A Pattern of Good Works

Last night in youth, Brandon shared from the word a convicting passage that I'd like to pass along.

Titus 2:6-7
"Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine [shewing] uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity..."

When we hear a sermon on good works, we are often motivated to do something immediately. But a one-time event is not enough. As Brandon brought out, it is a pattern that God is looking for. After all, we are known by our patterns. I had to ask myself... "What am I known for?" Probably my big mouth, ha ha! It's time to start establishing a pattern of good works in my life. Thanks, Brandon!

A New Buddha

It appears Buddhism is in need of a spiritual revival, so much so that a new "Buddha" has surfaced in Nepal. This 18-year-old by the name of Ram Bahadur Bomjam, became famous 3 years ago when his followers claimed he could meditate motionless for months without food or water. Evidently, followers wait in a 3-mile line for hours on end to be blessed by this young miracle working-phenom. Bomjam's followers believe he is the reincarnate "Buddha." Religious officials, however, refute this.

According to the AFP article:
The head of the committee that organises events around Bomjam insists he survives without food and water.

"We have never seen him eat or drink and we believe he's a god in human form," said Bed Bahadur Thing, president of the Buddha Jungle Meditation Conservation and Prosperity Committee.

Reporters, however, have caught the young man (believe this) sleeping and eating. Wow!

Picture and story excerpts courtesy of AFP and can be read at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081122/wl_sthasia_afp/nepalreligionbuddhism#full

Einstein Was Right

The Theory of Relativity is now a law. Einstein, a Jew and defender of faith, was a brilliant thinker. I believe he tapped into supernatural knowledge by lending his intellect to the God (Jehovah) he served. He saw over a hundred years ago something that couldn't be proven until our day. That's seeing ahead! In order to understand the Theory of Relativity, Einstein had to envision space and time as part of a four-dimensional crystal lattice, with discrete points spaced along columns and rows. If you didn't follow that, here's a simpler explanation.

"It's taken more than a century, but Einstein's celebrated formula e=mc2 has finally been corroborated, thanks to a heroic computational effort by French, German and Hungarian physicists... Energy and mass are equivalent, as Einstein proposed in his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905. The e=mc2 formula shows that mass can be converted into energy, and energy can be converted into mass. By showing how much energy would be released if a certain amount of mass were to be converted into energy, the equation has been used many times, most famously as the inspirational basis for building atomic weapons." -An excerpt of the AFP article

Pardon my rude analogy, but I think it can be used. Our mass is energy waiting to be converted! What could you and I accomplish if we allow the transforming power of the Holy Spirit move on our human flesh! It would be an atomic bomb in the Spirit! I'm tired of being a bump on the log for Jesus. I'm ready to do the miraculous.

By the way, I believe there are more Einstein's, DaVinci's, Lincoln's and Washington's waiting to be discovered in our generation. Let's offer our lives to God and see what He can do with us.

Gaining a Moral Majority

Many Christians show great passion when our religious freedoms are attacked. My zeal is stirred when the government tries to silence the voice of our religious freedom, especially when they obviously desire to muzzle Christians more than any one else. We have been receiving senseless, unconstitutional slander from our nations liberal thinkers and it is has awakened what some have called “the sleeping giant”… the church. “Sleeping giant” is a fun term to use because we like to think of the church as a giant, but to really own up to it is to admit to apathy and lukewarmness in the church. I believe that the political battles that we face as believers today are in part due to the spiritual battles that we’ve forfeited in past years through a lack of urgency with the gospel message. Christianity has always been a grassroots movement, and grassroots evangelism must remain our focus to win this nation back to Christ.

The government has never and will never be able change the hearts of people. In fact, we know that a democratic government merely reflects the hearts of the people. The recent election of Barack Obama was decided by the majority of our nations voters. Therefore we can be certain that the majority of our nations voters are more interested in self preservation and materialism than the preservation of innocent, unborn children and the sacred institution of marriage. God has proven time and again that He doesn‘t need a majority to accomplish His purposes. However, when it comes to setting the law of the land in a democracy, we need a majority. So our political battles will be won when Bible based morality is the majority in our nation. Majority means more people, more people, more people; this should be our cry. It has been the cry of heaven for thousands of years and goes beyond politics into the Heart of our Father. Likewise for us, it should go beyond politics as we grieve for the lost who need the Saving touch of Jesus that we ourselves are so thankful for. Jesus said…“the Kingdom of Heaven is within you”.
If the Kingdom of Heaven is in the hearts of men, than we cannot advance the Kingdom of Heaven without winning men's hearts.

-freeslave

What is the First?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The purpose of this blog is to enjoy, exercise, and defend this generation's First Amendment rights. Galatians 5:1 tells us, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." Inaction begs the snare of the yoke. As you visit Freedom of the 1st, you will no doubt enjoy our expressions of hope, faith, love, and concern for our nation and one another.

The "team members" of this blog are the teens and twenties of the World Lighthouse Worship Center and our friends. This blog will be a forum for us that we trust you will also participate in through your comments. We look forward to your frequent visit.

-Melissa