the soldier

Are you a soldier? In Ephesians 6 Paul encourages the church to be a convenant soldier.

Stand and Fight- the covenant soldierTruths concerning the covenant soldier
I. Stout hearted (vs10)Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his mightIn this section of scripture Paul tells the Christian to be strong in the Lord. Soldiers should be ready to fight, to serve, and to suffer. A soldier’s armor is useless if his heart is weak. Through out this scripture we are told to stand, another word for this is covenant. This means we must be committed to the cause to be able to stand our ground. (Tom Petty’s "stand my ground") (what are some ways we can prepare to be the soldier God wants us to be? Where does our strength come from? How can we access it)II. Strong Opponent (vs12)Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firmIf we are soldiers, we must have an adversary. Our enemy who we fight is Satan. He his a liar, and a deceiver. He uses people, evil spirits, sin, principles, and other things to battle with. He is strong and capable. Many people and many preachers have said they would like to fight Satan. On your own strength or feelings this would be very foolish. We must realize that this opponent is strong and fierce. Knowing this should intensify the convent. It should make it real. It should inform us. (What types of weapons does Satan use against us? Why should we be informed about the enemy?)III. Well Armored (vs11, vs13-18)Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,Paul now talks about the armor of the soldier. Notice the first item in the soldier’s gear sit the belt of truth. Truth hold it all together. If we are to be all we can for Christ we must be held together with truth. The breastplate of Righteousness is next. This covers the heart. The heart can deceive you and satan uses the heart to make the Christian do many foolish things. Look at Sampson……(give examples if needed). Faith is next and Paul compares it to a shelid. (what are some things a shield is used for? How does this compare with our faith in Christ?) Salvation is used to protect our minds and our head. Salvation is our helmet. And finally we have the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. (How does salvation protect our minds? Why is the word or sword our only method of Offense?) Prayer is mentioned last (Why do you think its mentioned as part of the armor?)

Who is HE?

WHO IS HE?
Col 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

That is my Jesus!!

Mercy and God's Pleasure

This week at Woodland we have been have a spiritual awakening conference. Dr. Tom Hayes of Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute has been bringing the messages this week. I have been inspired, broken, changed, and challenged through these messages. I am once again amazed that God saves sinners.....

When we look into scriptures we see so many pictures of God's Grace. Let us look in Luke chapter 23

In this chapter and in verse 39 we see the story of Jesus being crucified and the criminals that were being put to death with him.

The first criminal is responds as the rest to Jesus. But the second one understands three things during the Crucifixion of Christ.

First of all he understands
God's Holiness..... In verse 40 the second criminal rebukes the first for what he said to Christ. He asks him if he fears God. He know whither through the events that took place or some other time in his life that God is to be feared. Because of God's justice, and holiness God should be feared. This is important because if we do not see who God truly is how can we see who we truly are.

Secondly he understands
His Sinfulness.....Notice also in verse 41 how he tells the first criminal that they deserve their punishment. Through a correct view of God, this sinner sees his sin. He understands who he is and what he deserves. When we see God in all his Glory and grasp who he truly is we will see and understand our need. Because of God's perfection and holiness we are separated from him because of our sinfulness. This is all of us...This thief saw his need and saw the purity of Christ.

Thirdly he understands
Mercy of God...behold how Jesus responds to this man's third statement in verse 42. Oh how beautiful mercy and grace are. Those piercing eyes of Christ peer at the criminal and with mercy he reveals the criminals new home. Salvation is that simple. Because of God the man was awakened to his need for a savior, and Jesus saved him.....simple, awesome amazing.....

Who am I

So I to this quiz called the Belief-o-matic. You take it and it tells you who you most align with in the world's religion

Well it looks like i am a......(see below)this is pretty weird you should try it for fun, a freind of mine asked me to take the quiz.

Do you know what you beleive? Do you know why your a baptist, or methodist? or a Christian? Its a shame that we dont know who we are, or what we beleive and stand for.

Personally I am a Reformed Baptist. In my limted knowledge I try to hold to the inerent Word of God. Through the Grace of God I accept all of scripture. I algn with men like Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, John MacAuthor, Mark Dever.

1.
Orthodox Quaker (100%)
2.
Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (97%)
3.
Seventh Day Adventist (90%)
4.
Eastern Orthodox (88%)
5.
Roman Catholic (88%)
6.
Islam (64%)
7.
Orthodox Judaism (64%)
8.
Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (59%)
9.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (58%)
10.
Hinduism (49%)

outsiders

Dealing with the World

Colossians 4.5-6
I. Limited Time
We are only on this earth for a limited time. God has numbered our days and selected our paths. Knowing this, Paul makes known a principle that we should be aware of when dealing with the world. Our life is but a vapor and then its gone. Our sole purpose in life is to Glorify God. We will glorify God when we make the best use of our time. This should be done in all aspects of life, as well as our relationships with non- Christ Followers. This is important because obviously we don’t live alone here on earth. There are others with us. God has chosen us as tools to spread his message. The Good news….the GOSPEL. DO you think that we do realize our limited time as Christians? And if we do, why don’t we live like it? Why do you think Paul tells them of their limited time? Do you make the best use of your time?
II. Wise Walk
Walking wisely is vital when dealing with the world. We must be on our guard. We must also live intentionally or on purpose. There are so many obstacles that may derail us in our walk with Christ. And when a “derailing” occurs the world notices. Not only that, but we have been giving a privilege to share and be a witness of the Glories of God. A wise believer will walk with purpose, intentions, and with a focus. Wisdom is using the knowledge that we have gained from the Word. Its living out the word. Its putting legs on prayers. James talks about it….its faith being put into good works. Describe a situation where wisdom is needed in our dealing with the world? Why should we worry about having a wise walk?
III. Seasoned Speech
Many times our tongues can get us in a heap of steamy trouble! Especially when dealing with the world. We can get hurt or offended and we will then speak our minds! This is wrong. Paul urges us to have grace seasoned in our speech. This allows us to be more like Christ. When we depend upon our wisdom our speech becomes hurtful and malignant. When we disagree with the world and our feelings or pride is on the line we must exercise grace. It is said in the Bible to be quick to hear, and slow to anger. Give Grace to those who need it most. Has there ever been a time where you did not have grace in your speech? Why do you think that Paul mentions this in this text? How does it apply to you directly?
IV. The Outsider
Paul mentions the outsider and the person whom we answer in these texts. We must remember our job. Just as you and I need a savior, so does this world. When dealing with the world we need to stop and recognize that the only difference between us and them is the grace of God. Many of us are unwise with our dealings with the outsider. This can be hurtful to the non-believer. There are many legalistic men and women in this world who do not use these truths in their conduct with the world. When we fall into this trap, we become legalistic, and ignorant to the things of God. How are we to deal with this lost world? What can we do to be intentional in our relationships with those who are not believers? What do you see as the biggest problem in the way Christians deal with the world? Do you think that we can be to friendly with the world? And if so when does that happen?

recommended books

These are some books that I have been reading. I also highly recommend them. They are really challenging me spiritually.

this a great picture of Nate Garrett. He is watching tv in Jackson Hole Wyoming. He is warching sponge bob haha. Well turn off the tube and check out some of these books

here they are:

Finally Alive--- John Piper

THe Heart of the Gospel --Martin Lloyd Jones

Ashamed of the Gospel--John MacAurthor

THe Joyful Christian ---Cs Lewis

God is the Gospel--John Piper

Dont Waste Your Life -- John Piper

Here are some good web sites

http://www.swoutfitters.com/

http://sermonindex.net/

http://www.desiringgod.org/

http://www.woodlandbaptist.org/

http://t4g.org/

http://www.9marks.org/