THE LIGHT OF THE CHRISTIAN - THE STAR - Matt 2:1-2, 9

A. Many ideas as to what the star was - alignment of planets, super-nova, comet, an angel, supernatural act of God

-Num 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: 

I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
-Jesus identified as the "Bright and Morning Star" and the "Daystar" in scripture

B. The star was the light of God leading the wise men to the savior
-the star moved through the heavens
-the star led the wise men to Jesus
-Mat 2:9

C. The star represents the light of God in the Christian leading people to Christ
-Mat 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
-Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

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Or…maybe there’s a better way to read the Bible…

The Bible can be a bit intimidating to study. Where to begin? How to study? What are the most important parts of it? 

However, with 66 books, written by at least 39 authors over a period of 1,500 years, the Bible is part historical document, part divine revelation, and completely inspiring. This amazing piece of literature is a cornerstone of civilization-and the foundation of our faith.

And most importantly, with a book so long, and so full of valuable information, how can one possibly get through it quickly? In our modern society, we are so busy that even a Bible reading plan is not enough. The point – if reading the Bible is so important and provides peace of mind, hope and strength to millions around the world, then we must find the right tool to help us read it with full understanding!

The Bible is our spiritual bread, and the words contained within are powerful. When spoken aloud, they can move you and let you experience the Bible in a new way. To learn more and experience how to have that everyday-life application of God's Word, attending the Bible Study can help.

Listening to the Bible Studies is an incredible experience. Many people absorb and retain information better when hearing it. It can also save you time studying the Bible on your own.

Have you considered the benefits of Bible Study attendance for you and your child? We take our vows to be faithful members of the church; we vow to be involved in worship, mission, and the life of the Church. Bible Study helps us to grow in our faith, learn God’s will, and be part of the mission of Christ’s church. 

Here are 10 reasons to make it a priority in your family.

1. Proverbs 22 Attending Bible Study helps you develop pleasing faith in God. Without faith it is impossible to please God (see Heb. 11:6). Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (see Rom. 10:17). And faith without works is dead (see James. 2:17). Bible Study is a way for you to hear the Word of God, so you can be encouraged to obey it. 

2. Attending Bible Study, seeing that your children attend, is a faithful response to Christ. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus commands, “Let the little children come to me, do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” Jesus wants our children to come to Him. He commands us not to stop them. Bringing your children to Bible Study is part of fulfilling your obligation as a believing parent… it is a responsibility.” 

3. Attending Bible Study teaches us about our commission, that is, our mission. When we learn God’s word we learn that we are called to respond to God not only with our obedience and love but also in acts of compassion and mercy. “As Christ’s own, we are called to care for the orphan and widow, to fight injustice, to share God’s blessings with others, to be active participants in this world, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ making disciples, and to share the hope we have in Christ. Simply put … we are called to action and everything we do in the name of Jesus Christ is our ministry.” 

4. Attending Bible Study equips us with the faith and courage we need to live in this world. What better assurance can we have but to know that God is always with us and available to guide us when we are uncertain of the right course of action. In God’s word we are assured that we are never alone, need never be anxious about anything, and have eternal life—and all that is available to us right now. How often does the Bible tell us, “Do not be afraid!”? We can live in a world still affected by sin and evil without undue fear when we learn God’s word and have a relationship with Him. 

5. Attending Bible Study sets an example for our children and is a parenting help. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.” Bible study reinforces the values and discipline our parents raised us to embrace. When our children attend Bible study, these values are reinforced by Bible study teachers. So parents, grandparents—set a good example for your children, show them by example what to do—get to Bible study. 

6. Attending Bible Study teaches us about healthy relationships. Not only do we learn that God is actively involved in our lives and in our world, we learn that God wants a personal relationship with each one of us. In the Bible we are taught how to have healthy relationships by reading and learning about the way God interacts with the world and with us. Relationships that are onesided are not healthy and so it is with our relationship with God. God listens to our prayers and petitions willingly but God also longs to speak to our hearts. Every good relationship involves give-and-take, talking and listening, and requires a commitment of time. In Bible school we learn about appropriate ways to express our love to God—we learn to give of ourselves in finance, time, and use of our God-given talents. We learn new and different ways to pray and worship God and we learn that God longs to hear from us and speak words of love, comfort, and instruction to us. 

7. Attending Bible Study teaches us to live in community. God created us to live in community. Bible study is a great way for children to learn to live and work together in a community of faith and also in the world. Scripture, by the Holy Spirit, is alive; it speaks to the issues in our lives and in our world. Being together in Bible study provides each one of us the opportunity to practice living in community together, to be respectful of differing opinions, and to learn to live together in a world of great diversity. In Bible study we are free to ask questions about our faith to help us understand the ways of God and we learn what it means to love God with our whole heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves. 

8. Attending Bible Study is a spiritual discipline. Attending to our spiritual education sets in motion a spiritual habit or discipline that promotes a life-long commitment to developing our relationship with God and neighbor. Attending Bible study is recognition that our faith life is a life-long journey—our Christian education does not end when we are born again. As we mature, so also does our understanding of God and the way He is involved and interested in our life. In Bible study you will receive education appropriate to your life stage and age. 

9. Attending Bible Study helps us to witness to our faith. People are watching. What you do as a Christian, whether you are in church or at work or school, is a reflection on Christianity. When we profess our faith, people are watching to see that we live up to our words. Attending Bible study, no matter our age, is a testimony to God and to our community. It is a message to God that we desire a deeper relationship with God” to “It is a message to God that we desire a deeper relationship with Him. 

10. Attending Bible Study helps us keep our confirmation vows. When we were dedicated to the Lord as children/infants, our parents promised/vowed to be Disciples of Christ. They also committed to raise us in the faith as well. Our parents acknowledged that through belief in Jesus Christ and obedience to His Word, we become part of God’s covenant.

 

"WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!"

Share and use your God-given talent with our Ministry

If you can play:

• Keyboard
• Acoustic Guitar
• Electric Guitar
• Bass Guitar
• Drums
• or have a 'good singing voice'

Please, come to Shekinah Christian Church Dalandanan for audition, on Sunday, October 9, 2016, at 10:30 a.m.(after church service, you may bring your own instrument if you like except for drums & keyboard).

We are located at: Rd.1, Makisig St., Lena Sub., Dalandanan, Valenzuela City

How To Contact: you must visit & "LIKE" our SCMI Dalandanan FBfanpage, post your inquiries thru messenger before the date of audition for us to reach you. Thank You!

Teaching Children to Pray

by Pastor Ann Roda

It's a practical way to apply to your kids if you'll learn to know how!

Are You Curious to Know?

How the World was Changed by Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was not motivated by power or money. She lived a pure, simple life that was marked by her humility. Mother Teresa did not expect thanks or awards for the work she did, it was enough to see smiling children, or to help someone die peacefully and in comfort. She was motivated by her religion and her deep faith - one of her most famous sayings is 'the cry of the children offends God greatly'. Her motto in life was 'Let every action of mine be something beautiful for God'. She had heard God calling her to serve the poor and the needy in 1946 and she followed that calling until her death on 5 September 1997.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Yugoslavia, on August 27, 1910. Her parents were Albanian grocers, and at the time of her birth Skopje lay within the Ottoman Empire. She attended public school in Skopje, and first showed religious interests as a member of a school sodality that focused on foreign missions. By the age of 12 she felt she had a calling to help the poor.

This calling took sharper focus through her teenage years, when she was especially inspired by reports of work being done in India by Yugoslav Jesuit missionaries serving in Bengal. When she was 18 Mother Teresa left home to join a community of Irish nuns, the Sisters of Loretto, who had a mission in Calcutta, India. She received training in Dublin, Ireland, and in Darjeeling, India, taking her first religious vows in 1928 and her final religious vows in 1937.

One of Mother Teresa's first assignments was to teach, and eventually to serve as principal, in a girls' high school in Calcutta. Although the school lay close to the teeming slums, the students were mainly wealthy. In 1946 Mother Teresa experienced what she called a second vocation or "call within a call." She felt an inner urging to leave the convent life and work directly with the poor. In 1948 the Vatican gave her permission to leave the Sisters of Loretto and to start a new work under the guidance of the Archbishop of Calcutta.

Founding the Missionaries of Charity

To prepare to work with the poor, Mother Teresa took an intensive medical training with the American Medical Missionary Sisters in Patna, India. Her first venture in Calcutta was to gather unschooled children from the slums and start to teach them. She quickly attracted both financial support and volunteers, and in 1950 her group, now called the Missionaries of Charity, received official status as a religious community within the Archdiocese of Calcutta. Members took the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, but they added a fourth vow—to give free service to the most abjectly poor. In Mother Teresa's own view, the work of her group was very different from that of secular welfare agencies. She saw her nuns ministering to Jesus, whom they encounter as suffering in the poor, especially those who are dying alone or who are abandoned children.

The Missionaries of Charity began their distinctive work of ministering to the dying in 1952, when they took over a temple in Calcutta that previously had been dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. The sisters working there had, as their main goal, filling with dignity and love the last days of poor people who were dying. The physical conditions of this shelter were not imposing, although they were completely clean; but the emotional atmosphere of love and concern struck most visitors as truly saintly. When the sisters were criticized or disparaged because of the small scale of their work (in the context of India's tens of millions of desperately poor and suffering people), Mother Teresa tended to respond very simply. She considered any governmental help a benefit, but she was content to have her sisters do what they could for specific suffering people, since she regarded each individual as infinitely precious in God's sight.

The Missionaries of Charity received considerable publicity, and Mother Teresa used it rather adroitly to benefit her work. In 1957 they began to work with lepers and slowly expanded their educational work, at one point running nine elementary schools in Calcutta. They also opened a home for orphans and abandoned children. In 1959 they began to expand outside of Calcutta, starting works in other Indian cities. As in Calcutta, their focus was the poorest of the poor: orphans, the dying, and those ostracized by diseases such as leprosy. Before long they had a presence in more than 22 Indian cities, and Mother Teresa had visited such other countries as Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Australia, Tanzania, Venezuela, and Italy to begin foundations. Although in most of these countries the problems of the poor seemed compounded by uncontrolled population growth, the Sisters held strongly negative views on both abortion and contraception. Their overriding conviction was that all lives are precious, and sometimes they seemed to imply that the more human beings there were, the better God's plan was flourishing.

In 1969 Mother Teresa allowed a group called the International Association of Co-Workers of Mother Teresa to affiliate itself with the Missionaries of Charity. This was a sort of "third order, " as Catholics sometimes call basically lay groups that affiliate with religious orders both to help the orders in their work and to participate in their idealistic spirituality. These Co-Workers were drawn to Mother Teresa's work with the very poor, and their constitution specified that they wanted to help serve the poorest of the poor, without regard to caste or creed, in a spirit of prayer and sacrifice.

In appearance Mother Teresa was both tiny (only about five feet tall) and energetic. Her face was quite wrinkled, but her dark eyes commanded attention, radiating an energy and intelligence that shone without expressing nervousness or impatience. Many of her recruits came from people attracted by her own aura of sanctity, and she seemed little changed by the worldwide attention she received. Conservatives within the Catholic Church sometimes used her as a symbol of traditional religious values that they felt lacking in their churches. By popular consensus she was a saint for the times, and a spate of almost adoring books and articles started to canonize her in the 1980s and well into the 1990s. She herself tried to deflect all attention away from what she did to either the works of her group or to the god who was her inspiration. She continued to combine energetic administrative activities with a demanding life of prayer, and if she accepted opportunities to publicize her work they had little of the cult of personality about them.

In the wake of the 1979 Nobel Prize for Peace she received many other international honors, but she sometimes disconcerted humanitarian groups by expressing her horror at abortion or her own preference for prayer rather than politics. When asked what would happen to her group and work after her death, she told people that God would surely provide a successor—a person humbler and more faithful than she. The Missionaries of Charity, who had brothers as well as sisters by the mid-1980s, are guided by the constitution she wrote for them. They have their vivid memories of the love for the poor that created the phenomenon of Mother Teresa in the first place. So the final part of her story will be the lasting impact her memory has on the next generations of missionaries, as well as in the world as a whole.

In August 1996 the world prayed for Mother Teresa's recovery. At the age of 86, Mother Teresa was on a respirator in a hospital, suffering from heart failure and malaria. Doctors were not sure she would recover. Within days she was fully conscious, asked to receive communion, and requested that the doctors send her home. When she was sent home a few weeks later in early September, a doctor said she firmly believed, "God will take care of me."

In late November of that same year, Mother Teresa was again hospitalized. She had angioplasty surgery to clear two blocked arteries. She was also given a mild electric shock to correct an irregular heartbeat. She was released after spending almost a month in the hospital.

In March 1997, after an eight week selection process, 63-year-old Sister Nirmala was named as the new leader of the Missionaries of Charity. Although Mother Teresa had been trying to cut back on her duties for some time (because of her health problems), she stayed on in an advisory role to Sister Nirmala.

In April 1997 filming began on the movie "Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor" with actress Geraldine Chaplin playing the title role. The movie aired in the fall of 1997 on "The Family Channel" even though, after viewing the movie, Mother Teresa refused to endorse it. Mother Teresa celebrated her 87th birthday in August, and died shortly thereafter of a heart attack on September 5, 1997. The world grieved her loss and one mourner noted, "It was Mother herself who poor people respected. When they bury her, we will have lost something that cannot be replaced."

Further Reading on Mother Teresa

A good sampling of Mother Teresa's own ideas was available in her own books, Life in the Spirit (1983); A Simple Path (1995); In My Own Words (1996); and No Greater Love (1997). The books contained reflections, meditations, and prayers that provided a good basis for judging Mother Teresa's spirituality. Of the constantly growing number of biographies and studies, Malcolm Muggeridge's Something Beautiful for God (1984) deserved special mention, because it was one of the first and best publicized treatments. Muggeridge made no effort to conceal his admiration. Other solid, if usually almost overly admiring, treatments included Eileen Egan, Such a Vision of the Street (1985); Desmond Doig, Mother Teresa: Her People and Her Work (1976); Kathryn Spink, The Miracle of Love (1982); Edward Le Joly, Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1983); William Jay Jacobs, Mother Teresa: Helping the Poor (1991); Margaret Holland, Mother Teresa (1992); and Mildred Pond, Mother Teresa (1992).

See also Maclean's (March 24, 1997) and People (June 30, 1997). Information on Mother Teresa may also be accessed on the internet by doing a search of her name (August 20, 1997).

"Are You Curious To Know?"

The 7 "I AM" Statements of JESUS




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The 7 "I AM" Statements of JESUS


In the book of John, showed how he selected these seven miracles specifically for their ability to help us believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and that by believing we might have eternal life.


In addition to these seven miracles John’s gospel contains seven “I am” statements. Their focus is on what happens after we become believers. You can call them part 2 of John’s underlying message to the Church. In this study, we’ll look at these seven “I am” statements to see what they’ll tell us:

1. The Bread Of Life

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

Jesus had recently fed the 5000. Incredibly some were still asking for a miraculous sign to help them believe He was who He claimed to be. They brought up the manna their forefathers had eaten in the wilderness (Exodus 16:13-18), and that established the context for this statement. I believe Jesus was saying the manna was meant to be a model of the Messiah. Whoever partakes of Him will never again know spiritual hunger. Like the manna, every one who seeks Him will find Him (Matt. 7:7-8), but each of us has to find Him for ourselves. No one else can receive Him for us, nor can we receive Him for anyone else. We all get an amount sufficient for our salvation. No one is lacking, none of Him is wasted.

As for our thirst, remember how Jesus told the woman at the well that the water He offered would cure her thirst forever. Pointing to Jacob’s well, before which they were standing, He said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”(John 4:13-14)

And then on the last and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.(John 7:37-39)

The Psalmist wrote, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. (Psalm 42:1) In Jesus our spiritual hunger is satisfied and our spiritual thirst is quenched. Once we have the Holy Spirit, our search for spiritual fulfillment comes to an end, and we never need any other sustenance. The God shaped hole in our heart is finally filled.

2. The Light Of The World

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(John 8:12)

Literally this means that those who join Jesus as one of His followers will not be ignorant of spiritual matters but will have the power of understanding especially of the spiritual truth that brings eternal life. When we take the time to learn and apply these truths in faith we discover that the old adage is true. Whatever the spiritual question, Jesus is the answer.

Are you feeling down trodden or discouraged? Overcome by the worries of life?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
(Phil 4:4-7, 19).

Do you carry a burden of guilt because of your sins?
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).

Do you have money problems?
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38). “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:11)

Or health problems?
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:14-16).

I’ll say it again. Whatever the spiritual question, Jesus is the answer.

3. The Gate

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)
This is a reference to the Kingdom and recalls the words of Psalm 23:2, “He makes me lie down in green pasture.” Salvation is found through Jesus, He is the gate to the Kingdom, and no one can enter except through Him (John 3:3, John 14:6). Having entered through Him we will have the freedom to come and go as we please, dwelling in a state of peace in the midst of plenty. Surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).

4. The Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

(John 10:11)

No one expects sheep to be responsible for themselves. Owners hire shepherds for that purpose. A shepherd’s job is to accept responsibility for the safety and well being of his flock. Most shepherds only take that to the point where it would threaten their personal safety, rightly deciding that their life is worth more than that of a sheep. A few would be willing to risk their lives to protect their sheep, but our Shepherd knowingly and willingly died to save us, because there was no other way.

5. The Resurrection And The Life

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

(John 11:25-26)

This is an amazing statement. The Lord had already said that whoever believes in Him would not perish but would have eternal life (John 3:16). Here he provided more detail, saying that even though a believer experiences physical death, he will still have life. He was referring to the resurrection of those who die in faith. And then He said there would be some would never die, but would pass from this life directly into the next one. If we didn’t already know about the rapture, we wouldn’t see this, but since we do we can understand that He was talking about that one generation who will be alive when He comes for the Church, and will receive eternal life without dying first. And once again the Lord confirmed that the single qualification for eternal life is to believe that His death paid the entire price for our sins.

6. The Way, The Truth, And The Life

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

There is no other way into the presence of God than by accepting the Lord’s death as payment in full for our sins. As Peter said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Jesus is the only remedy God has provided for man’s sin problem. He is the only way to eternal life. This is the truth of God’s Word.

7. The Vine

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

It’s important to understand that salvation is not a fruit bearing event, so in this statement Jesus was talking about our life after we’re saved. Of course a non believer cannot bear fruit, and even after we are saved, believers are not automatically fruitful. But if we yield our life to Him, (Romans 12:1-2) and respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit He sent to guide us (John 14:26) we can bear much fruit.

If not, our lives will be unfruitful, because without Him we can do nothing of spiritual value. We’ll still be saved, but we’ll be of no more use to the work of the Kingdom than the unfruitful branches the gardener discards at pruning time. Paul confirmed this in 1 Cor 3:12-15. The unfruitful believer will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Fruitfulness is not a matter of success or failure from a worldly stand point. It’s a matter of motive. Many of us will see some of our greatest accomplishments burn in the fires of judgment because we achieved them with wrong motives, like self satisfaction, or recognition from others, or even a desire to “make points” with God. Only those things that are prompted by the Holy Spirit and where our only motive is gratitude for all we’ve been given will survive.Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Cor. 4:5)

In summary, let’s put each of these seven “I am” statements in capsule for.

• Statement 1 tells us that Jesus is the One who spiritually sustains us.
• In statement 2 we learn that through Him we gain spiritual understanding and wisdom for living.
• Statement 3 explains that He has given us free and unlimited access to His Kingdom.
• Statement 4 shows how He did this by paying our entrance fee with His life
• In statement 5 we learn that whether we die before the rapture or are taken live in it, He has guaranteed our eternal life with God.
• Statement 6 explains that He is the only one who can do this for us, and
• Statement 7 reveals that for the balance of our life on Earth, the things we do in His strength, out of gratitude for what He’s done for us, are the only things that matter.

These are the seven “I am” statements in John. Like the seven miracles we reviewed earlier, they reveal the Gospel.  But now the message concerns what comes after salvation.  Let's call it part two of the Lord’s message to us. 

SOURCE: https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/the-seven-i-am-statements-in-john/

RELATED TOPIC:
http://y-jesus.com/wwrj/3-is-jesus-god/

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