Happy Easter 2011 Part 3

Hello there! Today is Easter and I wanted to post the last of John chapter 20.
Here I am struck by alot of things, like how we all have serious doubting crisis's, even though we know we should be trusting in Jesus.Thomas wanted to put his and hand and finger in Jesus' wounds, he wanted serious proof! Jesus knew Thomas had doubts, so he came to Thomas and put his doubts to rest. God knows we have doubts concerning His will or how much He cares, but if we turn to Him he will help us with our doubts, all we have to do is open our eyes, "stop doubting and believe!"

John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my fingers where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Have a blessed Easter!
Sorry this is late!

Happy Easter 2011 Part 2

Hey, I'm back and I decided I should post more.
I really like this scripture, because Jesus calls Mary Magdalene by name, and she thought he was the gardener! Makes me think of how he knows all of our names, even before we know Him!

John 20:10-18

Then the disciples went back to their homes,

but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept she bent over to look into the tomb

and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (Which means Teacher).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers, and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

So remember this Easter, that Jesus knows your name even if you don't know who He is!

Have a blessed Easter!

           

Happy Easter 2011 Part 1

Hi everybody!
As Easter is drawing very, very, near I thought I'd post some of the most beloved Scipture in the Bible.
This is one of my favorite passages, I have the entire chapter memorized.

John Chapter 20:1-9

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.

Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.

Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,

As well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

(They still did not understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)


Have a blessed Easter!

Palm Sunday

 Easter is almost upon us. It is so hard to believe that it is going to be Palm Sunday this upcoming Sunday. It feels like it came so soon, but in reality it came later than usual. So as we get ready to celebrate Jesus' life-saving sacrifice, I thought some Palm Sunday scripture would be in order. This scripture comes from the gospel of John, chapter 12, verses 12-16. (NIV). (I have this memorized for Bible Quizzing).

"The next day, the great crowd that had come for the feast, heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

They took palm branches and went out to meet him shouting, 'Hosanna!' 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Blessed is the king of Israel!'

Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

'Do not be afraid O daughter of Zion; see your king is coming seated on a donkey's colt.'

At first his disciples did not understand all this, only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him."

Happy Palm Sunday!

What is Bible Quizzing?

I told ya'll that I am getting ready for the regional final for TBQ. Well I think this might be awfully confusing for those of you who are not familiar with Bible Quiz. So I will try to explain what it is, though this post will will be in no way a complete, in depth walk through of the world of BQ. That would take my entire life. So I will just explain the bare bones basics so that ya'll can get a good idea of what goes on during a typical match, and why I love BQ.

First off Bible Quizzing scares alot of people. I was afraid of it at first too, until I joined. I sounds really hard, and watching it can just make your head spin. But if you've studied, it's really fun. If you don't study, it's still fun but not as much.

I quiz Assembly of God style, though my team and I are actually a non-Asssembly team. This year we are quizzing over the Gospel of John (NIV), all 21 chapters.

The Match
First off the match is opened with prayer. Then the match begins.
A team usually consists of 3-6 players and a coach. Only three of the quizzers can be in at once, but they can switched in out and out for other players during the length of the match.
In a match 2 teams face off.
There are ideally three or four judges, one of whom is the quiz master (the person who asks the questions), two judges who watch the quizzers and and the quiz master to make sure everything goes correctly. The fourth person usually keeps official score and/or keeps time if needed, (some quiz boxes [buzzer systems] don't have built in timers, but most do).
 Each active quizzer is equipped with a buzzer, that resembles the foot treadle of a sewing machine, with is hooked up to the quiz box.
Each team is assigned a color, either red or green, based on the color of the lights which illuminate when a quizzer buzzes in. Each active player is assigned a number to go along with the team color for that match. So for instance one player would be "Red 3," another on the same team "Red 2," and the third member of the same team "Red 1." The same being repeated with the other team, with them being the green team.
The match consists of 20 questions, and more if the game goes into overtime. There are 10 questions for 10 points each, 7 for 20, and, 3 for 30, from anywhere in the book of John. And the quizzer must buzz in, and then when the quizzer is acknowledged, the quizzer has exactly 30 seconds to give the correct answer.
Here are some sample questions to show you what the questions are like:

All questions start with opening remarks such as: Question. Question for 10 points from the section of John titled The Validity of Jesus' Testimony.

Then there is the actual question portion of the question: Which geographical location is found?

And the answer is: The Mount of Olives.

The questions for 20 & 30 points are much harder. There are different types of questions with different requirements, but I won't go into all that, if I did this post would be more like a book.

Here is an example of a Regional Level 30 point question. (They are easier or harder depending on the level of question, but 10 pointers tend to stay the same regardless of level).

Question. Question for 30 points. Quotation question (which means that the answer must be quoted word perfect from scripture). From four consecutive verses from the 3rd chapter. (Those were the opening remarks which are sometimes more important that the question). Quote verses 14,15,16 and 17 from the 3rd chapter.

And the answer is:

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,

that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

And remember, that has to be quote perfect, according to the opening remarks. There are other questions which are called essence questions, where the quizzer only has to give the verses required in essence.
If one quizzer gets 5 questions right, then he/she "quizzes out" which means they have answered too many questions for that match and must sit the rest of the match out. The quizzer also receives 20 extra bonus points for quizzing out. All quizzers want to quiz out.

At the end of the match, the winner of the match is declared. And the teams shake hands and congratulate each other on a good match.

There are so many other things about Bible quiz that I have not even began to cover. But you can find out more by clicking here where you can download the rulebook for free and learn more about BQ.

I cannot speak for others but Bible quizzing has helped me so much, because of Bible quizzing I have grown spiritually because it motivates me to study my Bible more, and with studying comes a longing for more knowledge. Also it has taught me to stand up for God's word, and has helped me with public speaking. Not to mention the long term benefits of memorizing God's word! Those verses will be with me my whole life through. I cannot say enough good thing about BQ.

Next year we will be studying Hebrews and 1st and 2nd Peter. Great Apologetic stuff!

BQ is for all ages, there is peewee BQ, JBQ, TBQ and even Adult BQ. The best way to find out about BQ in your state is to look up the state's Assembly of God association, even if you are non-assembly (like me) they can help you set up BQ in your area. If you have questions about BQ post them in the comment section of this post, with an email address and I will do my best to answer your questions.

Stand Firm

I thought I should tell you why I chose the name of the blog.

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
1 Corinthians 15:58