Friday, August 6, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
LeBronatry...
I'm sure many of you know by now that LeBron "King" James has decided to join Wade and Bosh in Miami. The following behind this news has been crazy. It really showed me how quick people change when their idols fail them. Today's blog will take a look at idolatry in our culture and the one and only hope that we have.
Suggested Read:
Tim Keller does an excellent job of exposing idolatry and how destructive it is, while pointing us to the cross.
You now have the mic, join the convo...
Suggested Read:
Tim Keller does an excellent job of exposing idolatry and how destructive it is, while pointing us to the cross.
You now have the mic, join the convo...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Gospel & Craigslist
I'm sure ALL of you have heard of Craigslist, but just in case you haven't, it's nothing more than a site that allows people to sell used items from cars to PlayStations and just about anything you can think of is for sale. Like all things there are good and bad aspects to Craiglist because some people use it as a means to scam people. One of the most common scams is with automobiles, picture this:
2010 Mercedes S Class for $2000.00
Now I'm sure that no one with any amount of common sense would believe this to be a legitimate post, but let's pretend that it was real and the person didn't have some lame story about moving or being divorced and lying about the incredibly low price. Picture the person driving this vehicle to your house and you know it's real because your eyes are on the car and they have the keys and the title in hand and you can't wait to get it before they change their mind because you know that this is the deal of a century.
Now what does this have to do with JESUS?!
Jesus has given us an even better deal in the cross. He is taking our sin, our filth, our broken promises, our failures, our lies, our lust, our confusion, our deceit, our selfishness, our pride, our bad attitudes, our selfish ambition, our greed, our false praise, our false humility, our ungratefulness, our laziness, our excuses, our prejudice, our bigotry, our hatred, OUR SIN. In exchange for HIS beauty, HIS righteousness, HIS holiness, HIS salvation, HIS perfect record before God the Father.
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died for our sins in our place because we couldn't bare the wrath of God. In the same way a 2010 S Class Mercedes for two grand would be the deal of the century, Christ has given us the deal of eternity; HIS life. Christianity isn't a religion built on rules, but a relationship with a Holy God built and sustained by HIS love for HIS own glory and honor. Salvation isn't a birth right, but it's the gift of life to us who are dead in our sins if someone doesn't save us and that's what Christ did for us. It's not a scam, like the Craigslist post, but it doesn't make sense that a holy God would die in our place.
In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
?Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin?s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life?s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
?Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand
I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand
There is only one hope for us all and it's Jesus Christ. Trust HIM today with your life...
2010 Mercedes S Class for $2000.00
Now I'm sure that no one with any amount of common sense would believe this to be a legitimate post, but let's pretend that it was real and the person didn't have some lame story about moving or being divorced and lying about the incredibly low price. Picture the person driving this vehicle to your house and you know it's real because your eyes are on the car and they have the keys and the title in hand and you can't wait to get it before they change their mind because you know that this is the deal of a century.
Now what does this have to do with JESUS?!
Jesus has given us an even better deal in the cross. He is taking our sin, our filth, our broken promises, our failures, our lies, our lust, our confusion, our deceit, our selfishness, our pride, our bad attitudes, our selfish ambition, our greed, our false praise, our false humility, our ungratefulness, our laziness, our excuses, our prejudice, our bigotry, our hatred, OUR SIN. In exchange for HIS beauty, HIS righteousness, HIS holiness, HIS salvation, HIS perfect record before God the Father.
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died for our sins in our place because we couldn't bare the wrath of God. In the same way a 2010 S Class Mercedes for two grand would be the deal of the century, Christ has given us the deal of eternity; HIS life. Christianity isn't a religion built on rules, but a relationship with a Holy God built and sustained by HIS love for HIS own glory and honor. Salvation isn't a birth right, but it's the gift of life to us who are dead in our sins if someone doesn't save us and that's what Christ did for us. It's not a scam, like the Craigslist post, but it doesn't make sense that a holy God would die in our place.
In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
?Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin?s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life?s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
?Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand
I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand
There is only one hope for us all and it's Jesus Christ. Trust HIM today with your life...
Friday, June 11, 2010
Is all Secular Music Sinny, Sin, Sin?
Is it wrong for you to like and listen to R&B, Neo-Soul, Rock, Hip-Hop and any other genre of music if it isn't about Jesus? This is the position that I was presented with early in my Christian walk and many are still proponents of that school of thought. For years I would look at anyone that claimed Christ and didn't listen to gospel music as an 'Unsaved Hypocrite'. Over the years my views have changed as I have dived deep into scripture and began to gain a deeper understanding of the gospel. While I'm not rigid in my approach to music I do think that we need to be wise in what we listen to and aware of our motives for embracing certain styles of music with questionable content.
To all my music lovers. Check out today's vlog and talk back to me.
The Urban Perspective: Is all Secular Music Sinny, Sin, Sin? from Jerome Gay on Vimeo.
To all my music lovers. Check out today's vlog and talk back to me.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Marriage will Make you 'Cuss'
Before you jump to conclusions about the title I want you to think about something. What do you expect from the person you're involved with? Are your expectations realistic? Is God at the center or is He just a means to your happiness? I ask these questions because it's important to know these things before and while in marriage.
Marriage is sacred, it's God's idea and He's committed to it. The question is are we? For many of us if we're honest the answer is, NO!
Today I want you to consider three things about marriage and let the convo begin:
1) Marriage is about holiness, not happiness
2) Conflict should strengthen your marriage, not separate you two
3) The beauty and point of marriage is Christian maturity
These three points are important to understand because you can bank on this, you will be sinned against and you will sin against your mate. If you don't understand this you will place a standard of 'emotional perfection' that you don't and can't live up to. Sin is to be expected and should remind the two of you of God's grace, love, mercy and patience with you. As the two of you meditate and live in that reality there isn't room for pointing the finger at each other, because both of you are living in light of God's grace. The beauty of marriage is realizing how much God love you two and sharing God's unconditional love and grace with each other.
This particular video will be a series because I obviously can cover everything in one video. As we continue to unpack this together I need your comments, questions and experiences.
You have the mic, let's talk...
Marriage is sacred, it's God's idea and He's committed to it. The question is are we? For many of us if we're honest the answer is, NO!
Today I want you to consider three things about marriage and let the convo begin:
1) Marriage is about holiness, not happiness
2) Conflict should strengthen your marriage, not separate you two
3) The beauty and point of marriage is Christian maturity
These three points are important to understand because you can bank on this, you will be sinned against and you will sin against your mate. If you don't understand this you will place a standard of 'emotional perfection' that you don't and can't live up to. Sin is to be expected and should remind the two of you of God's grace, love, mercy and patience with you. As the two of you meditate and live in that reality there isn't room for pointing the finger at each other, because both of you are living in light of God's grace. The beauty of marriage is realizing how much God love you two and sharing God's unconditional love and grace with each other.
This particular video will be a series because I obviously can cover everything in one video. As we continue to unpack this together I need your comments, questions and experiences.
You have the mic, let's talk...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Life Lessons from a Leper
Waddup family I wanted to share notes from a sermon I preached several months ago. I think it's prevalent and applies to our daily lives as we press to be more and more like Christ.
Life seems to operate in cycles about 90% of the time. Things happen that always remind us of past experiences, there are few experiences that we only experience once. There is always the initial shock, joy, fear or anxiety for an experience depending on what it is, but after it’s over we either want to repeat it or we never want to go through a particular valley or feeling again. The Old Testament is filled with stories of people just like you and me that find faith in God through life itself. The interesting thing is that we always see God engage the sinner to break the destructive cycle in their lives as HE does in our lives. As we look internally through the lens of the gospel I want us to go old school and look at the life of Naaman and gain some Life Lessons from A Leper. Scripture is here for us and it is sovereign so that we don’t have to repeat every mistake and travel every valley as people before have already traveled. My prayer is that the jewels in this account of biblical history will rock us to seek Christ in all areas of our lives.
The Backdrop:
2 Kings was written by the Deuteronomist since the exact authorship is unknown the author or authors of 1 and 2 Kings seem to have a deep love and passion for the book of Deuteronomy. It covers the monarchy (realm) of ancient Israel from 970-586BC.
The Main People:
Naaman, the servant girl and the prophet Elisha
Meet Naaman:
His name means pleasant, he was commander in chief over the army of Ben-Hadad (who was the king of Syria) and he had leprosy.
LEPROSY was regarded as a direct providential infliction). This name is from the Greek lepra, by which the Greek physicians designated the disease from its scaliness. We have the description of the disease, as well as the regulations connected with it, in Lev. 13; 14; Num. 12:10–15. Lepers were required to live outside the camp or city (Num. 5:1–4; 12:10–15, etc.). This disease was regarded as an awful punishment from the Lord (2 Kings 5:7; 2 Chr. 26:20).
This disease “begins with specks on the eyelids and on the palms, gradually spreading over the body, bleaching the hair white wherever they appear, crusting the affected parts with white scales, and causing terrible sores and swellings. From the skin the disease eats inward to the bones, rotting the whole body piecemeal.” “In Christ’s day no leper could live in a walled town, though he might in an open village. But wherever he was he was required to have his outer garment rent as a sign of deep grief, to go bareheaded, and to cover his beard with his mantle, as if in lamentation at his own virtual death. He had further to warn passers-by to keep away from him, by calling out, ‘Unclean! unclean!’ nor could he speak to any one, or receive or return a salutation, since in the East this involves an embrace.”
That the disease was not contagious is evident from the regulations regarding it (Lev. 13:12, 13, 36; 2 Kings 5:1). Leprosy was “the outward and visible sign of the innermost spiritual corruption; a meet emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the whole body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man’s inner nature, and renders him unmeet to enter the presence of a pure and holy God” (Maclear’s Handbook O.T). Our Lord cured lepers (Matt. 8:2, 3; Mark 1:40–42). This divine power so manifested illustrates his gracious dealings with men in curing the leprosy of the soul, the fatal taint of sin.
What we are going to see in this story is how God is not impressed with our ability, but with humility. Naaman has success, status, power and money, but there is always a ‘but’ in the way of true peace.
Read 2 Kings 5:1
There is always a ‘but’ in our stories prior to meeting God, there is a sense of happiness that isn’t complete, a portion of knowledge that isn’t fulfilling, no amount of resources can provide eternal security all the things this world can offer provide a temporary illusion of who and where we are in life. What is your ‘but’ today?
2 Kings 5:2-5
Isn’t it funny that a slave girl who is captured in a raid would lead Naaman to the Lord? The voice of God always comes from unlikely sources.
Life Application Point #1
Doubt and Desperation should lead us to devotion
2 Kings 5:6-7
In this part of the story we see that somehow Naaman thinks he can earn his healing with money, status and power, but those things he is using to remedy his situation are the cause of it. In other words we can’t repair ourselves and it’s only through a humble encounter with God will we realize the enormity of HIS grace.
Life Application Point #2
God doesn’t choose the qualified, HE qualifies the chosen!
2 Kings 5:8-11
Naaman shows up with horses and chariots assuming that because of who he is the prophet will come to him and heal him. What he doesn’t understand that leprosy isn’t his issue, but not having faith in God is.
Life Application Point #3
Assumptions on how God will work is rooted in self-entitlement (some of us think we know what we need and how, but we are the source of all our pain and hurt, the only loophole is Christ)
2 Kings 5:12
Naaman’s response prove LAP#3 because the very thing he is desperate for has condition. Until we are unconditionally desperate for deliverance we will never aggressively seek it.
2 Kings 5:13
They are asking Naaman is what Elisha asked you to do for you really that hard. Here’s the even BIGGER point. God doesn’t need us and we are the beneficiaries from entering a relationship with and obeying HIM.
2 Kings 5:14
The answer to the but in our lives is two-fold.
One: We need to move out the way and realize our attitudes, arrogance and apathy are what keep us where we are.
Two: The answer to our issues is always casting our cares on Jesus and resting them there. Remember devotion always demand denial. A call to God demands that you deny the most important person in your life, YOU.
2 Kings 5:15
Naaman finds God in the midst of desperation for healing. God isn’t Naaman’s primary objective or focus healing is, but God meets us where we are and calls us to himself.
Read Lev. 13:2-8
If you read Leviticus chapters 13 and 14 you find that it was up to the high priest to determine if someone was clean enough to enter the camp and commune with other people. People with leprosy were outcast and they were not allowed in the camp, if one of them came close people were instructed to yell ‘unclean, unclean’. The point is this the high priest would determine who was clean and also intercede on people behalf, but the high priest determine cleanliness based on the outward, Christ sits as our high priest and he says there is room at HIS table and even though we are unclean, HE desire to cleanse and qualify us to bring us into HIS camp.
Read Lev. 14:1-32
If you read these to sections of scripture you may be asking why would ‘I’ have to go through all that work to be cleansed, but I want you to notice that the high priest is doing all the work to get you cleansed so that you can enter fellowship with the rest of the camp. Christ is our high priest and he has gone to desperate measures to bring you into relationship with HIM. Our response should be desperate devotion to HIM daily.
Life seems to operate in cycles about 90% of the time. Things happen that always remind us of past experiences, there are few experiences that we only experience once. There is always the initial shock, joy, fear or anxiety for an experience depending on what it is, but after it’s over we either want to repeat it or we never want to go through a particular valley or feeling again. The Old Testament is filled with stories of people just like you and me that find faith in God through life itself. The interesting thing is that we always see God engage the sinner to break the destructive cycle in their lives as HE does in our lives. As we look internally through the lens of the gospel I want us to go old school and look at the life of Naaman and gain some Life Lessons from A Leper. Scripture is here for us and it is sovereign so that we don’t have to repeat every mistake and travel every valley as people before have already traveled. My prayer is that the jewels in this account of biblical history will rock us to seek Christ in all areas of our lives.
The Backdrop:
2 Kings was written by the Deuteronomist since the exact authorship is unknown the author or authors of 1 and 2 Kings seem to have a deep love and passion for the book of Deuteronomy. It covers the monarchy (realm) of ancient Israel from 970-586BC.
The Main People:
Naaman, the servant girl and the prophet Elisha
Meet Naaman:
His name means pleasant, he was commander in chief over the army of Ben-Hadad (who was the king of Syria) and he had leprosy.
LEPROSY was regarded as a direct providential infliction). This name is from the Greek lepra, by which the Greek physicians designated the disease from its scaliness. We have the description of the disease, as well as the regulations connected with it, in Lev. 13; 14; Num. 12:10–15. Lepers were required to live outside the camp or city (Num. 5:1–4; 12:10–15, etc.). This disease was regarded as an awful punishment from the Lord (2 Kings 5:7; 2 Chr. 26:20).
This disease “begins with specks on the eyelids and on the palms, gradually spreading over the body, bleaching the hair white wherever they appear, crusting the affected parts with white scales, and causing terrible sores and swellings. From the skin the disease eats inward to the bones, rotting the whole body piecemeal.” “In Christ’s day no leper could live in a walled town, though he might in an open village. But wherever he was he was required to have his outer garment rent as a sign of deep grief, to go bareheaded, and to cover his beard with his mantle, as if in lamentation at his own virtual death. He had further to warn passers-by to keep away from him, by calling out, ‘Unclean! unclean!’ nor could he speak to any one, or receive or return a salutation, since in the East this involves an embrace.”
That the disease was not contagious is evident from the regulations regarding it (Lev. 13:12, 13, 36; 2 Kings 5:1). Leprosy was “the outward and visible sign of the innermost spiritual corruption; a meet emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the whole body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man’s inner nature, and renders him unmeet to enter the presence of a pure and holy God” (Maclear’s Handbook O.T). Our Lord cured lepers (Matt. 8:2, 3; Mark 1:40–42). This divine power so manifested illustrates his gracious dealings with men in curing the leprosy of the soul, the fatal taint of sin.
What we are going to see in this story is how God is not impressed with our ability, but with humility. Naaman has success, status, power and money, but there is always a ‘but’ in the way of true peace.
Read 2 Kings 5:1
There is always a ‘but’ in our stories prior to meeting God, there is a sense of happiness that isn’t complete, a portion of knowledge that isn’t fulfilling, no amount of resources can provide eternal security all the things this world can offer provide a temporary illusion of who and where we are in life. What is your ‘but’ today?
2 Kings 5:2-5
Isn’t it funny that a slave girl who is captured in a raid would lead Naaman to the Lord? The voice of God always comes from unlikely sources.
Life Application Point #1
Doubt and Desperation should lead us to devotion
2 Kings 5:6-7
In this part of the story we see that somehow Naaman thinks he can earn his healing with money, status and power, but those things he is using to remedy his situation are the cause of it. In other words we can’t repair ourselves and it’s only through a humble encounter with God will we realize the enormity of HIS grace.
Life Application Point #2
God doesn’t choose the qualified, HE qualifies the chosen!
2 Kings 5:8-11
Naaman shows up with horses and chariots assuming that because of who he is the prophet will come to him and heal him. What he doesn’t understand that leprosy isn’t his issue, but not having faith in God is.
Life Application Point #3
Assumptions on how God will work is rooted in self-entitlement (some of us think we know what we need and how, but we are the source of all our pain and hurt, the only loophole is Christ)
2 Kings 5:12
Naaman’s response prove LAP#3 because the very thing he is desperate for has condition. Until we are unconditionally desperate for deliverance we will never aggressively seek it.
2 Kings 5:13
They are asking Naaman is what Elisha asked you to do for you really that hard. Here’s the even BIGGER point. God doesn’t need us and we are the beneficiaries from entering a relationship with and obeying HIM.
2 Kings 5:14
The answer to the but in our lives is two-fold.
One: We need to move out the way and realize our attitudes, arrogance and apathy are what keep us where we are.
Two: The answer to our issues is always casting our cares on Jesus and resting them there. Remember devotion always demand denial. A call to God demands that you deny the most important person in your life, YOU.
2 Kings 5:15
Naaman finds God in the midst of desperation for healing. God isn’t Naaman’s primary objective or focus healing is, but God meets us where we are and calls us to himself.
Read Lev. 13:2-8
If you read Leviticus chapters 13 and 14 you find that it was up to the high priest to determine if someone was clean enough to enter the camp and commune with other people. People with leprosy were outcast and they were not allowed in the camp, if one of them came close people were instructed to yell ‘unclean, unclean’. The point is this the high priest would determine who was clean and also intercede on people behalf, but the high priest determine cleanliness based on the outward, Christ sits as our high priest and he says there is room at HIS table and even though we are unclean, HE desire to cleanse and qualify us to bring us into HIS camp.
Read Lev. 14:1-32
If you read these to sections of scripture you may be asking why would ‘I’ have to go through all that work to be cleansed, but I want you to notice that the high priest is doing all the work to get you cleansed so that you can enter fellowship with the rest of the camp. Christ is our high priest and he has gone to desperate measures to bring you into relationship with HIM. Our response should be desperate devotion to HIM daily.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Child Support and the Cross!
It blows my mind how many men run away from their children and then boast about it as if it is a badge of honor. I think it's important to understand that people who claim Christ in particular men who claim the name of Jesus can't comfortably walk away from their kids and claim the faith.
1 Timothy 5:8 says...
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worst than an unbeliever.
Strong words right? But hardcore and TRUE. Why is this so common?
This video will expose a little more insight on this topic...
1 Timothy 5:8 says...
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worst than an unbeliever.
Strong words right? But hardcore and TRUE. Why is this so common?
This video will expose a little more insight on this topic...
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