Need to go ahead and make a correction to an interpretation we had from last week.

In 1 Peter 4:6, "For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God."

we interpreted those who are dead as being spiritually dead and then made alive in the spirit through the work of the gospel. Meaning the subject of the passage were those who were persecuting Christians in verse 3-5.

Turns out, dead means physically dead and that those that are dead are Christians. The tenses give it away, as well as the context of the passage.

The gospel has still been preached for the purposes of allowing man to live in the spirit according to the will of God, but we're talking about suffering Christians, and the judgment in the flesh as men means the judgment Christians are receiving as part of verses 3-5. But that judgment doesn't matter because we have something better than that. That even if we are put to death in the flesh, we are alive in the spirit.

So, 4:6, dead means physically dead, the Christians who are physically dead. The gospel was preached to them, who are now dead.

Jeff

I've thought sleep as a mere bodily requirement versus a pleasure. Only take as much as one requires. I stumbled on this today:

Proverbs 20:13 "do not love sleep, or you will become poor".

What great treasures of of Wisdom in the Word!!!!

In light of the 8.9 earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan, I am pointed back to that place "somewhere in the bible" that talks about earthquakes and the end-times.

Read carefully, our context is in light of false returns (of Jesus) and end-times.  Jesus assures us this fact: These things are going to as believes, we are not to be surprise, rather, be called to action.

Jesus has something to say (it's red-letters!).  I desire myself and for you to consult the scriptures (v9-10):

   -We are to 'be on guard', and that these natural events will continue until the
   -gospel is preached to all nations. 

 Check out the Word, you'll need to know it in order to respond in times as these.  Join us at the emergency prayer mtg held tonight at 10pm (dialin).  Visit the website for the call-in info: http://www.livingstonescc.com/ministries.html

then I have been doing quite a bit of proclaiming.

We proclaim every day! It is a part of who we are, how we communicate, an expression of what we love.  It is not something which takes a special effort.

1 Pete 2: 9 reads: "...but you are
    A CHOSEN RACE
         A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
               A HOLY NATION
                     A PEOPLE FOR GOD's OWN POSSESSION,
     so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light"

Where have I proclaimed His excellencies?
Where have I stated that he chose me, out all the people on this earth, HE CHOSE ME
Where have I announced that i am no longer in darkness, but rescued to the light?
Where have I praised that I am now a part of a family that loves, and has a rich and merciful inheritance?
When have I glorified my new race, being in the lineage of God?
Who have I honored about God's great demonstration of love for me, by sending his Son Jesus to death, so that I may live?


What about you?

"I think he would conclude faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God." -AW Tozer, Ch 7 in Pursuit of God.

It dawned on me that we focused our discussion on the latter of that statement, but not the former.  It dawned that it's quite true that you as an individually have not yet reached that conclusion.  You may be regurgitating, you may be chanting in your minds this phrase, you may have set the audio to repeat.

But in your hearts of hearts have not yet arrived to that conclusion.....and thus, the reality of the statement cannot be grasped.


Good thing God gives freely.

This marks a new year, 2011.  Too many days have gone by with my relationship with Jesus on the backburner.  It's like going to Him as a last resort-plan when no one eles wants to hang out on a friday night.   Terrible.

This year is different, and will be different for us all.  It starts with Prayer.  On Sunday, Pastor Josh preached on not holding back.  Last year was timid, this year will not be.  In 1 Corinthians 10 we learned all things are permissible, but not all things are profitable. This means there are many decision we make which are "eh... ok".  But many of those very decision are not profitable for the Spiritual life.

My desire for myself, and my desire for this fellowship is that we hold nothing back this year.  Especially our own comfort.

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We learned this week that we can find assurance in God's truth, even then our heart condemns us for what we do. In application, it's loving your brother or sister, even when we don't want to, for instance, when they hurt us. Our natural inclination is to strike back, to get even. God's truth for us is to love, not get even. Getting even in a worldly concept. So, even if your heart says no, knowing you are doing what is right in God's eyes will eventually provide us the assurance we are on the right path.

For those that are curious: heart

If Jesus walked out of your life right now, would the life you live be any different next week?

There are times in our lives when we do things we're ashamed of. And it depends on the audience that witnesses or is being told of the event. For example, cheating on a test is an activity that can either be something you're proud of or ashamed of, depending on who you're talking to.

John wrote us about being ashamed before Jesus when he comes again. He's an audience I don't think we spend a lot of time or energy thinking about when we make decisions in our daily lives. John reminds us that this is something that should be central in our thinking, because the Lord can arrive at any time. And at any given time, we should endeavor to be firm in our faith that our lives are transparent; one that is lived in the light.

To that end, we all confessed something we'd be ashamed of in our lives if Jesus were to arrive today. So, if that exists, what are we going to do about it? When we get together over the next few weeks, let's try to get some growing happening in our lives.

A personal look will be shared this wednesday on the LSCC Retreat 2010.  'The Art of Following' was the theme, and we received a clearer definition of what Jesus meant when he says "follow me".

To get straight to it:
   1) If you are not looking at Jesus, you are not following Him (Hebrews 12)
   2) If you are not listening to Jesus, you are not following Him (John 10)
   3) If you are not moving, you are not following Him (All over the place)

A handful of folks were faced with reality this weekend in which their 'idea' of following was exposed.  Now with clarity in mind, Jesus is conversing once again to us saying "follow me".

Hey everyone,

So, in case you forgot, here's next week's application:

Choose something in your life that would qualify as "loving the world" and not in the way God loves the world. Now, next week, whenever you find yourself being tempted by this, try instead to do something that changes the focus onto God, be it prayer, calling up a brother or sister, reading the Bible, singing/humming a worship song. Do it for the week and at the end, evaluate how you did and whether or not it became easier or harder for you to let this particular activity go.

Also, we have accountability partners for the week:

Jeff with Anne and Daniel.
Doc and Paul.
Jess and Gracie.
Leo and Justin.

Try to keep in constant contact throughout the week and ask how you're doing.
Also, it might be helpful to let them know what you're going to try to replace.

Enjoy this time to get closer to the Lord and know that the struggle helps you to build character and maturity. James taught us that in the last study set.

Jeff

Don't forget everyone! Tomorrow, we journal about keeping the Lord's commandments. Get a journal and a pen ready so you don't forget! Or whatever tool you're going to use to keep track. I'll be sending updates throughout the day tomorrow.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2020&version=NASB

I personally love the promise at the end of the Book.  "I am coming soon".

When i read this and parsed in my mind, i realized that I don't really believe Jesus' words.  I don't believe his promise.  I do not trust his word as much as I thought.  Because althought I know he is coming, I've do not believe he is coming SOON.  And this qualifier changes everything.   It ought change everything.  I know whether I believe this promise by each morning, afternoon, and evening.  Soon means right around the corner, and there is no time to waste.  Soon means this weekend trip is no longer a vacation and a time to hang-out and play.  Soon means saturday 7/31 is a time to know Jesus and make Him known.  And we do this by the Gospel, knowing what it is, and believing, and owning, and then sharing out of overflow.

At a certain frequency in time I must ask myself to evaluate the changes which has occurred 

• who I was 1 year ago compared to who I am now
• who I am now compared to who i ought to be in 1 year.

The results surprise me.  In some areas, God has surely taken hold and I have let go for him to transform, out with old-self, and in with the new.  And in many other areas, they are as wretch as the first day, if not worse.

Heads up: We will all be challenged within this next month to dwell on this and engage in that conversation with Jesus.

The term Gnosticism is derived from the Greek word for knowledge "Gnosis", in that the believers thought that you needed special knowledge to achieve salvation.

Gnostics in that time believed that God was separate from the earth, since the spirit is good and matter is evil. This separation of matter and spirit is at the heart of the heresy. For God's New Covenant to apply, Jesus needed to be both wholly man and wholly God. For Gnostics, Jesus could not since God would not defile Himself to become flesh. The explanation is the Christ joined with the man, Jesus at his baptism by John the Baptist and left him prior to his crucifixion. The leading authority of this theory at the time was Cerinthus.

Given this separation of flesh and spirit, followers of the Gnostic faith would abuse their bodies, either through embracing an ascetic lifestyle, highlighted by punishing the flesh to purify the spirit, or wholly embracing hedonism as the body is evil and its actions cannot corrupt the spirit.

This teaching is completely counter to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Salvation is open to all.
Jesus was made flesh to die in our place.
He was risen from the dead so that we may have the promise of eternal life.

Remember, Jesus became flesh. He loved as we love. He laughed as we laughed. He suffered as we suffer. We can take anything to him and he'll understand. He's been through it. And on that day when he returns, we'll be remade with him and forever be part of his kingdom.

For more info, you can take a look at this link.
http://www.carm.org/gnosticism

Hey everyone, we're in for a real treat tomorrow night. We've got a great night of fellowship and study in the works and to compliment that, Doc's got us some fantastic Mediterranean style food to satisfy our physical hunger. Then, John's going to satisfy that spiritual hunger with some fellowship with our almighty Father!

Come early, come on time, come late, but come hungry!

Big thanks to Doc for preparing this week.

Also, remember, Happy Birfday to Leo (last week) and Happy Birfday to David (tomorrow). Hit him up on facebook, email or give him a ring!

Jeff

Sneak Peak at this week's study. How do we have fellowship with God? John answers this question while at the same time countering the arguments of the Gnostic teachers.

1 John 1 (New American Standard Bible)

5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

1 John 2

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

"1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-
2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-
3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete."


Fact: Our joy is made complete when we share the gospel and our fellowship with the Jesus and God, who were there in the beginning and have demonstrated eternal life. Jesus was there in the beginning and will be there in the end and into eternity. Will you be with Him?

We were challenged to consider our personal fellowships with Jesus and with God. what does your relationship look like? Is it valued? Does that relationship genuinely make an impact on your life and your decisions, and how you act, behave, speak, decide? Could a lawyer prove without a shadow of doubt that your relationship is legit and existent and healthy and growing? Jesus desires not to improve your life, but to transform your life (a new creation).

Retreat
"withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat"
"a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet"
"a signal to begin a withdrawal from a dangerous position"

As I read these definitions I could not discount any as an acceptable description for this Aug 27-29 weekend.
A feeling lurks that our individual spiritual healths are ill.  Too many sinful defeats have left us in a numb state.  For some, we are going to a place for peace and privacy, for most others, its to withdrawal from a dangerous position in life.  Being caught up in money, success, power, entertainment, etc is an extremely 'dangerous position' to say the least.

Living Stones Christian Church and LSF Santa Clara petition you to come away AUG 27-29 for a weekend to be with Jesus and the flock here at LSCC.  Ask more on what you can expect!

Westminster Woods
6510 Bohemian Hwy.
Occidental, CA 95465

Registration: click here

Costs: $175, but register early:  $115 (now til 7/18), and $140 (7/18 - 8/1)*
     *Must pay to complete registration

Among them is our brother Leo. On the 3rd day of the 5th month of the year of our Lord 2010 marks a very special day in the life of this man. The last puff of smoke. Period.

Please report any questionable aromas to 901-4MMM-HMM and ask for Justin. Cheers! Nothing is impossible through the Lord

Yesterday, members of LSCC and HOC6 worshiped before our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus and observance of his sacrifice for all the world to be forgiven for our disobedience to our Father God. This wasn't compulsory, but was done willingly and according to God's plan for the world's salvation.

Do you recognize you need to be saved? What are you being saved from? I mean seriously, think about what things in your life are you doing right now, today, what you need Jesus' sacrifice to make things right with you and God. I chase riches and career over growing God's kingdom. I think I'm getting better, but then again, I look upon Jesus' life and how he *dedicated his life* to God's ministry and realize how short I fall to his example. Heck, even full time pastors fall short of his example.

But I am not discouraged. In fact, I am encouraged. Jesus sacrificed himself for a people that "do not know what they doing" (Luke 23:34). So we strive for his model, but know that our striving is not what qualifies us to receive his blessing and his love. It's what we do in response to his actions.

Jesus died on a cross so that your disobedience *is* forgiven. What have you done for Jesus today?

Read Judges 16.  A portrait of a fool indeed.  The folly lays in placing someone else above the Promise of God.  The foolish acts were continuing day after day to be placed in the same situation without change.

Husbands, be warned, wives be warned, singles be warned... is your relationship with Jesus the #1?  If not, do not be surprised if the Lord's hand of blessing departes from you.

-Justin

I found this volunteer webpage on the Santa Clara City Website:

http://santaclaraca.gov/index.aspx?page=533

Thank you for your interest in becoming a City of Santa Clara volunteer. Volunteering for the City is one of the best examples of government and people working together for the good of the community. It will give you an insider's look at how local government works, and an opportunity to share your talents, skills, and feedback on how to better serve our customers. We consider our volunteers one of the most diverse and rich resources in our community, and we're happy to have you join us.

The mission of the volunteer services program is to enhance city programs and services by matching the varied talents of concerned individuals and groups of all ages, interests, and skills with a wide variety of interesting and challenging municipal projects. Santa Clara volunteers are placed according to their interests and skills, as well as the needs of the City. Volunteer Services seeks to find the right opportunity for every volunteer-to assure a rewarding experience that enhances City services. The links below provide information about opportunities now available:

Commissioners
Citizens Police Academy
Fire Reserves
HEAT
Leadership Santa Clara
Library
P.A.L. Volunteers
Santa Clara ARES/RACES
Santa Clara Arts & Historical Consortium
Senior Center Volunteers Needed
Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority (SVACA)
Therapeutic Recreation Services
Ulistac Natural Area

If you're interested in serving the community, let me know at fellowship group or Sunday service or just post a comment. I'll be doing something on this list and it would be great to be able to serve with other brothers and sisters.

Jeff

Title is from Provers 15:22.

God's guidance is more like the marriage guidance, child guidance, or career guidance that is received from counselors than it is like being talked down by the airport controller as one flies blind through the clouds.  Seeking God's guidance is not like practicing divination or consulting oracles, astrologers, and clairvoyants for information about the future, but rather is comparable with our everyday thinking-through of alternative options in given situations to determine the best course open to us.  The inward experience of being divinely guided is not ordinarily one of seeing signs or hearing voices, but rather one of being able to word out the best thing to do.

"Path of Righteousness," 34

God will help me make sound decisions.

Great study last week everyone! We missed Jess and we hope she had a safe and fun trip. In James 2:1-13, James is telling us not to pick favorites in our lives and to love everyone equally. Whether or not we favor one person or another in our behavior tells us something about where our values are aligned. He uses the rich man and the poor man to make his argument and we automatically think money. But as we discussed before, rich and poor can mean anything: fame, power, money, looks, knowledge, spirit and possessions. God levels the playing field and takes all of us to him, achievements and flaws together and gives his grace equally to his children. Shouldn't we follow His example? Shouldn't our values be aligned with His?

We had a couple of reflection questions and some homework. The activity was to think about a area of your life where it is easy to your values to be aligned with God's values, where you interact with everyone without favoritism. Now think about why it's easy for you to do that in that particular situation and try to replicate that in other parts of your life. The goal is to be aligned with the Lord in all aspects of life, so that our instinctive actions are what he would find pleasing.

Hey everyone,

Fantastic study last night. Good food, good fellowship and good participation snacks, courtesy of Jess! It's always a good reminder to stay true to faith and not to be deluded and deceived by the temptations of this world: glory or riches or power or, for Leo, women. Don't trade in that crown that is the promise of our Lord.

As further reflection, think about when you might blame God for placing trials in your life and how you react to it and how your relationship with God changes when you go through it. How is different from a lamentation, or is it any different? Lots of Psalms have descriptions of what a lamentation looks like.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Hey everyone. Here are the reflection questions from the study last week. Take some time, read them and think on them. If you feel like it, comment to this post about the answer of one of the questions. It's often we don't know we're being tested unless we pay attention and look out for it. And remember, we need one another to help us to persevere through it. Have patience and seek wisdom in your thoughts and actions.

Reflection Questions
1) How is your faith tested today? Does it produce an endurance that allows you to focus on God through it?
2) Name two things you trust in other than God in your life when you are being tested. What would it look like to trust God in those situations?
3) Describe how you are rich and what it would be like to be humbled in those areas. Are you prepared for that eventuality?

Just kidding, we're studying James, the brother of Jesus, a pillar in the church, and a guy who ain't afraid to lay it out straight.  As we dig deeper these next months we want to make sure you are engaged.  Read the book in it's entirety for breadth.  Soak up the context. Lets begin... (see you tomorrow Wed 1/20 @ 7:30pm SHARP!)

When the Book of James is mentinoed, what verse pops up in your mind?

In efforts to learn how to pray.. i stumbled on this in my journey and HAD to share:

Our spirits, like our bodies, have requirements for health and growth.  Some people don't want to pay the price of developing good spiritual habits.  Sadlly, they end up paying the much higher price of spiritual disease and even death.  Last year a man came to me in dispair. "I lost my job," he told me.  "ive spent months looking for another position, to no avail."  And unemployment was not his worst problem.  He went on: "I feel so along in this.  Nobody in the church cares.  Sometimes I think God doesn't care.  I feel totally hopeless and helpless."

I asked the man about his spiritual habits.  Was he taking responsibility for feeding his faith? How often did he pray ~ commune with God and listen for his prompting?  Did he regularly attend church services? Was he maintaining friendships with any spiritually minded people?  Was he reaching out to help meet others' needs?

No, the man said, he was doing non of these things.  "i just can't find the time," he explained... [...]

... That man wanted someone to wave a magic want and offer him courage.  He said he wanted God's presence in his life, but he did not want to form any habits that would increase his spiritual health.

                           From Too Busy NOT to pray by Bill Hybels. Pg 42-43




Are you spiritually diseased? On the road to spiritual death?  Lets take a step together please.