Pastor Daniel Jae

High School Pastor at Arumdaun Church.

[pastordanieljae]

Hide and Go Seek

What does the Bible primarily teach?

“The Bible primarily teaches what man must believe about God and what God requires of man.”

2 Tim. 3:15, “and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Jn. 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”

The thesis of the Bible is: “God will provide salvation for His people through His Son.” (Training hearts, Teaching Minds, Starr Meade) People think that the Bible is just a bunch of ‘do’s’ and ‘dont’s,” and because they have a wrong attitude toward the Bible it is difficult for them to read the Word. We are all living in a time where we can the summary of everything in the world through google and this has developed a ‘shallowness’ in understanding. We think that getting the summary of [insert book here] that we are able to get the full knowledge of that book, but when we do we miss on the nuances of what the author intends to communicate. The truth about the Bible is that the gospel, the good news of Jesus coming to save the world, is actually not a nuance but a blaring truth from the first pages of Scripture. Some might not see what is going on right now in our culture, the United States, but a lot of Christians are beginning to stand for the truth in the Bible. When you start with the truth of God, it leads to conviction, action, and change. Christians have been lost and found by God, and our duty is that the ones who are hiding be found by the truth of God.

What is the Bible really about? Do you know the Bible or have you been getting ‘second-hand’ information? The Bible gives more than it takes away.

Prayer: “Find me O Lord!”

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ 

[pastordanieljae]

Holy Moly

What does the Bible primarily teach?

“The Bible primarily teaches what man must believe about God and what God requires of man.”

Rom. 7:7, “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, oI would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

Gal. 3:22, “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

God gives law so that people would know how to act within his boundary, and this is not because God wants to constrict His people, it is because he knows what is best for His people. The law that God gave in His Word was to give His people the most flourishing life, and if there was no law then God’s people would not have been set apart. There are a lot of laws in the first part of the Bible and if you have ever read through it you might feel suffocated or that you cannot fulfill even one of the laws. All the while we think that it is impossible to follow the law of God, he planned the perfect gift to us, His Son, to save us from the sin of not being to follow His law. It is impossible to please God through the law because we are sinful people, but “all things are possible through Christ.”

How do you see man? Do you see that we all have some level of error in our lives? Do you try to fulfill the law of God and always fail? Jesus is the answer.

Prayer: “Jesus save me.”

Running the Race,  Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

W.O.W. (Well Of Wisdom)

What does the Bible primarily teach?

“The Bible primarily teaches what man must believe about God and what God requires of man.”

Job 11:7, “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty.”

Rom. 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”

Many people want to come to a knowledge of God through other means. Some people, even Christians, totally rely on the sermons that they hear on Sundays for the spiritual nourishment, Christian praise songs, or just having banked on the experience of God. This is not to say that these elements cannot help one foster his growth in the Lord, but we must be clear that if the Word, the revealed Word in the Holy Bible, is not a a foundational piece to your Christian walk you may be walking in darkness. I bring this up because Jesus makes it clear in John 14:5-7:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart form me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

Jesus is not a genie in a bottle that you rub and gives you three wishes that, generally speaking, only benefits you, but he is saying that if you are obedient to Him and his words you can ask for whatever you desire because it will ultimately be under His leading. Christianity is not meant to be lived out in the caves by yourself while you continue to say, “I have my God and I don’t need anyone else to tell me what to do.” No, if you are a Christian you are called to live life with other people, even in their mess, and continue to abide by the Word that has been revealed to you. We receive the Word to receive light so that we continue to walk in the Lord, and apart from Him, you only get surface level revelation.

Some of us have been in a church for so long that the word gospel means nothing to you, and this is because you have put a limit on God. Because of the limit that you put on God you are only able to see the world through that small keyhole that is your own lofty thinking. God gives you the key to know the whole truth and he freely gives it to all people. He has no limitation because He is limitless.

Prayer: “I repent Lord for having a shallow view of you. Help me to see the depths, riches, wisdom and knowledge that comes from your word. Amen.”

[pastordanieljae]

The heartbeat of every page

Oct. 5, 2015

What does the Bible primarily teach?

“The Bible primarily teachers what man must believe about God and what God requires of man.” 

1 Cor. 2:7-12, “But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what god has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

Last week we answered the question, “What authority from God directs us how to glorify and enjoy him? (here) This past weekend I asked the same question to some people at my church, holla at me disciples, this question and most of them could not give me an answer until I had to prod it out of them. The state of Christians these days is they are shy to give the answers that they were taught in church, or they might think that the answer they give might not be sufficient enough. This is where where we examine ourselves and see the heart issue of what we are going through. There is no authority outside of the Bible that would clearly reveal himself to us, and we must be confident in giving that answer. In addition to this, we must also know what the Bible teaches, and contrary to what many people believe, it is not a manual on how to “get saved.” God had a plan from the beginning to reveal the greatest masterpiece to the world, and throughout the Old Testament (OT) they, the Israelites, had no idea it might be. But as God spoke to them he told them to wait because at a right time he was going to reveal this hidden mystery. The hidden mystery that God wanted to reveal to His people was this, His wisdom. He reveals it to us so that we might be able to know Him even more. We get to know the thoughts of God because it was His Spirit that carried along the people who wrote it.

“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21 ESV)

The Bible teaches who God is.

Do you know what the Bible teaches? Do you look into it and see the vast wisdom that is in it? Do not just let your pastors, bible study teachers, or your parents be the one to read your Word. Look into it and see the heart of God beating on every page.

Prayer: “Lord, I want to look into the Word and see the vast wisdom that is in it. Help me to seek you more in your Word.”

[pastordanieljae]

Greatest Bible Study EVER!

What authority from God directs us how to glorify and enjoy Him?

The only authority for glorifying and enjoying Him is the Bible, which is the word of God and is made up of the Old and New Testaments

Acts: 17:10-11, “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

1 Thessalonians 2:13, “And also we thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in your believers.

If we have a high view of God and His Word that was given to us, we will not just let anyone speak whatever he wants from the pulpit. If someone is saying that God is “saying” to them [insert crazy idea] then we have to run back to the Scripture to see if what that person is saying is in accordance to the Word. Don’t simply believe what a person says because he says that it is from God, but you test it out and see if what he says is what God has already stated in the good book. Be a Christian that is discerning the truths of God that is not blown by every wind of philosophy and thinking that is in the world. Do not let the world influence your thinking, but let the Word renew your mind so that you may have life. 

Have you had the greatest Bible Study ever in your life? When you hear your pastor preach from the Bible do you simply just rely on your emotion to find the truth, or do you genuinely seek to find God? Remember that we can only “find” God through Jesus Christ our LORD! Pray and ask God for new eyes to read the Word.

Pray: “God, I want to have the greatest Bible Study ever so that I may continue to know your truth and find life in it.”

PS: Remember, we will continue this on Monday. Have a Blessed Sabbath day!!

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

Be aware

What authority from God directs us how to glorify him and enjoy him?

“The only authority for glorifying and enjoying Him is the Bible, which is the word of God and is made up of the Old and New Testaments.”

Gal. 1:8, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”

Deut. 4:2, “You shall not add to the word that I commanded you, not take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.”

Jer. 23:31-32, “Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the LORD. Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.”

Today let’s talk about discernment and how that will help someone glorify and enjoy God to the fullest.The Bible is always right, there are no ifs, ands or buts. People who disagree with what the Bible says have issues in their hearts. We live in a day where there are “churches” that claim to be Christian but they are so far away from the Word that one would think it’s just a people gathering to hear a motivational speech. The gospel motivates people, but the purpose of it is not to make you feel good, rather it is to guide you in glorifying God and enjoying Him for what He has done. There are two aspects to the gospel, a negative and a positive. The negative aspect of the gospel:

You have been saved from:

Wrath (Rom. 5:9)

Hostility toward God (Rom. 5:10)

Alienation from Him (Eph. 2:12)

Sin (Matt. 1:21)

Being lost (Lk. 19:10)

Futility (1 Pet. 1:18)

A yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1)

Demon possession (Lk. 8:36)

Sickness (Lk. 8:48)

Danger (Matt. 8:25-26)

Corrupt generation (Acts 2:40)

The positive aspect of the gospel are all the opposite of the aforementioned items and also that you have been given an immense blessings from God, eternal life. When someone, more specifically people of the Church, speaks of God’s Word and they put their own interpretation on it, disregarding the context and history, to make it fit into their own thinking because either the Word is too hard or they disagree with it, the LORD is against these people. These “teachers/prophets” may be able to get away with what they are doing right now, but when they stand before the judgment seat of God they will have to give an account. All of this may be harsh words to hear, but it is because when we have a high view of Scripture we also have a high view of the God who is at the centerpiece of the story from the beginning to the end. (yea the Bible is not actually about is, it is for us) Unfortunately, a lot of people in these days have a very low view of Scripture and, in return, have a low view of God that is completely perverse. Christians are called not to be haughty, but we are also called to live with confidence and assurance of the God who keeps good on His promises. As Christians we do not have to boast in ourselves, but we boast in Christ, His gospel, and our redemption because we are bringing the knowledge of Christ to this world, and we can do this only by the authority of Scripture.

What kind of view do you have a Scripture? High? Low? Also, does this affect your view of God? Is it high? Is it low? If you have a low view of Scripture I want to invite you to pray and ask God to renew your mind to have a high view of His Word, because in it you will find life.

Prayer: “Lord unveil my eyes so that I may see the glorious riches of your Word.”

[pastordanieljae]

Age does not make you wiser

What authority from God directs us how to glorify and enjoy him?

“The only authority for glorifying and enjoying Him is the Bible, which is the word of God and is made up of the Old and New Testaments.”

Pss: 119:97-105, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. You commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are me meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Whenever I read the Bible it, “got me feelin’ some type of way.” It has me feeling that ‘wise’ type of way. Since the God of the universe has revealed his great plan for us through His Word and he shows us the deeper things this means that we have infinite more wisdom than anyone who does not have this knowledge of God. 

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Pss. 14:1)

A lot of Christians these days take the illumination that God has given them lightly, and this is why we swerve from our faith because we forget the great miracle that has occurred in our hearts. God’s gift to us is that He has given us his word so that we would not have to guess who he is, rather, he has revealed Himself to us and how we can live wisely and what is good and evil. When a person values the Word of God as the absolute authority in his life, he has greater wisdom than any philosopher in the world. Living by the Word of God allows you to see life in 4K resolution because he brings things to light so that you may walk. One thing we must remember is that his Word is a lamp to my feet, which means God’s Word is sufficient enough for us to continue to walk. He will continue to show you enough of what you need to know to continue to walking, and when God is taking care of you for what you need, you have no need for anything else.

We forget to truly value the word of God in our lives. A lot of us continue to live a life of sin, and we can go back to the root issue of your heart to see that the Word is not hidden in your heart. When you hide God’s Word in your heart you will not sin against Him. How is God’s Word valued in your heart?

Prayer: “Lord I want to have a thankful heart for the Word that you have given to me. Would you continue to reveal you Word to me in life so that I may know how to walk on the path that you have set for me. Amen.”

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

Secret things from God

September 30, 2015

What authority from God directs us how to glorify and enjoy Him?

Answer: “The only authority for glorifying and enjoying Him is the Bible, which is the word of God and is made up of the Old and New Testaments.”

Deut.4:5-8, “See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for what will be your wisdom and you understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nations is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today.”

Deut. 29:29, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed to belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of his law.”

If you have a Bible Study teacher, a pastor, or a parent who has taught you the Word of the Lord, go get on your knees and give thanks to the LORD now! Of course, I am not being completely serious, but for those people in your life who teach you the Bible are actually teaching you the secret things of God. Today I want to briefly talk about two things that may help us in making the Word authority in our lives. First, God demonstrates common grace because that is His nature. One common grace that is evident in some parts of the world today is when people take the time to teach the bible as a historical book. A lot of times Christians, and non-believers, make the Bible too spiritual, but we must keep in mind that it was a historical document that was written for a group of people as they were journeying through a desert, “and it’s also eye-witness account of events that happened during the lifetime of other eye-witnesses.” (listen to this) Through this discipline people can be taught the statutes of the LORD and it might lead to this next thing: prevenient grace.

The teaching that I want to try to persuade you is biblical and, therefore, true and precious is that the new birth is the result of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit preceding and enabling our first act of saving faith. We do not cause our new birth by an act of faith. Just the reverse: the cry of faith is the first sound that a newborn babe in Christ makes. Regeneration, as we sometimes call it, is all of God. We do not get God to do it by trusting Christ; we trust Christ because he has done it to us already. The theological catch phrases which are sometimes used to designate this beautiful doctrine are "prevenient grace" (grace which precedes and enables our faith) or "irresistible grace" (grace which overcomes the resistance of man's perverted will by transforming his nature) or "effectual calling" (a divine call which not only offers but effects transformation). (John Piper, That which is born of the Spirt is Spirit.)

This grace is one where our eyes are open, specifically, to the Holy Word of God and take it for what it is, “the Word of God.” When you have people in your life who teach you the Bible, as the Word of God, they are teaching you the secret things that belong to the LORD. This secret thing is not some hidden cryptic message that is hidden in the numbers of the Bible, but this mystery is the good news of His Son Jesus Christ! If you are reading this now and you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the secret that was kept hidden for ages, has been revealed to you! This means that you know the secret things of God, and that is amazing! There is also good news for those who will read this and want to know the hidden mystery, “God is going to reveal Himself to you!” When the Word of God is the authority in our life, we are people who know the heart of God, the deepest thing of God, which was his plan to redeem His people.

Some of us who have been in church for a long time have forgotten the ‘mysteriousness’ of the ‘mystery’ of the gospel, and because of this we don’t have much life when it comes to reading the Bible. We see the Bible just as a book of rules and not a book of God’s redemption. How does the Bible speak to you? Does it bring life or does it bring loss?

Prayer: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Pss.119:18)

[pastordanieljae]

Predictions from the Bible!

September 29, 2015

What authority from God directs how to glorify and enjoy Him?

Answer: “The only authority for glorifying and enjoying Him is the Bible, which is the word of God and is made up of the Old and New Testaments.”

2 Pet. 1:20-21, “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

“When I no longer need the Bible, I have no need for the authority of the Bible.” (Dr. Bryan Widbin, Professor of OT @Alliance Theological Seminary)

A lot of us have been told to read the bible, do devotional or memorize Scripture from our parents, our Bible study teachers or your pastors (me). The reason any good spiritual leader would tell you to read the Bible is because they know that from it comes life. Yesterday we said that the Bible was inspired and breathed out by God. It is by God speaking that brings anything to life, and when we abide by those words then we will continue to have and live a life full of purpose, which is to glorify Him and enjoy Him. Many people have issues with the Bible because they believe that it is not true or they just think that it is a bunch of stories full of good moral teaching, and when we believe this we are completely missing the mark for the reason God gave us His word. When the people of the Bible wrote the Bible, they were not thinking that it was going to be bound up and later used as the single authority to reveal God, but these people were being obedient to God, were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these things, and then thousands of years later when people looked into the Scriptures they saw that many things said from the past came true. This is why no prophecy of Scripture came from just a man’s thinking, but it was by God as he carried people along to write. When the Bible is our authority in our life, then we know what kind of story the Author is writing.

Ultimately, believing in the Bible is not forced doctrine, but it is truth that has been revealed to us so that we may live a purposeful life. Many people are confused in their life because the Bible is not their authority or they try to make the Bible fit into their own interpretation. When we submit to the authority of the Bible and be obedient we will find life. Is the Bible your authority?

Prayer: “Lord help me to overcome my selfishness and think that I can know everything that there is in this universe. I want wisdom that does not come from the world but from the Word. Open the eyes of my heart Lord.”

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

Question 2, “From what?”

September 28, 2015

What authority from God directs us how to glorify him and enjoy him?

Answer: “The only authority for glorifying and enjoying Him is the Bible, which is the word of God and is made up of the Old and New Testaments.”

2 Tim. 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work.”

It is a beautiful and glorious Monday as we get back into this spiritual grind! Last week we spent time meditating on the purpose of man, (check here), and this week we are going to find out from where we are directed. (Before you go on check this real quick)

For man to properly understand the purpose and the direction of how to glorify God we must be taught by God, and he has gives this to us by way of the Word. A lot of people today think that the bible is just a book of rules of what we are to do and not do, but it is magnificently different:

"The bible is not a set of rules, it’s a beautiful, redeeming story.” (Timothy Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC)

The Word is breathed out by God, or God spoke and it came into existence. Therefore, for those who continue to live by the authority of the Bible will also have ‘existence’ or purpose. For man to live according to its purpose, glorify and enjoy Him, it can be found within the pages of the Bible. We can trust the Bible because it is from God and it reveals the purpose of God, and it is never wrong, you can bet your life on it. 

When we take the time from our busy lives to sit down and read through God’s Word it is so that we get to know more about God and so that we may continue to give Him the glory and enjoy him. The Bible is from God and so we can trust it. Do you trust the Bible to show you how to give glory to God and enjoy Him?

Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

Glory to God, not ourselves

September 26, 2015

What is man’s primary purpose?

Answer: “Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

Daniel 5:22-23, “And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, and your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.”

Many of us can admit that there are many wrong things that our parents do and we tell ourselves, “I will never become like my parents.” Belshazzar’s dad, Nebuchadnezzar, was given a kingdom by God and was told that to give glory to God because He was the one that put him there. Instead of giving God the glory he was glorifying himself and God ended up taking his kingdom away and he lived a hard life. Eventually God restored both Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. Finally, after all of the hardship he gave glory to God.

One would think that the son would see how his dad’s life was affected by not giving glory to God, but even he didn’t learn and everything he did in his life was to bring him the ultimate joy for that time. King Belshazzar lived for the moment and did what was pleasing in his eyes, and God took away his kingdom and his life. God created us to give Him glory, and not ourselves.

As some of you read this you might think, “How is this a just God?” and this is a discussion that cannot be dealt with through a blog, but when we confront a text from the Bible and either we disagree with it or it brings a fear of God into our hearts, that’s better than no emotion at all. The evidence of a fear of God will also bring peace.

“When a genuine fear of God governs the heart of His children, we will be able to acknowledge his presence at all times and in all things.”  (Allistair Begg; Link)

A lot of us live selfish lives and don’t give God the proper glory at all, and the Bible says that there are particular consequences. Yes, we have grace for those of us who believe in Jesus, but this does not give us license to do as we please for ourselves.

Prayer: “Lord, help me not to seek more of myself and bring myself glory, but I want to bring you glory.”

PS: Tomorrow is Sunday so we are going to rest by going to Church and worship God. We will resume with question 2 on Monday September 28, 2015

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

Show-off God’s glory

September 25, 2015

What is man’s primary purpose?

Answer: “Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

Psalm 29:2, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.”

Psalm 50:23a, “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;”

Matt. 5:16, “In the same way, let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

1 Cor.10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Everyday I, just glorify. Yesterday, we talked about how the word “glorify” is such a common-term amongst the people of faith that we forget what true glorifying looks like in our lives. There are a number of reasons why we cannot properly glorify God:

We often glorify other things before we do God.

We struggle with the promises that the Bible gives to us.

We all have some form of temporal amnesia and forget that God is all around us, both in the good and in the bad. (this is a topic for another time.

A lot of times why people, Christians especially, do not know of this joy that the bible talks about is because we simply just give God our lip-service, but not a life-service. It’s easy for many of us to say at the beginning of the year that we are going to go on a no-carb diet and that we will get shredded before summer, but if we are not truly convinced of this and change our whole lives, the transformation will never occur. Every week I preach to a group of young people who have grown up in the church for the majority of their lives and I think it’s safe to say that the biblical joy that the Bible speaks about is a foreign concept to many of them, and this is because if we limit God to only specific times and places then we are not truly glorifying him in all that we do. Of course, many times we do get those brief touches of joy, and we leave that service filled with joy, but that spark is intended to be a catalyst for the rest of our lives so that you will find joy in all things that God has given to you. Giving God proper glory means we will have joy that is eternal. Here are some ways we can give God glory:

Give him thanks and praise

Worship Him

Do good to others as the best has been done for you

All that you do, do it to show-off the glory of God (his presence)

Remember that giving God glory is meant to bring us the joy that God wants us to have in his Son, Jesus Christ. The joy that God gives keeps on giving and it doesn’t stop because He doesn’t stop. Do you give God all the glory in all the things you do? Is the joy of the Bible evident in your life?

Prayer: “Lord, in all the things I do in my life I want it to give you the glory. This means that I want to give you the best that I can give and not just the scraps. Help me in my weaknesses Lord so that I may be able to enjoy you.”

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

God’s glory is pretty big

 September 24, 2015

What is man’s primary  purpose?

Answer: “Man’s primary purpose is to glorify him and enjoy him forever.”

Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Psalms 104:31, “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works.”

Psalms 19:1, “The heavens declare of the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his work.”

Glory, glory, glory. Many Christians today use this terms so flippantly that we forget the meaning of glory.

“In the Old Testament “glory” is the technical term for God’s manifest presence. (Ex. 16:7)” (The New American Commentary: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah)

So, basically when the bible says that the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, it is not some abstract idea, but the very presence of God will be made known to all people. For Christians this truth came into full force when Jesus Christ came onto the historical scene. His life and work is the demonstration that God showed to the whole world that He is not far away, he is not aloof, but he sent the greatest care package that the world would ever receive. Jesus Christ dying on the cross is not merely some fact that we throw to the side like it doesn’t mean anything, but in fact it was the display of God’s glory, His presence, to his people to show them that he is going to bring them back into relationship so that they can enjoy him forever. When our purpose is to ‘glorify’ him, it means we make him known in our lives, and through that we can enjoy him because of what Christ has come to do in our lives. Listen to this if you want to get some glory in your life.

Is the glory of the Lord evident in your life? Alot of times we limit God’s glory to only a place of worship, but God’s glory is evident everywhere, and this means we can enjoy him everywhere. Man’s purpose is “easy” because God is everywhere and we don’t have to go to some specific place to know that God is alive.

Prayer: Ask God to fill you up, the living temple in which God has filled you up with his Spirit. This experiential joy can be had through faith in Jesus Christ. If you don’t have the joy that the Bible is talking about I want to ask you, “Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ?

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

I’m scared,where is joy?

September 23, 2015

What is man’s primary purpose?

Answer: Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Habakkuk 3:16-18, “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound;rottenness enter in my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines. The produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food. The flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God my salvation.

When we do not know where the source of joy comes from, we will never be satisfied by anything that is given to us. We can temporarily substitute the true joy with something that has been created, but how long does that ever sustain a person’s soul. God’s intent for his creation, us, was not to just give us a surface level, superficial and short-lived satisfaction, but he wanted us to have the best thing that any person could have, a relationship with the Father. When a daughter has a right, fulfilling relationship with her father and there is continual communication and nearness to him, she will not have to go and find joy in any other relationship. Sometimes though we are going to be surrounded by circumstances where we are in fear and feel hopeless, but when God is the God of your salvation, then you will have a victory at the end of that battle. The evil that surrounds us may not be something that you directly caused, but in the presence of God we should always remind ourselves that we are all fallen and have accountability for our sin. Even though this is true, the greater truth is that God has the ultimate victory over everything that is evil (read Revelation 16-19), and if you know this, “I will take joy in the God of my salvation,” that is where true joy lives. God promises deliverance from all things evil, and when you know this, joy continues to abound in your life. This is not surface level, superficial or short-lived joy, but one that gives great-pleasure, God-empowered and glory to glory (eternal).

Are you living in moments of fear and think that there is no hope in your life or others?

Prayer: “God I want to know joy that brings great-pleasure, God-empowered, and from glory to glory. I don’t want the fake and temporary joy that the world has to offer, but I want joy that is in you. Help me Lord.”

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

Martha vs. Mary

September 22, 2015

What is man’s primary purpose?

Answer: “Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

Luke 10:38-42, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listen to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him an said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Many of us really get caught up by what we do and forget who we are, God’s creation. But we need to live in faith of what God has promised to us in His Word. He has given us faith for faith, and let me define faith for you:

Faith is trusting in the promises that God has given to you through His Word, and you walk by it daily.

A lot of times we will look at this passage and then do exactly the opposite of what He is teaching us. We will focus on the fact that Jesus is calling Martha away from the serving and to just sit and “do nothing.” No, what Jesus is telling Martha is, “Don’t get caught up with what you have to do on this earth, but your main/primary concern should be about listening to the Word being taught of eternal life.”

"And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (Jn.17:3)

Learning to love Jesus begins with submitting to listen to Jesus, and if you cannot take the time away from your busy life and  sit at His feet, you are missing out on the greatest joy. At the feet of Jesus and listening to His Word is where one finds the most satisfying-joy.

Do you see yourself as Martha who is busy always serving your friends, family, community or church that you don’t take the time to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him? Remember that Jesus is restoring your heart not to change your behavior, but to restore the purpose that God has created you for, to glorify him and enjoy Him forever.

Prayer: Ask God to give you a heart to receive His words so that you may not be distracted by all that the world has to throw at you. Tell Jesus that you want to sit at his feet and have God’s purpose restored back into your life.

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

Training Heart, Teaching Minds

What’s going on AFAM!

I hope that all of you had an awesome start to your week as you returned back to school. In the past week I have been able to talk with some of your brothers and sisters and there have been many questions coming up from, “Who is God?” to “Who am I?” Unfortunately, some of these “basic” questions should be answered from the church, but a lot of times churches fall short of being able to teach the young people. Last week after we concluded our Saturday Morning Discipleship the Lord put on my heart that I need to start training Sr. High. Unfortunately, our schools and the pop culture disciple you guys more than the church does, and this is why many of us fall into confusion because we’re getting taught form the world and not from the Word. I hope to be able to use this platform to answer some of the basic questions that we may have in life.

When the Lord convicted me last week to start training you guys I looked for the best book that we could go through together and I came across this book, and I thought “What better resource than a FAMILY devotional for A.FAM.”

This book is going to go through the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and in a nutshell it is a statement of Christian faith that some old dudes carefully and prayerfully wrote down so we can answer some questions that man (everyone) has to deal with. My aim is that every week we will go over one question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and then we are going to talk about it every day. The book has daily verses that answer the question and it goes through it slowly so that we can reflect on how the question is being answered through God’s Word. So pray for me please as we go through this because I want God to guide you and direct you as we go through this together. If you have any questions or thought comment in the comments below or comment on the facebook page for AFAM. Love y’all and I hope ya’ll come to a deeper knowledge of God’s Word and how glorious it is!

September 21, 2015

Q1: “What is man’s primary purpose?

Answer: “Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.”

Psalm 16:11, “You make know to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Everything that has been created has some sort of purpose. The iPhone 6s+ that just came out has a purpose, to enhance the user experience of life by condensing the whole world into the palm of your hands. If we can be real for a second here, if a child were to get the iPhone 6s+ he/she would not be using the phone to its full purpose because the child would just use it for angry birds, mine-craft, and the plethora of social media apps. But I have seen CEO’s, investment bankers, politicians, lawyers, doctors, and many other professionals use it to help organize their lives and be able to do things on the go that they otherwise would not be able to. If you are using something without the specific intent purpose you will not be able to fully enjoy it. When God created humans his purpose was so that they could enjoy him. We experience the fullness of joy when we are living according to the purpose that God had intended for humans. Yes, it might be true that you may have some joyful experience when you are pursuing after things, but those will never completely satisfy you and that is why people always go to the next best thing. With God there is not next best thing because He is ultimately the best, and when your life is in his hands you can be sure you will experience joy and be fulfilled. 

Do you have this joy that the Bible talks about? Is that enjoyment of your life truly fulfilled or does it seem like you always need something else?

Prayer: Ask God to give you this joy that His word says. If you are letting your joy be defined by things then ask God that you be able to know true joy.

Running the Race,

Pastor DJ

[pastordanieljae]

Pray

Good afternoon brothers and sisters in Christ,

It has been a summer full of God’s blessing from beginning to end. In June when our missions training began, v.b.s. was on our heels and just the summer in general I remember I was extremely overwhelmed with what was going to happen in the next couple of weeks. During our vacation bible school I slept at church the whole week because I didn’t want to have to commute back and forth form home. During those nights on my office futon I didn’t have much to do other than watch YouTube clips, workout or spend time with some of the people that were in the area. I quickly found out during that time that my life was beginning to be very overwhelming and there a couple of time that I had a panic attack. It seemed like the everything around me was closing in on me and I could not do anything. I was enslaved to my own thinking. One of the brothers from a church out in Torrance, California gave me this analogy:

“A baby elephant, when it is born, is chained up to a pole. It is chained up to that pole even as it grows up and gets bigger. When it is full grown it still feels that the chain holds him back eve though he could crush it.” (Dr. Issac)

This is the main weapon that the enemy uses against believers and non-believers.

“When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and a father of lies.” (John 8:44b)

It is amazing how true this is. Whenever you have some sort of lie about yourself, this is not coming from God, rather it is coming from the devil. A lot of times in my sermons, conversations, and interactions I remind people that we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God. This is a hard truth and it may hurt our feelings, but it is a truth that leads us to a Savior. So many of us want to run away from the truth and fall into the lies of the enemy because it gives us more immediate consolation, but for the person who wants to remain steadfast in the the LOVE of God we must run to the TRUTH of God. If we are driven by our emotions, then we are enslaved to our emotions and we will never be free. But if we take our minds captive to the thought of Christ, we will experience true freedom as the Creator has designed for us to experience.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Jesus came into this world to die for our sins so that we don’t die to ourselves by our own thinking. He literally breaks those chains that hold us back to live in the fullness that God has designed for us to have. When one embraces Jesus as Lord an Savior, he is letting go of the world and running towards eternal joy.

Running the race,

Pastor DJ