tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73106344345774709802024-02-19T05:52:10.606-08:00Go and Make DeciplesLEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-70991341938661981322020-07-27T23:37:00.002-07:002020-07-27T23:38:26.393-07:00Never Get So busy Making a Living that you forget to Make a Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When your young, you focus on certain things in Life. In middle ages, you're priorities change. As you age, they do seen very different from where you started. The most critical stage is the first one, wherein you are young, you're healthy, you're ready for the challenge, you're ready to do whatever it takes, you're up to the challenge, and you're ready to burn the midnight oil in order to get ahead.<br />
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But one thing we will all go through is that we get so busy with trying to make a living, that we forget to live a Life of our choice. In our drive to get ahead, and to prove things to ourselves and others, we are ready to do anything to get ahead. Success seems to be only motivator, our sole goal, but only when you get to the second stage of your Life, do you realise, that you were so busy making a Living that you forget to Make a Life.<br />
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The irony is that we realise it only after we missed the Bus of Life. But as we try to realign our priorities, understand what we value, what we really enjoy, what we really need to do, we are in the last stage of our Life. That is when we look back at Life, and the time, that we had which we didn't do what we could have done, should have spent more time, doing the things we wanted to do. It's not one of regret, but one of realisation, and about having been so busy making a Living, that we forgot to make a Life.</div>
LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-64146853291672432492020-07-27T10:04:00.000-07:002020-07-27T10:04:32.928-07:00Your relationship with God is more important and Precious<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We consider many of our relationships, with close friends, relatives, and others as very important and close and dear to our heart. But the relationship that should be the most important is your relationship with God. We all need to find out own relationship, and a time that we come to a point that we value it more than anything else.<br />
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For some it could be a time of success or even failure, a time of great loss, or even a great turning point in your Life. For each one, your relationship comes at particular point in your Life, a time of Gods choosing, a time where you realise that is All I need. We all have those personal moments, where we come to a point of self realisation. Many can just go through the motions, but deep down inside, you realise that a point will come in your Life, where you need that Life altering moment, where you commit yourself to God.<br />
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We might stray over time, but then any good relationship always brings up moments to remind you where you are in the relationship and where you need to be in it. Sometimes we need these little reminders to tell us who is in control. And that's the beauty of your relationship with God. Your never alone. This is one relationship that you need to value above all else, prioritise above else, make time above everything, only then you realise the true value of your relationship with God.</div>
LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-37244807878378601702020-07-22T04:06:00.002-07:002020-07-27T23:39:07.725-07:00Sometimes you have to go through the worst to get the Best<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We all have our rough patches in the Journey. But as the saying goes NO PAIN,. NO GAIN. And in this instant world, we lack the greatest of qualities, Patience. We all want to see only Good times, but without experiencing rough times, we would never appreciate the good. All these disruptions, lead us to introspect into our lives, the who, the why, when, where, and how this happened. We need to be patient, and understand what we did, and realise that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It might take time, but you will reach it. Going through the worst teaches us the sweet taste of success and to be able to be appreciative of it. In our patience, there is a great deal of learning, understanding and rededication to our goal. You realignment of your ideals to achieve just that, remove the negatives, and focus on the learning. You will always remember the journey and then you will realise that your patience paid off. Ease is a greater threat to progress than ur hardship is or ever will be to you.</div>
LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-55486000996416290962020-07-20T06:00:00.001-07:002020-07-20T06:00:36.817-07:00Happiness Is Enjoying the little things in Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happiness comes in small packages, not gift wrapped, not flashy or anything like that, just simple things. The problem is that we don't see it most of the Time. We are always looking for the Big things that we miss the little details. Earlier when we were kids, Happiness came with the simplest of things, like flying a kite, playing marbles, climbing a tree, nowadays the greatest Happiness comes in having Wifi. Ever seen your Kids expression if the Net is down when you turn it off???? Have you really??? Gone are the days of simple things, and that has been replaced by technology, and the likes. Its not that technology is bad, its just that our standards of Happiness, and it's derivatives have become more complicated. Sometimes, we just need to take time to smell the flowers, even that simple act can change your whole day. When was the last time you did that. Look for Happiness in the little things, not the Life altering stuff, but the simple aspects and you will realise Life in Total.</div>
LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-13457342335946291232020-07-20T05:58:00.002-07:002020-07-20T05:58:21.493-07:00Some things Can't be taught, they must be experienced <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Life is a journey, and every new day is a stop in that journey. Each day has many memories and sadness & joy,, but such is the journey called Life. We can't learn everything by textbook or by lectures, most of it needs to be felt first hand. The most valuable lessons are learned during this journey. You need to experience it, every aspect of it, the highs and lows. The lows will teach you why the highs are so great to experience. The sadness will teach us the true meaning of happiness. But the journey of Life is not only about the moments but the experience you get from it, the relationships you make, the bonds you forge, and the moments that really count. All these make the journey complete, the moments better, the experience worthwhile. All of it, in the end it makes all of it worthwhile. Enjoy every moment, experience it to the fullest. Live every moment and make the bonds last a lifetime. Have an awesome day ahead, and may today, be another stop in your ongoing journey.............</div>
LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-57137614344401206562020-07-20T00:37:00.000-07:002020-07-20T00:37:00.019-07:00Be the Hand that Helps not Hurts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Always be the Hands that Help, not Hurt, not helping is as much as Hurting. When you Help someone, you display the Love of God in you, shown through your thought, word and deed. Helping with your outstretched hands is the only and true way to reach out to those in need. Helping someone or even a cause, is not judged by anyone and is only between you and your God. It is not the greatness of your Help, the extent of your Help, or even the amount you Help. What only matters, to God is your willingness to Help, and the purity with which you do it. Your Helping hand is not for the world to know, but the person you help to see God in you, through You and in You.There is no greater power, than that of a Helping Hand. In times of your greatest need, God has sent His Guardian Angels to cover, Help and Protect you.Likewise when you are called to Help, you are His Guardian Angel here on earth to those in need, at their times of greatest need. That's the reason God gave us two hands to stretch them out and Help.</div>
LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-24924935113902108712018-06-07T00:18:00.001-07:002018-06-07T00:18:26.220-07:00A Jewish prominent Scientist Discovered God<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u2x7P0AEups" width="459"></iframe><span style="color: var(--yt-primary-text-color); font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.4rem; white-space: pre-wrap;">You would not believe what this Jewish Scientist Discovered. An awesome testimony of how he found God. Please watch it and Share it. Please subscribe to My Channel.</span><br /><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-size: medium;">The primary reason you want to share your faith is because...</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><strong><em style="position: relative;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Lord is at work in your heart </span></em></strong>giving you the desire to lovingly help others come to experience what you have in Jesus Christ. He wants to see others come to experience the benefits of a personal relationship with Him. And because of His love, He wants to save others from the unnecessary hardships apart from that relationship both now and forever. </span></div>
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<em style="position: relative;"><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-size: x-small;"><br /><em style="position: relative;"> </em>The Significance of Motivation... <span style="color: #ffcc00;">[Don't take His motivation lightly]</span></span></em></h2>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Chances are you are here for your own personal use or to help train others. In either case, MOTIVATION IS KEY. <em style="position: relative;"><span style="color: #993300;">ONCE WE KNOW </span></em><em style="position: relative;"><span style="color: #993300;">WHY</span></em><em style="position: relative;"><span style="color: #993300;"> WE SHOULD EVANGELIZE, WE'LL FIND A WAY TO DO IT!!! </span></em><em style="position: relative;"> </em> Without clear and compelling reasons to share our faith, like a glove without a hand, it will become lifeless. (You may already know all that is discussed below, if so, use it to motivate others.)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Christians are called (<em style="position: relative;">commanded</em>) to be "ambassadors" for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). We are to be His representatives in both actions and words. Every person has the right to hear of and experience the love, acceptance and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus, He promises to help us assist others to know Him too. "Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19 NLT) An "evangel' is someone who brings "good news". As a Christian, you have the greatest news to share with others!</span><br />
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<u><span style="color: #eeeeee;">KEY MOTIVATION BOOSTERS</span></u><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">A rich understanding of <em style="position: relative;"><strong>WHY it matters to be Christian</strong></em> will motivate and mobilize us to 'figure out' <strong>how to help others begin a faith relationship with Christ</strong>.<em style="position: relative;"> </em></span><br />
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<em style="position: relative;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"> </span></span></strong></em><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><em style="position: relative;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3333ff;"><span style="font-size: medium;">YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO EXPERIENCE... </span></span></span></strong></em><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><em style="position: relative;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #3333ff;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GOD'S LOVE, ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS!</span></span></span></strong></em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-size: small; line-height: 24px;">BENEFITS for TODAY:</span></span><br />
<span style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-size: medium; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;">What difference does being a Christian make in everyday life... life today... life now?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">There are <u>many</u> benefits for 'being' a Christian. What comes to your mind? How has God made a difference in your life? Here are a few typical reasons others have given: </span><br />
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<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">joy in knowing God and realizing and experiencing His love</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">living in trust instead of fear</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">having purpose and meaning in life</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">improved relationships</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">help in raising kids</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">life that is a lot better... a new start</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">forgiveness instead guilt and shame</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">healing of relationships or a physical healing</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">guidance and direction in life's decisions </span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">the benefits of the "fruit of Spirit", love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23)</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">friends and relationships at church</span></li>
<li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; list-style-type: none; margin: 3px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">etc., etc. </span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #3333ff;"><em style="position: relative;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS...</strong></span></em></span><span style="color: #3333ff;"><em style="position: relative;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>TO SPEND ETERNITY WITH YOU IN HEAVEN!</strong></span></em></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #eeeeee; font-size: small; line-height: 24px;">ETERNAL BENEFITS:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt;">What difference does being a Christian make in the life hereafter... life forever?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><strong><em style="position: relative;"><em style="position: relative;"><strong>[Although its not a popular subject, it is important that it touch your heart.]</strong></em><br /><strong><em style="position: relative;"> </em></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Traditional teaching stresses that it is an individual's <em style="position: relative;">choice</em> to be a Christian or not. (John 6:47 et al.) That <em style="position: relative;">choice</em> <em style="position: relative;">decides where that individual will spend <strong>eternity...</strong> with Christ in <strong>heaven</strong> or without Christ in <strong>hell</strong></em>. Although "hell" is not often a topic of preaching or teaching in churches or seminaries, believing in its reality makes evangelism of utmost importance.<br /><br />A short study comparing<strong> "eternity without God" vs. "eternity with God" </strong>is helpful. In Luke 16, we'll focus on the man experiencing "eternity without God". Then we will compare that with "eternity with God" from Rev. 21:3-4.<br /><br /><em style="position: relative;">(Note: the story Jesus tells in Luke 16 is intended to motivate Christ-like living, i.e. not wasting opportunities in the present. However, it certainly implies there are 2 different eternal destinies.)</em></span></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-size: medium;">Eternity "without" God (Luke 16:19-31)</span></h2>
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<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: red;">there is </span><strong><span style="color: red;">physical suffering</span></strong><span style="color: red;"> (v.24)</span> <em style="position: relative;">Can you imagine living forever in physical "agony"? </em></span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: red;">there is </span><strong><span style="color: red;">emotional suffering</span></strong> <span style="color: red;">(v. 24)</span> Fully aware of the "tormenting" circumstances, there are audible cries for mercy that are never satisfied. Living forever regretting the failures of the past. </span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">there is <strong>the ability to see the other side... eternity with God </strong>(v.23)</span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">there is the <strong>desire to cross over</strong> to the other side but the "great chasm is fixed" (v.26)</span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: red;">finally there is a </span><strong><span style="color: red;">plea for evangelism... to go and warn others "so they won't have to come to this place of torment"</span></strong><span style="color: red;">. </span><em style="position: relative;"><span style="color: red;">If we could hear the voices of those who have died without Christ, would we hear them pleading with us to 'warn others' and point them to the grace offered in Jesus?</span></em></span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">(Note: although this is referring to Hades, Rev. 20:14, 15 clearly points to Hades being thrown into the "lake of fire".) </span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee; font-size: medium;">Eternity "with" God (Rev. 21:3-4)</span></h2>
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<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">God is present (v. 3)</span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">no tears or sorrow (v.4) </span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">no mourning</span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">no crying</span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">no pain </span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">no more "death"</span></li>
<li style="list-style: disc outside !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-left: 5px !important;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">everything is "new" (fresh and fulfilling)</span></li>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><em style="position: relative;"> </em><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="position: relative;">Thank you Jesus</em></span></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em style="position: relative;">!</em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">And in His love for you and me, Jesus came and took upon Himself all of our sin while on the cross. Then He <em style="position: relative;"><strong>went into the "place of torment" in our place!</strong></em> But He rose again so we wouldn't have to go there. And He is alive today to help us live life to its fullest in relationship with Him. Isn't it humbling to think of what we have been saved <em style="position: relative;">from</em>? And what we have been saved to? That's <strong>GRACE</strong>... <strong>G</strong>od's <strong>R</strong>iches <strong>A</strong>t <strong>C</strong>hrist's <strong>E</strong>xpense!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><em style="position: relative;">Now remember, </em><span style="color: #ff6666;"><em style="position: relative;">focusing on eternity without God isn't intended to scare people out of hell</em></span><em style="position: relative;"> and into heaven. There is the danger of fostering a wrong attitude. Where Christians approach those without Christ arrogantly, with a condemning "better-than-thou, turn or burn" attitude. That's not right... we need to be gracious, speaking truth in love. </em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><strong><span style="color: red;">NO. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP </span></strong><strong><u><span style="color: red;">MOTIVATE CHRISTIANS</span></u></strong><strong><u><span style="color: red;"> TO VOICE THEIR FAITH OUT OF LOVE</span></u><span style="color: red;">. </span>TO SHOW HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO GOD THAT WE SERVE AS HIS "AMBASSADORS" TO</strong><strong> HELP THEM MEET JESUS AND DISCOVER GOD'S LOVE!!! Caring enough to cooperate with God in His saving process. </strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><strong>A lifestyle of <strong><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.christianwitnessingtools.com/prayer-scripture-and-evangelism.html" style="color: rgb(24, 25, 218) !important; text-decoration-line: none;" title="">prayer</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.christianwitnessingtools.com/prayer-scripture-and-evangelism.html" style="color: rgb(24, 25, 218) !important; text-decoration-line: none;" title="">, following the Holy Spirit's leading</a></span></strong> and focusing on the difference being a Christian makes in </strong><em style="position: relative;"><strong>life today</strong></em><strong> AND </strong><em style="position: relative;"><strong>life forever</strong></em><strong> will be a compelling empowerment from God, to share our faith.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><strong><u>REMEMBER - CONVERSION IS A PROCESS</u></strong><u> </u></span><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Most people do not respond to the Gospel the first time they hear it. As Christians, we are all part of the process. Some plant seeds of faith. Others water and encourage a response towards Christ. But in the end, it is God who converts the soul to follow Him. So let's join together in God's orchestration to help others discover His love, acceptance and forgiveness in Christ.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><strong><u>SHARING YOUR FAITH IS STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY A GROWING FAITH</u></strong>Pray about the eternal consequences of life apart from God. Pray about the difference a relationship with Christ makes in everyday living. Think and pray for other people. Pray about finding peers who will encourage each other to learn how to share their faith. And prayerfully be <u>intentional</u> to sensitively follow the Holy Spirits leading and talk about what you believe to help others come into relationship with Christ. Philemon 6 says, <em style="position: relative;">I pray that you be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of all we have in Christ. </em></span><br />
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<u><strong><span style="color: #eeeeee;">DO WHAT GOD WOULD HAVE YOU DO</span></strong></u><br />
<em style="position: relative;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;">What would God have you do to "TAKE THE NEXT STEP"? Just do that. God will bless you! </span></em><br />
<em style="position: relative;"><span style="color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-size: small;">Browse</span> around this site for awhile to see what God might show you.</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><strong>MOTIVATION IS KEY.</strong> Changed lives is what is at stake. And it will change your life too! </span></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-71206130495438052692017-07-12T09:35:00.001-07:002017-07-12T09:35:33.900-07:00Christian Witnessing - What is Spiritual "Boldness"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Christian Witnessing - What is Spiritual "Boldness"</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></h2>
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The "bold" Christian witnessing we see in the early church supernatural was Spirit-empowered evangelism where devoted followers of Christ could not stop speaking of what they had seen and heard. (Acts 4:20) They were bold like Jesus. Respectfully open and direct even in the presence of opposing viewpoints. The witness and evangelism of early Christians was not loud, pushy and annoyingly "in-your-face" as many people might imagine. So what does it mean to be "bold" for Jesus?<br /><br />Several hallmarks of true Biblical Christian witnessing <strong>"boldness"</strong> are:<br />1) Spirit lead,<br />2) speaking from a convinced viewpoint,<br />3) courageously genuine,<br />4) a persuasion that says, "I need to speak",<br />5) honest and straightforward,<br />6) shameless, and<br />7) fearless.<br /><br />Its openly declaring your faith and trusting God to use it. It's faithful obedient messengers who realize that God is in charge. Effectively fearless of what others might think, say, or how they will respond. Not some "soft-sell" evangelism aimed at avoiding any and all controversy. But it's not intentionally trying to upset others yet, not intimidated by how others might react as you declare your faith. Pray asking God to give you His <strong>courage</strong> to boldly share your faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. </div>
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Spiritual Boldness... with an Authentic Message </h2>
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Our Christian witness and evangelism needs to flow from a genuine difference Jesus has made in our own lives and other Christians. Compassion to want others to experience God's love, acceptance, forgiveness and purpose too. This must be our <strong>motivation</strong> to share our faith with Christlike boldness.<br /><br />Salvation, now and for eternity, <strong>is found in Jesus</strong>. There is no other name given to mankind by which we are saved. (Acts 4:12) Biblical Christian witnessing and evangelism graciously and unapologetically holds to the unique and distinct claim of Jesus Christ to be the one and only Savior. He changes lives, now and forever. Authentic Christian witnessing and evangelism is respectful of the opinions of others but not tolerant or compromising of mistruthful claims of any other way of salvation. Compromise of this baseline Christian truth remains eternally powerless. Pray asking God for an <strong>uncompromising faith</strong> in salvation in Christ alone.</div>
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Spiritual Boldness... by Genuine Messengers</h2>
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People can tell if you genuinely care about them. Jesus genuinely cared about about people. It was said that you could tell the early disciples had been with Jesus. They were kind in minstering to others. But amazingly noticeable was how they "reflected" His <strong>boldness</strong>.<br /><br />Even in the face of opposition they were compelled to speak openly and honestly. That was a key difference the Holy Spirit made in their lives. When they could have easily bit their tongue and remain silent, they stood their ground and compassionately <strong>spoke the truth</strong>. Any credit for helping, healing or change in people's lives was attributed "in the name (power) of Jesus". (Acts 4:10) Pray asking God for His <strong>compassionate love</strong> to see everyone come into a personal relationship with Christ. <br /> </div>
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Spiritual Boldness... Faithfully Presses On</h2>
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Bold Christian witnessing and evangelism will be challenged. The early disciples were commanded to speak no more. Peter and John said that God wanted them to speak even when others wanted them NOT to speak. (Acts 4:20) The Lord is in charge. We need to say it, not with cleverness but just as we are. Let God empower your words and acts of kindness. The <strong><em style="position: relative;">John 3:16 Good News... made simple!</em></strong> evangelism training will help you organize your thoughts around this very familar verse. Trust God to use you as you share your faith. Rest in the power of God. Remember, it is <strong>faith in God</strong> that pleases Him.<br /><br /><strong>God will bless your personal witnessing and evangelism.</strong> The early disciples were just talking to common folks in Acts 4. Friends, people they new from their occupations, relatives and curious bystanders. They were simply speaking to what they had "seen and heard". They were testifying that salvation is found in Jesus. <u>God</u> empowered and blessed their personal witness and <em style="position: relative;">many lives were changed</em> as people found salvation in relationship with Jesus... for the "now and forever" of their lives.<br /><br />God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can take fearful Christians who are willing to follow Him... and make them <strong>bold</strong> <strong>messengers for Christ! </strong>Pray, commit yourself to God to be <strong>transformed</strong> into a bold messenger for Christ. </div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-24540713473636666282015-11-03T00:14:00.000-08:002015-11-03T00:14:05.336-08:00Expect Persecution it is on the Way<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">“Behold, I (Jesus Christ) send YOU (Believers) out as Sheep, in the midst of wolves (Unbelievers). Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of Men (Unbelievers), for they (Unbelievers) will deliver YOU (Believers) up to Councils and Scourge YOU (Believers) in their Synagogues. YOU (Believers) will be brought before Governors and Kings, for My (Jesus Christ’s) Sake, as a Testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they (Unbelievers) deliver YOU (Believers) up, do NOT worry about how or what YOU (Believers) should speak. For it will be given to YOU (Believers), in that Hour, what YOU (Believers) should speak; for it is NOT YOU (Believers), Who Speak, but The Spirit (The Holy Spirit) of Your Father (God Almighty) Who Speaks in YOU (Believers). “Now, brother (Unbelievers) will deliver up Brother (Believers) to death, and a father (Unbelievers), his Child (Believers); and children (Unbelievers) will rise up against Parents (Believers) and cause Them (Believers) to be put to death. And YOU (Believers) will be hated by All, for My (Jesus Christ’s) Name’s Sake. But he (Believers) who endures to The End, will be Saved. When they (Unbelievers) Persecute YOU (Believers) in this City, flee to another. For assuredly, I (Jesus Christ) say to YOU (Believers), YOU (Believers) will NOT have gone through The Cities of Israel, before The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) Comes.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Who shall separate Us (Believers), from The Love of Christ (Jesus Christ)? Shall Tribulation, or Distress, or Persecution, or Famine, or Nakedness, or Peril, or Sword? As it is written: “For Your (Jesus Christ’s) Sake, We (Believers) are killed All day long; We (Believers) are accounted, as Sheep for the slaughter.” Yet, in All these things, We (Believers) are more than Conquerors, through Him (Jesus Christ), who Loved Us. For I (Saul/Paul) am persuaded that neither death nor Life, nor Angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate Us (Believers), from The Love of God (God Almighty), which is in Christ Jesus, Our Lord. Therefore, I (Saul/Paul) take pleasure in Infirmities, in Reproaches, in Needs, in Persecutions, in Distresses, for Christ’s (Jesus Christ’s) Sake. For when I (Saul/Paul) am weak, then I (Saul/Paul) am strong.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">We (Jesus’ Disciples) are bound to thank God (God Almighty) always for YOU (Believers), Brethren, as it is fitting, because Your (Believers) Faith grows exceedingly, and The Love of Every One of YOU (Believers), All abounds toward each other, so that We (Jesus’ Disciples), Ourselves, boast of YOU (Believers) among The Churches of God (God Almighty), for Your (Believers) Patience and Faith, in All Your (Believers) Persecutions and Tribulations, that YOU (Believers) endure, which is Manifest Evidence of The Righteous Judgment of God (God Almighty), that YOU (Believers) may be Counted Worthy of The Kingdom of God (God Almighty), for which YOU (Believers) also suffer; since it is a Righteous Thing with God (God Almighty), to repay with Tribulation, those (Unbelievers) who trouble YOU (Believers), and to give YOU (Believers) who are troubled, rest with Us (Jesus’ Disciples), when The Lord Jesus is Revealed from Heaven with His Mighty Angels, in Flaming Fire taking Vengeance on those (Unbelievers), who do NOT know God (God Almighty), and on those (Unbelievers) who do NOT obey The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ. These (Unbelievers) shall be punished with everlasting destruction, from The Presence of The Lord (Jesus Christ) and from The Glory of His (Jesus Christ’s) Power, when He (Jesus Christ) Comes, in that Day, to be Glorified in His (Jesus Christ’s) Saints and to be admired, among All those who Believe (Believers), because Our (Jesus’ Disciples) Testimony among YOU (Believers) was Believed. Therefore, We (Jesus’ Disciples) also pray always for YOU (Believers), that Our God (God Almighty), would Count YOU (Believers), Worthy of this Calling, and Fulfill All The Good Pleasure of His (God Almighty’s) Goodness and The Work of Faith with Power, that The Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, may be Glorified in YOU (Believers), and YOU (Believers) in Him, according to The Grace of Our God (God Almighty) and The Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, and All (Believers) who desire to live Godly, in Christ Jesus, will suffer Persecution. But YOU (Believers) MUST continue, in the things which YOU (Believers) have learned and been assured of, knowing from Whom (Jesus Christ), YOU (Believers) have learned them, and that from childhood, YOU (Believers) have known The Holy Scriptures (The Holy Bible), which are able to make YOU (Believers) wise, for Salvation through Faith, which is in Christ Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Our Lord Jesus Christ gives Us (Believers) these encouraging words, “When they (Unbelievers) deliver YOU (Believers) up, do NOT worry about how or what YOU (Believers) should speak. For it will be given to YOU (Believers), in that Hour, what YOU (Believers) should speak; for it is NOT YOU (Believers), Who Speak, but The Spirit (The Holy Spirit) of Your Father (God Almighty) Who Speaks in YOU (Believers).”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Fellow Believers, Stand with God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit, Always, and They will Always, Stand with YOU!</span></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-6451435864138227292015-11-03T00:10:00.003-08:002015-11-03T00:10:34.964-08:00Let's Preach the Gospel of Jesus <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, unless one is Born Again, he cannot see The Kingdom of God.” Jesus continued, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, unless one is Born of Water and The Spirit, he cannot enter The Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is Born of The Spirit is Spirit.” And Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, We speak what We know and Testify what We have seen, and YOU do NOT receive Our Witness. If I have told YOU Earthly Things and YOU do NOT Believe, how will YOU Believe, if I tell YOU Heavenly Things? No one has Ascended to Heaven, but He (Jesus Christ) who came down from Heaven, that is, The Son of Man (Jesus Christ), who is in Heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) be Lifted Up that Whoever Believes in Him (Jesus Christ) should NOT perish but have Eternal Life. For God (God Almighty) so Loved the World that He gave His ONLY Begotten Son (Jesus Christ), that Whoever Believes in Him (Jesus Christ) should NOT perish but have Everlasting Life. For God did NOT send His Son (Jesus Christ) into the World to condemn the World, but that the World, through Him, might be Saved. He (Believers) who Believes in Him (Jesus Christ) is NOT condemned; but he (Unbelievers) who does NOT Believe is Condemned already, because he (Unbelievers) has NOT Believed in The Name of The ONLY Begotten Son of God (Jesus Christ). And this is the condemnation, that The Light (Jesus Christ) has come into the World, and Men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates The Light and does NOT come to The Light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he (Believers) who does The Truth comes to The Light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God (God Almighty).”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Jesus said, “Do YOU NOT say, ‘There are still four months and then comes The Harvest’? Behold, I say to YOU, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for Harvest! And he (Believers) who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for Eternal Life, that both he (Believers) who sows and he (Believers) who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I (Jesus Christ) sent YOU (Believers) to reap, that for which YOU (Believers) have NOT Labored; Others (Believers) have Labored, and YOU (Believers) have entered into Their Labors.” “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, he (Believers) who hears My Word and Believes in Him (God Almighty) who sent Me (Jesus Christ), has Everlasting Life, and shall NOT come into Judgment, but has passed from death into Life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU (Believers), do NOT labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to Everlasting Life, which The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) will give YOU, because God (God Almighty), The Father, has set His Seal on Him (Jesus Christ). This is The Work of God (God Almighty), that YOU Believe in Him (Jesus Christ) whom He sent.” Then Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, Moses did NOT give YOU The Bread from Heaven, but My Father (God Almighty) gives YOU The True Bread from Heaven. For The Bread of God is He (Jesus Christ) who comes down from Heaven and gives Life to the World.” And Jesus said, “I AM The Bread of Life. He (Believers) who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he (Believers) who Believes in Me shall never thirst. All (Believers) that The Father (God Almighty) gives Me (Jesus Christ) will come to Me, and the one (Believers) who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out. For I (Jesus Christ) have come down from Heaven, NOT to do My Own Will, but The Will of Him (God Almighty) who sent Me (Jesus Christ). This is the Will of The Father (God Almighty) who sent Me, that of all (Believers) He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at The Last Day. And this is The Will of Him (God Almighty) who sent Me, that everyone (Believers), who sees The Son (Jesus Christ) and Believes in Him, may have Everlasting Life; and I will raise him (Believers) up at The Last Day.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Jesus answered, “NO ONE can come to Me, unless The Father (God Almighty) who sent Me, Draws him (Believers); and I will raise him up at The Last Day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone (Believers), who has heard and learned from The Father (God Almighty) comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen The Father, except He who is from God; He has seen The Father. Most assuredly, I say to YOU, he (Believers) who Believes in Me, has Everlasting Life. I AM The Bread of Life. This is The Bread which comes down from Heaven that one may eat of it and NOT die. I AM The Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone (Believers) eats of this Bread, he will live Forever; and The Bread that I shall give is My Flesh, which I shall give for the Life of the World.” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, unless YOU eat The Flesh of The Son of Man and drink His Blood, YOU have no life in YOU. Whoever (Believers) eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has Eternal Life, and I will raise him up at The Last Day. For My Flesh is food indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. He (Believers) who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him. As The Living Father (God Almighty) sent Me, and I live because of The Father, so he (Believers) who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is The Bread, which came down from Heaven, he (Believers) who eats this Bread, will live Forever.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Then Jesus said, to those who Believed Him, “If YOU abide in My Word, YOU are My Disciples indeed. And YOU shall know The Truth, and The Truth shall make YOU free.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Jesus answered, “My Sheep (Believers) hear My Voice, and I know them, and they Follow Me. And I give them Eternal Life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Hand. My Father (God Almighty), who has given them to Me, is Greater than All; and NO ONE is able to snatch them out of My Father’s Hand. I and My Father, are One.” Jesus said, “I AM The Resurrection and The Life. He (Believers) who Believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and Believes in Me, shall never die. Do YOU Believe this?”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Then Jesus cried out and said, “He (Believers) who Believes in Me, Believes NOT in Me, but in Him (God Almighty) who sent Me. And he, who sees Me, sees Him (God Almighty) who sent Me. I have come, as a Light into the World that Whoever Believes in Me should NOT abide in darkness. And if anyone (Unbelievers) hears My Words and does NOT Believe, I do NOT judge him; for I did NOT come to judge the World, but to Save the World. He (Unbelievers) who rejects Me, and does NOT receive My Words, has that which judges him, The Word, that I have Spoken will judge him, in The Last Day. For I have NOT spoken on My Own Authority; but The Father (God Almighty) who sent Me, gave Me a Command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His Command is Everlasting Life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as The Father (God Almighty) has Told Me, so I speak.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Jesus said, “Now, The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) is Glorified, and God (God Almighty) is Glorified in Him (Jesus Christ). If God (God Almighty) is Glorified in Him (Jesus Christ), God (God Almighty) will also Glorify Him (Jesus Christ) in Himself (God Almighty), and Glorify Him (Jesus Christ), immediately.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">“Let NOT your heart be troubled; YOU Believe in God, Believe also in Me. In My Father’s House are many Mansions; if it were NOT so, I would have told YOU. I go to prepare a place for YOU. And if I go and prepare a place for YOU, I will come again and receive YOU to Myself; that where I am, there YOU may be also. I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life. NO ONE comes to The Father except through Me.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">“If YOU (Believers) Love Me (Jesus Christ), keep My Commandments. And I (Jesus Christ) will pray to The Father (God Almighty), and He (God Almighty) will give YOU another Helper (The Holy Spirit), that He (The Holy Spirit) may abide with YOU Forever, The Spirit of Truth (The Holy Spirit), whom the World cannot receive, because it neither sees Him (The Holy Spirit) nor knows Him (The Holy Spirit); but YOU know Him (The Holy Spirit), for He (The Holy Spirit) dwells with YOU and will be in YOU. I (Jesus Christ) will NOT leave YOU orphans; I will come to YOU.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">“These things I (Jesus Christ) have spoken to YOU (Believers), that My Joy may remain in YOU, and that your joy may be full. This is My Commandment, that YOU Love one another as I have Loved YOU. Greater Love has NO ONE than this, than to lay down One’s Life, for his friends. YOU are My Friends if YOU do whatever I Command YOU. No longer do I call YOU servants, for a servant does NOT know what his master is doing; but I have called YOU friends, for all things that I heard from My Father (God Almighty), I (Jesus Christ) have made known to YOU. YOU did NOT choose Me, but I (Jesus Christ) Chose YOU and Appointed YOU that YOU should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever YOU ask The Father (God Almighty), in My Name, He may give YOU. These things I command YOU, that YOU Love one another.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">“If the World hates YOU (Believers), YOU know that it hated Me (Jesus Christ) before it hated YOU. If YOU were of the World, the World would love its own. Yet because YOU are NOT of the World, but I (Jesus Christ) Chose YOU out of the World, therefore the World hates YOU. Remember, The Word that I said to YOU, ‘A servant is NOT greater than his master.’ If they (Unbelievers) Persecuted Me (Jesus Christ), they (Unbelievers) will also Persecute YOU. But all these things they (Unbelievers) will do to YOU, for My Name’s Sake, because they (Unbelievers) do NOT know Him (God Almighty) who sent Me. If I had NOT come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He (Unbelievers) who hates Me, hates My Father (God Almighty) also. If I had NOT done among them, The Works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that The Word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They (Unbelievers) hated Me, without a cause.’</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">“But when The Helper (The Holy Spirit) comes, whom I (Jesus Christ) shall send to YOU (Believers), from The Father (God Almighty), The Spirit of Truth (The Holy Spirit), who proceeds from The Father (God Almighty), He (The Holy Spirit) will Testify of Me (Jesus Christ). And YOU (Believers) also will bear Witness.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;">[What more can I say, that Our Lord Jesus Christ, did NOT already say, in His Own Words.]</span></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-69173926666916639522015-11-03T00:07:00.003-08:002015-11-03T00:07:50.762-08:00These days are testing days for every one who claims to be a believer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>These days “news” is shared, almost instantly, especially over the Internet. Each of Us, can learn about things from virtually anywhere, in the World. We can literally, see the World pulling away from God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit. We can literally, see the World erasing God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit, out of anything and everything. Which suits Satan’s Plans nicely. We can literally, see Satan (with the help of Men and Women) attempting to twist, recreate, and destroy, what God Almighty Created, through Jesus Christ. One of the most heinous acts, transgenderism, is destroying Our Children, and again, it’s happening with the help of Men and Women. Children are called “children” for a reason. They (Children) are NOT yet ready (mentally or emotionally) to make long term decisions, which will affect their (Children) lives. Yes, I know, transgenderism affects Adult lives, too. Another heinous act, Abortion, claims hundreds of thousands, if NOT millions of young lives (just as they begin), with no apparent end in sight.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>We are witnessing the persecution of Christians, i.e. Christians literally being put to death, simply because They are Christians, while the World turns a “blind eye!” These are NOT Soldiers being killed on a battlefield, but defenseless Christian Civilians, who are being, gutlessly tortured and put to death. Christian Women and little girls, who are being raped, tortured, and sold as Sex Slaves, by cowardly people, who choose defenseless girls and Women, simply because they can, while the World turns a “blind eye!” We are watching helplessly by, while the World is covered in turmoil and blood. The World is seeing pestilence, famine, drought, earthquakes, floods, crop destruction, Genocide, Homicide, Civil Wars, other Wars, etc. The Middle East, for what seems like, Forever in turmoil, is still a hotly contested area and War involving Israel, appears imminent. On yet another front, Christians are being forced to go against Their Beliefs (and against God Almighty, Himself), from Their Businesses to Their jobs, to hold to Man’s Law, instead of God Almighty’s Commandments and Statutes. Satan (with the help of Men and Women) is getting his way, as God Almighty, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, God Almighty’s Commandments and Statutes, The Holy Bible, and the freedom to pray, are All being attacked, and for the most part, being removed and erased, from anything and everything!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>Christians are literally being forced to bow down to Man’s Law, and The Worldly View, from “Civil Unions” (or “Gay Marriages”), to forcing businesses to go against the Owner’s Beliefs, to keeping the freedom of prayer, out of anything and everything (including Schools, School Activities, and School Events). Christians are being told, by The Worldly View, to keep Our Christian Beliefs to Ourselves, and to pray behind closed doors (i.e. in Our Churches and Our Homes), and to keep Our praying to God Almighty and Jesus Christ, out of the Public View (Worldly View). Most importantly, Christians are being asked (NOT demanded, well, NOT yet) to stop Preaching The Gospel of Jesus Christ. But Christians are being demanded to STOP asking the World (Worldly View), to listen to God Almighty, to obey God Almighty’s Commandments and Statutes, to live The Way, God Almighty, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, and The Holy Bible Commands, We All should live.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>Then Peter, filled with The Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and Elders of Israel: If We (Jesus’ Disciples) this day are judged for a good deed, done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all The People of Israel, that by The Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God Raised from the dead, by Him (Jesus Christ), this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘Stone which was Rejected by you builders, which has become The Chief Cornerstone.’ Nor is there Salvation in any other, for there is No Other Name under Heaven, given among Men, by which We MUST be Saved.”</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>So they called Them (Peter and John) and commanded Them (Peter and John) NOT to Speak at all nor Teach, in The Name of Jesus (Jesus Christ). But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in The Sight of God (God Almighty), to listen to you, more than to God (God Almighty), you judge.”</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>But Peter and the other Apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God (God Almighty), rather than Men. The God of Our Fathers, Raised Up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him (Jesus Christ), God (God Almighty) has Exalted to His (God Almighty’s) Right Hand to be Prince and Savior, to give Repentance to Israel and Forgiveness of sins. And We (Jesus’ Disciples) are His (Jesus Christ’s) Witnesses to these things, and so also is The Holy Spirit, whom God (God Almighty) has given, to those (Believers) who obey Him (God Almighty).”</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>And We (Jesus’ Disciples) know that all things work together for good, to Those (Believers) who Love God (God Almighty), to Those (Believers) who are The Called according to His (God Almighty’s) Purpose. For whom He (God Almighty) Foreknew, He (God Almighty) also Predestined to be Conformed to The Image of His Son (Jesus Christ), that He (Jesus Christ) might be The Firstborn among many Brethren. Moreover whom He (God Almighty) Predestined, These He (God Almighty) also Called; whom (Believers) He (Jesus Christ) Called, These (Believers) He (Jesus Christ) also Justified; and whom (Believers) He (Jesus Christ) Justified, These (Believers) He (Jesus Christ) also Glorified. What then shall We (Jesus’ Disciples) say to these things? If God (God Almighty) is for Us (Believers), who can be against Us (Believers)?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>“Whatever I (Jesus Christ) tell YOU (Believers) in the dark, Speak in the light; and what YOU (Believers) hear in the ear, Preach on the housetops. And do NOT fear, those (Unbelievers) who kill the body, but cannot kill the Soul. But rather fear Him (God Almighty) who is able to destroy both Soul and body, in Hell.” “And I (Jesus Christ) say to YOU (Believers), My Friends, do NOT be afraid of those (Unbelievers) who kill the body, and after that have no more that they (Unbelievers) can do. But I (Jesus Christ) will show YOU (Believers) whom YOU (Believers) should fear: Fear Him (God Almighty) who, after He (God Almighty) has killed, has Power to cast into Hell; yes, I (Jesus Christ) say to YOU (Believers), fear Him (God Almighty)!”</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>Fellow Believers, Stand with God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit, Always, and They will Always Stand with YOU! Preach The Gospel of Jesus Christ without fear! Stand strong, holding to God Almighty’s Commandments and Statutes, and Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Commandments and Statutes, with The Holy Spirit, guiding and counseling YOU. We (Fellow Believers) are Jesus Christ’s Light upon the World, may the World see Him (Jesus Christ), instead of Us (Believers)! Children of God Almighty, Stand Strong!</b></span></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-45037551975899209162015-11-03T00:04:00.002-08:002015-11-03T00:04:39.090-08:00Why is it Important to Share the Gospel?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>Why is it important to share The Gospel, with your family and friends? Have YOU ever thought about this question? Well, I’m going to try to give YOU a few reasons why, it’s extremely important.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>1 The Great Commission<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;" />Jesus Christ said, “Go therefore, into All the World and Preach The Gospel, 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. He who Believes and is Baptized will be Saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>2 Did YOU know, that over 90% of Church Members believe it’s their Pastor’s job, to lead people to Christ, meaning they believe, it’s not their job. It’s not only your Pastor’s job to lead people to Christ, it’s your Pastor’s job to teach his congregation, to lead people to Christ, meaning each and every one of YOU!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>3 We All have friends and family, and We want All of them to go to Heaven. Well, if Our Pastor never meets any of them, whose going to talk to them, and lead them to Christ? If We don’t tell them, who will?</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>4 I always think of "Lazarus and the rich man", how the rich man could look across The Great Gulf and see Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, asking Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers, so they don't receive the same fate. Well, imagine if the people YOU encounter, could see across The Great Gulf, and see YOU in Abraham's bosom, and yell across it, asking why YOU didn't tell them? I don't want anyone to be able to ask this of me.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #eeeeee;"><b>As Believers, in God Almighty and The Lord Jesus Christ, We take upon Ourselves the mantle, The Cross, the obligation, of sharing The Gospel of Jesus Christ, with everyone. Which includes: family, friends, Church family, neighbors, and strangers, basically, every person We encounter. We are Jesus’ Light upon the World, and as His Disciples, We are called upon to go and make Disciples of All the Nations of the World. This is a privilege, We should eagerly look forward to this opportunity, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, that everyone has been given a Great Gift, the chance for Eternal Life, in God’s Immediate Presence, with The Lord Jesus Christ, for Eternity. My prayer for YOU, is that YOU look at sharing The Gospel, with great enthusiasm, something that will truly chance someone’s Life, for Eternity. Amen.</b></span></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-34403526119675540052015-10-13T02:18:00.001-07:002015-10-13T02:19:29.725-07:00Go and Make disciples (It is a Command and not a request) (Mt:28:19)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;">I have always thought that being Christian was sufficient to please God and reserve eternal life. It actually is more than that.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">The Bible says that Man’s life is numbered to 70 or 80 years at the most. If those years could be multiplied into days it would be only 25,550 days <i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(“The length of our days is seventy years–or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” Psalms 90:10). </i>Our time on the earth is shorter and the longer or eternally we want to live then we have to believe in Jesus and do what he says.<i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></i></span></div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: blue;">Ask a question to yourself… What have I done for the sake of God in the last few years I have lived beside going to Church, giving tithe and participating in few programs….</span></i></b></div>
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<b style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: blue;">And the answer is not so much. My dear friend God wants you to walk and live with him daily. You are created only to fulfill the purpose of the creator that is our Lord Jesus Christ.</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">God is in the business of working through his people to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. God often shapes people with personality, characteristics, experiences, and training that prepare them for his purpose, and people usually have no idea what God has in store for them. God prepared and Positioned Nehemiah to accomplish one of the Bible’s “Impossible” tasks. So was Moses when God called him to lead a bunch of disobedient people. Moses had to accept the challenge and handle because it was God’s mission and God promised to be with him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Nehemiah was a common man in a unique position. He was secure and successful as a cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes. Nehemiah had little power, but had great influence. He was trusted by the king. He was also a man of God, concerned about the fate of Jerusalem.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Seventy years earlier, Zerubbabel had managed to rebuild God’s temple. Thirteen years had passed since Ezra had returned to Jerusalem and helped the people with their spiritual needs. Now Nehemiah was needed. Jerusalem’s wall was still in ruins and the news broke his heart. As he talked to God, a plan began to take form in Nehemiah’s mind about his own role in the rebuilding of the city walls. He willingly left the security of his home and job in Persia to follow God on an “impossible” mission. And the rest is history.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">From beginning to end, Nehemiah prayed God’s help. He never hesitated to ask God to remember him, closing his autobiography with these words: “Remember me with favor, O my God”. Throughout the “impossible” task, Nehemiah displayed unusual leadership. The wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt in record time, despite resistance. Even Israel’s enemies grudgingly and fearfully admitted that God was with these builders. Not only that, but God worked through Nehemiah to bring about a spiritual awakening among the people of Judah.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">You may not have Nehemiah’s unique abilities or feel that you are in a position where you can do anything great for God, but there are two ways you can become useful to God. First, be a person who talks to God. Welcome him into your thoughts and share yourself with him – your concerns, feelings, and dreams. Second, be a person who walks with God. Put what you learn from his Word into action. God may have an “impossible” mission that he wants to do through you. It may be a simple mission or a very difficult mission. Are you ready for God’s leading?????</span></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-31555775238366903532015-09-11T06:03:00.004-07:002015-09-11T06:03:43.619-07:00The missing link in our testimonies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><img alt="Image: The missing link in our testimonies" height="360" itemprop="image" src="http://fervr.net/images/made/images/uploads/articles/TestimonyMissingIngredient_540_360_80_int.jpg" style="border: none; font-family: Roihu-Regular, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 30px; max-width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 619px;" width="540" /></span></h1>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">"Non-believer. Met Jesus. Now going to heaven." What's been left out?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">I love hearing about how God has worked in people's lives. Whether it's someone giving a testimony in church, an article someone's written on Fervr, or just an informal conversation, it's always encouraging to hear personal stories of people coming to faith.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">However, I think there's often something missing. Have you noticed when we tell or write our testimonies, they follow a formula that goes something like this:</span></b></div>
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<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">I was lost in sin</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">I became a Christian and have been saved by Christ</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">I will go to heaven to be with him</span></b></li>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">That sounds about right ... doesn't it?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">What's missing?</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Of course, the above three points are true and important to tell people about! But what I think is missing is the bit between becoming a Christian (point 2) and ultimately going to heaven (point 3). In other words, we should talk about what's happening right now as we live in anticipation of Christ's return. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul says:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Paul was writing this letter to the church at Colossae about 1,950 years ago. He was reminding the people that being a Christian wasn’t simply deciding to follow Jesus; they had to continue to know Jesus more and more. And it's exactly the same for us. </span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Grow like a mango tree</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Say I plant a mango seed in my garden, I give it some water and sunlight and a little shoot comes out of the ground. That's nice, isn't it? But it's not going to grow juicy mangoes as a little tiny shoot. It has to grow up into a big, strong tree and continue to grow before it can bear fruit. The tree also has to have good strong roots so that it will stand fast against the wind and the rain.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">We're a bit like that imaginary mango tree. We've been planted as a seed. Then we decide to follow Jesus and a little shoot pops out of the ground. If we leave it as that, it remains very fragile. But if we grow in our faith, if we make deep strong roots in the ground, we will bear fruit and stay strong. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">There's going to be tough times in our lives. Life isn’t easy being a Christian. The rain, the wind and the hail might come, but if we have strong roots in God’s word, and continue to grow in the knowledge of him, we can stand strong.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">How do we grow stronger in Christ?</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Earlier in his letter, Paul tells the Colossians:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">"...we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might..." Colossians 1:10-11a (NIV)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Again, the image of the tree comes through, and Paul highlights three key things - we need to be bearing fruit (living a Godly life), growing in our knowledge of God and being strengthened by him. So how do we do that?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Just like we can't earn our salvation, we can't grow in Christ on our own either. We need to ask God to help us to grow in our knowledge of him. That means to begin with, it's important we pray regularly to him.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Just as important is reading the Bible - studying God's word for ourselves as well as hearing it explained by others, because the Bible is the primary way God has chosen to speak to his people. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">I think we should do both of these things individually and with other Christians. It's important to encourage each other in our faith and knowledge of Christ, but also for each of us to spend time alone with God.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Ready to tell your testimony again?</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Next time you're ask to tell your story of coming to faith in Jesus, be sure to explain not only how you became a Christian, but how you're continuing to live in him: to bear fruit, to be strengthened and to grow in your knowledge of God. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">My prayer for all of us is that just as we received Christ Jesus as Lord, we continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith we were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.</span></b></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-2096224257735242732015-09-11T06:01:00.001-07:002015-09-11T06:01:14.148-07:00Did Jesus really exist?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><img alt="Image: Did Jesus really exist?" height="360" itemprop="image" src="http://fervr.net/images/made/images/uploads/articles/DidJesusReallyExist_540_360_80_int.jpg" style="border: none; font-family: Roihu-Regular, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 30px; max-width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 619px;" width="540" /></span></h1>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">What proof do we have that Jesus was a real person who lived on earth?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">In recent years some people have questioned the actual existence of Jesus. Some claim that the idea of a Savior was manufactured by certain people and it ended up becoming a religion.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The problem with this thinking is that there are simply too many biblical and extra biblical writings that attest to the real person we know as Jesus Christ, who lived and died in the first century.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">A misguided idea</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">First, it is absurd to believe that in the first century thousands of people would devote themselves to a person who never existed. By AD 100, about 65 years after Jesus had been on earth, there were some 25,000 people who called themselves Christians—named after Christ who they believed in. Many of these Christ-followers were persecuted not just by governments but by family and friends. Some even gave up their lives as martyrs for this person. Would so many people do this for a person who had never lived? And within 200 years (AD 300) the faithful band of Jesus-followers grew to over 20 million. It is inconceivable that such a large following would have lasted had it been based on a phantom Christ.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">The evidence of the New Testament</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Of course we also have the reliable evidence of the New Testament, which records the life and teachings of Jesus. Peter, one of his disciples, wrote a letter in the early 60s just before his martyrdom under the Emperor Nero in AD 64 or 65. He writes,</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">We were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. (2 Peter 1:16-17).</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Peter was referring to the time he was present at the Mount of Transfiguration, when Jesus was visited by Moses and Elijah. He was attesting to the reality of Jesus as an eyewitness of his existence. We have 13 letters of Paul, 4 Gospels, the book of Acts, and other New Testament books that attest to the historicity of Jesus. Many of the writers of the New Testament wrote within a generation of Jesus’ life and were either eyewitnesses to or familiar with eyewitness accounts of Jesus.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Evidence from other sources</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">But beyond the New Testament accounts there are those of “secular” writers—writings that verify that Jesus the Christ did in fact live. For example, the historian Josephus wrote The Antiquities of the Jews in AD 93. In book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3, he writes,</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">About the time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man…He was the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Josephus also referred to <em>“James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ.”</em></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Pliny the Younger was one of the world’s great letter-writers. Ten volumes of his correspondence have survived to the present. He wrote to the Emperor Trajan concerning the Christians of his province in AD 112, revealing how a non-Christian viewed Christianity. He writes about Christ-followers that <em>“they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god.”</em></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Cornelius Tacitus, born about AD 56, became a Roman senator and is considered the most reliable of ancient historians. In his Annals of AD 116 he makes statements about the death of Christ as a historical fact.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">And many others, like Suetonius, another Roman historian (AD 120); Lucian of Samosata, a Greek satirist (AD 170); and Mara Bar-Serapion, a Stoic philosopher (AD 70) confirmed in written history that Jesus of Nazareth lived and died.</span></b></div>
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</section></div>
LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-87284378951210581912015-09-11T05:58:00.005-07:002015-09-11T05:58:45.990-07:00The trouble with two minute Christians<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><img alt="Image: The trouble with two minute Christians" height="360" itemprop="image" src="http://fervr.net/images/made/images/uploads/articles/2MinuteChristians_540_360_80_int.jpg" style="border: none; font-family: Roihu-Regular, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 30px; max-width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 619px;" width="540" /></span></h1>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">When we say 'yes' to following Jesus, do we really know what we're committing to?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Becoming a Christian the way you make two minute noodles can ultimately lead to becoming a two minute Christian.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">I like things that are quick and simple. For that reason I like camera phones. In the old days, if you wanted to take a photo you had to buy a camera, a roll of film, take 24 photos, take your film to a camera shop, wait an hour, collect your photos and then manually put them into your photo album. You’ll find Instagram is much quicker. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">How many of us want to make our own pasta from scratch? You’d need eggs, flour, a whisk, a rolling pin, hands to knead dough and a time machine to go back to 1957, the year before someone invented instant noodles. I prefer two minute noodles because they take precisely two minutes. Because I like things that are quick and simple, I like microwaves over ovens, elevators over stairs and liking a Facebook status instead of having to write out a comment. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Paul in Romans 10 is describing how to be saved. It too seems quick and simple:<em>"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved"</em>. Later he says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Easy!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">'Raise your hand to be saved'</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Growing up, I saw many young people put their hand up and go forward at evangelistic meetings to be saved. I was so excited to know my high school friends were now walking with Jesus. The only problem was many of them didn’t walk with Jesus at all. After they went forward to be saved, their lives didn’t seem to change. They didn’t get involved in church community or any form of discipleship and the decisions they made didn’t appear to reflect that Jesus was now King of their lives. I read these verses in Romans and thought they must be saved because they’d confessed with their mouth that Jesus was Lord. At least they’d confessed something with their mouth even if it didn’t seem to make any difference to their lives.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">What were these teens really inviting Jesus to do? Were they inviting Jesus to be their King or were they just asking him to give them a free ride to heaven? Many of these teens were looking to be saved the way you make two minute noodles. They were looking for the quickest, easiest and most convenient way to be saved without making Jesus Lord. Unfortunately becoming a Christian the way you make two minute noodles ultimately leads to becoming a two minute Christian.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">The Christian road is long</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">It's been a number of years since then and I'm not completely sure where all of those young people are today or what their walk with God is like now. It's not for me to decide which of these young people were saved or not. But what I would like to see is people deciding to follow Jesus for the right reason - because they want Jesus to be the Lord and the leader of their lives.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">We should think carefully about the words 'Jesus is Lord'. Lord means supreme master, leader or king. Sure you want to go to heaven, but do you want Jesus to be the leader of your life? Do you want to make his mission your mission? Do you want him to be in charge of all the areas of your life? Becoming a Christian isn’t as simple as raising your hand, saying a prayer and adding boiling water. Becoming a Christian is about following Christ, inviting him to be the leader of your life and making his cause your cause. </span></b></div>
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</section></div>
LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-51767512834614898522015-09-11T05:56:00.000-07:002015-09-11T05:56:05.989-07:00Rescuing the shipwrecked<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><img alt="Image: Rescuing the shipwrecked" height="360" itemprop="image" src="http://fervr.net/images/made/images/uploads/articles/Shipwrecked_540_360_80_int.jpg" style="border: none; font-family: Roihu-Regular, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 30px; max-width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 619px;" width="540" /></span></h1>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Why God wants us to reach out and help the lost.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Imagine you're in a shipwreck. The raging torrents of the sea have smashed your ship and now just pieces of floating debris remain. The rain hammers down on you and the waves toss you over and over.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">You reach out for something - anything that will help you stay afloat, to stop you being swept down to your death. Your hand grabs something firm. You pull yourself closer to it. It's a lifeboat.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">You climb up and into the little boat and let out a huge sigh of relief. The rain is still pouring down, and the waves are still rocky, but are so much safer and better than when you were out there on your own.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">But you weren't the only one on the ship. There were hundreds, thousands on board - now they're helplessly gasping for breath. It's only a matter of time before their bodies give up, before they drown.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">You have a choice: do you paddle on and try and make your way to dry land, or do you call out to those drowning around you, and help them get onto the lifeboat so that they, like you, can be saved?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">A life or death situation</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The situation I've described is an illustration of what things are like for us Christians. Of course, like any analogy it does fall down in some respects, but I think the main idea is true. All humans are in a shipwreck - ever since humankind fell at the garden of Eden we've all been dying, drowning because of our sin. But some of us have been rescued and are on that lifeboat - God has shown mercy and love and has rescued us from our drowning. We're not back on dry land yet - we still experience hardships, but we can find comfort in the fact that we are safe in the arms of Christ and will one day be taken to be with him forever.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">But there's others around us who are still drowning. They're desperately trying to survive on their own but they know, deep down, that death is inevitable. Some of them see the lifeboat, they see what Christ offers and they come onboard. Some see in your face that something has happened to help you find comfort in the storm, but they can't see the lifeboat, they can't see Christ. Others don't even seem to notice you're there at all, and are instead intent on saving themselves, or even more bizarrely, pointlessly chasing after money and other treasures from the ship as they slowly come closer and closer to death.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">It's an eternal life or death situation, and you have the chance to tell these people of how they can be saved. Will you?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Will you reach out to help?</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">I don't know about you, but I find this whole illustration really confronting because it makes me realize that telling others about the salvation I've found in Jesus is not a big enough priority in my life. All too often I shy away from sharing my faith - even mentioning it - with non-Christian friends because I'm afraid of awkwardness or ridicule or rejection. People seem to be getting on fine on their own. I forget that they are drowning. I forget that unless they experience God's saving grace they will spend eternity in hell.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The book of Acts follows some men and women who did share their faith in Christ, who saw those who hadn’t come to faith as drowning in their sin and in need of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.</span></b></div>
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<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Peter and John were on trial in Jerusalem, but boldly told everyone listening of Jesus the Saviour: <em>"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."</em> (Acts 4:12, NIV).</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Stephen, was being stoned to death for proclaiming Christ, but still felt compassion for his killers , crying out: <em>"Lord, do not hold this sin against them."</em> (Acts 7:60, NIV).</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Paul and Silas, were in jail and saw that the jailer earnestly wanted to be saved from sin, and told him: "<em>Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household."</em> (Acts 16:31).</span></b></li>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">We need to be more like these early Christians and see that people without Christ are drowning and need to be told of the salvation that can be found in Jesus Christ our Lord.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">It's an eternal life or death situation. So are you going to get out there and tell people the gospel?</span></b></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-10603241031411187812015-09-11T05:53:00.003-07:002015-09-11T05:53:46.377-07:00Why are Christians persecuted?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><img alt="Image: Why are Christians persecuted?" height="360" itemprop="image" src="http://fervr.net/images/made/images/uploads/articles/persecuted_539_360_80_int.jpg" style="border: none; font-family: Roihu-Regular, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 30px; max-width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 619px;" width="539" /></span></h1>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Why are so many believers put in prison, beaten, or worse?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">A church leader in Vietnam is taken to the police station to be beaten and interrogated. A young girl in Pakistan, falsely accused of ripping pages from the Koran, is arrested as a mob shouts “Kill her!”. A widow in Colombia grieves the murder of her husband, assassinated by rebel guerrillas because of his bold gospel activity. And in the news right now, Christians are being attacked in Iraq, Nigeria and many other parts of the world.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Christians face persecution for their faith in Jesus every day. But why? The answer is different depending on what country you’re talking about, but most countries fit into one of the following three categories:</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Communist politics</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Basically, communism is a political system based on control. Communist governments seek to control everything, including the church. They are fearful of the Christian church, because the gospel is the power of God to transform lives. And so they put restrictions in place for the church, seeking to control the people and intimidate pastors through imprisonment and beatings. But this cannot stand in the way of the Spirit of God, and so the movement of the gospel in communist countries faces further opposition from government authorities because they cannot control or stop the spread of the gospel.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Other Religions </span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">According to the more radical streams of Islam, apostasy (rejecting your religion) is a crime that demands the death penalty. When a Muslim converts from Islam to Christianity, they are seen to be bringing shame on their family, and abandoning their heritage, their very identity. For to be an Iranian, or an Egyptian or from any other Islamic country is to be Muslim. Conversion to Christianity is a massive insult in Islam, and so believers with a Muslim background face incredible opposition not only from the government and the Sharia law courts, but also from their family and friends.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Wars and conflict</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">In some countries, there are civil wars or other conflicts that result in Christians facing opposition for their faith. These are countries where the governments attempt to provide protection for Christians, but a rebel army is hostile to the gospel.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Christians have always been persecuted</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">If we want the real reason for persecution, however, we need to look at what Jesus says: <em>“if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first…if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also”</em> (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:18,20&version=NIV" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">John 15:18,20</a>).</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">As a follower of Jesus, I look at the persecuted church and at Jesus’ call to costly faith and I ask myself <em>“Am I willing to live this out at any cost? Is Jesus really worth living and dying for?”</em></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The apostle Paul thought so. He said<em style="font-size: 16px;"> “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” </em>(<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%203:8&version=NIV" style="font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Philippians 3:8)</a>. Paul lost everything for Jesus. He was persecuted, abandoned, insulted and yet he could still hold to the hope of the gospel and declare that “I consider that these present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208:18&version=NIV" style="font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Romans 8:18</a>).</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The gospel calls us to lay it all down at the cross, to forsake life itself so that we might gain Christ and be found in him. This is such a challenging message for us because we hold on to our life so tightly. So are we willing to let go? Will we join our persecuted brothers and sisters by being willing to suffer for the gospel in Australia?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><em>“Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel”</em> <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%201:8&version=NIV" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">2 Timothy 1:8</a>.</span></b></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-38735165226092321242015-09-11T05:51:00.000-07:002015-09-11T05:51:08.389-07:00Am i Too sinful to be saved?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><img alt="Image: Too sinful to be saved?" height="361" itemprop="image" src="http://fervr.net/images/made/images/uploads/articles/distance_539_539_361_80_int.jpg" style="border: none; font-family: Roihu-Regular, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 30px; max-width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 619px;" width="539" /></span></h1>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Is it possible someone could be out of reach of God?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Are you ever tempted to think that some people you know will never become Christians?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Maybe it's because they swear all the time, tell crude jokes, get drunk, are obsessed with greed, follow another religion or are just really anti-Christian. Maybe they’re your schoolmates, friends or even family members.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Sometimes, it just seems like they're so far away from the truth of the gospel and the way God wants us to live that it would be impossible for them to even turn up one week at Youth Group, let alone accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking this way. But the Bible clearly shows us that there is no one too lost for Christ to save.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">In Chapter Five of Luke’s gospel, Jesus called Levi (Matthew) the tax collector to become his disciple. Tax collectors worked for the Romans and also frequently committed fraud against their own people for personal gain. And yet Jesus called him. When Jesus met with other tax collectors at Levi's house, the local teachers of the law asked him<em>"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" </em>Jesus' reply was<em>"It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."</em></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Jesus didn't think the tax collectors were too sinful to be saved. That's why he was hanging out with them, so that they, like Levi, might repent of their sin and follow him. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">In God's eyes, all of us have sinned against him. We're all just as bad as each other, having rejected his authority and perfect plan for us. We need to remember that we are no better than the other sinners around us - the only difference is we have repented and experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The Bible is full of stories about the most sinful, lost and unlikely people turning to God. People like King Nebuchadnezzar, who was forcing people to worship him but ultimately admitted his sinfulness and praised the God Most High. People like the thief on the cross, who after living as a criminal accepted Jesus' lordship just moments before death. People like the apostle Paul, who was actively persecuting Jesus' followers and ended up becoming one himself, and leading many more people to him.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">If you're reading this and you think you're not good enough for God, hear this: it's not about what you've done. All of us are sinful and are only made pure through the death of Jesus Christ.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">And as you interact with the people in your life, remember that no one is too lost for Christ to rescue them. Everyone is a potential child of God. We are saved by God’s grace alone. </span></b></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-82080792829908752142015-09-11T05:48:00.003-07:002015-09-11T05:48:49.612-07:00Is there historical evidence for Jesus?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: blue;">“Is there proof that Jesus really lived?”</span></em></h1>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Have you been asked this question? Chances are if you have, like many of us, your reply was “Ummm …?” Recently I went to KYCK (a Christian youth convention in Sydney, Australia) on behalf of Fervr and sat in on John Dickson’s seminar titled <em>Why can we trust the history of Jesus?</em>. John gave us a “proof pack” that you can carry around with you and “unpack” for your curious friends when needed.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Proof 1: Jesus’ life is a historical study</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><em>“Most people have no idea how big a discipline this is”,</em> John said while showing a photo of himself in Macquarie University’s library standing in front of a large section of books near the entrance door. John, who has a PhD in history from Macquarie University says all these books are, <em>“about religion, origins of Christianity, historical Jesus, commentaries. God’s messing with everyone’s heads because it’s the first thing in the library you come to.”</em> He continued, <em>“I don’t think I would be exaggerating to say: there are more books in our library on the historical Jesus than on the figures of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar combined”.</em></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Proof 2: Sceptics are the minority of historical scholars</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">John explained the three types of historical scholars. Apologetic scholars use their skills to prove Jesus and only account for about 10% of scholars. Sceptical scholars use their skills to disprove Jesus and also only account for about 10% of scholars. <em>“The vast majority of scholars is in the middle. They’re not trying to disprove Jesus, they’re not trying to prove everything about Jesus. They are studying Jesus the way we study Julius Caesar … varied and in a measured way. And they are the vast majority, I’d say over 80% of the literally thousands of scholars dedicated to the historical Jesus.”</em></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The media picks and chooses which historical evidence they highlight, usually ‘news headline’ ideas like Jesus was married to Mary Magdeline. “<em>When people come up with some crazy idea, it’s worth just pausing and wondering, “What part of scholarship does it come from?”. Probably the tiny, sceptical wing of scholars.”</em></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Proof 3: Jesus is mentioned in non-Christian historical sources</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Our two top sources are:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Tacitus – our best source for Roman antiquity. In 60 AD, Tacitus recorded that a major fire broke out in Rome. Christians were blamed for starting the fire (even though no one believed the Christians actually did it) so he tells his readers where Christians come from. <em>“Christians derived their name from a man called Christ, who, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius had been executed by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilate. The deadly superstition, thus checked for the moment, broke out afresh not only in Judea, the first source of the evil, but also in the City of Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world meet and become popular.”</em> (Annals 15.44).</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Josephus – A highly educated Roman aristocrat, general and priest. He references Jesus twice in his manuscript which is now titled Jewish Antiquities (90AD).</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The first reference has been accused of having biased lines inserted into it by Christians. John provided the following paragraph – minus the Christian “edits”– which most secular scholars agree wasn't in Josephus’ original manuscript:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><em>“At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of startling deeds, a teacher of people. And when Pilate, because of an accusation made by the leading men among us, condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him previously did not cease to do so.” </em>(18.63-64)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The second reference:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><em>“And so Ananus the High Priest convened the judges of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ, and certain others, and delivered them up to be stoned”</em> (20.200)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">So what’s the advantage of knowing these sources? John says, <em>“The broad narrative of Jesus as a teacher, a healer, who had disciples and a brother, who was executed, and his disciples continued to revere him after the execution – we can know all of that even if we didn’t have a Bible.”</em></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Proof 4: The New Testament was written soon after Jesus’ death</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">As a comparison, here are some historical figures and the earliest writings about them:</span></b></div>
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<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Muhammad (AD 570-632) – first written biography 125 years after death.</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) (448-368 BC) – first records 350 years after death.</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) – first remaining records 120 years after (but best records 400 years after).</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Emperor Tiberius (AD 14-37) – first written about 77 years after death.</span></b></li>
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><em>“All New Testament documents were written within 65 years of Jesus and some within 20 [years]. Now, I don’t know if that sounds impressive to you but for historians this is marvellous,” </em>John said. <em>“The last New Testament text a lot of secular scholars say is the Gospel of John. They reckon it was written in the 90s AD, about 65 years after Jesus – that’s the latest, the biggest time gap in the New Testament. But that biggest time gap in the New Testament is still closer in time than our very best source for the emperor of the time – are you holding that in mind? It’s 77 years to the emperor at the time of Jesus before we’ve got our best account of [the emperor’s] life. It’s only 65 years before we have the very last New Testament reference to Jesus.”</em></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Proof 5: The New Testament is a collection of individual sources</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Look at your Bible. The 66 books inside are contained in one convenient book. However, when they were written, most of their authors didn’t know about the other books. <em>“When Mark wrote his Gospel, he did not know what was in the letters of Paul. And when Paul wrote his letters, he certainly didn’t know what was in the Gospel of Mark because the Gospel of Mark hadn’t been written yet. So what does that mean? It means they wrote two independent sources. The Gospel of John looks like it was written without knowledge of the other three Gospels and so forth.”</em></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">This fulfils the important historical test called the <em>Criterion of Multiple Attestation</em>. This says <em>“when independent sources say roughly the same thing about a person or an event, the reliability of that person or event is amped up if the sources are independent of each other”.</em></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Therefore, Tacitus + Josephus + the Gospels + Pauls letters + other New Testament sources = higher reliability for the history of Jesus.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Proof 6: Archaeology backs up the Gospels</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Some archaeological evidence for the Gospels:</span></b></div>
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<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Limestone bowls, ritual baths, tomb burial techniques and the lack of pig bones in the rubbish dumps proved that Galilee was inhabited by Jews.</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">A synagogue was found at Magdala, Galilee (dated first century) – “Magdala” as in Mary “Magdalene” means that this was the synagogue that Mary Magdalene attended.</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">A pool that has the remains of five colonnades by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was uncovered that matches the description of the pool of Bethesda mentioned in John 5.</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Steps and beautiful stones that belonged to a pool that matches the description of the pool of Siloam mentioned in John 9.</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">Mosaic inscription stating “God Jesus Christ” at Megiddo, Israel.</span></b></li>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">So pull out this proof pack when you need to and in the right circumstances. It’s good to remember John’s words at the beginning of his talk, <em>“History doesn’t help you be a Christian … It’ll help you answer questions of those who doubt the whole Jesus thing”.</em></span></b></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-86993395761966337972015-09-11T05:45:00.002-07:002015-09-11T05:45:34.530-07:00Would you stand up for God if your life was in danger?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue;"><img alt="Image: Would you stand up for God if your life was in danger?" height="361" itemprop="image" src="http://fervr.net/images/made/images/uploads/articles/barbed_wire_539_539_361_80_int.jpg" style="border: none; font-family: Roihu-Regular, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 30px; max-width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 619px;" width="539" /></span></h1>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Lessons in perserverance from a Turkish prison cell</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">When Ercan Sengul committed his life to Christ in the Muslim nation of Turkey, some saw it as turning his back on his heritage and nation.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Ercan sat in a dark, dank prison cell surrounded by cell mates. He had been arrested by local police who said that he’d “insulted Islam” by distributing books for a Christian publisher.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">A test of faith</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Ercan cried out to God, begging to be rescued. He knew that he’d done nothing wrong and didn’t deserve to be there. When he became a Christian, he said he would do anything for God, and had meant it. But what about now?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Broken before God, Ercan wept and worshipped. He told God in his heart, “I really meant it.” Ercan began to preach three hours each day in prison. He learned that God allowed him to be imprisoned to give him a new mission field!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Ercan was in prison for thirty days until witnesses admitted that police had pressured them to sign statements, and the judge found no evidence of any crime.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Are you willing to do anything for Jesus?</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The arrest has furthered Ercan’s witness. Since his release, many who shared his cell have visited his church, asking about the God who gave him peace while locked in prison. Ercan still joyfully gives out Christian books, knowing he could be arrested.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Most Christians would admit that suffering is not exactly what we have in mind when we say we want to be used by God. Sure, we want to live out our faith—but to the point of persecution? What if we feel hurt? Cheated? Ripped off?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">We must be willing to prayerfully seek God in the midst of our desperation. The moment we do, we find prayer changes our perspective. We begin to see opportunities for growth. We receive hope. We find promise amidst pain. Eventually we begin to discover our current situation, however unfair and undeserved, may be part of God’s plan after all. When we pray for God’s perspective on persecution, we can find the courage to be obedient at all costs.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;"><em>"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains".</em> Ephesians 6:19–20</span></b></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-47655947666842331092015-09-11T05:42:00.001-07:002015-09-11T05:42:23.207-07:00God loves sinners… do you?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: lime;"><img alt="Image: God loves sinners… do you?" height="360" itemprop="image" src="http://fervr.net/images/made/images/uploads/articles/hearts_together_539_360_80_int.jpg" style="border: none; font-family: Roihu-Regular, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; height: auto; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 30px; max-width: 100%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 619px;" width="539" /></span></h1>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">We need to work hard at loving all people - the good and the bad</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">Country and Western movies are fun. I remember watching them on Saturday afternoons when I was young. I honestly thought that there was a time when the world was black and white. It was while watching these movies that I learnt that the world has always been colourful, it just took a while to work out how to capture it on film!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">In Country and Western movies, it’s always obvious who the goodies and baddies were. The goodies rode the white horse with the white hat and the white jacket. The baddies? They had the black gear on the black horse. From the beginning until the end it was always obvious who was who.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:9-14&version=31" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Luke 18:9-14</a> it seems obvious. The Pharisee was a good guy. The Tax Collector was a bad guy. Finished.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">Not according to Jesus.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">This parable is all about what it means to be justified before God. It’s a legal term referring to a declaration of innocence before a judge. Who is the one who goes home justified before God? It’s not the good guy. It’s the bad guy who cries out to God for mercy. The good guy was trusting in his own goodness. He had too small a view of God and too high a view of himself. The bad guy recognised he was a bad guy – and knew that the only chance he had of standing before God was based on His mercy. The Tax Collector knew that he was lost. The Pharisee was lost too… but didn’t realise it.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;">Being justified is based on where our confidence is placed. Is it in you or is it in Jesus?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:9-14&version=31" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Verse 9</a> is a key verse to the Parable. Jesus tells this parable to some who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on others: people just like the Pharisee. The problem for us is that we unknowingly pray a prayer like the Pharisee. We say: “Thank you God that I’ve responded to you like the Tax Collector. Thank you that I’m not like other people: like Pharisees and other religious nuts.” When we pray like that we need to be reminded not to be self-righteous.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Where is your confidence?</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-style: italic;">How do you treat the ‘sinner’ that comes into your youth group/church?</span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-style: italic;">How do you treat the self-righteous religious person that comes into your midst?</span></span></b></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7310634434577470980.post-49396178411922636142015-09-11T05:40:00.001-07:002015-09-11T05:40:16.947-07:00Why you shouldn't stay quiet about being a Christian? are you embarrassed by Jesus?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28px; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: blue;">It’s easy to be embarrassed about being a follower of Jesus.</span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Maybe you have a Christian group at school and you’re a little bit embarrassed so don’t turn up? Or maybe you’ve never filled out the ‘Religious Views’ bit on facebook?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">It’s easy to understand that we are sometimes embarrassed, or even ashamed to follow Jesus: Jesus himself says that his followers will be hated on his account. What will help you to be unashamed to follow Jesus?</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">A long history of ridicule </span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">At the centre of Christianity is the death of Jesus upon a cross. 2000 years ago, the cross was considered a pretty horrific symbol and so to say that you worship a Jewish guy who was crucified was considered foolish.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">There’s an ancient graffiti sketch in Rome of an early Christian, Alexamenos, worshipping Jesus. The picture mockingly shows Jesus as half man/half donkey hanging on a cross. The ancient world looked on in ridicule at the death of Jesus upon a dirty piece of wood.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">It’s into this type of context that Paul writes in Romans 1:15-16 that he is<span style="font-family: Roihu-Bold, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif;">eager and unashamed</span> to preach Jesus. What made it possible for Paul to have that type of attitude? Why was he unashamed when it was so easy to be ashamed?<span id="more-6519"></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">The word ‘gospel’ means ‘good news’. In Romans 1, Paul understands that the gospel of Jesus really is good news.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%201&version=NIV" style="text-decoration: none;">Romans 1:16-17 NIV</a>)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Don't be ashamed of the Gospel</span></h2>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Paul wasn't ashamed of The Gospel, and here's why:</span></b></div>
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<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Roihu-Bold, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif;">It is the power of God... – </span>although the cross of Jesus looks weak, the good news of the gospel is that at the cross God shows his power. At the cross, Jesus powerfully defeats sin, Satan and death. The message and word of Jesus is how God shows his power in this world.</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Roihu-Bold, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif;">...for the salvation of everyone who believes – </span>the gospel of Jesus is so powerful that WHOEVER believes it will be saved by Jesus. The offer of God in the gospel is to be rescued from the judgement that we rightly deserve for our rebellion against God. Paul knows that everybody needs to hear about Jesus, and Paul knows that God wants to save people as that message goes out.</span></b></li>
<li style="font-family: Roihu-Light, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Roihu-Bold, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif;">... and it reveals a righteousness from God – </span>this term could mean a number of things, one of the meanings of this phrase in Romans is the right standing that people can have before God. It’s clear that all have sinned and are unable to make themselves righteous by obeying the law. God makes a righteousness available that is not about obeying the law, but about having faith. Faith and trust in Jesus, the one who – as he dies on the cross – takes upon himself what we deserve for our sin.</span></b></li>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Paul knows that in the gospel of Jesus, we see the power of God, that saves all who believe, through faith in Jesus and the righteousness that he brings. This really is good news. He’s not ashamed of it.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Neither should we be embarrassed by Jesus! At home, school and on the internet when we’re tempted to be embarrassed about Jesus, we need to remember that the gospel is good news! We need Jesus, and all people need Jesus. So, don’t be ashamed to be a follower of Jesus.<span class="cat-links"> </span></span></b></div>
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LEAD UNIVERSITYhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13396001291326985527noreply@blogger.com0