It's Bristol, Baby!

 



     "It's Bristol, Baby!" This phrase is heard every time the NASCAR circuit arrives in Thunder Valley (Bristol, TN). Why is this phrased used? In order to win a race, a driver has to "wreck" and move over other drivers to have a chance at winning. The Irwin Tools Night Race was this past weekend (August 23, 2014), and eyes were open to how racing at the Bristol Motor Speedway and our walk with Christ are the same. 
     From the 1960s to 2007, the racing groove was on the bottom of the track. From 2007 to 2012, People complained about the "new" Bristol and how it was not the same. Today, people are giving high accolades to the racing relating to the "old" Bristol, but with the racing groove towards the wall. Our walk with Christ is no different than what happened in the redesign of Bristol. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 NIV reads "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!" When we become redesigned and have accepted Christ in our lives, people will hate us. In the 15th chapter of John, Jesus states that if the world hated him that the world would hate us. Our redesign will be hated from our peers in our old life just like Bristol was from 2007-2012. 
     The preferred line at Bristol is the top groove of the racetrack. Drivers will nudge other drivers to the bottom of the racetrack to gain position. In our lives, the top groove is things in our life are going great and our walk with Christ is going strong. In the Christian world, we like to call that the "Mountaintop Experience". Jesus never promised that our cross would not be heavy. In this world, we have an enemy named Satan. Satan's goal is described in  John 10:10a (NIV), "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..." Just like drivers trying to pass another driver by sending them to the bottom, or the valley, Satan will do with our life. Satan will try to get us to backslide and not experience life to the fullest with Christ, but it our job to stand firm because Jesus offers greater than what Satan offers. Satan will remind you of your past failures and guilt, but Jesus is saying to us that the shame and guilt that we are receiving has been covered by His blood poured out for us on Calvary. It is for us to not lose hope and cling to Jesus. 
     Tire fall-off at Bristol is high. That means that the tires lose their grip and speed as a race runs on. If the tires fall off too much before you change them, the tire will go flat. In our lives as Christians, we go to conferences and we get what is called a "spiritual high." After some time, that high goes away, and people live their lives like normal. Christian Conferences are meant to challenge you, and they are meant to make that fire you have for Jesus even bigger or start that fire for God in your life. Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV) says "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty." The world will not change when the people of God lose their fire for Him and His word. 
    At Bristol, everyone feels entitled to their position on the racing surface, and if something goes wrong, they complain. That is just like people in leadership today. We are in an era of "entitlement". Everyone is entitled to everything. Leaders will do anything to self promote and self protect themselves. Jesus should be the standard of leading others. Philippians 2 is a beautiful description of the humility of Christ and why he came to this world. Jesus did not take any titles, but he did take up towels. He sought out every opportunity to serve others. Matthew 20:28 (NIV), "just as the son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." The world will change when us as Christians follow the example and leadership of Jesus. 

CW


*below are some images found on the internet from Bristol

A New Beginning

      

Isaiah 41:10So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
1 John 4:18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 Peter 3:13-14Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?  But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened."
1 Chronicles 28:20David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.

    A new school year is about to begin for many this next week. For me, I still have two more weeks until classes begin. If you are still in High School, press on! It will get better. Going into freshman year of college, many opportunities and things are about to change. Over the past week, I have been overcome with a spirit of depression. Why? Because everything that I once knew will be gone and new friendships and activities will commence. 
     What will change? For me, the community I have built with people within Students will be gone. As everyone goes their different ways, Jesus remains constant. I am grateful that God has placed me with a great group of people to finish high school out with. Over this past summer, I have found two people that I can come clean to and tell all my problems to, and I know that I am being prayed for. 
     Growing up in a Christian school for majority of my life, I was able to have a Bible class everyday. During my high school years, havinIg Bible class replaced my own personal time with God. Over this past summer, I have struggled to dive into the Scripture, but over the past couple weeks, I have begun to dive into the word and do studies of the Word. This summer has been a time of searching. I no longer have someone "holding my hand" to read the Word, and tell me what I should know about God. The most important questions you can ask yourself is "Is what I believe what my parents forced me to believe or is this my own personal belief?" and "Do you believe  what you say believe is really real?" When you go off to college, you will be on your own, and if you do not have a firm standing on your beliefs, the winds of this world will carry you away like the sand. 
     Throughout my high school days, I was not the most active type of person. However, I did run Cross Country for two years and played tennis for 1 year. Even though I played those sports, I only did it for that season. After the season was over, I would go back to being a glutton. I Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) states, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Health and fitness are crucial parts of our everyday life and walk with Christ. Over this summer, I have began to run, hike, and bike at least three days a week. Just recently, a gym membership was purchased. Once I learn some dumbbell and machine workouts, I will begin to use it even more than I have already. A friend told me just recently "We aren't watching our health and fitness more closely to add more years to our life, but add more LIFE to our years." Starting college will mark a new beginning in getting healthier and eating better to be a more effective witness for the sake of Christ.
    A new beginning brings out the fear. Fear has already been defeated by God. (If you are struggling with fear, I suggest you watch this talk called "Fear Must Fall" apart of the Goliath Must Fall series http://www.passioncitychurch.com/watch#PCC-072014-V2 ). There is nothing to fear if you are in Christ. I have nothing to fear about the new beginning, and I can't wait to see what God will do in and through my life.


May blessings and the peace of God be with you!
     

And There I Find You In The Mystery

    I have grown up in church basically all my life. From the Vacation Bible Schools to the Summer Camps, I have done them all. I grew up in a Pentecostal Charismatic (before things get out of hand, they did NOT handle snakes) church. I accepted Christ at the age of seven. As I grew older, I became disgruntled and angry with God, and the "people of God." If you asked someone to pray for you, you would know that they would tell at least five people around them, but in return it would come out as gossip. As I became more involved within the church, Christianity started to become works based. 

  Romans 12:2 (NIV) states, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."  In 2012, I had to leave this particular church. I was at a crossroads of leaving following God completely. By this time in my life, I was addicted to the things of this world. The things this world has to offer only lasts for a short period of time, only leaving you more empty than ever before. I was serving two masters. Matthew 6:24 (ESV) states, "“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." I had no accountability at all. I had stopped pursuing God, BUT GOD was still pursuing me. 

     After leaving the church, I have heard many people talk about this little place called Passion City Church in Atlanta.  I heard many fantastic things about Passion City. I thought I would "check" it out. I had no idea what to expect. The Church to me, at this point, was a place where people came to worship God, and then gossip about other believers. That was not the case. The first time at PCC, I became renewed. I saw the Gospel as Jesus came to bring us to LIFE, and that sin does not make us bad, but makes us DEAD. Instantly, I "fell in love" with what God was doing. He still pursued me, even when I was not pursuing him.     

     I became involved within the student ministry at PCC. I have always been the awkward one. People would not want to be around me because of the way I came off. It has been constant throughout my life. I tried exhaustively to "try to fit in" at church. Before, it felt as if nobody really cared about me and am alone. I truly had no close friends, but that all changed. Now, I have found some friends that accept me as I am. However, there is still something missing,
    

     At Passion City, the big word that comes around is community. Although I now have some friends, I have no community. Let me explain what I mean by that. I have nobody pouring into me spiritually. I am in a spiritual desert. I have no godly men in my life that will spend a couple hours a week or a Saturday investing in me.  I have nobody to dive into the Scriptures with. Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) states, "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." There is nobody sharpening me to follow God and gain intimate knowledge of Him.     

     God is sovereign. He has total power and control over everything. I just have to trust Him with finding community. I believe that He is trying to teach me something without having the community feeling. He works all things out for our good, and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for me in the aspect of community. I have found Him in the mystery, and am constantly seeking and finding Him more throughout the mystery of life.

 *I am trying to be as vulnerable as I can. If you become offended, or have any questions, please feel free to either text or call me. Views expressed by this blog are of those of the writer, this in no way, shape, or form is condoning any organization talked about in this post

Parted Waters

Scripture was written all around water. The Bible mentions three times of the water being parted, can you name all three? You can probably name about two: parting of the Red Sea and the parting of the Jordan, what is the third? The third parted water is found in Elisha after Elijah was taken up to heaven.

Exodus 14:13-22 (NIV)  Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. This passage of Scripture speaks of escape.  God provides miraculous deliverance for His people as they were fleeing Egypt into the land that was promised. God can make a way when there is no way. God makes a way for His children when they are coming out of the harder circumstances of life. You may be going through the valley right now, but God is making a way for you out of what you are doing.

Joshua 3:14-17 (NIV)  So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.    This passage is about going into what God has promised for you. The Israelites were wandering in the desert for 40 years. Many of them had doubts as to whether they were actually going to this land promised to them. The purpose of taking them out of the land of Egypt was to have them in. . God wants us out of our sins but into His own presence.

2nd kings 2:9-15 (NIV) When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two. Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
This passage speaks bout empowerment. Elisha was not arrogant. God will answer big prayers to those who will receive it. Elisha changed his mentality by "changing" his clothes. Prophets are watching him. Elisha needed God then and there because He did not know how everything was going to work. This is the entrance to new anointing of empowerment. God was going to do a new work through Elisha. Elisha was in a place of being refined before Elijah was taken into heaven.

What do all these bring together? They bring together that it is always about God honoring obedience in action. When you step out of obedience to God, favor will come. These examples did not know what they were getting into, but their faith was called into action.

What does this mean for us? This means that if we are either going out of a hard trouble, into a unforeseen territory, or need to be revived, God will always provide. We have to trust and believe that He will come through. We have to be obedient and let the Holy Spirit move. Our trust needs to be without borders. When we walk with God, He will never leave nor forsake us. This reminds me of a song, "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)". As you finish reading this, meditate on the lyrics to this song. May God forever bless you.

"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior


 I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

 

Senior Year

    
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
think about Him in all your ways,and He will guide you on the right paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (HCSB)


     This is the biggest change and yet the most stressful time of your high school career. I am in the midst of it. Everyone has either been through it or will be going through it at one point in your year. The main battle is senioritis. Senioritis is defined as a supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance. At this point in high school, you are tired and exhausted of school, teachers, and rules. Senioritis usually hits the hardest in the second semester because you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Procrastination sets in as well.
     "What are you going to do with the rest of your life? Where do you want to go to college?"You will hear these questions all throughout your last two years of college. I have become annoyed with these repeating questions. You hear these questions from everyone who knows you are a junior or senior in high school. For college, I will be taking the cheap route. I will be attending Chattahoochee Technical College for my first two years of school to spend less money on the core classes you are required to take before you get into your major and/or minor. After the core classes are completed, I will transfer to either Kennesaw State University or the University of Georgia to being my major. My plan is to double major in Business and Meteorology. Also, I will attempt to minor in Marketing/Advertising and Sports Broadcasting.
     Many high school seniors want to go to college FAR away. However, I would prefer not to. To me, the reason why many college students leave the Christian faith is because they think they can do it on their own and lose that community of faith they grew up in. Also, many people who grew up in church do not have a REAL and AUTHENTIC faith of their own. They have been living off of their parent's faith and not of their own. My community of faith has been found within Passion City Church in the doorholder community. I have met some of the most amazing people as being a doorholder. The beauty of this community is that we have a common goal: to bring people in and show them the beauty of Christ through our service.
      Senior year may seem stressful, but it is one of the best times of your life. My challenge for my fellow classmates and those who are about to experience this is that at the end of the day God's will is sovereign over what we may seem is right, only He knows what the future will hold all we have to do is be patient and be still.



Proverbs 18:10, "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

The Journey

     From the time we are born to the time we die, we are on a journey. This journey is full of struggles. Our struggles and scars turn into our testimony. Each and every one of us go through things in our journey at different points of life. If our faith and trust is in Jesus, He will never leave nor forsake us. This is true of the decision of moving churches, which is recorded below::

      My journey of experiencing Jesus came in 2002. I started out in a Pentecostal Charismatic church. The misconception is that they handle snakes, which is not true. The Pentecostal church believes that you know you are saved when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I ended my tenure as a Pentecostal church member in October 2012. The pastor of the local church would always express his political views. Honestly, I have no problem with it, but if you spend some of your sermon talking about how corrupt our government is and not about the Word of God, many people will leave. Over the last year of being in the church, I have been hearing more and more people talking about this church in Atlanta called Passion City Church. So in July of 2012, I asked my mother if we could go to a gathering at Passion City.
       She said yes. I went to the home church in the morning, then went down to Atlanta to attend Passion City. At lunch, my mom asked me to look up the gathering times and more information about this Passion City Church. I looked at gathering times and she looked at more information. I told her the gathering times, and she spitted off information about the church. A comment was made, "Oh, Louie Giglio is the pastor." My response, "Cool!" Inside the thoughts were, "Louie who?," and "This preacher guy, whose last name I can not pronounce, will probably be a typical three-point sermon, and 'beat the Baptist' to dinner type of preacher."
        My thoughts were totally wrong. I fell in love with the atmosphere and the people of this church. Since we arrived about 15 minutes early to the time the doors opened, we were able to talk to the couple of door holders who were waiting for the call to let the doors open. First impressions were great. Worship was led by Matt Redman. Before this time, I have heard the music the worship leaders put out into the world, but did not really know what they looked like. Louie then came up to speak. My first impressions of the three point sermon and "beat the Baptists" to dinner were totally wrong. Louie was able to present the Gospel in a way that I have never heard before. As we walked out of the building, the door holders were wishing us a great week and a see you next week type of response.
        Matthew 6:24 (NIV) states, ""No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other." October 2012 rolled around and I realized that I was serving two "masters".  I was still attending the home church and Passion City. I was involved in youth choir, praise team, and student leader at the home church, but I was also part of the student ministry at PCC. The decision came, and I chose Passion City.
        People ask me all the time, "Why Passion City?" The answer is plain and simple, JESUS. Yes, that sounds like the "churchy" answer, but it is the truth. On the surface level, Passion City may seem like a regular church, but what you see behind the scenes will  blow you away. Before each and every gathering, every team will meet in the environment they serve in, and have a time of prayer and sharing stories of what God is doing in people's lives. Jesus is the center of everything the church does.
      I put my faith and trust in Jesus back in 2011. Life has not been easy. I have yet to be baptized. Why? I have yet to be baptized because it is not the right time. I have in mind of who I would like to be baptized by because he is a great friend and follower of Jesus who is like a brother to me. I serve with some of the most amazing people on this planet. Community is a huge thing for me, and I have found the community at PCC. Because God is sovereign over all, I believe he wants me to be baptized at PCC, because it is home, and the people in the church are like my extended family.



Genesis 12:1-2 (ESV), "Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."

Psalm 25:5-9 (ESV), "Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord! Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way."

The Trilemma

     Lord, Lunatic, or Liar? That is the question we are going to answer today. This spurs from the following quote from CS Lewis: "I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. ... Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God."
     Jesus did exist and claimed to be God. Either His claim is false or it is true. Let's look at if Jesus' claim was false. We first must break this down into two categories: he knew or he did not know. IF Jesus knew his claim was false then he deliberately misinterprets the truth making him a liar. This also makes Jesus a fool because He died for it. This claim would also make him a demon, resulting in us relying in our own work. If Jesus did not know his claim was false, then He would be sincerely deluded or lunatic. We know that Jesus was not a lunatic because children came up to Jesus (see Luke 18:15-17).
      If Jesus' statement of being God is true, then He is LORD. We can either accept or reject this. When we reject Jesus as being Lord, we are in a state of rebellion, but if we accept that Jesus is Lord then we are in submission.

How Can We Tell We Have An Accurate Copy of the Bible?

     This is a question many Christians have to face today when defending the faith. People do not question the copying process of books unless it is the Bible. The copying process of the Bible is very accurate. Let's take a look at the reliability of the Bible starting with the New Testament.
    The New Testament has 25,000 ancient (predates 500 AD) manuscripts available today. Each copy says the same thing meaning they come from a single source, the only difference is regional spelling differences. The closest book that is after the Bible is Homer's Iliad with 643 ancient manuscripts. However, there are four different versions with major differences.
     The New Testament is the closest in time of copy to the original. The significance is that 1) the closer a copy is to the time of the original, the more likely it is to be an accurate copy, and 2) a copy that is within a generation of the original is unheard of. The oldest partial manuscript is the John Ryland Manuscript (copy of part of the book of John) which dares 50 years after the original. This manuscript proves that John was not written in 220 to 250 AD. The oldest complete New Testament is within 250 years of the date of the original is the Codex Vaticanus from the 300s AD. Homer's Iliad is 400 years after the original. New Testament has more ancient copies, and closer in time to the original.
     The New Testament has various versions and translations. Bible is the only book that was translated. The earliest missionaries began translating the New Testament as they went out to evangelize to the world. The early versions included Syriac (sometimes called the Christian Aramaic, Antioch became leading center of Christianity in the early church, and dates 400s AD), Coptic (version for Egyptian believers, Alexandria became another leading center of Christianity in the early church, and dates 200s AD), and the Latin (a version for European believers, Rome became another leading center of Christianity in the early church, version dates from 200s AD). The other versions we have today, serve as a way to check the contents of the earliest copies.
     Tatian's Diatessaron harmonized the four gospels. Tatian was an early church father from Assyria. This harmonization was completed around 160 AD. This tells us that John was already written and that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the gospels.
     Lectionaries also show the reliability of the New Testament. A lectionary was a lesson from the Scriptures. Church elders would copy a passage of Scripture onto a piece of papyrus or parchment and then add a lesson based on that Scripture; certain passages were always read on certain Sundays.
Thousands of lectionaries exist today providing many copies of the same passage. They are useful for comparison purposes by finding about 90%  of the New Testament so far. They were helpful for our understanding of some passages (John 7:53-8:11 and Mark 16:9-20). Lectionaries were copied repeatedly by Byzantine Monks. On the contrary, lectionaries provide no copies of Revelation and parts of Acts and they date from 500s to 700s AD, making them not as early as other sources.
    Patristic Citations are the final way we know we have an accurate copy of the New Testament. The early church fathers quoted the New Testament extensively. How extensive were they? Even if there were no copies of the New Testament available, we could produce the entire New Testament from quotes found in the writings of the early church fathers. Clement, for example, was bishop of Rome, disciple of Peter, walked around with Mark, quoted from Mark and I Peter. Sir David Dalrymple was curious enough that he reconstructed the New Testament from writings of the early church fathers. He found all but 11 verses (Mark 16:9-20) before he died.


     The Old Testament also has a very accurate copying process. Let's take a look at this process for the Old Testament.
     The Old Testament has thousands of manuscript copies, but it is scarce. The reason for the scarcity was 1) new was preferred to old, and 2) written on perishable materials. We have more pieces today than 300 years ago because of the rise in the popularity of archaeology in the late 1800s. We tens of thousands of pieces of the Old Testament. The earliest complete copy is the Codex Bablyonicus.
     The Jewish people were very careful in the preservation of the manuscripts. The Sopherim (Scribes) were the custodians of the Old Testament from 400 to 200 BC, and Ezra was one of these men. The Zugoth (means pairs) were custodians from 200 BC to 1 AD. The Tannaim (means repeaters) were custodians from 1 to 200 AD. The Talmudist were teachers of law and lawyers were custodians from 100 to 500 AD, and they were very strict about the copying process (found here). The Masoretes were custodians from 500 to 900 AD, they did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, standardized the Hebrew text, and counted everything.
     The Dead Sea Scrolls proved that we are "good" copiers of the Old Testament. They were found in 1947 by a boy looking for a lost goat ( the story found here). They were
purchased and photographed being sent all over the world, many use the photos because the Israel government has the scrolls in a safe place. The scrolls date from second century BC to the 1st century AD.
      The Septuagint is the Greek Translation of the Old Testament. They were designed for worship services of the Greek-speaking Jews of the Hellenistic Age. This was not meant to supplant the Hebrew Old Testament which is still preferred by rabbis and scholars.
     The Samaritan Pentateuch confirms the accuracy of the first five books of the Bible. The Samaritans had their own version using and older form of Hebrew which predates 200 BC.
      The Hexpla confirms the reliability of the Old Testament. Origen compiled a six column parallel of the Old Testament. Each column said the same thing.


The copying process of the Bible is huge for the Christian faith. My goal of this was to help people of the faith defend the copying process of the Bible. This was a major builder of my faith in Jesus, and I hope the same for you.

Are you ready?

     2013 is winding down. It seems like yesterday we were saying, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" With October ending in a couple days, it has been deemed that it starts to become the most busiest time of the year with Thanksgiving and Christmas. "Black Friday" kicks off late Thursday night with many steals and deals at many establishments, and Christmas trees all around the world are being lit. This also signals the most depressing time of the year as well. Many people during this time of year begin to worry that they will not be able to give gifts to their family and friends because of money situations or because of the loss of loved ones.
     I fall into the loss of loved ones category. On November 5, 2010, I lost my best friend, my grandmother. Christmas was always her favorite time of the year. She would always start planning her annual Christmas party in August, until she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Her life was lost to that disease. In honor of her, we continue the family tradition of a Christmas Day breakfast, filled with bacon and sausage casseroles and the infamous Cinnabon's.
     Christmas is also the busiest time of the year for many people. People lose sight of why we celebrate Christmas because they are caught up in the motions of business to satisfy the needs of others. Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus Christ. Christ was born in a stinky, dirty manger in Bethlehem. He could have chose to be born in a "Ritz Carlton" of that day. He chose not to because he had humility. Christ came to this earth to seek and save the lost. He died for our sins on the cross at Calvary. Death did not hold him down because He arose after the third day,
    What does Christ's birth, death, and resurrection mean to us? This means that we now have direct access to the throne of God. We no longer have to go to the temple, to a priest to pardon our sins. We are no longer bound by a thou shalt not but a that we may enter the throne of God. This is why I love Jesus because He chose to come to this earth in the form of man, leaving his "luxury" in heaven, to seek and save the lost. Jesus is coming back, are you ready?

A New Perspective

       If you have grown up in church or not, you have probably heard of the story about the feeding of the 5,000 found in Matthew 14:31-21. Jesus was going out on a boat to probably mourn the loss of John the Baptist, who was beheaded by King Herod. Jesus returns to land to see a large crowd has arrived. Jesus begins teaching until late in the evening. The disciples wanted Jesus to "get rid" of the people so they can go eat, but Jesus responded telling them that they should give the people food. Honestly, the disciples probably had a moment of panic when Jesus said this. The disciples began to complain that it would take more than half a years wages. Jesus then asked them to go and find out what they have. The disciples found five loaves and two fish from a boy's lunch. All the people were fed and were left satisfied.
       The Disciples were doubtful-- The disciples have been with Jesus for much time seeing him to many miraculous things. They were probably doubtful because they were tired and hungry. They began to forget the miracles that Jesus had previously done. Majority of the time, we doubt the work Jesus can and will do. We see all that He has done in the past, but in the moment of adversity, we doubt what He can do.
      The boy was available-- The little boy was there. The loaves and fish were just for him. The Bible doesn't mention this, but I'm reading "in between the lines" that many of the people probably had food with them. The boy's thought process was probably like this, "This man who is teaching sent his disciples maybe because he is hungry. I can go without a meal." Many times, we are too involved in our own needs that we are not available to the needs of others. Our society tells us that it is all about us. When you are available to what God wants, you can be used to do immeasurably more things to further His kingdom/
      The boy gave it all-- This boy who gave the meal, it is mentioned that he gave all he had. We are in a society where we just keep things to ourselves. In sports, you are told to give it 110%. When you do not give it all you have, you tend to regret decision you made during the game. The boy in the story could have only gave 2 loaves and 1 fish, but he did not. God does not want only 40% of our lives, but He wants it all. We tend to give Him only a 40% effort. God sent His son, Jesus, with 100% to save the world. What if Jesus only gave a 30% effort when dying for you on the cross? God is constantly pursuing you with all He has. Are you pursuing Him with all YOU have?

Should the Redskins Change Their Name?

     Over the recent weeks, the rising controversy of the Washington Redskins name has been in the news. You may ask why? The reason why is because it is not considered "politically correct". Daniel Snyder, team owner, believes that the name should not be changed. President Obama, Bob Costas, and many others prefer the name change. My question is this, why are we complaining about it now? I applaud Daniel Snyder's firmness on not changing the name. If he does, then political groups will probably get the Atlanta Braves or Kansas City Chiefs. To name a few, to change their name. If it has been that name for many years, why change it?

Why I am at Passion City Church?

    This particular question is asked every time someone asks me where I go to Church. I get the response of "really?" and "why?" many times. People think I am there because of Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, Kristian Stanfill, etc. That is not the reason. I honestly not in any way have even heard of these people. Yes, I have heard Chris' and Kristian's music, but never once said, "Where do these men go to church in Atlanta?" For Pastor Giglio, the first time I heard his name was the day I asked if we could go down to Passion City.
    The first time I walked into 515 Garson Drive, I was in awe that the first people I met were in a cheerful mood. The church I came from, the greeters were the same as the previous week and they did not seem happy to be serving. These people come to find out were the doorholders of Passion City Church. When I walked in, I felt the Spirit of God on this place.
   I am at Passion City church because Jesus is the center of it all. Each and every gathering at 515, it is all about Jesus and the works He has done in people's lives. Churches today tend to get caught up in the monetary situation or political dynamic of the society, but not at Passion City. Only once, have I heard anything political, this came at the time of the 2012 Election. Louie came up and asked for the church to pray over the election. If Jesus is not the lead story at your church, then what is it?
   As a doorholder, I see the unforeseen side of how the church operates. Before each and every gathering, each team gathers in a circle and prays that Jesus be even more glorified and that each and every person that walks into the doors experience Jesus. I serve with some of the most amazing people at Passion City Church, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for our House.
   Passion City Church is family. Family is something I never really experienced at my previous church. Each and every one of us who call this place "home", are grateful for the vision God placed in Louie's heart to start a church. We are a small tribe of people. Our heart is that you come experiencing Jesus. If you would like to visit Passion City Church, our gathering times are 10 am, 12:30 pm, and 5 pm. Bloom (nursery) is available all three gatherings, Passion Kids meets during the 10 and 12:30, and Passion Students meets at 3 pm in the Loading Dock. We have been expecting you and can't wait to see you.
  

NASCAR INVADES CHARLOTTE FOR BANK OF AMERICA 500

     NASCAR invades "home base", Charlotte Motor Speedway, this weekend for the fifth race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Sports journalists are now saying this race is between Matt Kenseth (#20, Joe Gibbs Racing), Jimmie Johnson (#48, Hendrick Motorsports), Kevin Harvick (#29, Richard Childress Racing), Jeff Gordon (#24, Hendrick Motorsports), and Kyle "Rowdy" Bush (#18, Joe Gibbs Racing).
     As the race for the championship began, there was some controversy at the last race before the Chase at the Richmond International Raceway. Jeff Gordon was added to the usually 12 car field due to reports of  David Gilliland allowing Joey Logano to gain one bonus point over Gordon so he did not have to receive the Wild Card spot.
    Tonight's race is the only night race in the Chase. Driver introductions start at 6:50 pm tonight, these are not telecasted. ESPN will begin their coverage at 7:00 pm with NASCAR Countdown. The Green Flag is set to drop at 7:42 pm. The race is 500 miles, equivalent to 334 laps (Charlotte, 1.5 miles). Radio networks are the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR 90. 

Biography

Hello,
    Thank you for taking the time out of this busy world we live in to read this blog. My name is Caleb Whisler. I am a senior in High School. I am a member of the National Beta Club and National Honor Society. I attend Passion City Church in Atlanta, where I am also a doorholder. My hopes for a career are in the ranks of journalism. My desire of this blog is to bring out the journalist in me, but also reflect on the life God has provided me with. Without Him, I will not be here on this world. Colossians 1:16-17 (NIV) states, "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." It is my desire to bring more glory to God through my writing. You are God-designed, purpose-intended, significant, lavishly-loved, prince/princess, son/daughter of the King of the Universe.


Thanks for reading,
    Caleb Whisler