What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
All the great religious leaders of history have one thing in common: they are dead. Only one man has risen from a grave never again to taste death. Jesus Christ died, was buried, remained in the grave for 3 days, then was raised to life again.
Jesus is unique. He is the only one proven to be the Son of God because God validated His Kingship and accepted His payment for our sins all with one incredible stroke: He raised Jesus from the dead!
Paul opens his letter to the Romans with this evidence about who Jesus is:
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:1-4
Because Jesus Christ is very much alive, five things are true right now that wouldn’t be true if He were just another dead religious leader like Confucius, Mohammed or Buddha.
Because Jesus was raised from the dead and is alive…Prayers are answered, We can talk to Jesus 24/7
Comments (2,855)
It is no secret;
Back in the 50's there was a well-known radio host/comedian/song
writer in Hollywood named Stuart Hamblen who was noted for his
drinking, womanizing, partying, etc.
One of his bigger hits at the time was "I won't go hunting with you
Jake, but I'll go chasing women."
One day, along came a young preacher holding a tent revival.
Hamblen had him on his radio show presumably to poke fun at him.
In order to gather more material for his show, Hamblen showed up
at one of the revival meetings.
Early in the service the preacher announced, "There is one man in
this audience who is a big fake."
There were probably others who thought the same thing, but Hamblen
was convinced that he was the one the preacher was talking about.
Some would call that conviction, but he was having none of that.
Still, the words continued to haunt him until a couple of nights later
he showed up drunk at the preacher's hotel door around 2AM
demanding that the preacher prays for him!
But the preacher refused, saying, "This is between you and God and
I'm not going to get in the middle of it."
But he did invite Stuart in and they talked until about 5 AM at which
point Stuart dropped to his knees and with tears, cried out to God.
But that is not the end of the story. Stuart quit drinking, quit chasing
women, quit everything that was 'fun.' Soon he began to lose favor
with the Hollywood crowd.
He was ultimately fired by the radio station when he refused to accept
a beer company as a sponsor.
Hard times were upon him. He tried writing a couple of "Christian" songs
but the only one that had much success was "This Old House", written
for his friend Rosemary Clooney.
As he continued to struggle, a long-time friend named John took him
aside and told him, "All your troubles started when you 'got religion,'
was it worth it all?" Stuart answered simply, "Yes."
Then his friend asked, "You liked your booze so much, don't you ever
miss it?" And his answer was, "No."
John then said, "I don't understand how you could give it up so easily."
And Stuart's response was, "It's no big secret. All things are possible
with God." To this John said, "That's a catchy phrase.
You should write a song about it."
And as they say, "The rest is history."
The song Carl Stuart Hamblen wrote was "It Is No Secret."
"It is no secret what God can do. What He's done for others, He'll do for you.
With arms wide open, He'll welcome you. It is no secret, what God can do...."
By the way... the friend was John Wayne.
And the young preacher who refused to pray for Stuart Hamblen?
That was Billy Graham.
It really is no Secret.
Music:
It is no secret -- Jim Reeves
May the Good Lord bless and keep you
Jim Reeves Lyrics
"It Is No Secret"
The chimes of time ring out the news
Another day is through
Some one slipped and fell,
Was that someone you?
You may have longed for added strength
Your courage to renew
Do not be disheartened
I have news for you.
It is no secret what God can do,
What he has done for others,
He'll do for you.
With arms wide open,
He'll pardon you
It is no secret what God can do.
There is no night, for in His light
You'll never walk alone.
You'll always feel at home wherever you may roam,
There is no power can conquer you,
While God is on your side.
Take Him at His promise,
Don't run away and hide.
It is no secret what God can do,
What he has done for others,
He'll do for you.
With arms wide open,
He'll pardon you.
It is no secret what God can do...
Series: Acts Passage: Acts 1:1-3 Speaker: BJ Chursinoff
The opening 3 verses of the Book of Acts set the stage for the incredible story of the Church
All right, you may or may not know this movie trivia tidbit, but every single Star Wars movie opens up in the exact same way. Okay? The screen is filled with a picture of outer space. And then seconds later, a sentence comes across the screen in blue font, and it says, A long time ago in the Galaxy far away.
Then those words fade off the screen. When they fade off the screen, two things happen simultaneously. The Star Wars theme music comes on through the speakers, and the Star Wars logo comes on the screen. And then it begins to fade into the distance, into space. Then after that, you begin to see some yellow words come up from the bottom of the screen several paragraphs, and they roll up the screen slowly.
And then they fade away, too, into the background until you can't read them anymore. When all those words finally disappear from view, then the movie starts. This is the way that every Star Wars movie begins. And the introductory paragraphs at the beginning of Star Wars play an important role. Believe it or not, they provide the viewer with important information about the movie.
When you read these words at the beginning of Star Wars, they fill you in on some events that have already happened in the timeline of the story. They highlight events that have already taken place in the past. And knowing these things helps you better understand the context of the movie that you're about to watch. I'm going somewhere with this. Tonight.
We are starting a brand new sermon. Verse is the book of Acts, and we can see the exact same pattern unfold for us at the very beginning of this book. Acts open in the same way that every Star Wars movie does. Luke not Skywalker, but Luke, the beloved physician and travel companion of the Apostle Paul and the author of Acts, writes to a man named Theophilus. In the first three verses of Acts, Luke writes to Theophilus, and he highlights some events that have already happened in the past in order to help prepare Theophilus for what he's going to experience in the book he's about to read.
So let's jump right into Acts chapter one in verse one, and I'll show you what I mean. In Acts one, Luke writes, I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, and just stop right there. In just a few opening words, we noticed Luke point us back to something that has already happened. If you'd like to underline things in your Bible, underline the phrase the first narrative in verse is Lucas pointing Theophilus back to the first literary work, the first story, the first account, the first narrative that he wrote. Interestingly, this work that he points Theophilus back to is a work that Luke also wrote to Theophilus.
So here's a Bible trivia question for you. Does anyone know what Luke's first narrative is? Luke the Gospel, the gospel that bears his name. The first narrative that Luke wrote. The narrative that he's referring to here in Acts One.
One is the Gospel of Luke. Now here's another question. What do you think Luke's implying in the phrase in the first narrative? Well, if there's a first narrative, then that implies that there's also a second narrative. And the fact that Lucas refers back to his Gospel as the first narrative indicates to us that the Book of Acts which he also wrote is the second narrative.
So go ahead and write that down on your outline as your first filling. The Book of Acts is a narrative. The Book of Luke and the Book of Acts are two volumes in the same work by the same author, written to the same recipients using the same literary genre. Biblical narrative is a particular genre of literature found in the Bible. The Bible is one book, and at the same time, it's a compilation of 66 different books.
Acts are going to teach us about the early Church. The first four books of the New Testament known as the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John take us from the time of the birth of Jesus all the way up until his death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Then the Book of Acts takes the baton, so to speak, from the Gospels and records some of the pivotal events that happened in the approximately 30 years that transpired after Jesus was raised. Studying the Book of Acts will help us understand this part of history, but it does more than that. Studying the Book of Acts will also give us a better understanding of the rest of the New Testament as a whole.
The Book of Acts is the only piece of biblical literature that we have that connects the events in the Gospels to the things that we read about in the rest of the New Testament. Imagine for a second if we actually didn't have the Book of Acts in the Bible, what kind of hole that would leave for us. Imagine we went straight from the end of the Gospel of John right to the beginning of Romans. If we didn't have the Book of Acts in between, we'd have such a big gap in time and events that we will be scratching our heads by the time we got to the Epistles. If we jump straight from John to Romans skipping Acts, we'd be super curious to know who this Paul guy was, who all of a sudden disappears on the scene out of nowhere, and who's Timothy and Apollo and Priscilla and Aquila.
These names come up in the later writings of the Epistles, but we were introduced to them for the first time in Acts. We didn't have the Book of Acts and we were reading the letters in the Bible written to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia, Philippi, and Thessalonica. We'd wonder how the Gospel reached them. How did the Church get planted in these places? Luke tells us an Act, Axe details for us how the Gospel traveled from his birthplace in Jerusalem to these areas and the effect that it had on the people there.
The axe is going to teach us the history of the early Church. So biblical narrative is historical and it's also theological. Luke's a theologian at heart and his book is telling us about the work of God in the world. Luke has a wide variety of theological interests, such as how God's plan is unfolding in history or the movement of the Holy Spirit as the Gospel covets into new areas of the world. As we study the Book of Acts, we are going to learn about God.
I hope that goes without saying, but it never hurts to state the obvious. Acts is a biblical narrative and this narrative is both historical and theological. That's the big picture. Let's dive in a little deeper. As we read on in our text, Luke gives us a clue to what his book is about by once again pointing us back to something that's happened in the past.
We read verses one and two for you. Luke says I wrote the first narrative Theophilus about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles he had chosen. So again, if you like to underline things in your Bible, underline the phrase all that Jesus began to do and teach, or if you just want one word to begin because here we see Luke do it again. He's pointing us back to things that have happened in the past in order to get us ready for what we're going to encounter in the upcoming narrative that will unfold in Acts. He points us back to get us ready for what lies ahead.
Luke points us back to the things that Jesus began to do and teach. These things that Jesus began to do and teach took place within a specific time period in verse Loop ties these things to the phrase until the day he was taken up.
Throughout the rest of Acts, we see multitudes of demonized people healed. Power was exercised over the created order. Various bodily ailments were miraculously healed. And just like we saw in Luke in Acts, people were raised from the dead too. Acts in verse 41, Peter raised Dorcas to life from the dead.
And in Acts chapter 20, verse ten, Paul brought Eutychus back to life. We see miracles begun in Luke, and we see them continued in Acts number six. Now this one action, I confess, is technically a bit of a stretch if we're keeping this a list of the things that Jesus did. But I'm going to show you something that can be seen plainly in both Luke and Axe. And although they're not necessarily actions Jesus did, they are actions others did in response to him.
People responded to Jesus' actions so we could call this category a variety of responses that Jesus produced. We could still pin it on him somehow because that's what Jesus did, he did the stuff that produced the responses that we're going to see these responses would he happen in people if Jesus did not do the things that he did? Jesus produces a response wherever he goes. He is not a neutral figure. He is polarizing.
And people responded to Jesus in either a positive way or a negative way. There was little, if any, vanilla response to Jesus. In Luke's gospel. We see people captivated by and astonished at his teaching. People were amazed and astonished by his power.
Fear and awe came upon people because of what he did. Crowds rejoiced over the glorious things that he was doing, and people glorified God because of him, and some people praised Him. These are some of the positive responses Jesus produced in people throughout his earthly Ministry. But if you've read the Gospels for any length of time, you know that not everyone became Jesus' number one fan. Luke tells us in his Gospel that Jesus made some people mad at Him.
His adversaries were humiliated by him and they challenged him. Some people devised crafty schemes against him. Jesus was persecuted, he was arrested, he was mocked, he was beaten and they killed Him. The actions of Jesus produced a wide array of responses in the people who experienced what he did. Some people loved him and some people hated Him.
You're not going to believe this, but these various responses to him that we see in Luke. We also see in the Book of Acts. In Acts, we see a ton of positive responses, specifically in response to the words that were spoken. Luke tells us in Acts that crowds paid attention to what Philip said. Every preacher's dream.
All who heard Paul were astounded by Sergius. Paulus was astonished at the teaching of the Lord, that people wanted to hear more about what Paul was saying. And the next week almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of the Lord. The Gentiles rejoiced and honored the word of the Lord. The Briens received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures to see if what was said was true.
Some people in Athens wanted to hear more about what Paul said about the Resurrection. And then there were things that were done in the Book of Acts and these things that were done left crowds astounded and amazed says Some people were filled with awe and astonishment. At times the believers experienced favor and joy and peace and hospitality and encouragement in response to some of the things that they were doing. Some people spoke well of the Church. Some people praised and glorified God.
Earlier in the message, we learned that biblical narrative is both historical and theological. But there's one more thing that biblical narrative is. It's also inspirational. I opened with the movie reference. I'm going to close with one too quick show of hands.
Who've seen the movie Braveheart 60% this will still work. I'll describe the screen for you. I want you to consider what the final scene in Braveheart can do to a person who watches it. The Scottish leader William Wallace was captured by England and he was going to be executed for treason in front of a large crowd before the execution began. The torturer gave Wallace a chance to end his pain and suffering before it ever started.
He said to him, Follow your knees now. Declare yourself the King's loyal subject and beg his mercy and you shall have it. If Wallace took that offer, he would have been executed quickly and painlessly, but he declined the offer and they proceeded to torture him. As Wallace is being brutally tortured, his torturer whispers to him again and gives him a second chance. He says it can all end right now.
Peace. Just say it. Cry out. Mercy. Cry out.
Just say it mercy. People in the crowd see what's being done to Wallace. They start crying out mercy to end it. A few seconds pass. Then it looks like Wallace wants to say something.
The prisoner wishes to say a word. Everyone becomes silent. You can hear a pin drop. Then the moment happens. Everyone expects Wales to ask for mercy.
And no one would have held it against him if he did. But instead, with all the strength that he can muster, he cries out at the top of his lungs, the word freedom.
And that cry rang out throughout all of England and all of Scotland. That moment captivated the hearts of his fellow Scots. And though under man, they eventually won the battle against England and they won their freedom. And I'll tell you something. When I watch that scene in Braveheart, I am moved to the core of my being.
I am moved so much that if I had the chance, I'd lay down my life for Scotland's. Freedom too. That's how much the story captivates me. That's the power that a narrative can have. It can inspire people to passionate action.
That's what the Book of Acts can do to a person or a group of people. That's what I hope it does for us. My hope is that what we encounter throughout our study and Acts will captivate our minds and our hearts and our whole lives and draw us into the story of God as active participants in it. The same powerful story we see in Luke and then in Acts has continued to be written throughout the ages up to this very day. The same powerful things that Jesus began to do and teach in Luke.
He continued to do and teach in Acts, and he is still doing and teaching those same things today. May we be captivated by these things in a way that moves us. May we be a Church that gives everything we are and everything we have so that we can be a part of that same story, too. The Book of Acts can inspire people that way. And I pray it does.
You bow your heads with me. Let's pray and invite the worship team to come up.
I just want you to do it, Jesus. I just want you to do it. Whatever you have to do in the hearts of individuals scattered across this room and whatever you need to do in our heart, collectively as your body here in Port Coquitlam, as a small Church called Gospel City Church, you've proved that you don't need vast numbers and smart and talented people and a lot of power. All you need is people that are going to say yes to whatever you ask us to do, Lord. Make us that people bring us, Lord, again and again to the end of ourselves.
Pry our grimy little fingers off of our lives and let us lay the totality of our lives at your feet and say to you, King, master and Lord, do what you will forgive us, Jesus, for being satisfied with an impotent kind of Christianity and I confess, Lord, we don't move your hand we don't make you do anything you're pleased to move in your sovereignty but I know in my life I've just been complacent so often I get used to it and I settle, Lord I don't want to settle anymore give me the words to speak and give me the conviction to do the things that you did and said the things that the Apostles did and said Give it to us and not for our sake we know that we're going to experience life and abundance and joy and astonishment if you do that in us but it's not for our sake that we ask it, Jesus we ask it for the tens of thousands of people who are dying and going to hell in Port Coquitlam because they haven't received the gospel do that in us, Jesus for their sake we pray and whatever you do like you always do, Jesus just make sure that you take and keep and get all glory do it, Jesus we pray in your name Amen.
Share with a friend
How do a lot of people see God on the day of judgment?
Sort of like a Santa Claus.
An old man sitting on a chair and has a book on his lap.
In that book, it is written what we have done bad and good in our lives.
Millions of people's lives in that one book? I don't think so!
God is Spirit, He does not sit on a chair and He has no book on His lap.
Our brain is like a computer and it is our own "hard drive" that is telling it all on Judgment Day.
Christians are rewarded for the good they have done. Also, they may lose some rewards because of what they have not done well.
Non-Christians will be judged for having rejected the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for them.
How to Become a Christian;
Admit you have sinned, (Thus need a Savior)
Ask for forgiveness,
Ask Jesus to come into your life and heart and ask to be your Savior.
Thank Jesus for dying for you on the cross.
Someone told that when he prays he pulls up a chair and "invited and places Jesus there"
Date:5/15/22 Series: Acts
Passage: Acts 1:4-11 Speaker: BJ Chursinoff
After Jesus rose from the dead, He spent 40 days with His disciples before ascending to Heaven before their very eyes. During these 40 days, He taught them about the Kingdom of God and shared some final words that not only shaped the rest of the disciples' lives but the Church itself for the past 2,000 years.
When Jesus rose from the dead, he did not go straight back to heaven. After He rose from the dead. Jesus went on to spend the next 40 days with his disciples. Then he was taken up to heaven. Can you imagine how awesome that time would have been for them? They thought of their friend, their teacher, their messiah, their God. They thought he was dead and gone forever. But now he was alive and he was with them again. What better reunion could there possibly be? It wasn't all just fun and games during those 40 days, though. During those 40 days, the disciples were having private Bible studies with the resurrected Jesus. The content of those studies in Acts Chapter One/three, Luke tells us that Jesus spent those 40 days speaking to them about the Kingdom of God. And then in what turned out to be the final face to face teaching time that Jesus had with his disciples, he gives them a command and a promise. We read this in chapter one/ 4 to 5.
Says while he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promise, which he said you heard me speak about for John. Baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. Jesus gave them a command. He said to them, Do not leave Jerusalem. But wait. Wait for what? The promise. He said to them, You'll be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. Jesus says, Wait for the promise and you will receive the promise. If they waited, the disciples of Jesus were each going to receive the power that came down from heaven. And this power was in the person and presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God was going to come upon them if they waited. We're going to see the fulfillment of Jesus' words come to pass when the disciples get baptized with the Holy Spirit in Acts Two. We'll look at that in more detail when we get there in a couple of weeks. The scene we're looking at in chapter one right now is the scene where Jesus is teaching his disciples about the kingdom of God, where He's giving them a specific command and where He's giving them a precious promise.
This scene took place 2000 years ago, but there's something timeless in the scene that we need to see in our lives today. In these verses, we can see a simple two part sequence of events that leads people to a profound personal experience with the living God. I don't want us to miss this because the sequence of events that we see unfold in the beginning versus of act describes for us one of the primary truths in the Christian life. In these verses, we see the connection between obeying the command of Jesus and experiencing the power of Jesus. I don't think I know of any Christian who doesn't want to experience more of God's power in their life. More of this power to them and in them and for them. More of his power in the way they know him and walk with him on a daily basis. More of his power in their heart, mind, soul, and body. More of his power through them to impact others. More of his power is in the various relationships we have with parents, siblings, spouses, kids, friends, brothers and sisters in the church and the people in the world.
He even instructed the disciples to pray for God's Kingdom to come. We pray that, too. And we pray the Lord's Prayer. Your kingdom come. Then on top of that, on top of the rich kingdom history in Israel, on top of the prophets telling Israel for years about a coming kingdom, on top of all the teaching about the kingdom the disciples received during the three years that they spent with Jesus. On top of all of that, the disciples received bonus teaching about the Kingdom after Jesus rose from the dead during the 40 days He spent with them. I mention this verse already, but I'm going to read it again is Acts three and it says After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of 40 days and speaking about the Kingdom of God. The disciples were receiving this fresh revelation about the kingdom straight from the mouth of the resurrected Jesus. So by the time we get to this point in verse six, in the disciple's minds, the king of the kingdom has come.
He has risen from the dead, all authority, and heaven and earth is his. This has to be the time. Right? Jesus. Is it kingdom time? They don't get the answer they were hoping for. Jesus says, No, it's not kingdom time yet, guys. And we read Jesus's response to them in verses 7 to 8 in our text. He said to them, It's not for you to know the times or periods that the father is set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria. And to the ends of the earth. Now notice that Jesus doesn't shoot down their idea of a kingdom being restored to Israel. Jesus doesn't squash the disciple's desire for the kingdom when they bring it up in verse six. It's just that Jesus refocuses their attention on a task at hand that must proceed. The coming of the kingdom. After all the events of the Book of Acts end up taking place, Jesus will go on to reveal even more details about the future kingdom to the Apostle John.
Those details are recorded for us in a little book of the Bible called Revelation. You might have heard of it. Spent a year studying. You've heard of it, right? Okay. Jesus tells John more about the kingdom that is to come, and Jesus tells John about the Millennial Kingdom, right? This thousand-year time period is documented in Revelation Chapter 20, where Jesus rules as a literal physical king here on this earth when he comes back. That kingdom. Time is coming. And when? And then that's when the disciples are going to party. And we'll party with them. But that kingdom time was not yet at the time. Jesus is talking with his disciples here in verses 6 to 8. There's a reason it wasn't Kingdom Time yet. Think about it. If the kingdom was installed on earth right when the disciples wanted it to be, the kingdom wouldn't be as full of citizens as Jesus wanted it to be. Only those who believe in Jesus will enter his kingdom. And at the time that his disciples wanted the kingdom to come, there were only about 120 people who belonged to Jesus.
And for the record, Jesus wants way more than 120 people to be with them in His kingdom. When it comes to. Increasing the number of people who will populate his kingdom was and still is, the priority of Jesus, and empowering his disciples for the task of gathering more people into His Kingdom was and still is, the means by which Jesus is going to get that job done. So when they receive the power that Jesus promised them, the same power that filled Jesus at the beginning of His ministry when he was baptized. The same power that rose Jesus from the dead.
But his kingdom coming is only good news for those who are a part of his kingdom. His kingdom coming is terrible news for people who are not a part of it and who will be excluded from it when it does come. And that's why Jesus responded to His disciples the way He does in verses seven and eight. That's why He sent the Spirit to His disciples and then sent them out so they could bring more and more people into the kingdom. It's why he keeps giving his spirit to believers today. Can you feel Jesus's heart in this? He wants the people in your life who aren't Christians. He wants them in his kingdom. If you're here tonight and you're not a Christian yet, Jesus wants you in his kingdom. That's the heart of the king. Now there's an exhortation for the church here in this text. There's a way we can identify with the disciples and receive the same challenge for our lives that Jesus gave to them. It's no secret that the disciples wanted the kingdom to come, because when the kingdom came, then it would be a really awesome time for them.
And there's nothing wrong with wanting the fullness of God's promises fulfilled in our life. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with us wanting the fullness of God's promises fulfilled in our lives today. It's okay for us to want to have an amazing church so that we can enjoy all the blessings that come with having an amazing church. It's okay to want Gospel City Church to be the best church ever. I hope every local church wants that for themselves. It's okay to want to have great worship, great teaching, great stuff for the kids, great coffee, great home groups, great discipleship, great fellowship, great everything. It's okay to want the presence of God to fill this place in a powerful way. Every time His people meet together in his name, it's okay to want that. We pray for it every week. It's okay to want all of those things. But it's not okay. If that's all we want. It's not okay if we want all those things and strive for all those things and even one day experience all of those things, if at the same time we don't care that people are perishing all around us without a saving relationship with Jesus.
That's not okay. But it's okay to want those things. Great kingdom, great church. And at the same time, leverage our entire lives so that we can be used by the Lord to bring people who are outside his kingdom, into his kingdom, to bring those who are outside of his church into his church. Isn't that the heart of what Jesus is saying to His disciples in verses seven and eight? I think that's the point of his response to the Disciples Kingdom. QUESTION The disciples were like, Is it kingdom time now? Jesus and Jesus was like, Not yet, guys. You've got to get more going, get more people and bring them in first. So for us here at Gospel City, let's do both. Let's ask God to do some incredible, miraculous things in our church. And as we ask him to do that, let's give ourselves to inviting people who aren't a part of the church yet to come and join us. Let's do both at the same time. So write this down on your outline.
Being God's people means we care about those who aren't as people. Being God's people means we care about those who aren't his people. Jesus cares about people because he does. He wants more people to become citizens of the kingdom that is one day going to establish on this earth.
We have the same power in us that the apostles had because we received the same baptism of the Holy Spirit that they did. We have the same spirit as the Apostles, and we have the same mission that was given to the Apostles by Jesus. The call to take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth. Even though we aren't eyewitnesses exactly like the apostles were. That doesn't mean we aren't witnesses to the reality of Jesus Christ, too. We can't say that people believe everything I tell you about Jesus because I was there. We can't say that. Please don't say that to anyone. We can't tell people things about Jesus. Sorry, but we can still tell people things about Jesus that will help them believe in him. We can point people to the things the actual eyewitnesses of Jesus said about him. We have their words in the Bible. We can tell people the gospel message with great confidence because there were eyewitnesses who saw everything that happened in the Gospel. We can tell people that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day.
We can tell people that because there were people there who were eyewitnesses to that. And there's still still even more we can do. We can tell people what Jesus has done in our lives. Do not underestimate the power of personal testimony. Most people you will talk to about Jesus won't know much about what the Bible says. But do you know what they will know something about if they know you? They'll know something about your life. People will see your life and they will see something different in you. That's because the Holy Spirit of God is living in you. They will see that and you can tell them about what Jesus has done in your life. This is your testimony that he is alive. He's alive because he is the reason for the transformation that people see in you. You don't have to graduate from Bible school to tell someone what Jesus has done for you. You can walk in the footsteps of the blind man that Jesus healed and draw. Nine. When pressed by the religious leaders to explain the miracle that happened to him, the Heal the Healed man said, Here's all I know.
I once was blind. And now I can see. And it was this guy Jesus, that did it. He didn't quote scripture. He didn't try to persuade them to believe his story. He just told them what he knew. Jesus changed my life. Look in this look like in someone's life. Well, let me give you an example of how a person can witness to the reality of Jesus using their testimony. I'm going to do this for you right now by sharing part of my testimony with you. Want to show you how easy it is. And if you've only gotten to know me over the past several years, you won't recognize the parts of my life I'm about to share with you. And that's part of the point. I used to be a certain way. And Jesus has changed me. When I was growing up, I had terrible self-esteem issues and crippling fear of men. I wanted acceptance from people in an unhealthy way. I was a very angry individual. I had a lot of fun and laughed on the outside, but on the inside, there was a lot of anger,
Monday
"Wash Day"
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you
with perfect humility through the week ahead.
Tuesday
"Ironing Day"
Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected
through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.
Wednesday
"Mending Day"
O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.
Thursday
"Cleaning Day"
Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding
in the secret corners of my heart.
Friday
"Shopping Day"
O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal
happiness for myself and all others in need of love.
Saturday
"Cooking Day"
Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it
with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.
Sunday
"The LORD's Day"
Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve you
with perfect humility through the week ahead.
Author Unknown
Received in an E-mail
Because he had also been admitted a few months ago and was mostly neglected.
I prayed and asked the Lord for a doctor to pay attention to his problems.
His family doctor does not have answered except, It is your age.
He phoned me tonight and told me his doctor talked to him for about one hour. Are you kidding me?
He is getting so much attention it is blowing my mind, yes just like I have prayed for it is happening. Thank you Jesus............
Even though my mother had a Christian upbringing as a child, and my dad became a Catholic when he was still single, religion was not encouraged nor talked about in our home.
Mom told me that she had been forced to go to Sunday school and had to memorize scriptures.
All her brothers and sister’s, eleven of them, would be severely punished by their father if they had not memorized them correctly.
My dad became a Catholic before he was married, he was working in Limburg, in the South of Holland, where most people, including his family, were all Catholics.
I believe that Dad felt he had to join and not because he wanted to. I personally never saw him going to church, not to any church for that matter.
So the Lord did not live in our home. My dad would tell us to find our own way.
During the war, my mother took me to fortune-tellers. She wanted to know if my father would come back from Germany. If you wanted to know about the future, you went to a fortune-teller. I had been told that these people had a gift from God. I did not know if there was a God, but others believed it.
This fortune-teller was also a friend, was a blabbermouth. When something came to pass, she was the first to say that she had been the one to predict it. If something that she had predicted did not come to pass, she did not like to be reminded of that fact. This fortune-teller would also tell our friends what she had predicted.
Because you know who they are, it can become very uncomfortable.
I was shocked to find out that if a woman would ask Janet to read the tarot cards, and Janet knew that she would like to get rid of her husband, she would be told that the cards revealed that he would die of cancer, or be in a car accident.
This came to pass in one case that I know of, the man was cheating on his wife and was told that his wife would die of cancer, and when she really did, he felt so guilt-ridden that he could not marry his lover.
. Several of the people who were told that their partner would die, knew each other, and when we met each other would think, poor “Charley”, he is going to die of cancer.
And “Mary” dies in a fire poor thing.
If you are still in doubt that these people have a gift from God, I tell you this.
Janet told us that we should take out accident insurance, like the thing she had said about the people, was a done deal, a fact!
If you have never been involved with fortune-tellers, you must be shaking your heads in disbelief and I can't blame you, it is different once you are involved. You can't see straight, you are confused, and guess why? Satan is behind these things. He wants to keep you under his control and will promise you anything he knows you want.
He knows your secret desires very well and will work through them, to get you ensnared.
The Lord works through people, but so does Satan! Please don't be curious.
Stay away from anything that tells your future! It’s not from God. It’s satanic!
I had now come to the point that I did not want to go to fortune-tellers anymore.
Satan has other ways too and I know that now. A friend brought an Ouija board. If you are not familiar with this "game", it is a board with the alphabet, numbers, and a disk, where two people put their hands lightly on the disk.
..
So now being alone and to test it, I asked my name,not a problem.
Time to get serious with God, I had moved too many times and made mistakes so now I can ask God. No waiting for this lady to get answers this was quicker.
Since I was talking now to God I thought I should pray, never having prayed before, I just asked God if I should move to a certain city.
Now all I am getting is a mumbo jumbo. Tried it several times, same thing it just made no sense. How strange it worked before so why not now?
I really felt perturbed, I said; "Okay God you don't want to talk to me now? Okay, don't.
It is really disappointing this being my first time with you.....................
Joseph came from Czechoslovakia where he had been a dentist. The Americans allowed him in but did not allow him to practice as a dentist. That is why you have foreign doctors driving taxis. He was told to go take a 3-year course, well that is how long it takes to become a dentist. Reagan was president then and granted foreign dentists to take the exam and if they passed they could practice. He allowed this only for 2 years span.
Joseph wanted to know if he had a chance,
I remembered that Janet had told me that his wife would die in a car accident.
Of course, I never told him this. Getting Janet alone for a second I asked her if she saw something bad not to tell him. Her answer was; "Whatever I see I will tell him".
I panicked and thought I better pray again, and I did silently.
I had seen Janet use the Tarot cards many times but what I now experienced was a shock. Janet laid out the cards and I saw a frown on her face.
She kept saying; " I don't understand, I don't get it, oh my"
Finally, she looked at Joseph and said; "You must be very confused I can not read the cards today"
Now a little light came into my brain, if this is a gift from God then why when I prayed twice now, God gets confused and won't tell me anything.
I now believed there was a God, what still puzzled me was, what did Jesus have to do with it all. I was now on my way to find that out.
What I now knew was that my praying had canceled out Satan's power.
There are many scriptures in the Bible that tell us; Any attempt to believe you can find out the future is forbidden, Be it tea leaves, Tarot cards, the Ouija board.,etc.
A little minister's boy saw kids at school on the playground with the Ouija board. When he told the kids that it was wrong what they were doing, they laughed at him. The boy then told them okay, ask the Ouija where it gets its power. The boys did and the Ouija answered; “Hitler.”
The boy knew that this was a lie, so he commanded it to tell the truth, this time the answer was; “Satan.”
A family would every night after supper, take out the Ouija board and play the game. They had noticed that the cat liked it also, for as soon as they started to play, it would come out to watch.
One day a Christian happened to stop by at the time they were playing. She was shocked when she saw what they were doing, and told them so.
They too, did not want to believe her, so she said to ask the Ouija what it wanted from them.
When they asked this, the answer came; “Your soul.”
They were so upset that they threw the board in the fireplace where they all saw the face of a woman appear. The Christian said; "You must do this burning in the name of Jesus." The next day the cat was found dead.
Stay away from the Ouija it is not a game! It can bring you into spiritual darkness for years to come.
I sure wished that I had never heard about this diabolical, so-called “Game”
It is dangerous, very dangerous
A Dutch evangelist came to town, and I went with a few friends to the meeting. So when a worker there asked me if I was ready to repent and sin no more, was I ready to accept Jesus as my personal Saviour, I said; “Yes, yes, I will!”
This was at Melody Land Church, one block from Disney World, in Anaheim California.
May of 1975...........
I would tell people that I had found Jesus until someone said to me that they didn’t know He had been lost......... (It is okay to laugh the Lord has a sense of humor too)
I now became a fisher of men in earnest.
Jenny, Jenny He didn't do it. I looked under my bed and there was nothing for me.
I struggled to clear my mind as I had been in a deep sleep, when Monica woke me. I wondered what she was talking about.
What are you trying to say honey?
There is no doll Jenny, there is no doll under my bed.
Ah, now I did remember. Monica wanted very much to have a dolly.
I had told her to pray and ask the Lord for it.
She had done so and now believed that He had not delivered as she thought He would, by putting the doll under her bed.
I tried to explain to her that God was not Santa Claus and that He works through people.
I could tell that this was too much for her to understand, she was only five years old.
That very afternoon her girlfriend, who lived next door, came over to the house. Lisa was very excited.
Monica, my dad just came home from a trip and look at what he brought me, a new doll, and if you want to, you can have my other doll.
Now Monica's eyes lit up and she looked at me with wonder, for she now understood that indeed;
God works through people.
A very famous preacher, Hudson Taylor once said, Lord, that you will answer my prayer, I know! What fascinates me every time is, How you are going too answer.
The Great Commission
From Kay Meyer's column in the St. Louis Metro Voice newspaper from 1994 to 2013.
Have you ever wondered who shares the Gospel with Native Americans? Some years ago I vacationed in Montana and saw the circumstances of these precious people the Lord loves. I wondered if there were any ministries focused on reaching Native Americans for Christ. I did research and learned of the Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots, now known as Lutheran Indian Ministries. They are effectively reaching Native Americans for Christ! Over the years we have featured their ministry on the Family Shield radio program numerous. The following is just part of their story.
Let me begin with the story of how their current executive director, Dr. Don Johnson, came to know Christ. In July of 1962, Don Johnson was a young Native American interested in learning about God. He heard Billy Graham preach at the World’s Fair in Seattle. He heard that he was a sinner in need of forgiveness. He heard that Jesus, the Son of God, had come to suffer and die to forgive Don’s sins and the sins of all people. And that Christ offered forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift. That age-old message pierced Don’s heart like the harpoons of his Native American ancestors in pursuit of the whale. He committed his life to Christ. And then he wondered, “Where do I go from here?”
His journey had begun. After he placed his faith in Christ, God led him to several churches, helped him meet other Christians, and eventually led him to attend Concordia Seminary in Springfield, IL to become a pastor. In the summer of 1972, he was assigned to a vicarage, which is a full-year internship, for seminarians preparing to be pastors. The vicarage was near Lame Deer, Montana on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.
While on vicarage Don met three Native American men that impacted his life and faith journey. As the vicar, one of his responsibilities was to visit Native Americans and build relationships so that he might eventually share the Gospel with them. He visited with the men in a small run-down house. They were alcoholics and more interested in where they could find the next drink, not a relationship with God. But they listened anyway.
After several hours, he was ready to leave. At that point, they asked if he would drive them to their car. “How far away is it?” he asked. They said, “Oh, it’s not far, they said.” So, they piled into Don’s car and took off. “Now, it’s just over that hill, Vicar Don. Now down that dirt road. Now go a little further.” Many bumps, mud puddles, and miles later they finally saw the car in the distance. It had seen tough times. Badly scorched in a fire, the back tire was shredded. It looked ready for the junkyard. Don groaned, “Oh, no! You’re never going to get that car running.” And he thought; now I’m going to have to take them back to town. It’s the opposite direction from where I need to be. But, they told him, “Don’t worry, Medaris can fix anything. He’ll get the car running in no time.” And, amazingly, he did. Finally, Don was able to leave the men and their old car far behind. He thought!
A few weeks later Johnson saw a newspaper article that told of a horrible accident that had killed a Native American man. It was Medaris, the man who could fix anything. “Why hadn’t I tried harder to tell them about God’s love? What else could I have said to them?” Don began to question whether God could change people so deeply caught up in alcohol addiction, especially Native Americans. Could he make changes when there were years of alcoholism, dysfunctional families, drug abuse, unemployment, low self-esteem, suicide, and loneliness? Ministry to native people seemed as hopeless as the burned-out junk car the three men drove.
He served Makah Lutheran Church in Neah Bay, Washington, his hometown. There he was an elected member of the tribal council and tribal chief. His congregation was small. He never had great crowds rushing to hear him preach or teach, but he ministered to the Native Americans effectively by meeting the needs of his people, caring about them, and building good relationships. He could relate to their circumstances because he had grown up with an alcoholic father. Many of the people he served struggled with alcoholism, depression, hopelessness, felt alone and abandoned by God. He shared the Gospel and was faithful.
In 1993 he was called from his parish and asked to work for the Lutheran Association of Missionaries and Pilots U.S. Today it is known as Lutheran Indian Ministries. In 1995 he became the executive director. Today The Rev. Dr. Don Johnson has been instrumental in leading the organization into new and more effective ways to reach and serve Native Americans. One change has been to rise up indigenous people to be leaders of this organization. So now Native Americans are sharing Christ with Native Americans.
Another way they are expanding is by merging their work with other smaller Native American ministries throughout the United States. They now have many other ministries throughout the U.S. and Canada. You can learn about these ministries on their website at
Recently I featured Don Johnson, Will and Patricia Main of Haskell LIGHT (Lutheran Indians Gathering and Helping Together), a Lutheran Student Ministry housed near the campus of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas on the Family Shield radio program. The university began in 1884 as a residential facility. Today it is a four-year university. Haskell LIGHT began in 1972 through the work of Wiley and Caryn Scott who recognized the need to share the Gospel through fellowship and Bible study with students. Wiley is a Native American and attended the university.
Haskell LIGHT Campus Ministry recently merged with The Association of Missionaries and Pilots U.S. Will and Patricia told radio listeners about the campus ministry that shares the Gospel and serves the needs of students and staff. Haskell has an enrollment of approximately 1000 students and represents over 130 tribes from over 40 states.
Will, a Lakota Sioux, shared how he came to know Christ. When he met his wife, whose parents had been in Christian ministry in Canada for 35 years, he was not a Christian. “Far from it,” he said! He was intrigued at how Patricia’s parents and siblings interacted with each other. “It was weird to me. They obviously loved one another. And they talked to each other. After a while, it wasn’t weird anymore. I wanted what they had! What they had was Christ in their heart!”
Talking of his faith journey he continued, “Patricia’s mother and father spent years on their knees praying for me! If you would have told me a few years ago that I would be a Christian studying to become a pastor through the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology program at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and ministering to youth on a college campus in Lawrence, Kansas I’d still be laughing!”
He told of a recent conversation with a young student. “The God you’re telling me about is the God of the white man, not mine,” stated the young man. Will countered, “No, the message of Christ is for all people and nations, not just the white man. Christ came to bring all people forgiveness. But, I know how you feel, because a few years ago I felt the same way. Let me tell you why I know this message is for all nations.”
He went on to talk about how he and their family moved from Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada to Kansas. “The first time we were invited to move from Canada to be the Co-Directors of Haskell University Campus ministry in Kansas we said ‘no.’ Then God began working on us. We felt no peace after saying no. Some time passed. I asked someone at Lutheran Association of Missionaries “Is that ministry opportunity still open in Lawrence, Kansas?” Don Johnson heard that I’d asked that question and called to talk to Patricia and me again about this ministry opportunity. He felt we were the right couple for the job. This time we said ‘yes.’ That we would uproot ourselves from our home in Canada and move to the middle of the United States still amazes me! It has definitely been a God thing.”
Patricia shared, “That God has led us to Kansas in the United States just shows that God’s heart is beating to reach the Native People! Just like my native ancestors beat drums, God’s heart beats to reach my people! The time to reach Native Americans with the Gospel is now.”
She shared numerous stories of the impact of the work. “I was visiting with students in the cafeteria. One young student said, “I’m not interested in what you have to say because I’m an atheist.” “I didn’t try to argue with her but just went on talking to the other students. A few days later I was in the dormitory and that same girl saw me and said, “I’m going through some real difficult times and I wondered…would you pray for me? I did.” God opens doors of opportunity every day!”
Patricia continued, “Will and I understand the struggles of the Native Americans, what it’s like to live on a reservation, dysfunctional families, alcoholism, the loneliness, and suicide. We know there is only one way to find true healing. Healing comes through faith in Jesus Christ. God heals the brokenhearted! He did it for me and my husband—and he can do it for you too.”
Christ came to save all people of every nation, including every Native American Nation “And the Gospel must first be preached to all nations” (Mark 13:10)
by Kay L. Meyer
Regarding Native American Culture and Traditions as Sacred
For hundreds of years Native Americans, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians, compelled by the gospel have chosen to become disciples of Jesus Christ. In doing so, we have affirmed with the voices of the saints that all that is necessary for salvation, a relationship with God and our brothers and sisters, is contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We bear witness to the mercy of God through our faith, continuing in discipleship and ministry.
Government and religious institutions intentionally destroyed many of our traditional cultures and belief systems. To assimilate our peoples into mainstream cultures, as children many of our ancestors were forcibly removed to boarding schools, often operated by religious institutions, including historical Methodism. Historically, Native peoples have been targets by those seeking land and other natural resources. Genocide became a tool of greed and a response to fear. While attempting to erase Native people from existence, traditional cultures also fell victim to acts of genocide.
As Native Christians, we affirm for the church and ourselves that many elements of our traditions and cultures are consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the teachings of the church. We affirm that the Holy Spirit is faithful in guiding us in holy living within our cultures and the broader culture. We recognize that just as in the broader culture, not all expressions of traditional cultures are appropriate for all believers; God is faithful in leading us to acceptable worship and continued growth in grace, as tribal people. We further affirm that our identity as Native, or tribal persons is pleasing to our Creator and vital to the body of Christ.
We affirm for each other that our languages, cultures, identities, and many traditions are pleasing to God and have the potential to refresh the church and offer hope to the world. To be less is to be other than what God is asking us to be in our time.
We further believe that many of our Native traditions affirm the presence of God, our need for the right relationship with our Creator and the world around us, and a call for holy living. Both through corporate and personal conviction our people individually and tribally are led by the Spirit of God to a greater awareness of God. Traditional beliefs, consistent with the gospel and the historic witness of the church should not be understood as contrary to our beliefs as Native Christians. Furthermore, the testimony of historic and contemporary Native Christians should be counted in the historic witness of the church.
Whereas, we believe that God’s creating presence speaks to us through our languages and cultures and that such testimony is vital to the ongoing work of the church among our people; and
Whereas, many Native traditions were erroneously feared, rather than understood as vehicles for the grace of God, and;
Whereas, such fears have resulted in the persecution of traditional Native peoples and Native Christians; and
Whereas, many traditions have been misinterpreted as sin, rather than varying cultural expressions leading to a deeper understanding of our creator;
Be it further resolved, that we believe in the faithful leadership of the Holy Spirit in assisting us as individuals and communities in the preservation of those cultures and the continuation of their faith; that just as there are many parts of the body of Christ, there are many Native traditions, languages, customs, and expressions of faith; that in the best of Native traditions, the church, and the spirit of ecumenism, we allow for the work of the Spirit of God among our communities and tribes without prejudice.
Therefore, be it further resolved, that being justified by faith, we will honor as sacred those practices that: call us back to the sacredness of Native people; affirm as beautiful their identity among the world’s peoples; lead us into the right relationship with our Creator, creation, and those around us; and call us into holy living. We call upon the world, the church, The United Methodist Church, and the people of The United Methodist Church to receive the gifts of Native people as people of God.
Copyright © 2016, The United Methodist Publishing House, used by permission
One Native American student struggles with Christianity
Nicholas Ross-d*ck with Rich Atkinson 4 Minute Read
Testimony
I grew up on the reservation in south central Washington, raised in a traditional spiritual belief system. It was non-Christian: We sang in the Yakama language, worshipped with hand drums and danced in a longhouse with a dirt floor.
When I came to Montana, culture shock hit me. My spirituality has always been a large part of who I am. I felt I was losing mine.
I Rejected a Bible Study Group for Natives
One day, Sydney, who was in my bowling class, asked me to come to a Nations meeting. Nations is a Cru ministry that reaches out to Native-American students. "Hey, I'm starting this Bible study group and I just want it to be for Native students."
I went once, but was turned off and didn't go back for quite some time. I was very skeptical and resistant to Christianity. My family was adamant in keeping me away from any church because of what Christianity had done to our Native-American people.
Could I Find an Answer for My Struggles?
Yet I struggled being away from the reservation, away from my traditions and my family. I tried to do life on my own, but I was lost spiritually. When my grandmother died, I was so depressed that I tried to commit suicide.
The Nations group grew and people kept inviting me to come. I went to a meeting about a year later and have been going ever since.
I was still adamant in my belief structure. This group of individuals at Nations, they are Natives too and they were really open. They acknowledged the fact that I struggled with things. They actually helped me to embrace that struggle.
How Reading God's Word Opened My Eyes
Then I was challenged to read the New Testament. That was my first real attempt in my own conscience of my own choice. One night last fall while reading Matthew 9, I started crying. Sometimes things just speak to you and this particular passage just stood out to me.
I had spent 21 years being raised in a different way of thinking, not only spiritually, but also culturally. It was like I was giving up what sustained me for all those years and that was the hardest thing. It was really heavy on my mind and in my heart and in my soul. I was just finally able to let that go.
I needed to know I was forgiven. I finally gave my heart to the Lord. I was given a better heart and a clearer conscience and a new life.
I've set out to show that it's okay to accept this Christian life and still be Native.
Next: Would You Like to Know God Personally?
Nick is a member of the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nations and is pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Sociology at Montana State University in Bozeman. He loves writing, exercising and movies. About 300 Native-American students attend Montana State University on a campus of 12,000 students.
dmit you are a sinner, ask for forvergivevnes, ask Jesus to come into your life and be your Lord and Saviour.
.
I Felt Guilty for Keeping a Secret
While held to secrecy from telling the truth about my friend's death, I found hope
Darling Justiniano Solano with Hayley Newsom 4 Minute Read
Testimony, Grief
img_001-article_00386-darling
My friend and I were riding in a military truck, and one of the drivers was drunk. When my friend fell out of the truck and hit his head, he died there on the road.
It affected me tremendously. I would dream at night that he was with me.
I was in a difficult situation with the military because my immediate leaders told me I shouldn't tell the truth about what had happened and to say that it was an accident.
My Heavy Conscience
I struggled with that even after leaving the military. I felt guilty for keeping the secret, even though I had been threatened. I felt like my friend deserved justice, and I was preventing it from happening.
In 2006, I met Ron Burgin, a Cru staff member. When I told him about the problems during my military service and living with that on my conscience, he gave me hope.
He told me God loved me and had a plan for my life, and He could free me from what had happened.
How I Found a Future and a Hope
Ron and I read the Four Spiritual Laws, and at the part with the prayer, he asked me if I wanted to receive Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I said, "Yep, I'd like to do that." I was ready.
I believe He is the Son of God and the light of the world. I believe He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to give us new life.
I thanked Jesus for dying for my sins and giving me eternal life. I asked Him to take charge of my life. It's the best thing that has ever happened to me.
My Life is Transformed
Now I am a university student, involved in ministry with Cru. I've seen how God has transformed my life. I have discipleship groups at the university. It's helping me grow a lot as a person.
As someone who has gone through crisis, I have something to offer to others. I never imagined I'd be able to speak so easily to others, but I really like to share with others about Christ.
I can see that the only person that can change a life is Christ. That empty place in our hearts can only be filled by Christ, and so many people need to know Him.
Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to
see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving
God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You
keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done,
said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your
forgiveness.
Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this
day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best
of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You.
Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.
Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let
me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil.
And when I sin, let me repent, and confess with my mouth my
wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God.
And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example
to --- slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best
response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't
pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.
Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me
strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have
words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and
can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and
misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately.
I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank you that I believe.
I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for
all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in
their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that
they are out of debt and all their needs are met.
I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem,
circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your
hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the
hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses
them willingly.
This is my prayer.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Author Unknown
Johnson Oatman, Jr. lived between 1856-1922. During his lifetime he wrote lyrics for over five thousand Gospel songs and hymns. A large number of his songs are still sung in the church to this day. Some of his most familiar hymns are: Count Your Blessings, He Included Me, Higher Ground, and No, Not One.
?Count Your Blessings -
?When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold.
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your Lord on high.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
?Count Your Blessings -
Hint: It had something to do with miracles. BY: BART D. EHRMAN
UPDATED: JANUARY 31, 2019 | ORIGINAL: MARCH 29, 2018
The triumph of Christianity over the pagan religions of ancient Rome led to the greatest historical transformation the West has ever seen: a transformation that was not only religious, but also social, political and cultural. Just in terms of “high culture,” Western art, music, literature and philosophy would have been incalculably different had the masses continued to worship the gods of the Roman pantheon instead of the one God of Jesus—if paganism, rather than Christianity, had inspired their imaginations and guided their thoughts. The Middle Ages, the Renaissance and modernity as we know them would also have been unimaginably different.
But how did it happen? According to our earliest records, the first “Christians” to believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus were 11 male disciples and a handful of women—say 20 people altogether. These were lower-class, uneducated day laborers from a remote corner of the Roman Empire. And yet, within three centuries, the Christian church could count some 3 million adherents. By the end of the 4th century, it was the official religion of Rome, numbering 30 million followers—or half the Empire.
A century after that, there were very few pagans left.
Christians today might claim that their faith triumphed over the other Roman religions because it was (and is) true, right and good. That may be so. But one still needs to consider the historical contingencies that led to the Christian conquest, and in particular the brilliant strategy the Christian evangelistic campaign used in winning converts. These are five aspects of that strategy:
Strangely enough, Christianity did not succeed in taking over the ancient world simply by addressing deeply sensed needs of its target audience, the pagan adherents of traditional polytheistic religions. On the contrary, it actually created a need that almost no one knew they had.
Everyone in the ancient world, except for Jews, was “pagan”—that is, they believed in many gods. These gods—whether the state gods of Rome, the local municipal gods, the family gods, the gods of forests, mountains, streams and meadows—were active in the world, involved with humans on every level. They ensured that crops would grow and livestock would reproduce; they brought rain and protected against storms; they warded off disease and restored the sick to health; they maintained social stability; and provided military victories for the troops.
The gods would do such things in exchange for proper worship, which at all times and everywhere involved saying the right prayers and performing the appropriate sacrifices. If the gods were not worshiped in these ways—if they were ignored—they could bring disastrous retribution: drought, epidemic, economic collapse, military defeat and so on.
But the key point is that the gods were principally active—for good or ill—in the present life, to worshippers in the here and now. Almost no one in the Roman world practiced religion
Almost no one in the Roman world practiced religion in order to escape eternal punishment or receive an eternal reward—that is, until the Christians came along.
Unlike pagans, Christians claimed there was only one God and that he should be worshiped not by sacrifice but by proper belief. Anyone who didn’t believe the right things would be considered a transgressor before God. And, most significant of all, rewards and punishments would be dispensed not only in this life, but in the life to come: either eternal bliss in heaven or everlasting torment in the fires of hell. Religion had never promoted such an idea before. Christians created a need for salvation that no one knew they had. They then argued that they alone could meet the need. And they succeeded massively.
It ‘Proved’ Its Superiority
Everyone in the ancient world knew that divinity was all about power. Humans cannot control whether it rains or an epidemic destroys the community or a natural disasters hits; but the gods can. They can provide for humans what mere mortals cannot do for themselves. This stood at the root of all ancient religion. And it became the chief selling point of the Christian message. Christians declared that their God was more powerful than any other god—in fact, more powerful than all the supposed other gods combined. God alone was God, and he alone could provide what people need.
The power struggle between the Christian and pagan gods is on full display in a wide range of ancient texts. Consider the apocryphal book called the Acts of John, an account of the missionary escapades of Jesus’ disciple John the Son of Zebedee. At one point in the narrative, John visits the city of Ephesus and its renowned temple to the goddess Athena. Entering the sacred site, John ascends a platform and issues a challenge to a large crowd of pagans: They are to pray to their divine protectoress to strike him dead. If she fails to respond, he in turn will ask his God to kill all of them. The crowd is terrified—they have already seen John raise people from the dead, and they know his God means business. When they refuse to take the challenge, John curses the divinity of the place, and suddenly the altar of Artemis splits into pieces, the idols break apart and the roof caves in, killing the goddess’s chief priest on the spot. The crowd makes the expected response: “There is only one God, that of John…now we have converted, since we have seen your miraculous deeds.”
Although obviously legendary, the tale conveys an important truth. Miraculous powers were the Christians’ evangelistic calling card, their compelling proof. Jesus himself, the son of God, had performed one miracle after the other. He was born of a virgin; he fulfilled prophecies spoken centuries earlier by ancient seers; he healed the sick; he cast out demons; he raised the dead. And if all that wasn’t enough, at the end of his life he himself rose from the grave and ascended to heaven to dwell with God forevermore. His disciples also did miracles—amazing miracles—all recorded for posterity in writings widely available. And the miracles continued to the present day. People became convinced by these stories. Not en masse, but one person at a time.
It Worked from the Ground Up;
Christianity did not initially succeed by taking its message to the great and the powerful, the mighty Roman elite. It succeeded at first as a grassroots movement.
The original followers of Jesus told those close to them what they believed: that the great miracle worker Jesus had been raised from the dead, and that his wonders continued to be performed among those who believed in him. They convinced others. Not most of those they talked with, but some. And as it turns out, small but steady growth from the ground up is all it took.
One might think that if Christianity went from some 20 people in the year of Jesus’ death, say 30 CE, to something like 3 million people 300 years later, there must have been massive evangelistic rallies, converting thousands at a time, each and every day. That wasn’t the case at all. If you chart the necessary rate of growth along an exponential curve, the Christian movement needed to increase at a rate of around 3 percent annually. That is to say, if there are 100 Christians this year, there need to be only three conversions by the year’s end. If that happens year after year after year, the numbers eventually pile up. Later in the history of the movement, when there are 100,000 Christians, the same annual growth rate will yield 3,000 converts; when there are 1 million Christians, 30,000 converts. In one year.
The key was to reach people one at a time. It grows from the bottom up, not the top down. The top will eventually convert. But you start below, at the base, where most people actually live.
It Cannibalized the Competition;
Christianity succeeded in large measure because it required potential converts to make a decision that was exclusive and final. If they chose to join the church, they had to abandon all previous religious commitments and associations. For the Christian faith, it was all or nothing, so as it fed its own growth, it devoured the competition.
That may seem unusual by contemporary standards, since in today’s world we normally understand that someone who becomes Baptist cannot remain Buddhist; a Muslim is not a Mormon. But we ourselves accept exclusive religions precisely because the early Christians convinced the world that this is how it ought to be. Personal religion is one thing or another, not both—or several—at once.
The pagan religions didn’t operate like that at all. Since pagans all worshiped many gods, there was no sense that any one God demanded exclusive attention. Quite the opposite. Within pagan circles, if you chose to worship a new god—say, Apollo—that didn’t mean you gave up the worship of another, such as Zeus. No, you worshiped both—along with Hermes, Athena, Ares, your city gods, your family gods and whichever others you chose, whenever you chose.
Christians, though, maintained there was only one God, and if you followed him, you had to abandon the others.
In the long run, this meant that every adherent Christians gained was completely lost to paganism. No other religion demanded such exclusivity. For that reason, as Christianity grew, it destroyed all competition in its wake. And it went on like that for millennia, as Christians forged into new territories, toppling Celtic gods, Norse gods and many others.
It Found a Powerful Sponsor;
Even though early Christianity was a grassroots movement, throughout its first three centuries it recognized fully the importance of converting influential supporters. At the beginning, this simply meant converting an adult male who was head of his household—the paterfamilias. In the Roman world, the paterfamilias chose the family’s religion. If you converted him, you got his wife, children and slaves in the package.
I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
Refrain:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where those abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.
I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.
I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”;
Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1898
copyright status is Public Domain
Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:13; Psalm 18:33; Isaiah 58:14; Micah 4:2
Hi, I thought I was on my way to being a Christian. I feel as though I have grown more in my faith in Jesus since this time last year. I’m wanting to go to Church each week to be challenged and to learn more about Jesus. I (well up until early this morning) believed that in God’s grace and mercy, Jesus had forgiven my sins and I was so thankful to Him for that. I think about Him each day and try to read the Bible daily. I want to live how he wants me to and I try to do that as best I can. However, early this morning I was woken with a terrible, terrible feeling that perhaps I am not right with God and have questioned whether or not I will be saved. About 15 years ago, I did something wrong. I’ve never admitted it to anyone (until just now with my husband) and also Jesus. Now I’m wondering whether I should still own up to what I have done. I am not the same person I was 15 years ago but the guilt I feel now is eating me up inside and panicking that maybe I’m not saved after all. I feel awful. Do I need to make amends for what I did back then and suffer the consequences of my actions? I was young, irresponsible, and not walking with God back then. These are not excuses at all. I would never dream of doing what I did then now. Thanks for your response.
I am really sorry that you feel this way. I do not know what happened 15 years ago but I do know what regrets and guilt over past actions can do. Every so often I find myself cringing at the sudden recall of things done or said in the past. It is hard particularly when those things have involved hurting or disappointing other people.
But let me assure you that no matter how bad the situation may have been, no matter how much pain or anguish you may have caused, no matter how much sin may have been involved, God’s love and Jesus death covers it all. If you have truely turned back from sin to God (and your question certainly seems to indicate this) then you have been forgiven even for what happened 15 years ago and are safe in the love of God.
Paul expresses this so beautifully in Romans 8
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all”” How will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died”” more than that, who was raised to live”” is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ...
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now that does not mean that we are free of the consequences of such actions. Sometimes the sins of the past have consequences that affect our future and we have to deal with them - they do not affect our salvation but they do affect our lives. For example, an indiscretion earlier in life may lead to driving while under the influence of alcohol and an accident that leaves you disabled - an action resulting in a consequence that affects you even though you have repented of the action many times over. I don’t know what happened 15 years ago but it sounds like it may have been serious and that you may need to make amends for it (even though your salvation is secure). This may be very difficult for you but it also may be part of the process of helping you deal with the guilt. You may need the support of family and friends to do it. But it also may be a means by which you can show how a Christian manages such things.
So pray about it, asking God for wisdom and strength. Talk with your husband about it and maybe one or two other trusted Christian friends. Listen to your conscience and then decide what to do. It may be a really scary prospect but you need to remember that the God who loves you passionately can and will bring good out of all things for those who love him. So do what you think is right and trust that God will do as he promises. I will pray for you as well.
Tony
Hi! I’ve only just recently discovered that any form of o*al sex or even hugging with s*xual hints is sinful in the eyes of the church. The moment I realized this I felt lost, confused, and very sad. I am a Christian girl - I try to God’s will and I attend church every Sunday. I’ve been with my fiance (who is also Christian) for four years. We love each other and we speak about everything to each other. We’ve just got engaged and our dream is to get married and start a family. However, at the moment it is financially impossible as he still has a year left at University and we do not come from well-to-do families so we cannot marry soon. We never made love because we are firm against sex before marriage. However, it is very difficult not to touch each other or give physical pleasure to each other. We talked through this together and agreed that we are physically loving each other by doing so. It did not happen at the spur of the moment but we had long discussions about it. Up till now we never felt that we were sinning precisely because we feel that we are made for each other. So now that I’ve read that we are sinning it feels like everything is crashing down on me. I don’t know what to do anymore…but I still feel that there is no evil in what we are doing. Please help us.- Stefania
Thank you for being open about this. I pray that these few Bible references may be of some help to you and your fiance
Your attraction to your fiance is natural and a God-given good thing. God created man and woman to be united together emotionally, sexually, and relationally as they serve Him. Genesis 2:20-24 makes clear that sex is a good part of God’s creation, however, it was created exclusively for marriage. This means that sex outside of marriage, whether it is pre-marital sex or adultery or otherwise is rejecting God’s design for sex and is a sin. [Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5]
The Bible is silent on other matters like hugging or o*al sex and whether these things are within the boundaries of ‘s*xual immorality’. However, given o*al sex is called o*al ‘sex’, I would think it’s right to consider it as something to be shared within and confined only to the marriage relationship. It’s a good and right thing that you are abstaining from s*xual intercourse until you are married, but I think the Bible points us to the conclusion that you should also abstain from o*al sex too.