch the church service live on the internet via video. Steps are as follows: 1. www.frontlinedc.com 2. click on internet campus and you're good to go. Just make sure to tune in Sunday at 5:30 if you want to watch the live video feed. Otherwise you can download the sermon at a later date. My parents started watching a year ago this way and now they're hooked!
And finally this past week's sermon was amazing so I've tried my best to summarize the main ?s along with bible verses that were discussed. For the full sermon in video form go here.
I don't believe in coincidence. Although trite, 'everything happens for a reason' is something I believe wholeheartedly (Romans 8:28, Ecclesiastes 3:1-7) . God is sovereign. He created the universe. He is ultimately in control of everything around it. He is the only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15) . His throne is in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all (Psalms 103:19) . He sustains the whole universe by His powerful word (Nehemiah 9:6 ; Hebrews 1:3 ). The government of the entire universe is His (Deuteronomy 10:14;Psalm 135:6;Daniel 4:35). Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart ( Jeremiah 1:5 ) Yes, granted he did allow us free will. No I don't know or understand how they work together, mainly because the bible doesn't tell us how they do. All the bible tells us is that free will and God's sovereignty exist. For me, it's easy for me to be okay with because I don't understand how vcrs, the internet, cars, gchat, or a lot of other worldly things work. And besides, my brain is tiny tiny tiny compared to the knowledge of God, His thoughts are far beyond my thoughts, His ways are far beyond mine (Isaiah 55:8-9) And plus , this is faith so we will never know all of the answers, duh!
So, over the next few weeks I want to give you a window into my life so you can hopefully get an idea how God is in control of everything and truly cares about the details of our life. The next few blogs will contain short stories about how God has been working in my life, and will consist of the following:
Short Story 1- Fairy Godmother?!
Short Story 2- Money, Money, Money, Money, MON-EH!
So a week ago, I had the following g-chat conversation:
Matt: Lost fell to #11 on most watched.. what happened? me: lol yeah this season is dumb Matt: haha...uh oh, don't be a doubting thomas
Now when he first said this, I thinking in my head "um excuse me, that is not proper alliteration, the phrase is "Debbie Downer", but maybe he was trying to be unique and craft up a male version.. but shouldn't that have been "Dave Downer" or "Dan Downer" because they both start with "D"? I decided to let it slip and we continued talking. Anyways, I had completely forgotten about Matt's 'made up' phrase until I was watching LOST last night and found out the truth (ironic yes). This one bad dude, Ben, was in a church and pointed to the picture of Thomas/Jesus shown above, and was explaining to this hot dude, Jack, that he was being a "Doubting Thomas". As it turns out, this phrase is not only legitimate, but it also is derived from a story in the bible.. Heyyoooo!
So basically, Thomas was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. Thomas, once a loyal follower of Jesus, refused to believe that Jesus was resurrected proclaiming "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe" John 20:25. Well about a week after Thomas was doubting his entire faith, Jesus appeared to Thomas and the disciples, saying "Peace be with you!" then he said to Thomas "Put your finger here, see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" John 20:25-29. So there you have it. Also, I find it highly ironic that I doubted the veracity of the phrase "Doubting Thomas" until I had physical proof that it was a legitimate phrase.
But the point is, we all face doubt at one time or another when it comes to our faith and that is okay! Even the disciples, that saw Jesus, talked to Jesus, and ate dinner with Jesus wavered on their faith all the way to the crucifixion. However, Jesus gave them everything they needed to know he was in fact the Son of God. In a sense, the story of Thomas is not about doubting. The story if Thomas is about a loving and merciful Jesus. He is so merciful that He will come to us and give us what we need to believe. So, the next time you have doubt, are you going to be willing to ask and look for an answer? Well, you should because Jesus is ready with an answer. Remember, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" James 1:5.
Oh and props to Matt for already knowing this phrase!
It’s not surprising that some people are left feeling bitter about Valentine's Day. It can be tough. You share your feelings with someone. You become vulnerable. Interpretations are made. And sometimes you find out that your perception of a gesture, an email, a phone call, or a letter, isn’t at all what it was meant to be. Take for instance the Simpson’s episode “I Love Lisa”. In the episode, Lisa gives Ralph Wiggum a Valentine's Day card when she sees that he has not received any. Ralph looks too much into Lisa's gesture and relentlessly pursues her with affection.
Lisa: Ralph thinks I like him but I only gave him a valentine because I felt sorry for him.
Homer: Ah, sweet pity. Where would my love life have been without it?
Lisa gets very annoyed with Ralph and angrily tells him they are not together and that she never liked him. Ralph is heartbroken, but by the end of the episode he is able to accept the fact that him and Lisa are ‘just friends’.
Maybe you’ve been in a similar situation to Ralph.Maybe you thought someone was into you when they really weren’t. And we all have a desire to feel loved, know that we are appreciated and matter in this world. Well the good news is you matter to God. God is Love (1 John 4:16) . His love is unconditional. His love endures forever(Psalm 136:26). His love is priceless and unfailing and everyone can find refuge in the shadow of his wings (Psalm 36:7).
If you still aren’t clear on this, let me help clarify this! God wants to beeeee your friend. He cho- cho-chooses to love you. So, if you don’t have a special someone to share Valentine's Day with, don’t be bummed. Or even if you do, consider this. God wants to know you on a personal level. Just take a look at what Jesus says in Revelation 3:20. “ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
And, even if you aren’t sure that you want to answer the door, because you don’t know who God is, if you really have the desire to get to know God, you will be able to! Deuteronomy 4: 29 But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. If you want to know why God loves you please go here
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19.
It’s funny how easily we believe what we hear without doing our own research. Take for example, the conversations you used to have as a child during recess or lunch breaks. Johnny: did you hear that if you eat pop rocks and soda at the same time your stomach will explode? Now, if you were like me (cute yet gullible) you would have believed Johnny. Or maybe you were like me in the sense that you were too ‘chicken’ to succumb to his dare to eat some cherry flavored Pop Rocks while chugging a fat Coke to prove him wrong. Now I’m not suggesting trying to find the truth by doing something that might compromise your health if it is found to be true, but I am merely challenging you to not be so quick to believe everything you hear, without checking it out for yourself. Oh, and for the record, pop rocks WILL NOT cause your stomach to explode.Myth Busters tested it out and you can find the results here
Now, on to more serious things.I was raised Catholic, and when I first attended Frontline (non-denominational church), my parents were convinced that I had joined a cult.Also, yesterday someone told me I went to a 'fake church' and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. See below for the dismantling of these myths.
Myth 1: Frontline has to be a fake church.Worship songs are played using electric guitars, and the stage sometimes has a fog machine and or different colored lights.The service is held in an auditorium.There are no stain glass windows or pews. There was a simple cross in the auditorium, but it didn't even have Jesus on it! Am i taking crazy pills?!?! ? HELP!
Truth: Contrary to popular beliefs, a church is not a building but instead is a body of believers!Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”The universal Church is the Church that consists of all those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.First Corinthians 12:13 says, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” We see that anyone who believes is part of the body of Christ. The true Church of God is not any particular church building or denomination.
Myth 2: Frontline is definitely a cult. Each Sunday at 5:30pm, 3,000 young people between the ages of 18-40 gather together. Sometimes a few people are seen with their hands in the air during worship songs.
Truth: Wikipedia definition of a cult:a cult may refer to a cohesive social group devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding population considers to be outside the mainstream. According to www.gotquestions.org in distinction from a religion, a cult is a group that claims to be Christian, yet denies an essential truth of Biblical Christianity.The two most common teachings of cults are
1.)that Jesus was not God
2.)that salvation is not by faith alone.
As you can see, a cult is no where defined by large amounts of people gathering, or people putting their hands in the air. Furthermore, Frontline is not a cult because it believes that #1 Jesus is God, and #2 that the only way to get into heaven or receive salvation is by trusting Jesus to be your savior (i.e. faith alone). For a more complete description see Frontline’s statement of faith.
If you are curious, what would qualify as a cult, two examples are the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons believe many things that are in agreement with and/or similar to what the Bible teaches. However, the fact that they deny the deity of Christ and salvation by faith alone qualifies them as a cult.
So please, before you make false assumptions, do your research. I love Frontline and think you will too. For service times (including internet campus i.e ability to watch if you don't live locally) go here.
In the movie The Christmas Story there is a scene where Ralphie finally receives his Little Orphan Annie Decoder in the mail, rushes into the house, goes into the bathroom to decode the SUPER SECRET message that he has been waiting to unveil for a long time. Welp, little Ralphie is severely disappointed when he learns the decoded message is "Drink More Ovaltine". Can we say "dagger"? I think so.
But great news today everyone!!!! Last night, Emilee, my amazing small group leader, decoded part of Genesis... no she didn't have a little gold decoder like Ralphie... no you won't be disappointed when i reveal this awesomeness... and no you don't have to lock yourself in the bathroom to figure it out. Ok, so throughout the Old Testament, there are often chapters that solely talk about genealogy.. as in this dude was the father of this brah, and this brah was the father of this kid, etc etc. While these chapters are sometimes hard to get through, they are really important because they point to the bloodline of Jesus... AND if you look up the literal Hebrew meaning of each name... A SPECIAL AWESOME AND EXCITING MESSAGE is revealed.
Just look at Adam’s bloodline (Adam also had blood line through Cain and Abel, but the one below is the one that eventually led to Jesus)
Name
Literal Meaning of Name
Adam
man
Seth
appointed
Enosh
mortal man
Kenan
sorrow
Mahalalel
the blessed God
Jared
shall come down
Enoch
instructing that
Methuselah
His death shall bring
Lamech
despairing
Noah
comfort/rest.
Then add “And,” "but", "of", "the", "is/are" as mere connector words. And you get.. "Man [is] appointed mortal sorrow, [but] the blessed God shall come down [and] teach. His death shall bring the despairing comfort and rest."
It's a secret message foreshadowing the coming of Jesus!!!!!!!! For more info about Jesus go here
So apparently when I cop puts his lights on that means you are supposed to pull over. I had to learn that the hard way this afternoon. It was 11:55am. Five minutes until the Sparks basketball game started. Yes, I am the head coach for 11th grade girls in a recreational league. I was running late because I was coming from McLean Bible where I was having my third grade girls make VIP badges for friends/family members that read, "You're a VIP to me because you're a VIP to God".
As I left the McLean Bible parking lot, I asked my oh-so-wise iphone to calculate the shortest route to Westfield High School because I didn't trust my instinct to just take 66 to Ballston then head up George Mason (DOH!). The iphone made me do it! (I wish I had told that to the cop). I ended up staying on route 7 for about 5 miles and focusing on how I was going to apologize to the girls for being late. (Note: my biggest pet peeve is being late.) Less than a mile before I was about to turn, I noticed there was a police car behind me. Long story short, I ended up pulling over after realizing he was trying to get my attention. "Ma'am you were driving 51 in a 25. License and registration now! “. WHOOPS! Unfortunately I didn't have time to explain because I was concerned the game would be canceled if I didn't show up within 10 minutes of the start, so I just kept my mouth shut and didn't try to play the cute/innocent/ignorant/don't write me a ticket or I'm going to cry move.
I was given a ticket and told I could either pay the ticket or show up to court on March 11th, and try and 'make a case'. I am planning on going to court on March 11th to explain to the judge that 1.) Didn’t realize the street randomly changed from 45-50ish to 25 (ignorant) 2.) Was going down a hill (innocent) 3.) Was going from one volunteer activity to another. (sympathy for being a good Samaritan?)
In essence, the young cop showed justice, and I'm hoping the judge will show mercy. But want to know what is really cool? God grants us grace.. let me explain but first provide quick definitions that came from an amazing sermon by Todd Philips.
Justice- Getting what you DO deserve You break the law (speed), you suffer the consequence ($200 because it was residential + $7 for every mile over the speed limit. Mercy- NOT getting what you deserve I deserve to pay the $382 fine, but am hoping the judge will not make me pay any money for my breaking the law. Grace- Getting what you DON'T deserve I don't have to pay the $382 fine, and instead the judge gives me $100!
Now, I certainly didn't do anything to earn the $100. In fact, I certainly don't deserve $100 for breaking the law. It was a free gift from the judge. This idea of grace is exactly what the God of this universe offers us! So imagine you die and are suddenly in front of God, the ultimate Judge. He examines your life, all the good and bad. The truth of the matter is just ONE sin separates us from God. James 2:10 tells us: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." We are a fallen people, we all deserve to be eternally separated from God, that would be showing us justice. BUT BUT BUT , instead of making us pay the penalty for our crime, because of His love for us (John 3:16), God took on human form and died in our place, taking the punishment that we deserve (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). AND...In addition… God offers us the free gift of eternal life in heaven to all who accept that Jesus as savior (John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24; Acts 16:31).
It would be like me going to court, and the judge saying "Okay Chessy... this man named Jesus came here and said he is willing to pay your $382 fine, so you're off the hook. Oh and by the way, he wanted to give you $100 also". Not only has Jesus taken on our punishment, but he also offers us a free gift... eternal life! You can't earn salvation. You don't deserve salvation. Salvation is a free gift from God because He is a loving and unconditional God. All you have to do is trust in your heart that Jesus is your savior.
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