Disciple Up # 165
Christ the Controversialist
By Louie Marsh, 6-24-2020
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The Gospel
Episode 163
Disciple Up #163
Staying Sane in An Insane World – Thinking Biblically
By Louie Marsh, 6-10-2020
How to stay sane?
First Think Biblically
God calls disciples to think Biblically not culturally and not to simply follow my feelings or to go by my instincts. No, God calls all disciples to think clearly, critically (I mean analytically not to be critical of others).
18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)
We need to think like God thinks, to see the world as he does and then follow that truth.
People sometimes say, “The god I believe in …” Perhaps the god you believe in isn’t the real, true and living God. And the only way to know for sure what he thinks is to consult, understand and depend upon the Bible.
C.S.Lewis: “If you do not listen to theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones!”
Jesus shows us his authority in many places including the Sermon on the Mount when he repeatedly says, “You have heard it said but I say…”
To think like Jesus, to think Biblically means that you’ll really be different. Not different in a way that is considered cool, but different in a fundamental way that won’t be appreciated by many if not most people.
To really think Biblically I must to this: 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)
Test everything – especially things that make me feel good while sending me off in a slightly different direction in life.
This kind of testing, comparing everything to Scripture – needs to become a deeply ingrained habit that the disciple does automatically!
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 (ESV)
An Example of Thinking Biblically
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)
1st Question: Who is my neighbor?
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” Luke 10:29-37 (ESV)
Is this a command to love yourself?
2nd Question: What is the command here?
A: To love my neighbor. This isn’t two commands – it’s ONE. The command is to love my neighbor.
The second part of this is an explanation of HOW we are to love our neighbor. People have always known there are different kinds of love. Love my dog, spouse, baseball, various unhealthy sweets etc.
“As yourself” explains that this command is for us to love our neighbor the way we normally LOVE OURSELVES. This selflove is assumed – NOT commanded. This type of self-love, or self-preservation as we’d probably call it, is noted throughout Scripture.
28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, Ephesians 5: 28-29 (ESV)
Conclusion: This command is NOT a command to have high self-esteem. To make it say that is to twist the plain meaning of the text to fit into our modern therapeutic, psychologized world view. A view which did not exist prior to the last century and NEVER existed or was taught in the Bible.
Second Connect thinking to peace
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9 (ESV)
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eighty-four
Disciple Up Show Notes #84
State of the Church
By Louie Marsh, 11-28-2018
The Three Main Stories Covered:
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Episode 61
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:
“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)
Sermon link:
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Episode 50
Disciple Up Show Notes, #50
The Day the Universe Changed
4-4-2018, by Louie Marsh
What’s coming up –
55 – 5-9- 1st Anniversary!
Don’t know what I’ll do – if you want to say anything about the impact of this podcast on your life in it’s first year e-mail, put it on FaceBook, etc.
Title from a PBS series, that I enjoy watching even though I disagree with it a lot.
Here’s the wiki page.
Most if not all the episodes are available for purchase on Amazon or to view on YouTube here.
The Day the Universe Changed: A Personal View by James Burke is a British documentary television series written and presented by science historian James Burke, originally broadcast on BBC1 from 19 March until 21 May 1985 by the BBC. The series’ primary focus is on the effect of advances in science and technology on western society in its philosophical aspects.
The title comes from the philosophical idea that the universe essentially only exists as one perceives it through what one knows; therefore, if one changes one’s perception of the universe with new knowledge, one has essentially changed the universe itself. To illustrate this concept, James Burke tells the various stories of important scientific discoveries and technological advances and how they fundamentally altered how western civilization perceives the world. The series runs in roughly chronological order, from around the beginning of the Middle Ages to the present.
In the United States, the ten-week hour-long series was broadcast from 13 October to 15 December 1986, on PBS and was rebroadcast on The Learning Channel in 1993
Some Harsh Realities
1) Death RULES over my life!
Anyone who is among the living has hope–even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Eccl. 9:4-5
2) Death Destroys ALL MEANING!
For the wise person and the fool both die, and in the days to come, both will be forgotten So now I hate life because everything done here under the sun is so irrational. Everything is meaningless, like chasing the wind. I am disgusted that I must leave the fruits of my hard work to others. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? And yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work. How meaningless! Eccl. 2:16-19 (NLT)
3) But I won’t Despair because Jesus gives HOPE!
I die every day–I mean that, brothers–just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 1 Cor. 15:31-32
“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction? Hosea 13:14
4) The Universe is Changed Through JESUS!
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God. 1 Peter 1:3-4, 18-21 (Message)
- I’m FREE FROM FEAR because Death has been Defeated!
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Rev. 1:17-18
key = control, power over, Lordship.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 15:54-57
Death is no longer the end of it all.
- Jesus Christ is the SOURCE of this living hope!
5) The Results of this hope – LIVING BEYOND MYSELF!
I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead. And he did deliver us from mortal danger. And we are confident that he will continue to deliver us. He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us. As a result, many will give thanks to God because so many people’s prayers for our safety have been answered. 2 Cor. 1:8-11 (NLT)
1, You can live beyond your own resources through the Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ!
2, No matter how bad it gets – faith and hope in the God who raises the dead will see you through!
3, This comes through the Resurrection Power of Jesus!
- You live with UNSTOPPABLE POWER!
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, Phil. 3:10
1, Paul and the early Christians, were unstoppable!
2, Because no matter what you did to them – they won!
a, This is the reality of that Yuppie saying, “A win – win situation.”
b, If you jailed them – they witnessed, if you let them go – they witnessed, if you killed them – they rejoiced to see their Living Lord!
3, The reality of the Resurrection can turn any situation into victory in all our lives!
- How Do I GET This Power?
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:8-10
God:
The one and only God, who is holy, made us in his image to know him. He is the creator of all things, perfect, holy and worth of our worship & obedience. He is love and in the end will judge all sin.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)
Mankind:
All people, though created good, have become sinful by nature, we sin and cut ourselves off from God’s love and grace. (Gen. 3)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 (ESV)
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8 (ESV)
Christ:
Is God in human flesh (John 1:1), lived a perfect life, died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law & taking on himself the punishment for our sins.(Mark 10:45; John 1:14; Heb. 7:26; Rom. 3:21-26, 5:12-21) He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted his sacrifice
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (ESV)
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10 (ESV)
Response –
Establish A Spiritual B.A.S.I.S. for Living
B = Believe Jesus died on the Cross for me and showed He was God by coming back to life again.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:2-4)
A = Accept Christ as Lord of My life and His free forgiveness of my sins.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– (John 1:12)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Eph. 1:7)
S = Switch to God’s Plan for my life.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)
I = Inform others of your decision.
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
S = Submerge yourself in Christ.
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:26-27)
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Episode 38
Disciple Up #38
A Month of the Great Commission Pt 2
Go On – Get Out of Myself!
By Louie Marsh, 1-10-2018
1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)
1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2 (ESV)
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. Exodus 9:1 (ESV)
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Joshua 1:1-2 (ESV)
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Ruth 1:16 (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.” Jeremiah 1:6-8 (ESV)
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Isaiah 6:8-9 (ESV)
QUOTES:
“The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.” ― Carl F.H. Henry
“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages.” To that, Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.”
GOING FROM & GOING TO:
- Go from (get out of) my comfort zone (myself)
- Go into testing and spiritual growth
- Go into ministry and speak the truth in love
- Go forward and face your worst fears
- Go and serve God regardless of any perceived shortcomings (like age, etc.)
- Don’t wait, don’t dawdle, go and share the love and Gospel of Christ.
The Disciple Up Low Down on Going
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Episode 23
Show Notes Disciple Up #23
Is the Reformation a 500 Year Old Failure?
By Louie Marsh
Update on Last Week’s Episode – The riots have begun, thanks fake Christian leaders.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/august/500-reformation-protestants-catholics-luther-sola-fide-pew.html
After 500 Years, Reformation-Era Divisions Have Lost Much of Their Potency
14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:14-17 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 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)
If We Must Work For Forgiveness Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross?
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28 (ESV)
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)
GOSPEL & OTHER QUOTES
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/847789.Timothy_J_Keller
“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
― Timothy J. Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God
“…We must say to ourselves something like this: ‘Well, when Jesus looked down from the cross, he didn’t think “I am giving myself to you because you are so attractive to me.” No, he was in agony, and he looked down at us – denying him, abandoning him, and betraying him – and in the greatest act of love in history, he STAYED. He said, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” He loved us, not because we were lovely to him, but to make us lovely. That is why I am going to love my spouse.’ Speak to your heart like that, and then fulfill the promises you made on your wedding day.”
“The gospel of justifying faith means that while Christians are, in themselves still sinful and sinning, yet in Christ, in God’s sight, they are accepted and righteous. So we can say that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope — at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin.”
“The basic premise of religion– that if you live a good life, things will go well for you– is wrong. Jesus was the most morally upright person who ever lived, yet He had a life filled with the experience of poverty, rejection, injustice, and even torture.”
“When you listen and read one thinker, you become a clone… two thinkers, you become confused… ten thinkers, you’ll begin developing your own voice… two or three hundred thinkers, you become wise and develop your voice.”
I Sat Next to Jesus & Other Non-Biblical Sources of Authority
Disciple Up Low Down
Close
Next week – unity in the Body
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Episode 22
Disciple Up #22
Scripture & Out of Control Clergy
By Louie Marsh, 9-13-2017
The Power & Purpose of the Bible
Given as An Objective Source of Truth & Authority
5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. Proverbs 30:5-6 (ESV)
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:16-21 (ESV)
God Challenges Us to Study It – Using the Mind He Gave Us.
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 (ESV)
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 2 Timothy 2:14-16 (ESV)
You Can Only Make the Bible Say Anything If You Either Ignorant, Lazy Or Biased.
15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 2 Peter 3:15-16 (ESV)
11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4:11-16 (ESV)
BIBLE QUOTES:
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/bible.html
Over the centuries, and even today, the Bible and Christian theology have helped justify the Crusades, slavery, violence against gays, and the murder of doctors who perform abortions. The words themselves are latent, inert, harmless – until they aren’t. Amy Waldman
The violence in the Bible is appalling. Christopher Hitchens
The Bible looks like it started out as a game of Mad Libs. Bill Maher
The total absence of humor from the Bible is one of the most singular things in all literature. Alfred North Whitehead
If one were to take the bible seriously one would go mad. But to take the bible seriously, one must be already mad. Aleister Crowley
Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy. Frank Sinatra
However, the Bible is called the Word of God because the whole transcript is an inspired, faithful, and infallible record of what God determined essential for us to know about Himself, the cosmos in which we live, our spiritual allies and adversaries, and our fellow man. Walter Martin
It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand. Mark Twain
Out of Control Clergy
Condoning Violence
Being A Pundit Instead of a Pastor (or a Pope)
The Disciple Up Low Down
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Email – louie@discipleup.org
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Episode 15
Disciple Up #15
Why You Can’t Create Your Own Purpose
Think It Through, #1
Where Does An Atheist Find Purpose – Neil Carter
Using Science Not Religion To Find Your Purpose By Gleb Tsipursky
Quotes on Logic, thinking things through
Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end. Leonard Nimoy
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices – William James 1842-1910
“Reason obeys itself: ignorance submits to what is dictated to it.” – Thomas Paine
“Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.” ― Benjamin Franklin
“I can give you a six word formula for success: Think things through – then follow through.” Attributed to Sir Walter Scott, Eddie Rickenbacker
A Biblical View of Purpose in Life
2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. Psalm 57:2 (ESV)
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 14 For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. 16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. Exodus 9:13-16 (ESV)
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. Psalm 138:8 (ESV)
21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)
30 but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.) Luke 7:30 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 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)
4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 5:4-5 (NIV)
The Disciple Up Low Down On Why Our Culture Opposes Us Thinking Things Through Logically.
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Email – louie@discipleup.org
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Episode 7
Disciple Up #7
How To Respond to the Gospel
By Louie Marsh
How To Establish A Spiritual B.A.S.I.S. for Living
B = Believe Jesus died on the Cross for me and showed He was God by coming back to life again.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor. 15:2-4)
A = Accept Christ as Lord of My life and His free forgiveness of my sins.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– (John 1:12)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace (Eph. 1:7)
Billy Graham Quotes:
- “It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.”
- “God proved his love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’”
- “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”
- “Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.”
- “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”
- “When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.”
- “The message I preach hasn’t changed. Circumstances have changed. Problems have changed, but deep inside man has not changed, and the gospel hasn’t changed.”
How To Respond to the Gospel, Pt. 2
S = Switch to God’s Plan for my life.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)
I = Inform others of your decision.
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
S = Submerge yourself in Christ.
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:26-27)
Look at the chart below to see how often these important factors are mentioned in the book of Acts as Luke, guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, recorded the major or historically noteworthy conversions in the early history of the church.
| Conversion Chart From the Book of Acts | |||||
| Heard | Believed | Repented | Confessed | Baptized | Saved |
| Pentecost
2:22-41 |
Vs. 37 | Vs. 38 | Vs. 38.41 | Vs. 41 | |
| Samaria
8:4-15 |
Vs. 12 | Vs. 12-13 | |||
| Eunuch
8:26-39 |
Vs. 36 | Vs. 38 | Vs. 39 | ||
| Saul
9:1-9 |
22:10 | Vs. 18 | 22:16 | ||
| Cornelius
10:1-48 |
Vs. 43 | 11:18 | Vs. 48 | 11:1 | |
| Lydia
16:13-15 |
Vs. 14-15 | Vs. 15 | |||
| The Jailer
16:25-34 |
Vs. 31,34 | Vs. 30 | Vs. 30 | Vs. 33 | Vs. 34 |
Disciple Up Low Down On Effective Communication of the Gospel
Wrap Up:
Please let me know what you think of the show, comment on our FaceBook page. Also what kind of issues would you like to see me address in the future? Bible questions? Cultural questions? Just make sure it’s not dealing with politics or prophecy because those are two things Disciple Up isn’t really about (but I will be dealing with them a bit further down the road. So stay tuned for that!)
Email – louie@discipleup.org
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