Topic > Christian Beliefs
A powerful exchange between Jesus and a religious lawyer
The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the greatest short stories Jesus ever told. Today we take a look at the stirring conclusion to a powerful exchange.
Unshackled From My Sin For Good
Sin. This three-letter word dominated my life. Although I called myself a Christian, I committed the same sins over and over again: watching pornographic movies, smoking, and drinking strong liquor.
A narrow-minded heart exposed
Teachers cringe at this question from their students: “Is this going to be on the test?” This question reveals to teachers that the students have focused their interest on getting a good grade, rather than learning. Join us on “Discover the Word” as we discuss why Jesus told the classic story of the Good Samaritan.
One of the most familiar stories Jesus ever told
Questions and answers. Sometimes we ask questions we already know the answer to. Sometimes we ask questions to reveal what the other person does not know! Today on “Discover the Word,” we explore how Jesus used questions and answers to reveal a man’s heart. Don’t miss this insightful conversation.
Reflecting God’s Glory
The 12th-century Chinese artist Li Tang painted landscapes animated with people, birds, and water buffalo. Because of his genius with fine line sketches on silk, Li Tang is considered a master of Chinese landscape art. For centuries, artists from around the world have depicted what they see in God’s art gallery of creation: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1). The Bible tells us that our creativity as human beings comes from being made in the image of the Master Creator (Gen. 1:27).
God chose artists who worked with wood, gold, silver, bronze,…
Jesus, a master communicator
In as little as eight verses, Jesus turned the tables on a religious lawyer seeking to embarrass Him. Discover how Jesus god straight to the heart in all His interactions as we continue our series on the Good Samaritan.
An unexpected hero
As Jesus began telling the story of the Good Samaritan, his audience more than likely had expected a different hero than the one they got. Join us on “Discover the Word” as we take a look at Luke 10 to reveal the story-telling strategy of Jesus. Why does it seem that all the wrong characters in the story are getting things right?
Baking with Jess
One morning as Lilia prepared for work, her 4-year-old daughter Jess set to work too. The family had purchased a conveyor toaster, and the concept of cycling bread through the small countertop oven fascinated Jess. Minutes later, Lilia discovered a loaf and a half of toast piled on the counter. “I’m a very good baker!” Jess declared.
It’s no miracle that an inquisitive girl could turn bread into toast. But when Jesus transformed a boy’s five loaves and two fish into a meal for thousands, the crowd on the hillside recognized the miraculous nature of the event and wanted to make…
Silent Helper
The discovery of penicillin revolutionized health care. Prior to the 1940s, bacterial infections were often fatal. Since then, penicillin has saved countless lives by killing harmful bacteria. The men who recognized its potential and developed it for widespread use won a Nobel Prize in 1945.
Long before the discovery of penicillin, other silent killers were at work saving lives by destroying bacteria. These silent killers are white blood cells. These hard workers are God’s way of protecting us from disease. No one knows how many invasions they have stopped or how many lives they have saved. They receive little recognition for…
Einstein and Jesus
We remember Albert Einstein for more than his disheveled hair, big eyes, and witty charm. We know him as the genius and physicist who changed the way we see the world. His famous formula of E=mc2 revolutionized scientific thought and brought us into the nuclear age. Through his “Special Theory of Relativity” he reasoned that since everything in the universe is in motion, all knowledge is a matter of perspective. He believed that the speed of light is the only constant by which we can measure space, time, or physical mass.
Long before Einstein, Jesus talked about the role of light…
Not Again!
As I was reading the text message on my mobile phone, my temperature started to rise and my blood began to boil. I was on the verge of shooting back a nasty message when an inner voice told me to cool down and reply tomorrow. The next morning after a good night’s sleep, the issue that had upset me so greatly seemed so trivial. I had blown it out of proportion because I didn’t want to put another person’s interest before my own. I was unwilling to inconvenience myself so I could help someone.
Regretfully, I am tempted to respond…
How worry strangles our faith
I think it’s safe to say that there are plenty of things you could worry about. However, we are reminded that worry can strangle our faith. Don’t miss this important conversation on saying “no” to worry as we continue our series.
Friendship in Our Fast-Paced Society
I’ll be the first to say that if there was ever an award for “Worst Friend”, I would win first place. There have been times when I was so caught up with my work, I forgot my friends even existed. If I was not busy replying to work-related text messages, then I was constantly checking my email.
A Portrait of Jesus
In Portraits of Famous American Women, Robert Henkes writes, “A portrait is not a photograph, nor is it a mirror image.” A portrait goes beyond the outer appearance to probe the emotional depth of the human soul. In a portrait, a true artist tries “to capture what the person is really about.”
Over the centuries, many portraits have been painted of Jesus. Perhaps you’ve seen them in a church or museum of art or even have one in your home. Not one of these is a true portrait, of course, because we have no photograph or mirror image of our Lord’s…
Debits and Credits
When my husband was teaching an accounting class at a local college, I took one of the tests just for fun to see how well I could do. The results were not good. I answered every question wrong. The reason for my failure was that I started with a faulty understanding of a basic banking concept. I reversed debits and credits.
We sometimes get our debits and credits confused in the spiritual realm as well. When we blame Satan for everything that goes wrong—whether it’s bad weather, a jammed printer, or financial trouble—we’re actually giving him credit that he doesn’t…
