No Longer Quiet Ministries

2008-10-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

you know in the story of the rich young ruler wanting to follow Jesus but wouldn't give up his posessions...its hard to give up things you like or are comfortable with to follow...so my question to you is what is holding you back? honestly? Mine was my friends and family, not knowing what I would do for money or where I would live or make it by...I had a comfortable job with a steady income I had alot of my cool movies and all sorts of other stuff...ha ha...it all sounds ridiculous to me now...how much I invested in stuff...I still struggle with giving up certain things now...but not so much the things listed above...I don't know why I was spurred to ask this simply worded and yet extremely difficult question to answer...

2008-10-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

I still have some parables on my heart and mind....its so funny to me...we go into weekends or week long events and the students can see our love for them, but they fail to see that God's love is so much greater than our own...why is that? is it like Earl said and its a convenience thing?? I don't know for sure...

2008-10-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about the prodical son parable alot here lately...and no matter how far we seem to run away or fall away God is right behind us with open arms ready to say you are my son/daughter and I love you more than there are stars in the sky...his love is more than the innumerable grains of sand...His love is eternal...and so many people...students and adults...don't know this...or if they do they have tried to fool themselves...I guess you could say that this is what is on my heart to tell others...what is on your hearts? I truly want to know...

2008-10-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

Everyone is back home again...what did you guys get out of this weekend in Clinton?

2008-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welp...yet another day here on blog central...and its a Tuesday....so what is God speaking to your heart on this wonderful day...

2008-10-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

okay...just let your hearts spill out guys....what ever God has laid on your heart for today or maybe for longer....just let us know....

2008-10-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

okay lets try this again...I wanna hear what your reading today an what you got out of it...no matter what book your in....put your heart into it and blog what your getting out of the scripture

2008-10-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

okay folks...I want to hear where you are at...this is very relaxed and I just want you to share what you are reading and what you got out of it today...

Acts 6 Day 5

2008-10-09T10:31:00.001-07:00

Get MASSIVE!

Acts 6 Day 4

2008-10-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

get BIG!

Acts 6 Day 3

2008-10-07T04:09:00.001-07:00

as we "press on", what things stick out to you in Acts 6 today?

Acts 6 Day 2

2008-10-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

thinking of not doing the blog thing anymore...what do you think?

Acts 6 Day 1

2008-10-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Philippians 1:27 (New American Standard Bible)
27Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel

For the last couple of months, I have been reading Scripture talking about unity and togetherness when taking on "the world" with His Gospel. I have been wondering, "Why would God want to keep telling me this?" I have been praying over some opportunities that have come my way in ministry and have not received any sort of peace about these. However, during my prayers I feel a strong since of the ministry to which God has called me in No Longer Quiet. There have been many (some of my closest friends) who have doubted, questioned, and sometimes ridiculed the very decisions that I make. There is nothing that causes disunity more than the sin of gossip. I have held onto this Scripture in one of Paul's epistles stating that we should "conduct" ourselves in a manner that is "worthy" of the the gospel of Christ. Am I conducting myself in a manner worthy of the Good News? Is No Longer Quiet "standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel"? The words that strike me in this Scripture when considering No Longer Quiet (where God has me right now) is "firm", "one spirit", "one mind", and "together". Are we (No Longer Quiet) standing FIRM in ONE SPIRIT, ONE MIND, and doing all of this TOGETHER? I believe honestly that we are standing, but not firm. I believe that we ARE one in Spirit all with one goal in mind. However, I believe that we are not doing this together. My heart has a deep sadness when grasping this Truth. This is not my opinion! I do not think these things because I like to hear them! I have learned that I have been trying to do a lot of things on my own strengths and powers. Only He knows the ways to which No Longer Quiet will function. He has given me this burden to which I speak of now. Only time will tell.

Acts 5 Day 7

2008-10-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

last day...than on to chapter 6.

Acts 5 Day 6

2008-10-03T06:25:00.001-07:00

Acts 5 again today...tell me what you think?

Acts 5 Day 5

2008-10-02T06:13:00.001-07:00

So Matt, what are you getting out of Acts 5 today? :)

Acts 5 Day 4

2008-10-01T04:18:00.000-07:00

So what's new today?

Acts 5 Day 3

2008-09-30T04:15:00.000-07:00

What do you think?

Acts 5 Day 2

2008-09-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

you know the drill by now...

Acts 5 Day 1

2008-09-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us." 1 John 3:18-19

In Romans it says that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This verse explains that love is an action when it is love through the Truth. If we love because we HAVE to, it is not love at all. However, when we love because He first loved us, it becomes love and so much more. Our conscience sometimes gives us a guilty feeling of condemnation. Remember that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! God's voice of assurance is stronger than the accusing voice of our conscience. So if you are living for the Lord but feeling that you are not good enough, remind yourself that God is greater than your conscience!

Acts 4 Day 7

2008-09-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

"Sanctify them by the Truth; Your word is truth" John 17:17

Jesus last prayer was filled with concerns for Himself, His disciples, and for future believers. This scripture is for His disciples. To be sanctified means to be set apart for a sacred purpose. According to this Scripture, Jesus' own words, the only way to be set apart for a "sacred" purpose is the truth and the Word is truth. How important is the Word to you today?

Acts 4 Day 6

2008-09-26T06:55:00.001-07:00

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart." 1 Peter 1:22

i like this verse for several reasons that are important for me this morning. first of all the first part of this says that purification come through obeying the truth. how important is it for us to KNOW the truth? and to know the truth you have to READ the truth and place the truth in your heart. another thing i like about this verse is the fact that purification through obedience leads to sincere love for your brothers...the "so that" part in that sentence is equivalent to an = sign. purification through obedience "so that" (=) you have sincere love for your brothers. finally, Peter says to "love one another deeply". why would he say to love someone after he had previously stated that love comes through purification? could it be because sometimes love is just too hard? i believe that what Peter is saying is that IF i am to love, it first starts with the Truth. am i reading it? is the Truth being APPLIED? because only when i remove my "self" (purification) will i love others! how important is the Truth to you today?

Acts 4 Day 5

2008-09-25T04:10:00.000-07:00

get HUGE!

Acts 4 Day 4

2008-09-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Get MASSIVE!

Acts 4 Day 3

2008-09-23T04:12:00.000-07:00

Get BIG!

Acts 4 Day 2

2008-09-22T15:57:00.001-07:00

This chapter brings with it soooo many things! what is the Lord showing you today in Acts 4?

Acts 4 Day 1

2008-09-21T06:50:00.000-07:00

A new chapter brings with it more miracles and more boldness from the apostles.

Acts 3 Day 7

2008-09-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

The last day in Acts 3, sum up all that you have learned this week.

Acts 3 Day 6

2008-09-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

Read Acts 3 today still remembering what has happened in Acts 1 + 2. What kind of growth have you seen in the apostles?

Acts 3 Day 5

2008-09-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

What is the Lord telling you today?

Acts 3 Day 4

2008-09-17T04:27:00.000-07:00

Try today to visualize actually being there in the temple when this happened to the beggar knowing the circumstances to which the apostles were faced with.

Acts 3 Day 3

2008-09-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Romans 8:24-26

This is one of my favorite Scriptures when I am in the midst of learning patience. In fact, the last few months I have often turned to this as a reminder of a promise. That promise is that God hears us no matter if we don't even know what to pray for. He also promises that He will do what He says He will do on his timetable; we just have to wait for it patiently. Wait patiently, persevere, and even if Acts 3 is getting boring remember that the Spirit (which we have been reading about) will intercede on our behalf when we don't have the words to speak.

Acts 3 Day 2

2008-09-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

On this second day in Acts, what are some ways that you stay focused when doing this blog?

Acts 3 Day 1

2008-09-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

" Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for who Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall." 1 Cor. 8:9-13

Some Christians may refer to this Scripture when it comes to the big ones: premarital sex, drinking, cussing, smoking, etc. In fact most of the time when dealing with sin, these come up quite a bit in conversation. Paul confronts the church about a sin that some people thought was quite trivial. Was it right or was it wrong to do this or to do that. Instead of getting into a heated debate of theological proportions, Paul states that ANYTHING we do that causes a brother to stumble is a sin against GOD! Ouch! Paul is uncompromising in his faith and we should be too!

I started this blog in hopes to keep us accountable as a ministry. However, I have noticed that (through whatever circumstances) most of the comments that are put out there are all from my own household. You may not see the importance in this blog (trivial...see above) or its importance was not conveyed to you like it should and I apologize for that. But I believe, primarily from how it has effected me, that this blog is serving it's purpose. We should not compromise in our faith over such trivial matters, instead we should remain focused and keep our eyes on the finish line! If you are looking for someone in the stands to give you props on that test you passed, the harmony note you just hit, or anything else on your checklist, think again! Because those people in the stands (the clouds of witnesses) will tell you that the only thing that is going with us to heaven is our spirit and His Word. Make His Word the most important thing today, this week, this month, this year! For if it is not important to us, than why should it be important to our brother?

Acts 2 Day 7

2008-09-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

the final day in Acts 2...has it been a challenge for you?

Acts 2 Day 6

2008-09-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Romans 10:17 says that,"consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the WORD of Christ." i remember in english class where there would be three sentences that you would piece together to form on sentence...i don't remember what that stuff was called but i remember having to do it...they would say "the dog is red", "the dog likes to play in the water", and "eric owns this dog"...and you would have to make that into one sentence like,"the red dog that eric owns likes to play in the water" (even that is probably incorrect)...but this Scripture reminds me of that..."faith comes from hearing the message, the message is heard through the Word of Christ..." therefore, faith comes through the Word of Christ...how do you see your faith increasing as you journey through the Word today (or tonight)?

Acts 2 Day 5

2008-09-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

James 1:22 says,"do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says!" Deception can come in many ways. One way it creeps itself into life is in the small things. We may not recognize it when we see it but the previous Scripture states that NOT doing His Word is deception! Don't be deceived in your time in Acts but let the Holy Spirit (the subject of Acts) lead you into applying the many spiritual Truths it has in it.

Acts 2 Day 4

2008-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Get Massive! Can you imagine how it was at the time when each nationality could hear their native language? Imagine how the Good News was spread b/c of this event! How is the Good News spreading in your life b/c of the Holy Spirit in us?

Acts 2 Day 3

2008-09-09T11:09:00.001-07:00

tell of your experience during this accountability time and how it has benefited you as you continue to read Acts 2...what else have you found in this chapter?

Acts 2 Day 2

2008-09-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

Besides blogging on what the Lord is saying to you, also include why you chose to do the blog and why should others choose to do this blog. Than send an invite to whoever the Lord places on your heart to join in this journey.

Acts 2 Day 1

2008-09-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

WHEW! Well, we got through the first week! The second chapter in Acts has ALOT of meat in it. As you read through it this week, remember all that the Lord has shown you the first week and build on that this week!

Acts 1 Day 7

2008-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down. ~Charles F. Kettering

on this last day in Acts 1, look back on all that God has been teaching you, how you've applied, and if there were any patterns that were consistent with what was currently going on in your life. how have you benefited from Acts 1 this week?

Acts 1 Day 6

2008-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

...his delight is in the law of the LORD, ``and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:2-3

Are you delighting in His Word today? What is the Word telling you?

Acts 1 Day 5

2008-09-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 9:11, "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

What is the Lord telling you today?

Acts 1 Day 4

2008-09-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

James 1:25 says, "But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and PERSEVERES, being no hearer who FORGETS but a DOER who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." WOW! What a great reminder today as we look into Acts 1!

Acts 1 Day 3

2008-09-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

As we enter into our third day in Acts 1, take a look back already at the things the Lord has been telling you and ask yourself "Have I applied the Scripture that "jumped" out at me?

In Philippians 2:16, Paul tellus us to "hold fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did NOT run in vain or labor in vain." Remember that you are not running the "race" in vain when you study on hold to His Word. Press on and find even more things in Acts 1 today!

Acts 1 Day 2

2008-09-01T06:00:00.001-07:00

What is the Lord telling you today?

Week One

2008-08-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Acts 1

In Collossians 3:16-17, Paul reminds us what encompasses TRUE Christian living. He says,"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Hopefully this blog will serve as a reminder, a way to keep you accountable as we allow the word of Christ to "dwell" in us...

Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will tackle the book of Acts. This first week will be chapter one. I encourage you to read Acts 1 every day for one week. As the Spirit shows you Truth, I would also ask that you write in the blog daily.