Barriers

D’Souza in What’s so great about Christianity and Martin in The Jeusit guide to (almost) everything both state that the poor are closer to Jesus than those of us classified as middle class. The poor don’t have a comfortable lifestyle that gets in the way of their relationship with God; they live in world of hardship, poverty, persecution, and exile. They can relate to the Bible stories about hardships and trials. Yet Christianity is growing in these areas as opposed to in the developed countries.

What do you need to do to get rid of the barriers between you and God? I am not suggesting that you sell all you have and move to a third world country, although if that is where God is leading…

I am suggesting that you evaluate your lifestyle and see what is keeping you from a full and meaningful relationship with the living God. 

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Psalm 139 interpreted by Michael Card

"Search Me and Know Me (Psalm 139)" Lyrics	[edit]
by Michael Card | from the album The Way of Wisdom

Oh my Lord, You search and You know me
You know when I sit, You know when I rise
You know what I think, You know where I'm going
Nothing oh Lord, can hide from Your eyes

You close me in, behind and before me
You shield me with Your mighty hand
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me
Too much for me to understand

Where can I go to flee from Your Spirit?
And from Your presence where can I hide?
Behold up in heaven You're there beside me
In the depths of the darkness You're by my side

And if I rise on the wings of the morning
Or settle on the far side of the sea
Even there Your hand will guide me
For Your right hand is holding me

And if I say the darkness will hide me
The night will shine as bright as day
So search me Lord and lovingly lead me
In Your everlasting Way

Christ in Every Book of the Bible

In Genesis Christ is the Seed of the Woman
In Exodus Christ is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus Christ is our High Priest
In Numbers Christ is the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night 
In Deuteronomy Christ is the Prophet like unto Moses
In Joshua Christ is our Judge and Lawgiver
In Ruth Christ is our Kinsman-Redeemer
In Samuel Christ is our Trusted Prophet
In Kings and Chronicles Christ is our Reigning King
In Ezra and Nehemiah Christ is the Rebuilder of the broken-down walls of human life 
In Esther Christ is our Mordecai
In Job Christ is our Ever-Living Redeemer: for I know my redeemer lives 
In Psalms Christ is our Shepherd
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Christ is our Wisdom
In the Song of Solomon Christ is our Lover and Bridegroom
In Isaiah Christ is the Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah Christ is the Righteous Branch
In Lamentations Christ is our Weeping Prophet
In Ezekiel Christ is the wonderful Four-Faced Man
And in Daniel Christ is the Fourth Man in “Life’s Fiery Furnaces”
In Hosea Christ is the Faithful Husband, “Forever married to the Backslider” 
In Joel Christ is the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost and Fire

In Amos Christ is our Burden-Bearer
In Obadiah Christ is the Mighty to Save
In Jonah Christ is our great Foreign Missionary
In Micah Christ is the Messenger of Beautiful Feet
In Nahum Christ is the Avenger of God’s Elect
In Habakkuk Christ is God’s Evangelist, crying, “Revive your work in the midst of the years”
In Zephaniah Christ is our Savior
In Haggai Christ is the Restorer of God’s lost heritage
In Zechariah Christ is the Fountain opened to the house of David for sin and uncleanness 
In Malachi Christ is the Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings
In Matthew Christ is the Messiah
In Mark Christ is the Wonder-Worker
In Luke Christ is the Son of Man
In John Christ is the Son of God
In Acts Christ is the Holy Ghost
In Romans Christ is our Justifier
In Corinthians Christ is our Sanctifier
In Galatians Christ is our Redeemer form the curse of the law
In Ephesians Christ is the Christ of unsearchable riches
In Philippians Christ is the God who supplies all our needs
In Colossians Christ is the fullness of the Godhead, bodily

In Thessalonians Christ is our Soon-Coming King
In Timothy Christ is our Mediator between God and man
In Titus Christ is our Faithful Pastor
In Philemon Christ is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother
In Hebrews Christ is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant
In James Christ is our Great Physician for “The prayer of faith shall save the sick”
In Peter Christ is our Chief Shepherd, who soon shall appear with a crown of unfading glory
In John Christ is Love
In Jude Christ is the Lord coming with ten thousands of His saints
And in Revelation Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Rev 1:8

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10 Reasons to Believe in a Historical Adam

1. The Bible does not put an artificial wedge between history and theology. Of course, Genesis is not a history textbook or a science textbook, but that is far from saying we ought to separate the theological wheat from the historical chaff. Such a division owes to the Enlightenment more than the Bible.

2. The biblical story of creation is meant to supplant other ancient creation stories more than imitate them. Moses wants to show God's people "this is how things really happened." The Pentateuch is full of warnings against compromise with the pagan culture. It would be surprising, then, for Genesis to start with one more mythical account of creation like the rest of the ANE.

3. The opening chapters of Genesis are stylized, but they show no signs of being poetry. Compare Genesis 1 with Psalm 104, for example, and you'll see how different these texts are. It's simply not accurate to call Genesis poetry. And even if it were, who says poetry has to be less historically accurate?

4. There is a seamless strand of history from Adam in Genesis 2 to Abraham in Genesis 12. You can't set Genesis 1-11 aside as prehistory, not in the sense of being less than historically true as we normally understand those terms. Moses deliberately connects Abram with all the history that comes before him, all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden.

5. The genealogies in 1 Chronicles 1 and Luke 3 treat Adam as historical.

6. Paul believed in a historical Adam (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:21-22, 45-49). Even some revisionists are honest enough to admit this; they simply maintain that Paul (and Luke) were wrong.

7. The weight of the history of interpretation points to the historicity of Adam. The literature of second temple Judaism affirmed an historical Adam. The history of the church's interpretation also assumes it.

8. Without a common descent we lose any firm basis for believing that all people regardless of race or ethnicity have the same nature, the same inherent dignity, the same image of God, the same sin problem, and that despite our divisions we are all part of the same family coming from the same parents.

9. Without a historical Adam, Paul's doctrine of original sin and guilt does not hold together.

10. Without a historical Adam, Paul's doctrine of the second Adam does not hold together.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/10-reasons-to-believe-in-a-historical-adam-69087/

The basics

·       There is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Galatians 4:8-9).

·       God is three in one or a Trinity (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Acts 2:32-33, John 10:30,17:11, 21; 1 Peter 1:2).

·       God is omniscient or "knows all things" (Acts 15:18; 1 John 3:20).

·       God is omnipotent or "all powerful" (Psalm 115:3; Revelation 19:6).

·       God is omnipresent or "present everywhere" (Jeremiah 23:23, 24; Psalm 139).

·       God is sovereign (Zechariah 9:14; 1 Timothy 6:15-16).

·       God is holy (1 Peter 1:15).

·       God is just or "righteous" (Psalm 19:9, 116:5, 145:17; Jeremiah 12:1).

·       God is love (1 John 4:8).

·       God is true (Romans 3:4; John 14:6).

·       God is spirit (John 4:24).

·       God is the creator of everything that exists (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 44:24).

·       God is infinite and eternal. He has always been God (Psalm 90:2; Genesis 21:33; Acts 17:24).

·       God is immutable. He does not change (James 1:17; Malachi 3:6; Isaiah 46:9-10).

·       The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 2:11-12; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

·       Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1, 14, 10:30-33, 20:28; Colossians 2:9; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:8).

·       Jesus became a man (Philippians 2:1-11).

·       Jesus is fully God and fully man (Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

·       Jesus was sinless (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15).

·       Jesus is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6; Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22).

·       Man was created by God in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27).

·       All people have sinned (Romans 3:23, 5:12).

·       Death came into the world through Adam's sin (Romans 5:12-15).

·       Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2).

·       Jesus died for the sins of each and every person in the world (1 John 2:2; 2 Corinthians 5:14; 1 Peter 2:24).

·       Jesus' death was a substitutionary sacrifice. He died and paid the price for our sins, so that we might live. (1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45).

·       Jesus resurrected from the dead in physical form (John 2:19-21).

·       Salvation is a free gift of God (Romans 4:5, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:8-10).

·       The Bible is the "inspired" or "God-breathed," Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

·       Those who reject Jesus Christ, after they die, will go to hell forever (Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8).

·       Those who accept Jesus Christ, after they die, will live for eternity with Him (John 11:25, 26; 2 Corinthians 5:6).

·       Hell is a place of punishment (Matthew 25:41, 46; Revelation 19:20).

·       Hell is eternal (Matthew 25:46).

·       There will be a rapture of the church (Matthew 24:30-36, 40-41; John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

·       Jesus will return to the earth (Acts 1:11).

·       Christians will be raised from the dead when Jesus returns (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).

·       There will be a final judgment (Hebrews 9:27; 2 Peter 3:7).

·       Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). 

From: http://christianity.about.com/od/christiandoctrines/a/basicdoctrines.htm

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One liners part two

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

If God is your co-pilot – swap seats.

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you.

Prayer: don’t give God instructions, just report for duty.

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One liners

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.

When you get to your wit’s end, you’ll find God lives there.

Quit griping about your church; if it were perfect, you couldn’t belong.

Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

We are called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.

Be ye fishers of men. You catch them – He’ll clean them.

בְּרָכָה
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