James 1:19-21

James 1:19-21

¹⁹My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Ben's Comments:

-It is not easy to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry - it is actually natural to the opposite!
-Verse 20 - This is very true.

Questions:

1. What do you think it would be like if everyone was quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to be come angry?
2. Is it hard for you to be quick to listen?
3. Based on Verse 20. What kind of life does God want us to have?


Let me know what you think!

bjacobson2@gmail.com

James 3: 6-7

James 3:6-7

" ⁷All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, ⁸but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."

Tell Me what you Think!

1. What does it say about taming the tongue?
2. Yesterday's verse used words like fire, set on fire by hell. How is the tongue described in these verses.
3. How do you think the tongue is "full of deadly poison? "
4. If no man can tame the tongue then is there no hope? Why?

See you all tomorrow at ACCESS!!!!

Minute to Win It!!!!

James 3: 2- 6

This Wednesday we will be taking a look at The life of Christ. Sometimes there seems to be a gap between the world that Jesus lived in and the world we live in today. We will be exploring the life of Jesus and how his speech set him apart from others... We will also be looking at and seeking to answer the question - how would Jesus speak today? Take a look at what James has to say about the tongue.

James 3:2-6

2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.

3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Ben's Comments:

Verse 2: Pretty crazy huh - Says if you can control your tongue you are perfect... Not any perfect people out there (except for Jesus) Guess everyone struggles with the tongue..

Verse 3-5: Tongue is such a small part of the body but it is so important.

Verse 6: Huh.. tongue doesn't sound like it is a very good thing... "it is fire" "evil among the parts of the body" "It is set on fire by hell"

Kind of a grim outlook...

Tell me what you think:

1. Do you think that the tongue controls and corrupts the whole body? If so.. how?

2. Have you ever had a hard time controlling your tongue? What has helped you control it?

3. Is there any hope? Or is the tongue just always something that will cause us to sin?

Let me know what you think!

bjacobson2@gmail.com

James 1:2-7 FRIDAY DDI!!!!

James 1:2-7

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Questions:

1. Do you think it is easy to consider it joy when you experience trails?
2. Why would you want to ask for wisdom?
3. Why would a follower of Christ need perseverance?

Let me know your thoughts!

bjacobson2@gmail.com

Thursday DDI - Acts 2:22-28

Acts 2:22-28

22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:

" 'I saw the Lord always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will live in hope,

27because you will not abandon me to the grave,

nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

28You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence.'[e]

Ben's Comments:

-Luke starts by saying that God proved Jesus to be God - to be their savior by miracles, signs, and other things he did when he was on earth.

- God knew that this was going to happen - it was even a part of his plan!

- God rose Jesus from the dead - Jesus conqured death - and now we can have a relationship with God because of his sacrifice - all we have to do is believe.

- I love the quote from David (25-28)

Questions:

1. Comments on what David said

2. What affect does the fact that Jesus conqured death have on our life?

3. Verse 28 Says:

"28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence."

What do you think that to be filled with "joy in his presence?"

Let me know what you think!

bjacobson2@gmail.com

Results of Last Weeks' "Would You Rather Poll"

The question was would you rather:

Kiss a Dog

or

Lick a Public Phone

Results....

TIE!

50% would rather kiss a dog
50 % would rather lick a public phone.

Check out this weeks question!

Acts 2:14-21

Acts 2:14-21

14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

'In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

18Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy.

19I will show wonders in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

20The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

21And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.'[c]

Ben's Comments:

- Peter begins by responding to what the people said in verse 13 - saying the disciples were drunk. I love the way the Bible is funny. He is like "they aren't drunk its only 9 in the morning!"

-There are two parts to verses 17-21. The good and the bad.

- Good: He is saying - young and old, man and woman - all who are saved will receive the Holy Spirit.

-Bad: He says that the closer we get to Christ's return bad things will happen. - earthquakes, natural disasters, tragedy, ect..

- He ends with a Promise... That everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved - pretty cool huh? It is like knowing how a book or a movie ends.. We know that one day Christ will return and that everyone who calls on him or everyone who chooses to follow Christ will be saved.

Questions:

1. Do you think that Christ is close to coming back?

2. How should we act knowing that Christ can come back at any time?

3. How should we treat our friends knowing this?

Love to hear your thoughts

bjacobson2@gmail.com

See you tonight!

Acts 2: 5-13

We are going to keep on going through Acts 2.

Acts 2:5-13

5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine.[b]"

Ben's Comments:

-There were all sorts of people that needed to Hear about God - just like your friends or people in your schools.
- God gave them everything they needed to reach them! Just like you!
- It was pretty amazing for the people of that day to hear them.. They are like these guys are Galileans - They don't speak this language.. it would be like if you just started speaking Russian!
- Some people even still doubted - They made fun of them.. Pretty interesting huh? Even when you are given the Holy Spirit- Some people still don't listen.

Questions:

1. If you are a follower of Christ you have the Holy Spirit living in you to help you - do you feel like you have everything you need to reach your friends that don't know Christ?
2. What do you think the Disciples felt when they were speaking?
3. Any other comments about the passage.

Keep those comments coming!

Sarah, Alex, Natalie.. Great job!

bjacobson2@gmail.com

Acts 2:1-4

I am Back! Sorry for the lack of DDI here the last couple of days..

Pastor Dennis said we were going to be looking at Acts 2 next week.. Thought we could take a look at it as well. Check it out!

Acts 2:1-4

1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

Ben's Comments:

- Remember in chapter one all of the disciples were in Jerusalem waiting for the Holy Spirit to come... well that day is here!
-They were just chilling and then there was a huge wind! It must have been crazy and cool!
- Each person - each follower of Christ was given this power.
- It says "all were filled with the Holy Spirit" They began to speak in other tongues or languages.
- Can you imagine what the disciples were feeling - put yourselves in their shoes.. waiting in this room, huge wind comes, then everybody starts talking in different languages. It would have been pretty chaotic!
- They were able to do this because God gave them the ability "as the Spirit enabled them"

Questions:

1. Did the disciples know when the Spirit was going to come?
2. What would you be thinking if you were there that day?
3. When you received the Holy Spirit when you decided to follow Christ were you able to speak in other languages? Why?

Love to hear your thoughts!

bjacobson2@gmail.com

See you later!

Minute to Win It

Here is a preview for the Minute to Win It...

Enjoy

Tuesday DDI

We will be continuing to look at Acts:

Acts 1:6-11

6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Read the passage above once.

Ben's Comments:
- The Old Testament said that the kingdom of God would come after believers received the Holy Spirit. But it did not say exactly when.
- Just like we saw yesterday when the disciples did know when they were going to receive the Holy Spirit - Jesus says that they will not know the day when Christ will return again.
-Remember how I said to "pay attention to the but"
- Jesus says you won't know when I will return BUT you will be receiving the Holy Spirit.
- Once they receive the Holy Spirit they are to be God's witness - or to tell everyone what they have seen and heard not just to their close friends but in our town, the next town, and the whole Earth!

Questions:

1. Why do you think that Jesus does not want us to know when he will return?
2. What is with the scary guys dressed in white at the end of the verse? What do they mean?
3. What do you think it means to be a witness for God in your schools? How can you do that?

bjacobson2@gmail.com

See you tomorrow!

SouthField is doing a series on Acts. Pastor Dennis asked us on Sunday to get acquainted with Acts Chapter 1. This week that is what we are going to do.

Acts 1:1-5

The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Read the passage above.

Ben's Comments:

- Luke (one of Jesus' disciples) wrote the book of Acts.

- This is taking place after Jesus died on the cross and rose again.

- He appeared to and taught the disciples for 40 days.

- He gave them a command. Not to leave Jerusalem.

- A lot of the disciples were not from Jerusalem. They wanted to go to their hometown, they were experiencing a lot of persecution there, they were scared.

- He gave them a command and a promise. The promise of the Holy Spirit.

- Jesus said they would be given the Holy Spirit "not many days from now."

- Even though God promises us that he will give us something it doesn't mean we will get it right away.

Questions:

1. Do you think that we have to wait to get the Holy Spirit when we decide to follow Christ?

2. Why do you think that Jesus didn't tell them when the Holy Spirit would come? Why did he say, "not many days from now?" instead of telling them exactly?

3. What does the Holy Spirit do in the life of believers?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

bjacobson2@gmail.com

See you tomorrow!

ACCESS

Saturday DDI

2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Ben's Comments:

- I think it is cool that it is not up to us to find or ear this power. When you made the choice to follow Christ you were given that power. It was a gift - not earned!

- This power has given us everything that we need for godliness! You can live a life of Godliness today.


-This power to to live a godly life comes from knowledge of God.


Question:


1. Do you think that you have everything you need to live a life of Godliness?

2. What does it look like to live a life of Godliness.


I would love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment or shoot me an email!


bjacobson2@gmail.com

Stay Tuned!

Friday DDI

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Ben's Comments:

- The verse says that God will exalt us. (take us through our hard time) but it comes with a command... we are to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand.

- I love the way that this verse says to humble ourselves under God's MIGHTY Hand. We can trust God to lift us up.

- It says that we can put all our anxiety (worry, troubles) on God because we are his personal concern - or he cares for us personally.

- When I was in college I had a close friend that committed suicide. This verse was one of the ones that carried me through. When I heard what happened I didn't know what to do... I didn't know what I could do.. This verse told me that all I had to do was "humble myself under God's mighty hand", that he "cares for me personally", and he wants me to "cast all my anxiety on him."

Question:

1. What would it look like in your life for you to "humble yourself under God's mighty hand?" How would you practically do that?

2. Why do we always try to handle our troubles or anxiety on our own?

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Sarah and Cayla Great comments!

Comment on this post or shoot me an email.

bjacobson2@gmail.com

Stay Tuned!

ACCESS Pictures!

Here are some pictures from ACCESS!

Stay Tuned!

DDI: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Suffering for Being a Christian



12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And,



"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"[a]


19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

-Read through the verse twice and see what stands out to you

Ben's Observations:

-Verse 12 is great! You can hear Peter saying.. "What did you expect? "Of course you are going to suffer because you are connected to Christ!"
- The cool thing about Jesus is that he is not hypocritical - Christ suffered far worse than any of us will. He doesn't ask us to do something he hasn't done himself.
-Verse 15 cautions us... If you are a believer and you are suffering - it is not necessarily just because you are believer.. Example: If your teacher gives you a detention for talking in class - you are not suffering because of Christ - you are suffering because you didn't keep your mouth shut. :)
- God has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and help us through the suffering.
- And guess what we know how it ends! In the end we get to share in the Glory of God. Although our time here on earth may be hard - we will be free from suffering for all eternity!

Tell me what you think:

1. Do you think you suffer because you have committed your life to Christ?
2. How do you think the Holy Spirit helps us withstand the persecution or suffering?
3. Why do we experience suffering? If we are Christ followers shouldn't our life be easy?

I want to hear your Thoughts:

Leave a comment - Answer the questions
- Shoot me an email
bjacobson2@gmail.com

Have a great day and Stay Tuned!

DDI (Daily Devotional Initiative)

Daily Devotional Initiative

Over the next few months I will be making by best effort to update this blog daily. I invite you to take this journey with me. DDI will give us an opportunity to take a closer look at the Bible, ask some questions, and look for some answers. I want to hear your comments and questions.

My hope is also that we will grow in our ability to study scripture for ourselves. God has given us this great gift of his word - the ability to read and study it for ourselves is a priceless skill.

Stay Tuned!

Hello 2010...

Well.... Its official I have entered a new class of society, a new level of popularity, and joined an ever growing group of people..

I am a Mac user!

Part of the reason for the switch is that it is so much more practical... I am just getting into it but Mac rocks! I am in the process of making our wedding video - "yeah, bout time huh?" 2 and half years later... What I movie can do is amazing. I was using windows movie maker for all of my other stuff... let me tell you. It would be the understatement of the century to say that Windows Movie Maker fails to compare to I Movie.

The other reason for the switch is my amazing wife! She bought me a Birthday Present and was hiding money for a while. Those of you that know me are like wait... Your Birthday isn't until October... You are correct. Some thing that you should know about Hannah is that she is not that good at surprises. Which I am quite grateful for - because here I am typing away on my new present that I would not have gotten till October - plus it is so nice to have for the start of ACCESS.

The last reason for the switch is because I am one clumsy dude.. I spilled on Hannah's computer a couple of months back.. And then just on Tuesday I spilled on mine! 2 Computers in 2 months... Smooth Ben very smooth! Lets just say I am keeping all liquids away from this one!

Stay Tuned!

ACCESS Starts Tonight

It is here! The event you all have been waiting for! ACCESS begins tonight!

I have been looking forward to tonight all summer. It is going to be a blast.. We have some super fun games planned, some good snacks, enough candy to make your heart race for several hours, and a great lesson from 2nd Timothy.

This fall we will be exploring the idea of what does the "2010 Christian" look like. We will be exploring what it means to live and act as a Christian in your schools. It will be a great time to ask and explore some hard questions and see what the Bible has to say about our lives and how we are to act and what responsibility comes with being a Christian today.

Should be a very exciting and challenging fall! Hope you all have been practicing those Minute to Win it games.. We have some pretty crazy and challenging ones in store. Hope that you 6th Grade students are ready and excited for ACCESS.

Tonight's Lesson is titled "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility"

Look forward to seeing you there!

Stay Tuned!