Unashamed

Moving Quickly

2010-03-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

Things have been so awesome the last couple of weeks. God is so good and I'm just amazed at His great love and provision for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose, and it's not even that we loved Him, but that He first loved us and sent His son to die for us while we were yet sinners. Let us rejoice at that. I'll say it again, let us rejoice.

Since my last post, things have progressed pretty significantly. I now occupy the one bedroom apartment that Cydney and I will live in after we get married. I wanted to jump at this one right away because the price and location are right up our alley. We are one freeway exit away from Centerville, which is where Blake and Amanda and Loren and Carrie are, and, of course, where the church is going to be planted. God is so good. I am just so in love with the place that He has provided for Cydney and I. She is still living in Salt Lake City with two girls and our apartment is located in Bountiful. I have the entire place to myself for the next month or so and I am definitely living like a freshman college student that just moved into a dorm room. I am excited to see what is going to happen with this place. I just know that God is going to use it for great ministry to people in our complex and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Another cool thing that is going on is a possible career move job opportunity. I am testing with the Ogden Police Department on April 19th through the 22nd. This is a great opportunity to get hired on with their police force. They will sponsor me through the academy, but I need to pass all of the preliminary testing first. Pray that it goes well and that God would open that door if it is where He wants me and if it's where He would be best glorified and served.

PRAYER REQUESTS: Loren and Carrie are kicking off a bible study in April at their house. On Thursday, March 11th Loren, and a group of missionaries from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, are handing out flyers for advertisement to hundreds of houses in the area. Just pray that God would work through this study in a powerful way. I just pray that we would either see souls saved through the reading of the word of God and faith in Christ, or that families will come alongside us and help us launch this church into a building where we can start holding regular Sunday morning services. Also, Cydney and I are coming back to Fresno on April 27th and will be there until May 8th. Just pray that our wedding would be great and glorifying to the Lord and that we would have some great time together on our honeymoon.

I love all of you guys so much and just really appreciate all of the love and support in return. I am so astonished at the love that the saints have for one another in the body of Christ. God has blessed us so much with support and love from all sorts of people. After all, Jesus did say that they would recognize us because of our love for one another. Grace and Peace to all of you.

P.S. Feel free to leave prayer requests that I could be praying for you about.

Basketball Buzz

2010-02-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks have been really great. A good LDS friend of mine invited me to his ward's stake center to play some basketball. I've been playing with him and a lot of other guys on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. All of the guys were really welcoming and it has just been such a great opportunity to get to know a lot of guys who need the truth of the gospel. I am getting to know a lot of the guys pretty good and it's getting to the point where we are starting to hang out a lot even outside of playing basketball. I have also been doing a lot of stuff with my friend who originally invited me. In fact, we went out for dessert the other night and just talked about life for about an hour. He talked a lot about his mission. He knows that I am not LDS but it is so cool that he still wants to build a relationship with me. Just pray that God would give him ears to hear and eyes to see and that I would be a vessel emptied out of myself only to be filled with the Holy Spirit in witnessing to him. You can pray anything else you might want to, but those are just a couple of suggestions. I am just so excited about what the Lord is going to do in these guys that He has placed in my life. I just want to see souls saved here and I'm very excited to be apart of it. Love you guys and really appreciate the prayers. Let us toil and strive on behalf of the gospel of truth.

Changes

2010-02-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

Things are going to change real quick. What I mean is that Cydney and I will be married on May 2nd and will be living together to serve the LORD and display His blood bought covenant relationship for all to see. This is going to be new and fresh for both her and I so I would really welcome prayer for that. Also, we are going to be looking for an apartment in the bountiful or Centerville area which is where the church will be planted at. We definitely need to be in that area so it will be easier to do ministry and serve the LORD more wholeheartedly. It has been difficult to do so up to this point because I live a little over a half hour away right now. I am usually in Centerville about three to four times a week and that is definitely tough to do with a really tight budget and a long distance to travel. Nevertheless, God is good and He works out all things according to His purpose and for the good of those that love Him.

Also, all of us could use prayer in Utah for the Church itself, and more specifically that the LORD would send workers into His harvest field. Right now we are in the pre-launch phase of the church planting process. We are hoping and praying that the LORD would send us other Christians who have a heart for seeing the lost get saved to build a fully functional launch team. This will get us to the point where we can start a full Sunday service in a church building some time down the road.

Praise God for the Carpenter family making it here to Utah and finding a place to stay in Centerville. Blake was provided a full time job with Overstock.com. He has great benefits for his family and great pay to support them as well. Also, we are continuing to pray for the Stott family and that everything will go smoothly for them to get out here as soon as possible. They are in the appeal process of their adoption proceedings and it has been a long trial filled road for them. If you could keep them in your prayers that would be greatly appreciated as well.

Carrie's friend, Tamara is here with us in Utah for three months and she has been a huge blessing to the Pankratz family as well as everyone else that interacts with her. She is only able to get a three month visa which is unfortunate because we would hope that the LORD would keep her here forever to help us in His work. So, also keep that in your prayers when you remember her in your time with the LORD.

So, Cydney and I will be coming back to Fresno, CA on the night of April 27th and will be there until May 7th. I am excited to see all of my friends and family. I love all of you guys so much and God is my witness how I long for you with the affections of Christ.

LIFE

2010-01-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to update my blog. Life can fly by so quickly that I forget to stop and think about others who probably want to know what's been going on. I am so sorry. Please forgive me for taking so long.

I have never experienced so many trials in life. It is so overwhelming and hard at the same time. There are just so many things that try to pull me down with the way of the world. It is easier said than done to be in the world but not of it. That has been my biggest struggle. I've just been trying to figure out what the Lord has in store over the next couple of months. There are just so many things to think about, but I try not to take it all in at once lest I overwhelm myself. A few of these things include getting closer to Centerville so that it is easier to be where the church is. Right now I live in Sandy, Utah and it is about a thirty minute drive to Centerville where the church is meeting regularly. Another thing is getting financial ducks in a row before Cydney and I get married in May. Yes, for those of you that have not heard, Cydney and I are engaged to be married. I have to try and find a reasonably priced apartment in Centerville, probably in April, so that after Cydney and I are married we can move right in and call a place home for a little while. It has just been so overwhelming with finances lately, so if you guys could pray for that aspect of life it would be so greatly appreciated. We know that without a shadow of a doubt that God is going to take care of everything if only we would yield our wills to His day after day and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. That is half the battle, however; getting our wills to yield to His day after day and our stubborn autonomous hearts to trust in Him. I've been in prayer so much and know that God has me right where He wants me in life right now. Whatever happens, it is all for His glory and praise anyways. After all, the Word of God calls us to consider these trials with pure joy. They give us an opportunity to prove genuine faith and assurance of hope in Christ our Lord. I just thank God in all my remembrance of you for your daily petition on behalf of the saints, before the throne of our Lord. I love you all and can't wait to see you on May 2nd as Cydney and I proclaim our one flesh union before the God that has joined us together.

Harvest Work at Work

2009-12-01T23:15:00.000-08:00

So tonight was a great night at work. I started work at about 3 PM but got there a half hour early. I was talking with my supervisor, whose name is Corbyn, and he and his wife are very interested in getting involved in a bible study. They are ex-members of the LDS church and are seeking truth. I had an opportunity to tell him about Tim Keller's sermon on the parable of the two sons in Luke 15. He was going to listen to it for me and let me know what he thought. If you guys could just pray for him, that God would draw him in and that he would experience the risen Lord in all of His grace, love, truth, and mercy.

Also, at work, I responded to a shoplift at Nordstrom's. A guy stole some pairs of jeans but was apprehended by Nordstrom's Loss Prevention and then detained by the Murray Police Department. As part of my procedure I banned him from the mall, got his personal information, and I took a photo of him for my incident report. I cleared scene and then resumed patrol of the parking lots in the security vehicle. About two hours later, the same guy that got caught for shoplifting was released from police custody and he returned to the mall for his car. He flagged me down while I was on patrol because he needed help with finding his car. We started to look for his car, but then we got into a conversation. He told me that he felt stupid and embarrassed for taking the pants and that his life was just really messed up right now because he has no money. I asked him if he was LDS and he said that he was. I told him that I was a protestant christian and why I was in Utah. I also told him what I thought about Joseph Smith and the so called gospel that the LDS church professes. He remained silent the entire time and the Lord presented me with an opportunity to share the true gospel. It was such an awesome blessing to be used by the Lord to dispense truth and love. I gave him my name and phone number and told him to call me any time that he wanted to. Pray that God would give him eyes to see and ears to hear the beauty of the love of Christ for us that was poured out on the cross. God is so good and it baffles me that he would use feeble human beings to reflect His own holy character in ministering to others. Love you all. Thanks for your prayers.

Beautiful Day in Provo, Utah

2009-11-30T17:02:00.000-08:00

Today was an awesome and glorious day in the city of Provo, Utah. Randy sweet and I went to BYU to evangelize to members of the LDS church. All praise goes to the LORD for the opportunity to share His truth and boy did we ever. We were first driving through Center Street in Provo and Randy spotted three missionaries standing on a street corner. I've never seen him so excited before in my life. He pulled the car over at his first convenience and we got out to pursue the missionaries. We got into a great conversation about the grace of God until it was cut short by their ride coming to pick them up. We had the opportunity, by the grace of god, to share the glorious good news of the gospel which is the grace and mercy of God extended to unrighteous sinners. After that conversation ended we got back into Randy's car and drove to BYU. We headed straight for the BYU food court because that is our favorite place to get into great conversations. We decided to take the straight forward approach. We walked up to two guys in the food court that were eating lunch and let them know that we were Protestant Evangelical Christians from Sandy who wanted to get into friendly discussion about the LDS church and what it teaches. They willingly accepted the offer and that initiated a good two hour conversation. Once again Randy and I had the merciful opportunity to share the truth of the gospel and the fact that we are justified by faith alone apart from any works done on our own. It was such a blessed day and we had great conversations that were not contentious at all but progressive in not setting aside the grace of God that is only found in Christ. Randy and I were graciously allowed by our LORD to put some mud in their eyes and we're hopeful that He will do the washing and regenerating which will enable them to see the unfathomable riches of His mercy and kindness. His patience is designed to lead us to repentance and my prayer is that God will continue to be patient for their sakes and continue to draw them to Himself. If you could, pray for the guys that we talked to today that the LORD would grant them repentance and that they would receive assurance of salvation that is eternally secured through the blood of the lamb that was slain for the sins of the whole world. Their names are Rick, Donnie, Elder Tueller, Elder McClurg, and Elder Barrera. My heart aches for them because it is going to be hard to enjoy being in the presence of the LORD for eternity without them. PLEASE PRAY.

A Much Needed Update on Life

2009-11-23T16:07:00.000-08:00

Life is interesting right now in the beautiful state of Utah. It is cold and beginning to snow like crazy. I have a full time job now working with Allied Barton Security Services at Fashion Place mall in Murray, Utah. God has put me right where He wants me. I work with a bunch of guys who need hope and true love in their lives. We all know that this can only be found in Christ. It can be discouraging sometimes going to work because I don't have any type of fellowship, but this motivates me even more and more and I get excited about going to work. I just pray that God will continue to draw my co-workers to Himself and they will see His light shining through me. He makes all things new and I am hopeful that I can see new creation birthed right in my work environment. Other than work, I've just been staying in the Word and seeking out opportunities that God gives me to share His truth with people who crave it but don't know that they crave it. I'm so excited about where God has me in life right now. Life is not easy and I really don't have any solid fellowship with any Lord loving guys out here. It has been a time where my reliance has to be solely placed in Christ and He continues to love me so much and teach me a lot of things along the way. Cydney and I are still going strong. I'm just continuing to serve her and love her as Christ loved us so much that He gave Himself up for us so that He might bring us to Himself. It's been a journey, but God's been showing me that I need to die to myself and serve her graciously and lovingly. I can be a leader in my service to her. She is me in a sense. Her struggles, desires, sorrows, hurts, wants, needs, etc., become my own and I love being there for her through it all and loving her with Christ's love the entire way through. Also, I've realized that my love needs to aim at her sanctification. If I'm to love her as Christ does then I need to be most concerned with her progression towards holiness. I am hopeful that at His coming she will be presented to the Lord as holy, blameless, and upright. I am confident that He who began the work in her will perfect it at the day of Christ Jesus. I wouldn't trade where I'm at in life right now for anything.

I live in Sandy, Utah now instead of Salt lake. I am living with a family that Cydney and I go to church with at Lifeline Community Church. I can't wait until Loren and Carrie get out here so we can start going to church together. Keep the Llanos family, the Carpenter family, the Orrin Family, the Peterson family, the Stott family, and the soon to be Morales family in your prayers because I would love for them to be out here as soon as possible too so that we can get started on building the Lord's kingdom soul by soul and that we would worship our God and Savior together in unity of the spirit. I love my family and I long to see them again in the near future, but until then, God continues to supply me with unexplainable grace and mercy that is found in His son. I wish that I could keep in touch with everyone, and I do try my hardest, but if anyone has a desire to call me up and chat sometime, feel free to call me at 559-999-4125. I would love to chat and pray, and catch up on life.

I won't be coming home for thanksgiving, christmas, or new year's this year so I will definitely be home sick. I love you mom (you too dad). I can't believe that God has blessed me so with a mother like you. You are living proof of God's grace being shown in my life. Thank you for everything that you do. I really appreciate you.

This is kind of random, but Real Salt lake, Utah's major league soccer team, won the MLS cup. This is the first major league professional championship in Utah state history. AWESOME :-)

New Beginnings

2009-10-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you that do not know, I have moved to Utah. I decided to go and let God be God. He is so huge and amazing and I know that with focus upon Him I can't go wrong. Utah is a new but awesome experience. I am currently seeking full time employment so that I can get my own place and live on my own. Right now I am staying with my friend Garrett who is gracious in letting me stay at his place for the time being. I had an interview today with Allied Barton which is a Security Agency. The interview went very well and I have another one tomorrow at 1:00 PM. Today was my first day ever in my life driving in blizzard like snow. I don't have any type of snow tire on my car so it was a terrifying but fantastical experience. I survived, but I only think it was because I was praying the whole time I was driving, and, yes, I was praying with my eyes open. I can use so much prayer that God would just continue to draw me to Himself in this time of trust and obedience to His Word. Also, that I would be on guard against doubt from the evil one and wholeheartedly focused on worshiping and delighting in the Lord. I took a video on my phone today of the snow like conditions in Salt Lake. Enjoy. Until next time, thanks for prayer and I love all of you guys.

Big Day @ BYU

2009-10-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

Today I went to BYU with my friends Randy (Mormon Research Ministry) and Jim. We had an awesome day getting into conversations with members of the LDS Church. First off, I got into a conversation right away with a guy named Tyler for about an hour and a half or so and it was very fruitful. I won't go into all of the details, but you can ask me when you see me. Also, we talked to Greg, Sterling, Sam, and Adam. All of our conversations were free of any sort of contention. Both parties were open for discussion and it was a very fruitful time of evangelism. The Lord used us boldly today and my prayer would be that His words attach to their hearts and eat away at them until they can't take it any longer. We planted the seed in hopes that someone else would come along and water it so that the Lord can produce His fruit and make it grow. It was a great day and I'm looking forward to the next time I can go out. Thank you all for your prayers. Leave me any prayer requests you all may have as well and I would be blessed to pray for you in any way that I can. LET THE PEACE OF CHRIST RULE IN YOUR HEARTS:-)

Job Update

2009-10-10T21:35:00.001-07:00

So, I'm sure that your saying, "it's about time Gianni updated his blog." This is a much needed update on my Utah job search and relocation efforts. I came to Utah on October 1st and planned on staying until the 7Th. Long story short, but plans changed and I'll be back in Fresno on Wednesday the 14Th. I originally came up for police officer testing with the Layton Police Department. I was tested on Physical Agility as well as a Written Examination. I passed both of the tests and had my Oral Board Examination on Monday the 5Th. Now I sit and wait hoping that I scored high enough for a possible job opportunity. Just pray that God would put me right where He wants me, and if that's not in Layton, that's fine by me. I have a couple more interviews on Monday the 12Th. One is with Whole Foods and one is with an Industrial Supply Company called Allred's. Also, I filled out an application for the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) to work at the Salt Lake Airport. My friend Randy Sweet (Mormonism Research Ministry) knows the head guy for TSA because he works at the airport, and he's going to give him my resume on Monday the 12Th. So, there are a number of possibilities in the air as to where I could possibly end up working. I know God has called me to Utah because I always feel such a heavy burden for the LDS people, whom are so sincere and so genuine, but just can't accept the Grace of God that is freely given apart from any works that we can do. All I want to do is proclaim the gospel for the rest of my days, not setting aside the Grace of God, because if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing. I just pray that, in God's timing, I would be in Utah permanently and on the mission field boldly and confidently flaunting the Love of Christ, that was shown when while we were yet sinners, He died for us. I get so excited about being in Utah and I never want to go back to Fresno when I'm here. Love all of you. Thanks for your love in return and your prayers to the Lord Most High that He would send workers out into His harvest field.

Our God is an Awesome God

2009-09-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you that know, I am still seeking employment in Utah so that I can be established there and hopefully start a family there sometime in the near future. I am flying out to Utah on Thursday the first of October to test with a police agency in Layton City. I have to to a Physical Agility Test and a written examination on Saturday the 2nd. Then I have an oral board interview on either monday or tuesday. If I do well and am offered the job then Layton City will pay my salary while I go through their poilce academy. I have just been in so much prayer and am trying to remain faithful and trusting in the Lord for his tremendous provision and grace that continues to fill my life. It's going to be a tough weekend and I definitely need all the prayer I can get. I don't want to take all of the prayer, so if you need some please comment on this post and I would be so excited to supplicate to the Lord on your behalf. I am hopeful that God is going to provide in His timing and in His providence. I havn't had a job for two weeks now and it has been tough to get around and save money when I don't have an income coming in. Today was cool because I learned that I'll be getting like $260 dollars a month for unemployment. God is so good and I am just being so prayerful that I would continue to receive spirit filled endurance and perseverance to be faithful with the little that I have so that the Lord can trust me with much, whenever, that time will come. God is good and worthy of being served, honored, and praised, and I will continue to in any and every circumstance. Thanks for your prayers and support. Also, while I'm in Utah, I'm going to be there when the LDS Church has their general conference. This is where the "prophet" speaks at the conference center in Salt Lake City. This only happens two times a year and it just so happens that I'll be there when it's going on. There are going to be a whole lot of Christians in front of the conference center engaging LDS members in conversation about their faith. Pray that the Lord would go out in front of us and fight our battles and that we would walk by His spirit while contending earnestly for the faith and the True and Living God. Also, pray that our speech would be gentle, compassionate, humble, and grace filled while truth is being proclaimed. Also, pray that those whom we talk with will have open hearts, minds, and ears. Pray that the Lord would work in the hearts of those that He wants us to engage. God is good and to Him be the glory, honor, power, praise, and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Nothing Like It

2009-08-19T05:45:00.001-07:00

So I realized how much I love being up early and just thinking about the day. It's just awesome to have a cup of coffee, sit at the computer, and think about how great our God is. There is just nothing like it. I'm excited about what He has in mind for the day. I just love starting the day off by submitting it to the Lord's service. I just ask God to take the day and go out in front of me and fight my battles. Our God is such an awesome God that He is perfectly capable of taking an ordinary day and doing something amazing to make it extraordinary. I love to just ponder the goodness and the glory of our God who is at rest on His throne. He looks upon me even at 5:30 in the morning. I just derive so much joy from serving a God who loves me so much that He would take human flesh upon Himself to endure the cross and to defeat sin and death on it's own turf. He has given me freedom that I might live to righteousness and die to sin. It is no longer I who live, but Christ that lives within me. He has given life to my mortal body. I need to constantly keep my mind girded for action and set on the things above where my real life is hidden with God in Christ Jesus. Every day is a continual dying to self and putting on of the character of Christ. I have to choose every single day whom I will serve. Am I going to serve and glorify my God and Savior today, or am I going to be impeded by the flesh and its desire for lust and idolatry. Every day is a battle, but the Lord takes my burdens upon Himself and gives me a yoke that is light and bearable. If I just delight and trust in Him, He will give me the desires of my heart. I was created for his work, his worship, and the knowledge and love of His word. The same word that became flesh and made its dwelling among us. He left glory for the lowest position possible (man) in order to show us glory in the highest. There is nothing we could ever do to merit our own righteousness before such a holy God. However, He is worthy of every realm of our lives to be yielded and offered to Him. He is deserving of wholehearted worship and devotion and I desire to give it to Him out of love for what He has done for me. It is the least I can do, but I yearn to do the most. I love Him and serve Him even though I don't deserve Him. Bless His holy name. It's because of Him that I will Proclaim the good news that is only found in His name. To God be the glory, honor, power, and praise for now and forever. Amen.

Let's Hit the Road

2009-08-19T00:24:00.000-07:00

Just got Cydney's car packed up and we're reeady to hit the road bright and early. It was amazing because me and her brother Connor fit the most abundant amount of things into the trunk region of her car that we thought was impossible. We are going to hit the road about six in the morning bright and early. Pray that God would go ahead of us and fight our battles. Pray that He would give us traveling mercies in our drive to Utah. We'll be on the road for about twelve and a half hours. God is good and to Him be the glory. I am so excited about what He has planned for us in Utah. I am also praying that the LORD would use Cydney in a huge way to bring a tremendous amount of light to the University of Utah. We are going to be houses on a hill that can't be hidden or tamed. Love you guys and I thank you for your prayers and love.

Open That Door

2009-08-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

So, I have some pretty awesome prayer requests for those of you that are part of the Utah church plant prayer team. I'm so hopeful that God will open up a huge door that will give me the opportunity to move to Utah in the near future. I've applied to many different agencies in the Greater Salt Lake Area and I am hoping to use my Criminology degree to start a career in law enforcement. Right now I am in the middle of things and am not quite sure what exactly is going to happen, but I do know that the LORD is good and works for the good of those that love Him and that have been called according to His purpose. I know that God has given me boldness to share the gospel with zeal, and he hasn't given it to me for no apparent reason. Utah is a big move, but also a worthwhile move in that it is to the glory of God. I am going to Utah on Wednesday the 19Th to help my girlfriend Cydney move into her dorm at University of Utah. Keep her in your prayers as well. It is going to be a huge step of faith and courage to step out of her comfort zone while going to school at the same time and being bold and loving for the kingdom. Also pray for her endeavours in finding a job while she is there as well. I have an interview with the University of Utah Police Department on Friday the 21st and I am very excited to see what will happen there. Pray that God would OPEN THAT DOOR so that I can go onto the mission field full time and be salt and light to the entire state of Utah that is lacking both saltiness and brightness. My internship with Fresno Fire will be over on September 19Th and then I will have no job. I'm just trying to be faithful with the little that I have now so that I can be trusted with much. Pray that our mission team would be prayerful and watchful as the enemy will try to do anything and everything to stop us from going to Utah. The battles have already begun and they will continue to be waged, but thanks be to the Lord Jesus Christ who goes out before us and fights our battles for us, and gives us the victory. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. There is none like Him, not even one. Thank you for you prayers and I pray that God would also bless you because of your thankfulness and faithfulness to the brethren. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Apologetics of Jesus

2009-08-11T19:18:00.001-07:00

So, I started a new book that is awesome. It is called The Apologetics of Jesus by Norman Geisler. It talks about the greatest Apologist who ever lived and that is Jesus himself. Apologetics comes from the Greek word Apologia which means defense. It is used a few times in the New Testament, like in Phillipians 1 where Paul says that he is appointed for the defense, or Apologia, of the gospel. We know that 1 Peter 3:15 commands us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, and to ALWAYS be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have. This is what Apologetics is aimed at doing; equipping believers for their effectiveness with sharing truth with a world that wants nothing to do with it, for the most part. Since there is no salvation in no one else but Jesus (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; John 10:9), then we should consider the Word going out of the utmost importance. What's a better way to prepare than to learn from the Master Himself, Jesus? That's what Norman Geisler is aiming at with this book.

The first chapter talks about Jesus' Apologetic use of testimony. The passage that he looks at is in John 5. Jesus heals a paralytic man on the Sabbath and this is scoffed at by the Jewish scribes and pharisees. Jesus defends himself by bringing testimony to the table. This is key in a Jewish context because a man's testimony was not very strong in a court room setting without the use of 2 to 3 witnesses (Deut. 19:15). In this particular chapter Jesus brings 5 different testimonies to the table. He talks about his being unified with the father, the works that he does (miracles), the testimony of John the Baptist, the testimony of Moses, and the testimony of the scriptures (OT). The word testify (testifies, testimony) is recorded 10 times. Now lets analyze more in depth each of these witnesses in a more detailed manor.

1. Jesus unified with the Father

The hypostatic union of the father and the son comes out strongly in this text. What I mean by hypostatic union is that Jesus and the father are of one essence or substance but still very distinct in their active role within the trinity. You can read it for yourself below but Jesus claims equality with the father pretty boldly in this passage. He says that His father has been working all this time and that so is He. He also says that the He only does what He sees the Father doing. Lastly, He even claims that the Father has given Judgment into His hands. The father will not Judge mankind, but rather the son. Check out the passage for your self.

17Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." 18For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

2. The Works of Jesus

This is the miracle that He did to receive this line of questioning from the pharisees. He gave the ability to walk to a man who has never walked before in His life. If that isn't good enough for the pharisees then I don't know what is. Instead of praising God for such an awesome display of His majesty, they are instead bickering because it was done on the sabbath and it violated their scriptures.

3. The Testimony of John the Baptist

Jesus makes it clear that He doesn't hold human testimony in very high esteem but instead He accepts the testimony of the one who sent Him. The Jews acknowledged John as a prophet of God for a short time, and Jesus makes it clear that John was the one that came before Him, in physical birth and time in history, and he has correctly testified to the truth. John was the voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way for the one to come.

4. The Testimony of Moses

Jesus is bold here in declaring that the accuser of the Jews is actually Moses. This man that they hold in such high regard actually wrote about Jesus. Jesus did not come to abolish The Law given to Moses but to fulfill it(Matt. 5:17).

5. The Testimony of the Scriptures (OT)

Once again Jesus rebukes the scribes and pharisees by telling them they have searched the scriptures for the wrong reasons. They are hopeful in receiving eternal life by the way of the scriptures, however, Jesus adds that the scriptures actually testify of Him and they point to Him.

Lastly, Jesus points out that they do not have the Love of God in their hearts. He even says that they refuse to believe, and it's because they continue to harden their hearts toward truth and instead they suppress it in unrighteousness(Rom 1:18). I encourage you to reread John 5 and see the amazing defense that Jesus provides for His claims to be equal with God. This passage is so encouraging and I pray for boldness and zeal for those who love to share their faith, and reach out to that which was lost, sinners whom are loved by God.

Ungodly Smell

2009-08-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

There was one night, about a month ago, after college group that something really funny happened. The only people that were there were Loren, LJ, Brandon Ontiveros, myself, and I think another person, that I can't remember at the moment. We were sitting inside of the Student Ministry Center reminiscing about life, when Loren was telling us about a smell that was lurking in the room across from the boys bathroom. He said that as soon as you open the door to this room, there is a smell that leaps into your nostrils vigilantly, and punches you right in the face. Me, being the stubborn man that I am, decided to put Loren's analysis of this smell to the test. So, I went to the room and prepared myself mentally before opening the door. I'm still preparing myself. Then I went in with guns blazing only to re exit the room due to the most horrific, obnoxious, and rancid smell you've ever smelled in your life. It was like 46 year old blue cheese swirled with human excrement to say the least. We decided that we had to do something about this. So, all of the guys decided to find the instigator of this face-punching odor by locating it within the room. We knew that we had a challenge ahead of us, but it had to be done for the sake of our friends and families, and for the sakes of friends and families everywhere in the world as we know it. That is how much that we love you guys. And, that is where I leave you, and I'll let the videos explain the rest.

Encouraged by the body (of Christ)

2009-08-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

So, I realized that everyone of my really close friends has a blog. I was kind of indifferent toward the whole idea at first, but then I folded under pressure. I was checking out Pastor Loren's blog at work and then I started reading all kinds of other people's blogs. I was so encouraged by what other people had to write (mostly Carrie and Kaitlin) that I just wanted to read more and more. It's just so awesome that the LORD uses the words and experiences of brothers and sisters to exhort, encourage, and uplift. I was so blessed to read what everyone else was thinking that I am hopeful that the LORD will use my words to bless another. Created to give Him all of the Glory, Honor, and Praise. Amen.