Baptism Bible Study

 I would like to share that this was something that I wanted to talk with all of you about but I also wanted to end this year with a study on Baptism because this is something that I felt God laid on my heart but it is something that I have thought about doing because I have wondered what it would be like to be baptized now that I'm older. I was baptized as a infant, later on I did profession of faith and then sometime after that I thought of being baptized because I feel that by me being baptized now, would help me grow stronger in my relationship with God and in my Faith walk with Him. I am thankful for God who has helped me, and continues to help me. I'm thankful for everyone that God has put in my life to help me grow spiritually but to also make me feel I belong. I'm grateful and humbly thankful to know that in God's Timing, He will help me see that no matter what I go through in life, that He will keep revealing things to me.

I would now like for us to look at some scriptures. The scriptures that we are going to be looking at are 1 Peter 3:21, John 3:5, Acts 22:16, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Romans 6 verses 3-4, Ephesians 4:5,Acts 2:41, Matthew 3:11, Matthew 3:16, Acts 8:36-38, John 1:33,  Acts 10:47, Acts 10:48, and the last five verses that we are going to look at are Titus 3:5, Mark 1:4, John 3:16-17, Acts 16:1-40, and Romans 6:11.

I would like to share two different songs with you. The first one comes from Aaron Shust with his song titled My Savior My God. The lyrics say this: I am not skilled to understand

What God has willed what God Has planned

I only know at his right hand

Stands one who is my Savior

I take him at his word and deed

Christ died to save me this I read

And in my heart I find the need

Of him to be my Savior

That he would leave his place on high

And come for sinful man to die

You called it strange so once did I

Before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves

My Savior lives

My Savior's always there for me

My God he was

My God he is

My God is always gonna be

Yes living, dying let me bring

My strength my Solace from the Spring

That he who lives to be my king

Once died to be my Savior

The next song is from Benjamin James with a song of his called Baptize Me and the lyrics say this: Baptize me where the wind sings new songs

And flows deep in my lungs, to breathe Kingdom come

Baptize me when the rain falls on the sea

And stairs back at me, baptize me

Baptize me in the heat of the burning sun

That causes all growth to come, where death and life are one

Baptize me with the birds in the morning

With the leaves in their turning, baptize me

In what was, in what is, in what's coming

Baptize me

Baptize me up in the mountains

Through rivers up fountains,

Through the forest surrounding

Baptize me in the eyes of my brother

In the love of my mother, baptize me

I would like to share something I found on Google where the title says A Chosen Child and the rest says: You're a chosen child

You're ours, but not by birth

But just the same, we feel

You're the greatest child on earth

You're a chosen child

Sent down from God above

Chosen to fill our home 

With laughter and love

You're a chosen child

You've given us so much pleasure

Chosen above the rest

A precious, priceless treasure

I would like to share some quotes with all of you

“Baptism is the initial step of a faithful heart.”

“Baptism is faith in action.”

"In order to live a life of holiness, we must first receive new life from God — we must be born from above."

Here is what I would like to leave all of you with tonight: The rain on my chest is a baptism- I am born again.

What the Bible says about Anxiety

 I want to start off with a song from Rebecca St James that features Brandon Lake and the song is called The Battle Is The Lord's. The lyric I want to share says: Come be still, oh, anxious heart. Find rest here in the Father's arms. In His presence, there is perfect peace. In His power, there is victory, yeah.

I would now like us to look at some scriptures. The scriptures we are going to be looking at tonight are John 14 verse 27, 1 Peter 5 verse 6-7, Philippians 4 verse 6-7, 2 Timothy 1 verse 7, Psalm 55 verse 22, Matthew 6 verse 34, Psalm 34 verse 4, Psalm 56 verse 3, Psalm 94 verse 19, Isaiah 41 verse 10, and the last two scriptures we will look at are Proverbs 12 verse 25, and Jeremiah 29 verse 11.

When we look at the scriptures and we look at the song lyric, we see that in God's presence there is perfect peace, so we are able to be still and know that we can find rest in His arms because in His power there is victory, and we think of that we think of how amazing it is to know that God is in control. So our anxious hearts can be calm because God will calm our hearts that feel anxious, and He will help us feel the peace that surpasses all understanding. He will remind us that as long as we trust in Him, we don't have to be afraid of what the enemy tries to get us to believe because the enemy will try to steal, kill and destroy our joy and make us feel anxious about certain things, but God shows us that as long as we have Hope, Faith, and Trust in Him, we don't have to be afraid because God shows us that with Him, He will help us through any storm or trial that we face in life.

I would now like to share some quotes with all of you.

Worship.. Until the worry is absorbed into the Presence Of God

Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of it's sorrows, but only empties today of it's strength

Lord, please calm my heart and take away my anxiety

I am no longer a Slave to

Fear

Anxiety

Loneliness

Anger

Hatred

Worthlessness

Brokenness

Depression

I Am A Child Of God

I would like to ask these questions.

In what ways do we see God help us overcome our anxieties and how does He help us through them?

When we see someone who is afraid and feeling anxious, how can we help them feel less anxious and afraid?

Finally this last question, is one that I think of as a reflection type question and so with that, How can we take what we learn from this week to not only let God help us through the storms and trials, but to help others in need?

 I now would like to share one more song with all of you before I share what I want to leave with.

The song is called Eye Of The Storm by Ryan Stevenson and the line I want to share from it says this: In the eye of the storm

You remain in control

And in the middle of the war

You guard my soul

You alone are the anchor

When my sails are torn

Your love surrounds me

In the eye of the storm

Here are the three things I would like to leave all of you with tonight. The first thing comes from someone named Dhar Mann who does inspirational videos that have life lessons, and I get inspirational quotes in my email from Him and so the quote says this: If you find yourself going through a  hard time, please remember that life always gives you the lesson before it gives you the blessing. You might not see it right away, but better things are ahead! Stay Strong! The second thing I would like to share says: Fear is only temporary. Regret lasts forever. Finally, the last thing I would like to share says: Anxiety and fear are like baby tigers: The more you feed them, the stronger they grow.

What the Bible says about Injustice

 We're going to look at different scriptures. The scriptures we are going to be reading from tonight are

Exodus 23 verse 7, Romans 12 verse 2, Isaiah 1 verse 17, Psalm 82 verse 2, Luke 16 verse 15, Psalm 12 verse 5, Proverbs 14 verse 31, Luke 18 verse 1-8, Exodus 23 verse 1-3, Proverbs 22 verse 8, Amos 5 verse 11, Zephaniah 3 verse 5, Luke 16 verse 10, Isaiah 26 verse 10, Lamentations 3 verse 34-36, Ecclesiastes 3 verse 16-17, Psalm 94 verse 15-16, 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 6, Ezekiel 22 verse 12, Jeremiah 6 verse 15, and the last two scriptures we will be looking at are Genesis 50 verse 19-20 and Luke 3 verse 14.

From the scriptures we read tonight, we see how God shows us that there can be a lot of bad, but we also see the good. God shows that when we have Faith, we can see that Faith in Him is not only what we need, but it has the power to connect us to what we need. There is a quote that said: Faith is like Wi-Fi it is invisible but it has the power to connect us to what we need. When we think of this quote and how it could relate to what we read and just the title in general of what the Bible says about it, we see that we don't always need to worry about what we need because God provides but when we think of Injustice, we think of these examples in our own lives. We think of how sometimes people in school treated us unkindly because they didn't understand what we have been through. This first example can be hard to process especially when we were in school, because there can be kids that may have treated us unkindly because they didn't know how to treat others with how they may have wanted to be treated. We can also think of how there can be those who may treat unkindly toward others by taking advantage. This example, we see that this injustice is just like the first example given but it's the kind of injustice that doesn't make you feel good because when we see people take advantage of a friend or someone close to us, we want to be there for them, we want them to get justice in what is right, and we want to make sure that people in our lives that are close to us are treated, not only how they want to be treated, but with respect and fairly. When we think of these first two examples, we take what we learn and try to do better so that we can continue to make a difference in this world, and stand up for what is right. Remember the question I ended with from last time, when I did the study on Justice? Well, I wanted to leave with that question because here is something I want to share in a way that I hope can give a better understanding of what we have been learning and talking about.

This quote comes from a show called Boy Meets World and the quote is this: Try Do Good. The reason for sharing this quote is because when we look back to the study on Justice, and then tonight's study on Injustice, we always want to try and do good and do our best so that we can be the best examples of how God made us to be in His Image.

We see that God gives us the opportunities to lead not only by His example but by Faith. When we walk by Faith, and lead in Faith, we see that we can do all things through Christ that gives us strength. God helps us know that no matter what we go through, He will help us by showing us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. That scripture came from Micah 6 verse 8, from when we learned about it last week. I wanted to share it again, because it also goes with what we have been learning.

We should always want to walk humbly with God and lead by the example He wants us to lead. There's one scripture that I felt leads into what we have been talking about and that scripture is John 10:10 where it mentions how the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy but how God has come so that we may have life and live it to the full and live it more abundantly. 

Before I share my final comments and prayer requests with all of you, I would like for anyone to share their prayer requests and comments they may have. Thank you all for sharing. Here are the things I would like to share with all of you and leave all of you with tonight.

Malachi 3 verse 5 says: So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me, says the Lord Almighty.

Psalm 58 verse 1-2 says: Do you rulers indeed speak justly? Do you judge people with equity? No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

Deuteronomy 27 verse 19 says: Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow. Then all the people shall say, Amen.

The quote I want to end with tonight is this and it comes from a show called Girl Meets World and the quote says this: Is there something you would believe in so strongly you fight for it? Now this quote came from the episode where they were talking about beliefs and Ben Savage who played Corey Matthews in both shows, was talking and telling the story about Joan of Arc, so how does this apply to what we read and what we've learned? Well when we truly think about it, God helps us through any storm and trial we face in life and He fights for us. He always has and always will. The enemy wants the opposite. The enemy doesn't want to fight for what is right, but fight for what isn't. We don't have to be afraid as long as we know God is with us no matter where we are. 

A lot of us know Rebecca St. James and a lot of us know Veggie Tales, well there was a song called Hope's Song that Rebecca St James did in the Veggie Tales Easter Carol, where one of the lines said this: He hated Injustice, He taught what is Right, He said I am the way, the truth and the light.

When we take a lyric like this, we see how God is not only our Way Maker, our Promise Keeper, but He is a light in the darkness and He always makes a way for us, no matter what and He fights for what is right because He never lets go and He will continue to fight even if we like giving up.

What The Bible Says About Justice

 We're going to be talking about what the Bible says about Justice. I want to start off with a scripture before I go further into what I want to share, 

The scripture, I am sharing tonight comes from Micah 6:8 and it says: He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

When we think of this scripture we think of how God shows that when we act justly, love with mercy, kindness, and to walk humbly with Him, then we see how the plans He has for us can help us all throughout our life and not just our weeks. I would now like for us to take a look at different scriptures that talk about what the Bible says about Justice. Who is able to read tonight? The scriptures we will be looking at tonight are Amos 5:24,  Psalm 106:3, Psalm 33:5, Deuteronomy 16:20, Matthew 7:12, Isaiah 42:1-9, Proverbs 29:7, Deuteronomy 10:18,  and the last two scriptures we will look at is Hosea 12:6 and Hebrews 10:30. Thank you all for reading. As we look at these scriptures we can see how God shows us Justice, to not only do what is right, but to also act kindly to one another.

My first question to all of you is, how can we show mercy and walk humbly with God and show compassion towards one another?

My last question for all of you is, how do we show the Justice God shows us throughout scripture to others who don't know Him? How can we be the light, they need?

I would now like to share some quotes with all of you.

We cannot begin a conversation about Justice anywhere but at the Cross Of Jesus.

The God Who Gave Us Life, gave us liberty at the same time.

Let God Be Your Judge. Your Job Today is to be a witness.

Without Justice In The World, We cannot have Peace- The Two are Intertwined.

We see that God shows again that when we walk Humbly with Him and We seek Him, we can help see the Biblical Justice that God shares in His Word. We see the Wisdom and the Reverence, we see the Humility that He puts in our Hearts. The Humility that He gives us in what we need.

These are the three things I want to leave all of you with tonight before we pray.

Ecclesiastes 5:8 says: If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them.

God clearly says those are not My Values. I Value Justice, Mercy, and Humility.

From what we take away, how can we live Faithfully in God's Word and show Biblical Justice, along with seeking Justice for those who feel left out and need someone to stick up for them, when they can't stand up for themselves?

What The Bible Says about Music

 I want to share a quote with all of you. I am no longer a Slave to Fear I am a Child Of God. I would like to now look at some scriptures that talk about what the Bible says about music. The scriptures we are going to take a look at tonight are Psalm 95 verse 1, Psalm 105 verse 2, Colossians 3 verse 16, Ephesians 5 verse 19, Hebrews 2 verse 12, Psalm 71 verse 23, Philippians 4 verse 8, Acts 16 verse 25, Ecclesiastes 7 verse 5, Amos 6 verse 5, Proverbs 25 verse 20, Psalm 57 verse 7, Revelation 14 verse 3, and Exodus chapter 15 verse 1. When we think about music in the Bible and we think of the music of Christian songs that we hear on the radio or somewhere else, how is it different now to what it was like in Bible times?

When we think of the people that God chose in the Bible to have gifts for music and to play music for those He called to share music in Bible times, we think of how there are many different Bible stories of who they were but we also look at different scriptures that talk about some of the instruments and the people that God chose. I found a site where someone put a lot of scriptures as well as descriptions of these things, and so what I would like to do right now is take a look at Revelation chapter 18 verse 22, before looking at some other things relating to this.

I would like to share the description of what they wrote for David and the description for Him says this: It is said King David played the harp to soothe Saul's anxiety. He was an accomplished musician in his time and an instrument maker. A poet by nature, David charmed others with the songs he wrote and played for them. He was a wise and creative king and is the Biblical figure most remembered for his musical abilities.

Now I will share the description of what they wrote and found for one of the instruments: Most harps in Biblical days had 10 or 12 strings. Harps were played to worship as well as to soothe and entertain. It was often played with the hand while walking and sometimes had a sounding board.

We take a look at this and so we now ask ourselves how does this and how can this compare to Christian songs and Christian Music today? 

Well, I like to think that it compares by seeing how God shows us that we can make music by playing an instrument, singing, writing poetry, dancing, and there's so much more. One of the greatest things is the songs that we hear now to what we may have heard if we were there in Bible Times to hear David play for a king, because when you hear people whether it be on the radio, in church, at an event, at school, on tv, in a movie, or on YouTube and even Facebook live, the instruments of the sounds and the voices of what is spoken or said or however God has given them the gift to share what He places on their hearts or on ours, we see that it's different. 

We see how it's grown over time, but it is different because we don't really know what type of songs that David played. The reason I say that is because when we stop and I mean stop and think about it, people in Bible times did not write what an artist or you or I would write down to share with others, they played their instrument and David is an example of that because He played for a king who was sad but became happy again after hearing the music that was played. 

Now we go to that story of David who played for a king, now the king who enjoyed David's music, also was jealous of David, and He didn't want David living. God chose David to later on take over as king for someone who turned His back on God and didn't do as God wanted or instructed.

This story can be hard to read sometimes, but what we get from it is impactful and a blessing.

I like to share a quote with all of you. It came from a book I've been reading on and off called There's No Such Thing As Can't. Now you may wonder why I would share this type of quote on a study about music well let me share the quote first, and then I will explain why I did. 

The quote says this: All you can do is be you, be okay with how God made you, and do the best with what you've got. Alright so the reason I shared this quote on a study like this tonight, is because we need to remember that it's okay to do things that we may normally not do wether it be playing an instrument, singing, writing poetry, dancing, whatever it may be, God created us differently and we are going to be the light that God made us to be. So we go back to that quote and remember, all we can do is be us, we can be okay with how God made us, we can do our best with what God has given us and know that He's in control of it all.

I am going to share something the person wrote and shared on this site, that I did a little while ago about the culture for some of these things that we've learned about.

The Greeks - The word "music" comes from the "muses", the daughters of Zeus and patron goddesses of intellectual and creative pursuits. Music was very important to the Greeks and an integral part of ancient Greek society. Music was always present at marriages, religious ceremonies and funerals. Epic poetry was turned into ballads and staged musical dramas were common.

When we look at this, and we look back to what we have been learning about, we see and we know that there is so much history and knowledge, but we also see how God continues to use us each and every single day to tell our testimonies which are our stories. We see that God gives us strength, we see that God puts things on our hearts so that we can share it with others and not hold back from sharing it. God wants us to share our gifts through music, writing, poetry, dancing, playing an instrument, singing, no matter what the gift may be, we can be sure that God will help us through it and show us that we are so much more.

Here are the things that I want to leave all of you with tonight. When walking through the valley, I know I am not alone. The Lord is my strength and my song.

Where words fail, music speaks. Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. 

There is nothing in the world so much like prayer as music is.

Psalm 21 verse 13 says: Rise Up, O Lord, In all your power. With music and singing we will celebrate your mighty acts.

What the Bible says about Zacchaeus

We are going to be looking at what the Bible says about Zacchaeus. The scriptures we are going to be looking at tonight are Luke 19 verse 1-10, 1 John 1:9, Romans 3:23, John 20:10-18, Revelation 3:20, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Mark 10:25, Psalm 42:1, John 1:14, John 14:8-9, Luke 3:13, Colossians 2:9, Luke 5:30, Luke 11:1, Luke 13:22, John 5:1-47, and the last one is, 1 John 1:8.

When we think of Zacchaeus, we think of who He is and what He did in order to see Jesus. Although, do we really know more about Him and His Story and Testimony? Well, let's take a look at some of that, and to do that I am going to share some things from a website called Christianity.Com where the question is: Who is Zacchaeus? Let's take at some things the author who asked this question on Christianity.Com

Zacchaeus is a very important character in the Bible because he is a concrete example of a sinful man who was changed by Jesus Christ’s compassion over sinners. Luke 19 describes Zacchaeus as a tax collector in the City of Jericho.

He was known as a corrupt tax collector who collected more than he should have collected.  Because of this, he had a negative reputation in the community.

When Jesus was passing through the City of Jericho, Zacchaeus became very excited to see Him. However, since he was very short, he could not see Jesus from the crowd.To solve this, he climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus. Jesus saw this and called at Zacchaeus to come down from the tree. Jesus then added that He intended to stay at Zacchaeus’ house to which Zacchaeus happily accepted.

However, this did not please the crowd and made them question Jesus’ decision of associating Himself with a sinful man like Zacchaeus.

Nevertheless, Jesus stilled pursued staying at Zacchaeus’ house and, as a result, changed the course of Zacchaeus’ life.

Before I continue to share more of what the author of this site had to say, I want to share a song with all of you.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

And a wee little man was he

He climbed up in a sycamore tree

For the Lord he wanted to see

And when the Savior passed that way

He looked up in the tree

And said, 'Zacchaeus, you come down!

For I'm going to your house today!

For I'm going to your house today!'

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

But a happy man was he

For he had seen the Lord that day

And a happy man was he;

And a very happy man was he

I would like to share more from the site that talks about Zacchaeus. 

Zacchaeus’ story is a very inspiring story to everyone both young and old. Based on the story about him in the Bible, there are three perspectives about Zacchaeus that could help us understand him.

1. Zacchaeus: From the Perspective of the Crowd

If we look at Luke 18:11 as written, “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector,’” Zacchaeus, as a tax collector, was thought of as a sinful and greedy man by the Pharisee.

Historically, collecting taxes was a career that had a negative reputation. People hated tax collectors because they asked for money from people and also, they were known to ask for more than they should.

Roman taxes were very excessive, and the Jewish people were not happy about that situation especially since they were the oppressed and paying taxes for a nation that was not their own.

In the Bible, Jesus also compared tax collectors to pagans, as written in Mathew 18:17, “If they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

Based on this, the crowd’s perspective of Zacchaeus was really just the societal norm about tax collectors and the fact that tax collectors used their position of power for the benefit of themselves and rendered people powerless in their situations.

This is where the crowd was coming from. Zacchaeus was sinful because he was basically a huge thief. With the excessive taxes that were being imposed from their hard-earned money, it is not surprising that the Jewish people had a strong stance against those that collected them.

But just as the crowd saw Zacchaeus’ sin, we tend to see others’ mistakes and sins especially if they are more obvious. We are quick to judge others but forget to look at our inner selves if we too are sinful.

So before I share the last two perspectives with all of you, I would like to share a quote with all of you.

Long before Zacchaeus couldn't see Jesus, the tree was already planted to meet his need.

Let us now look at the last two perspectives.

2. Zacchaeus: From the Perspective of Zacchaeus Himself

Zacchaeus knew about Jesus the whole time and was excited to finally see him. Because he was very short, he tried to find other ways in order to finally see Jesus. He did this by climbing a sycamore tree.

Based on this story, we can easily see Zacchaeus’ character. He was a go-getter and possibly one of the characteristics and attitudes a tax collector should have because their job entailed asking and, sometimes, taking money from others.

Additionally, we can see that Zacchaeus was trying to find meaning in his life through Jesus. He was eager to know the truth about life.

Being a tax collector was not an easy job for him because of the nature of his business and because of how the crowd perceived him and for this reason, he climbed the tree to see Jesus and find the meaning in life.

When Jesus told Zacchaeus that He was to stay at his house, Zacchaeus became very happy and opened his doors right away. This is also an attitude that tells us that Zacchaeus was a man ready to be saved and to serve. He opened his doors for Christ and was willing to listen to His advice.

We can reflect a lot on the perspective of Zacchaeus. In this busy world full of noise in every area of life, we tend to want to find meaning in our lives to fill in the gap that we are experiencing. We try to “climb trees” to extend our eyes’ reach of a quieter yet better tomorrow.

Jesus is our better present and future. There is no need for us to climb a tree to be seen by Jesus. In fact, Jesus already saw Zacchaeus and knew Zacchaeus even before he climbed the tree.

But what really caught the attention of Jesus was Zacchaeus’ passion to be seen. It is important that we try to show ourselves to Jesus even if we know that He already sees us.

It is important that we acknowledge Him at all times. And finally, it is important that we show repentance for the sins that we commit.

After all, it is written in Luke 3:12-13, “Even tax collectors came to be baptized. ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘what should we do?’ ‘Don’t collect any more than you are required to,’ he told them.”

3. Zacchaeus: From the Perspective of Jesus

Jesus decided to come to the house of Zacchaeus even if though he was a sinner, a tax collector that everyone despised. Jesus did not care about how the crowd reacted. Instead, He continued on and stayed at his house.

How Jesus obligated Zacchaeus in Luke 19:5-6, “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly,” is an example of how Jesus obligates us to focus on Him during the times that we need Him the most.

His words “I must stay at your house,” were not a request, but more of a command that He needed to be invited and to stay with Zacchaeus.

Jesus already knew that Zacchaeus needed to invite him to stay, not just in his home, but in his heart. After all, Jesus came to the world to save us from our sins so we could stay with Him forever.

Our Takeaway

Zacchaeus was portrayed in the Bible as a sinful tax collector and despised by the crowd. He was also portrayed as someone who, despite his height and inability to see Jesus, found his way by climbing a sycamore tree.

And finally, he was the person that Jesus saw and demanded to stay in his house.

We are Zacchaeus and yet, we are also the crowd. There are moments in our lives when we can tend to be judgmental by stereotyping people based on worldly criteria.

And yet, there are moments in our lives when we know we have sinned, and we need to repent our sins by talking to Jesus. Jesus must come to our house.

He must come to every house whether it’s the sinful tax collector, Zacchaeus, or the judgmental crowd. He is the only person that sees us and our true nature.

Here is what I would like to leave all of you with tonight: The story of Zacchaeus is not just about figuring out how to get a glimpse of Jesus. It's about Him getting a glimpse of you. The Devil knows your name but calls you by your sin, God knows your sin but calls you by your name. Lord in those difficult times, give us great courage, faith, wisdom, and humble dependence on you. Isaiah 41:10.

What The Bible Says About Being A Disciple

 What The Bible Says About Being A Disciple. I would like to talk tonight about What The Bible Says About Being A Disciple. 

I want to start off with two song lyrics, one that is from Matthew West and the other that is from MercyMe.

The first lyric comes from a song called World Changers by Matthew West. This is what the lyrics say:  In a world full of dirt, you're a diamond, In a world full of hurt, you're smiling, In the darkest dark, you're shining, Shining like a shooting star, You live your life like you're here on a mission, Yeah, you're not afraid of being different

You hear the doubters, but you don't listen, 'Cause you know who you are, Yeah, you know who you are

This is to all the world changers, Keep walking on, don't you ever Lose that fire in your soul, Lose that fire in your soul, This is to all the world changers, You know you are history makers, This world's never gonna change you

You're gonna change, You're gonna change The world (yeah) The world

The next song is by MercyMe called Greater and the lyrics say: I am learning to run freely, Understanding just how He sees me, And it makes me love Him more and more

He's Greater, He's Greater, 'Cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed, When others say I'll never be enough

And greater is the One living inside of me, Than he who is living in the world, In the world, In the world, And greater is the One living inside of me, Than he who is living in the world

I want us to take a look at some scriptures now and the scriptures that we will take a look at are Matthew 16 verse 24, Luke 9 verse 23, John 12 verse 26, Luke 6 verse 40, Matthew 4 verse 19, James 2 verse 18, 1 Peter 2 verse 21, John 13 verse 35, John 15 verse 16, 2 Timothy 2 verse 2, and the last one we'll look at is Matthew 28 verse 19. 

In scripture we see how we are called to be God's Children but how we are also called to be His Disciples. When we think of being Disciples for Him, something that comes to mind is who God chose as His Disciples to follow Him.

There is a song I want to share that fits well with what we are talking about. The song is called Twelve Disciples.

The lyrics say this: There were Twelve Disciples Jesus called to help him.

Simon Peter, Andrew, James, his brother John,

Phillip, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alpheus,

Thaddeus, Simon, Judas, and Bartholomew.

Jesus calls us, too. Jesus calls us, too.

We are his disciples. Jesus calls us, too.

Jesus calls us, too. Jesus calls us, too.

We are his disciples. Jesus calls us, too.

When we take a song like this we think of how we can be a Disciple for Him, and how we can serve Him.

I want to share a quote with all of you and the quote says this: Discipleship is living everyday to the Glory of God in front of other people and inviting them to join you on the journey.

Here is a quote I would like to share with all of you that I felt goes along with what we've been learning on tonight, and here is what the quote says.

When I look at this quote I see how God can help us lead by example and be an example in our Faith and Relationship with Him. I see how God can take any situation, and turn it around for good and help us encourage one another because that's what a love of a family can do, and that's what we can do as not only Children of God but as Disciples for Him. God is Love, and because of that He shows us how to be Disciples and continuing to be Disciples for Him each and every day.