1 Timothy
Nov 30, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Amazing Amazing Amazing
.:itunes:. She Don’t Use Jelly by The Flaming Lips
1 Timothy
Author
Paul
Intended Audience
His protege Timothy
Theme
Timothy was a young pastor that Paul had mentored. He travelled a lot with Paul and was quite often Paul’s messenger, delivering letters for him and bringing news back.
After a visit to Ephesus, Paul left Timothy behind to give some extremely needed guidance to the church. This letter is Paul encouraging Timothy in this work.
Timothy was likely a kinda shy guy who was constantly looked down on because of his age. Paul, therefore, encourages him to step up to the plate and make stuff happen in the church. One of the key passages is this one:
1 Timothy 4:11-13
Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.
Specifically, Paul addresses false teachers (are we catching that theme yet), how the church should behave on a whole and as different groups (olders, youngers, slaves, masters, men, women, etc), what a pastor/elder looks like in the church, and what deacons look like in the church.
Random Thoughts
This is a cool letter because it is a turn for Paul from church-wide letters. Here, he writes a personal letter to a young man he had mentored. Obviously, there is instruction here for the whole church, but he expects Timothy to teach the church these things.
Quote of the Day
Nov 30, 2006 Quotes
.:mood:. Really Great
.:vidcast:. Vintage Jesus: What will Jesus do upon His return? by ^p
“If Jesus came back and saw what was being done in his name, he wouldn’t be able to stop throwing up.”
- Woody Allen
Pray
Nov 29, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Awesome
.:itunes:. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite by R.E.M.
If you get a chance, take a few minutes and pray for me right now. I have a meeting tomorrow morning that may present a really cool opportunity for Riverview. I am preparing for it right now.
The meeting is at 10:00, so if you could pray then, as well, that would be awesome.
Thanks!
2 Thessalonians
Nov 29, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. In Between
.:itunes:. Candy Guru by Chagall Guevara
2 Thessalonians
Author
Paul
Intended Audience
The Church in Thessalonica
Theme
Sometime after the writing of 1 Thessalonians, Paul got a report back about how things were going. There was good news and bad news. The good news was that they church continued to grow and stand up under the pressure of persecution. The bad news was that false teaching had crept in.
Again, just like the last letter, Paul spends some time talking about Jesus’ return. This is striking because there are so many Christians today who don’t believe in this central doctrine. These verses are particularly appropriate:
2 Thess 2:1-4 Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
Paul also reminds them to live lives that were worthy of Jesus. In particular, he warns against laziness in the church.
Random Thoughts
It’s amazing to me how often the Bible warns about false teaching and how plain some teachings (such as the return of Jesus) are. And yet, we sometimes deny these teachings and are afraid to confront false teachings when they pop up.
Feedtastic
Nov 28, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Spectacular
.:mashup:. Super Holla Tricka by Gwen VS Beastie Boys VS A.Skillz & Krafty Kuts
I have been cleaning up my feeds today, so now you can subscribe to specific stuff from my site. I now have a feed for:
- This site
- My sermon audio
- My sermon video
- Daily Jeezit Podcast
To subscribe to any of these via RSS feed or Email (for those of you aren’t as tech-saavy), click here or on the “My Feeds” link on the right sidebar.
I think we’re finally getting the sermon videos to look better.
1 Thessalonians
Nov 28, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Good
.:itunes:. The Fine Line by Adam Again
1 Thessalonians
Author
Paul
Intended Audience
The Church in Thessalonica
Theme
Paul and Timothy had planted this church and after they left things seemed to be very difficult for the church. Paul sent Timothy back to care for them and when he returned, apparently he brought good news.
This letter is Paul’s response to the church following Timothy’s report. He encouraged them in their faith and ability to stand strong during times of persecution. He also addresses a few things these young Christians needed to be reminded of. Namely, the necessity of living a life that honors Jesus, the fact that Jesus is coming back, and the need to honor their spiritual leaders.
Random Thoughts
Thessalonica was named after Alexander the Great’s half-sister who was married to one of his generals (Cassander) who built the city.
Colossians
Nov 27, 2006 Uncategorized
OK, so a long time ago I started a journey through the New Testament, detailing a quick summary of each of the books. In my busyness the last few months, I lost track of this journey. Now, I’m back. We’ll see if we can finish it this time. We pick up with Paul in prison…
Colossians
Author
Paul (while he was in jail)
Intended Audience
The Church in Colosse
Theme
This book was written, in part, to correct some false teaching in the church. This particular false teaching was a big deal, because over the centuries it gave birth to gnosticism.
Paul was combating several specific heresies in the church:
First, that the church had to continue to observe Old Testament laws. I’m blown away at the frequency Paul has to combat this particular line of thinking. You can look back on my notes on Galatians for another example. And even with the clear Scriptural teaching on this, it continues to be a problem in the church today (nearly 2000 years after Paul pens these words).
Second, these heresies were deeply philosophical. In other words, they elevated human logic over God’s word.
Third, there was an arogance that came with these teachings. Those that agreed with them saw themselves as the “elite.” Again, I’m amazed at how often I see this in the church today. I have heard Christians describe their little sect as “the remnant” or the “true church,” excluding all other believers.
Paul combatted these three things first by encouraging the believers to essentially grow up. Jesus is everything–we are secondary to him. That simple argument eventually dismantles all three of these false teachings.
Random Thoughts
Nov 27, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Really Good
.:itunes:. Into the Heart of Love by The Mighty Lemon Drops
So I am experimenting right now with email. Even with all my Spam filters going, I have been getting about 100 spam messages a day.
I have heard that Gmail’s spam filters are pretty good, so I am now re-routing all my mail through them. The filtering is so amazing that it’s getting a ton of real mail, as well. I figure I’ll check my junk mail bin every couple days and try to spot any mail I should be getting.
Gonna play around with this over the next few weeks. So, if I don’t respond to your email…at least now I have a good excuse!
Verse of the Day
Nov 26, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Thinking
.:itunes:. So Long by Adam Again
Not sure why, but when I read this verse, I thought of bloggers:
Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
Ironically, the song I’m listening to right now also reminds me of bloggers. But I can’t find the lyrics online and I’m too lazy to type them in.
Almost
Nov 25, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Envious
.:tv:. HGTV
Almost makes me wish I was disabled. (via Gizmodo)
Sacrilicious
Nov 25, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Laughing, but feeling a little guilt about it
.:itunes:. Susan by Aimee Mann
OK, I know this is borderline, but I couldn’t help but laugh and I suspect Jesus has enough of a sense of humor to get a kick out of it, as well. (via Monkeys For Helping)
Bobblehead Bank
Nov 24, 2006 Uncategorized
Bobblehead Bank
Originally uploaded by Noel Jesse.
Thanks to Kyle and Melissa for buying me this lovely gift.
What American Accent Do You Have?
Nov 24, 2006 Uncategorized
Well, what do ya know?
| What American accent do you have?
Your Result: The Inland North
You may think you speak “Standard English straight out of the dictionary” but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like “Are you from Wisconsin?” or “Are you from Chicago?” Chances are you call carbonated drinks “pop.” |
|
| The Midland |
|
| The Northeast |
|
| Philadelphia |
|
| The South |
|
| The West |
|
| Boston |
|
| North Central |
|
| What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes |
|
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov 23, 2006 Uncategorized
That’s all. Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving…now off to the turkey.
Papers
Nov 22, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Pretty Darn Good
.:itunes:. Straight Out Of Compton by Nina Gordon
I just posted a bunch of my papers and studies on the site. You can find them on the sidebar or by clicking here. I’ll post any time I add any more.
Almost Caught Up
Nov 22, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. Getting There
.:itunes:. Comfortable by John Mayer
Whenever I teach, I get this backlog of email to respond to. So for most of yesterday and this morning I have been catching up. It’s not bad because I am almost done.
Then I realized two things I had been forgetting. I started doing the MySpace thing and I have a bunch of unresponded to mail over there. And I have a bunch of mail from my site which I always redirect to another folder.
Oh well.
For all you MySpace people out there, is there a way to have my MySpace mail messages forward to my regular mail or do I always have to go over there to check them?
Time to dive back in.
LiveJournal
Nov 22, 2006 Uncategorized
.:medical condition:. A little sick still
.:itunes:. Fall At Your Feet (Acoustic) by James Blunt
If you are a LiveJournal person, you can now add this blog as a friend in your account. Follow this link to see how to do it: noel_heikkinen - Syndicated Account:
Free Hugs
Nov 21, 2006 Uncategorized
.:mood:. great
.:mashup:. Yeah Acid! by Usher VS Fatboy Slim
So a few weeks ago at Riverview I showed a video from the Free Hugs Campaign at Riverview for an illustration. Afterward, a college student came up to me and said this:
“Noel, when I was in 8th grade I came to church with my family and you walked up to me, recognized me, and gave me a hug. I was planning on committing suicide that day and decided not to. Your hug saved my life.”
She then broke down in tears. Amazing. It’s been on my brain for awhile and I just wanted to share.
That is the power of appropriate human touch. We all need it and I think sometimes touch is either completely inappropriate or its missing altogether.
Hug anyone?
Oh…here’s the video:
