tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-179969092024-03-14T01:17:59.123-07:00Zoe Perissos / Life AbundantA small journal of my thoughts about life in Chirst.
Zoe Perissos comes from the Greek; zoe = life and perissos = abundant.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and live it to the full. (NIV)
So this journal will try to describe what Biblical 'life' is and how it is lived in 'fullness'.
May you have life, in Christ, and have that life in abundance.
Zoe Perissos!Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-78485125716208094892024-01-09T04:50:00.000-08:002024-01-09T04:50:01.771-08:00<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt -29.25pt; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #646b71; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 25pt;">Prayerful Inner-Searching<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 3.75pt 0in 37.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">By <a href="https://utmost.org/oswald-chambers-bio"><span style="color: #937a5b; text-decoration: none;">Oswald Chambers</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 26.25pt; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #646b71; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5pt;">May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless… —<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Thessalonians+5%3A23" target="_blank"><span style="color: #937a5b; text-decoration: none;">1 Thessalonians 5:23</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 33.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #3a3635; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5pt;">“Your whole spirit….” The great, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is in the deep recesses of our being which we cannot reach. Read <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139"><span style="color: #428bca; text-decoration: none;">Psalm 139</span></a>. The psalmist implies— “O Lord, You are the God of the early mornings, the God of the late nights, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea. But, my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of early mornings, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature. You who are the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot discover, dreams I cannot realize. My God, search me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 33.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #3a3635; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5pt;">Do we believe that God can fortify and protect our thought processes far beyond where we can go? “…<i>the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin</i>” (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+1:7"><span style="color: #428bca; text-decoration: none;">1 John 1:7</span></a>). If this verse means cleansing only on our conscious level, may God have mercy on us. The man who has been dulled by sin will say that he is not even conscious of it. But the cleansing from sin we experience will reach to the heights and depths of our spirit if we will “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). The same Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirit. It is only when we are protected by God with the miraculous sacredness of the Holy Spirit that our spirit, soul, and body can be preserved in pure uprightness until the coming of Jesus-no longer condemned in God’s sight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 33.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #3a3635; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5pt;">We should more frequently allow our minds to meditate on these great, massive truths of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="row title-row" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px;"><div class="row" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px;"><div class="utmost-devo-title col col-sm-12 col-xs-12" style="box-sizing: border-box; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 960px;"><h2 class="entry-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #646b71; display: inline-block; font-size: 33px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: -9px; margin-top: 20px;"><span class="bookmark-wrapper login-prompt" data-target="#login-modal" data-toggle="modal" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; margin-right: 5px; margin-top: -3px;"><div class="site-login-prompt" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div></span></h2></div></div></div><div class="row entry-meta" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px;"><div class="col-sm-4" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; width: 309.984375px;"><div class="top-sharing" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></div></div></div><section class="entry-content" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><div class="post-content" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a3635; font-size: 23px; line-height: 45px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br /></p></div></section><div class="bottom-rule" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></div><div class="row" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-left: -15px; margin-right: -15px;"><div class="col-sm-6 col-sm-offset-3" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: left; margin-left: 232.5px; min-height: 1px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; position: relative; width: 465px;"><div class="bottom-sharing" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 115px auto 85px; width: 348px;"></div></div></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" />Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-31836779077944280392015-08-13T15:40:00.001-07:002015-08-13T15:40:07.842-07:00My BarnabasAlex Haley, the author of Roots, wrote <br />
"Look for the good and praise it". <br />
<br />
Audrey Hepburn said "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."<br />
<br />
His name was Joseph but his friends called him Barnabas, which means the son of encouragement. (See Acts 4:36). God has graciously provided each one of us a Barnabas. If you have not found your Barnabas yet, take a second look at those who are investing their lives into yours.<br />
<br />
My Barnabas is Chaplain Steve Lowe.<br />#mybarnabas #encourage<br />
en - to cause (a person or thing) to be in<br />courage - the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc.<br />
<br />
zoe perissos<br />
Steve MattenSteve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-24371616887199068022013-11-27T11:02:00.002-08:002013-11-27T11:02:47.199-08:00The Virgin Birth - The Most Important Miracle in all Scripture <b>Old Adam and New Adam </b><br />
<br />
I could start this post with a statement from faith or from science but the end result would be agreement. By faith we trust the Bible to be the word of God, His divinely inspired communication to mankind. In the Scriptures we read these passages:<br />
<br />
1 Cor 15:39<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one <i>flesh</i> of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">1 Cor 15:45-48</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"><span class="text 1Cor-15-45" id="en-NASB-28764"><sup class="versenum">45 </sup>So also it is written, “The first <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">man</span>, Adam, <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">became a living soul</span>.” The last Adam <i>became</i> a life-giving spirit.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-15-46" id="en-NASB-28765"><sup class="versenum">46 </sup>However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-15-47" id="en-NASB-28766"><sup class="versenum">47 </sup>The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-15-48" id="en-NASB-28767"><sup class="versenum">48 </sup>As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">Romans 5:12 </span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"><span class="text Rom-5-12">Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—</span> </span><br />
<br />
<div>
Genesis 5:3</div>
<div>
When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of <i>a son</i> in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">Scientists have
discovered that the Y chromosome carried only by males has remained
essentially unchanged from the very beginning. There have been small
mutations that characterize some branches off of the original but every
male living on earth for all time from the original Adam carries a
common characteristic, the Y chromosome. </span><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">Look at this National Geographic Special Report: </span><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"></span><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">http://press.nationalgeographic.com/2005/04/13/ibm-launch-landmark-genographic-project/</span><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">.</span><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">T</span><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"></span><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">his project resulted in a DVD Special Report called </span><a href="http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/118193/FULL_DOCUMENTARY_National_Geographic__DNA_Mysteries_Search_For_Adam/" target="_blank"><u>National Geographic - DNA Mysteries Search For Adam</u></a><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"> (</span><span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/product/241/3063/128.html)</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"><br /></span>
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">Here is an excerpt from the series. Pay special attention to the two and a half minute section 3:30 to about 4:48.</span></div>
<div>
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/GegZmWO1Cr8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">The study goes on to conclude that the original Adam lived in Africa. The whole over 1 hour documentary is worth watching but has to make some assumptions to come to that conclusion.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"><br /></span>
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">This is why the virgin birth is so important in our theology and christology today. Jesus had no human father and therefore was a completely new man, a new Adam. He did not carry the (sinful) Y chromosome passed on from father to father, generation to generation. This is why he could be a perfect and sinless sacrifice.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"><br /></span>
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">The human race was diseased with sin (</span>Romans 5:12). Jesus sacrifice was the perfect atonement for sin and His incarnation as fully man and fully God is the most significant miracle in all of Scripture.<br />
<span class="text Rom-5-12" id="en-NASB-28060"></span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758"><i>zoe perissos</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-15-39" id="en-NASB-28758">All scripture quotations are </span>from the New American Standard Bible (NASB)Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-4175179920875894542013-05-23T11:34:00.000-07:002013-05-23T11:34:22.726-07:00No one wants me.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Charlie came to Orangewood Bible Study week after week. Then one Sunday at church he told me that he trusted Christ for the first time that day. We prayed and I gave him a Bible and a small wooden cross. I did not see Charlie again for several weeks, he ran from Orangewood and ended up in Juvenile Hall. I asked him what he was going to do when he was released and he said he would go back to Orangewood because no one wanted him.<br />
<br />
I prayed for Charlie, a lot! I could not get him out of my mind.<br />
<br />
Charlie was eventually released back to Orangewood where I met with him again. He told me that he has a new foster home that he will be going to in a few days. This is God's doing!<br />
<br />
I would like you join me in continued prayer for Charlie and the other kids at Orangewood, in foster care and the ones still out on the streets. Thanks.<br />
<br />
Zoe Perissos Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-81292475142074203132013-05-17T07:03:00.001-07:002013-05-17T07:07:27.320-07:00Why does Jesus refer to Himself as the Son of Man? Ever wonder? <br />
<br />
His Cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.<br />
From My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chambers<br />
<br />
When Christ entered this earthly realm it was a true miracle, not just the virgin birth but God becoming man, that was the awesome miracle. Never before had God appeared in such a way, and we along with the apostles declare Him to be the Son of God, meaning God in human form. Our relative position to Christ is that we are sons of men and He is the Son of God. As the Son of God, we are reconciled with God through Him.<br />
<br />
But he most often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. When Jesus ascended and returned to heaven another awesome miracle happened, never before had a man of flesh appeared before the Father. Jesus relative position to the Father was Son of Man. As the Son of Man, God is reconciled with man through Him.<br />
<br />
It is a simple formula:<br />
<br />
Son of God - God is reconciled to man on earth.<br />
Son of Man - man is reconciled to God in heaven.<br />
<br />
Jesus saw his role and purpose on earth as Son of Man, we see Him as Son of God.<br />
<br />
zoe perissos <br />
<br />
<br />Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-19485918516897569522013-05-16T10:14:00.002-07:002013-05-16T13:14:32.820-07:00Those who have a high view of the importance of eternity have a high view of the importance of life. Those who disregard eternity will also disregard life.<br />
<br />
Think about this for a minute. It would seem to be the opposite. Didn't the Apostle Paul say "<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886"><sup class="versenum"></sup>We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."? (2 Cor 5:8)</span><br />
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886"><br /></span>
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886">The think that we often miss or ignore when we speak of life is that life includes suffering! We must take life as a whole, the good, the bad, the pain and the joy. Suffering, injustice, war, tragedy and natural disaster are all as much a part of life as love, family, joy, art, music and beauty.</span><br />
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886"><br /></span>
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886">If life were only the positive things, we would have no need for eternity.</span><br />
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886"><br /></span>
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886">You see, suffering and eternity go hand in hand. Suffering has no value at all if there is no eternity. I am not talking about pain. Pain has a purpose, it leads us to repair. If we had no pain we would have no inclination to repair or improve. But I speak of prolonged pain, without hope of improvement - suffering.</span><br />
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886"><br /></span>
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886">Let's put this in practical terms. As the horror of late-term abortions are played out in the court and the media, those that support the idea of late-term abortions do not deny that how this is done is critical. They defend the practice out of a manufactured need.</span><br />
<u><span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886"><br /></span></u>
<b>Pro-Choice Colorado explains that their state is one of the few where a
late abortion can be obtained. “Outpatient abortion is available up to
26 weeks. In addition, medically indicated termination of pregnancy up
to 34 weeks is also <i>an option for conditions such as fetal anomalies, genetic disorder, fetal demise</i>
and/or severe medical problems” (NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, italics
added). The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice says that “on
the rare occasion when a woman has a late abortion it is because <i>the fetus has severe or fatal anomalies</i> or because the pregnancy endangers her life or health” (italics added). </b><u>Source http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/beyond-the-rhetoric-gosnell-and-the-late-term-reality</u><br />
<b><br /></b>
Of course everyone knows that abortions are also justified by pro-choice groups because of other non-medical reasons as well.<br />
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886"><br /></span>
<span class="text 2Cor-5-8" id="en-NIV-28886">But even in the cases of "</span><i>fetal anomalies, genetic disorder, fetal demise</i>
and/or severe medical problems" and the potential suffering of a child born with such conditions, only the certainty of eternity gives reason to this suffering.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>This is true even for the babies who will only live a short time or who
will live their entire lives with suffering, for they also live in the
reality that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an
eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. . .” (<a class="lbsBibleRef" data-reference="2 Corinthians 4.17" data-version="esv" href="http://biblia.com/bible/esv/2%20Corinthians%204.17" target="_blank">2 Corinthians 4:17</a>).
Here especially is an opportunity for those who cling to Jesus to love
hurting families in ways that make God look strong, good, and worthy of
our hope and trust. </b><u>ibid</u><b></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
We cannot compare our suffering or even the suffering of innocents in this life to "the eternal weight of glory".<br />
<br />
And to those who despair in this life to the point that they consider removing themselves I propose these things:<br />
<br />
1. The Father so highly valued life that God became a man and submitted Himself not only to the joys of life but also to its ultimate suffering, then we should value it the same and continue on until God is finished His work in us and through us. (John 3:16)<br />
2. If God has designed and proposed a work that is to be accomplished through us according to His will, created us with an exact blueprint for His purposes (Psalm 139) then we should value this purpose in life even though the suffering seems futile and non-productive.<br />
3. With the indwelling Spirit we are the representatives and ambassadors of God here on earth. The majority of God's work is done through his Body of believers. Our ultimate joy and purpose is found in doing His will while we remain here on His earth. (2 Cor 5:20 and 2 Cor 1:3-4)<br />
<br />
zoe perissos<br />
<br />
<br />
Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-63619875392478651172013-04-17T07:06:00.000-07:002013-04-17T07:06:45.258-07:00Why are you reading the Bible?!??!As time passes, for the aged Christian, things that were once alive and vivid become rote and less colorful. Think of the main occupations of our faith, prayer and Bible reading. Are we really, I mean really consistently finding God and experiencing His face in these daily endeavors as we once did, or have we either abandoned the daily work or come to see it as chore and ritual.<br />
<br />
What do I expect when I read God's word? The disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize the risen Christ because they did not expect to see Him. They knew the living Christ but they were not familiar with the Risen Savior. Of course God's word supplies more than we could ever expect but to expand my limited understanding of what to expect when I approach His Word I want to experience at least these five things when I meet God in His word.<br />
<br />
We read God's word to grow in faith, to learn about God, to become wise, to understand the world, to grow our imagination.<br />
<br />
I will leave it at that. Stop reading this and go experience God in His word.Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-67944892805888441942013-04-05T07:24:00.002-07:002013-04-05T07:24:57.943-07:00Power of the Gospel<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We have just finished celebrating the resurrection of Christ, more commonly known as Easter. On Sunday I preached at Orangewood Children and Family Center on what the resurrection means for us today. While my message to the abandoned, abused, neglected, traumatized and displaced youth of Orange County was centered on hope, with the resurrection we have real hope based on a real and risen Christ, one of my themes was the power we have as believers in Christ.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Paul says in Romans 1:16</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-1-16" id="en-NIV-27947">"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile".</span> (NIV)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Gospel is power but what is the source of that power? It is in the resurrection. Paul writes in Phil 3:10-11</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Phil-3-10" id="en-NIV-29432">"I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,</span> <span class="text Phil-3-11" id="en-NIV-29433">and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (NIV)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Phil-3-11" id="en-NIV-29433"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Phil-3-11" id="en-NIV-29433">Finally, we are identified and united with Christ in his death and resurrection, which is symbolized by baptism</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Phil-3-11" id="en-NIV-29433"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Phil-3-11" id="en-NIV-29433">Romans 5:4-5</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-6-4" id="en-NIV-28073"><sup>"</sup>We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.</span> <span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074">For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his" (NIV)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074"><br /></span></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074">Power of the Gospel then comes through our identification with Christ, our participation in his death and resurrection, being placed in Christ by the Holy Spirit through faith.</span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074">Together we can say with Paul in Gal 2:20:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074"> </span><span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074"><span class="text Gal-2-20" id="en-NIV-29102">"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (NIV)</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="text Rom-6-5" id="en-NIV-28074"><br /></span></span>Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-31592968895675986432013-03-13T09:19:00.000-07:002013-03-13T09:19:24.240-07:00EbeneezerWhen you read the title of this post the first thing that probably comes to mind is Ebeneezer Scrooge, the mean old miser from Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". Scrooge's name is always used in a negative light about a person that is hardened, unloving and unconcerned about the misery of others.<br />
<br />
I think there is a biblical purpose behind Dicken's using the name Ebeneezer. The name comes from 1 Samuel 7:12 Samuel took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and
Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer—"the stone of help"—for he said, "Up to
this point the Lord has helped us!" that was raised after the Lord defeated the Philistine army at Mispah.<br />
<br />
What is the connection between the biblical account about the stone of Ebeneezer and Dicken's Scrooge? In the end, we forget this, Scrooge turned out to be a humble, loving and charitable man. It took the 'ghosts' to remind him of the past, his Ebeneezer stones, the present, and what the future might hold if he did not remember his 'Ebeneezer'.<br />
<br />
Wikipedia details the plot of the story and ends with this:<br />
<br />
<i>Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning with joy and love in his heart,
then spends the day with his nephew's family after anonymously sending a
prize turkey to the Cratchit home for Christmas dinner. Scrooge has
become a different man overnight and now treats his fellow men with
kindness, generosity and compassion, gaining a reputation as a man who
embodies the spirit of Christmas. The story closes with the narrator
confirming the validity, completeness, and permanence of Scrooge's
transformation.</i><br />
<i>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol</i><br />
<br />
God reminds us of the past to help us to become what we are to be. There are several points that can be taken from this.<br />
<ul>
<li>God is not finished with us until He has fully developed Himself in us.</li>
<li>God sees a person for what he can become, not necessarily what he is at present</li>
</ul>
I pray that we might have the same perspective.Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-84169600622789866652013-03-11T08:18:00.003-07:002013-03-11T08:18:53.278-07:00An Uncomfortable PeaceIt would seem that the title of this post is an oxymoron but it asks an important question. Can you be at peace and yet be uncomfortable? Or another question is; 'Are we seeking comfort by God or peace with God?'<br />
<br />
How do you understand the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)? <br />
<br />
<div class="first-line-none">
<i><span class="text Matt-5-2">He said:</span></i></div>
<i> </i><div class="poetry top-05">
<div class="line">
<i><span class="text Matt-5-3" id="en-NIV-23238"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">3 </sup>“Blessed are the poor in spirit,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-3"><span class="woj">for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.</span></span></span><br /><span class="text Matt-5-4" id="en-NIV-23239"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">4 </sup>Blessed are those who mourn,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-4"><span class="woj">for they will be comforted.</span></span></span><br /><span class="text Matt-5-5" id="en-NIV-23240"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">5 </sup>Blessed are the meek,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-5"><span class="woj">for they will inherit the earth.</span></span></span><br /><span class="text Matt-5-6" id="en-NIV-23241"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">6 </sup>Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-6"><span class="woj">for they will be filled.</span></span></span><br /><span class="text Matt-5-7" id="en-NIV-23242"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">7 </sup>Blessed are the merciful,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-7"><span class="woj">for they will be shown mercy.</span></span></span><br /><span class="text Matt-5-8" id="en-NIV-23243"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">8 </sup>Blessed are the pure in heart,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-8"><span class="woj">for they will see God.</span></span></span><br /><span class="text Matt-5-9" id="en-NIV-23244"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">9 </sup>Blessed are the peacemakers,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-9"><span class="woj">for they will be called children of God.</span></span></span><br /><span class="text Matt-5-10" id="en-NIV-23245"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">10 </sup>Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,</span></span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-10"><span class="woj">for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.</span></span></span></i></div>
</div>
<i> <span class="text Matt-5-11" id="en-NIV-23246"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">11 </sup>“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.</span></span> <span class="text Matt-5-12" id="en-NIV-23247"><span class="woj"><sup class="versenum">12 </sup>Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.</span></span></i><br />In most cases these appear to be saying that happiness belongs to those who are experiencing some kind of discomfort. Am I wrong?<br />
<br />
Consider Acts 5:41 - rejoicing at disgrace, Romans 5:3-5 and I Peter 5:10 - glory through suffering, James 1:2 - joy in trials.<br />
<br />
I have heard and read this story about John Wesley (I am not where this story came from, I cannot find it in his Journal http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wesley/journal.html).<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i>One day John Wesley was riding along a road when it dawned upon him that
three whole days had passed in which he had suffered no persecution.
Not a brick or an egg had been thrown at him for three days. Alarmed,
he stopped his horse, and exclaimed, "Can it be that I have sinned and
am backslidden?" </i><br />
<i>
Slipping from his horse Wesley went down on his knees and began
interceding with God to show him where, if any, there had been a fault.
</i><br />
<i>
A rough fellow, on the other side of the hedge, hearing the prayer,
looked across and recognized the preacher. "I'll fix that Methodist
preacher," he said taking a brick and tossing it over at him. It
missed its mark and fell harmlessly beside John. </i><br />
<i>
Whereupon Wesley leaped to his feet joyfully exclaiming, "Thank God, it's all right. I still have His presence."</i> <br />
<br />
Many use this story, however true, to teach that we should expect persecution, and in fact if we are not being persecuted, we are not experiencing God to the fullest! I think the point of it is in the last sentence when Wesley says, '<i>Thank God, it's all right.<span style="background-color: yellow;"> I still have His presence</span>.'. </i><br />
<br />
Peace in discomfort. A lot of people are living in discomfort right now, for a myriad of reasons, myself among them. Right now I don't think God is concerned about my comfort, He is more concerned about my relationship with Him and if a little (by comparison) discomfort will expand my faith in Him, I can greatly rejoice.Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-41662888823864359672013-03-05T08:55:00.001-08:002013-03-05T08:55:24.966-08:00Eyes on HimIt has been a week and a day since I found out that I no longer had a job at Xerox. And it has been a week of praying and seeking God's will. Through the week I narrowed down my direction to three alternatives. I can't go into all of them in detail but the first and most obvious at the outset was to redo my resume and start a new job search. I was confident that God could produce a job that was close to what I had before in spite of circumstances of my age, out of date skills and with an urgency to replace my income I could not afford to be picky.<br />
<br />
The second path is to start my own business. I could go back to contract work or Pam and I have previously discussed a viable idea that could become a very successful business. This would take work, risking some of our retirement savings and could take a long time before it becomes profitable.<br />
<br />
Now the third I reserved for last because this is what I want to discuss here fully and deeply. As I stated last time I have been volunteering as a chaplain at Orangewood Children and Family Center, Orange County's Emergency Shelter for abused, neglected, abandoned and displaced children. Prior to that I served as a chaplain at Orange County Juvenile Hall.<br />
<br />
I called a good friend who was a recruiter. I had not spoken with him for several years but he was quick to help me polish up my resume and give me solid advice about finding a job in today's market. I started to do some research regarding the industry related to our business idea and I made arrangements to meet with the Executive Chaplain for the ministry I am aligned with.<br />
<br />
In my own wisdom I thought I should move all three paths and ask God to bless my efforts. That was MY idea. I was foolish to think that *now* God needs to give me guidance and direction when this very event, losing my job, was His guidance and direction. I had stubbornly held on to what was comfortable, familiar and easy.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of things I could write but during my devotional time today, God spoke again. Here is a snip from a book I am reading, this was in the chapter called <i>'God's Invitation to Join Him in His Work'</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">GOD-CENTERED LIVING </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">God-centered living is characterized by: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">confidence in God; dependence on God, on His abilities and provision; a life focused on God and His activity; humility before God; denial of self; seeking first the kingdom of God, His righteousness; seeking God's perspective on our circumstances; holy and godly living.</span><br /><br />(I removed the reference because I only want to communicate the thought, not the source of the idea.)<br />
<br />
The same chapter referred to Psalm 81 where I read these verses:<br />
<br />
<span class="text Ps-81-10" id="en-NIV-15228"><sup class="versenum">10 </sup>I am the <span class="small-caps" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> your God,</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Ps-81-10">who brought you up out of Egypt.</span></span><br /><span class="text Ps-81-10">Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.</span> <br />
<div class="poetry top-05">
<div class="line">
<span class="text Ps-81-11" id="en-NIV-15229"><sup class="versenum">11 </sup>“But my people would not listen to me;</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Ps-81-11">Israel would not submit to me.</span></span><br /><span class="text Ps-81-12" id="en-NIV-15230"><sup class="versenum">12 </sup>So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts</span><br /><span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Ps-81-12">to follow their own devices.</span></span></div>
<div class="line">
<br /></div>
<div class="line">
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-81-12">And finally I infrequently read my favorite devotional <i><b>My Utmost for His Highest </b></i>(http://utmost.org/). Today's message (March 5th) refers to Acts 20:24</span></span></div>
<div class="line">
<br /></div>
<div class="line">
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-81-12">. . . so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus . . . </span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
Oswald Chambers writes:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">If you have received a ministry from the Lord Jesus, you will know that
the need is not the same as the call— the need is the opportunity to
exercise the call.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Ps-81-12">If this seems a little disjointed and confusing it is only because it is hard to express all the things that God is doing in us right now. If only one thing comes from it all, God has our eyes singularly focused on Him right now.</span></span><br />
<br />Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-19871108430849512722013-03-01T07:01:00.000-08:002013-03-01T07:01:11.562-08:00It is not about me, it is all about God.For 20 years I have been serving God as a volunteer with Pacific Youth Correctional Ministries. This ministry is dedicated to bringing the Gospel to youth that are incarcerated in correctional facilities (Juvenile Hall) mostly in Southern California but also around the world by training chaplains and volunteers anywhere there has been an interest.<br />
<br />
For over 40 years I have searched for the place that God wanted me to be and do what God wanted me to do. I have served as an Worship Leader, Intern Pastor, Church Board Member, Bible Study Leader, Children's Worship Leader and now Chaplain at Orangewood Children and Family Center in Orange County.<br />
<br />
In my last post I wrote about losing my job and being unemployed at the age of 60. Today I have come to discover a glaring flaw in my idea about my ministry, my service to God and my future. It is so simple but it took a crisis engineered by God to reveal it, to me at least.<br />
<br />
It is not about me, it is all about God. <br />
<br />
OK, you heard that before, and so have I so many times. I cannot tell you what it means to your ministry or service to God but I can tell you what I am hearing right now. In all these years I have searched the answer to the question 'How does God want to use me?' You know what, that is not God's number one question for my life. <br />
<br />
God is not so worried about me, I am secure in His forgiveness, sealed in His love and destined for His home. God's desire is not to use me, my talents, my gifts, my whatever. His desire is for those who are eternally lost and need to find the kind of relationship I have with Him.<br />
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God is saying to me, 'it is not about you, it is about those thousands of kids locked up in juvenile halls across the country, it is about the thousands of kids living in emergency shelters across the nation.' This is where God has placed me and I think God is using this time in my life to clear up my fuzzy vision and get my eyes off myself and on to what is really important to Him, not to me.<br />
<br />Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-74119170175063685452013-02-25T08:48:00.001-08:002013-02-25T08:48:56.367-08:00This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24<div>
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Today I start a new pattern. On Friday I was laid off my job. I had worked at that place for 9 years as a contractor and almost 10 years as an employee. Today I did not go to work. But today I prayed with my wife before she got ready for her job. I am usually up and out of the house by that time.</div>
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Today I rode my bike down the hill and back up. It is a short distance but a pretty big hill, it is a start.</div>
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And today I am updating this journal. Things that my busy but comfortable life did not allow time for.</div>
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Yesterday at Orangewood church service I preached about Peter walking on water. He succeeded even though he sunk and needed the Lord's rescue. What other apostle ever took even a few steps on the water?</div>
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The key is that Peter got out of the boat, his faith took him that far.</div>
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For me and many of the kids at Orangewood, we get kicked out of the boat and we are forced to walk on water in faith. It is a good thing there there is the Lord there to rescue us. But we can 'walk on water' in faith when our boat gets turned over.</div>
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So that is what I am doing, taking a few tentative steps out on the water, keeping my eyes on Jesus my Savior and Life Preserver.</div>
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Life Abundant,</div>
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Steve Matten</div>
Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-92012275310308887762011-11-30T07:45:00.000-08:002011-11-30T07:45:20.876-08:00RestartAfter a year and a half (or more) I have decided to restart my blogging. I have connected this blog to the PYCM webpage that I am maintaining. http://pycm.org/joomla.<br />
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I hope to have many more posts.<br />
Chaplain Steve MattenSteve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-75986462270391113092010-03-03T14:34:00.000-08:002010-03-03T14:36:15.730-08:00The first four commandments.The 10 commandments are all about relationships. The first four deal with our relationship with God. They are the first four and the most important because if you get these right then the others will follow and make sense. The remaining six commandments refer to man’s relationship to each other. Man has reduced these ‘laws’ into rules too many times. The difference between a law and a rule is that a rule can be followed by choice whereas a law is a principle that cannot be broken. You cannot break the law of gravity for example.<br /><br />1. You shall have no other Gods. This is importatant because if there is more than one god none are God. This puts God and the universe and our existence in proper order. The God who created us is the one who loves us for He created us for love. He proved this love by becoming a man like us and sacrificing himself in order to reconcile the broken relationship between man and Himself, broken because of man’s sin. The law? God will be God no matter if we choose to recognize it. If we choose to operate under God’s law then our relationship will be beneficial.<br /><br />2. You shall make no idols. The importantce of this is often missed. No ‘thing’ is to be represented as God’s image or likeness. Why? God created us in His image and likeness. No thing could come close to representing who or what God is. Only mankind in its proper relationship to God could reflect His reality. This was shown in the Person of Jesus Christ, the fullness of God in man. A promise remains for all mankind that we should become like Jesus. This was and continues to be our true destiny. The law is that we are made in God’s image. There is no altenative. If we choose to exhalt a thing, an image or other representation higher than man, the pinnicale of God’s creation we only reduce ourselves to increasing insignifcance.<br /><br />3. You shall not take the Lord your God’s name in vain. There is power in a name. The name represents the person and the power of God is in His name. Those who ‘take His name’ would do best to also live by His name. To take His name, be called a beliver, a Chistian or other representation of one who follows God, and not live accoding to that name is truly a waste and in fact a falsehood. Those who take His name and do not live by it are called hipocrites. The law is that God’s name reflects His power, this cannot be changed. The vanity (waste) is to live in this world being made in God’s image and not engaging in a reationshiop with Him.<br /><br />4. Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. God rested after the sixth day of creation with a heavenly ‘it is finished and it was very good’. Man was the capstone of God’s creation and he could make no better. Man was fashioned and placed on the earth in an idyllic state, the garden. There was activity but no work, or ‘sweat of the brow’. That came as the result of sin as the curse. But with the curse came a promise of that a rest would come. That rest did come, in the God/man Jesus Christ. He fulfilled the law completely. The law is that this world will not ever be perfect until after God has completely judged and removed sin. There remains a rest to come for those in Jesus Christ but we no long have to work through sacrifice and offerings to keep our relationship to God in proper order. Jesus’ death and resurrection cemented that law. Now we only need to maintain a right relationship with God by faith.Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-61152065421056954302010-02-24T21:44:00.000-08:002010-02-24T21:51:07.843-08:00Ministry.I want to start writing out some of the things that happen during my ministry times at Orangewood Children's home. So here is a start.<br /><br />I taught on the third commandment tonight, 'thou shalt not take the Lord thy God's name in vain'.<br /><br />I want to remember the names of as many kids there that I can but my 57 year old brain cells just don't work as well as they used to. I need some divine help.<br /><br />Please God, a simple prayer. Please help remember their names!<br /><br />Thank you God.Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-42173454776331359272009-10-15T19:43:00.000-07:002009-10-15T20:27:18.447-07:00Prayers answered, keep praying!For those of you who have been praying and even those who have not, you have to read this.<br /><br />Tuesday night Martin Martinez and I went to see our co-worker and friend Don in the hospital. Don was sedated and on a ventilator in ICU. We prayed with his mom and sister in his room for almost two hours. When Martin and I left we were all fully convinced that God would be glorified no matter happens because Don was truly in God's hands.<br /><br />Once I got home I posted on Facebook, Pray for Don! On Wednesday I asked the kids at Orangewood to pray for Don. I asked Carol send out a request to the PYCM prayer chain. And you prayed.<br /><br />Today, Martin, another co-worker Ed and went to see Don again. When we walked into the room Don was awake and aware of our arrival. He couldn't talk because of the ventilator but he nodded and looked directly at us and smiled!<br /><br />After a few greetings, Martin asked Don, just to be sure, if he had trusted Christ as his Lord and Savior and Don nodded yes! Shortly after that Don's mom and sister arrived. It was the first time they had seen Don awake and they were rejoicing in the Lord around Don's bed.<br /><br />Don's mom, Dee, asked that we all join hands around Don's bed to pray again. While we were praying one of the machines next to Don started going off; beep, beep, beep! The nurse came in and checked it out. Don had started breathing on his own! While we were praying for him! He no longer needed the ventilator!<br /><br />WOW!<br /><br />God is healing Don but He is not finished so keep, keep praying! Please!<br /><br />Thank you and praise God!Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-39762986635675879662009-10-07T09:15:00.000-07:002009-10-07T14:53:55.618-07:00My small mind, something about Christopher Hitchens.If I were truly well adjusted and believed that my thoughts and ideas carried as much value as the intellect of Christopher Hitchens or my photography was good enough to be published in the National Geographic then I would write more and photograph constantly. But I am not that well adjusted, perhaps.<br /><br /><br />In his lecture to the Royal Ontario Museum entitled "The Three New Commandments" in conjunction with the exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls on June 2, 2009 prefaces his lecture with this statement (quote transcribe from the audio):<br /><br /><br />"All the great questions that divide theology from philosophy are finally, I think, are reducible to two questions. First; is it true, as it is definitively stated in Genesis chapter 1 verse 27, that at one time, one god, created man or mankind in his own image or, is it rather the case that many men at several times and in many cases, created many, many gods and continue to create many gods in their own images? As you will see a lot more hangs on that then just the very important shift from the singular to the plural. Second question is this; is our sense of right and wrong, our knowledge of right and wrong, if you prefer good and evil, is it proper to ourselves, is it innate to us, is it our pride, our property or does it come to us as a gift, from revelation? Is it a part of a covenant with a supernatural authority? So you will pleased to bear in mind that as I go on, that those two central questions underlie every word of this text and every examination of it."<br /><br />Podcast available here: <a href="http://www.tvo.org/TVOspecial3/WebObjects/TVOMedia.woa?bigideasfeed">http://www.tvo.org/TVOspecial3/WebObjects/TVOMedia.woa?bigideasfeed</a><br /><br />Mr. Hitchens is speaking of the Ten Commandments. In the rest of the presentation is focused on how the Ten Commandments are implausible, incoherent, contradictive and unbelievable as being inspired by a superior being in the context of the rest of historical Scripture and further commandments.<br /><br /> Mr. Hitchens concludes:<br /><br />"... if we make the assumption that this mass of unresolved contradictions was the outcome of the ignorant struggles of a semi-literate, frightened species of primates then the mystery clears up all by its self."<br /><br />Since he sets the foundation for his argument on the first two premises; that man creates god in his own image and that morality is innately found with in man or mankind then lets examine these two proposals.<br /><br />In the first question, one argument does not exclude the other. Man or mankind could have at one time been created by one God in His own image and man or mankind could still have created many, many gods throughout history and even today in their own images. I don't see this as a dilemma, but in fact a valuable truth. I think a more accurate proposition is that man or mankind by nature must either accept a superior creator(s) or become forced to invent one or many based on the highest order of perceived existence, his own image. This he must in order to explain his own existence and purpose. The man that denies any god cannot adequate explain his own existence or purpose beyond the simple 'it is what it is'.<br /><br />The second argument is again not mutually exclusive, especially if we cannot confirm the first. We do properly posses a sense of right or wrong, good and evil innately simply because that sense of good and bad was created in us. To be more theologically correct, mankind was created with the knowledge of good and acquired the understanding of evil when he disobeyed. So I can agree with the atheist, mankind does innately posses a sense of morality but the atheist cannot explain its origin or purpose.<br /><br />Christopher Hitchens is a great intellect and I am sure he could argue rings around my profoundly less educated intellect, even on biblical terms. I just needed to put these thoughts down to justify my own intellectual existence.<br /><br />Zoe PerissosSteve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-73392332102762229502007-05-11T10:27:00.000-07:002007-05-11T11:02:43.754-07:00To hell with tolerence, let's celebrate.I have a mug on my desk with the motto "Good is the enemy of Great". A cheesy slogan, but most anything they write on company freebies is destined to be cheesy. Cliches like that are helpful though for points of departure. One such point happened to me to day as I was listening to an podcast from Speaking of Faith (http://www.speakingoffatih.org). Something said by Douglas Johnson (http://www.icrd.org) and commented on by Krista Tippet inflamed my small brain.<br /><br />Tolerance is not good enough, what is needed is respect. I invite you to listen to the interesting interview for the context of this idea but it sparked my thinking enough to search out a place to write about it. So here it is.<br /><br />I don't think that the New Testament encourages tolerance in any fashion. I am even driven to the idea that tolerance could be one of those lukewarm Laodecian axioms spewed out of the mouth of the Amen (Rev 3:14-16). Why? Because tolerance is another way of saying "I'll put up with you. I'll allow you existence in my consciousness. I may ignore you, but oh well, you have a right to exist."<br /><br />The practice of tolerance may just even be on of the paths on the wide way that leads to destruction (Mt 7:13). The two things I find evil about the practice of tolerance as we know it today. One evil is that the one practicing 'tolerance' is taking on a egotistical position of superiority. The second, related, is the diminishing of the one tolerated. <br /><br />Jesus Christ did not tolerate. He either opposed, celebrated or encouraged. Tolerance is passive, Jesus actively engaged individuals, societies and ideas. We should do the same.<br /><br />PS: This is not a great post but I suppose it is good enough.Steve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17996909.post-1129645129397524372005-10-18T07:15:00.000-07:002005-10-18T07:18:49.396-07:00Not very good..I'm not very good at journaling. I have made several attempts to start. I hope this one will survive. I have all the tools necessary. I will be posting as I can either using my home PC or hopefully a Palm Tungsten T5.<br /><br />So anyway here it goes.<br /><br />Zoe Perissos!<br /><br />Steve MattenSteve Mattenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13813568270143402341noreply@blogger.com0