Hebrews 4

Hebrews 4:1-16

Great passage here. Lots to take from it. I know we've been lax over the last couple weeks because of the business, but business is not an excuse to not be in the word! So, this week, I want to take a little more time than normal to go over this text. Let's all be ready to go by 15 till, instead of 10 till. It's only five more minutes, but five minutes can be a big deal!

See you all Sunday.

-robbie

James 3

James 3

This is a great passage of scripture. Lot's to take from it, and being that we are such noticeable faces in our church, it greatly applies to us! Pay particular attention to vs 13-18. When we are involved in a ministry such as ours, this can easily be something that our enemy uses to deceive us. Let us not fall into such temptations.

-Robbie

Romans 14

Romans 14

I think this is a good piece of scripture to meditate on this week. Let's make no mistake here. This passage is not just about food and drink. It's about our lives and the way we carry ourselves. I think if we took the time to really investigate ourselves, we'd see that sometimes we say or do things that may cause our brother or sister to stumble. We are all guilty of this, me first and foremost. As we continue to seek after God, let us be aware of the things that stand in each others way. Ultimately, these things will stand in the way of us growing closer to God. As always, we'll get into this deeper Sunday morning.

-robbie

James

James 1:22-27

James is a butt-spanking book! I love it! This excerpt that we'll be discussing is an interesting piece of scripture. I would highly recommend that you read the entire chapter. I would even more so highly recommend that you read the whole book. It won't take you long. James is a short book. But there is a ton of stuff in here that we could talk about for the next year. Seriously! Anyway, give it a look and we'll talk about it Sunday. Several of you were slackers last week! LOL make sure you read this week! I'm going to ask one of you to lead this time this week. You won't know who until Sunday! :)

-Robbie

Luke 5

Luke 5:27-32

This is one of the most famous excerpts in all of scripture. But there is an underlying lesson here. This one is not hidden and it's not very hard to see if you really read and examine the text, so... no itunes gift card this week, but I do want to see who gets it, if for no other reason than for bragging rights.

Read the passage, pray about it, and ask God to reveal something to you this week. We'll gather, as always, Sunday morning to discuss. I look forward to what you all have to say. Also, during this time, if there's something that you've been reading on for awhile and have some good insight into something that you think God would want you to share with all of us, please do so! Remember, we study the scriptures not just for our own benefit, but for others' benefit, as well.

Love y'all

Robbie

Matthew 8

There is a ton of great theology found in the book of Matthew. Chapter 8, however, is especially intriguing. There is an underlying theme here that can easily be missed if you don't take time to dissect and study and pray about it.

For this week, I'm going to keep the little "contest" going from our last reading. This one isn't a trick, however. I'm not trying to trip you all up! :)

Read the passage, pray about it, and try to really grasp what is happening here. We will talk about it Sunday morning. Remember, this is not just for the people who are playing and singing this week. Everyone on the Worship team is invited to join us for our discussion. Whoever comes up with the answer to the mystery gets a $10 itunes gift card. If no one does, we'll save it for the next one. We may even start allowing the total to accumulate, if no one gets it this week!

Matthew Chapter 8.... have fun!

-Robbie

Habakkuk

This week we are going to look at a very short passage of scripture, Habakkuk 1: 1-11.

If you would like to keep reading on, I would encourage you to do so. It is a really cool book in the Bible and will give you a lot of questions to ask. If you thirst for theology and explanation, this is a good book for that!

There is one BIG MAJOR illustration that I want to make from this passage. Let's see if you can find it. If you can figure it out, there will be a prize! And to keep it fair, I'll let someone in on what it is that I"m talking about, so I can't say no one guessed it.

Haven't figured out what the prize will be yet, but it will be something fun. Perhaps some of you have a suggestion for the prize??????


Robbie

Hebrews

Good day everyone!

While we are not going to do a book study here, I do want to spend a couple more weeks in Hebrews. Specifically for this week, I want to look at the last section of chapter 5 and into chapter 6. More specifically 5:11- 6:8.

This is a stern warning for us, from Paul. But at the same time, it is also a no-brainer. This is something that we should already be concerned with, as disciples of Christ. This is a short passage with enormous content. Make sure you read and pray about it. Try to pick out a few things that are standing out to you in this and then let's discuss it Sunday morning. I look forward to getting to hear all of you all's thoughts on this.

-Robbie

Theology II

Hello everyone. In keeping with the format we started this past week, this week we will be looking at Hebrews 2.

I've told you all, at one time or another, that Hebrews is probably one of my favorite books of the bible. And throughout the next few months, we will probably spend a good bit of time in this book. Just a couple things about the book: this book:

First of all, no one knows, for sure, who the actual author is of this book. It has been widely speculated that Paul was the author, but for many reasons (lack of personal greeting, no self mention, and things within the actual text) this has been dismissed. It is more likely that, given the author refers to himself as being a Jew, and having heard of the message of Christ second hand from those who received it from the LORD Himself, Appolos or Barnabus are more likely candidates. This book is a book of encouragement to the Christian. The actual recipients of the book were thought to have been a group of Jewish Christians who were facing persecution at the time and were considering renouncing their Christianity and reverting back to Judaism. The writer gives some excellent depicting of Christ's authority, His divinity, and His walk as an earthly man. There are so many things that we can pull from this text to strengthen and encourage us on our journey with Christ. Just as the Hebrews that the text was originally intended for did, we, too, need this encouragement and reminding of who Christ is, what He has accomplished, and how we are to walk with Him.

If you would like a detailed overview, I found one here. It is a lengthy read, but well worth it. We need to be reminded that there are resources out there to help us understand what we are reading, when we read our scriptures. It is important that we don't just read the Word, but that we search out those who God has gifted with grasping and understanding it. And while we should ALWAYS test and approve by comparing that to what the scriptures say, make no mistake. There are those who I believe God has called to be our spiritual leaders. When we begin to think that we have the market cornered on it, we fall into a deadly trap of pride and arrogance.

I look forward to having these discussions with you all over the next few weeks. Read Hebrews 2 and we'll chat this sunday.

robbie

Theology

Theology

What is theology? Well, the dictionary defines it as "the study of divine things or religious truths."
We've talked a lot, over the last year, about theology. We've discussed the importance of studying it and having a good working knowledge of it, for the purposes of being able to, as Peter says, "give an account for the hope that is in you, 1 Peter 3:15.

Many people believe that this just means that you declare you are a Christian. I, however, do not. And I don't just disagree with this idea, I adamantly, fiercely disagree with it. To be able to say,
"I am a Christian", but then not be able to deeply, richly explain what that means to someone who is far from God, or has absolutely no working knowledge of who Christ is, is not only sad, but irresponsible. You will never meet a Buddhist or a Muslim who cannot defend his faith to the nth degree. When we cannot present the full Gospel to those who "have ears to hear", we disgrace the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross.

Okay, I'm going to stop now, cause this is a subject that I can literally get on my soap box for and spend the next two years on. As we finish out this year on our worship team, we are going to be delving into some hardcore theology. There are many reasons for this, specific to our needs as a worship team and as prominent faces in our church. Suffice it to say, to reference our brother Paul, we're moving off of baby food and onto meat.

This Sunday, before service, the band and I dove into a little bit of this, while reading John, chapter 6. I want you all to read this, this week, and then we will begin to open discussions into the text over the next week or so. Please, do not come to church this week not having read it. You will be called out and held accountable to it.

I'm excited about where we're going. Let's go with all of the armor of God. Not just some of it.

Love y'all

Robbie

Mark 16

Mark 16

Well, we bring this book study to a close. The 16th chapter of Mark is one where it seems like Mark just kinda said, "Ah,.... the end!" Almost as if it was a throw away, nice tidy way to finish.

However, if you read thoroughly, you will see some heavy words in there. The resurrection is depicted in greater detail by other gospels, but Mark (in typical fashion) gives the facts; just the facts.

It always interested me that Jesus chose to reveal the resurrection through a woman. I don't necessarily have any profound theology statement about this, but I do have some thoughts. What are yours? I'll answer your posts as I read them. Next, I'm saddened by the Disciple's negligence in believing what they had been told, that Jesus was indeed resurrected. These are people who walked with Him for three years, saw the miracles He did, knew He was God in the flesh, called Him LORD, and yet, still let their fears and sinful, wicked hearts convince them that it was all over; that Jesus was just dead and gone. It makes me think: how have I denied Him? How weak is my faith at times? This is a sin that we cannot afford to commit, let alone become habitual. We need to be in prayer for each other and ourselves that we would not fall prey to the doubts and fears that creep up in us, that would keep us from preaching the Gospel to those whom God brings into our folds.

I know this book has been long and arduous, but it has definitely been well worth it. I think we will do some stand alone posts over the next few weeks, and then maybe get back into another book. Let me know your thoughts.

Love you all,

Robbie

Mark 15

Mark 15


This is a hard chapter to read as it details the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. We would rather skim over the chapter without really engaging in what the people did and said to Jesus. None of us likes to think about being spit on, beaten, mocked, having a crown of thorns pierced into our heads or can even comprehend hanging on a cross. Would we have walked through this process as humbly as Jesus did? Because we haven’t met Jesus face to face, it’s hard to get a visual of what it was like. But, imagine someone close to you like your spouse or a parent or one of your children and having to endure watching them go through that. How horrible it must have been for our God to watch Jesus endure a death He didn’t deserve to redeem us from a death that we do deserve.
I was also impacted by God’s sovereignty and plan in this chapter. He has foretold of Jesus since the beginning (see Genesis 3:15). God doesn’t do things recklessly or without forethought. He has a plan that cannot be thwarted by anything we do or by any evil that exists. And, while things happen that we can’t fathom, we can be comforted that He understands why they are happening and that ultimately He will use it for our good (Romans 8:28) and His Glory (Isaiah 46: 9-10). He used Jesus’ crucifixion for our good in that He saved us from sin and for His Glory in that he proved that He was God by creating freedom to worship Him through the tearing of the temple veil and in literally raising Jesus from the dead on the third day. He is always true to what He says.
What thoughts do you have on this chapter?

-Miranda

Mark 14

Mark 14


So many prophecies and so many details in this account that so many of us know. We are so close to the most life-shattering moment in the history of the world. Reading this chapter, and knowing the rest of the story, makes it so bitter-sweet. This is a long chapter, and this may be a long blog, because I want to tell you what I mean.
First, bitter, the Chief Priests are so threatened by Jesus that they begin their plot to get rid of him, and yet they show how cowardly they are, that they decide it is important to wait until after the Passover feast so they wouldn’t upset people.
Second, sweet, the woman who comes and anoints Jesus with the costly perfume, as her gift to the Christ, and bitter, that Jesus knows that this is his anointing to prepare for the tomb.
Third, sweet and bitter, Judas carries out his role in the life of Jesus as first a disciple, carrying his message to the people, and then being tempted by money to turn him over to be arrested.
Fourth, so sweet that Jesus tells his disciples exactly what is going to happen to lead them to where the Last Supper will take place. All the while Jesus knows exactly what is going to happen, and yet he remains consistent in his life and teaching, and never shows anger or resentment that this is his life coming to an earthly end.
Fifth, sweet and bitter, feasting with Jesus! I cannot wait for that day where we share a table with Jesus himself, but how painful was this meal for Judas. Here is where he realizes what he has done, and Jesus lays out some piercing words, that it “would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” Can you imagine? What about for the others? They had no idea if that was Jesus talking to them. I can imagine a very uncomfortable meal. Yet Jesus makes it sweet again by offering us a model for how we can share in his life through communion.
Sixth, bitter and sweet, Jesus tries to let the disciples know how difficult it is about to get, and with Jesus not among them, how much more they will be challenged and they will fall away. And Peter, the rock, in an emotional plea I am sure, stands with Jesus, and proclaims he would stand with him even to death. His moment of strength was shortened by the prophecy of his denial, and with such specific detail. You know Peter knew at that point, as with other specific instructions Mark accounted (Triumphal Entry, Where to eat the Passover), knew that it would be so.
Seventh, bitter and sweet, especially to see that in the face of extreme betrayal, persecution, and death, even Jesus was scared and anxious. And yet in the face of this, Jesus models for us what our response should be when we are in moments of trouble and despair, he “fell to the ground” and prayed. Not only that, but he asked his Peter, James, and John to pray for his protection, just as we should with our community of believers.
Eighth, again bitter and sweet, a lynch mob? Really? And Judas had the nerve to use a kiss as a sign of who Jesus was. Such fear in these leaders and such gall in Judas. All the while, Jesus uses the power of his authority and words to rebuke them even in the moment of ultimate betrayal, and the prophecy was fulfilled.
Ninth, sweet and bitter, as Jesus is brought before the Council, no one could testify to anything that would put Jesus to death, and knowing this they asked him if he was in fact the Christ. Knowing this would bring wrath, his power and authority once again came through and he states, “I am, and you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” What power and courage as this led to them beating him out of fear and anger.
And finally tenth, bitter, as Peter falls prey to his weakness, and did as Jesus said, denied him three times in the face of persecution of his own.
As I said, this is a roller coaster chapter, and so full of deep emotion and extreme situations. Powerful stuff, what are your thoughts?

-Philip

Mark 13

Mark 13

I love this chapter! This is one of the only times that Jesus actually talks plainly, and openly about all that must pass. Typically, when the Disciples ask Jesus about something, or to explain something, He will answer with a question, or He'll explain it, after He's given them some parable to consider. But here, they ask Him a pointed question, and He plainly answers them. And make no mistake, this is a warning, not only to them, but to all who read or hear of these words.

We may not see it happen, but you can guarantee that it will. And Jesus says, himself, that no one, not even He, knows the hour. ONLY the Father in Heaven. This should cut us to the core. It should be the very reason that we take seriously our walk with Christ, and our knowledge of Him. (Theology). For even Jesus says, there will be those coming in His name, or proclaiming to be Him. But do not be led astray... And He says that those false prophets, or Anitichrists, will indeed try to manipulate, confuse, or even destroy the Elect (those who are the adopted sons and daughters of Christ- see Ephesians 2:1-10)

How, then, will we know who these prophets are, if we are but babes in our faith? The writer of Hebrews says that we shouldn't remain as infants, once we've encountered the saving faith of Jesus. We are to mature in our faith. He even calls out the men in this piece of scripture saying, you are like babies, still drinking milk, when you should be eating meat! (paraphrasing, of course, but that's what he says)

I want to challenge you all to take your faith seriously. It was given to you by God, it is not of your own doing, just as the Ephesians scripture, listed above, points out. This is so you can't boast or brag that you had anything to do with it, but it's also so that you understand who the perfecter of your faith is, and that you don't take it lightly. It is a gift from God, and we should hold it dearly, and cherish and nourish it, just as we would our own children. We need to be going deeper in the scriptures, reading more about theology, understanding what it is that we believe in. It IS NOT enough to say, "I believe in Jesus". For even Jesus says that He will say, "And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me,^D)"> you workers of lawlessness."- Matthew 7:23

Mark 12

Mark 12

Whew! Lots going on in this group of passages. The parable of the tennants, the resurrection, money and possessions, and on and on. As we get further into the book of Mark, we begin to see the ministry of Jesus really begin to advance. Jesus is teaching some hard and harsh things and he is just giving one lesson after the other. I can only imagine the disciples walking around with Jesus thinking, wow! This just keeps getting better and never lets up.

And I think often times we forget that. Our walks with God should just keep getting better, every day. And we should never want to let up on it. It should energize us to go deeper and farther in our search of God.

Two things that stand out to me here. First, Jesus foreshadows his death in the very first parable. They don't understand what he's talking about, of course, but it's right there. I love how Jesus would tell people things that were very easy to understand, if they would just listen. And second, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." I love that Jesus just says this. He allows them to believe the illusion of something being someone's other than God. Cause if you look hard enough, you see the very next thing is the story of the woman who gives her last two pennies to the offering and what Jesus says about her. I believe that those dinari probably had Caesar's image on it. And yet, Jesus says that because she gave all that she had to our Father in heaven, she would receive great reward. In the end, Jesus was saying that everything is God's. It doesn't matter who's image is on the coin. It all goes to intent. And what you do with what God has given.

-Robbie

Mark 11

Mark 11


Hey all, this is Miranda. This week we're in Mark 11. What I was most struck by in this chapter is the overarching theme of Jesus' authority. It begins with the Triumphal Entry. Imagine being one of the disciples and being instructed to go to the next town to get a colt that's going to be tied up and then be given the words to say to the person you'll be taking it from. And, THEN actually going to that town and everything happening just as Jesus said. I thought to myself, "Their hearts must have been pounding from awe and excitement." I wonder what it must have been like for them to be walking beside Jesus as people everywhere cried out "Hosana!" And, did they even understand what was happening?

As the chapter continues, Jesus clears the temple and rebukes the people for desecrating it. He commands a fig tree to never bear fruit again. And, the Pharisees fail again to trap him when they ask him by what authority he's done these things. What I walked away with from this chapter is that Jesus can exercise His authority in any situation. We have four different situations here where He did this. It's a reminder to me of His power and how every area of my life is much better off under that authority.

Mark 10

Mark 10


Philip here, and I love the story of Jesus with the children. I am perplexed at times as to why the disciples were trying to keep the children away, but I can assume there was a large crowd and that after being pressed for long periods of time they were tired, irritable, frustrated, etc. No excuse, but Jesus’ words here really spoke to me through a song called “Fingertips and Noses” by Newsong back in the ‘90’s (so weird to think that was a LONG TIME AGO!) The sentiment of the song is a children’s class at church, and they are learning about how Jesus was sacrificed, raised from the dead, ascended to heaven and then one day will return. With childlike anticipation, all the kids run to the window to see Jesus coming from heaven, and they leave finger and nose prints on the window. Beautiful visual of how kids don’t let their unbelief get in the way, they simply believe!

The other thing that has always been a challenging verse for me is in the story of the rich young man. First of all, I wish we knew exactly what they meant by rich in this passage, but I have to consider that I would fall into the rich category as I am in the top percentages in the world in income, and have lots of stuff. Jesus is speaking to a man that follows the law and considers himself a “good person”, but with the question he is asking he is clearly looking for something else, or feels incomplete in his salvation. Jesus knows that his vice is selfishness. He keeps more to himself than he gives. Verse 23 is a tough one, often discussed and probably often misunderstood. I did a little research and found an account that the original Greek actually was written as kamilos (meaning rope) rather than kamelos (meaning camel). Easy to get hung up on this, but even if it is a rope trying to pass through a needle eye or a camel trying to pass through a narrow gate in Jerusalem called the eye of a needle, the key point is the same. Anything is possible with God. Jesus is trying to impress upon them just how powerful God is. He can move mountains, he can accomplish things that man cannot, such as either example above.

What really resonated with me today is the combination of these two, I want to believe with childlike anticipation, that any situation I am faced with, God can accomplish, no matter how impossible it may seem.

Philip

Mark 9

Mark 9

As we move into Mark 9, I notice something that begins to start taking place throughout the story telling. Jesus begins to continually make reference to His resurrection. And the scriptures say that the Disciples were either "afraid" or "confused", and did not ask Him about this.

This brought up an interesting thought for me. How many times are we afraid of the answer to something or confused and don't want to look stupid, therefore, we don't ask. I find that this happens a lot. It took me a long time to get to a point where I would lay down my own pride and not worry about looking stupid or hearing what I didn't want to hear and just ask. The reality is, sometimes the answer we get is not the answer we want, or the answer we get gives us information that we really would've rather not known. However, the answer is the answer, nonetheless. We can't change the answer. It is what it is, and rather than avoid it, I think we need to sometimes embrace it. We need to realize that God is Sovereign. He has ordained all things from beginning to end. And though we may not understand it, or like it, it is what it is, regardless. A perfect example would be the flood that we have recently experienced this week. None of us know why, nor would any of us, I would imagine, want it to have happened. But in the end, it becomes an opportunity for us. It's in those times when we can show humility by admitting we don't know the answer. We can show compassion by helping those who are affected. And we can show the love of Christ by just being there for people, praying for people, and caring for people.

-robbie

Mark 8

Mark 8


Hi, Team! It’s Molly writing the blog this week, about Mark 8.

11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. 12And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."

While Jesus refused to give the Pharisees a sign, his disciples had all just witnessed
Jesus taking seven loaves of bread and a few small fish, feeding four thousand people with it, and having seven baskets of bread left over. He’s also, at this point, walked on the Sea, healed a Deaf Mute, and made people well just by them touching Him.

Shortly after when Jesus tells the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, the disciples don’t think of it as a warning to help them, they think he is upset with them because they only brought one loaf of bread. They’ve just witnessed the miracle that he performed with the previous group, feeding them from seven loaves of bread, and they think He’s upset about the bread? You feel like asking them, “Were you paying attention, at all to what just happened?” Which is basically what he does say to them. Jesus has just told the Pharisees he does not need to give them a sign, and then the people following him most closely that have been witnessing true signs the whole time of the Word he speaks and of the Godly acts he performs, are thinking he would be upset about something that they just watched him take complete control over?

We live in a society that is always looking for “proof” before we take action on something. We have all been these disciples at some point. We are always seeking signs from God, we even ask for them, but how many come that we just skip over, in turn thinking that God has forgotten about us and that he is upset with us about “the bread”? I can think of too many instances where God would be able to say to me, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?”

Mark 7

Mark 7


Hey everyone! This is Miranda. This week we are going to be in Mark 7. In this chapter, Jesus is confronted by the scribes and Pharisees because the disciples did not follow the traditions of the Jews. If you were Jewish, it was required that you wash your hands before eating. This was a tradition instituted by the elders, in addition to other traditions like washing pots and pans before eating from them.

That may seem silly to us because we all wash our dishes and hands. But, the big underlying issue here is, the Pharisees saw their traditions as law and replaced the law of God for their own beliefs. They spent more time focusing on protecting their man-based traditions rather than using God’s commandments as the guide for their actions. Because they were like this, they were very judgmental of anyone who did not hold to their standards. It brings to mind Matthew 7: 3-5 where Jesus preaches about taking the log out of our own eye so that we may take the speck out of our brother’s eye. When you spend all your energy judging someone else, you can’t see that you’re the one who is in need of help.

What I want us to think about this week is: Are there things in our lives that are tradition to us that don’t measure up with what Gods says? Do we pay God lip-service with hearts far from him and worship him in vain, holding to our own traditions instead of His commandments, as verses 6-7 say? What are your thoughts and what stood out to you in this chapter?