April Fools Day 2015

Matthew 5:22 NIV
[22] But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Psalm 14:1-2 NIV
[1] The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. [2] The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

God using word fool is pretty strong, it is not a good word to be used or address to one another.

Luke 12:13-21 NIV
[13] Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” [14] Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” [15] Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” [16] And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. [17] He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' [18] “Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. [19] And I'll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ' [20] “But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' [21] “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

He does not call him that because:

• he is dishonest.
• he is failed to plan ahead

In our society, this guy might be the one of very successful people.

1. A foolish person is a thankless person

Twelves time in short passage this man said 'I' or 'ME' or 'MY' or the like

2. Foolish person is blinded by lies

12 apostles does not have a place to stay, but this person having such abandon life, and yet he wants build bigger barn to ensure he can store more wealth.

3. Foolish person is forget about others

Verse 19. It explain that the person want to take life easy and it is all about him. He forget others.

4. The foolish person forget about future.

Verse 20. This very night the life will be demanded from you. 

The person is building something that only last temporary but should build something that last forever.  

Get Save Today

John 12:32-33 NIV
[32] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” [33] He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

John 3:13-15 NIV
[13] No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven---the Son of Man. [14] Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, [15] that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Only thru Jesus that we can get saved.

Numbers 21:8-9 NIV
[8] The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” [9] So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

Living Above Reproach

According to Solomon, we have to guard our heart, which is guarding our eyes, speak, ear. As a Christian we have to reproach in all areas. Living according to Jesus.

Philippians 2:14-18
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

This verse are always guard our heart, and not to be grumbling and arguing. life a live above reproach.
Did people see me as someone who always grumbling or complaining?
 whatever we are doing today, it reflect our heart, and how close we are to God.
Learn the benefits of doubt.

 Do I have people in my life that giving benefit of doubt?
 walk in the age long enough and it will fall.
 Am I changing to be more and more like God or the other way around? It is time to create some distance to far from what makes distance to be like Jesus.
Be undervalue the weakness.
Do not let the environment dictates your holiness

Sinful Nature

Romans 1:21-32
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

The act of sinful has been brought into this level.

Romans 2:1-4
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

It is easy for us to condemn, but it is hard for our life to follow what bible said. What are we comparing to? What is our standard that we use to compare?
Paul understand that Jews and Gentiles are having this in mind. Jews are chosen one as they are from Abraham lineage, many of them believe that if they have a little sin, they can still inherit kingdom of God.

Romans 7:19
19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

When Sin control you, it will make your spirit heavier and make us tired easier.

 Ephesians 5:3
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

 Have I recall things that to satisfied my sinful nature? When the temptation is started, we are already losing it. When we are in the edge of temptation, we are losing battle.

 Bible said if we resist the devil, it will be flee from me.

Feed my spiritual nature, as when we are tempted and fall into sin, we are feeding our sinful nature, which is why we have to feed our spiritual feed to ourself so we can become strong in this.

James 1:13-15
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

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Friendship or Facebook

Real friendship
Proverbs 14:24
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
 but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Qualities of AHAVE [friend closer than a brother]
1. Deep relationship
1 Samuel 18:1
18 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.
Do I have a have relationship with my small group? if I can’t deep with my brothers, how do I can lead them deeply? We need to learn deeper question.
2. Courage to speak the truth in love
Proverbs 27:5-6
5 Better is open rebuke
 than hidden love.
6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
 but an enemy multiplies kisses.
3. Willing to sacrifice
John 15:13
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Guard Your Heart

Psalms 139:14-15
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
 your works are wonderful,
 I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
 when I was made in the secret place,
 when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Heart is so important as it mentions in bible 743 times.
Proverbs 4:23
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
 for everything you do flows from it.
1. Our heart is precious.
1 Peter 3:3-4
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Do you see how precious our heart is? Do you taking care like your new iPad?
2. Our heart is wellspring of life.
wellspring is the source of stream, it is source of everything else in our life. Our thoughts, emotions, what we say and what we do. Our heart affects our daily actions.
When our heart is polluted, it will affect everyone, our job, our family, our relationship with God. That is the reason we need to guard our heart.
3. Our heart is at war.
1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

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Maturing in Christ

What is our goal as disciple?
2 Timothy 3:15 (NIV)
and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

If we want to grow as disciple, we also need to grow in our knowledge.
1 Peter 2:1-3 (NIV)
Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. [2] Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, [3] now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

are we growing?
How to grow from immature to mature

1. Ability to teach others
Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIV)
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. [12] In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! [13] Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. [14] But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

God expect growth. Progress will make us grow in our knowledge. When we make progress, we are growing.

Have we stop teaching?

2 ability to hold on to unity
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 (NIV)
Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly---mere infants in Christ. [2] I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. [3] You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? [4] For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

Are we acting like infants?
Paul has disagreement with barnabas.

 Galatians 5:13-15 (NIV)
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. [14] For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [15] If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

We must stay united at all cost.

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