Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith

Hebrews 11. Everyone really needs to read this incredible chapter!
Hebrews 11 is all about faith.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith "now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

The rest of the chapter talks mainly about people that have great faith, like Moses and David.

V. 6 really stuck out to me.
It talked about how if you don't have faith, you cannot please God.
It goes on to say that to draw near to God you must first believe He exists (obviously),
Then you must believe he rewards those who seek him.

Faith is really important and essential to be a Christian. Brother Lawerence in practicing te prescence of God says that faith is sufficient to bring us to a state of almost near perfection in Jesus.

One time I was going to Harris Teeter to pray with people with my friend Drew Podrebarac. I asked him what kind of stuff God would do, and he answered me with "the results will be as big a your faith." God wants to do super amazing things in our life, but He first wants us to believe in Him.
That's what I got from Hebrews 11, I know you guys will get tons from te LORD also so please comment it below.

Hebrews 8

Hebrews 8 today. Hebrews 8 is about how the Old Testament traditions were replaced with the New Covenant which is salvation by believing in Jesus. It also talks about how Jesus didn't get rid of the old covenant, he fulfilled it.
That's what I got out of Hebrews 8. Try to comment whatever you learn.

Hebrews 7

Sorry I don't have time to write much now. I'm at school. Try to read Hebrews 7. It's pretty confusing

Hebrews 6

Today is Hebrews 6!

These verses really stuck out to me

 11Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.12Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.

The last chapter of Hebrews talked about how the Hebrews were like babies in their faith with God and could not have anything but milk because they were immature and spiritually dull. Verse 11 tells us what to do to not become spiritually dull. It says that as long as we keep on loving others we won't become dull. This makes sense, because when your hanging out with people you love, life doesn't get boring. That means that if you keep on loving God, you will never become Spiritually bored/indifferent/dull.

I'm praying you guys get a lot out of Hebrews 6. Make sure to comment what you learn. see ya Sunday!

Hebrews 5

Today is Hebrews 5!
Hebrews 5 is a good chapter, but it talks about some heavy stuff. The writer is telling the Hebrews bout Jesus, but he has to stop because the Hebrews are not mature enough in their walk with Christ to listen to him. He then writes that by now they should have been teaching others about Jesus, but they still don't even know the basic principles of following Him.

These verses stuck out to me:

11There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 

This description includes me and most people I know, because I've been a Christian 12 years and I have barely grown closer to God. Luckily Hebrews 5 also adresses what to do about this.

4Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Christians need to train themselves in God's Word by reading it and applying it to our lives. Then we will know what the right and wrong things to do are, and we can grow in our faith.

Hebrews 4

Hebrews 4 today!

The first thing I noticed when reading Hebrews 4 was verse 7.

Verse 7 is the third time, so far in Hebrews, that it says 

"Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts."

The Bible only repeats things that are really important. Make sure that in your day today you listen to God. I'm praying that He speaks to all of us today.

Verse 1
God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.

Christians really need to remember that people that are not saved, are going to hell. That's a hard truth, but it's far better to tell people that in hope of saving them, then to not tell them and let them parish. All of us have non-Christian friends, make sure that as long as God allows you to have a witness on them you minister to them.

There  is way more than that in Hebrews 4 but that's all I got time to write about for now.

Hebrews 3

Hebrews 3 is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible, because it speaks so directly into my life. 

Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” (Hebrews 3:15 NLT)
V. 15 says WHEN you hear God's voice. God speaks into all of our lives everyday in big and small ways. He tells us how to live all out and serve Him. Usually when God tells me this stuff though, I turn a dead ear an don't listen. This verse lets me know it is wrong to ignore the voice of God. 

Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12 NLT)

V. 12 it was weird for me to think that your heart can try to keep you away from God. This verse definitely hit home to me because I know the desires of my heart are more often than not, not the things of God, I need to ask God to create a clean heart in me that's not full of sinful passions. 

The last verse that stuck out to me was v. 13
You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. (Hebrews 3:13 NLT)
It's really hard to follow God. You definitely need someone in your life to keep you legit in your walk with God. God's put lots of these people in my life like my dad, Conrad and Drew. I really need people warning me cuz I get off track faster than a 
Twinkie at a weight watchers convention. Well that's all for now. See ya at the BS chick Fil a 6:30

Hebrews 2

It's Hebrews 2 Today! Hebrews 2 is a really great chapter. The first 5 verses of Hebrews 2 talk about paying close attention to the Bible so that we will not fall away from its teachings. The rest of the verses talk about Jesus as the founder of our salvation and how He conquered death.
verse 18 stuck out the most to me.
Hebrews 2:18 (ESV) For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Whenever I've been, through hard times in my life, Jesus has always used them to help me grow in my relationship with Him, and to help minister to others going through the same stuff. It's pretty cool to think Jesus has been through the same sort of stuff we have, so He understands what we're going through.
I'm praying you guys get a lot out of Hebrews 2 cuz I know I did. See yall Wednesday.

Hebrews 1

Today the Bible reading is Hebrews 1. After you read feel free to comment whatever you learned.
To me, Hebrews 1 seemed to be about proving Jesus' validity as the Messiah, which is something the Hebrews struggled with, by showing Jesus is greater than angels. The writer ( who is unknown ) uses lots of old Old Testament verses, to prove this. This website tells what those are http://myredeemer.org/foundation/hebrews/one.shtml .

For anyone who is interested, we are going to try and meet at chick fil a in Wesley Chapel,Wednesday around 6:30 to talk about Hebrews 1-3.

Starting Back Up

Hey everybody, a lot of people have been asking that we put the blog back up, so we are planning on giving it a shot on the book of Hebrews starting Monday, November 18. All you gotta do is read the chapter for that day, then comment "done" to show that you did it. Also when God teaches you something from the chapter, or you have a prayer/praise reqest, feel free to comment on this blog to discus/share it. If you want to be a part of this let me know at church or at n8singleton@yahoo.com , so I will know whether or not to do this blog. God bless you all!

Hey guys, just gonna post this early, but the verse of the day, (as of Thursday), is Isaiah 1:16-17.

"Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:16, 17 NIV)" 

To me, this means that we need to get rid of our sins, then do what Jesus would do. Defend the weak, stand for the people that need guideance that you get from growing up with your family during your childhood, and seek for freedom for those who have been abandoned by love ones or left on the streets. Then show them the reason why you cared for them and tell them about God.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Verse For Today

This is the verse I found yesterday while reading my quiet time.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all you ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:56

This verse is really powerful to me because whenever I lean on what I think is best or go my way I fail, but if I put my trust in God, my complete trust, He will show me the way I need me to go  and help me to succeed for His kingdom.

Remember to also comment any ideas you have for the prayer ministry on Sunday.

Have a God-blessed day and see you guys Sunday!

Serving

Hey guys here is my verse that I picked for today:

Mark 10:44-45

New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This verse reminds me that we should serve more often. Because it says "for even the son of man did not come to be served, bet to serve"

My point is if God wants to serve I think we can serve with no problem.  

Hey guys so I found a verse in Timothy and I really liked it and I feel like it represents the youth.

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 

I like this because its saying  even though we are young we can still set and example to the

ones who look up at us or who are lost. When I read this I immediately thought of Drew and

 how he is such a great example to me and all the youth also he is doing so much to give 

back and help people who are lost.  So that is why I liked that verse.

:)

IDeas

Hey guys sorry this is sooo late. Mason had a golf match today so he can't blog right now. Anyways I'm just putting something up for you guys to comment on. If you are looking for somewhere in the Bible to read try Proverbs. Drew, Brian and I are doing Drew's Proverbs challenge where you pick a verse and try to do it for thee day. I did v. 8 and 10 today and it went well. ANyways feel free to comment your ideas for Sunday below.

Sodom and Gommorrah (Part 1)

Hello everyone! Today is Friday and we are talking about Sodom and Gomorrah.

I want you to read Genesis Chapter 18 and 19. These two chapters both talk about what Sodom and Gomorrah was and why it had to be destroyed. A little background; Lot was moving about with Abraham but they fought and Lot left to Sodom and Gomorrah. Now two chapters is a lot for some of you and so what I'm going to do is hold my questions until after school so you have to read them. Until then I want you to think about how this relates to you life. Now I'm not saying you commit the same sin as Sodom and Gomorra but think about it, if you went to a city where everyone sinned, would you eventually do the same?

Abraham and Isaac

Hey Impact Students! Today the blog is about Abraham being told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. If your doing this on phone or computer, here is a link to the Scripture.
https://www.youversion.com/bible/59/gen.22.esv
Once you read this please write what the LORD reveals to you in the comments.
Here are some discussion questions for this chapter.
Has God ever tested your faith? How?
Personaly, God has tested my faith many times and unlike Abraham I haven't always passed. Sometimes I feel the Holy Spirit nudging me to witnesss and I say, "That's not God, Its just my emotions" when I know that it really is God. However, sometimes I do witness for God and the LORD blesses those times.
What did the story of Abraham and Isaac teach you about God and yourself?
This story taught me that God rewards great faith in Him.
How has God been gracious to you?
One small example is when I got a bad sickness He healed me instead of making me endure it.
And the final question:

What's one thing that God might be calling you to sacrifice in your life right now?

This is a really big question for me, because I know God wants me to give up tv, and video games so I can spend my time with Him and doing useful stuff. Unless you've given your life completely to GOd there is something you should give up. I challenge you to share what it is so others can help you be accaoutible to give that thing up.

Happy B-Day Taylor Ray born! See you guys Sunday!

Genesis 15:1-6

New International Version (NIV)

The Lord’s Covenant With Abram

15 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

“Do not be afraid, Abram.
    I am your shield,^[a]
    your very great reward.^[b]”

² But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit^[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” ⁵ He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[d] be.”

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 16

New International Version (NIV)

Hagar and Ishmael

16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; ² so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ³ So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ⁴ He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”

⁶ “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

⁷ The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. ⁸ And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

⁹ Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” ¹⁰ The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

¹¹ The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,^[a]
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.
¹² He will be a wild donkey of a man;
    his hand will be against everyone
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward^[b] all his brothers.”

¹³ She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen^[c]the One who sees me.” ¹⁴ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi^[d]; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

Genesis 21:8-21

New International Version (NIV)

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

⁸ The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. ⁹ But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, ¹⁰ and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

¹¹ The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. ¹² But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring^[a] will be reckoned. ¹³ I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she^[b] began to sob.

¹⁷ God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸ Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰ God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. ²¹ While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

.what were and are are the consequences of sarah and abraham disobedience of gods will?

abram wanted a child and he had been trying for years with his wife.then god spoke to him and said “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring^[d] be.”

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.i think abram was not expecting a son in the way god gave one to him. i think he was expecting to have a son with his wife.

Noah and the Flood

In the Bible show we watched on Saturday, they showed the story of Noah and the Ark very quickly, so hopefully this post will give you a better idea of what it was about.

            The reason God allowed the flood to happen is because He saw that the world was corrupted. God warned Noah of this and He told him to build an ark. He said that everything that is not within the ark will die. Noah brought his family with him. God also commanded him to bring 2 of every living thing on the ark, one male and one female. This is one of my favorite Bible stories because I think it’s amazing that Noah built an ark that can fit 2 of every living thing, and it’s also hard to imagine how noisy it would be in there with every animal in it. I also think this story teaches us an important lesson. When God says to do something, you NEED to listen to Him, and you don’t always need to understand why because God always has a reason. If Noah didn’t listen, he would have died with all the others.

Creation Story

Hey Guys! 
So last night at Youth we watched the first episode of The Bible series. So we decided that we would each talk about one of the stories we watched last night here on the blog.

Okay so the first thing we are going to talk about is the creation story. You can find this story in Genesis 1-3.

Genesis 1:

God created the world in seven days:

1st day: The Light and the Darkness. (3) Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 
2nd day: The Sky and the Water. (6) Then God said, "Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the water of the heavens form the waters of the earth." 
3rd day: The Seas and Land. (10) God called the dry ground "land" and the waters "seas." And God saw that it was good. 
4th day: The Sun, Moon, and the Stars. (14) Then God said, "let lights appear in the sky to separate the day form the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. (15) Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth." And that is what happened. (16) God made two great lights-the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 
5th day: The Fish and the Birds. (20) Then God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind." 
6th day: The Animals and the People. (25) God made all sorts of animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then, (27) So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 
Okay I want to stop for a second. Genesis 1:27 says that we were created IN GOD'S IMAGE. That has always stood out to me. We look like God! How cool is that? 
7th day: God Rested. (Genesis 2:2) On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested form all his work. 

And that my friends is how the world was made! :)

Genesis 2:

So no people ruled the land yet, instead springs came up form the ground and watered the land. Then God created the first man, Adam. He created Adam from dust form the ground. (7) The the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person. After God created Adam he put him in the Garden of Eden and told him to take care of the garden. He also told Adam never to eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, if he did he would die. Then God told Adam to name all the animals. 
Then God realized that Adam needed a helper to help him tend for the garden and the animals. So God made Adam fall into a deep sleep. God took out one of Adams ribs and made a women from it. (21) So the Lord God causes the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man's ribs and closes up the opening. (22) Then the Lord God made a women from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

Genesis 3:

This is when sin enters the world.

One day the Serpent came up to Eve and asked her what they could and could not eat in the Garden. She told him that they could eat form any tree except from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. If they did eat from it they would die. The Serpent said that she would not die, she would be like God and know both good and evil if she ate the fruit. (4)"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the women. (5) God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil." So she took the fruit and ate it. She then gave some to Adam, her husband. Once they had both eaten the fruit they were ashamed of their nakedness so they hid and made clothes. 
Soon God came walking in the Garden. God called to them but they did not answer, because they were hiding. When they came out Adam said they were hiding because they were naked. God asked them why they thought they were naked. He then asked them if they had eaten form the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Adam said that it was Eve's fault because she gave the fruit to him and Eve said it was the Serpent's fault because the Serpent tempted her. Hearing this God threw them out of the Garden. Sin had entered the world. With that came pain, sickness, and hardships.

God cursed the Serpent by saying (15) And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” This is talking about when Jesus comes. The Devil will try to over power him, but he will not able to because Jesus will be more powerful.

 (16) Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” This verse is saying that because of Eve's sin there will be pain in child birth and women will always want to be in control of their husband but they will never be able to be.

(17) And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. (18) It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. (19) By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground  from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” This is basically saying that now because of Adam's sin, he would have to work for his food and he would die. 

So that is the creation story! :) Tomorrow Brian is going to be leading us through the story of Noah. Which can be found in Genesis 6-9:17.

If you have anything that stood out to you or if you had any questions please feel free to comment. Thank you so much! :) Have a great day!