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Nathan Mates' Christian Pages

Nathan Mates' Christianity Page

I've finally started updating this page semi-regularly thanks to my writings. See below for them.

All the time, I try and display Christ in my life as a Christian. Nobody's perfect, especially someone like me, so if you notice something amiss in my practicing of it, feel free to email me.

First things first-- I am a Christian, subspecies Protestant. A relevant quotation on that whole topic (imho) is Romans 10:9 - 'That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.' [NIV]

The church I attend is Crossroads Community Church in Austin. Before that, I attended UCLA University Presbyterian from 2001-2009, Hope Chapel, Hermosa Beach, CA. from 1996-2001, and before that, in Pasadena, California. I used to participate in the Caltech Christian Fellowship from 1992-1996.


Search my Christian Writing pages


Google Search
WWW
matesfamily.org (will find some items not by me)

Various Christian writings/work I've done

*Everyone Did As He Saw Fit. That was the lament centuries ago. How did that happen, what were the results, and how does it apply today? 3/27/04
*Good Replacements Getting rid of something is only the first step; we need to consider what we replace it with. 1/24/04
*What are you arguing? Watch what's going on around you first. 1/17/04
*Dealing with Scaffolding. We are under construction in our lives, and scaffolding initially helps, but can ultimately get in the way. How do we deal with this? 10/25/03
*Failing to Pray. More of a problem than we may realize. 6/14/03
*A Balanced Approach. We tend towards the lopsided. But, God calls us to be balanced. 2/9/03.
*Undivided Interests. Does marriage really seem to split one's attention away from God? 1/18/03
*Why we worship God alone. Some thoughts on this subject, responding to that question asked to me. 9/15/02
*Thoughts on Spiritual Community. Originally published in University Presbyterian Church's One Purpose journal. 7/13/02
*The Truth is Critical. It doesn't matter what the packaging is, God's truth remains the same. 4/29/01
*Limited Discipleship. There's more to this process than one might believe. 4/28/01
*Be an Internet Berean. Think before you send email! 4/22/01
*A Useful Custom. Yet another habit of Jesus that we can and should learn from. 4/19/01
*Right Advice, Wrong Time. Can what is said be truthful, but not helpful? 3/25/01
*Peace to Some. Despite what the popular culture says, parts of the Christmas season aren't universal. 12/18/00
*Asking for Gifts Text of a talk I gave at Hope Chapel Singles Alive. Christmas is the season of gifts, but other humans aren't the only one we could ask for gifts from. 12/9/00
*Follow the arrows In respose to recent controversy, I try my hand at a cartoon. Enjoy! 11/11/00
*Increase our Faith! A cry by the disciples 2000 years ago is often echoed to this day. What can we learn about faith? 11/9/00
*The First Supper Something Jesus did 2000 years ago will be repeated. 10/26/00
*The Sacrifices of Being a Leader The job isn't always what it's envied to be. 10/16/00
*The Third Soil Prosperity has come the last few years. Has it affected the American Church? 10/15/00
*God's Style The fingerprints of God are in how he treats us. 10/15/00
*The Carpenter What exactly did Jesus do, growing up? 10/10/00
*Wild Animals Examining Jesus's temptation in light of some verses in Exodus and Deuteronomy. 10/9/00
*Be an Example Like it or not, you're one. Are you being a good one? 9/28/00
*Releasing Hindrances to Joy Expanded text of a speech I gave at a church event. 9/24/00
*Well After the Fact Centuries go by, and people want to do something. Is this Biblical? 8/21/00
*The Issue of Condemnation Some react very negatively to pointing out things. 8/14/00
*Junior Leaders The oldest and firstborn are always the leaders, right? Nope. 8/13/00
*Religion vs Relationship One works. One don't. Which one are you following? 5/8/00
*What is Unequally Yoked? That phrase comes up a lot around believers... 5/4/00
*Worship is a Living Sacrifice. Text of my talk at the Hope Chapel Singles Alive Night of Dynamite, 4/29/00
*Praying in Public. Can we even do this, or is it forbidden? [4/9/00]
*Work on Small Things. Not just the big problems in our lives, the smaller things need work too. [4/9/00]
*Datafile: Samaritans. Who are these people so disliked by some in the New Testament? [4/2/00]
*Waiting for Years. While God's told you things to do (see next article below), it may be a while before things happen. [3/27/00]
*Not Waiting First. Get going, God's already told you things to do [3/16/00]
*Asking For Big Things. Sometimes we set our sights way too low. [3/13/00]
*Politics & Religion. How do they mix. How should they mix? [3/2/00]
*Why We Should Worship. It's not just for the music team and choir to do. [2/27/00]
*As Goes the Leader ... so do the followers? [1/16/00]
*Behind Enemy Lines. We're not in friendly territory, that's for sure. How should we behave? [1/15/00]
*Working through Nonbelievers. Is this even possible? Does their unbelief stop things? [12/24/99]
*Absence of Accountability. A wise and prosperous Biblical character messes up. Why? [12/5/99]
*Datafile: Calendars. The current system is buggy, but still it's used. [10/31/99]
*Datafile: Gifts. God gives so much to those who believe in him. [10/26/99]
*Very Productive Time. Time that the world would have you think is pointless is powerful in God's hands. [10/10/99]
*Earn Your Keep. God's gifts aren't exclusively spiritual... [10/7/99]
*Almost Father of the Nation. A few mistakes pulled this guy out of the running to be a big Biblical figure. [8/30/99]
*A Descendant Always on the Throne. God promised this to David, but how did it really play out? [8/22/99]
*Datafile: Pharisees. Where these Pharisees came fram, what they did wrong, what they did right. [8/22/99]
*The Cain Factor. Cain and Abel's story is longer lasting than just a chapter in Genesis. [8/21/99]
*"Teach us to pray". Jesus's disciples had to ask for help with prayer. We can learn from them and other examples of starting a prayer habit and how to pray. [8/2/99]
*Prosperity Not Guaranteed. We may be blessed materially, but that's not something to count on. [7/29/99]
*Financial Discipline. Quite necessary in our lives; the whys and hows. [7/25/99]
*A Unified Whole. We're more than just intellectual and spiritual beings... [7/19/99]
*The Dangers of Overemphasis. Gifts: can there be too much of a good thing? [6/30/99]
*Know Know Thy Enemy. We have one as Christians? [5/31/99]
*No Inheritance in this Land. First seen applied to some in the Old Testament... is that it? [5/27/99]
*Practical Support. A continuation of ideas presented in 'One Church, Many Functions' below with suggestions of how to do things. [5/24/99]
*31.7665N, 35.2338E. What's the title mean, and what are all the references to some Bible verses? [5/16/99]
*One Church, Many Functions. We're not a colony of insects; humans specialize-- so don't mistreat others. [5/11/99]
*Fully God, Fully Human. That's Jesus's character; those who believe otherwise are missing the point. [5/10/99]
*Worshiping Idols. Any skeletons in your closet? [5/3/99]
*Having Righteousness. Another God-given quality we should have. [4/29/99]
*Confusing Words.What's said by one is not necesarily understood by another. [4/28/99]
*Not Medical School. Read the Bible, pass medical school? Sorry, things don't work that way. [4/26/99]
*Whiners and Complainers. Yep, people in the Bible have been that way. Are they commended at all for that? [4/20/99]
*Dealing with Media. A few thoughts on dealing with something that's nearly unavoidable, and normally not very Christian. [4/19/99]
*Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Analysis of a certain claimed disaster, and its message from "Christians" [4/18/99]
*Get Wisdom and Discernment. Another thing Christians should be striving for. [4/18/99]
*Field Guide to Prophets. A bit of a field guide to this unfortunately rare species. [4/15/99]
*Be Accountable. Are you accountable to someone? You should be. [4/12/99]
*Not Yet the End of the World. Millennial madness, with a bit of a damper put on it. [4/6/99]
*The Ultimate Upgrade. Jesus had this happen first, and it's something other Christians will get to experience. [4/5/99]
*Zero Hour. It's approaching. You ready? [4/3/99]
*King David's Crucifixion. Centuries before Jesus, did King David know and speak of Crucifixion? Take a look at the evidence [4/1/99]
*Grafted In, Grafted Out. Not corruption, but something more theological [3/29/99]
*The Problem of Leaders. Problem? Definitely, if they're not according to God's plan. [3/24/99]
*Radiant Glory. One dark night on the middle of a lake... [3/22/99]
*Don't Wait For Elijah. Like Godot, you could be waiting a long time [3/21/99]
*Datafile: Temples Info on the various temples in mentioned in the Bible. [3/20/99]
*The Wages Are The Same -- for different amounts of work. Is this possible or right? [3/17/99]
*When Big Miracles Don't Convince. Tough break, but sometimes this happens. [3/15/99]
*You're Not Alone. [3/14/99]
*Don't Shoot the Messenger. It's a tough, lonely job, but somebody's got to do it... (Title subejct to change) [3/13/99]
*Casting Shadows. A short work of fiction. [3/11/99]
* Praise Report or Prayer Request. Got one? Or the other? Take a read. [3/8/99]
* The Third Gift. Some commentary on the entire Christmas season. [11/22/98]
* The Embarassment in Chief commentary on the president of the United States and how Christians should react to the mess. [9/18/98]
*My unification of the 4 gospel's writings on Jesus, from the Last Supper to the burial
* Notes for a Bible Study I helped lead on Sin and Repentance
* "Magic, Miracles, and Christianity"
* "What you don't see may still happen"
* Just an hour a day...
* "If you believe this, don't buy Swampland (err, Real Estate) in Florida!"
* Not condemned, but not condoned either

Favorite Bible Verses

(Short list of many)

*Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you gave, get understanding.
*2nd Corinthians 3:4-5
4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are completed in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
*1 John 2:5-6
5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
*Psalm 46:10a
"Be still, and know that I am God"
*Jeremiah 7:22-23
22 For when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.

Others to be announced later.


Links to various places:

* http://bible.gospelcom.net The Bible, many versions, with nice search and lookup functions.
* 10 Reasons to Believe.
*Christian Computing Magazine, with tips, news, and the like on how to use your computers in the service of God's Kingdom.
*Harvest Crusade. Get thee to a free concert, or at least watch/listen for free online.
*Echo Central. One of my favorite electronic Christian group's webpage.


See more Christian writings by Nathan Mates at http://www.matesfamily.org/xtian/index.html

nathan.j.mates@gmail.com