THE WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM WITH SCRIPTURE PROOFS
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. 1 Cor. 10:31; Rom. 11:36; Ps. 73:25-28. Q. 2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him? A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. 2 Tim. 3:16; Eph. 2:20; 1 John 1:3-4. Q. 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach? A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. 2 Tim. 1:13; 2 Tim. 3:16. Q. 4. What is God? A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. John 4:24; Job 11:7-9; Ps. 90:2; Jas. 1:17; Ex. 3:14; Ps. 147:5; Rev. 4:8; 15:4; Ex. 34:6-7. Q. 5. Are there more Gods than one? A. There is but one only, the living and true God. Deut. 6:4; Jer. 10:10. Back to Top Q. 6. How many persons are there in the Godhead? A. There are three persons in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. 1 John 5:7; Matt. 28:19. Q. 7. What are the decrees of God? A. The decrees of God are, his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. Eph. 1:4,11; Rom. 9:22-23. Q. 8. How doth God execute his decrees? A. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence. Ps. 148:8; Isa. 40:26; Dan. 4:35; Acts 4:24-28, Rev. 4:11 Q. 9. What is the work of creation? A. The work of creation is, God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good. Gen. 1; Heb. 11:3. Q. 10. How did God create man? A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. Gen. 1:26-28; Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24. Back to Top Q. 11. What are God’s works of providence? A. God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions. Ps. 145:17; Ps. 104:24; Isa. 28:29; Heb. 1:3; Ps. 103:19; Matt. 10:29-31. Q. 12. What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created? A. When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death. Gal. 3:12; Gen. 2:17. Q. 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created? A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. Gen. 3:6-8, 13; Ecc. 7:29. Q. 14. What is sin? A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. 1 John 3:4. Q. 15. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created? A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. Gen. 3:6, 12. Back to Top Q. 16. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression? A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity; all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. Gen. 2:16-17; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21-22. Q. 17. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind? A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. Rom. 5:12. Q. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? A. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. Rom. 5:12, 19; Rom. 5:10-20; Eph. 2:1-3; Jas. 1:14-15; Matt. 15:19. Q. 19. What is the misery of that estate whereinto man fell? A. All mankind, by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. Gen. 3:8, 10, 24; Eph. 2:2-3; Gal. 3:10; Lam. 3:39; Rom. 6:23; Matt. 25:41, 46. Q. 20. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? A. God having, out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer. Eph. 1:4; Rom. 3:20-22; Gal. 3:21-22. Back to Top Q. 21. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect? A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, for ever. 1 Tim. 2:5-6; John 1:14; Gal. 4:4; Rom. 9:5; Luke 1:35; Col. 2:9; Heb. 7:24-25. Q. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man? A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin. Heb. 2:14, 16; Heb. 10:5; Matt. 26:38; Luke 1:27, 31, 35, 42; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 4:15; Heb. 7:26. Q. 23. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer? A. Christ, as our Redeemer, executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. Acts 3:21-22; Heb. 12:25 with 2 Cor. 13:3; Heb. 5:5-7; Heb. 7:25; Ps. 2:6; Isa. 9:6-7; Matt. 21:5; Ps. 2:8-11. Q. 24. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet? A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. John 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:10-12; John 15:15; John 20:31. Q. 25. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us. Heb. 9:14, 28; Heb. 2:17; Heb. 7:24-25. Back to Top Q. 26. How doth Christ execute the office of a king? A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. Acts 15:14-16; Isa. 33:22; Isa. 32:1-2; 1 Cor. 15:25. Q. 27. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist? A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time. Luke 2:7; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 12:2-3; Isa. 53:2-3; Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46; Phil. 2:8; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Acts 2:24-27, 31. Q. 28. Wherein consisteth Christ’s exaltation? A. Christ’s exaltation consisteth in his rising again from the dead on the third day, in ascending up into heaven, in sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day. 1 Cor. 15:4; Mark 16:19; Eph. 1:20; Acts 1:11; Acts 17:31. Q. 29. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ? A. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us by his Holy Spirit. John 1:11-12; Titus 3:5-6. Q. 30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ? A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling. Eph. 1:13-14; John 6:37, 39; Eph. 2:8; Eph. 3:17; 1 Cor. 1:9. Back to Top Q. 31. What is effectual calling? A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel. 2 Tim. 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Acts 2:37; Acts 26:18; Ezek. 36:26-27; John 6:44-45; Phil. 2:13. Q. 32. What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life? A. They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which, in this life, do either accompany or flow from them. Rom. 8:30; Eph. 1:5; 1 Cor. 1:26, 30. Q. 33. What is justification? A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. Rom. 3:24-25; Rom. 4:6-8; 2 Cor. 5:19, 21; Rom. 5:17-19; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9. Q. 34. What is adoption? A. Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges, of the sons of God. 1 John 3:1; John 1:12; Rom. 8:17. Q. 35. What is sanctification? A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness. 2 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 4:23-24; Rom. 6:4, 6; Rom. 8:1. Back to Top Q. 36. What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification? A. The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. Rom. 5:1-2, 5; Rom. 14:17; Prov. 4:18; 1 John 5:13; 1 Pet. 1:5. Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death? A. The souls of believers are, at their death, made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves until the resurrection. Heb. 12:23; 2 Cor. 5:1, 6, 8; Phil. 1:23; Luke 23:43; 1 Thess. 4:14; Isa. 57:2; Job 19:26-27. Q. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? A. At the resurrection, believers, being raised up to glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity. 1 Cor. 15:43; Matt. 25:23; Matt. 10:32; 1 John 3:2; 1 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 4:17-18. Q. 39. What is the duty which God requireth of man? A. The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will. Mic. 6:8; 1 Sam. 15:22. Q. 40. What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience? A. The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law. Rom. 2:14-15; Rom. 10:5. Back to Top Q. 41. Where is the moral law summarily comprehended? A. The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments. Deut. 10:4; Matt. 19:17. Q. 42. What is the sum of the ten commandments? A. The sum of the ten commandments is, to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor as ourselves. Matt. 22:37-40. Q. 43. What is the preface to the ten commandments? A. The preface to the ten commandments is in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Ex. 20:2. Q. 44. What doth the preface to the ten commandments teach us? A. The preface to the ten commandments teacheth us, that because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments. Luke 1:74-75; 1 Pet. 1:15-19. Q. 45. Which is the first commandment? A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Ex. 20:3. Back to Top Q. 46. What is required in the first commandment? A. The first commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God, and to worship and glorify him accordingly. 1 Chr 28:9; Deut. 26:17; Matt. 4:10; Ps. 29:2. Q. 47. What is forbidden in the first commandment? A. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshipping and glorifying, the true God as God, and our God; and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone. Ps. 14:1; Rom. 1:21; Ps. 81:10-11; Rom. 1:25-26. Q. 48. What are we specially taught by these words, before me,” in the first commandment? A. These words, before me,” in the first commandment teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other God. Ezek. 8:5-18; Ps. 44:20-21. Q. 49. Which is the second commandment? A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Ex. 20:4-6. Q. 50. What is required in the second commandment? A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his Word. Deut. 32:46; Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42. Back to Top Q. 51. What is forbidden in the second commandment? A. The second commandment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in his Word. Deut. 4:15-19; Ex. 32:5, 8; Deut. 12:31-32. Q. 52. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment? A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us, his propriety in us, and the zeal he hath to his own worship. Ps. 95:2-3, 6; Ps. 45:11; Ex. 34:13-14. Q. 53. Which is the third commandment? A. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Ex. 20:7. Q. 54. What is required in the third commandment? A. The third commandment requireth the holy and reverent use of God’s names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works. Matt. 6:9; Deut. 28:58; Ps. 68:4; Rev. 15:3-4; Mal. 1:11, 14; Ps. 138:1-2; Job 36:24. Q. 55. What is forbidden in the third commandment? A. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning or abusing of anything whereby God maketh himself known. Mal. 1:6-7, 12; Mal. 2:2; Mal. 3:14. Back to Top Q. 56. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment? A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment. 1 Sam. 2:12, 17, 22, 29; 1 Sam. 3:13; Deut. 28:58-59. Q. 57. Which is the fourth commandment? A. The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it. Ex. 20:8-11. Q. 58. What is required in the fourth commandment? A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself. Deut. 5:12-14. Q. 59. Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath? A. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week, ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath. Gen. 2:2-3; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Acts 20:7. Q. 60. How is the Sabbath to be sanctified? A. The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy. Ex. 20:8, 10; Ex. 16:25-28; Neh. 13:15-19, 21-22; Luke 4:16; Acts 20:7; Ps. 92 title; Isa. 66:23; Matt. 12:1-13. Back to Top Q. 61. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment? A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance, of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations. Ezek. 22:26; Amos 8:5; Mal. 1:13; Acts 20:7, 9; Ezek. 23:38; Jer. 17:24-26; Isa. 58:13. Q. 62. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment? A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, God’s allowing us six days of the week for our own employments, his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the Sabbath day. Ex. 20:9, 11. Q. 63. Which is the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Ex. 20:12. Q. 64. What is required in the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals. Eph. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:17; Rom. 12:10. Q. 65. What is forbidden in the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, or doing anything against, the honor and duty which belongeth to every one in their several places and relations. Matt. 15:4-6; Ezek. 34:2-4; Rom. 13:8. Back to Top Q. 66. What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment? A. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is, a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve for God’s glory, and their own good) to all such as keep this commandment. Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:2-3. Q. 67. Which is the sixth commandment? A. The sixth commandment is, Thou shalt not kill. Ex. 20:13. Q. 68. What is required in the sixth commandment? A. The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavours to preserve our own life, and the life of others. Eph. 5:28-29; 1 Kings 18:4. Q. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth commandment? A. The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto. Acts 16:28; Gen. 9:6. Q. 70. What is the seventh commandment? A. The seventh commandment is, Thou shalt not commit adultery. Ex. 20:14. Back to Top Q. 71. What is required in the seventh commandment? A. The seventh commandment requireth the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behaviour. 1 Cor. 7:2-3, 5, 34, 36; Col. 4:6; 1 Pet. 3:2. Q. 72. What is forbidden in the seventh commandment? A. The seventh commandment forbiddeth all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions. Matt. 15:19; Matt. 5:28; Eph. 5:3-4. Q. 73. Which is the eighth commandment? A. The eighth commandment is, Thou shalt not steal. Ex. 20:15. Q. 74. What is required in the eighth commandment? A. The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others. Gen. 30:30; 1 Tim. 5:8; Lev. 25:35; Deut. 22:1-5; Ex. 23:4-5; Gen. 47:14, 20. Q. 75. What is forbidden in the eighth commandment? A. The eighth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever doth, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbor’s, wealth, or outward estate. Prov. 21:17; Prov. 23:20-21; Prov. 28:19; Eph. 4:28. Back to Top Q. 76. Which is the ninth commandment? A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Ex. 20:16. Q. 77. What is required in the ninth commandment? A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing. Zech. 8:16; 3 John 1:12; Prov. 14:5, 25. Q. 78. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment? A. The ninth commandment forbiddeth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth,or injurious to our own or our neighbor’s good name. 1 Sam. 17:28; Lev. 19:16; Ps. 15:3. Q. 79. Which is the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. Ex. 20:17. Q. 80. What is required in the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbor, and all that is his. Heb. 13:5; 1 Tim. 6:6; Job 31:29; Rom. 12:15; 1 Tim. 1:5; 1 Cor. 13:4-7. Back to Top Q. 81. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his. 1 Kings 21:4; Esther 5:13; 1 Cor. 10:10; Gal. 5:26; Jas. 3:14, 16; Rom. 7:7-8; Rom. 13:9; Deut. 5:21. Q. 82. Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? A. No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed. Ecc. 7:20; 1 John 1:8, 10; Gal. 5:17; Gen. 6:5; Gen. 8:21; Rom. 3:9-21; Jas. 3:2-13. Q. 83. Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? A. Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. Ezek. 8:6, 13, 15; 1 John 5:16; Ps. 78:17, 32, 56. Q. 84. What doth every sin deserve? A. Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come. Eph. 5:6; Gal. 3:10; Lam. 3:39; Matt. 25:41. Q. 85. What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin? A. To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption. Acts 20:21; Prov. 2:1-5; Prov. 8:33-36; Isa. 55:3. Back to Top Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ? A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel. Heb. 10:39; John 1:12; Isa. 26:3-4; Phil. 3:9; Gal. 2:16. Q. 87. What is repentance unto life? A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience. Acts 11:18; Acts 2:37-38; Joel 2:12; Jer. 3:22; Jer. 31:18-19; Ezek. 36:31; 2 Cor. 7:11; Isa. 1:16-17. Q. 88. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption? A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially the Word, Sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:42, 46-47. Q. 89. How is the Word made effectual to salvation? A. The Spirit of God maketh the reading, but especially the preaching, of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation. Neh. 8:8; 1 Cor. 14:24-25; Acts 26:18; Ps. 19:8; Acts 20:32; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Rom. 10:13-17; Rom. 1:16. Q. 90. How is the Word to be read and heard, that it may become effectual to salvation? A. That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation, and prayer; receive it with faith and love, lay it up in our hearts, and practice it in our lives. Prov. 8:34; 1 Pet. 2:1-2; Ps. 119:18; Heb. 4:2; 2 Thess. 2:10; Ps. 119:11; Luke 8:15; Jas. 1:25. Back to Top Q. 91. How do the Sacraments become effectual means of salvation? A. The Sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them, or in him that doth administer them; but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of his Spirit in them that by faith receive them. 1 Pet. 3:21; Matt. 3:11; 1 Cor. 3:6-7; 1 Cor. 12:13. Q. 92. What is a Sacrament? A. A Sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ and the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied to believers. Gen. 17:7, 10; Ex. 12; 1 Cor. 11:23, 26. Q. 93. Which are the Sacraments of the New Testament? A. The Sacraments of the New Testament are Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Matt. 28:19; Matt. 26:26-28. Q. 94. What is Baptism? A. Baptism is a Sacrament, wherein the washing with water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord’s. Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4; Gal. 3:27. Q. 95. To whom is Baptism to be administered? A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible Church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; but the infants of such as are members of the visible Church are to be baptized. Acts 8:36-37; Acts 2:38-39; Gen. 17:10 with Col. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 7:14. Back to Top Q. 96. What is the Lord’s Supper? A. The Lord’s Supper is a Sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ’s appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 1 Cor. 10:16. Q. 97. What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord’s Supper? A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord’s Supper, that they examine themselves, of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves. 1 Cor. 11:28-29; 2 Cor. 13:5; 1 Cor. 11:31; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 1 Cor. 5:7-8. Q. 98. What is prayer? A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies. Ps. 62:8; 1 John 5:14; John 16:23; Ps. 32:5-6; Dan. 9:4; Phil. 4:6. Q. 99. What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer? A. The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer, but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called, The Lord’s Prayer. 1 John 5:14; Matt. 6:9-13 with Luke 11:2-4. Q. 100. What doth the preface of the Lord’s Prayer teach us? A. The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, Our Father which art in heaven,” teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others. Matt. 6:9; Rom. 8:15; Luke 11:13; Acts 12:5; 1 Tim. 2:1-2. Back to Top Q. 101. What do we pray for in the first petition? A. In the first petition, which is, Hallowed be thy name,” we pray, that God would enable us, and others, to glorify him in all that whereby he makethhimself known, and that he would dispose all things to his own glory. Matt. 6:9; Ps. 67:2-3; Ps. 83. Q. 102. What do we pray for in the second petition? A. In the second petition, which is, Thy kingdom come,” we pray, that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened. Matt. 6:10; Ps. 68:1, 18; Rev. 12:10-11; 2 Thess. 3:1; Rom. 10:1; John 17:9,20; Rev. 22:20. Q. 103. What do we pray for in the third petition? A. In the third petition, which is, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven,” we pray, that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven. Matt. 6:10; Ps. 67; Ps. 119:36; Matt. 26:39; 2 Sam. 15:25; Job. 1:21; Ps. 103:20-21. Q. 104. What do we pray for in the fourth petition? A. In the fourth petition, which is, Give us this day our daily bread,” we pray, that of God’s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them. Matt. 6:11; Prov. 30:8-9; Gen. 28:20; 1 Tim. 4:4-5. Q. 105. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? A. In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” we pray, that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are the rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others. Matt. 6:12; Ps. 51:1-2, 7, 9; Dan. 9:17-19; Luke 11:4; Matt. 18:35. Q. 106. What do we pray for in the sixth petition? A. In the sixth petition, which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we pray, that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted. Matt. 6:12; Matt. 26:41; 2 Cor. 12:7-8. Q. 107. What doth the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer teach us? A. The conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen,” teacheth us to take our encouragement in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise him, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to him; and in testimony of our desire and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen. Matt. 6:13; Dan. 9:4-9, 16-19; 1 Chr 29:10-13; 1 Cor. 14:16; Rev. 22:20-21.
--FAVORITE QUOTES & Insights--
The 8 Basic Human Needs
Relatedness- Transcendence- Rootedness- Sense of Identity-
Frame of Orientation- Excitation & Stimulation- Unity- Effectiveness
1) Relatedness- our relationships with others, care, respect, knowledge, productive love
Relatedness- a particular manner of connectedness
2) Transcendence- our ability to rise above, remain creative, and care about our creations
Transcendence- the state of excelling or surpassing or going beyond usual limits; the state of being or existence above and beyond the limits of material experience
3) Rootedness- our need to be affiliated, established, and feel at home again in the world
Rootedness- the quality or state of having roots, especially of being firmly established, settled, or entrenched
4) Sense of Identity- our drive to conform to a group and be individually productive and unique
5) Frame of Orientation- our understanding of the world and our place in it and is it stable and consistent
6) Excitation and Stimulation- our actively striving for a goal rather than simply responding
7) Unity- our sense of oneness between ourselves and the human world outside us
8) Effectiveness- our need to feel accomplished
Stages of Spiritual Development
M.Scott Peck-Further Along the Road Less Traveled
Stage One- Chaotic/Antisocial- stage of lawlessness, absent of spirituality
They have a superficial belief system and are essentially unprincipled
Stage Two- Formal/Institutional- stage of rigorous adherance to the letter of the law and attachment to the forms of religion
They are religious and often fundamentalists
Stage Three- Skeptic/Individual- stage of principled behavior, but characterized by religious doubt or disinterest, albeit accompanied by other life areas inquisitiveness
They are usually scientific-minded, rational, moral, and humane. Their outlook is predominately materialistic.
Stage Four- Mystical/Communal- stage which your state is one of the spirit of the law
They are rational but do not make a fetish of rationalism. They doubt their own doubts; feel connected to an unseen order of things, although they cannot define it; and are comfortable with the mystery of the sacred.
our greatest privilege in life is to learn to be a person that God will rest upon.
The indwelling presence of the holy spirit is to make us produce fruit.
The infilling power of the holy spirit is for ministry.
--Bill johnson in hosting his presence
the Holy Spirit is in (EIS in Greek) us for our fruitfulness. He is upon (EPI in GREEK) us for our giftedness to others.
He INDWELLS us for our spirits to thrive and be fruitful,
but he onpours (Epi's) us with gifts to overpour them upon others.
-- myself
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
-C. S. Lewis
Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds.
-Albert Einstein
“Our presuppositions shape our perspective, our perspective shapes our priorities, and our priorities shape our practice.”
– Dr. Kenneth Boa
To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; To seek Him, the greatest adventure; To find him, the greatest human achievement.
--Augustine
"Whatever fascinates us will guide us, so I pray that the only thing that'll fascinate me is God and His marvelous glory." - A.Z. Tozer
“When the Holy Spirit touches our spirit through others' spirits, we receive edification.
What comes out of the spirit ignites us as soon as we touch it.”
-- Watchman Nee, The Release of the Spirit
"If you want to coach people through change, don't rely on facts, fear, or force." "What is most effective in bringing change?" ....relate, repeat, reframe..."Good coaches need to relate to their clients in ways that build emotional relationships, sustain hope, and inspire." Repetition- "Change doesn't involve just 'selling': it requires 'training.'" Reframe- ..."they need to see their current situations in a fresh way." "New hope, new skills, new thinking"
-- Christian Coaching by Dr. Gary Collins
Each of us holds unique heart languages. These are the activities, symbols, or even objects in which we find special pleasure and delight. Our words and ideas become incarnate when they are delivered in the heart language of another.
-- The Revolutionary Communicator
“It is not so much the example of others we imitate as the reflection of ourselves in their eyes and the echo of ourselves in their words.”
--Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) Philosopher
Wherever you fix your eyes upon grows within you. Whatever grows within me, I become.
Emotions are byproducts of pictures. Change your picture, change your emotions.
The pictures you hold can guide your emotions.
-- Dr. Mark Virkler
What comes into our minds when we think about God, is the most important thing about us.
A.W. Tozer
“Change happens not just by giving the mind new arguments but also
by feeding the imagination new beauties.”
-Tim Keller
A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening. -Soren Kierkegaard
You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him. - A.W. Tozer
A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening. -Soren Kierkegaard
Our prayers speak the loudest when we affirm how the Holy Spirit is telling us to communicate them.- It is about stilling our spirit, soul, and body (Be still and know that I am God)- focusing undistracted in vision to the author and perfector of our faith (Heb 12:2), moving spontaneously with the fluidity of His living waters (John 7:38), and capturing in journaling, art, intuition, imagination, etc. (all right brain functions) (Hab 2:1-2) what it is He is conceiving, incubating, and birthing within us- groanings included (Rom 8:26).
"Leadership has less to do with position than it does with disposition." John Maxwell
Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Mary was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old & Lazarus was dead. Now what's YOUR excuse? Can God use you?
"All law implicitly involves morality; the popular idea that 'you can't legislate morality' is a myth. Morality is legislated every day from the vantage point of one value system or another. The question is not whether we will legislate morality, but whose morality we will legislate."
-Chuck Colson, 1931-2012
Emotions and Actions are a result of your Beliefs. - Dr Vince Rizzo
The heart cannot exalt what the mind rejects.
Ideas touch the mind, stories touch the heart.
Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.
C. S. Lewis
The following quote is from Dr. Mark Virkler in his book How to Walk by the Spirit,
"And how many parents have watched in sorrow as their beautiful Christian teenager "got in with the wrong crowd?" How quickly the shine and openness disappeared from their face, to be replaced with a mask of rebellion, anger, and sin. Soon he was walking, talking, dressing, and acting just like his new friends......"
What is happening in this situation?
Is it simply the effect of... peer pressure and crowd psychology that makes us become like those with whom we associate? I do not believe so.
I believe it is the spiritual dynamic of "transference of spirits."
We have learned that man's spirit is his underlying attitudes, motivations, and character traits.
We have seen how the spirit is manifested in the soul and body of man, through his actions and appearance and demeanor. This spirit can be transferred to another through association and conversation (Proverbs 13:20, 1 Cor. 15:33).
WE need to be so saturated with the Holy Spirit that others receive only Him from us.”
"When we gaze upon the face of God, we not only begin to know Him, but we begin to know ourselves." - Del Tackett
The state of mind which enables a man to do work of this kind is akin to that of the religious worshiper or the lover; the daily effort comes from no deliberate intention or program, but straight from the heart. Albert Einstein
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. --C.S. Lewis
The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth:
1. The Law Of Intentionality – Growth doesn’t Just Happen
2. The Law Of Awareness – You Must Know Yourself To Grow Yourself
3. The Law Of The Mirror – You Must See Value In Yourself To Add Value To Yourself
4. The Law Of Reflection – Learning To Pause Allows Growth To Catch Up With You
5. The Law Of Consistency – Motivation Gets Your going – Discipline Keeps You Growing
6. The Law of Environment – Growth Thrives In Conducive Environments
7. The Law Of Design – To Maximize Growth, Develop Strategies
8. The Law Of Pain – Good Management of Bad Experiences Leads to Great Growth
9. The Law Of The Ladder – Character Growth Determines The Height Of Your Personal Growth
10. The Law Of The Rubber Band – Growth Stops When You Lose The Tension Between Where You Are And Where You Could Be
11. The Law Of Tradeoffs – You Have To Give Up To Grow Up
12. The Law Of Curiosity – Growth Is Stimulated By Asking Why?
13. The Law Of Modeling – It’s Hard To Improve When You Have No One Else But Yourself To Follow
14. The Law Of Expansion – Growth Always Increases Your Capacity
15. The Law Of Contribution – Growing Yourself Enables You To Grow Others
SPIRIT DEFINED
Dr. MARK VIRKLER
SPIRIT- the deep, underlying MOTIVATIONS, ATTITUDES, and CHARACTER TRAITS
MOTIVATIONS- the inner needs or desires that cause one to act
ATTITUDE- your position, mental or emotional, toward a thing
CHARACTER TRAITS- the distinctive qualities of a person
TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN US, GOD, AND OTHERS IN REGARD TO THE SPIRIT AS FOUND IN SCRIPTURES FROM BELOW--
The things God does to or for man’s spirit-
Forms it
Stirs it
Revives it
Tries it
Cuts it off
The things we should do to our own spirits--
Rule it
Take heed to it
The thing we should do for other people’s spirits is to refresh them
The thing we should be careful not to do to them is to crush them
Being “cool” in the Bible
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Proverbs 17:27 ESV
7119. qar
cold, excellent
Contracted from an unused root meaning to chill; cool; figuratively, quiet -- cold, excellent (from the margin).
7174b. qarar
qarar: to be cold
Transliteration: qarar
Short Definition: fresh
Definition
to be cold
NASB Translation
keeps its fresh (1), keeps fresh (1).
7119. קַר q̣ar: An adjective meaning cold, cool; even-tempered. Used in a simile, it refers to chilly or cold refreshing water that soothes the soul (Prov. 25:25; Jer. 18:14). Cold water, especially cool spring water, was highly prized in Israel, in the hot ancient Near East.[1]
LOVE
Love Nurturers
1) Proximity
2) Familiarity
3) Similarity
4) Chemistry
5) Staying Power
Models of Love
Intimacy alone=liking
Intimacy + Passion=romantic love
Intimacy + Commitment=companionate love
Intimacy + Passion + Commitment=consummate love
Passion alone=infatuation
Passion + Commitment=fatuous love
Commitment alone=empty love
Love Languages
Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Receiving Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch
Love as Fruit
Joy is love enjoying.
Peace is love resting.
Patience is love waiting.
Kindness is love reacting.
Goodness is love choosing.
Faithfulness is love keeping its word.
Gentleness is love being able to empathize.
Temperance is love being in charge.
Definitions of Biblical Love
Agape- altruistic, selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love
Philos- brotherly fondness, to show warm affection in intimate friendship
Storge- cherishing love between family members
Philostorgos- affectionate brotherly love that shows itself like you are family
Eros- Erotic married consummating romantic sacred covenant-protected love
- portrayed in the Song of Solomon
Philostorgos
A compound form of storge is found in Romans 12:10:
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (ESV)
In this verse, the Greek word translated "love" is philostorgos, putting together philos and storge.
It means "loving dearly, being devoted, being very affectionate, loving in a way characteristic of the relationship between husband and wife, mother and child, father and son, etc."
Agape Love
Love is long-tempered (forbearing, have patience, suffer long), is kind (gentle, full of service to others); love is not envious (jealous of); love is not braggart, is not puffed up (inflate by blowing, egotistical blowing arrogant thoughts), acts not unseemly (unbecomingly, lacking proper form); seeks not the things of its own, is not easily provoked (cut close alongside, irritated, sharpened, incited), it keeps no reckoning (take into account, reason to a logical conclusion) of bad (kaka- foulness, inner malice). It rejoices not at injustice (unrighteousness), but rejoices with the truth.
It covers (places under) all things, believes all things, hopes for all things, endures (bears up under) all things.
-- 1 Corinthians 13 LET (my own Literal Emphasis Translation)
Couples Love Building
CHAIRS- How to respect a husband
Conquest- Appreciate his desire to work and achieve
Heirarchy- Appreciate his desire to protect and provide
Authority- Appreciate his desire to serve and to lead
Insight- Appreciate his desire to analyze and counsel
Relationship- Appreciate his desire for shoulder to shoulder friendship
Sexuality- Appreciate his desire for sexual intimacy
COUPLE- How to love a wife
Closeness- she wants you to be close
Openness- she wants you to open up to her
Understanding- don’t try to fix her just listen
Peacemaking- she wants you to say- I’m sorry
Loyalty- she needs to know you’re committed
Esteem- she wants you to honor and cherish her
If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things. - Albert Einstein
To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.
Four boxes keep us free: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. --C.S. Lewis
Every heart is a furnace, Your Word is the fuel and the Spirit the flame.
--Misty Edwards
Heavenly Father,
we call upon you this in our hour of need for You are the shepherd that shall guide the wanderer through the desert You are the light that shall be his beacon in the darkness and Yours is the mighty sword that shall strike down his enemies for he is on the path of righteousness. Amen. - The Lone Ranger movie
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen
Don't let someone dim your light, simply because it's shining in their eyes.
“The yearning to know what cannot be known, to comprehend the incomprehensible, to touch and taste the unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man. Deep calleth unto deep, and though polluted and landlocked by the mighty disaster theologians call the Fall, the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its source.”
― A.W. Tozer
“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” - Joel A. Barker
Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.
-- Billy Graham
"There are two kinds of revolutionists, as of most things- a good kind and a bad. The bad revolutionists destroy conventions by appealing to fads- fashions that are newer than conventions. The good do it by appealing to facts that are older than conventions." -- G.K. Chesterton
Without a doubt, there comes to many of us the choice between a life of contraction or one of expansion; a life of small dimensions or one of widening horizons, larger visions and plans. -- John R. Mott, Nobel Peace Prize winner and missionary statesman
The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. -- Peggy O'Mara
1. A great leader determines a path to greatness.
2. A great leader chooses goals that can be obtained.
3. A great leader believes in his or her followers.
4. A great leader knows to accept blame and pass along honor.
5. A great leader knows that the company’s true assets are the people who work for it.
6. A great leader motivates – usually by example.
7. A great leader leads the way – and asks others to follow.
"Most teachers waste their time by asking questions that are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning is to discover what the pupil does know or is capable of knowing." -Albert Einstein
"Revival is not an event. It’s an environment. It’s a culture. It’s a whole bunch of people living in the fullness of who they’re supposed to be, and the impact of that causes a restoration." -- Graham Cooke
"Religion is about bad people becoming good. Christianity is about dead people becoming alive." - David Nasser
Commandments show us how to live. Statutes show us how to think. Testimonies show us what to expect. --Bill Johnson
"Faith is relational; it works by love. It begins and ends in our relationship with Jesus. Our part is to pay attention to His nature. Prophetic ministry speaks of what God is authoring in each of us. We are the echo of God - we speak the same language from the same heart." -Graham Cooke
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
~Steve Jobs~
"The key to tolerance is not silencing people but valuing individuality. If we value someone's individuality, we tolerate their ideas as an expression of the person's individuality. To silence a person would be to negate their individuality and thus destroy the underlying reason for tolerance to begin with. You can completely reject a person's idea, object, argue against and even denigrate without rejecting them. We can say a person is wrong, and they can be wrong, and if they accept our ideas they can be become better versions of themselves. But if we silence them because we reject their idea, and if they change what they say because they have to, then they have no selves at all, and in the end, neither do we, because we don't believe anything because we have personally come to accept it, but because we are told that it is right, and we blindly accept what we are told. The Bully nature of the mob wins at the expense of its individual members."
-Daniel Wanless, college professor
I believe, therefore I will know...eventually. -- Blaise Pascal
“To fall in love truly is to fall in love not only with the person as they are, but also with the person you know that God is making, that God is turning them into,” “In other words, you get glimpses of future greatness [even though] you know the person is very flawed. Yet, you get excited about their future self as well as who they are now and you say ‘I want to be a part of getting you there.’” -- Tim Keller
"If you curl up you will die, but if you help others then you heal."
-- Joplin, Missouri tornado victim that lost everything
You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.
- Winston Churchill
“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”
WHO JESUS IS?''
* To the artist, He is Altogether Lovely.
* To the astronomer, He is the Sun of righteousness and the Bright and Morning Star.
* To the baker, He is the Living Bread.
......* To the biologist, He is the Life.
* To the builder, He is the Sure Foundation.
* To the carpenter, He is the Door.
* To the doctor, He is the great Physician.
* To the editor, He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.
* To the educator, He is the Great Teacher.
* To the engineer, He is the New and Living Way.
* To the farmer, He is the Sower, the True Vine, and the Lord of Harvest.
* To the florist, He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.
* To the geologist, He is the Rock of Ages.
* To the hopeless, He is Our Hope.
* To the juror, He is the Faithful and True Witness.
To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; To seek Him, the greatest adventure; To find him, the greatest human achievement.
--Augustine
"Whatever fascinates us will guide us, so I pray that the only thing that'll fascinate me is God and His marvelous glory." - A.Z. Tozer
“When the Holy Spirit touches our spirit through others' spirits, we receive edification.
What comes out of the spirit ignites us as soon as we touch it.”
-- Watchman Nee, The Release of the Spirit
"If you want to coach people through change, don't rely on facts, fear, or force." "What is most effective in bringing change?" ....relate, repeat, reframe..."Good coaches need to relate to their clients in ways that build emotional relationships, sustain hope, and inspire." Repetition- "Change doesn't involve just 'selling': it requires 'training.'" Reframe- ..."they need to see their current situations in a fresh way." "New hope, new skills, new thinking"
-- Christian Coaching by Dr. Gary Collins
Each of us holds unique heart languages. These are the activities, symbols, or even objects in which we find special pleasure and delight. Our words and ideas become incarnate when they are delivered in the heart language of another.
-- The Revolutionary Communicator
“It is not so much the example of others we imitate as the reflection of ourselves in their eyes and the echo of ourselves in their words.”
--Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) Philosopher
Wherever you fix your eyes upon grows within you. Whatever grows within me, I become.
Emotions are byproducts of pictures. Change your picture, change your emotions.
The pictures you hold can guide your emotions.
-- Dr. Mark Virkler
What comes into our minds when we think about God, is the most important thing about us.
A.W. Tozer
“Change happens not just by giving the mind new arguments but also
by feeding the imagination new beauties.”
-Tim Keller
A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening. -Soren Kierkegaard
You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him. - A.W. Tozer
A man prayed, and at first he thought that prayer was talking. But he became more and more quiet until in the end he realized that prayer is listening. -Soren Kierkegaard
Our prayers speak the loudest when we affirm how the Holy Spirit is telling us to communicate them.- It is about stilling our spirit, soul, and body (Be still and know that I am God)- focusing undistracted in vision to the author and perfector of our faith (Heb 12:2), moving spontaneously with the fluidity of His living waters (John 7:38), and capturing in journaling, art, intuition, imagination, etc. (all right brain functions) (Hab 2:1-2) what it is He is conceiving, incubating, and birthing within us- groanings included (Rom 8:26).
"Leadership has less to do with position than it does with disposition." John Maxwell
Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Mary was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sara was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old & Lazarus was dead. Now what's YOUR excuse? Can God use you?
"All law implicitly involves morality; the popular idea that 'you can't legislate morality' is a myth. Morality is legislated every day from the vantage point of one value system or another. The question is not whether we will legislate morality, but whose morality we will legislate."
-Chuck Colson, 1931-2012
Emotions and Actions are a result of your Beliefs. - Dr Vince Rizzo
The heart cannot exalt what the mind rejects.
Ideas touch the mind, stories touch the heart.
Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.
C. S. Lewis
The following quote is from Dr. Mark Virkler in his book How to Walk by the Spirit,
"And how many parents have watched in sorrow as their beautiful Christian teenager "got in with the wrong crowd?" How quickly the shine and openness disappeared from their face, to be replaced with a mask of rebellion, anger, and sin. Soon he was walking, talking, dressing, and acting just like his new friends......"
What is happening in this situation?
Is it simply the effect of... peer pressure and crowd psychology that makes us become like those with whom we associate? I do not believe so.
I believe it is the spiritual dynamic of "transference of spirits."
We have learned that man's spirit is his underlying attitudes, motivations, and character traits.
We have seen how the spirit is manifested in the soul and body of man, through his actions and appearance and demeanor. This spirit can be transferred to another through association and conversation (Proverbs 13:20, 1 Cor. 15:33).
WE need to be so saturated with the Holy Spirit that others receive only Him from us.”
"When we gaze upon the face of God, we not only begin to know Him, but we begin to know ourselves." - Del Tackett
The state of mind which enables a man to do work of this kind is akin to that of the religious worshiper or the lover; the daily effort comes from no deliberate intention or program, but straight from the heart. Albert Einstein
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. --C.S. Lewis
The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth:
1. The Law Of Intentionality – Growth doesn’t Just Happen
2. The Law Of Awareness – You Must Know Yourself To Grow Yourself
3. The Law Of The Mirror – You Must See Value In Yourself To Add Value To Yourself
4. The Law Of Reflection – Learning To Pause Allows Growth To Catch Up With You
5. The Law Of Consistency – Motivation Gets Your going – Discipline Keeps You Growing
6. The Law of Environment – Growth Thrives In Conducive Environments
7. The Law Of Design – To Maximize Growth, Develop Strategies
8. The Law Of Pain – Good Management of Bad Experiences Leads to Great Growth
9. The Law Of The Ladder – Character Growth Determines The Height Of Your Personal Growth
10. The Law Of The Rubber Band – Growth Stops When You Lose The Tension Between Where You Are And Where You Could Be
11. The Law Of Tradeoffs – You Have To Give Up To Grow Up
12. The Law Of Curiosity – Growth Is Stimulated By Asking Why?
13. The Law Of Modeling – It’s Hard To Improve When You Have No One Else But Yourself To Follow
14. The Law Of Expansion – Growth Always Increases Your Capacity
15. The Law Of Contribution – Growing Yourself Enables You To Grow Others
SPIRIT DEFINED
Dr. MARK VIRKLER
SPIRIT- the deep, underlying MOTIVATIONS, ATTITUDES, and CHARACTER TRAITS
MOTIVATIONS- the inner needs or desires that cause one to act
ATTITUDE- your position, mental or emotional, toward a thing
CHARACTER TRAITS- the distinctive qualities of a person
TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN US, GOD, AND OTHERS IN REGARD TO THE SPIRIT AS FOUND IN SCRIPTURES FROM BELOW--
The things God does to or for man’s spirit-
Forms it
Stirs it
Revives it
Tries it
Cuts it off
The things we should do to our own spirits--
Rule it
Take heed to it
The thing we should do for other people’s spirits is to refresh them
The thing we should be careful not to do to them is to crush them
Being “cool” in the Bible
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Proverbs 17:27 ESV
7119. qar
cold, excellent
Contracted from an unused root meaning to chill; cool; figuratively, quiet -- cold, excellent (from the margin).
7174b. qarar
qarar: to be cold
Transliteration: qarar
Short Definition: fresh
Definition
to be cold
NASB Translation
keeps its fresh (1), keeps fresh (1).
7119. קַר q̣ar: An adjective meaning cold, cool; even-tempered. Used in a simile, it refers to chilly or cold refreshing water that soothes the soul (Prov. 25:25; Jer. 18:14). Cold water, especially cool spring water, was highly prized in Israel, in the hot ancient Near East.[1]
LOVE
Love Nurturers
1) Proximity
2) Familiarity
3) Similarity
4) Chemistry
5) Staying Power
Models of Love
Intimacy alone=liking
Intimacy + Passion=romantic love
Intimacy + Commitment=companionate love
Intimacy + Passion + Commitment=consummate love
Passion alone=infatuation
Passion + Commitment=fatuous love
Commitment alone=empty love
Love Languages
Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Receiving Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch
Love as Fruit
Joy is love enjoying.
Peace is love resting.
Patience is love waiting.
Kindness is love reacting.
Goodness is love choosing.
Faithfulness is love keeping its word.
Gentleness is love being able to empathize.
Temperance is love being in charge.
Definitions of Biblical Love
Agape- altruistic, selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love
Philos- brotherly fondness, to show warm affection in intimate friendship
Storge- cherishing love between family members
Philostorgos- affectionate brotherly love that shows itself like you are family
Eros- Erotic married consummating romantic sacred covenant-protected love
- portrayed in the Song of Solomon
Philostorgos
A compound form of storge is found in Romans 12:10:
"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (ESV)
In this verse, the Greek word translated "love" is philostorgos, putting together philos and storge.
It means "loving dearly, being devoted, being very affectionate, loving in a way characteristic of the relationship between husband and wife, mother and child, father and son, etc."
Agape Love
Love is long-tempered (forbearing, have patience, suffer long), is kind (gentle, full of service to others); love is not envious (jealous of); love is not braggart, is not puffed up (inflate by blowing, egotistical blowing arrogant thoughts), acts not unseemly (unbecomingly, lacking proper form); seeks not the things of its own, is not easily provoked (cut close alongside, irritated, sharpened, incited), it keeps no reckoning (take into account, reason to a logical conclusion) of bad (kaka- foulness, inner malice). It rejoices not at injustice (unrighteousness), but rejoices with the truth.
It covers (places under) all things, believes all things, hopes for all things, endures (bears up under) all things.
-- 1 Corinthians 13 LET (my own Literal Emphasis Translation)
Couples Love Building
CHAIRS- How to respect a husband
Conquest- Appreciate his desire to work and achieve
Heirarchy- Appreciate his desire to protect and provide
Authority- Appreciate his desire to serve and to lead
Insight- Appreciate his desire to analyze and counsel
Relationship- Appreciate his desire for shoulder to shoulder friendship
Sexuality- Appreciate his desire for sexual intimacy
COUPLE- How to love a wife
Closeness- she wants you to be close
Openness- she wants you to open up to her
Understanding- don’t try to fix her just listen
Peacemaking- she wants you to say- I’m sorry
Loyalty- she needs to know you’re committed
Esteem- she wants you to honor and cherish her
If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things. - Albert Einstein
To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.
Four boxes keep us free: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. --C.S. Lewis
Every heart is a furnace, Your Word is the fuel and the Spirit the flame.
--Misty Edwards
Heavenly Father,
we call upon you this in our hour of need for You are the shepherd that shall guide the wanderer through the desert You are the light that shall be his beacon in the darkness and Yours is the mighty sword that shall strike down his enemies for he is on the path of righteousness. Amen. - The Lone Ranger movie
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen
Don't let someone dim your light, simply because it's shining in their eyes.
“The yearning to know what cannot be known, to comprehend the incomprehensible, to touch and taste the unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man. Deep calleth unto deep, and though polluted and landlocked by the mighty disaster theologians call the Fall, the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its source.”
― A.W. Tozer
“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” - Joel A. Barker
Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.
-- Billy Graham
"There are two kinds of revolutionists, as of most things- a good kind and a bad. The bad revolutionists destroy conventions by appealing to fads- fashions that are newer than conventions. The good do it by appealing to facts that are older than conventions." -- G.K. Chesterton
Without a doubt, there comes to many of us the choice between a life of contraction or one of expansion; a life of small dimensions or one of widening horizons, larger visions and plans. -- John R. Mott, Nobel Peace Prize winner and missionary statesman
The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice. -- Peggy O'Mara
1. A great leader determines a path to greatness.
2. A great leader chooses goals that can be obtained.
3. A great leader believes in his or her followers.
4. A great leader knows to accept blame and pass along honor.
5. A great leader knows that the company’s true assets are the people who work for it.
6. A great leader motivates – usually by example.
7. A great leader leads the way – and asks others to follow.
"Most teachers waste their time by asking questions that are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning is to discover what the pupil does know or is capable of knowing." -Albert Einstein
"Revival is not an event. It’s an environment. It’s a culture. It’s a whole bunch of people living in the fullness of who they’re supposed to be, and the impact of that causes a restoration." -- Graham Cooke
"Religion is about bad people becoming good. Christianity is about dead people becoming alive." - David Nasser
Commandments show us how to live. Statutes show us how to think. Testimonies show us what to expect. --Bill Johnson
"Faith is relational; it works by love. It begins and ends in our relationship with Jesus. Our part is to pay attention to His nature. Prophetic ministry speaks of what God is authoring in each of us. We are the echo of God - we speak the same language from the same heart." -Graham Cooke
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped by dogma-which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
~Steve Jobs~
"The key to tolerance is not silencing people but valuing individuality. If we value someone's individuality, we tolerate their ideas as an expression of the person's individuality. To silence a person would be to negate their individuality and thus destroy the underlying reason for tolerance to begin with. You can completely reject a person's idea, object, argue against and even denigrate without rejecting them. We can say a person is wrong, and they can be wrong, and if they accept our ideas they can be become better versions of themselves. But if we silence them because we reject their idea, and if they change what they say because they have to, then they have no selves at all, and in the end, neither do we, because we don't believe anything because we have personally come to accept it, but because we are told that it is right, and we blindly accept what we are told. The Bully nature of the mob wins at the expense of its individual members."
-Daniel Wanless, college professor
I believe, therefore I will know...eventually. -- Blaise Pascal
“To fall in love truly is to fall in love not only with the person as they are, but also with the person you know that God is making, that God is turning them into,” “In other words, you get glimpses of future greatness [even though] you know the person is very flawed. Yet, you get excited about their future self as well as who they are now and you say ‘I want to be a part of getting you there.’” -- Tim Keller
"If you curl up you will die, but if you help others then you heal."
-- Joplin, Missouri tornado victim that lost everything
You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.
- Winston Churchill
“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”
WHO JESUS IS?''
* To the artist, He is Altogether Lovely.
* To the astronomer, He is the Sun of righteousness and the Bright and Morning Star.
* To the baker, He is the Living Bread.
......* To the biologist, He is the Life.
* To the builder, He is the Sure Foundation.
* To the carpenter, He is the Door.
* To the doctor, He is the great Physician.
* To the editor, He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.
* To the educator, He is the Great Teacher.
* To the engineer, He is the New and Living Way.
* To the farmer, He is the Sower, the True Vine, and the Lord of Harvest.
* To the florist, He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.
* To the geologist, He is the Rock of Ages.
* To the hopeless, He is Our Hope.
* To the juror, He is the Faithful and True Witness.
I am sure God is an Outdoorsman
by Brady Rex
- In Genesis He hovered and vibrated over the waters
- In Genesis, Adam and Eve hid from Him, showing up even Mossy Oak
- In Genesis He was the first one to kill an animal and make clothes out of it for Adam and Eve
- In Genesis once the serpent deceived Adam and Eve and messed everything up for them, I have to imagine that Adam and Eve had a new appreciation for serpent hunting, no wonder the dinosaurs are extinct
- In Genesis, Jesus provided outdoor education warning of the dangers of the worst tree in the garden
- In Genesis, Noah was given inspiration from God on boat building, maybe some of these whitewater kayak companies should do the same for us bigger-taller guys
- In Genesis, God dropped Noah and the boat off on the mountains.
- In Genesis, God must have honed the skills of Nimrod- known as the "mighty hunter." -- I have to wonder if the whitetail of their day was some kind of devil looking serpent/dinosaur and they would pay big money to go on dino-hunts
- In the tower of Babel, communication got all messed up- just like my GPS taking me on roads that were removed 20 yrs ago
- In the wilderness, God provided cloud by day and fire by night for GPS
- In the wilderness He gave water from a rock, showing that He know best about water filtration in the wild
- In the temple, those priests knew how to have the best BBQ- God ordained professional grillers, no higher chef distinction than that- and yeah they wore a hair hat and front covering as well
- In Psalms 18:16, He is skilled in water rescue even in rough waters
- In Psalms 147:8, He can call the weather perfect every time
- In Psalms 148:7, He must be a deep sea diver
- In Jeremiah 2:13, He knows about getting fresh flowing spring water and avoiding the breaking and stagnation problems of cisterns
- In the OT, it is full of stories of archery, which today is an increasingly popular form of hunting, recreation, and stealth warfare
- In the OT, He keep the boys from getting burnt in even the hottest of fires, now that is a first rate fireman
- In the Gospels He went to a scenic overlook and threw the devil over the cliff (in words of course). It may have been interesting for Jesus after proving Himself, would have walked on air as well or para-glided
- In the Gospels He rock climbed to the top of the Mount of Transfiguration and gave an awesome revelation to His inner circle
- In the Gospels He did a lot of wind sailing on boats in the Sea of Galilee and elsewhere
by Brady Rex
- In Genesis He hovered and vibrated over the waters
- In Genesis, Adam and Eve hid from Him, showing up even Mossy Oak
- In Genesis He was the first one to kill an animal and make clothes out of it for Adam and Eve
- In Genesis once the serpent deceived Adam and Eve and messed everything up for them, I have to imagine that Adam and Eve had a new appreciation for serpent hunting, no wonder the dinosaurs are extinct
- In Genesis, Jesus provided outdoor education warning of the dangers of the worst tree in the garden
- In Genesis, Noah was given inspiration from God on boat building, maybe some of these whitewater kayak companies should do the same for us bigger-taller guys
- In Genesis, God dropped Noah and the boat off on the mountains.
- In Genesis, God must have honed the skills of Nimrod- known as the "mighty hunter." -- I have to wonder if the whitetail of their day was some kind of devil looking serpent/dinosaur and they would pay big money to go on dino-hunts
- In the tower of Babel, communication got all messed up- just like my GPS taking me on roads that were removed 20 yrs ago
- In the wilderness, God provided cloud by day and fire by night for GPS
- In the wilderness He gave water from a rock, showing that He know best about water filtration in the wild
- In the temple, those priests knew how to have the best BBQ- God ordained professional grillers, no higher chef distinction than that- and yeah they wore a hair hat and front covering as well
- In Psalms 18:16, He is skilled in water rescue even in rough waters
- In Psalms 147:8, He can call the weather perfect every time
- In Psalms 148:7, He must be a deep sea diver
- In Jeremiah 2:13, He knows about getting fresh flowing spring water and avoiding the breaking and stagnation problems of cisterns
- In the OT, it is full of stories of archery, which today is an increasingly popular form of hunting, recreation, and stealth warfare
- In the OT, He keep the boys from getting burnt in even the hottest of fires, now that is a first rate fireman
- In the Gospels He went to a scenic overlook and threw the devil over the cliff (in words of course). It may have been interesting for Jesus after proving Himself, would have walked on air as well or para-glided
- In the Gospels He rock climbed to the top of the Mount of Transfiguration and gave an awesome revelation to His inner circle
- In the Gospels He did a lot of wind sailing on boats in the Sea of Galilee and elsewhere