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6 since last visit 05/10
    Ted 
(cheerful)
#44924 Member since 05/07/2008
URL: xianz.com/boldwitness
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| Languages | | English only | | Personal Website | | Click Here | | Favorite books | | Bible, St. Paul, C.S. Lewis, Shardik, The Prophet, Destiny's Road, Wizard War, The Apostle:A Life of Paul, Paul:A Novel, Paul:Apostle of God's Glory in Christ, William Barclay, Blue Like Jazz | | Favorite music | | Third Day, Newsboys, Casting Crowns, Building 429, Audio Adrenaline, Jars of Clay, 4Him, Switchfoot, The Crabb Family, The Cathedrals | | I want to meet people for | | Bible Study, sharing faith, learning |
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| Boldly declaring the Word of God! |
Latest Blog:
May 10, 2008
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Scripture reference: Zechariah 8:11-17
The Old Testament prophets all proclaim of how God tells His people that he will bless them if they do what He wants them to do, and how He will punish them if they do what He tells them not to do. Blessings follow obedience, and punishment follows disobedience. It is God's way of assuring us that He will always keep his word, and is always just.
In this passage God declares that He is going to pour out his blessings of peace and prosperity on His people as a way of displaying to the rest of the world that He is a great God. He tells His people not to be afraid or discouraged for any reason. And He instructs them to get on with the business of re-building the temple. God promises that if they do this He will bless them.
Based on the idea given to us by Paul that we are the living temple of God, what does this message mean to us? It should have a physical, mental, and spiritual meaning. For, as a complete person, we are a sort of temple complex composed of three parts: body, mind, and spirit. Therefore, a complete temple rebuilding effort must include all aspects of God's living temple.
The rebuilding of the physical temple might include a change in diet and activities. It could be we have allowed God's temple to become weak and flabby. This is not a true representation of a great and mighty God. God's temple should be a reflection of His strength and greatness. It should be healthy and strong, just as God's grace toward His people is healthy and strong. It should be attractive and inviting, encouraging strangers to want to come close to God. God's temple should represent His awe inspiring appearance, His life sustaining healthiness, and his dependable strength.
God's temple should also be a place of knowledge and wisdom. It should be a place where people with questions and problems can go to with confidence that they will be able to receive sound, reliable answers and advice. This may mean that the living temple you are responsible for needs so upgrading. Maybe some time needs to be spend reading. Perhaps a seminar or retreat is in order. It could be attending a new class or subscribing to a new magazine will facilitate a rebuilding of your temple.
The temple of God is also a residence of His Holy Spirit. It is a place from which His Spirit can communicate with others. It is a tool that His Spirit can use to do His will. The temple of God should be a place which those seeking communion with and comfort from His Spirit can go to and find solace. This means spending a disciplined amount of time in communion with God through prayer and meditation on a regular basis. As a result of that relationship with God, the Holy Spirit will abide in His Temple, available and ready to minister to all who seek Him at His temple.
At the end of our reference passage God says, "OK. I have promised to do my part. Now, here is your part. Tell the truth. Be fair. Live at peace with everyone. Don't plot harm to others, don't swear that something is true when it isn't. How I hate all that sort of thing, says the Lord." (Zechariah 8:16-17 TLB) In other words, live the simple command Jesus gave us; "Love one another as He has loved us." That is our part in our relationship with God. And we can be assured that we will be blessed by doing our part. We can be equally assured that a lack of blessings will result from us not doing our part. For God always keeps His promises. The resurrection of Christ is proof of that.
May God bless you and guide you on your way. Amen.
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| Here For | Friends, Networking, Sharing, Bible Study, Learning | | Gender | Male | | Age | 55 | | Location | San antonio, TX, United States | | Interests | Bible Study, Christian Music, Reading, Outdoor Activities | | Hometown | San Antonio, TX | | About me | My Story
Hi. My name is Ted. I was born in San Antonio on April 4, 1953. My parents were born in Ohio, and moved here because my mother worked for the Air Force and got transferred to the old Kelly Air Force Base. We lived in a three bedroom, one bath house on the North side of town. In 1971 I graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. A year later my father died from liver cancer. That really
messed me up. I was very depressed and didn’t find life much fun. About a year latter some friends turned me on to pot. I also started drinking. It wasn’t long before I could not think of life without drugs and alcohol. For the next thirty years I drank and did some kind of drug, mainly pot, almost every day. I tried to quit a couple of times, and did for awhile; but I always went back to the pot and the beer because I just was never happy. The thing is, even with the pot and beer I still wasn’t happy. I was also hooked on cigarettes. I smoked two packs a day. I wanted to quit it all, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t stop, and I did not want to go on. So one
day, Sunday, October 3, 2004, I decided that I would kill my self. I decided I would take a whole bunch of sleeping pills and wash them down with beer. All I had to do was wait until noon so I could go to H E B to buy the pills and beer. I was walking around in my back yard filled with anxiety, smelling the smell of death all around me, and hearing a constant roaring in my ears. All of a sudden I heard a calm voice say, “Be still.” At that moment the roaring in my head stopped, and I stood still. Then I heard the same voice say, “Ted, I love you.” I did not have to ask who was talking; I knew who it was. At that point I asked God to please forgive me for
all my stupid sins, and take my life away and give me a new one. At that moment I felt the old life sucked out of me, and a new life flood into me. I was re-born. Freed from my past sins, all my addictions (with no withdrawal symptoms), and all my fears and worries, I began a new life. Now I praise and thank God for what he did for me, and try to tell others of the great joy of knowing Jesus Christ.
Praise God! | | Denomination |
Non-denominational | | Current Mood |
cheerful | |
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| Do you Smoke? | No | | Do you drink alcohol? | No | | Marital Status | Celibate | | Body Type | Slender | | Do you have any Children? | No | | Height | 5ft10 - 6ft / 1.78m-1.83m | | Eye Color | Hazel | | Hair Color | Gray | | Race/Ethnicity | White-Caucasian | | Do you have any Pets? | Pets belong at the zoo | | Do you want Children? | No Kids | | |
Blog Date:
May 08, 2008
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In Jeremiah 29:4-14 God sends a message to the Israelites in Babylon, and to us. It is a message of hope (confident expectation) based on our patience and trust in God. It tells us that the place we are in is where God wants us to be. It is part of his great plan and design, and he has made us a part of it.
Think of this. You are in a job you don't really like. It is not what you dream of, but it provides for all your needs. And at the time you got the job you really thought it was God's doing. Or perhaps you are in a relationship that is not all you dreamed or wished for. It has difficulties and hardships, but it does provide something you need. Maybe you have a friend, neighbor, co-worker or brother at church you have to deal with, but he is not all you would like to have in an associate. You see problems, difficulties, and do not see the things you long for. So the situation looks bad. But is that because you are only looking at the situation from your perspective; through your eyes, and not seeing it as part of God's plan?
When the Israelites found themselves captives in Babylon you can imagine that they immediately began thinking of leaving. They had no intentions of making plans for a long stay. But that is exactly what God tells them to do. He tells them to settle into the situation and make the very best of it they possibly can. In verse 5 God tells the Israelites in Babylon to "build homes and plan to stay." They are not to be spending their time wishing for something better and thinking about the day they will leave where they are and go for their dreams. They are to trust in God, and patiently go about the business of making the most of what he has given them for the moment. He tells them they will be there "for a lifetime." But then he will come for them and do all the good things he has promised. (v. 10) He lets them know that he "has plans for good and not for evil, to give (them) a future and a hope." (v. 11)
So when you find yourself in a situation that is not all you dream of, remember that God is in control, and he has good plans for you. Trust in him, and rely on the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort you in making the very most you possibly can of your circumstances. That will give glory to God, and demonstrate your trust in and love for him. And for that you will be greatly rewarded by His infinite goodness and amazing grace.
May the grace of God, the love of Jesus, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
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Blog Date:
May 07, 2008
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Scripture reference: Exodus 20:16
The Ninth Commandment can easily be collapsed to, "Thou shalt not lie." Which can then be expanded to mean lying with speech and behavior. For everyone knows that as a picture is worth a thousand words, our actions speak louder than words. And if our actions contradict the words we speak, it is alway our actions which are believed. Therefore, we break the Ninth Commandment both when we bare false witness about ourselves with words that do not match our deeds, and bare false witness against Christ when are deeds do not match His teachings.
When people accused Jesus of being a servant of the Devil, he responded by pointing to his behavior. Jesus often called people to consider his actions and the things he did as proof that he was sent by God. And when Paul responded to his critics, he always reminded them of how he and his associates conducted themselves. Both Jesus and Paul relied on their actions more than their words to prove their servitude to God.
I have no doubt that when God commanded His people to no bare false witness against each other, He did so because He knew that it would reflect badly on Him. And is this not exactly what happens when Christians behave in a manner others outside the Church know contradicts the teachings of the Bible? Is it not God and Jesus who suffer the most loss when some one claiming to be a Christian behaves in a manner contrary to his words? Is it not the Church, the body of Christ, that is injured when one of its members, by his behavior, bares false witness against the Church?
The news of the land too often contains a report of some minister doing something everyone knows the Bible speaks against. Whether it be a minister chasing after money and living a lavish lifestyle, or a minister having an affair with a gay man, or a minister using his pulpit to speak hatred toward some group, the false witness these men make is more against the gospel of Jesus Christ than it is against themselves. And it is how these men behave which attracts the attention of the public; much more so than anything they say. As a result, it is the behavior of these false witnesses which dominates the minds of someone a faithful witness speaks the Word of truth to. So the truthful witness also suffers from the negative perception of him planted in the lost sheep's mind by the false witness.
When we correctly interpret the Ninth Commandment as forbidding the telling of lies about another, we need to remember that God, Jesus, and the Church count as "another." And we need to remember that we are constantly being watched; our behavior is constantly being scrutinized. We are always making a witness and giving testimony even when there are no words coming out of our mouth. The giving or withholding of a smile; the holding or not holding of a door; having a beer or a cigarette in our hand; the magazine we look at while standing in line at the checkout; the too tight or too baggy pants we are wearing. In all of these silent ways and many others we present a witness loud and clear. And whenever our non-verbal testimony is contrary to our words, it is our behavior which will have prominence. Our verbal witness will be ignored as false. For ultimately, people hear better with their eyes than with their ears.
Therefore, let us go forth and bare no false witness against our Heavenly Father and our master, Jesus Christ, by our behavior. Let us strive to give a true testimony to the love of the Father and the Son, and our obedience to their teachings with our every action. And may God be glorified by both our words and deeds.
May the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.
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My Shouts: Ted's Latest Shoutouts from Friends |
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Listings From Ted & Friends |
05/06 
God Is A Healer ( Advice & Prayer) - Fred
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