I'm kind of a traditionalist when it comes to baby names. I like the Justins, the Jenaes, the Seans, the Deenas and I especially love the Cheryls (It's one of those names that instantly bestows some level of cool upon a child at birth ... or so I've heard/completely just made up.)
But when you name your kid something like Apple or Jermajesty, sure, it's cute in the hospital delivery room ... but fast forward a couple years, it's not so cute when the little one is getting teased for it in first grade, ruffed up for lunch money because of it in middle school and sitting at home wondering why the hell you stuck 'em with such a crappy name on prom night (alone, I might add).
Generally, that's my stance on eccentric names, actually, that was my stance until I heard about one Florida State Seminole named Mister Alexander. Yes, that's Mr. Mister Alexander:
Talk about a great name. When it comes to the name game, I'm willing to give his parents points for thinking outside the box and catchy. And I'm not just saying that because Mister's over six feet tall and too big to ruff up for lunch money.
Here's hoping somewhere out there is a Missy for this Mister to hookup with and maybe even become his Mrs. Mister Alexander. (OK, I'm going to stop now.)
Next: Kobe Bryant's a Big Spender
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By: NaKole A.-Alexander on 9/10/2007 7:41AM
THAT'S CRAZY!!!
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By: Rahk on 9/10/2007 8:21AM
Not as crazy as Orange Jello (Oh rahng Ghe-Lo) and Lemon Jello(Luh-Mange Ghe-Lo) for your name or wait better yet a pair of twins named "Male and Female" (Ma-lee and Fe-Mah-lee)The lady said "The doctors already named them for me. WELL WELL WELL! I just don't know what to say bout that.
Now that's crazy. I did know this one guy in Greensboro NC named "Right On"
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By: J.R.Winfree on 9/10/2007 8:45AM
"Bishop James & Betty R Winfree & Team Ministries "
Are You A Disciple Of Jesus?
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of
the age."
"Jesus Christ is The only One to Follow"
1. The above statement was made by Jesus to His apostles shortly before
He ascended to heaven - Matt 28:18-20
2. Commonly called "The Great Commission," notice the main thought of
Jesus' command...
a. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..."
b. To "make disciples," therefore, is the GOAL of evangelizing the
world for Christ
3. Are you a disciple of Jesus?
a. More than likely you believe in Jesus...
b. You might even be one to attend church services regularly
-- But is that what it means to be His disciple?
4. The purpose in this study is to make clear what is involved in
being a true disciple of Jesus Christ
[To begin, let's define the word "disciple"...]
I. THE DEFINITION OF A DISCIPLE
A. THE WORD "DISCIPLE"...
1. The word "disciple" literally means A LEARNER
2. According to Vine's Expository Dictionary Of New Testament
Words, it denotes "one who follows another's teaching"
3. But a disciple was not only a learner, he was also AN ADHERENT
4. For this reason disciples were spoken of as IMITATORS of their
teachers.
B. THE GOAL IN BEING A DISCIPLE...
1. Stated by Jesus himself: to be like the teacher - Luke 6:40
2. To be Christ's disciple, then, is to strive to be like Him!
3. According to the apostle Paul, this coincides with God's goal
in the redemption of mankind, that they be conformed to the
image of His Son - Rom 8:29
[Do you have a strong desire to follow Jesus and become like Him?
Unless you do, it cannot be said that you are truly His disciple!
There are also some "identifying marks" of discipleship given by Jesus
which can help us to further identify a true disciple of Jesus...]
II. THE MARKS OF A DISCIPLE
A. A DISCIPLE IS "ONE WHO ABIDES IN JESUS' WORDS" - John 8:31
1. This would imply being a diligent student of the teachings of
Christ
2. It also requires one to be a "doer" of the Word - Matt 7:21-27;
James 1:21-25
3. In view of this, a true disciple would not...
a. Fail to study the Bible diligently
b. Willingly refrain from opportunities to study with others
(e.g., Bible classes, church services, gospel meetings).
B. A DISCIPLE IS ALSO "ONE WHO LOVES THE BRETHREN" - John 13:34-35
1. With a love patterned after the love of Jesus ("as I have
loved you")
2. With a love that is visible to the world ("by this all will
know")
3. Therefore, a true disciple would...
a. Make every effort to get to know his brethren
b. Take advantage of occasions to encourage and grow closer to
them (e.g., attending services on Sunday and Wednesday
nights)
4. Remember, a disciple is one who wants to become like his
teacher
a. Was Jesus willing to sacrifice time and effort for His
brethren?
b. Of course, and so will we... IF we are truly HIS disciples!
C. A DISCIPLE IS "ONE WHO BEARS MUCH FRUIT" - John 15:8
1. Notice the word "much" (also found in verse 5)
a. Jesus is not talking about an occasional good deed
b. But a lifestyle which prompts people to glorify God!
- Matt 5:16
2. This is so important, that failure to bear much fruit will
result in being severed from Christ - John 15:1-2
3. How can one be a disciple if he or she is cut off from Christ?
[The point should be clear: to be a disciple of Jesus Christ means
more that just a casual church member. It requires COMMITMENT,
especially in regards to:
The teachings of Christ
The love of brethren
Bearing fruit to the glory of God
The kind of commitment involved is seen further when we consider the
"high cost" of discipleship demanded by Jesus in Luke 14:25-33...]
III. THE COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE
A. JESUS MUST COME FIRST - Luke 14:26
1. Before anyone else, including members of our own family
- t Matt10:34-37
2. Even before one's own self - Luke 9:23-25
B. WE MUST BE WILLING TO SUFFER FOR CHRIST - Luke 14:27
1. Trying to live godly lives in an ungodly world, we may find
that following Christ sometimes involves ridicule and
persecution - 2 Tim 3:12
2. Even if we are blessed to escape such things, we must still be
willing to expend time and effort in promoting the cause of
Christ in positive ways
C. PUTTING IT SIMPLY, WE MUST FORSAKE ALL TO FOLLOW CHRIST
- Luke 14:33
1. In other words, Jesus must be KING and LORD of our lives
2. Nothing can take precedent over Him and His Will for us
[This kind of "high cost" of discipleship demanded by Jesus caused
many people to turn away from following Him. But Jesus wasn't trying
to attract large crowds, He wanted disciples!
Is the COST worth it? I believe so, for consider some of the REWARDS
of discipleship...]
IV. THE REWARDS OF BEING A DISCIPLE
A. THERE IS THE PROMISE OF "FUTURE BLESSINGS"...
1. We shall be saved from the wrath of God which is yet to come
upon the world for its sins - Rom 5:9
2. We can look forward with joyful anticipation of eternity with
God, free from sorrow, pain and death - Rev 21:1-8
B. THERE ARE ALSO "PRESENT BLESSINGS"...
1. Jesus offers a PEACE the world cannot give to calm the
troubled heart - John 14:27
2. His words inspire JOY to lift our spirits out of any
depression - John 15:11
3. He also offers to those who follow Him the ABIDING LOVE OF
GOD, which can cast out fear - John 15:9; 1 John 4:18
4. And he makes it possible for us to be members of THE FAMILY OF
GOD, which is able if need be to replace our physical family
- Mark 10:28-30
[There are many other blessings we could mention that are enjoyed by
disciples of Jesus; but these suffice to demonstrate that though
discipleship is costly, the rewards far exceed the cost!
Now that we understand the nature of discipleship, its cost and
rewards, I hope that we want to be true disciples of Jesus Christ.
But how does one begin?
For the answer we return to our beginning text - Matt 28:19-20...]
V. THE BEGINNING OF A DISCIPLE
A. ACCORDING TO JESUS, IT INVOLVES BAPTISM - Matt 28:19
1. Why baptism?
a. Remember the goal of discipleship: to be like Jesus
b. He was holy and sinless, yet we are to be like Him
c. Fortunately, baptism is described as an act of faith which
puts us in contact with the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ
so we can be forgiven - Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom 6:3-4
d. It is also the means by which one "puts on Christ"
- Gal 3:27
-- SO BAPTISM IS THE LOGICAL STARTING PLACE FOR TRUE
DISCIPLESHIP!
2. But what is baptism?
a. It is an act of submission which must be preceded by faith
in Jesus and repentance for our sins - Acts 2:36-38; 8:36-37
1) This precludes infant baptism
2) For infants are incapable of believing and repenting
b. It is also an act of submission which involves a burial in
water, in which one then rises to walk in newness of life
through the power of God - Acts 8:38; Ro 6:3-4; Col 2:12
1) This precludes sprinkling or pouring as a mode of
baptism
2) For neither of these involve a "burial" nor an immersion
(which is the meaning of the Greek word "baptidzo")
c. When done according to the Word of God, baptism then
becomes an act of faith on our part which results in a
wonderful working of God in our lives!
1) Our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus
- Acts 22:16; Eph 5:25-27
2) We are "regenerated" and "renewed" by the Spirit of God
so we can now live for God! - Tim 3:5-6
3) It is truly a "rebirth" involving both water and the
Spirit - John 3:5
B. BUT BAPTISM IS ONLY THE BEGINNING, TEACHING AND OBEDIENCE MUST
FOLLOW - Matt 28:20
1. This brings us back to the very definition of discipleship
2. For Jesus clearly states:
a. We are to be TAUGHT (that is, to be LEARNERS)
b. We are to OBSERVE (that is, to be ADHERENTS or DOERS)
3. In this way we embark on a life devoted to learning and doing
all that Jesus has commanded us to do
CONCLUSION
1. Only those scripturally baptized and demonstrating the "marks" of
discipleship, despite the "costs," can truly be called disciples of
Jesus!
2. Only they can realistically look forward to the "rewards" of
discipleship, and take consolation in the promise of Jesus:
"and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age"
- Matt 28:20
If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then the prospects of "A
Closer Walk With God" and more fruitful service as a disciple should
be of great interest to you. I hope the lessons to follow will help
fulfill that interest.
A note from Minister James R Winfree Sr, straight talk from my soul and spirit to all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ, ..
....When we look at the ugliness of Division and Racism and the impact its having on Church of Jesus Christ , we really need to know and realized there is a solution to this problem and the answer is found in God word The Bible.
When Division and Racism rears its ugly head in the Church we miss out on capable people because they are not of our skin color, this happens because we treat people like we see them, and try as we might, our own Prejudices is perceived by the person who is treated in less-that Equal manner. needless to say, that person's loyalty will be shallow and short-lived.
As you should know by now we are not going to leave this alone until this Evil of Division and Racism is Cut from the Body of Christ , His Church. Prejudices is frequently a matter of what's best for little old me", example:
If you are prejudiced and of any color and you needed a heart transplant and the only one available is from someone you hated, would your hate and prejudices still prevail?...or would you be grateful for your life made possible by somebody you hated?...
...This is a reality, if your life of the life of your loved one we at stake, you would not care if your benefactor, were White, Black, Brown, Yellow, Red or Mixed. you wouldn't even ask if he or she what color of their skin.
I hope and pray you will remember this when you deal with those of other skin color which our God loves so much and gave His Son Jesus for. Again face to face and eye to eye All Division, Racism is Sin and morally , socially, scientifically and Biblically wrong!!!....
..This is a ugly Sin in our Churches and Bishop James R Winfree Ministries & Team will deal with only by God's love and the power of Christ Jesus Holy Spirit. We are all about God's Love, Unity,Equality and Relationships in Christ Jesus and with each other in God's family..We are here if you like to learn more and send prayers and support to our Lord's Vision@ http://www.freewebs.com/winfreeministries/www.myspace.com.bishopwinfree/bishopwinfree057@aol.com/ jawin05@sbcglobal.net
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By: plain jane on 9/10/2007 8:24PM
I agree that sometimes the names are just over the top. Fayetteville NC has it's fair share....I know of middle schoolers with names like 'Pleazure' and "Tr'L" yes only 3 letters and phonetically its the same as Terrell. I thought the days of Bombquisha and Boomshica were over...but it seems that they have grown up and named their children equally wierd names. Still havent met any one with a strange name as Vodka in Huntington WV...which is by far worse than Tequilla.
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By: Kim on 9/10/2007 11:44AM
I know a kid named Big Thyme. How about that one.
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By: Bernice Williams on 9/10/2007 3:13PM
I met a young man who was actually named Lieutenant Holloway during my teen years. He lived near Ft. Campbell, Ky. I always thought his mother was trying to get a message across.
By the way. Whats' with the J R Winfree sermons?
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By: dumaine on 9/10/2007 4:53PM
I wish that bible bitch stop posting long mess on every blog on BV. Anyway, these names also doesnt help when your 30 and job seeking. When that resume gets faxed or emailed to an employee they will spend more time laughing and throiwng it away than taking you as a serious adult. The Shaquitas also needs to be ended.
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By: Carol on 9/10/2007 5:18PM
Mister is a good name, as long as he doesn't act like the Mister in the Color Purple. And I agree, I do not want to read Rev Winfree's Bible verses. I'll read my own, thank you!
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By: Mommie on 9/10/2007 6:34PM
What is wrong with J R uo there. This is neither the time nor the place for that dribble. Not everyone is a christian not everyone wants to be converted.
She made me forget what Iwas going to say. Oh yeah apoor soul who couldn't spell names her child brain.
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By: allegra on 9/10/2007 7:36PM
okay i know a chld named "Da Pimp Da Gansta" Now that's a name that'll will make your child a success if you want them to be successful at pimping hoes, selling drugs, and building a rap sheet.
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