PARADOX College Ministry

Isaiah 57:7-8 "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite."

This is an amazing promise that the Lord is giving to us. He is saying that not only does He dwell in the heavens, but He is close to those who are lowly in spirit, and broken in heart. It is an amazing picture of Who God is and His heart for those who are in need of a Savior. Many times we picture God (I am just a guilty) as being this "Cosmic Force dwelling in a distant land called Heaven". We picture God being far away, so far that we are unable to obtain Him or draw close to Him. But how inaccurate a picture that is. GOD IS RIGHT THERE WITH YOU, AND HE LOVES YOU! The accurate picture is that of a King seated on high and yet humbly and lovingly kneeling down beside His children when they are in desperate need of Him.

Although God is dwelling in the Heavens, He also makes His dwelling with us through Jesus Christ. This week, be meditating on just that awesome picture and the awesome love that He has for each of us. Here are some questions to help you (there are many more, these are only a few to get you started):

What does that mean in your life?

How does God revive you when your heart is broken?

Has God ever revived you in the past? If so, how did that make you feel?

Who can you share this promise with?

God is awesome and worthy to be praised! God Bless!

christianity , weekly word

don't compartmentalize christianity...

Continuing on in our discussion of the Gospel of Mark. We encounter a simple, yet profound action made by the apostle Peter. The action made is not unlike the actions we make to those people who we desire to be around and hang out with and who have a friendship with us. We must be careful not to overlook this because we, as Christians, and college students at that, can learn so much about how we should live out our Christianity.

Now I am sure you are anxious to hear what was the gesture that Peter made. Well, without further adieu, PETER TOOK JESUS HOME! A simple, yet incredibly profound action. The reason being is that many, many Christians today fail to do this. They fail to take Jesus OUT of the church and INTO their homes, their workplaces, their classes, their relationships. They tend to leave Jesus in the church where they think that He ultimately dwells. But that is not the whole truth, Jesus dwells amongst us and with us everywhere we go. And I think that there are three reasons why Jesus is not taken home:

1. We fail to picture Him as He truly is.

2. We don't truly understand what He is asking of us.

3. We don't or haven't truly surrendered our lives to Jesus.

The last reason is what strikes such a deep chord in my heart. Jesus tells us that if we are to follow Him, we must die to ourselves. We must be crucified daily and live not according to our wills, but to His will. We cannot compartmentalize our Christianity. Meaning that we shouldn't be Christians who only give up a part of our life to Jesus and hold onto what we want to hold onto. There are many who do this. Many who only let Jesus in to the places where THEY WANT not where HE WANTS. And they fail to surrender their lives to Him because they don't want to. We need to be completely consumed by Jesus in our lives, and when we do that, we will be willing and eager to TAKE JESUS HOME.

And the greatest reason to TAKE JESUS HOME, is because there are friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, professors, RAs, who are in need of a Healer. They are in need of a touch from Jesus because He is the Almighty Healer to all who call upon Him. Isaiah 57:7-8 "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite." Jesus is not only seated on high, but He is seated with those who are lowly in spirit and who are in need of a touch from God. And when He touches, things get radical!

This generation needs to wake up and realize that we need to TAKE JESUS OUTSIDE of the church. We need to realize that we need to allow Him to consume our lives, the very air we breath, and to the depths of our souls. And in doing that, wherever you go, or do, or say, TAKE JESUS WITH YOU and see the Holy Spirit move in radical ways!

Don't be afraid of taking Jesus along with you.

Don't be afraid of taking Jesus outside the church and showing Him to your friends.

Don't be afraid of letting Jesus be the reason why you live.

Don't be afraid to surrender your life to Him.

Because He is worth it!

God Bless!

(please, if you have questions or comments, write them. How has the Lord spoken to you? In what areas is He calling you to "step up" in?)

christianity , gospel of mark

...that's MY King

This is a video that will change your whole perspective of just WHO Jesus is. And even as you watch this video (which is worth the 3 minutes that it is) remember that Jesus is far greater and marvelous than the words that are used here to describe Him. This sermon was preached by S.M. Lockeridge and is something that all Christians should see and hear because Jesus is our King, and we need to know Him.

But my question to you is, do you REALLY KNOW HIM? Do you have that personal relationship with Christ? Do you have a relationship and have not fully developed it? Or if that relationship is developed, are you willing to take it deeper? No matter where you are at in your relationship with Jesus Christ, whether you have one or not, He is waiting to either start one or grow with you in one. As Christians we need to REALLY KNOW HIM. And there is no better way than to read His word and pray to Him. When you do those things, He will meet you and you will grow and develop further that relationship with Christ.

THAT'S MY KING. DO YOU KNOW HIM?

christianity

thanksgiving/bird bash...

Well, I don't know about you all, but I am STILL stuffed from last night's "Paradox Bird Bash". A HUGE thanks goes out to everyone who brought something for the potluck. Everything was so, so, so, so good. From the salad, to the potatoes, to the pies, it was a truly special night. And it was awesome to see the body of Christ come together as well. Paradox is a body, it is a community, of college students who have one thing in mind, love God in everything they do, and secondly, love others as themselves. And last night was full of both. I thank you all for being a part of it, and thanks be to God for blessing the night.

I also wanted to leave you all with some verses that you could dwell on as you go home for thanksgiving and indulge in the feast of epic proportions. Each of these verses are used to encourage you to live a life FULL of thanksgiving. There are intended with the purpose of you never losing sight of the greatest gift that can ever be given was given to you, freely and without conditions. Our lives need to be characterized by thanksgiving, knowing that the gift we received was given by grace. Paul says it the best in Ephesians 2:8-10 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Thanks be to Him from whom the gifts are given.

Psalm 26:6-7 "I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord, proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds."
Psalm 50:23 "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!"
Ps 100:4 "Enter his gates with thanksgiving,and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
Philippians 4:6-7 "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Col 4:2 "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving."

May this thanksgiving day have a whole new meaning for you. And may everyday have a new meaning to you! God Bless!

christianity

... oc supertones

What can I say about the OC Supertones? If you were like me, growing up in an alternative Christian-music deprived world, you were on the look out for something to wet your music appetite and be cool at the same time. It is out of this need came the infatuation and enjoyment of the musical genre of ska. And the OC Supertones were the coolest. I have posted two videos that not only took me back a couple of years, but put a smile on my face as well. Hope they do the same for you! Peace!

random

...isaiah 26:3-4

This morning as I awoke from my 6-7 hour hibernation and I dusted off the sleep from my eyes, I was hit over the head by the Lord with this passage from Isaiah.

Isaiah 26:3-4 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

I was just floored when I read this. To me, it is saying, "Trust in the Lord, Trust in the Lord, Trust in the Lord." And, like you, I had heard that since I have been young and it is not a new concept, it is not some profound revelation, but in it's simplicity I find something that is profound. I find that we are to trust the Lord about things that are out of our control, as well as things that are in our control. And it was the "in control" that made me stop. Imagine, those things that you can control. Jobs, relationships, school (for some), friends, family, food, things that we don't go immediately to the Lord for, still need to be brought to Him and be entrusted in Him. Many times we think to only give the Lord the things that are beyond our limits, and we hold onto the rest. We compartmentalize our Christianity into two shelves, OUR STUFF and GOD'S STUFF. But in reality, it is ALL GOD'S STUFF. And we need to realize that.

When we do understand that we need to trust Him in all things and we do, that is when the peace of the Lord comes. A peace that is so precious and sweet that it could only come from our Heavenly Father. A peace that will melt your core and flood your life. A peace that transcends all our understanding. That is the peace that flows from our trust in Him. That is the peace that I want, that is the peace that I want in my life when times are hard, confusing, scary, worrisome, and just plain exhausting. That peace will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

But it first comes with trusting Him. It first comes with laying down ALL things at His feet and giving Him it all. So upon these reflections, I am nagged by the question,

"DO YOU TRUST HIM? REALLY TRUST HIM?"

I have answered that question. Now it is your turn! Trust in the Lord ALWAYS! Be encouraged!

christianity , weekly word

Jesus' absolute authority...

Continuing on in our discussion/study of Mark we came across Mark 1:21-28. Until now, we have seen Jesus as a submitted Savior. He submitted Himself to the Father in the baptism by John the Baptist and when He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. And through that submission and surrendering to the Lord Jesus was saying that his life was no longer His own, but the Father's. That God's will is greater than His will and that He was obedient to whatever God had in store. And it was in that submission that His authority flowed.

It is that same in the life of the believer. Often we overlook the benefit and the blessing of being submitted to the Lord. We see that submission and surrender are things without purpose. Surrender and submission are two words, that in today's society and in today's schools, are not heralded as positive terms. For the world they mean weakness, unintelligent, dumb, insignificance. They are seen as negative terms, but for Jesus, they are positive and necessary terms. In our submission and our surrender flows the same authority and power that Jesus had. When we are submitted to Jesus and we have given our lives to Him, He in turn comes and dwells in our hearts in the form of the Holy Spirit. And when that happens, we possess His power and His authority. John 14:16 "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever."

In this passage we read about the authority that Jesus has. We see His authority over the Word and over the demonic realm. And His authority is absolute, it is all encompassing, and it is universal. There is no limit to the authority that He has. His authority over the word comes from the sheer fact that HE IS THE WORD. John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Imagine receiving a bible study from THE WORD Himself? It would be off the charts, it would leave us in amazement. And that is exactly what it did for the people who heard it, they were overwhelmed! As were those in the spiritual realm. The demon in the synagogue that day knew who Jesus was, and His power and authority that He had over him and them. Jesus then exercises that authority in silencing the demon. Silencing him from saying anything. Imagine seeing that as well. Imagine experiencing that.

The crazy thing is that we can experience that in our own lives. We too have the authority and power to silence the demons that plague us. The times that we are tempted, we too can say, "Be silent" and resist the devil. James 4:7 "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The reason being is that you are filled with the Holy Spirit and with that comes authority and power to resist him who torments you. Your words contain power and authority as well. You do not have to speak as the scribes spoke from a second-hand authority, but you can speak out of a direct revelation from the Father. He speaks to us through His Holy Spirit and gives us revelations of who He is and how much He loves us. We need to not be timid when speaking the truth, because in the truth, in the gospel, holds a power that is from God.

So I encourage you, embrace this authority that has been invested in you. Embrace the authority over the temptations that plague so easily. Be bold in silencing them and resisting the sin that so easily entangles. And use the words of power to do that. Use the words that Jesus gives us in the Bible. Through the Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Bible we have everything that pertains to life and godliness. And when we are submitted to Him, all authority flows, and because of that we praise the Lord!

Are you embracing your authority in Christ? Are you walking in the power of the cross?

christianity , gospel of mark

paradox BIRD BASH...

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I want to apologize there is no date or time on the Paradox Bird Bash. I am now writing to correct my wrong (thanks to Toby for his sharp eye). Drum Roll, Please... the Bird Bash will be... SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18 AT 6PM!!! Ta-da!!

I want everyone to be there. It is going to be an awesome night. God Bless!

events

turkey day...

Hello all you Pilgrims and Pilgrim-esess (I don't know what a female pilgrim is, so whatever). I am announcing the FIRST ANNUAL TURKEY DINNER/POTLUCK! I am super stoked for this. It is going to be an awesome time of dinner and worship. We will be having a potluck, where we (me and others) are providing the turkey and y'all are providing everything else.

Thanksgiving is a great holiday, not only because you get close to week off of school or the feast, but because of what it represents. We have many things that come to mind each year to be thankful for and it is awesome that on this day we get to remember those things. And the greatest thing that we can be thankful for is the gift of eternal life that we have from God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

So I invite you all to come and join me as we stuff our stomachs and give thanks to Him for who He is! Hope to see you there! God Bless!

events

...romans 2

God's judgment is something that, to be honest, baffles me. It is something that is so high and unattainable to my mind that I can get a headache when I try to think about it. So, if you are like me this chapter in Romans will be good for you.

Chapter 2 is talking about the judgment of God. You see, God's judgment is the only perfect judgment on earth and outside earth. He has the ability to discern your actions, thoughts, words, and life in a way that is perfect. His judgment of us is the only thing that matters. We are not to judge others because we are to leave the judging to Him, the One who knows a little more about the other person than we do.

However, many times we fall back into judgmental human beings out to "get" someone or prove ourselves better than them. We judge someone by what and who we think they are, God judges them by what and who HE KNOWS they are. God has the ability to see their heart, their motivation, their minds, as well as the external actions. We can only see the external, not the internal.

In this chapter ask yourselves:

How do I identify with what this chapter is talking about?

Lord, what are you trying to speak to me about?

If You were to judge me today, what would that judgment look like? (Be honest)

These are only questions that are meant to spark your thinking. I encourage you to plug into the Word and remain plugged into the Word. Not just for your understanding and intellect, but for your focus and strength. Maybe you might have some questions, don't be shy, POST THEM! God Bless!

christianity , weekly word

...fruitless fishing