Alive (Song)

~Natalie Grant~

Who but You
Could breathe and leave a trail of galaxies
And dream of me?

What kind of love
Is writing my story till the endWith Mercy's Pen?
Only You.

What kind of King
Would choose to wear a crown
that bleeds and scars
To win my heart.

What kind of Love
Tells me I'm the reson He can't stay
Inside the grave
You.
Is it You?
Standing here before my eyes
Every part of my heart cries.

Alive, Alive
Look what Mercy's overcome
Death has lost and Love has won!

Alive, Alive
Halleujah, Risen Lord
the only one i fall before

I am His
because He is
Alive.

Who could speak
and send the demons back from where they came
with just one name?

what other heart
would let itself be broken every time
until he healed mine?
You. Only Youcould turn my darkness into dawn
running right into your arms

Alive, Alive
Look what Mercy's overcome
Death has lost and Love has won!

Alive, Alive!
Halleujah, Risen Lord
The Only One i fall before

I am His
because He is

Emmanuel, The Promised King
The Baby who made angels sing
son of man who walked with us
healing, breathing in our dust

The Author of all history
The Answer to all mysteries
The Lamb of God who rolled away
the stone in front of every grave.

Alive, Alive
Look what Mercy's overcome
Death has lost and Love has won!

Halleujah

i am His
because He is
Alive

Alive

lyrics: http://www.lyricsreg.com/lyrics/natalie+grant/Alive/

video: youtuve.com

Concluding Exhortations

Hebrews 13:1-6 (NIV)
1 Keep on loving each other as brothers.  2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.  3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. 
4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.  5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
          "Never will I leave you;
             never will I forsake you."
6 So we say with confidence,
          "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
             What can man do to me?"

Sinning After Being Saved

Hebrews 6:4-6
4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6if they fall away, to be brought back to repentence, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.

Hebrews 10:26
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left
Note: Is there no forgiveness for sins committed after becoming a Christian? Forgiveness is always available to those who repent and confess their sins (1 John 1:9).  This warning is against deliberate, persistent sinning.  Those who do sin in this way become spiritually calloused; eventually they may no longer want to be forgiven.

Hebrews 10:29
29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that santified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Note: How do we insult the Spirit of grace?  We insult the Spirit of grace when we reject the Son of God, whom the Spirit glorifies (John 15:26).  Therefore, those who have been enlightened and fall away (Heb. 6:4-6), have hardened their hearts through unbelief (Heb. 3:13, 19), and have deliberately rejected Christ's sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:26) insult the Spirit of grace.

Source: Quest Study Bible NIV

Broken But Strong In Christ

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)
7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Hurt and The Healer (Song)

Why?
The question that is never far away
The healing doesn’t come from the explained
Jesus please don’t let this go in vain
You’re all I have
All that remains

So here I am
What’s left of me
Where glory meets my suffering

I’m alive
Even though a part of me has died
You take my heart and breathe it back to life
I’ve fallen into Your arms open wide
When the hurt and the healer collide

Breathe
Sometimes I feel it’s all that I can do
Pain so deep that I can hardly move
Just keep my eyes completely fixed on You
Lord take hold and pull me through

So here I am
What’s left of me
Where glory meets my suffering

I’m alive
Even though a part of me has died
You take my heart and breathe it back to life
I’ve fallen into your arms open wide
When the hurt and the healer collide

It’s the moment when humanity
Is overcome by majesty
When grace is ushered in for good
And all the scars are understood
When mercy takes its rightful place
And all these questions fade away
When out of the weakness we must bow
And hear You say “It’s over now”

I’m alive
Even though a part of me has died
You take my heart and breathe it back to life
I’ve fallen into your arms open wide
When The hurt and the healer collide

Jesus come and break my fear
Awake my heart and take my tears
Find Your glory even here
When the hurt and the healer collide [x2]

Jesus come and break my fear
Awake my heart and take my tears
Find Your glory even here.

~Scheduled to be released May 22, 2012~

Images and Lyrics:

http://lyricsmusic.name/mercyme-lyrics/the-hurt-the-healer/the-hurt-the-healer.html 

Video: youtube.com

The Fruit Of The Spirit

Fruit of the Spirit
(Galatians 5:22-23)

Love
Love is not based on emotions or feelings.  It is a decision to be committed to the well being of others without any conditions or circumstances.
Other Scriptures:  John 15:12-14
Greek Definition:  Agape -  Love which seeks the highest good of others.

Joy
Joy is not based on financial success, good health, or popularity.  By obeying God's will, fellowship, ministering to others, and sharing the Gospel, believers will experience will experience joy.
Other Scriptures:  1 Peter 1:8, 9
Greek Definition:  Chara - Gladness, delight, a special presence of God.

Peace
Peace is a state of assurance, lack of fear, and sense of contentment.  It is fellowship, harmony, and unity between individuals.  Peace is freedom from worry, disturbance, and oppressive thoughts.
Other Scriptures:  Philippians 4:7
Greek Definition: Eirene - Peace between individuals, harmony, unity.

Patience
Patience is a slowness in avenging wrongs.  It is the quality of restraint that prevents believers from speaking or acting hastily in the face of disagreement, opposition, or persecution.
Other Scriptures:  1 Thessalonians 5:14, 15
Greek Definition:  Makrothumia - Longsuffering, bearing trials without complaint.

Kindness
Kindness is an eagerness to put others at ease.  It is a sweet and attractive temperament that shows friendly regard.
Other Scriptures:  Proverbs 11:16, 17
Greek Definition:  Chrestotes - Merciful, easy to bear.  Morally good and upright.

Goodness
Goodness is the selfless desire to be open hearted and generous to others above what they deserve.
Other Scriptures:  Titus 3:8
Greek Definition:  Agathosune - Useful, generous.

Faithfulness
Faithfulness is firm devotion to God, loyalty to friends, and dependability to carry out responsibilities.  Faith is the conviction that even now God is working and acting on one's behalf.
Other Scriptures:  Revelation 2:10b
Greek Definition:  Pistis - Trust, conviction.

Gentleness
Gentleness is a humble non-threatening demeanor that derives from a position of strength and authority, and is useful in calming another's anger.  Gentlesness is not a quality that is weak and passive.
Other Scriptures:  1 Peter 3:15
Greek Definition:  Prautes - Humble, meek.

Self-Control
Self-control is to restrain one's emotions, actions, and desires, and to be in harmony with the will of God.  Self-control is doing God's will, not living for one's self.
Other Scriptures:  Titus 2:11,12
Greek Definition:  Egkrateia - Being in control of one's self.


Acts Of The Sinful Nature
(Galatians 5:19-21 and Colossians 3:5-9)

• Sexual Immorality 
• Impurity
• Debauchery
• Idolatry
• Witchcraft
• Hatred
• Discord
• Jealousy
• Fits of Rage
• Selfish Ambition
• Dissensions
• Factions
• Envy
• Drunkenness
• Orgies
• Lust
• Evil Desires
• Greed
• Anger
• Malice
• Slander
• Deceit

Source: Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps & Time Lines, Rose Publishing
Image: loldenver.wordpress.com
  

The Vine and the Branches

The Vine and the Branches - John 15:1-17
(Quest Study Bible, NIV)

         1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.  4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
 
     5 "I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my diciples.
 
      9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.  10 If you obey my commands, you will  remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.  11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  12 My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.  13 Greater love has no one that this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  14 You are my friends if you do what I command.  15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last.  Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.  17 This is my command:  Love each other.

Images: pictureweekly.com