Tag: 1 John

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How will the world know we are Christ’s disciples?

How will the world know we are Christ's disciples?

If we have love (and unselfish concern) for one another! John 13:35 AMP
It’s that simple. It’s not by how loud we profess Christ. Or our membership in a local church. Or how much we pray and fast. Or the ability to speak in other tongues or prophesy. Or by our good deeds or charitable giving.
In fact, the Apostle Paul notes that if we have all knowledge and all faith, but don’t have love, we are nothing and have gained nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2-3).
So if we say we love God, we should keep His commandment (John 14:21-24). When we do so, the love of God will be perfected in us (1 John 2:3-6). Then we will exhibit that love by loving one another (John 13:34-35). And the world will see that we are truly Christ’s disciples.
Agape!
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another;
as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34‭-‬35 NKJV

Our Prayer For You

Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 NKJV

Did You Know?

It is impossible for us to love God whom we have not seen, if we do not love our fellow humans who we do see.
1 John 4:20-21.

About BibleStorm

At BibleStorm, our mission is to illuminate hidden truth found in God’s Word (i.e. the bible). Our vision is to see people become more familiar with the bible, biblical themes and concepts and to develop a hunger/desire to learn more about God through His Word. We are doing our part to seek the kingdom of God and spread the good news of salvation through bible trivia. And to help people transform their minds through the living Word of God. Learn more about us.

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Was David king before facing Goliath?

david and goliath

True/False: David was anointed king before facing Goliath.

TRUE!

David was anointed king by the prophet Samuel and began serving king Saul as a musician and armor bearer (1 Samuel 16) before he faced Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
It is possible for you to be anointed (or declared to be something) and wait a while before seeing it manifest in your life.
Abraham was called blessed and the father of nations (Genesis 12:2-4) 25 years before he had his promised child, Isaac (Genesis 21:1-7).
Joseph was declared to be a prosperous man, while he was still a slave in Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39:1-6). He would go on to serve time in prison before he was finally elevated to the #2 man in the land of Egypt (Genesis 41:37-44; 42:6).
David was anointed king after God rejected Saul (1 Samuel 15:10-11,23). But he continued to serve his father and even Saul faithfully even though the former saw little value in him and the latter wanted to kill him. In due time, David met a challenge, Goliath, that elevated his stature in the kingdom and paved the way for him to finally ascend to the throne.
What Goliath (or mountain) are you facing in your life today?
First, find out what God’s Word says about you. Then declare God’s Word over your life and watch it come to pass.

Our Prayer For You

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2 NKJV.

Did You Know?

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world (1 John 4:4 NLT).

About BibleStorm

At BibleStorm, our mission is to illuminate hidden truth found in God’s Word (i.e. the bible). Our vision is to see people become more familiar with the bible, biblical themes and concepts and to develop a hunger/desire to learn more about God through His Word. We are doing our part to seek the kingdom of God and spread the good news of salvation through bible trivia. And to help people transform their minds through the living Word of God. Learn more about us.

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What characterizes religion that is pure and genuine?

What characterizes religion that is pure and accepted by God?

According to James 1:27, religion that God accepts as pure and genuine involves just 2 things.

1. Care for orphans or widows who need help

Jesus said that when He returns, He will reward His righteous servants who fed the hungry, took the stranger in, clothed the naked, and visited the sick and the imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-40).
He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.
Proverbs 19:17 NKJV

2. Keep yourself free from the world’s evil influence (and refuse to let the world corrupt you)

The bible tells us not to love the world or the things in it. Because all that is in the world is not of the Father and the world is passing away. If we do love the world, the love of God the Father is not in us. (1 John 2:15-17)

We are also commanded not to conform to (copy the behavior and customs or by shaped by) the world but rather to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2).

What does your religion command? And how does that compare to God’s standard? 
Here’s God’s command to us:
Learn to do right;
Seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
Plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17 NIV

Our Prayer For You

[We] pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9‭-‬11 NKJV

Did You Know?

God desires the knowledge of Him more than offerings and sacrifices (Hosea 6:6).

About BibleStorm

At BibleStorm, our mission is to illuminate hidden truth found in God’s Word (i.e. the bible). Our vision is to see people become more familiar with the bible, biblical themes and concepts and to develop a hunger/desire to learn more about God through His Word. We are doing our part to seek the kingdom of God and spread the good news of salvation through bible trivia. And to help people transform their minds through the living Word of God. Learn more about us.

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What is the greatest expression of God’s love?

What is the greatest expression of God’s love?


The cross!

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

 

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Romans 5:6-11

 

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [i.e. atoning sacrifice] for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-11,14

 

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree [cross]’).”

Galatians 3:13-14 [Deuteronomy 21:22-23]

 

“[Jesus] bore our sins in His own body on the tree [cross], that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness.” 1 Peter 2:24

 

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:4-10

 

God is rich in mercy and loved us so much that He put together a plan to restore us to a right relationship with Him like it was in the garden of Eden before Adam and Eve sinned. This plan was executed perfectly by God’s only begotten Son, Jesus. Jesus bore all the sins of the entire world in His mangled body on the cross at Calvary. He paid a price we could never pay to redeem us from sin we could never overcome on our own.

 

“He [Jesus] who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

 

All we have to do now is receive this free gift by faith. To learn how to receive this free gift, check out our Salvation page.

 

Did You Know?
God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son whom he loved – Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). This foreshadowed what God would ultimately do for all mankind with His only begotten Son, Jesus.

#cross #love #salvation #life #sacrifice

 

About BibleStorm:

At BibleStorm, our mission is to illuminate hidden truth found in God’s Word (i.e. the bible). Our vision is to see people become more familiar with the bible, biblical themes and concepts and to develop a hunger/desire to learn more about God through His Word. We are doing our part to seek the kingdom of God and spread the good news of salvation through bible trivia. And to help people transform their minds through the living Word of God. Learn more about us.

 

Order your very own BibleStorm trivia game products today from our online store.
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10 reasons to have confidence in God through prayer

Jesus said men ought to always pray and not lose heart or give up (Luke 18:1). The Bible also tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to continue steadfastly and earnestly in prayer (Romans 12:12; Colossians 4:2).

 

What is prayer? I like this definition from Wikipedia:

 

Prayer “is an evolving means of interacting with God, most frequently through a spontaneous, individual, unorganized form of petitioning and/or thanking”.

 

Prayer then is simply a dialogue between ourselves and our Heavenly Father. It is an opportunity for us to communicate – to talk to Him and to hear from Him.

 

Why then do we have problems praying consistently (and not just when a crisis hits or we have a need that we are unable to meet in our own strength and ability)? I heard a pastor say that he believed prayelessness was an issue of faith and I can see the reasoning behind that. If you had full confidence (faith) in the one you were asking and *knew* you would get what you asked for, I expect most people would definitely ask.

 

So that caused me to wonder – Why can we have confidence in talking to God the Father through prayer?
  1. Our Father is omniscient and knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:7-8). For example, God already knows we need life’s necessities (food, clothing, shelter, etc) (Matthew 6:31-32)
  2. Our Father knows how to give good gifts to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11; James 1:17)
  3. Whatever we ask the Father in Jesus name, He will give to us (John 16:23-24; 15:16)
  4. Whatever we ask the Father in Jesus name, Jesus will do for us (John 14:13-14)
  5. Everyone who asks receives, who seeks finds, and who knocks the door will be opened to him (Matthew 7:7-11)
  6. If we ask anything according to God’s will, He hears us and we have the petitions we asked for (1 John 5:14-15)
  7. Whatever we ask, we receive because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (1 John 3:21-22)
  8. God did not spare His own Son for us. In addition to giving us His Son, He freely give us all things (Romans 8:32). Afterall when you have given your most precious possession, giving anything less is much easier.
  9. God will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly (Psalms 84:19)
  10. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20)

 

The reality is God has already given us everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). And He has promised to supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

 

So what is the key to having a successful prayer life?
  • Have faith in God (in who He is) (Hebrews 11:6). God is a rewarder of those who diligently (earnestly, sincerely) seek Him. See also James 1:6-8.
  • Seek the Lord (Psalms 34:10). Those who seek Him shall lack no good thing.
  • Seek God’s kingdom first (Matthew 6:33) and all the other things we want will be added unto us.

 

Most importantly, prayer is a great opportunity to discover who God is and what His will for us is as we develop a relationship with our Heavenly Father. He has said He will not withhold any good thing from us. Conversely, He won’t give us something that will become a weight or stumbling block to us either. So don’t bother asking for anything with wrong motives (e.g. out of selfishness or an unrighteous agenda) because He won’t answer those requests (James 4:3).

 

#prayer #petition #faith #confidence #ask #seek #knock #believe #receive #gift

 

Scripture References:
  • Luke 18:1
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:17
  • Romans 12:12
  • Colossians 4:2
  • Matthew 6:7-8
  • Matthew 6:31-32
  • Matthew 7:11
  • James 1:17
  • John 16:23-24
  • John 15:16
  • John 14:13-14
  • Matthew 7:7-11
  • 1 John 5:14-15
  • 1 John 3:21-22
  • Romans 8:32
  • Psalms 84:19
  • Ephesians 3:20
  • 2 Peter 1:3
  • Philippians 4:19
  • Hebrews 11:6
  • James 1:6-8
  • Psalms 34:10
  • Matthew 6:33
  • James 4:3

 

References:

 

About BibleStorm:

At BibleStorm, our mission is to illuminate hidden truths found in God’s Word (i.e. the bible). Our vision is to see people become more familiar with the bible, biblical themes and concepts and to develop a hunger/desire to learn more about God through His Word. We are doing our part to seek the kingdom of God and spread the good news of salvation through bible trivia. And to help people transform their minds through the living Word of God.

 

Order your very own BibleStorm trivia game cards today from our online store.
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What’s In Your Wallet? (Part 2)

“God supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food (to the eater)”
(2 Corinthians 9:10).

In part 1 of this blog post, we learned that God is the giver. Whether seed or bread, everything we receive originates from Him (James 1:17). We also learned that it was important to ask God how we are to use every income that enters our hands (bank account, wallet, etc) – See Proverbs 3:5-6.

That said, have you ever considered why God provides seed and bread for us? In summary, it is so we can have everything we need and be generous and bless others.

Here are 10 reasons why God provides for us (from 2 Corinthians 9:6-15):

  1. Shows us an example of the generous life we are to live (v8, 10)
    • God didn’t spare His own Son but freely gave Him that we might live through Him (Romans 8:32; John 3:16)
  2. So that we have everything we need (v8)
    • God is Jehovah Jireh (our provider) and wants us to recognize that He is the source of everything (Deuteronomy 8:18; Matthew 6:31-33, Philippians 4:19; James 1:17)
  3. So we have plenty left over to share with others (v8 NLT)
    • Demonstrate compassion and God’s love for others (1 John 3:17)
  4. To increase the fruits (harvest) of righteousness in us (v10)
    • The more we sow, the more we will also reap (Galatians 6:7-10; 2 Corinthians 9:6)
  5. To enrich us (v11)
    • The generous soul will be made rich (Proverbs 11:24-25)
  6. So we can be generous in every occasion (v11)
    • See the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37)
  7. To supply the needs of the saints (i.e. God’s people) (v12)
    • Paul commended the Philippians for sharing in his distress by sending aid to him (Phillippians 4:14-18)
  8. To produce expressions of thanksgiving to God (v12)
    • When we give, it produces praises to God on our behalf (2 Corinthians 1:11)
  9. To glorify and praise God (v13)
    • Seeing our good works causes others to glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16)
  10. To produce prayers for us (v14)

Paul closes 2 Corinthians 9 by “thanking God for His indescribable gift” (v15). What is that gift you ask? It is the person of Jesus Christ, who came to earth, died, and was resurrected in order to atone for our sins and restore us to a right relationship with God the Father. It’s important that we receive the free gift that God has already given in his son, Jesus Christ, before we seek anything else from Him. Check out our salvation appeal page to learn more about Jesus Christ and how to receive Him as Savior.

References

#Money #Finances #MoneyPrinciples #Seed #Bread #FinancialFriday #Steward

About BibleStorm:

At BibleStorm, our mission is to illuminate hidden truths found in God’s Word (i.e. the bible). Our vision is to see people become more familiar with the bible, biblical themes and concepts and to develop a hunger/desire to learn more about God through His Word. We are doing our part to seek the kingdom of God and spread the good news of salvation through bible trivia. And to help people transform their minds through the living Word of God.

Order your very own BibleStorm trivia game cards today from our online store.
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Why was Jesus Christ born (Christmas)?

Nativity scene
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1‭, ‬14 NKJV

 

On December 25th, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Did you know that Jesus always existed and has always been with the Father? (1 John 1:1-2). When God said “Let there be”, the Word that went forth was Jesus Himself. “All things were made through [Jesus], and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:3) “[This includes] all things … that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)

 

“God showed how much he loved us [mankind] by sending his one and only [begotten] Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.” (1 John 4:9) “That whoever believes in [Jesus] should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16‭-‬17)

 

This same Jesus left His deity to come to earth and take on the stature of a man to fulfill God’s desire for reconciliation with man. Jesus was obedient to the Father, even to the point of dying on the cross and taking on the sins of the entire world.

 

Why did Jesus do this?

  1. To redeem [mankind] from the curse of the law (having become a curse for us by being crucified on a cross).
  2. That the blessing of Abraham might come on us [gentiles].
  3. That we might receive the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith.

 

Note: Bullet points are from Galatians 3:13-14.

 

So this Christmas season, let’s celebrate the love of our heavenly Father, who did for us something that we couldn’t do ourselves – atone for our sin nature and make us right(eous) through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:3-4).

 

Merry Christmas!

 

PS: As we enjoy the festivities of the season and spend time with friends and family, it’s important that we not forget the reason for the season. God has given us the most important gift of all – the gift of redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ. Check out our salvation appeal page to learn more about Jesus Christ and how to receive Him as Savior.

 

References

 

#Jesus #Christ #Love #Christmas #Salvation #Nativity #GodsWord #BibleStormTrivia #BibleStorm

About BibleStorm:

At BibleStorm, our mission is to illuminate hidden truths found in God’s Word (i.e. the bible). Our vision is to see people become more familiar with the bible, biblical themes and concepts and to develop a hunger/desire to learn more about God through His Word. We are doing our part to seek the kingdom of God and spread the good news of salvation through bible trivia. And to help people transform their minds through the living Word of God.

 

Order your very own BibleStorm trivia game cards today from our online store.