My God is AWESOME

I have been apart of a weekly Bible study at the Hospitality House called Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll.  A few weeks ago, we talked about the second coming of Christ and who he really is.  The passage that was focused on is Revelation 19:11-16.  Here are some of the points we went over...

1) Jesus rides a white horse (v11). Every good guy has his stallion and only the best of the best have white horses (Lone Ranger, Gandalf, etc...).  So Jesus, the one true God, picks a white horse. Pretty cool.

2) He doesn't just sit on his horse, waiting for the enemy to make the first move.  "With justice he judges and makes war" (v11).  A lot of times, I get this picture in my head that Jesus is a very thin, feminine guy.  So not true.  He was a carpenter.  Physical labor tends to make people big!  He also is the one starting the war.  That says a lot when you have the whole world standing against you.

3) The first part of verse 12 tells us "His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns."  If I saw a guy sitting on a white horse with eyes like blazing fire, I don't think I would mess with him.

4) The second part of verse 12 is one of my favorite parts.  "He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself."  He has this tattoo that, apparently, is written in a language that know one knows... how cool is that.  In the Bible, there are so many different names for God.  King of kings, Lord of lords, prince of peace, just to name a few.  Now we add this one.  This one unknown name to the list of countless names of God.

5) You know someone means business when they are scuffed up, a little dirty, maybe their clothes are torn.  Not Christ.  He is wearing a robe dipped in blood (v13). So far we have a buff ex-carpenter, on a white horse with flaming eyes, an unknown name tattooed on Himself and his clothes are dipped in blood. Wow!

6) Verse 14 says "The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean." Here is where my military side comes out.  The word "armies" is plural.  Not just an army, we have armies.  Not entirely sure what this means.  Maybe it was just a common term of that time.  Or maybe the armies of heaven are so large, John couldn't just describe it as an "army".

7) In the same verse, the armies are wearing white clean linen.  If I was at war, I don't think I would wear white.  Oh, and more white horses.

8) Verse 15, he has a sharp sword extending from his mouth that is used to strike down the nations.  My God not only spoke this world into existence, he also speaks destruction.

9) The unknown name is not the only tattoo He has.  In verse 16 it says "On his robe and on his thigh he has this written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  Again, another tattoo!

The Book of Revelation is a very big eye opener.  Jesus is not some meek little man.  He is the one true God.  He is risen and waiting to call us home.

Here is the website with the Vintage Jesus sermons.

Defending Myself

Well today was a very interesting day.  I was harassed, put down, made fun of, and mocked all because I brought my Bible to work.  Out of such a miserable day, I had one thing to smile about... Matthew 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

I did, however, defend myself.  God gave me the words I needed to defend my faith.  After multiple verses, a little common sense, and a whole lot of help from Him, I walked away with my head held high and proud of my God!  Thank you Lord for another great opportunity to show my work place how awesome you truly are.

Chapel Opportunity!

Well one of the Chaplains asked if I was looking for a good teaching opportunity.  He wants me to come up with a subject to talk to the congregation about.  I have 7 minutes to say as much as I can.  I have been thinking about this for the last 4 hours.  What kind of subject do I want to teach on?  Then God opened my eyes (like a slap in the face)... it isn't about what I want to teach, its about what God wants me to teach.  This week I will be praying that God opens my eyes to a good subject and that I will be motivated to write on this topic.  I am really excited and at the same time, very nervous.

My promise

My mom sent me a song by Sanctus Real called Lead Me. This song really put things into prospective for me. As I strive to become a man of God, I need to lead others in my life the same way. This includes my future family. One of my greatest dreams is to raise a family in a Godly home but to do that, I need to be the example to my family. I have to show them Gods love.

"Lead me with strong hands. Stand up when I can't. Don't leave me hungry for love, chasing dreams, but what about us. Show me your willing to fight. That I'm still the love of your life. I know we call this our home but I still feel alone."

I do not know who God has planned to be my wife but I make her this promise...

I will be a Godly husband. A husband worthy of your love. We may not have worldly worth, but we will be richer then any other family on earth. I will lead you as God leads me.  I will love you until the end of my days!