The Christmas Story

I know you all heard of the Story of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, right? Well, I' m going to tell it to you again lol. It all started with a couple named Mary and Joseph. Mary was about to have a baby any minute, and she rode on a donkey to Bethlehem. Unfortunately for her and Joseph, all the inns had no room left, so they ended up in a stable with animals. During that night, an angel appeared and told Mary that she was to have a baby boy and name it Jesus. When she did, she put the baby in a manger.

Three wise men saw a bright star in the sky, and followed it east to where baby Jesus lay in that manger. When they got there, they presented him with gifts of gold, frankenscence and myrrh. Now, that's the story that I remember, but the rest of it's a blur to me right now. If any of you know more about that story, please comment below.

The Miracles of Jesus Christ

In the Bible, Jesus performed some miracles. I was really surprised, and somewhat skeptical at them. Jesus healed the blind, the lame, the mute and the people with Leprosy. He also could awaken the dead. The question I always asked myself was, "How does he do it? Is there some kind of mystic power he has? Is it the power of God that he possesses?" 

I never figured that out, and I am still working through it. So I ask all of you who read this. How did he do all those miracles? 

Please comment on this with your inputs. I would like to hear what you have to say.

Sin

Man, nothing is worse than sin. Yes, we're all sinners, and that's cool, but reading Genesis 1 made me think about why we have sins in our world. As you know by the Bible, Adam and Eve were put in the Garden of Eden and trusted by God to not touch the fruit on the tree in the middle of the garden. A serpent told Eve, "If you eat this fruit, you will not die. Your eyes will be opened and you will know right from wrong." Eve trusted it and gave Adam a fruit and they both ate. Their eyes opened and they realized they were naked.

When I read this verse, I was surprised by this. Satan himself told Eve to eat the fruit, and she did. God wasn't happy with them, so he increased her pain in child bearing and said to the serpent, "You will crawl on the ground and bite the ankles of humans. You will eat dust." I couldn't believe how angry God was about it, but I understood his situation.

This is how sin came to be. Adam and Eve were told not to do something, but did it anyway. 

Worship and Praise

Ah, I love to worship and praise the Lord, don't you? It's such a wonderful time of fellowship and getting together with a church, group of friends, or even your family. Now, I don't know how you do it, but I go to church on Saturday nights at 5 PM Central time, and sing from a hymnal and listen to a Pastor talk. It's the same thing on Sunday mornings, but on Sunday evenings, if I'm not to busy, I go to my Nazarene Church and sing with the congregation there.

When you worship God, you do it in different ways. You can spread the Word of God to people you know, shout your praises, or sing like I do. Praise and worship are similar in most ways, and different in others, but to me, they are all the same. So, I'd like to do a weekly question for you all. This week's question: How do you worship and praise God?

You can tell me by emailing me, or commenting on my post. Thank you and God Bless you all!

The Gospel of the Lord

You know what's really awesome about being with God? Sharing his Word, or as a lot of people like to say, the Gospel. It's a wonderful thing. Romans 4 says, "When we were baptized, we were buried with Jesus and shared his death. So just as Jesus was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we can also live a new life." (NCV)

When it said, when we are baptized, we were buried with Jesus, what did that mean? I'll tell you. It meant that when we are baptized, our sins are buried with us and we died as Jesus died...by the wonderful power of the Father. This is the Gospel, a part of it at least. The rest of the Gospel is from Mark, Luke, John, and Matthew, but I'm not going to get into that right away.

Here is a question for you. How do we spread the Gospel? Well, we do that by talking with people who want to come to know Christ, and remind those who do know Him.

Baptisim

Today's blog is about baptism and the ways it can be done. First off, there is immersion. What is immersion, you ask? Well it is how the first baptism was done years ago. John the Baptist first baptized people by dunking them under water and saying that they were baptized. He also baptized Jesus, if memory serves.

Now, another form of baptism is a little off the wall, but this involves sprinkling. The Lutherans, Episcopillians, and Catholics all sprinkle a person's head with holy water and smear ash on their foreheads. That is a different form of baptism, but not the Bible's suggestion.

The word baptism is taken from the Greek word, Baptizo meaning to immerse or dunk underwater. This way is the right way, but I, as a Lutheran, believe that there is no right or wrong way. If you want to comment on this post, please do by clicking the 'comment' bar and typing your comment.

So, there you have it, guys. Baptism and its history. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Dating

Dating...a very interesting concept. I've dated one girl 6 times, and the same girl broke up with me 6 times. Yes, I was angry, but after a few days and a lot of prayer, I got over it. Dating is a wonderful thing. You think you fall in love, and 75% of teenagers do fall in love and get married, but the other 25% end up finding someone else. I am one of the 25% this time. God wants us to 'fly the nest' so to speak, but he has plans on who we'll be with and who we are going to spend the rest of our short lives with if anyone. I don't know who God has for you or I, but if you pray, he'll show you in mysterious ways.

I just thought I'd point that out. If you have any comments, please type them up. I want to hear your thoughts on this subject.

Witchcraft, Is It Bad?

Who in this blog site likes to talk about witchcraft with their friends even though they are Christian? I know a few friends who are into the Harry Potter franchise and talk about it constantly. Some of my online friends talk about a witch from an old series in the 1990's called Buffy the Vampire Slayer(my favorite show). The title is the question I am asking. Is witchcraft bad? I want to hear from you. I want to hear what you have to say about it. If you have something to say about this, I would love to hear your view. So, please comment, and if you could, check out my page on Facebook. In the search bar, type in Christianity Today, and tell me what your views. 

Thank you so much and God Bless!

Heaven and Hell Video Sermon

Heaven and Hell

A lot of people ask, "Tim, is there a Heaven and Hell?" Now, a lot of you must have kids that ask if there's a Heaven, right? How do you answer them? The way I answer them is, "What do you believe?" I had a couple people tell me one time that they don't believe in heaven or hell. Other people say that they do believe that there is a Heaven and Hell.

I asked one person, who happens to be a pastor this question. "What is Heaven like in your mind?" I asked. The pastor responded, "I think heaven is a large kingdom where those who believe in God will live." That stuck with me for a long time, but somehow that changed with a lot of people saying different things.

If you think about it, Heaven is actually where God made the earth. It will be our home and also it will be our new world. In the Scriptures, it is said that when we die, there will be a world that will have no sickness, no war, no fighting, divorce or anything that disgusting. Personally, I'm looking forward to that.

Another person asked me what Hell is like. I told them that Hell is a place where nobody wants to go. It's a place of eternal suffering and torment. "It's also the home of Satan," I said as I walked downtown. "It's not a good thing to go there. If you ask me, I'd rather be with God than burn in sulfur for eternity." Now, I know what you guys are going to ask. "What does God and Satan look like?" Well, friends, that will be explained in my next blog.

I hope you liked this blog, and maybe, there will be a video for our next blog. Thank you, and God Bless.

Knowing God and Coming to Know Him

There is no better feeling than knowing that the Lord is with us at all times. If you know God, then you know his grace and mercy. If you know Him, then you know that he will guide you wherever you go.

John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have eternal life." Doesn't that sound good to you? Eternal life is our reward if we believe in God and Jesus. Now, let's talk about how to know Him.

Coming to know Him is very simple. All you have to do is pray. It doesn't matter where you are, what you're doing or what denomination you are. Prayer helps with all things. If you pray the Lord's Prayer, this is what it should say.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the power, and glory, forever and ever. Amen.

That is the prayer you should use saying that you know God. I hope you have a good one.