Book Review - Chronological Guide To The Bible

I recently received  a free copy of the book Chronological Guide to the Bible from Thomas Nelsons blog for books site. This is really a great book. The Bible can sometimes be confusing to read because it is not in chronological order. But this book really clears up the mystery behind that. The book is a smaller paper back book but has really nice glossier pages with some nice pictures and maps scattered throughout. The book is laid out in year format, following the chronology from years. This book is almost like a survey book consisting of timeliness and maps showing the events of each book of the Bible. It also take and explains certain things from each book that might be hard to understand. Overall I think that this is a great book for people who are trying to have a better understanding of the Bible and want to learn more. And for the amazon price of $17 it really worth the money.

Not Another Christian Blog

Hey I just started a blog for my ministry on Wordpress. I just thought  I would give you a taste of what that blog is about. You can visit it at :http://otpministries.wordpress.com/

So you stumbled upon this blog; you're tired, and you just want your morning cup of coffee. You see a plain, somewhat colorful header and you become intrigued.You want to know more but you really just want your hot Starbucks filled cup of savory goodness (I don't even drink coffee and I want some). Then you see the title of the blog: otp Ministries. Now you have to know more.  Let me tell you what this blog is about: first and foremost this blog is for anyone desiring to know more about who God is and what the Bible has to say on how to live a fulfilling life as a follower and believer of Jesus Christ.

By now you may be thinking "Oh man, not another blog about Christianity. There's like twelve gagillion blogs out there, why do we need another one?" We are more than just your normal "Christian blog". Our ministry's blog is based on these three principles...

Formation (basic Bible understanding) -  Theology, apologetic, salvation, who God is, etc.
Training (Bible knowledge)  - Bible stories, Bible character studies, Word studies, etc.
Ministry (practical application) - Sharing your faith, missions trips, culture studies (movies, music, shows) ect.

I know your saying to yourself, " It's not another Christian blog but, it will be just as boring as the last one." For that I say, wrong again! We won't use big words like apologetics or theology... oh wait I already did. Sorry about that, we will try to keep the big words to a minimum (if you don't know what they mean look them up in a dictionary) . Many times we will also throw in humor. Look for post coming soon entitled; "What if Jesus drove a BMW?" or "What if McDonald's was in the Bible?"

So don't worry. Sit back and relax, grab your hot cup of savory coffee  and enjoy the reading.  - otp

Nelson's Bible Maps and Charts

I recently received a free copy of Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts (3rd ed.) from Thomas Nelson Publishers. This book is more than just a book full of maps and charts. The style of the book is more consistent with a Bible survey book only simpler. The book is easily broken down into books of the Bible and the part that they fit into (History, Wisdom, etc). Every book is has a complete outline along with colored maps and charts relating to that book of the Bible. Each book also contains information about the date the book was written along with who wrote the book and the major theme. The maps are really simple and have just information pertaining to the topic they are talking about. But with many maps throughout the book it shouldn't be hard to find the information that you are looking for. Also included is nice color pictures of places that are being talked about in the Scriptures. This is a great book for any quick reference to a book of the Bible or if you really need a map or a chart. Great Book.

Mighty To Save

Savior He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever Author of Salvation
He rose & conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave
-Mighty To Save by Hillsong United


Probably many of you have sung this song before. Whether in church or youth group you have probably worshiped with these lyrics. Now think back... when was the last time God moved mountains in your life? Was it in a family situation. Maybe it was a major health issue. Or maybe the last mountain he moved was the thing that was keeping you farthest from him. If this is the case you have seen God work marvelous ways. Maybe some of you are doubting whether God is really able to move the mountains in your life.

Working at a Christian camp this past summer really showed me how God can move mountains. Throughout the summer I saw many teens that had so many problems come to now Christ as there personal savior. Family issues, drug problems, body issues, loneliness, doubt where just a few mountains I saw God move in the life of teenagers from across the country. God not only worked in there lives to move mountains he also moved mountains in my life this summer. Once we begin to see how powerful God is and believe that God can move mountains in our live, we begin to see our mountains disappear.

So I ask you, what are some mountains in you life that you don't think God can move? God is bigger then all our problems. Say a prayer now and ask God to start removing the things that your trying to do by yourself. Ask him to remove the mountains in your life that keep you from following God with everything that you have. Ask God to make the trail on the other side of the mountains more visible. Savior He can move the mountains My God is mighty to save He is mighty to save.

Subliminal Messages

We are bombarded with thousands of advertisements and images everyday. Some of them big and elaborate billboards and some just some simple product placement. But regardless we are seeing advertisements everyday. I never used to think anything of this until I saw a Youtube clip entitled Derren Brown Subliminal Advertising. Derren Brown goes on to show just how susceptible are minds are to subliminal advertising. When I say subliminal advertising I do not mean flashing a picture of a coke in one single movie frame and seeing how many people buy a coke. Derren Brown shows the audience just how much our minds retain just from seeing something over and over again in a really subtle way. Look it up on Youtube if you have a chance it's really interesting. This whole thing just reminded me that as Christians we need to be so careful as to what goes into our heads. Satan likes to use the subtleties sometimes to attack us. We see this a lot in music. A Christian worship song might have good lyrics and a good beat, but the philosophy and doctrine of the lyrics might be just slightly off. But because it's "Christian" and "Worship" we don't see any problem with it. Guard your mind from the subtle attacks that the world throws at you. After sometime you may not even realize that you believe something. Over the next couple days start to challenge what is going in to your brain. You might be surprised at what you discover.

Love is the Glue

""The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ."
-1 Corinthians 12:12

Are bodies are amazing things. All the parts of our bodies work together in perfect form to help us walk, run, write, speak. Everything in our bodies work together to help us be who we are. Just as are bodies have many parts so does the body of Christ. The body is supposed to work together to get the job done... the job of sharing the gospel of Christ with others. 1 Corinthians 12 then goes on to tell us that everyone has a spiritual gift and that we need to use it to the best of our abilities. But because we are all part of one body we are supposed to work together with the gifts that we posses to get the job done (a.k.a we to work as a team).

Now you may be wondering what this has to do with love? 1 Corinthians 13 comes after 1 Corinthians 12. I know that was profound but do you know what they call 1 Corinthians 13? That's right it's called the love chapter. I don't this this is by accident that this is the case. I believe that we need to read the Bible in context and not just single out a passage for itself. In saying that I believe that love is the glue that holds the body together. Without love the body will fall apart or at least not work up to it's full potential. But with a genuine love for our Christian brothers and sisters we will do whatever it takes to help the body of Christ work together. Love is the glue. Are we helping everyone bond as a Body of Christ?

Simple

Today I just finished a book for my Foundations of Ministry class called Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. The book outlines a plan to make a simple church and outlines a four step process to bring about change. Now don't get excited, I'm not writing a book review. The book explains how we are looking for simplicity in a complex and hectic culture. This got me thinking about why simple things seem to work. Take Google for example. Google search engine has one search bar in the middle of a white page with some cool Google logo above it. That's it. It's simple. It's popular.
This makes me thinks about the simplicity of the gospel. The gospel is so easy to understand that a child can get saved by it. And there are no strings attached. First they must realize that they are sinners. Next they have to admit that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins so that we can have a personal relationship with him. And he loved us so much he was willing to do this. All that we have to do is believe and put our faith in Jesus Christ.
The Bible can be a confusing thing and we might not always understand what it is trying to tell us. But I believe that the gospel is simple and that anyone can understand it and believe in it if they choose to. A question for you and a thought that I often ask myself is, if the gospel is simple why aren't we doing more to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ?

Love Is...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Today's world is filled with many different definitions for the word love. We love pizza, we love our cars, we love our parents and we love God. But we don't or shouldn't love all these things on the same level. I love my parents more then I love pizza, and i love God more then... well I should love God more then anything else. Why is it that we use the word "love" so loosely? Maybe it's because we don't understand the real meaning of love and all that it encompasses. There are many different elements in these verses in 1 Corinthians 13. Throughout the next couple week, we will be looking at all the different components in these verses one by one.

No Greater Love

John 15: 12&13
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

"No greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." We see this scenario played out many times in the movies and on popular television shows. You've seen it, someone is in danger and there friend jumps in and saves them by putting themselves in the way of danger, often killing themselves (laying down one's life) to save there friends. We think that this is the greatest gift and act of love that anyone could do for us and it is. Jesus did the same thing for us when he died on the cross for our sins. Without him dying we would not be able to have a personal relationship with him. Jesus called us his friends. He showed us the greatest act of love by dying for us. But if we are friends with Jesus shouldn't we be willing to do the same thing? I'm not saying we need to kill ourselves for the cause of Christianity, but take Stephen for example. Stephen was willing to be stoned to death by people that wanted him to stop preaching.
Why would he be willing to do this? Because he loved God and knew how important it was to share the gospel with people no matter what the outcome would be. Stephen understood the power in the great commission (Matthew 28:29) and was not willing to stop for anything. So I leave you with a scenario. Your at church listening to the pastors message, when a man walks in with a gun. He claims he will shoot anybody that says they are a Christian, but will let those that deny God walk out. He has stayed true to his word, three have denied God and walked out, two lie dead. He walks up to you and sticks the gun to your head. What is your answer?

Loving God, Loving Others

Matthew 22:37-40
"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all you soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

It's apparent that from reading this verses that love is the greatest command in the whole Bible. We are first to love God and then love our neighbors (everyone else). The rest of the Bible is based on these two commands. Without loving God we won't have the genuine love that we are supposed to have for other people. Why? Because without seeing how much God loved use, when he sent his perfect son to earth to die for our sins, we will never fully love people who need Jesus Christ in their lives. One way that we can learn to love God more is to remember what he did on the cross for us (read Matthew 27 &28). When we remember what God did for us we will want to tell others about the love he showed for us. In return showing others the love we have for them.