
"There came a man who was sent from God: his name was john. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so thaty through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light." --John 1:6-8
Welcome to Journey of a Disciple, an online journal to see whats inside a Christian mind! Sit back, relax as you take the journey with Discipleship24-7.com webmaster, Blake; as he follows God's calling; teaching God's word across the web! No day by day detailed story, just Blake himself sharing the challenges as he follows Jesus everyday even when its not always easy in this world.
I like your layout, the text is easy to read, and you have some excellent content.
I was pretty shocked myself.
Have a great day!
I am reminded by a song "Free to be Me" by Francesca Battistelli with the words telling us were "free" to me..... free to be ourself!! But also we have another freedom; were free from this world by having Christ come into our life!!! Yes, the world could offer us some freedom in our life, but in the end the world's freedom lasts only for a short moment, not eternity!
(v.6-7) Do we have a firm foundation? >> Just as we invite Christ into our life, we need to continue to grow in that relationship, "rooted and built up" strong to with stand the storm. So we need to have that firm foundation by 1) pleasing Him 2) bearing fruit 3) continue to grow each day 4) strengthen the faith department >> This will help us become "rooted and built up" so we can continue to be free with Christ in our life!!!
(v.
Do you have your personal firewall active? >> While living in this world just a moment, we still need to have that firewall active.... Yes the world and satan will toss us anything in our face, hope they can pull us any from Christ and into their "deceptive philosophy" We need to come to Christ, dig into Him word to keep the faith, to keep the foundation firm so we can be free from this world!!! There are people out in the world that hate Christians.... its shocking but we need not to let that take us down, but rather keep going knowing that gift we have it truly greater than the world could ever offer!!
Are you ready to see and live this Freedom, today? This gift is for all, not just us but all those who seek Him and not seek the world..... Come to Christ and pray for His love, His guidance and His freedom that gives to all, even those in that did follow the world before!!!
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." ~John 3:16
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Students Pray on Their Campus
7AM Before School @ the Flag Pole
20 years ago 10 students gathered around the flag pole at their school in the morning to pray! They stood there praying for the community, their friends, their classmates and the issues they faced on campus. What began with 10 students in
Come before the flag on your campus before school and pray to God the issues on your mind. Pray for your community, your friends, your school and those who seek God!
Parents,
This event isn’t about us, the students… it’s about praying for the darkness on our campus. We read or watch the news only to hear another accident on campus, which is just a few blocks down the street. It takes time to make a difference on campus that we call home.
Together we can make a difference, not in one day, one week, one month… but maybe at the flag pole as we pray for campus. Its simple all your student needs to do is to meet at the flag pole before school and pray. You can pray for your friends, classmates, teachers, staff and administration.
Maybe there is one project, one thing you can do for someone…. Maybe there is a member in your church who needs yard work done or home cooking with fellowship…..
LOVE is one of the fruit of the spirit that we need to still grow, learn and work on to become more like Him! Out of LOVE we put other people’s interest first, before ours…. Jesus placed us on the top of His list, by becoming human flesh, by taking our place on the cross for our sins, by becoming a servant, by giving His life to us…. To this lost world!!!
Let pray this weekend, so that we may have opportunities to show LOVE to our neighbors, co-workers, community, where ever we are, today!! We are ALL children of God, the Father, lets grow in our relationship more with Him; are you ready??
We all have a favorite TV show heros, why? Because we picture ourselves to be like that person or like that family... Just when we think we know everything about our TV heros, we learn more each time we see them... but the book of Clossians gives us ways we can grow in our attitude and our action so we can honor God through our lives!
What are the products of hope? (v.5) >> Faith and love make the product of hope... "stored in heaven" because we have faith in God, our father who makes a place for us in heaven, we ALL hope that our place will be ready when the Lord calls us home. We have hope that heaven is there waiting for us untill were called home. We have love because first Christ loved us, have His son taking our place on the cross for our sins!
Are you sharing "the gospel" to all? (vv.6, 12-14) >> After all Christ SAVED us from the darkness of the world... so Christ saved us and wants to use us as tools in His mission to keep shining the light of Christ! It hard to share to all because many will look @ us and wonder why we are the way we are... but God calls us to do just that and share!
Can you make a list of people who don't know Jesus? >> Yes, we all can name friends and family members that don't know Jesus... but we can pray and offer a chance to know Jesus... Yes if your church has an event, keep them mind for the invintation....
How is the fruit growing in your life?
Are we "living as Children of Light" in this world of 2009? We need to reconized that we are only human, that we are still learning regaurdless of our age from the youngest to the oldest.... In this Ephesians mini series, is helping us answer, the BIG question, by Discovering Our Purpose of whats in our life (or what is missing?)... We are trying to understand that purpose that God has already given us.
(vv.20-24) Did we put on our new self?? >> Lets face it, we are new to this purpose, this relationship that God wants us to have... we just need to make the move to Him because he is ALWAYS ready... But we can still fall short of this relationship, just like husband & wife; boyfriend & girlfriend, we are humans that can get caught up in temptations becoming week in areas of our life... We can keep our new self in focus by coming to the father, to help put on the armor to defeat temptations (Galatians 5:16-17)
(vv.26-2
Are your actions shining the light or covering the light? >> Yes, anger can be a powerful emotion, both good and bad... We just need to control it NOT it controling us in our life... This is what the devil us to get into are hearts and stir up the spirit with sin... The world is watching us seeing if they can push their values into our hearts redefining us changing that spirit from within us....
(vv.30-32) Are we growing within our relationship? >> Sometimes we need to clean house now and than... we need to just see what clutter is in our life, that may becoming a impact on our realationship with God... We just need to remember what Christ has given us, and did in our life ALL because he loves us so much....
Are we ready to declutter our life, to make for our Savior Jesus Christ?
Unity is a special thing, one that which we CAN'T buy nor force to comform, but its something we Christians can have through our brothers and sisters in Christ as a body. Now, unity doesn't mean we have to agree on all choices, selections on church stuff, but our goal is the same...
(v. 1) Have we, meaning you and I, have we "live a life worthy of the calling..." ? >> Verse two has some ideas of that "life" and actions in verse three to five that we should be doing in our daily walk with God, friends, family, work and even ANY time, ANY place...!
(vv. 11-13) What role are we taking today to build the body of Christ?? >> Some of us may be a pastor or treacher, while others may be a church planter or a motivator who moves the church through many projects... All of us have many diffrents skills, where we can fill that one spot and build up the body of Christ in order to unity to be reached....
HOW ARE YOU IN FULFILLING YOUR CALL, THIS WEEK??
Do we ever look back @ the choices that we made in our life, far we can remember? Do we stop and wonder what if I took that one other choice and see how better life would be than today.... I can clearly say I still question the choices, I've made, wondering if I should have taken that one other thinking and hoping that life could have been better....!
But I can say that God has opened many doors, ones that I've never see myself opening nor exploring the possiblities of me in that choice... We are human, by default we stay within our "comfort zone" because its what we know and feel to be more of a success... or we think...?
But God just may lead us down a path that we never seen before, never thought of walking down it; but God has a plan for me, even you... We may not understand the reason of it nor unstand the need of why I am working here, attending school here or going to church on Sundays @ this church... He see the BIG picture of it all.... all he ask is to TRUST in Him completly....
ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THIS CHOICE HE HAS GIVEN?
What is prayer?? May people will say its something Christians do ALL the time... its what we do before we eat or sleep, but why? >> Think about it prayer is communitcation, to God... we come to Him, to seek his will and guidence.... Its one way of how we express whats on our mind, our feelings, our heart and our love.
(vv. 14-19) What's is Paul praying for; the Ephesians? >> Haved you ever justed prayed for a person to open his heart to God... to see that light shine from within you... have you prayed for time to wittness to that "friend" that hope would turn to God and not to the world...?
(vv. 19-21) How can we show love when some have seen rejection? >> Its hard to show love when maybe a person isn't use to love... but we can slowly give and show through our own actions...! Yes our actions can be that wittness, that light where people stop and wounder whats the reason and drive behind that person...! Let us "Let Love In" a song I heard from Goo Goo Dolls... we need to let the love in but our own defence wall is preventing everyone out....!
We see that Paul is preaching to the Gentiles, however sharing the Gospel can be hard, but can you think of a time when someone NOT just preached the Gospel, but ENCOURAGED you with it? We just should quote the book down someones mouth, but share the Gospel through our words and also actions... after all we don't want to scare them away from us...!
(vv. 7-10) What's was Pauls mission, that God has given him? >> Has God given you a mission lately... have you taken that mission or are standing on the sidelines, just wait for something BETTER...?
(vv. 10-11) What mission does the church have, according to the passage? >> Has your church taken this mission forward, has it expanded this mission into ministry in action? Sometimes we can continue our minisrty without growing... but God wants us to grow in our ministry and relationship to continue to grow closer to him.... but we as humans just want to keep with in our "comfort ZONE", are you ready to MOVE the church into this mission...?
(vv. 11-12) How can we share the Gospel so people can REALLY hear it? >> Sometimes people put up their defense wall, blocking out what they don't know nor understand... but lets not become discouraged, but become that seed planter and continue to plant that seed and allow God to bloom within that person... We can list friends that don't know the Lord, but right now we can continue to pray for them... after all their still friends with us, so they have seen our light shining....!