Episode 70

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Disciple Up # 70

How to Overcome Resistance & Do What God Calls You to Do.

By Louie Marsh, 8-22-2018

Give-A-Way – Grasshopper Myth – available to the first person who e-mails me at louie@discipleup.org.

1:17a: Get to work – be professional

But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you… Jeremiah 1:17a (ESV)

THE UNLIVED LIFE – taken from The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

 The War of Art – https://goo.gl/YLbrQr

 Gates of Fire – https://goo.gl/weqXDJ

What is Resistance?

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. Romans 7:14-20 (ESV)

1:17b-19: God’s promise of strength to Jeremiah

… Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” Jeremiah 1:17b-19 (ESV)

What Strength really is:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ESV)

For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. 1 Corinthians 4:9-13 (ESV)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 (ESV)

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV)

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 (ESV)

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 (ESV)

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Episode 69

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Disciple Up #69
Think & Believe SMALL!
By Louie Marsh, 8-15-2018

First Ever Disciple Up Give-A-Way – details later!

1) God loves small beginnings.

10  For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. “These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth.” Zechariah 4:10 (ESV)

6  Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. 7  Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” Zechariah 4:6-7 (ESV)

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. – Confucius

2) God uses small (narrow) to accelerate our growth.

13  “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)

Small Beginnings Quotes:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/small-beginnings

https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/small-beginnings.html

“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many…”  ― William Bradford, Bradford: Of Plymouth Plantation

According to the ancient Chinese proverb, A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. – John F. Kennedy

Think small and act small, and we’ll get bigger. Think big and act big, and we’ll get smaller. – Herb Kelleher (Herbert David “Herb” Kelleher is the co-founder, Chairman Emeritus and former CEO of Southwest Airlines.)

It all adds up; never discount your efforts, because small efforts build big things. One word doesn’t make a novel, but one word does begin a novel, and from that small beginning everything else follows. Even if it’s just ‘The’, write something on that blank page. – Laurell K. Hamilton

The world has been evolved, not created: it has arisen little by little from a small beginning, and has increased through the activity of the elemental forces embodied in itself, and so has rather grown than come into being at an almighty word. – August Weismann (August Friedrich Leopold Weismann was a German evolutionary biologist. Ernst Mayr ranked him as the second most notable evolutionary theorist of the 19th century, after Charles Darwin.)

3) God almost always works by starting small.

31  He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32  It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33  He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:31-33 (ESV)

4) A small open door from God is all anyone needs.

8  “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Revelation 3:8 (ESV)

5) In the end – even big is just a lot of small groups together

Saddleback just had it’s 50,000th baptism! Amazing.

Giving away one copy of The Grasshopper Myth, Big Churches, Small Churches and the small thinking that divides us. By Karl Vaters.

 Please Get In Touch!Email – louie@discipleup.org

 


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Episode 68

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Disciple Up #68
Short Term Mission Trips – Effective or a Waste of Time?
By Louie Marsh, 8-8-2018

 A listener response on the FB page!!!  August 7th  at 5:06 AM · Stonemont, GA, ‎Marvin Fore · “Very cool podcast, I’ve really enjoyed the show since I found it.”

A brief – or maybe not so brief – summary of my just completed two week trip to Thailand & Myanmar.

Some thoughts on what happened, etc.

Are Short Term Mission Trips Effective?

Today most would say no to this, and I agree there are problems with them. But I know from personal experience they CAN be. Bad example Marylin Hickey’s “mission trip” promos from years ago.  Look – she’s still doing it: http://www.marilynandsarah.org/events/dubai-hungary-austria-tour-2018/

My personal story – lasting change is possible.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-you-should-consider-cancelling-your-short-term-mission-trips/

Here’s some of my thoughts on how to make them work.

1) Make them ministry focused, not glorified vacations

2) No money. While you may have to provide funds for the ministry work there, you shouldn’t get involved in funding projects, people. Etc. In the end this only makes people more dependent upon American’s and that’s NOT a good thing.

3) Spend as much time with the nationals and be as close to their living conditions as you can safely be.

4) The keys to cross cultural communication – LISTEN!!  Ask questions! Don’t assume ANYTHING! Or in a word just try and be as HUMBLE as you can be.

 Next Week – another Life Lesson from Jeremiah.

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Episode 65

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65 Disciple Up Show Notes
The Fruit of the Spirit – Goodness, Gal. 5:22
By Louie Marsh

Intro – what’s happening over the next few episodes with my Mission Trip, etc.

  1) I am called to PROVE what is good.

1  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

19  Do not quench the Spirit. 20  Do not despise prophecies, 21  but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22  Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 (ESV)

Goodness is often wrongly linked to going to heaven:

 2) I am commanded to CLING to what is good.

9  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Romans 12:9 (ESV)

15  So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (ESV)

3) Then I must DO what is good.

3  For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, Romans 13:3 (ESV)

10  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:10 (ESV)

10  For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; 11  let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:10-11 (ESV)

4) I should REMEMBER goodness starts in my heart.

16  And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17  And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18  He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19  Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20  The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21  Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22  When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:16-22 (ESV)

14  But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. Deuteronomy 30:14 (ESV)

18  But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20  These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” Matthew 15:18-20 (ESV)

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Express & Live My Mission

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Disciple Up # 64
Life Lessons From Jeremiah, Pt 2 Express & Live My Mission
By Louie Marsh, 7-11-2018

Mission Statement Quotes: http://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/mission-statement.html

The most effective way I know to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed. It focused on what you want to be (character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based. – Stephen Covey

A mission statement is not something you write overnight… But fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values. It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life. -Stephen Covey

Without a mission statement, you may get to the top of the ladder and then realize it was leaning against the wrong building! – Dave Ramsey

PART TWO: EXPRESS & LIVE MY MISSION

1:10: His Mission Statement

 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10 (ESV)

John the Baptist;

 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3 (ESV)

Jesus:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-21 (ESV)

Paul:

But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles— to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ Acts 26:16-18 (ESV)

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV)

Examples of Non-Profit Mission Statements today https://topnonprofits.com/examples/nonprofit-mission-statements/

 TED: Spreading Ideas. (2 words)

The Humane Society: Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty. (4 words)

Smithsonian: The increase and diffusion of knowledge. (6 words)

Wounded Warrior Project: To honor and empower wounded warriors. (6)

Public Broadcasting System (PBS): To create content that educates, informs and inspires.

My Mission Statement:

To go anywhere, at anytime & teach anyone God’s Word, and to Empower Disciples.

1:11-12: 1st Assurance of his Call

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” Jeremiah 1:11-12 (ESV)

1:13-16: 2nd Assurance of Call

The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” Then the LORD said to me, “Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. Jeremiah 1:13-16 (ESV)

“I believe in getting into hot water,” said G. K. Chesterton, “it keeps you clean.”

Jeremiah was shaped by God’s Word and Vision, nothing else!

  • What is my mission?
  • Is it really mine? Or did it come from elsewhere?
  •  Can I describe it concisely?
  •  Is all this Biblical?

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Episode 63

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Disciple Up #63
Fruit of the Spirit – Kindness, Gal. 5:22
By Louie Marsh, 6-4-2018

“Cruel to Be Kind” is a 1979 single by Nick Lowe,

 

You gotta be
Cruel to be kind in the right measure
Cruel to be kind it’s a very good sign
Cruel to be kind means that I love you
Baby, you gotta be cruel to be kind

22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness… Galatians 5:22 (ESV)

1) Kindness is treating others & myself the way JESUS WOULD.

This word describes “the sympathetic kindliness or sweetness of temper which puts others at their ease, and shrinks from giving pain

30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30 (ESV)

Christ’s yoke is wholesome, serviceable, kindly. “Christ’s yoke is like feathers to a bird; not loads, but helps to motion” (Jeremy Taylor).

  • Jesus is my ROLE MODEL of kindness really is.

32  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

  • Kindness flows from Jesus and leads me CLOSER to him.

4  But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5  he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6  whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7  so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 (ESV)

  • I am called to BE KIND like Jesus whether it’s appreciated & returned or not.

35  But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Luke 6:35 (ESV)

  • Kindness isn’t always NICE

6  Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Proverbs 27:6 (ESV)

22  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23  But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Matthew 16:22-23 (ESV)

2) God’s kindness leads me to TURN MY LIFE AROUND.

4  Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? Romans 2:4 (ESV)

3) God’s kindness in Christ is also a MAJOR MOTIVATOR to spiritual growth.

 1  So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3  if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 1 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV)

If I’m not growing spiritually perhaps a lack of experiencing Jesus’ kindness is a cause.

4) God kindly calls me to voluntarily accept Jesus as Lord, the only true way to live.

28  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

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Episode 62

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Disciple Up #62
Life Lessons From Jeremiah
Part One: Endure with No Excuses
By Louie Marsh, 6-27-2018

 

Pastor’s Conference
Dilli, East Timor
3-6-7-2012

PART ONE: ENDURE WITH NO EXCUSES:

1: 1-3: His family and town, near Jerusalem, center of power, might have known many famous people, etc.

The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. Jeremiah 1:1-3 (ESV)

The exact meaning of Jeremiah is not certain: it may mean “the LORD exalts”; it may mean “the LORD hurls.” What is certain is that “the LORD,” the personal name of God, is in his name.

Jeremiah Endured Because…

 Last Sunday’s Sermon – Count the Cost – http://christschurchontheriver.com/sermons/count-the-cost/

 Jeremiah as almost all the prophets, saw  themselves as people being acted upon by God. This is God’s call, God’s will, God’s plan, NOT his! If we are to endure the hardships of ministry we must understand that this is all about God and what HE wants, not about us.

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5 (ESV)

We have a similar call:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)

6  Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7  But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.” 9  Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. 10  See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:6-10 (ESV)

“We are practiced in pleading inadequacy in order to avoid living at the best that God calls us to. How tired the excuses sound! I am only a youth; I am only a housewife; I am only a layman; I am only a poor preacher; I only have an eighth-grade education; I don’t have enough time; I don’t have enough training; I don’t have enough confidence; or, with biblical precedence, “Master, please, I don’t talk well” (Ex 4:10). Too much is being asked of us. We cannot cope. We cannot manage.” –  Eugene H. Peterson. Run with the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best (Kindle Locations 429-432). Kindle Edition.

Moses’ Excuses:

 6  Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7  Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8  “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9  If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” 10  But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11  Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

 13  But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

14  Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15  You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16  He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17  And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.” Exodus 4:6-17 (ESV)

Our Call From Jesus:

 18  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

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Episode 61

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Disciple Up #61
Thinking Biblically, Seek Not See God’s Face
By Louie Marsh, 6-20-2018


Intro – My second shot at this due to operator error and a COMMENT rolled in!  Thanks to Caressa, won’t mention her last name for privacy.

The articles:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/face-god-eye-beholder-researchers-say-n882491

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0198745

Why would any Christian go along with this charade?

 Is our understanding of the Bible so weak that people don’t know or understand something this basic about our faith?

What Probably Happened

 People tend to go along with authority figures

What The Bible Says About God’s Face (hands, feet, etc.)

10  and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. Exodus 24:10 (ESV)

18  And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. Exodus 31:18 (ESV)

11  Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. Exodus 33:11 (ESV)

———————-

4  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 (ESV)

1  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. John 15:1 (ESV)

7  So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. John 10:7 (ESV)

35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35 (KJV)

29  for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29 (ESV)

16  In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. Revelation 1:16 (ESV)

24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 (ESV)

God is Invisible:

15  “Therefore watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, Deuteronomy 4:15 (ESV)

17  To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17 (ESV)

20  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:20 (ESV)

Quotes On Being Made In the Image of God:

Quotes on God’s Image and Purpose for Humanity

“The most distinctive feature of the biblical understanding of man is the teaching that man has been created in the image of God.” – Anthony Hoekema

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit.” – C. S. Lewis

“To live was to enjoy – when every faculty was in its perfection, amidst abundance of objects which infinite wisdom had purposely suited to it… when he was at full liberty to enjoy either the Creator or the creation – to indulge in rivers of pleasure, ever new, ever pure, from any mixture of pain.” – John Wesley

“Leave the works in one class. Consider one as good as another. Fear God, and be just, as has been said. And then do whatever comes before you. This way all will be well done even though it is no more than loading manure or driving a mule.” – Martin Luther

“This sense of being made in God’s image calls us all constantly to look for it in others and to do what we can to help them acknowledge it and to realize it by joining in worship. We thereby carry to others the answer to their inmost longing, a yearning for union with the Trinity, a thirst to respond with adoration to the God who made them.” – Marva Dawn

The only thing that counts:

14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (ESV)

13  For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14  But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15  For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Galatians 6:13-15 (ESV)

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