Were There Not Twelve?

"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach" - Mark 3:14

Which apostles can you name?

Bartholomew and Thaddaeus were just as anointed as Matthew and John, just as called and important as the later apostle Paul - but there is something most of the original apostles did NOT do - they did NOT write!

Their lives were not wasted, they had purpose and success in their own way, but it was the writers who's message endured through changing cultures and dynasties.

Not all who write are remembered but, except for our Lord, none are remembered unless they write.

Do you possess a God-given faith? Do you want it to be passed to your children, or to their children?

Write!

It doesn't have to be much, just done.

- fritz
Related Post: Carpe Diem, June 5, 2010

Gospel - Like a Cake Mix!

"but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." - Hebrews 4:2b

I'm no cook, but I do know something has to be added to dry ingredients to make them stick together and become an actual cake! Just putting the dry mix in the oven doesn't work.

The Gospel is like that. Faith needs to be added to make it hold together in a person's life and become a blessing.

Where does the faith come from? God, gives faith for the asking.

- fritz

Covered Feet

[T]ake ... the whole armour of God, ... your loins girt about with truth ... the breastplate of righteousness ... your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" - Ephesians 6:13-15

A person doesn't need to recognize a battle to be in one. Society may call it an emotional problem, an addiction, a family issue, a legal battle, but unless we recognize the spiritual aspect of our struggles we can't endure.

The Bible says we have the armor - we just need to put it on and use it!

Third listed is the preparation of the gospel of peace; literally, preparing the good message of God's peace and prosperity. The focus is not survival but thriving and taking that peace and prosperity of victory to others.

"Praise be to the God ... who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." - 2nd Corinthians 1:3

- fritz

Not an insurance policy

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:1-2 (KJV)

The Gospel is not a life insurance policy and Jesus is not the insurance agent we call only to renew or check our coverage.

Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins not so we can get heaven but to remove the barrier (our sins) between us and God so we can live, work, and walk with Him now and forever; heaven is the by-product

This has always been God's desire.

[Adam and Eve] heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: ... And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? - Genesis 3:8a, 9 (KJV)

Walking with God in the garden each day was a common occurrence, unfortunately interrupted by sin.

God's desire never changed.

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? - Mica 6:8 (KJV)

Jesus' parting promise to his disciples was NOT heaven, but living with God; the place may change but the company doesn't!

"If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (Jesus - John 14:23 KJV)

Question: How would my living be different if my goal was to live, work, and walk with God now and forever?

Carpe Diem!

The Gospel spread like wildfire in part because the world had a new common language. Those whose native tongue was something else wrote the Bible in Greek; barriers were stripped and the Word of God held its own in the public arena!

NOW is another wonderful opportunity - think about it!

"We live in a literate time, and our children are writing up a storm, often combining letters and numerals (U R 2 1derful), blogging like crazy, reading for hours off their little screens, surfing around from Henry James to Jesse James to the epistle of James to pajamas to Obama to Alabama to Alanon to non-sequiturs, sequins, penguins, penal institutions, and it's all free, and you read freely, you're not committed to anything the way you are when you shell out $30 for a book, you're like a hummingbird in an endless meadow of flowers." - Garrison Keillor ¹

With this has come the ability to reach out; barriers are again stripped and the Word of God is free to hold its own in the public arena!

To Garrison, a veteran author, the era of self publishing is cheesy:

"And if you want to write, you just write and publish yourself. No need to ask permission, just open a website.... And if you want to write a book, you just write it ... the future of publishing [is] 18 million authors in America, each with an average of 14 readers, eight of whom are blood relatives ..." ¹

But, it's a good thing! If every 14 reached 14 more, calculate the results!

So, dear 14 readers (and , Hello, uncle Bussy!), seize the day's opportunity, share Christ, there's nothing to stop you except you!

- fritz

1. The Old Scout, A Prairie Home Companion, May 25th 2010