A Hero’s Thought

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

A Hero’s Thought

The dark companion is his foe beneath the burning sun
Death laughs with triumph for it has finally begun
Blinding flames soar through the sky
with destruction they cause men to die
Lifeless birds of war seek their prey
and without mercy cast them away
he calms his nerves down in the valley of pain
with songs of praise for He who reigns
Now it’s colder as night draws near
And on his thoughts are those held dear
Back home there is a church where he went to pray
He knows the family will be there today
Worship and praise fills that warm place
Joy in the hearts revealed on every face
The spirit abounds for those who go there
For to God they leave all their care
But back in no man’s land the cry of fear
I hope they remember that I am here
I hope to God they sing and pray
That He be with me throughout the day
For the dark companion is my foe
without fail he surrounds me wherever I go

Verses on Holy Spirit

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

Verses by topic

Verses on Holy Spirit

John 14:26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Acts 2:38

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Romans 8:26

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

1 Corinthians 6:19

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

John 14:15-17

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 16:12-15

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Luke 11:13

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 11:2

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of theLord.

1 Corinthians 2:13

And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Luke 4:1

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

Ephesians 1:13

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Acts 10:38

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Acts 2:4

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 4:31

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Romans 8:9

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Romans 5:5

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Acts 2:17-18

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

Matthew 3:11

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Romans 5:3-5

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Acts 5:32

And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

John 20:21-23

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

John 16:13

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Acts 4:29-31

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

John 15:26

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

Acts 2:1-47

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.

John 7:37-39

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Matthew 10:20

For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Psalm 51:11

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Titus 3:5-6

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

Ephesians 1:13-14

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Acts 2:2

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.

Genesis 1:2

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Hebrews 9:14

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

1 Corinthians 2:14

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

John 3:5-8

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

A brave act of Love

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

Chained in the deepest most secured area of a prison, two missionaries were kept, bleeding from their wounds. They had been beaten mercilessly. They had come to the town of Philippi to preach the gospel when they came upon a demon possessed slave girl. They set her free from her demonic captives and their reward was an unlawful beating and imprisonment. (Acts 16:16-40) Would they rot in this jail and never see the light of day again? Apparently it was no concern for these men, Paul and Silas. Their response was to worship God.

Then at midnight the spirit of God must have truly been pleased by their offering for the ground shook, the prison wall trembled, the doors swung open and the chains of these Godly men broke. Surely God had set them free. Now they could run out and escape from this terrible place! We all would have! Matter of fact it was not too long ago that these men had escaped from Iconium. There they discovered a plot to stone them and quickly fled to save themselves. (Acts 14:1-7) Why not flee again?

They did not flee, out of love. This time a man’s life was at stake. They knew that Roman law would require the life of the guard if they would escape.

Just about when the guard was going to kill himself Paul yelled out, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” (Acts 16:28) Imagine the thoughts of this man, first relief, “Thank heaven”, then joy and finally confusion. “Why had they not attempted to escape? Why did they stop me from harming myself? Who are these men that would care for me?” All these thoughts must have been swirling in his head. But his heart was now open to receive their message.

Now he wanted to know about Jesus. The bible relates that He and his entire family were saved because of one brave act of love. (Acts 16:33) Paul and Silas knew how much they were hated in this town; their bleeding backs where proof of that. They also knew that justice was not guaranteed. There was a real chance that by not escaping, they could spend many years in jail or be sentenced to death. But out of love they stayed.

Let us all consider how one act of unselfish love can change someone’s life. How one act of love can change a family and maybe even a neighborhood. We have the power to make the world around us better. We have the power to reach others with the Love of Christ. We can bring real change. Let us show our love!

Verses on Homosexuality

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

Verses by topic

Verses on Homosexuality

Leviticus 18:22

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Romans 1:26-28

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Mark 10:6-9

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

1 Corinthians 7:2

But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Leviticus 20:13

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

1 Timothy 1:10-11

The sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Genesis 19:1-38

The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”

Jude 1:7

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Judges 19:22

As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.”

God’s Timing

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

Jesus is better than Hercules

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

I just saw a really fun movie with my kids, “The Legend of Hercules (2014), ” and even though some critics didn’t like it the boys and me thought it was really entertaining. The subject of how Hercules compares to Jesus came up. Zeus is Hercules father and Jesus the son of God, Hercules was procreated with the purpose of saving people(according to this movie) and Jesus came to save the world, both had supernatural power, both could call upon their father and speak to their father, and the kids kept discussing it. Then Samuel my second son said,”but Jesus is better” and everyone simultaneously agreed.

The daddy in me was really proud that his kids came to this conclusion all on their own. This thought, that Jesus is the one and only true “Super” hero, actually passes my mind every time I see a superhero movie and trust me I’ve seen a lot. The boys and I love the genre. It doesn’t matter if it’s the xmen, the guardians, the avengers, or the justice league. We each have our favorite and mine is Superman. The truth is I don’t remember so many superhero movies when I was growing up. It’s as if we have become a culture that desperately seeks a hero or should I say a savior. But we already have one!

My son said it best, “He (Jesus) is the best because He saved the whole world with Love.” Not only is He the best but unlike all the others He is not just another story. He really came and spoke to the storms, raised the dead and battled legions of demons. Most importantly he came with the purpose of saving the world. He came with the purpose of saving you and me! All we have to do is believe in Him, recognize His sacrifice on the cross, repent of our sins and accept Him as Lord and Savior. While we’re at it, we can definitely all agree with my sons, Jesus is better than Hercules!

Verses

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 14:6

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

More verses on Salvation

Made very good

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

When God was done with creation he said everything was good. Wait a minute. Perhaps that’s a mistake. Let’s check scripture.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

Perhaps God made some stuff after the sixth day. No that can’t be, He rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 2:2) Adam and Eve were very good! Our design is good. It is absolutely splendid. Surely we were designed to please God. It is why we can run, leap, build, draw, invent, sing, write, think and do so many more wondrous things. We were made in His image to be something wonderful. What happened? We have the ability to take what was meant for good and turn it into something terrible. We often call this sin. God is not responsible for this, we are.

Yet in His great mercy he saw fit to pay the price for sin. Jesus did this on Calvary long ago when He was crucified, dying a horrific death. Now we can be saved by believing in Him and accepting him as our lord and Savior.(John 3:16) Once we are saved, do we automatically perform with perfection, producing only good works, everything beautiful and wonderful, like straight A students? It turns out we are still capable of turning really good things into really bad things.

Good becomes bad when we take our strength, and hurt instead of help. It is when we use our mouths to insult and destroy instead of building up and teaching. It is when we use sex as a business, to control, or to feed our lust instead of showing our spouse love. It is when we use our minds for plans of deception and the invention of weapons instead of solutions. Then we no longer please God, the God who in all His love carefully prepared a world that was good and then formed us in His image, to be companions and even more to be His children.

Let us spend our days being what God intended. Let us use our incredible minds, our mouths, our strengths and so many gifts to make the world better and the lives of those around us happier. May God give us the power to be the good He saw when He first formed us.

Another verse

1 Timothy 4:4-5

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

Verses on Study

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

1 Peter 3:15

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Acts 17:11

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.

John 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,

Ecclesiastes 7:25

I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

1 Thessalonians 5:20-22

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

Stop Complaining!

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Mr. Melendez

Cross & Clouds (Photo credit: John H Wright Photo)

There I was sitting in the living room, complaining to my Dad about how much work it was to prepare a presentation of Paul’s missionary journey. I made light of it and told him “Oh yeah I have to write about how Paul was persecuted over there(Acts 14:5), beaten in this place(Acts 16:16-40), chased out of this town(Acts 14:6), stoned and left for dead in this one(Acts 14:19), made fun of in that one(Acts 17:32-34) and yet misunderstood in another place (Acts 14:11-18).” Then I stopped. Why was I complaining? Paul had really gone through all that suffering for years in service to Jesus Christ and didn’t complain. He never took a vacation on the beach or enjoyed a banquet in his honor; nor did he ever get a chance to retire and collect a pension. However, he would return happily to his home to tell every one of all the great things God had done. How new churches had been planted and older ones were growing.

For those of us that enjoy freedom in America and other free countries, complaining should not happen as often as it does. We have not been beaten or jailed because we wanted to tell someone “Jesus loves you”. We have not been chased out of a town because we declared “I am a creation of God”. We have never been stoned because we announced that “Jesus is the only way”. We have been called names. We have felt isolated or ashamed at times. We have even been intimidated by Professor so and so, who thinks we’re foolish for believing in God. But none of that compares to what Jesus, Paul, and every last Apostle and countless other servants of God endured. They were either crucified, stoned to death, burnt, imprisoned for life or perhaps beheaded for their beliefs.

We should be thankful. At times being a Christian even in America can be a challenge but not truly a hardship. Can it change? Of course, history shows us that governments, cultures, society and the way people think can change. What people think is tolerable today may become intolerable in the future. For now we can spend less time complaining and more time praying for our brethren who are forced to live in countries where Christians are truly suffering the persecution that Paul had to endure.

Also From Bibleaid What is a christian?