Monday, April 9, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Seed of the serpent vs. Seed of the Woman
Get out your Bibles try to follow this...Be a Berean--Acts 17:11. Give me some feedback.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Happy (24 days delayed) New Year!
This is a new years letter that we sent to a few friends...so if you received the letter you don't have to read it again.
The New Year is here! We are thankful for another year to glorify our great God, and to grow in our love and knowledge of Him.
We are writing this letter as an update and an encouragement. Lydia and I have been very encouraged this year in our God’s power and willingness to use simple people for His work—“...they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled and they realized they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13). This has also been happening here, in the Jackson area—Simple men and women who love Jesus and love His word, boldly preaching His word and God giving increase. Praise God! There has been opposition and trials, but for the most part it has served to strengthen the brethren and to advance God’s kingdom—“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). Please pray with us that God would allow “multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14) to be added to the Lord, that the believers here would be conformed into Christ’s image, that more laborers would be raised up for God’s work (Matt 9:37-38), and that God’s word would spread to ALL NATIONS. (Matt 28:18-20)
Our sweet boy: Samuel, our 3-year old son, is lively, inquisitive, cute, talkative, and hates bathing. He’s growing so fast…too fast! He’s learning a lot, and I’m continually amazed at the deep conversations I’m able to have with a 3-year old (although he often times, in the middle of a heart-to-heart, informs me that he’s a soldier and is going to shoot me). He’s all about wrestling daddy, and protecting mama and sister right now. We love him a whole bunch….pray that his eyes would be opened to the gospel, that he would believe and be saved, and that he would become a fruitful laborer for God’s kingdom.
Our sweet girl: Keely Elizabeth, our 1-year old daughter, is adorable, spunky, into-everything, and thinks she needs mama every second of every day. She also is growing very fast…too fast! Right now she’s all about imitating her brother (she thinks he’s the greatest comedian of all time), brushing her teeth, and eating A LOT. She is also convinced that if she cocks her head sideways and belts out a very cute “Pwwease!” that she can have whatever she wants.
We are very thankful for our children….Pray for us, that God would have mercy on our mistakes in child training (Rom 8:32), that God would give us wisdom for discipling our children, and that God would use our children to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. “Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” –Psalm 127:3-5
A word for the New Year: “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years…’”
God created this thing we call a “year”. God also created the “day”, the “week”, and the “month”.
Day—one revolution of the earth about it axis—God created this!
Week—Genesis 1 and 2—God invented the week!
Month—the time the moon takes to complete one orbit of the earth—God made this!
Year—the earth’s full trip around the sun—God set this in motion!
So why did God give us a time period called a year? Psalm 90 says “teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. That’s one thing we could do for the New Year—think about this past year…how much of it was spent serving God, think about how fast this year flew by, think about how fast life flies by, think about how short life is. Reading all of Psalm 90 helps us think rightly about these things:
“…from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”—Think about how long eternity is….God is God for all eternity, from everlasting to everlasting!
“For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.”—God is God for eternity, so to Him a thousand years is nothing. Compared to eternity, a thousand years is just a watch in the night. Think of a line that stretches out forever and ever in both directions, right and left…a line that never ends (everlasting to everlasting). A thousand years is like a small dot on that everlasting line.
“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years…it is soon cut off, and we fly away”—Our God is God for all eternity! Compared to eternity, a thousand years is like a dot on the everlasting line. And the years of our lives are like a tiny speck on that thousand-year-dot that’s on that everlasting-to-everlasting-line.
“So, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”—let us think about how short a time we have here on earth and use our time wisely.
“let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.”—Since we have such a short short time, what work should we be doing with our hands to make the most of our short time on earth? Here’s something tragic: to waste that short life, and have to look back on our lives and say, “everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind, and nothing was gained under the sun”. But here’s something incredible: It is possible for you to use your small speck of a life to impact eternity! That’s right…there are ways to spend your time (your days, weeks, months, and years) having an impact on that everlasting line. How?
Romans 1:16—“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”—Preach the gospel! If you preach the gospel to someone and they believe, their soul will be saved for eternity! So then, one way to impact eternity is to spend our little speck of life preaching the gospel to as many people as possible.
1 Peter 1:24-25—“…the word of the Lord endures forever.” God’s word endures for all eternity…So spend your short life knowing God’s word and doing God’s word, and this will impact eternity.
How much time did you spend this last year preaching the gospel, searching the Scriptures, or doing His word?
How much time will you spend this next year laboring for eternity? “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life…”—John 6:27
Love,
Ryan, Lydia, Samuel, and Keely Sullivan
The New Year is here! We are thankful for another year to glorify our great God, and to grow in our love and knowledge of Him.
We are writing this letter as an update and an encouragement. Lydia and I have been very encouraged this year in our God’s power and willingness to use simple people for His work—“...they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled and they realized they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13). This has also been happening here, in the Jackson area—Simple men and women who love Jesus and love His word, boldly preaching His word and God giving increase. Praise God! There has been opposition and trials, but for the most part it has served to strengthen the brethren and to advance God’s kingdom—“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22). Please pray with us that God would allow “multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14) to be added to the Lord, that the believers here would be conformed into Christ’s image, that more laborers would be raised up for God’s work (Matt 9:37-38), and that God’s word would spread to ALL NATIONS. (Matt 28:18-20)
Our sweet boy: Samuel, our 3-year old son, is lively, inquisitive, cute, talkative, and hates bathing. He’s growing so fast…too fast! He’s learning a lot, and I’m continually amazed at the deep conversations I’m able to have with a 3-year old (although he often times, in the middle of a heart-to-heart, informs me that he’s a soldier and is going to shoot me). He’s all about wrestling daddy, and protecting mama and sister right now. We love him a whole bunch….pray that his eyes would be opened to the gospel, that he would believe and be saved, and that he would become a fruitful laborer for God’s kingdom.
Our sweet girl: Keely Elizabeth, our 1-year old daughter, is adorable, spunky, into-everything, and thinks she needs mama every second of every day. She also is growing very fast…too fast! Right now she’s all about imitating her brother (she thinks he’s the greatest comedian of all time), brushing her teeth, and eating A LOT. She is also convinced that if she cocks her head sideways and belts out a very cute “Pwwease!” that she can have whatever she wants.
We are very thankful for our children….Pray for us, that God would have mercy on our mistakes in child training (Rom 8:32), that God would give us wisdom for discipling our children, and that God would use our children to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. “Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” –Psalm 127:3-5
A word for the New Year: “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years…’”
God created this thing we call a “year”. God also created the “day”, the “week”, and the “month”.
Day—one revolution of the earth about it axis—God created this!
Week—Genesis 1 and 2—God invented the week!
Month—the time the moon takes to complete one orbit of the earth—God made this!
Year—the earth’s full trip around the sun—God set this in motion!
So why did God give us a time period called a year? Psalm 90 says “teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. That’s one thing we could do for the New Year—think about this past year…how much of it was spent serving God, think about how fast this year flew by, think about how fast life flies by, think about how short life is. Reading all of Psalm 90 helps us think rightly about these things:
“…from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”—Think about how long eternity is….God is God for all eternity, from everlasting to everlasting!
“For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night.”—God is God for eternity, so to Him a thousand years is nothing. Compared to eternity, a thousand years is just a watch in the night. Think of a line that stretches out forever and ever in both directions, right and left…a line that never ends (everlasting to everlasting). A thousand years is like a small dot on that everlasting line.
“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years…it is soon cut off, and we fly away”—Our God is God for all eternity! Compared to eternity, a thousand years is like a dot on the everlasting line. And the years of our lives are like a tiny speck on that thousand-year-dot that’s on that everlasting-to-everlasting-line.
“So, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”—let us think about how short a time we have here on earth and use our time wisely.
“let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.”—Since we have such a short short time, what work should we be doing with our hands to make the most of our short time on earth? Here’s something tragic: to waste that short life, and have to look back on our lives and say, “everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind, and nothing was gained under the sun”. But here’s something incredible: It is possible for you to use your small speck of a life to impact eternity! That’s right…there are ways to spend your time (your days, weeks, months, and years) having an impact on that everlasting line. How?
Romans 1:16—“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”—Preach the gospel! If you preach the gospel to someone and they believe, their soul will be saved for eternity! So then, one way to impact eternity is to spend our little speck of life preaching the gospel to as many people as possible.
1 Peter 1:24-25—“…the word of the Lord endures forever.” God’s word endures for all eternity…So spend your short life knowing God’s word and doing God’s word, and this will impact eternity.
How much time did you spend this last year preaching the gospel, searching the Scriptures, or doing His word?
How much time will you spend this next year laboring for eternity? “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life…”—John 6:27
Love,
Ryan, Lydia, Samuel, and Keely Sullivan
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Love Love Love
Love God--Love People!
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Dear people,
We desire greatly to obey our Lord's commands to love Him and to love you. Please pray for us, because we need help. We often fall short of God's love, but believe us when we say, "We want to love Him and to love you."
If at any time we have failed to love you, please do not respond by not loving us. Forgive us...talk to us...rebuke us... and please pray for us, because we really need help from God.
Forbearance! Ephesians 4:2--"..bearing with one another in love". When we fail at loving you please bear with us. We want to love you, but sometimes in this flesh it is a struggle. You also are in the midst of this struggle as all followers of Christ are, so please be understanding and bear with us in love.
If, for some reason, some people refuse to love us when we are unloving, God's command to us is still the same--forbear in love. So when we mess up and you do not love us in the midst of our faults, we desire to love you when you are unloving and to forbear you when you lack forbearance. Pray for us about that...Because we need help from God!
If, we haven't loved you...and, in response, you didn't love us...and then, in response, we didn't love you...Let us both remember the love of our Lord toward us all--- Who stretched out His hand all day long to a rebellious people (a people who provoked Him to His face continually-Is 65:1-3), Who "while we were still sinners...died for us" (Rom 5:8), Who "laid down His life for us"! And if we dwell on the great love with which Jesus loved us, maybe, by God's help, we can stop this pattern of failed attempts to love each other. Pray for us all about that.
Here's where it gets tricky---Ephesians 4:15 says, "speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ". Speak truth (God's word is truth--Jn17:17) in love! So... Speak truth AND love each other. Teach each other using God's word (Col 3:16, 2 Tim 3:16-17, Heb 10:24-25) AND love each other ("Let all that you do be done with love." -1 Cor 16:14). We are asking God to help us grow in "SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE". Sometimes we are like awkward teen-agers trying to talk to a girl, we say dumb things that don't come across the way we mean. So have mercy on us. Sometimes we speak the truth but our hearts are not loving the person we are speaking to (1 cor 13:2 says this profits nothing). Sometimes we don't speak the truth and claim 'I just want to love them' (which in reality is not love at all, because if we loved you we would want to speak that which builds you up-Eph 4:15, Prov 27:5,6). So please pray that we would have a heart to speak the truth to you, to exhort you, AND to love you. Also, please speak the truth to us. And please love us. We want to be taught by you, corrected by you, and rebuked by you. And when you speak the truth to us we will know that you are doing it because you love us. And even if you are not loving us when you speak the truth to us, we will try to forbear you in love. Because we understand that this struggle is common to all believers. Pray for us all in this.
If you know us really well and we spend a lot of time with you, then know that in the future we are going to fail and you are going to fail and we are both going to get chances to practice the forbearance and love of Jesus on each other. Praise God! He will use these times in our lives to "conform us into the image of His Son". Biggest mistake we could make during that time would be to end fellowship with each other because of bitterness ("lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled"--Heb 12:14-15).
If you know us a little and we spend a little time together, give us more than one chance to love you. Remember: God said, "I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people". So please live out that love toward us. If we do something or believe something or say something that you don't like or disagree with, "put on love, which is the bond of perfection". We understand that we could be wrong in what we do, believe, or say, but know that we are trying our best to do, believe, and say according to God's word. Come and ask us if you have any questions about the things we do, believe, and say, or if you want to correct us..we welcome and need correction ("let the righteous strike me, it shall be a kindness. Let him rebuke me, it shall be as excellent oil"). You may help us in understanding God's word, we may help you in understanding God's word, or we may just disagree. But no matter what the outcome lets seek to "put on love, which is the bond of perfection".
If you don't know us at all. Don't believe everything you hear. We have many faults, but I hope this blog post has helped you a little to see our heart.
We love ya'll!
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Dear people,
We desire greatly to obey our Lord's commands to love Him and to love you. Please pray for us, because we need help. We often fall short of God's love, but believe us when we say, "We want to love Him and to love you."
If at any time we have failed to love you, please do not respond by not loving us. Forgive us...talk to us...rebuke us... and please pray for us, because we really need help from God.
Forbearance! Ephesians 4:2--"..bearing with one another in love". When we fail at loving you please bear with us. We want to love you, but sometimes in this flesh it is a struggle. You also are in the midst of this struggle as all followers of Christ are, so please be understanding and bear with us in love.
If, for some reason, some people refuse to love us when we are unloving, God's command to us is still the same--forbear in love. So when we mess up and you do not love us in the midst of our faults, we desire to love you when you are unloving and to forbear you when you lack forbearance. Pray for us about that...Because we need help from God!
If, we haven't loved you...and, in response, you didn't love us...and then, in response, we didn't love you...Let us both remember the love of our Lord toward us all--- Who stretched out His hand all day long to a rebellious people (a people who provoked Him to His face continually-Is 65:1-3), Who "while we were still sinners...died for us" (Rom 5:8), Who "laid down His life for us"! And if we dwell on the great love with which Jesus loved us, maybe, by God's help, we can stop this pattern of failed attempts to love each other. Pray for us all about that.
Here's where it gets tricky---Ephesians 4:15 says, "speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ". Speak truth (God's word is truth--Jn17:17) in love! So... Speak truth AND love each other. Teach each other using God's word (Col 3:16, 2 Tim 3:16-17, Heb 10:24-25) AND love each other ("Let all that you do be done with love." -1 Cor 16:14). We are asking God to help us grow in "SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE". Sometimes we are like awkward teen-agers trying to talk to a girl, we say dumb things that don't come across the way we mean. So have mercy on us. Sometimes we speak the truth but our hearts are not loving the person we are speaking to (1 cor 13:2 says this profits nothing). Sometimes we don't speak the truth and claim 'I just want to love them' (which in reality is not love at all, because if we loved you we would want to speak that which builds you up-Eph 4:15, Prov 27:5,6). So please pray that we would have a heart to speak the truth to you, to exhort you, AND to love you. Also, please speak the truth to us. And please love us. We want to be taught by you, corrected by you, and rebuked by you. And when you speak the truth to us we will know that you are doing it because you love us. And even if you are not loving us when you speak the truth to us, we will try to forbear you in love. Because we understand that this struggle is common to all believers. Pray for us all in this.
If you know us really well and we spend a lot of time with you, then know that in the future we are going to fail and you are going to fail and we are both going to get chances to practice the forbearance and love of Jesus on each other. Praise God! He will use these times in our lives to "conform us into the image of His Son". Biggest mistake we could make during that time would be to end fellowship with each other because of bitterness ("lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled"--Heb 12:14-15).
If you know us a little and we spend a little time together, give us more than one chance to love you. Remember: God said, "I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people". So please live out that love toward us. If we do something or believe something or say something that you don't like or disagree with, "put on love, which is the bond of perfection". We understand that we could be wrong in what we do, believe, or say, but know that we are trying our best to do, believe, and say according to God's word. Come and ask us if you have any questions about the things we do, believe, and say, or if you want to correct us..we welcome and need correction ("let the righteous strike me, it shall be a kindness. Let him rebuke me, it shall be as excellent oil"). You may help us in understanding God's word, we may help you in understanding God's word, or we may just disagree. But no matter what the outcome lets seek to "put on love, which is the bond of perfection".
If you don't know us at all. Don't believe everything you hear. We have many faults, but I hope this blog post has helped you a little to see our heart.
We love ya'll!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Nothing but the BLOOD!
Sweet Family Time!
I just got off the phone with a girl who is considering things of the Lord. The gospel was shared with her recently and we were talking about it and she said some of that stuff seems crazy. I asked her what exactly seemed crazy to her and her response was that we are not worthy and our good things that we do are like filthy rags before the Lord. She was referring to Is 64:6 "We are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.." It is crazy! Even crazier is that "..the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
Ryan asked me the other night to teach Samuel something during our family time and earlier that day Samuel and I were painting outside and we painted a cross. I told Samuel that we needed to put some blood on the cross and he said, "why we need blood mom?"
Samuel painting
Lil Keely playing in the paint
The blood! The blood is so important!
So...we talked about why the blood?
We looked at a few passages...but the main one we talked about was in Lev 14:2-7(a prophecy of Christ)"This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:
And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold,the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field."
Jesus Christ was killed in an earthen vessel (flesh) and we (the diseased, messed up leper) can be dipped in His blood and declared CLEAN and set FREE!
Samuel letting the bird dipped in the blood be set free. Yay!
Rev 1:5 - "Jesus Christ....Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."
Praise the Lord! Oh let us not consider His blood a common thing! May the Lord work in our hearts to be in awe of the blood He shed for us to be made clean!
Heb 10:29 "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?"
How to apply the blood?
Jhn 11:26 "And whoever lives and believes in Me (Jesus) shall never die. Do you believe this?"
Lydia
I just got off the phone with a girl who is considering things of the Lord. The gospel was shared with her recently and we were talking about it and she said some of that stuff seems crazy. I asked her what exactly seemed crazy to her and her response was that we are not worthy and our good things that we do are like filthy rags before the Lord. She was referring to Is 64:6 "We are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.." It is crazy! Even crazier is that "..the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
Ryan asked me the other night to teach Samuel something during our family time and earlier that day Samuel and I were painting outside and we painted a cross. I told Samuel that we needed to put some blood on the cross and he said, "why we need blood mom?"
Samuel painting
Lil Keely playing in the paint
The blood! The blood is so important!
So...we talked about why the blood?
We looked at a few passages...but the main one we talked about was in Lev 14:2-7(a prophecy of Christ)"This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:
And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold,the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper;
Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field."
Jesus Christ was killed in an earthen vessel (flesh) and we (the diseased, messed up leper) can be dipped in His blood and declared CLEAN and set FREE!
Samuel letting the bird dipped in the blood be set free. Yay!
Rev 1:5 - "Jesus Christ....Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."
Praise the Lord! Oh let us not consider His blood a common thing! May the Lord work in our hearts to be in awe of the blood He shed for us to be made clean!
Heb 10:29 "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?"
How to apply the blood?
Jhn 11:26 "And whoever lives and believes in Me (Jesus) shall never die. Do you believe this?"
Lydia
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)