Which John wrote the NT letters that bear his name (I, 2, 3 John)

1, 2, 3 John ---- Here are three letters about loving God and others. In the ripples of your life's waters, you'll find the way to keep the boat afloat and the oars in the water.

I John 1:1-4 Which John Wrote the NT letters that bear his name

Tradition has identified the writer of these letters as John, the son of Zebedee (Mark 1:19-20), the author of the Gospel of John and Revelation. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 21:20). The epistles bear a striking resemblance in style and vocabulary to the Gospel of John. The early church fathers (Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Tertullian) all pointed to the apostle John as the writer of 1, 2, and 3 John.

John was well qualified to write. In 1 John 1:1-4, John states his credentials as an eyewitness to the words and works of Jesus. Twice in these letters he mentions that he heard Christ Himself. Six times he makes reference to seeing Christ. Once he speaks of touching Jesus with his hands. Clearly John was not relating second-hand stories. He spoke with apostolic authority.

Why would God discard someone? Psalm 102:10

Why would God discard someone? Psalm 102 :10
This psalm reports the writer's feelings, not the activity of God necessarily. In the middle of considerable trouble, the writer feels that God has abandoned him. After all, what other explanation could account for such distress? Surely trouble must have found a tear in the protective mantle of God's care. But if this psalm reports only feelings, still the question remains: Does God actually throw people out?

Only as a last resort (Revelation 19:20). At the final judgment, God will "discard" or banish from His presence every vestige of evil, everything not purified by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. In eternity, holiness and sin cannot coexist. In the meantime, we may feel discarded, but the assurance of the Bible is that we are not. God is always ready to hear our prayers, even at the end of life, and He always welcomes the sinner who seeks to be forgiven. When you feel abandoned, pray and take comfort in the psalmists rediscovery (verse 12) of God's presence and care.

Does everyone have a guardian angel Psalm 91:11

Does everyone have a guardian angel? Psalm 91:11
The idea that a particular angel is assigned to each person or believer was popular during he medieval era but suffered under the theological housecleaning of the Reformation. Only one distant reference to the possibility recurs in Matthew 18:10.
Angels are God's servants to assist in achieving God's will, chiefly in communi­cating the gospel. Angels appear through­out the Bible to help people in trouble (Acts 5:19) and to assist the church (Acts 10:3).
Today we cannot know whether that close call averted was the result of angelic intervention, but we are reminded not to dismiss or disregard the work of angels (Hebrews 13:2). You may not have a particular angel assigned to your case, but a sovereign God knows your needs and meets them in His own way—sometimes, the Bible leads us to believe, through the work of angels.

Want to read more on Angel please read my blog on Angels dated ___________

Does God Kill people? Psalm 78:34

Psalm 78 34 Does God kill people?
Death is one form of punishment by which God signals that violation of His holy commands carries a fearsome penalty. Death entered human experience after the Fall (Genesis 2-3), and occurred thereafter as a judgment for specific sin (Joshua 7:10-12). God, the giver of life, may also take life when purposes higher than human longevity are served.
Pagan deities were believed to hold powers of inflicting early death, so it is important to differentiate between God's judgment and pagan imagination. God is neither vicious nor fickle in life-and-death judgments. God is not merely trying His powers over human life, but moving history toward holy purpose. God does not regard death casually, as if expired people were no more significant than modern video-game villains. God may punish through death to express His holy and loving nature - which puts the issue of divine judgment in a completely different context than pagan retribution.


Finally, God's judgment on Achan and others is a preview of a much more fearsome and terrible judgment referred to in Revelation 20:11-15. This "second death" is to be avoided at all costs, for the Bible offers no remedy once this judgment is passed.

Why ask God to remain faithful as if God needed reminding

Why ask God to remain faithful, as if God needed reminding? Psalm 71:9-18

The same question might be raised about any prayer on any subject. Why articulate requests to a God we confess to be omniscient? Isn't that like telling a math wizard that two plus two equals four?

In fact, prayer often recites the virtues of God in a way that serves our own memory and faith. We may passionately ask God to care for us, knowing full well that every promise in the Bible says He will. Such a prayer constitutes a reminder to us, since we cannot imagine in any real sense that we are informing God about matters unknown to Him. That we should pray is a clear biblical mandate. Intimate communication with God is the believer's privilege. Impossible by human skill alone, each prayer is a miracle.

Is it all right to ask God to Speed it up?

Psalm 70:1, 5 --- Is it all right to ask God to "speed it up"?
The request that God speed His intervention is not a complaint about slowness so much as a free expression of the writer's acute sense of need. Everywhere the Bible encourages believers to speak openly with God about feelings, moods, and attitudes. The God of the Bible is not like the jealous, hypersensitive pagan deities who must always be placated and stroked to win their assistance. The true God desires intimacy and integrity with His people, not showy displays that mask the truth about human need and hurt.
Nonetheless, divine and human timing rarely coincide. People who feel intense need seek resolution to their crisis sooner rather than later. Prayer itself is a signal that a need persists, and each hour and day before deliverance makes pain more acute. God's promise is always to hear and answer, though not always when and where a given prayer might stipulate.

Why lift your hands to worship God?

Psalm 63:4 Why lift up your hands to worship God?
Outstretched arms are a common sign of welcome, joy, and peace. For Christian worshipers to raise hands while singing or praying is a gesture signifying God's greatness and the joy of worshiping a loving Savior.
Lifting arms upward, of course, does not make the hands any closer to God than the feet, since God is not located in an "up" direction. We commonly believe, however, that heaven (God's abode) is up, not down, so we may be excused when we temporarily adopt mythic directional notions and raise hands rather than lower them. Either gesture, if intended to honor God, would be appropriate for worship.

Does God put down certain nations Psalm 60:8

Does God "put down" certain nations? Psalm 60:8
Yes, God decides to prosper some nations (Old Testament Israel most dramatically) at the expense of neighboring nations (three are mentioned in this psalm). As land is limited, when God gives land to Israel, it must come at someone's expense. In this case, Canaanite fiefdoms "lose." In that sense, some nations are put down.
The more difficult question is whether God puts down certain nations today Some Christians teach that America was (and maybe still is) a blessed nation, while America's adversaries have been subject to God's judgment. Many First World Chris­tians have imagined that their prosperity is a sign of God's favor, while the poverty of the Third World shows divine "put down." Such reasoning is treacherous, for it leads the wealthy to disdain the poor and gives wrongheaded theological support to racism and class prejudice.
Prayer today should include calling on God to restrain evil in certain lands, retard the influence of rulers bent on violence, and encourage the work of peace. In praying for such intervention, we may well be asking God to "put down" a nation, while leaving the means and extent of such restraint to divine wisdom.

Is Praying for revenge okay? Psalm 56:6-7

Psalm 56:6-7
Is praying for revenge okay?
Revenge as a common human feeling has a long history Legal scholars, for example, believe that revenge is the basis for all jurisprudence. When Harry first stole a cow from Joe, Joe took two of Harry’s goats. Then Harry grabbed three of Joe's turkeys. And Joe, seeing where this could lead, mustered the village elders. Thus the first court was born. We seem to have an intuitive sense of justice and fairness that wants all wrongs to be made right, especially wrongs done against us. Revenge is our impulse to fix injustice. In that sense, praying for revenge may be just another name for praying that God will hear our tort claims, judge wrongdoers for their unjust deeds, and levy a just sentence. Thus we will not need to seek revenge ourselves.
Revenge today however, also carries the sense of "eye-for-an-eye" get-even politics. Revenge seems mean-spirited, primitive, and adversarial. Surely Christian forgiveness offers a more advanced option than retribution at the hand of a divine judge.
Praying for God's justice removes our need to seek revenge. When a grievous injustice has been done, prayer is the only course of action that will quiet the cycle of violence. Imagine how Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda, for example, could ever repair their broken relationships apart from leaving revenge to God alone, whose mercy and justice are both limitless. Better to leave to God the task of righting wrongs than to live with neighbors always notching up the price of being made whole.

Before, Christ, how did people get to heaven (Psalm 49:15)

Psalm 49:15 Before Christ, how did people get to heaven?

People have always gotten to heaven by one way only — God's way — through the work of Jesus Christ, His Son. That is the gospel, Gods Good News: God has made a way through an intractable divide between human sinfulness and divine holiness. That way is Jesus.
In the Old Testament era, believers (more often called "God's people") saw the gospel only through the system of ritual and sacrifice that was a prelude to the one perfect sacrifice (Jesus' own life) for sin. To die in the community of the covenant was to be assured that God would somehow provide prosperity in the afterlife. That was Davids hope in this psalm.
In the New Testament, the way to heaven is much clearer. Everywhere the Good News is given: "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). Old Testament believers anticipated Christ's death and resurrection, while people in the Christian era look back to it.

What is the point of feeling guilt?

Psalm 38:4 What is the point of feeling guilt?
Guilt is bad, many counselors and therapists tell us. Guilt is therapeutic, we learn from the counsel of the Bible. Which is right? To feel guilt is to:
· Admit need. You have fallen short of expectations, and you're ashamed. You want to do better, but how? You want to enjoy the respect of people around you, but how to recover it?
· Admit imperfection. What a moment of insight to discover that you're not perfect. Something's wrong and needs to be fixed. Who's going to fix it?
· Admit hope. You're looking for some­thing more, something lasting, some­thing pure — happiness not mixed with greedy motives or self-centeredness.

Where can you find it?

Guilt leads to God: our need for God, our hope in God. That makes guilt a very good thing. Don't run from guilt, or dismiss it, or regard it as a psychological complex amenable to therapy or drugs. Let guilt lead you straight to God, who always forgives, restores, and lightens the load. In Christ, guilt is forgotten, dismissed, washed, and drained. Guilt is a hunger for God and God has a feast ready for you.

There is a difference between guilt and depression. The above I’m talking guilt not depression. I believe that both need you to focus on Jesus –but by no means if you are under doctor care please continue with that. But I would advice to see another physician Dr. Jesus for some help as well.

Will God eliminate all trouble from our lives?

Will God eliminate all trouble from our lives? Psalm 34:6

Some Christians actually teach ,preach and belive this idea, and many people become disillusioned when their experience turns painful. The only people who can claim to live trouble-free are those who redefine "trouble" into a word that describes absolutely nothing. Only with this kind of word play (theology run amok) can Christians claim that their life experience is trouble-free. The Bible's most mature believers (for example, Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul) endured considerable trouble. But they faced their trouble in the belief that God would certainly win in the end—a vindication of good over the pernicious influence of bad.

This is God's twofold promise:

(1) In all our troubles, He gives us strength and grace; His love is present even in the worst situation; and

(2) at the end of our lives (or at the end of history), He will indeed save all of His children from trouble—and take us to heaven for an eternity of happiness and joy.

Surely this psalm reminds us that people who are broken, at their wit's end, and at the brink of hopelessness can find in God a Helper who will never abandon or forget them—and always lead them through the crisis to victory.

Do Christians ever starve? Psalm 33:19

Do Christians ever starve? Read Psalm 33:19

The psalm does not suppose to establish a fact, but to praise God for promises made and for daily care over even the most ordinary life needs. That God would care about our food needs would have been a radical idea in the Old Testament times. Pagan gods cared, in the imagination of pagan worshipers, only about their own selfish reputation, never about those who game them homage. Pagan deities were "me-centered," but the God of Israel actually provided for His people, again and again.

This is not to say, though, that in times of crisis, including famine, only nonbelievers succumb. Christians feel hunger along with their neighbors and often perish in the same disasters that afflict their region. The pervasive influence of sin works against the intentions of God. It is the job of Christians to resist sin in all its forms so churches are right to send food relief to hungry people worldwide. When one region shares it abundance with another, we witness to God's grace by overcoming, if only temporarily, the hurtful impact of sin.

Where is "The Pit"? Psalm 30:3

Where is the Pit Psalm 30:3

"The pit" is called "Sheol" in some translations, and this psalm presupposes that actual places exist in the realm of the spirit. Not quite.Just as heaven cannot really be reached by flying "up," so Sheol, the place of the dead, cannot really be reached by digging "down." Yet spatial terms are the only tools we have to describe where the spirits of the dead "go." So the Bible regularly describes Sheol, the place of the dead, as a downward hike toward the center of the earth, as if a huge underground grave existed for semicomatose spirits waitingfor something. The Bible also describes people ascending into heaven (Elijah in 2 Kings 2:1 - Jesus in Acts 1:9).

We might more accurately say that Sheol is the Old Testament's "waiting area," where the souls of the dead rest (and in some passages suffer the pain of judgment). Nowhere is Sheol described as a place to be eagerly anticipated, and how souls graduate from Sheol into some other happier place is not terribly clear.

In the New Testament, however these questions are answered much more directly. The souls of those who trust in Jesus for salvation enjoy His presence in a place of joy and reunion (John 14:1-4). Souls who depart this life apart from the faith of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross must anticipate, at a minimum, of the Old Testament's picture of Sheol; and an eternal environment of suffering the penalty for their own sins (Matthew 13:42)

Does Full-hearted devotion to God lead to prosperity?

I know the photo dont match what Im talking about but the other day I read this Psalm and today I found this photo and wanted to share

Read Psalm 25:13 is the verse that my thoughts spur from

Does Full-hearted devotion to God lead to prosperity?

Yes and no. If the prosperity you're after is colored green, comes in quantities of thousands and hundred thousands, and carries portraits of American presidents, then no. Sorry. Devotion to God is not a guarantee of financial prosperity. Certainly, there are biblical principles of stewardship that, when followed, enhance financial security. But many Christians today (and in the past) are very poor yet nonetheless prosperous spiritually.

If the prosperity you seek centers on being happy, hopeful, capable of love, sure about life after death, and eager to try activities that present an element of risk and adventure, then answer the question in the affirmative.

In faith, all people "prosper" when they live in relationship with God.

In Memory of Dr. Ron Mitchell

Today I recived word that my friend and professor Dr. Ron Mitchell went home to be with the Lord. this has shocked me today -
Please pray for Dr. Ron Mitchell family and Central Baptist College and the many lives that this man has touched and inspired.



He was a wonderful Bible professor at Central Baptist College went home to be with the Lord



He challenged my thinking and my theology like no one else could, and I am a better disciple of Christ because of him. Praise God for Dr. Mitchell and his godly example. He will be missed. We the students that sat under his teaching loved him and learned more in class and on the couch in his office than We could have ever thought





We know that he is not hurting and we know that he taught us about heaven and at this very moment he is in Heaven. I miss him as a mentor, friend and man of God but Im also rejoicing that the Lord allowed me to know him.

More later

What is the practical value of God's promise to "renew my strength"

Read - Psalm 23:3
What is the practical value of God's promise to "renew my strength"?
Some Bible versions translate this phrase as "He restores my soul." The modern era has often been called the psychotherapeutic age. More people are seeing counselors than ever before; more counselors are in business than ever before. Something must be wrong with the soul. Indeed, there is. Causes are numerous, complicated, and controversial. But this much is certain: Many people are unhappy and don't know why. Their sense of self-worth is bruised by job loss; their sense of moral lightness shattered by divorce, bad decisions, or children who have rejected family values.
People need help.
Perhaps, after food and shelter, renewing and restoring the soul is the most practical need we have.

A restored soul
· Does not take the blame for every problem in the world but does accept personal responsibility and intends, by forgiveness and reconciliation, to restore broken relationships.
· Does not run itself into the ground with criticism but does cheerfully accept gifts and weaknesses as God's grant to live to His glory.
· Does not dwell on failure—or believe failure to be inevitable—but does count on the promises of God as the one sure hope.

The practical result of restoring the soul is the difference between a defeated life and a life victorious in Christ, rich with potential, realistic about its purposes, and able to love even when it hurts.

Why does God seem so frightening?

Thoughts on Psalms 18: 7-15

Why does God seem so frightening?

The psalmist has an extremely high view of God’s ability to respond mightily to the believer’s plea for help. He uses poetic language to describe the indescribable – Gods’ almighty power. God sounds frightening because He is. When God acts to help someone prevail over injustice, the energy God expends will be much more frightening than the victim’s adversary.

While God's omnipotent power is awesome, the believer can be assured that God acts on our behalf, not against us. The forcefulness of God's intervention may be like a hurricane, affecting everyone around, but the intention is always to rescue the faithful believer from sin and suffering.