Importance of Studying Scripture

How do these two passages relate to Hermeneutics and why is it important to study this?

Galatians 1:6-9: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”

2 Timothy 2:15: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Elena’s Sweet 15

Here’s the sermon from Elena’s 15th: http://ministeriosiberoamerica.org/blog/?p=835 

The Two Kingdoms

The Two Kingdoms

Friday Night Sermon, July 3rd, 2009

Annette Brito

In celebration of freedom and liberation, this message is also about freedom. Freedom from depression, addiction, hate and despair. There are two kingdoms that we are going to talk about tonight, the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of darkness is made up of the world: sin, what society says is “good” and it stands in contrast to the Kingdom of God. While the kingdom of darkness looks good on the outside, in reality it is hopeless and the Word says that if you are in the world, then you are a slave to sin. You’re not free. When I think about the kingdom of darkness, I immediately think about this story of the demon possessed man in Mark.

Passage: Mark 5:1-20

Background-

Jesus is out ministering to the people and teaching His disciples about the Kingdom of God. While Jesus and His disciples jumped into the boat and sailed to the middle of the lake to escape the  crowds of people, a huge storm began brewing. Jesus had fallen asleep and His disciples were frightened and woke Him up. Jesus calms the storm just by speaking, and His disciples were shocked. Then they reached the other side of the lake. This is where our story begins.

The disciples had just had a near death experience and they were still in awe of Jesus’ power. Then they reach the gentile region of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake.  This is where they encounter the demon possessed man.

Mark 5:1-5:

“They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.”

The man with the unclean spirit:

1. Lived among the tombs- death
2. Often bound with chains and shackles/strength
3. Crying out night and day
4. Cutting himself with stones

*This man was completely living in the kingdom of darkness. He had nothing but despair and pain in his life. He is clearly possessed, and the purpose of the demon is to destroy the person who was created by God.*

Mark 5:6-13:

“And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea.”

The encounter with Jesus:

1. Falls before Jesus: the man desiring to be free? The demons in submission?
2. Recognition: Jesus isn’t just a man: “Son of the Most High God”
3. Legion: A legion was a total of 6,000 Roman Soldiers battling together. There were not necessarily 6,000 demons within this man, but there were “Many” demons versus one Jesus.
4. They had to flee!

So what happened?

Mark 5:14-17:

“The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.”

The Aftermath:

1. The word spread and people were scared
2. The man was clothed and in his right mind
3. The people didn’t want Jesus in their area

This man was completely a slave to the kingdom of darkness. He was completely surrounded and submerged in pain, sorrow, and darkness. Maybe you are not currently possessed by an entire legion of demons, but you are still living in the kingdom of darkness: loneliness, depression, addiction, anger, hate, pain and death are all a part of this darkness. If Jesus was able to command an entire legion of demons to come out of that man, then He can definitely handle anything that you may currently be struggling with. Nothing is too great for Him to handle. Allow Him to come into your life and handle your demons. Allow Him the opportunity to fight your battles and bring you into His Kingdom. Our main verse for this event is

Colossians 1:13, 14: “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

He has saved us and delivered us into the Kingdom of His Son! In His Kingdom we have life, peace and love.

Application 1:

If you haven’t yet stepped into the Kingdom of God, this is your time. Pray and allow Christ into your life. Allow Him to deliver you from the kingdom of darkness and bring you into His kingdom of life.

Application 2:

However, it doesn’t stop there. Our story of the man with the demons continues:

Mark 5:18-20:

“As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.”

We are called to tell others about God’s Kingdom! We are called to tell others about what He has done in our lives. If He has taken you from darkness, you need to speak up and tell people! Even if you think you were raised in church and never knew the darkness, any life without Christ is darkness. If He has delivered you, shout it out tonight!

Taste and See

I just want to invite you to take some time out of your day today, and spend it with the Lord. This is an invitation to sample God’s goodness. If you are tired or afflicted, if you are weak and weary, taste and see that God is good: Psalm 34:1-8 (NIV):

“I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.

My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

Bringing Glory Through Jars of Clay

I wrote this a few years back:

Weekly Devotional: 2 Corinthians 4:1-7

 

The beauty of our Lord is shown in our mortal and human forms. We are mere jars of clay that display the glory of our creator. How many times do we “perform” things for God and in His name, thinking that it is from us? Let us rebuke that thought and seek to bring honor to Him alone.

Jessica Ruiz

A Kingdom of talk or power?

Good Morning!

As we approach busy days, weekends and the like, it becomes even harder to focus on what God wants to do. By human nature, we tend to focus on our agenda. The question should now be: What does God want to do (with me, youth, etc.)?

But, how much is really in our hands with all this? Let us read 1 Corinthians 4:20 where the word says, “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power.” This simple verse tells us a great deal about what the Kingdom is about. Not a matter of talk? Power? What kind of power, from whom does this come? ( I think we know this). Let this guide you as you listen, read, lead, teach, play, and sing this weekend. We all have roles in the kingdom.

How are you going to let your role (and really your life) be completely under the Lordship of God’s Holy Spirit?

Jessica Ruiz

Light in our hearts

As I have been praying and preparing for the theme “Kingdom Come,” I have really been focusing on what it means to live in God’s Kingdom. One major image that comes to my mind, is the contrast of dark and light. The world is dark while God is light.

The Apostle John uses the dark and light imagery throughout his writings. In this passage, 1 John 1:5-10, 2:1-2 John describes what it means to be living for the Kingdom (even though he does not actually use the term “Kingdom”): “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” We cannot claim to have fellowship with God if in reality, we are still walking in darkness. John goes on to say: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” When we have fellowship with God, not only are we walking in the light, but we also have fellowship with one another. This is crucial if we want to work in unity as the body of Christ.

John’s next point is  also important. Sometimes, we put up a front that we are walking in the light and we have fellowship with God, when in reality we are just going through the motions. We are just doing what we feel we are supposed to do, but our hearts are elsewhere. In this case, we may in fact be walking in darkness  and there may be areas in our hearts that are hidden in the shade. It is crucial for each one of us to invite the Lord to search our hearts and really allow His light to come in: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” We cannot deny that we are imperfect and that we sin. There are areas in our lives that we need to allow God to work. We need to confess our sins to Him, because only when we confess that we have sinned are we truly allowing God to take control and rule in our hearts.

My favorite part of John’s letter is the beginning of chapter 2. The realization that we are sinners and that we are imperfect and need to confess to God can be daunting. It becomes very easy for us as believers who are walking in the light to become overwhelmed and feel guilty about our sin and our mistakes. However, Romans 8:1 clearly states that there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Why is there no longer any condemnation? Well, John explains: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Living in the Kingdom of God is understanding that we are called to walk in the light because God is light. If we have areas in our lives that are still hidden away in darkness, it’s time to confess those areas to Him. He is faithful and just to forgive us! When we confess our sins to Him and allow Him to come in and heal our hearts, we have fellowship with Him and with others. We no longer have to feel guilty or burdened because Christ speaks on our behalf! I invite you to take a moment today and just meditate on this passage in 1 John. Take a moment to just look within your own heart and find those areas that are still hidden away in darkness. Invite the Lord to search your heart and accept His forgiveness in your life.

Annette Brito

-All passages were taken from the NIV.

We finally have a blog!

Well, it’s finally happened. We have a blog. We are the Consumed Youth Ministry group, a ministry of Iglesia Iberoamerica A/G in Huntington Park, California. Our group ranges in ages from Junior high through college age. We meet every Friday night at 7:30pm and we have an adult youth group that meets twice a month on Sunday afternoons at 2:30pm. We invite you to stop by and check us out. We have an awesome event scheduled on Friday, July 3rd. It starts at 7:30pm and it’s called “Kingdom Come.” We’re going to have great praise and worship, a drama, word and refreshments. Don’t miss this event!