Music Monday: Comin' Out

This week's pick is Comin' Out by Jonathan McReynolds.
The feature song talks about coming out of sin to be the person God has called us to be. Jonathan McReynolds' lyrics talk about God pulling us out of the mess we've put ourselves in because we fell into the temptation the devil gave us. God is the only one who can save us and with His triumphant victory on the cross, He already has saved us and is just waiting for us to return to Him.

Memory Verse of the Week: Romans 8:1

As Christians we are saved from our sins through Christ and we are holy and blameless. But from that moment we get saved we don't stop sinning. And if anyone says they don't sin, they don't understand the gospel (1 John 1:8). But that doesn't mean we like sinning. Sometimes we get hit with guilt, but that's not the gospel either. The Holy Spirit doesn't guilt, He convicts. And when you're convicted you shouldn't feel condemned because...

Romans 8:1 (ESV)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

It is a good thing when you get convicted for your sin. However if you start feeling guilty say this verse to yourself and remember you are no longer condemned if you have a Relationship With Jesus.

Music Monday: Take Me to the King

Sarah Reeves did a cover of the song Take Me to the King by Tamela Mann. It is an old song but I still love it! The song is a call to be at God's throne because, as the song says, we are weak. Without God all of us have nothing but with him we have everything. We don't need rules or religion to make us think we are working to God because we can't work to Him. All need, all we have is Jesus.

When We Act Like Doctor Manette: The Armor of God

As a child superheroes were the things to be. There was the classic Superman (who is honestly not one of my favorites) and the super lame Bibleman. I don’t know what your childhood consist of, but mine had Bibleman. If you are not familiar with him, I’ll give you a sneak peek:

The world had Superman, Batman, and the Avengers and the only “superhero” the Christian community had was Bibleman (who may be as bad as Captain Planet). But as I’ve gotten older and learned more about God’s word, I’ve realized that Bibleman had something going. Christians don’t fight physical wars, we have a great spiritual war raging on against principles (not the school kind), powers, rulers of the darkness of the world, and spiritual host of wickedness (Ephesians 6:12).

In this battle against sin, against this evil, and against this temptation that tries to rule us, we need armor. And no, this armor doesn’t include tights (the armor of God is more classy).

Item	Verse	Regular Function	Spiritual Function	Defense or Offense
Belt	Ephesians 6:14- Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth…	Holds everything together so nothing falls	The "Belt of Truth" holds the rest of the armor together. It’s the "Belt of Truth" because if you have lies holding you together, you crumble.	Defense
Breastplate	Ephesians 6:14- …and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…	Protects the chest and heart	The "Breastplate of Righteousness" protects our hearts so they are not destroyed. When our hearts are injured, we are ineffective for God.	Defense
Shoes	Ephesians 6:15-… and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.	Used to run and go places quickly	The shoes ready to give the gospel of peace are used so we can quickly share the gospel to people who need to hear about Jesus.	Defense
Shield	Ephesians 6:16- In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;	Protects the whole body	When you have a "Shield of Faith", nothing can get through.  The shield stops doubt from getting to you and you will not be affected when people try to question your faith.	Defense
Helmet	Ephesians 6:17- …and take the helmet of salvation…	Protects your head and mind	The “Helmet of Salvation" protects your mind from doubts of your salvation. When you have the Helmet, you have the Word sanctified in your head so you will know that salvation is not based on how you preform, but solely on what Jesus did on the cross.	Defense
Sword	Ephesians 6:17- …and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.	Used to fight the enemy	The “Sword of the Spirit” is the Word of God which is the sword you use to fight the enemy and fight temptation. When Jesus was tempted, He even used the Old Testament to resist temptation (Matthew 4:40).	Offense The only offense part in the whole armor of God

 Every part of this armor includes knowing the Word of God. It is our Defense and our Offense. When temptation rises and we want to go back to our old addictions we have to eradicate it.

Example: If you are tempted to steal a 3 Musketeers Bar (the best candy ever) you put God's word up to it: Exodus 20:15- You shall not steal.

 Doctor Manette's shoe maker bench had to be destroyed just like our addictions, and the only way to do that is through God with the help of His Armor. And the only way Christians can use the Armor is if we have God's word marinated in our hearts.

Memory Verse of the Week: Romans 8:38-39

As a child I would stay awake at night horrified of one thing. Not the spooky monsters lurking in my closet or even the thought that a scary bug could be crawling in my bed. One thing haunted my thoughts and tortured me: death. 

But not just death, but what happens after death.

The Bible, however, has assuring words for those thoughts. 

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This verse assures us that nothing, not even death can separate us from God's love. There never has to be another sleepless night. Memorizing this verse will help vanquish the insane thought that we may not be with Jesus when we die. 

Music Monday: Do Something

"God is good"
"All the time"
"And all the time"
"God is good"
That's a common phrase Christians say and although we believe it, sometimes we look around and honestly wonder, "God, if you are 'good' and perfect then why is there so much pain?!?"
I know I find my self wondering that a lot. But one of the reasons God made us is to do good works that he prepared before time (Ephesians 2:10). We are His hands and feet so we need to DO SOMETHING about the pain in the world.
This song is a perfect anthem for the Christians of the this age to stop complaining about the evil in the world and to start doing something.

When We Act Like Doctor Manette

[If I have gotten any info wrong on the wonderful novel mentioned below, bear with me, I have only read it once and you need to read it more to grasp the whole concept.]


In the novel A Tale of Two Cities there is a character named Doctor Manette and he is thrown in jail for eighteen years, however he was thought to be dead. In Book the First of a Tale of Two Cities, Doctor Manette is “Recalled to Life” because as it turns out, he’s not dead! … Well, he's not physically dead. Mr. Lorry and Doctor Manette’s teenage daughter, Lucie, go to get him from where he is being kept.

Doctor Manette has lost it. When Mr. Lorry and Lucie find him, he doesn’t even call himself Doctor Manette, but the name of the tower he was previously residing in. And to add to all that, all he does day and night is make shoes. Fast forward five years and Dr. M is a normal person living with his daughter safely in another city. However he still keeps his old shoe making bench and tools and he isn’t exactly sure what happened to him the years before. Besides all that, though, he is happy with his daughter.

This is Dickens though, and the book is three hundred something pages long so that’s not the happy ending of Dr. Manette. One night after Charles Darnay marries Dr. Manette ’s daughter, Dr. Manette  relapse or “backslides” as Christians call it. He returns to making shoes for nine whole days. Eventually his friends, Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross have to destroy his shoe maker bench and bury his tools.

You may be wondering why I’ve just summarized a snipped of a Charles Dickens book. Well I’m reading it in English class so this is just like a study guide for me. Just kidding. I am writing about it because in some way I feel like the story of Doctor Manette can be an allegory for Christians. You may be wondering “how?” Or you may already have an idea of what I’m about to say.

Before we were saved and became Christians, we were dead in our trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1) just like how Doctor Manette was dead (not physically but mentally, similar to how we’re not physically dead, just spiritually). However, someone came to get us: Jesus. So we are saved from our condition of being dead not because of anything we did, but only because of Jesus.

Jesus brought us from being a crazy dead person and into a family (similar to how Doctor Manette was in a family with his daughter). We no longer need to go back to shoe making or our sinful addictions. Over time we learn that Jesus saves us from our addictions because we are a new creation.

I love how Colossians 3:1-17 talks about us being a new person in Him.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NKJV)

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

We are called God’s “holy and beloved” so we become something more now that we are made alive in Him. As Christians we are to put on all of the attributes of God. Ephesians 5:1 says we are to be "imitators of God". That doesn’t mean we don’t sin, because we are not God, but we are new creations.

But… something happens… at least it happens to me. I am free from this sin, this thing that’s been a hold over my life for years and suddenly… suddenly I don’t know what to do and I find myself sliding back into the swamp of sin and shame and guilt, wondering what just happened???

The Bible calls this “Backsliding” and it happened to the Israelites time and time again. Just like how Doctor Manette went back to his shoemaking, I go back to my old addiction. So what’s the answer? Lucky for us the beginning of Colossians 3 explains it. Just like Doctor Manette’s shoemaker’s bench had to be destroyed, we have to put sin to death.

Colossians 3:1-7 (NKJV)
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.  Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. (Bold added)

But easier said than done right? How do you kill your “members which are on the earth”? Well I have something hopefully encouraging to say: YOU can’t! Encouraged? Let me finish that: YOU can’t, but God will.

And how does He put your sin to death? With a little thing we call the armor of God.

[Stay tuned for the end of "When We Act Like Doctor Manette" which is coming out next week and will feature the Armor of God!]