What Does It Involve to Say That Jesus Christ Is Lord? What must a person do in order for Jesus Christ to be the Lord of his life? The easy answer is, "Yield your life to Him." This involves taking your hands off the controls of your life and allowing Him to be in control.
Such an important question requires more than a surface answer. For Jesus to become Lord of a person's life involves absolute and total surrender. I can think of no better example of total surrender than F. B. Meyer. He was a Baptist preacher and pastor of Christ Church in the heart of London in the nineteenth century. In the midst of a successful ministry, F. B. Meyer confessed that something was lacking in his life and ministry. J.H. Jowett recounts the following story: "Dr. Meyer has told us that his early Christian life was marred and his ministry paralyzed just because he had kept back one thing from the bunch of keys he had given to the Lord. Every key save one! The key of one room was kept for personal use, and the Lord shut it out. The effect of the incomplete consecration was found in lack of power, lack of assurance, lack of joy, and peace. The joy of the Lord begins when we hand over the last key. We sit with Christ on His throne as soon as we have surrendered our crowns, and made Him sole and only ruler of our life and its possessions."3
F. B. Meyer experienced the lordship of Jesus Christ when he handed over the last key. He had kept back the key to one room in his life and it brought great defeat. Remember, if He is not Lord of all (of every room), then He is not Lord at all. Have you yielded keys to every room in your life? Does He have the key to every room in your private life? Does He have the key to every room in your physical/ public life? Is there a room marked "private — keep out?" If so, you must be willing to surrender that key to the Lord.
There is a second element to yielding our lives to the Lord. In addition to absolute surrender, there must also be an acknowledgment of His ownership. Paul addressed the subject of ownership in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which is God's" (NJKV).
We are not our own. We were bought at a price. We belong to Jesus. We are His purchased possession. When a person yields to the lordship of Jesus Christ, he or she acknowledges His ownership and gives up his or her personal rights.
Yielding to the lordship of Jesus Christ also involves total and unreserved obedience. If He is the Lord of your life, you are going to do what He tells you to do.
If asked what I consider to be the most important word in the Christian vocabulary, I would say, "Obedience." We move forward in our spiritual growth in direct proportion to our obedience to the revealed truth of God's Word.
I like to read the account of Elijah's response to God in 1 Kings 17 and 18. The Word of the Lord came to Elijah, and he did what God told him to do. Several times God spoke and Elijah obeyed. As a result of his obedience, Elijah was used in a powerful way to exalt God's name. His response to God's Word was always immediate and exact. He did precisely what God told him to do as soon as God told him to do it. Remember that delayed obedience is the same as disobedience. Lordship involves obedience.
Jesus raised an important question: "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say" (Luke 6:46, NKJV)? Are you doing what the Lord has instructed you to do? Are you doing it immediately and exactly? Are you obeying God?
Thank you Owens if you were alive today I would be proud to shake your hand. Congratulations on winning and breaking records, Owens you showed them!....
What Does It Mean to Say That Jesus Christ is Lord?
For Jesus to be Lord of your life means that He is the ruler, the boss, and the master of your whole life. He cannot be Lord of a part — He must be given control of the entire life - the whole life.
When thinking about the whole life of a person, we must think of various parts that make up a person. Paul wrote, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" I Thess. 5:23, (NJKV). Paul makes it plain that the whole person is made up of spirit, soul, and body. A person has an inner, private, unseen-to-the-natural-eye aspect of life and he has an outer, visible, and public life that is seen and heard by those with whom he comes in contact day by day. Jesus desires to be Lord of the seen and the unseen, the visible and the invisible, the private aspects of our life and the public aspects of our life. He wants to be Lord of our spiritual life and of our physical life.
The inner sanctuary, the spirit and soul, contains the mind, the emotion, and the will. It is in our spirit and soul that we think, feel, choose, decide, dream, and plan. Battles are fought and won or lost on the battleground of our private life. Is Jesus Lord over this area of your life?
The writer of Proverbs said. "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7, NKJV). In Proverbs 4:23, he wrote, "Keep your hearts with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life" (NKJV).
Don't underestimate the importance of our private life. Although more attention is often given to the physical body, our true spiritual health is determined by the spirit and soul — not the body.
The outward life expresses the inner life. The outward life involves our eyes, our ears, our lips, our hands, our feet, our entire body. Our public life is expressed by what we see, what we say, what we hear, where we go, and what we do. It is so important that Jesus be Lord over our public life.
We need to see public life in the context of home life, the workplace, the classroom, and the neighborhood. We need to see it in its relationship with friends, family, work colleagues, neighbors, and classmates. We need to see it in its attitude toward possessions, obligations, responsibilities, and the use of time and resources.
If we agree with the view of S. M. Zwemer ("If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all"), then there are many areas of life that must come under His lordship. Is Jesus Lord of your thoughts? Is Jesus Lord of your emotions? Is Jesus Lord of your speech, of your relationships, of your possessions? Is Jesus Christ Lord of your whole life?
Good morning hplady thank you so very much for these two songs so glad we have Erny and a few other old gospel singers we can go to for more of those old songs In the church today I have not heard those old songs any longer. They now feel the need to cater to the young. I am not even able to remember the melody and they are so very monotonous. A lot of what is sung today is repeated 5-10 times it is called worshiping songs. Frankly, when they start the third time around I lose it. To me, it is hypnotic, not a good thing. So I stopped going to church as also the preaching is not like the good old days The last preacher told all about his wonderful vacation it was the end for me. Yes, this blog is still going without the help of feedback as it works in other blogs. Remember when I told you in the beginning I would stop and you told me to keep going? Now it is almost two years later, well the Lord is in charge and that clearly shows, as He helps me to find new subjects all the time............
What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer
Oh, what peace we often forfeit Oh, what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged Take it to the Lord in prayer Can we find a friend so faithful
Jesus knows our every weakness Take it to the Lord in prayer
Listen to me a minute Are we weak and heavy laden? Are we cumbered with a load, a load of care? Well, the precious Savior is still our refuge Let's take it to the Lord in prayer
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer In His arms, He'll take and shield you You will find a solace there
What a friend we have in Jesus All our sins and griefs to bear What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer
The Hand of God Little Philip was spending the weekend with his grandmother after a particularly trying week in school. His grandmother decided to take him to the park on Saturday morning. It had been snowing all night and everything was beautiful.
His grandmother commented, 'Doesn't it look like an artist painted this scenery? Did you know God painted this just for you?'
'Yes, 'replied Philip, 'God did it and he did it left-handed.'
This confused his grandmother so she asked him, 'What makes you say God did this with his left hand?' 'Well, 'said Philip, 'we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus sits on God's right hand.'
Bible Study; Richard, my friend's little grandson came home from Sunday School and I asked him what they had studied. His reply was, 'Nothing.'
So I asked him, 'Didn't you study Jesus?'
Richard's reply was, 'No, he wasn't even there.'
A joyfull heart is good medicine..............Province 17.22......
The Bible says believers shall reign with Christ as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. And where will they reign with Christ? In Revelation 5 speaking of the resurrected saints, the Bible says.....
Revelation 5:10, "You have made them be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the EARTH" (NIV).
Where will they reign? What will they be? What is the eternal reward for the saved? God has an incredible, active reward for believers as kings and priests reigning with Jesus right here on a recreated earthly paradise with a fresh new sky and enough land for all people throughout the world.
Revelation 21:1 , "And I saw a new heaven and a new EARTH: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, COMING DOWN from God OUT OF HEAVEN, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
John 14:2-3, "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 unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "
Jesus has gone to the Third Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4) to prepare paradise for His Elect. He is preparing the new Jerusalem filled with many mansions. He brings it all down with him to a new earth when he returns. He tells believers that where He is they will also be. Jesus will be on the earth. Paradise will be on the earth. God will be on the earth. The Bible says the reward for the saints is eternal life with Jesus and God the Father in the Kingdom of God right here on earth. The tabernacle of GOD will be on the EARTH! Revelation 21:3, "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them...."
Revelation 21:23, "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. "The Bible repeatedly refers to Christians as heirs. They are to inherit the promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. They are inheritors right here on earth where they will reign with Christ. This is what the Bible says.
Romans 4:13, "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith."
Looking for the one who spoke 15 languages I came across one who speaks 24 languages I started to put it with yours but realized that you had a different topic in mind so changed my mind. You should with your message hopefully to get rid of the language police who show up now and then.
We also face consequences in heaven for what we do here on earth as believers. Again, our salvation is not in question, but the level of rewards we will receive in heaven depends on how we serve God while on earth. This is made most clear in 1 Corinthians 3:9-17:
For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.”' Note that in this passage, believers are compared to a building. The foundation of our salvation is Jesus Christ. What we do in this life to serve God (the building) will be tested when we go to heaven. If we have not served God, which would include a believer continuing in sin, then our works will not pass the test. They will be like wood and straw, useless and burned up in the testing fire.
With nothing to show for our lives in service to God, we will still be saved (v. 15), but we will lose any potential rewards. If we have lived a life in service to God, bearing fruit that lasts, our work will be like gold and precious stones, surviving God’s testing fire. This will lead to rewards in heaven. For more information on rewards, please read our Eternal Rewards series.
Finally, it's worth noting that not everyone who claims to be a believer is truly saved. Occasionally, someone may claim to be a Christian when they have not truly been born again by faith in Jesus Christ. In such a case, the person will continue sinning without repentance because they lack the Holy Spirit to convict them or the new nature that seeks to please God. Since it may not be possible to discern the difference between a disobedient Christian and an unbeliever who continues in sin, we should refrain from making judgments or drawing conclusions concerning a person's salvation based solely on their behavior.
One great hymn writer said, “I often say my prayers. But do I ever pray? And do the wishes of my heart go with the words I say? I may as well kneel down and worship gods of stone, as offer to the living God a prayer of words alone. For words without the heart the Lord will never hear, nor will He to those lips attend whose prayers are not sincere. Lord teach me what I need, and teach me how to pray; Nor let me ask thy grace, not feeling what I say.”
One way to examine the current condition of your heart is to pray for more of Him and wait on Him in prayer. Are you willing to wait for more of His presence? Do you cry out all night to know Him? Your mouth can say, “Lord I want to know you but if you leave after 5 minutes, does that show a heart that truly wants to know Him?
You say the right words, but is your heart right? One thing I always say in prayer is “Lord I don’t want religion I want a relationship.” Sometimes my heart is so burdened and I say, “Lord I won’t make it through the night if I don’t have You.”
Deuteronomy 4:29 “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Matthew 15:8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Psalm 130:6 “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.”
Religion robs us of the love of God?
God wants you to understand His love. We often think that God wants us to do something for Him. No! He wants your relationship with Him to be characterized by love and not duty. Do you have a genuine love for the Lord? Are you missing out on God’s love? When we miss out on God’s love and substitute religion for a relationship, then we can end up being mean-spirited, grumpy, judgmental, prideful, and loveless.
I know of many Pharisees who say they know the love of God but they live as if they are in chains. Their life is filled with a false sense of condemnation and hate. Why live like that? Maybe you are a pastor and you fear the Lord, you obey Him, you do things for Him, you pray to Him, but do you genuinely love Him? We treat God like a loveless earthly father.
When your father is loveless or he never tells you about his love for you, then you feel as if you have to do more to gain his love. Does this sound like your relationship with God? Have your grown bitter over the years? The only reason we can love is because God loved us so much. Have you ever sat down and thought about that? The love that you use to love others and the love that you use to love Him is from His great love for you. We will never understand His great love for us.
I feel as if God just wants to tell us “shut up for just a moment and get to know My love for you. I love you.” It’s so hard to truly understand the love of God when we are searching for it in the wrong places. He loves you, not based on what you can do for Him, but because of who He is and what He has done for you in the finished work of Christ. Sometimes we have to just stop for a second, be still, and sit in His presence.
When you go to prayer from now on, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand His love. Pray for more of His presence. When we are in fellowship with God and our hearts are aligned with Him we will feel His love. Many preachers don’t know the love of God and have lost His presence because many have stopped spending time with Him. Examine yourself, renew your mind, and truly seek Christ daily.
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, and how they grow: They neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and to- morrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow- row, for tomorrow, will worry about its own things.
Goodmorning Gee, this has to be with CS. At the bottom of your inbox, it says; Staff. Please tell them about this problem. I never heard of this before......................................jenny.........
Best of any other show on. I felt like you do about Jennings but he started to grow on me. I am looking forward to the fall as the champions will play then. Mayim is okay in my book......................................jenny
Keys to identifying New Jerusalem New Jerusalem is in heaven. Each time the Bible mentions New Jerusalem, it is said to come down from heaven, where angels guard the city’s gates. (Revelation 3:?12; 21:?2, 10, 12) Also, the city’s great size proves that it could not be on earth. It is a cube measuring “12,000 stadia,” or “furlongs,” around. * (Revelation 21:16; King James Version) Its sides would thus be almost 560 kilometers (350 mi) high, extending into space.
New Jerusalem is made up of a group of Jesus’ followers, the bride of Christ. New Jerusalem is called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” (Revelation 21:?9, 10) In this symbolic description, the Lamb refers to Jesus Christ. (John 1:?29; Revelation 5:?12) “The Lamb’s wife,” Christ’s bride, represents Christians who will be united with Jesus in heaven. The Bible likens the relationship between Jesus and these Christians to that of a husband and wife. (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:?23-?25) In addition, the foundation stones of New Jerusalem are inscribed with “the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:14) This detail helps to confirm the identity of New Jerusalem since Christians who are called to live in heaven are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.”?—Ephesians 2:?20.
New Jerusalem is part of a government. Ancient Jerusalem was the capital of Israel, the place where King David, his son Solomon, and their descendants ruled “on Jehovah’s throne.” (1 Chronicles 29:23) Jerusalem, called “the holy city,” thus represented God’s rulership in the family line of David. (Nehemiah 11:1) New Jerusalem, also called “the holy city,” is made up of those who join Jesus in heaven “to rule as kings over the earth.”?—Revelation 5:?9, 10; 21:2.
New Jerusalem brings blessings to people on earth. New Jerusalem is depicted as “coming down out of heaven from God,” showing that God uses it to affect matters outside of heaven. (Revelation 21:2) This expression links New Jerusalem with God’s Kingdom, which God uses to accomplish his will “as in heaven, also on earth.” (Matthew 6:?10) God’s purpose for people on earth includes these blessings:
Removal of sin. “A river of water of life” flows from New Jerusalem and supports “trees of life” that are “for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:?1, 2) This physical and spiritual healing will remove sin and enable people to gain perfect life, as God originally intended.?—Romans 8:?21.
Good relations between God and humankind. Sin has alienated humans from God. (Isaiah 59:2) The removal of sin will allow for the complete fulfillment of this prophecy: “The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them.”?—Revelation 21:3.
The end of suffering and death. By means of his Kingdom, God “will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.”?—Revelation 21:4.
Weatherly beautifully emphasises the contrast between Jesus’ true identity as the triumphant Messiah from the first verse and the surprising reality of his death on the cross in the second verse. Paul writes of this same contrast, that Jesus “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8) The crowd on Palm Sunday expected their Messiah to restore the glory of Jerusalem immediately; they missed the fact what humanity most needs from our Messiah was one who will die in our place, taking the punishment we rightfully deserve in hell. While the significance of the cross may have been lost on the crowd, Weatherly depicts heaven’s continued acknowledgement of the Messiah’s glory as he hangs on the cross: “Hark! How the Angels sing...”
And once again the scene was changed New earth there seemed to be I saw the Holy City Beside the tideless sea The light of God was on its streets The gates were open wide And all who would might enter And no one was denied
No need of moon or stars by night Or sun to shine by day It was the new Jerusalem That would not pass away "Jerusalem! Jerusalem Sing for the night is o'er Hosanna in the highest Hosanna for evermore!"
I love this third verse and how it points to the hope to which Christians look! Weatherly alludes to Revelation 21:23-25 which describes the new Jerusalem after Jesus’ second coming, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendour into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.” (Also read Revelation 21:1-4 for more glorious detail about the new Jerusalem!) From the very beginning Jerusalem was intended to embody a place where the presence of God could dwell with humanity, something that was broken by sin way back in Genesis 3 at the Fall. In the new Jerusalem this is finally and fully restored. Why didn’t God restore Jerusalem when Jesus first entered the city on Palm Sunday? Because God can only dwell with us when our hearts are purified and transformed by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and resurrection life. How come the new Jerusalem still hasn’t arrived? Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
What was started at the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday was made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and will be finally completed when God dwells with his people who have transformed and purified hearts. I hope this song will go on reminding you of the amazing grace our Messiah has offered us by dying for our sins and promising us resurrection hope.
THE HOLY CITY Last night I lay a sleeping There came a dream so fair I stood in old Jerusalem Beside the temple there I heard the children singing And ever as they sang I thought the voice of Angels From Heaven in answer rang
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Lift up your gates and sing Hosanna in the highest Hosanna to your King!" And then I thought my dream was chang'd The streets no longer rang Hush'd were the glad Hosannas The little children sang
The sun grew dark with mystery The morn was cold and chill As the shadow of a cross arose Upon a lonely hill "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Hark! How the Angels sing Hosanna in the highest Hosanna to your King!"
And once again the scene was chang'd New earth there seem'd to be I saw the Holy City Beside the tideless sea The light of god was on its streets The gates were open wide And all who would might enter And no one was denied
No need of moon or stars by night Or sun to shine by day It was the new Jerusalem That would not pass away "Jerusalem! Jerusalem Sing for the night is o'er Hosanna in the highest Hosanna for evermore
I’ve wandered far away from God, Now I’m coming home; The paths of sin too long I’ve trod, Lord, I’m coming home.
Refrain
Coming home, coming home, Nevermore to roam, Open wide Thine arms of love, Lord, I’m coming home.
I’ve wasted many precious years, Now I’m coming home; I now repent with bitter tears, Lord, I’m coming home.
Refrain
I’m tired of sin and straying, Lord, Now I’m coming home; I’ll trust Thy love, believe Thy Word, Lord, I’m coming home.
Refrain
My soul is sick, my heart is sore, Now I’m coming home; My strength renew, my hope restore, Lord, I’m coming home.
Refrain
My only hope, my only plea, Now I’m coming home; That Jesus died and died for me. Lord, I’m coming home.
Refrain
I need His cleansing blood, I know, Now I’m coming home; O wash me whiter than the snow, Lord, I’m coming home.
Lord, I’m Coming Home Hymn Story This hymn is a composition by William J Kirkpatrick (February 27, 1838 – September 20, 1921).
He was born in Ireland but later immigrated to the United States where he spent most of his life.
This song was inspired by an event that took place at one of the Methodist camp meetings that William Kirkpatrick attended in the United States.
During that camp meeting, William Kirkpatrick helped in the music section of the camp meeting. He was responsible for selecting musicians for the services etc.
He, however, noted that one of the soloists would immediately leave after performing the chosen song without listening to the sermon.
Kirkpatrick suspected that this young man had not yet given his life to the Lord.
One evening while praying a song started to form in his head. He immediately jotted down the lyrics which now form this song, “Lord I’m Coming Home”.
Later that evening he gave the song to the young soloist. The words of this song so convicted the young that he stayed behind that day to listen to the sermon.
When the preacher gave the altar call, the young man gave his heart to the Lord.
I smoked for 20 years and loved smoking so much would at times not eat my lunch but would smoke One day a young girl I had never met before came up to me in church and said; How do you know that the Lord does not have something really good for you if you quit smoking. I just shrugged and smoked another two years. In 1984 for no reason I understood, I stopped smoking cold turkey. Three weeks later I met Hugo, we were married for 21 years and four days. It was then I remembered what that girl had told me in church two years earlier. It was a prophecy................
Self-confidence equals security What is the spirit of security but a deep belief in yourself? What is insecurity but a lack of faith in one's own ability?
How do you give people a sense of security? By giving them a chance to build faith in themselves! Self-reliance and self-confidence are real security. When Communism collects people together and spares them from the possibility of poverty, is it really offering security? It is perhaps eliminating the fear of poverty and starvation, but the absence of fear is no proof of courage.
Play-it-safe people may not be afraid. But this does not mean that they are brave. What would happen if they had to face danger? Suddenly they would discover that they lacked real courage. Communism offers counterfeit security, for real security is self-confidence.
The priceless gift of self-confidence can only be acquired when you succeed after being exposed to possible failure. Exposure to risk is the only route to real self- confidence. Self-confidence cannot be inherited. It must be earned by each individual, each generation, and each new regime. And the only way to earn it is by taking a noble risk, an honorable chance, a glorified gamble. Self-confidence cannot be taught; it must be caught! And risk-running, and chance-taking, is the only way to catch it. Mountain-moving faith succeeds in building self-confidence through chance-taking. Without self-confidence, faith will never muster and demonstrate mountain-moving power.
Atheists who found Jesus - Hello fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I was saved in high school, and have been a Christian for about twelve years. I was blessed to have grown up in a Christian home. I have a close friend who is a strong atheist, and even though they have been coming to church for a few years, they have yet to believe in Him. I pray and hope that this friend will come to know God. I believe that God brought them to set foot in our church for a purpose. I am thankful that my friend is still coming to church, despite their reluctance to come to faith. I am praying almost every day for this friend, and I am trying to be a good friend by showing that I care. I fully understand that God is in ultimate control over this, and He is the only one who can change my friend's heart.
An Atheist who came to know Christ. I was an atheist for most of my teenage years. Then I began doing more reading on topics such as philosophy and also began to research various scientific topics to do with the balance of nature. One day I sort of decided that all of these things most likely couldn't just happen on their own and I shifted to a more agnostic outlook. This laid the groundwork I would say for my future conversion. Whereas before I was more hedonistic and nihilist and convinced that nothing had any meaning whatsoever, I began to think more about the concept of God and how tired I was of nothing in my life making any sense.
Well, one month I decided I was going to read the Bible and went into it from a purely philosophical standpoint. During that time I was going through a lot of rough stuff in my personal life. A breakup followed by some brief legal trouble, losing my job, all of the classic hard times. One evening I decided to pray. Afterward, I felt this sense of peace, almost a stoic outlook in the face of all that had gone wrong in my life recently. I realized that this was Christ working in my life and helping me to cope with things. After that point, things began to get better and even when things were bad, I was able to find peace and respite in prayer and the Bible. Not only that, but during my nightly reading of the Bible, I found that many of the verses I read seemed tailor-made to the situation I was going through. I found it odd that every night, I would find that verse or line in the Bible that could be applied to the current state of my life. Then I understood when people referred to the Bible as a 'living book', you can open it to any page and find something that will bring you comfort, hope, or help you to learn.
I'm still a very flawed person and I often have my doubts and I haven't been to church in years, but I make it a point to pray twice a day and speak to Christ as if I'm speaking to an old friend and he has helped me through a lot of lousy, awful days...................
either Jesus was lying or mad, in which Christianity was of no importance, or he telling the truth, in which case Christianity is the most important thing in the world.
read a bit about it, I’d recommend the case for Christ by Lee Strobel and Cold Case Christianity by Jim Warner Wallace, both are accounts of what convinced two atheists to convert to Christianity.
online today!bcjenny Blog Comments (4,330)
R.i.P. Doughboy............
............................jenny
What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
What Does It Involve to Say That Jesus Christ Is Lord?
What must a person do in order for Jesus Christ to be the Lord of his life? The easy answer is, "Yield your life to Him." This involves taking your hands off the controls of your life and allowing Him to be in control.
Such an important question requires more than a surface answer. For Jesus to become Lord of a person's life involves absolute and total surrender. I can think of no better example of total surrender than F. B. Meyer. He was a Baptist preacher and pastor of Christ Church in the heart of London in the nineteenth century. In the midst of a successful ministry, F. B. Meyer confessed that something was lacking in his life and ministry. J.H. Jowett recounts the following story: "Dr. Meyer has told us that his early Christian life was marred and his ministry paralyzed just because he had kept back one thing from the bunch of keys he had given to the Lord. Every key save one! The key of one room was kept for personal use, and the Lord shut it out. The effect of the incomplete consecration was found in lack of power, lack of assurance, lack of joy, and peace. The joy of the Lord begins when we hand over the last key. We sit with Christ on His throne as soon as we have surrendered our crowns, and made Him sole and only ruler of our life and its possessions."3
F. B. Meyer experienced the lordship of Jesus Christ when he handed over the last key. He had kept back the key to one room in his life and it brought great defeat. Remember, if He is not Lord of all (of every room), then He is not Lord at all. Have you yielded keys to every room in your life? Does He have the key to every room in your private life? Does He have the key to every room in your physical/ public life? Is there a room marked "private — keep out?" If so, you must be willing to surrender that key to the Lord.
There is a second element to yielding our lives to the Lord. In addition to absolute surrender, there must also be an acknowledgment of His ownership. Paul addressed the subject of ownership in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which is God's" (NJKV).
We are not our own. We were bought at a price. We belong to Jesus. We are His purchased possession. When a person yields to the lordship of Jesus Christ, he or she acknowledges His ownership and gives up his or her personal rights.
Yielding to the lordship of Jesus Christ also involves total and unreserved obedience. If He is the Lord of your life, you are going to do what He tells you to do.
If asked what I consider to be the most important word in the Christian vocabulary, I would say, "Obedience." We move forward in our spiritual growth in direct proportion to our obedience to the revealed truth of God's Word.
I like to read the account of Elijah's response to God in 1 Kings 17 and 18. The Word of the Lord came to Elijah, and he did what God told him to do. Several times God spoke and Elijah obeyed. As a result of his obedience, Elijah was used in a powerful way to exalt God's name. His response to God's Word was always immediate and exact. He did precisely what God told him to do as soon as God told him to do it. Remember that delayed obedience is the same as disobedience. Lordship involves obedience.
Jesus raised an important question: "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say" (Luke 6:46, NKJV)? Are you doing what the Lord has instructed you to do? Are you doing it immediately and exactly? Are you obeying God?