B. A. D. (Be A Disciple) Student Ministries

How to Get Ready  You know how when you watch a really good movie and you try to explain it to a friend, but it's just too good? So you're like, "Okay, actually just go watch it for yourself. I'm doing it no justice."  That's how I feel with the past few readings. Who am I to summarize Jesus?? He says it best, himself. So I implore  you to read this. All of this. But if you're going to read anything, make it the New Testament. Life. Changing.  Rather than go through everything in today's reading, I'm going to just touch on a concept I think is very important.  We need to get ready.  It said in today's reading that no one will know when the second coming is. Not people. Not angels. Not even Jesus. The only one who knows is the Lord. It could be in 5,000 years, but it could be tomorrow. There's no way to know. So, what do we do? We spend time in the word and figure it out.  In Matthew 18, we get the parable of the U...

The Way to Be I don't even know where to begin with today's reading. There's so much I want to talk about, and it would take me weeks to do so. Instead, I'll hit on the main points that speak to me, and the ones I talk about most often. Our reading today starts out with the Beatitudes, and those on their own are magnificent. They are the sweetest combination of words. Read them in Matthew 5:3-12. Seriously. Read them. Do it right now.  @BAD Ministry Students, I told you that hate is the same as murder! Check it out in Matthew 5:21-22. It will give you a whole new perspective. For those of you who do not frequently hear my big long boring speech whenever someone says they "hate" another person, here's the Cliff notes version:  When you say you hate someone, that is the same as killing them in your heart. You have murdered them from your soul and to God, that is the equivalent of murdering their body.  Then we get the "turn the ot...

A Journey through the New Testament Just twenty days left in the Challenge, can you believe it?! (It is only an 88 day challenge, after all.) So today we finished up the Old Testament with Zechariah and Malachi and began the New Testament in Matthew.  The end of Zechariah and all of Malachi are specifically geared towards the end of days. The downfall, the judgement, and the coming of the Lord. You can read all about it in those chapters--they're very brief, because I'd really like to focus on Matthew today.  Matthew begins with Jesus's family tree--he came from such great names as David, Solomon, and Hezekiah. It then (very briefly) touches on Jesus's birth. Now, I was expecting this to be a much longer story (like the many Christmas sermons most of us have heard) but it was super short. What this tells me, personally, is that it doesn't matter where you came from, or what your circumstances are. What matters is what you do with your life. So Jes...

Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Zachariah The book of Habakkuk is slightly different than the other prophets. Here, we have Habakkuk, the prophet, approaching God. He comes to him with several complaints, mainly, that God isn't doing enough to punish His people, which is why they continue with their sin. And God tell Habakkuk not to worry, He has a plan. And it's so awesome, Habakkuk wouldn't even understand it. He also reassures him that God sees the difference between the faithful and unfaithful.  It may seem out of character to question God, it may have crossed the minds of some of you that those who question God haven't exactly fared well. But in Habakkuk 3, we see that Habakkuk had the utmost faith in God, and put all of his trust in Him.  Basically, it's okay to question God, to ask what's going on? But its important to keep faith, and to trust in the Lord. Because He has a plan, and His plan is good.  Zephaniah, a descendant of Hez...

Acting on the Lord's Call  The book of Amos today ends with a promise of restoration from the Lord (as most of the prophesies have ended so far).  Obadiah is dedicated to the Lord's condemnation of the nation that arose from Esau (remember him? From way back in the beginning?)  Then we move on to Jonah. Many people are familiar with this story--it's a Sunday School Classic. In case you're not, here's a brief synopsis: : Jonah gets a message from God that he is to deliver the word of God to Nineveh, who is full of sinful and corrupt people, and God wants them to know it! But Jonah is having none of it, "No way, God!" So he goes back to his job as a fisherman, when all of a sudden, the waves get massive, and dangerous. The rest of the crew is like, "What in the world is going on?!" And then Jonah's like, "...Um. I should probably tell you something..." So he tells them about how he disobeyed the Lord and asks the cr...

So Many Prophets!  So, today we finished up Hosea and Joel, and began Amos.  In the end of Hosea, he implores the people to repent, then we move on to Joel.  Joel is refreshingly short. (Is that bad to say?) And picks up right where Hosea left off, with a call to repentance. In Chapter 2, there is a call to "rend your heart, not your garments." Frequently in the Old Testament, we see people tear their garments in grief, shame, and repentance, but here we see a call to tear their hearts. To rip away the sin and evil from it and return to the Lord. Then, the Lord will answer Israel's plea, if they would only remove themselves from evil, or rather, remove the evil from themselves.  In Joel 3:16 it says, " But the Lord  will be a refuge for His people, a stronghold for the people of Israel." The Lord is our strength and our refuge. He is a gracious and generous God who forgives so long as we accept Him.  Then, we move on to Amos, another ...

The Future of Jerusalem, Daniel and the Lion's Den, and All About Hosea Sorry for the break everyone! I made the right decision, as this past weekend was crazy, I wouldn't have been able to post, even if I had planned for it!  Ezekiel finished up with the fall of Jerusalem, and a promise from God--that He would restore His people to the land and live with them, in peace, forever. God lives with us , in peace. All day, every day! And provides a description of how His temple will be rebuilt, and how the land will be redistributed among Israel.  Moving on to Daniel... King Nebuchadnezzar has Daniel and some of his friends working for him. He had a crazy dream one night and calls in people to both tell him what the dream was  and then interpret it . Yep. He wouldn't tell them what it was. But God gives Daniel a dream that reveals Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel is able to interpret it. So, Nebuchadnezzar gives him a promotion--he makes Daniel ruler of...