Discover how to handle some of the gray areas of faith
Over the decades, football Sunday has become a national affair. But when we watch sports on a Sunday, does that mean we’re lessening the value of it being the Lord’s Day?
Yes, God Is In Control
By Morentalisa Hutapea, Indonesia When I was in university, I once had a discussion with my professor on Facebook. He wrote a status saying: “Looking at the bad things happening on earth such as genocide and wars, I would say either God does not exist or He does not have control or He is that [...]
Hard Way To Strength
Diamonds are beautiful and valuable gemstones, but their beginning is common carbon—black, dirty, and combustible. Through years of intense heat and high pressure, they become pure and strong. This makes them a good metaphor for spiritual strength; God uses intense outside forces to rid us of impurities and to perfect His strength in us.
Let’s look at Romans 14 to gain a fresh understanding of church unity
It can be easy to judge someone with a different view from our own. And if we’re not careful, our words and the labels we assign to those people can cause serious damage.
Read Backwards
I confess that I sometimes read the end of a book before I read the beginning. Doing so allows me to know which characters live and which characters don’t. When I know how it will turn out, I’m able to relax and thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the story and the characters.
A revealing discussion about unity in the church
When an issue is debated in church, we are quick to explain our convictions. But are we just as fast to stand up for unity? Let's discuss why it’s often easier to focus on our Christian differences rather than on Christlike harmony.
Visible Love
By Ruth Lawrence, UK Did you know that, according to Wikipedia, it was estimated that there would be 2.2 billion Christians worldwide at the turn of the century? This figure equates to about one-third of the world’s population, which is quite a large proportion. Imagine, if all of these 2.2 billion Christians were active conduits [...]
Warning Sign
On a sandy beach in Uruguay, giant concrete fingers partially submerged in sand reach up toward the sky. It is called the Monument to the Drowned. Locals just call it La Mano, “The Hand.” It was created by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal as a warning to swimmers about the danger of drowning.
That’s Jesus!
As a Jewish kid growing up in New York, Michael Brown had no interest in spiritual things. His life revolved around being a drummer for a band, and he got mixed up with drugs. But then some friends invited him to church, where he found the love and prayers of the people to be irresistible. After a short spiritual struggle, Michael trusted Jesus as Savior.
How to stay united even when we don’t agree
What are some of the hot topics that really get your blood boiling? Let's discuss some of the things followers of Christ argue about.
(Not) Always Coca-Cola
By Tracy Phua, 22, Singapore It was at least 35 degree Celsius. The sun was shining brightly in the sky—too brightly, I felt. The altitude of the land made the heat all the more unbearable. I could feel my skin slowly getting charred by the unusually strong UV rays. And then I saw it. A [...]
The Winding Road
A Sweet and Bitter Providence, John Piper offers these thoughts about God’s providence and guidance: “Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. . . . God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.”
Following the example of our heavenly Father can help us find unity with the people in our lives
In spite of our hang-ups, quirks, and blatant flaws, God welcomed us into His family with open arms! Our study in Romans 14 continues.
Stand Firm
As our final project for a high school earth science class, a friend and I built a stream table. With extensive help from my father, we built a long plywood box with a hinge in the middle. Then we lined it with plastic and filled it with sand. At one end we attached a hose. At the other end was a drainage hole. After assembling all of it, we raised one end of the stream table, turned on the water, and watched as it created a path directly to the hole at the other end. The next part of the experiment was to place a rock in the stream and watch how it changed the path of the water.
A Wedding, Two Funerals, and A Birth
By Amanda Wong We were looking forward to 2008 being a great year for the Lee family. Cousin Peng had announced that he would marry his longtime fiancée, Marilyn, on January 8—an auspicious date according to Chinese tradition. With the year starting on such a bright note, we believed that more glad tidings would follow. [...]
