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Discover how it’s our very brokenness that makes us candidates for serving the Lord
Ever feel like all the flaws in your family history make you ineligible for God’s work? Maybe you’ve heard God’s call for your life, but don’t feel qualified to accept. It’s the conclusion of the series “The Beauty of Broken.
Loved To Love
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life was at risk every day he stayed in Hitler’s Germany, but he stayed nonetheless. I imagine he shared the apostle Paul’s view that being in heaven was his heart’s desire, but staying where he was needed was God’s present purpose (Phil. 1:21). So stay he did; as a pastor he offered clandestine worship services and resisted the evil regime under Hitler.
Faith at Work
Many believers long to find ways to better integrate their faith and work. Some feel as though they are in a second-class role because they were not called into full-time Christian ministry. Some struggle with identifying their purpose, calling, and giftedness; having no role model; knowing how to integrate faith and work; and knowing how to share and defend faith in the workplace. As a result, these believers are frustrated and can fall short of fully integrating their faith with their work.
If this has been your experience, get ready to be encouraged. These five lessons will help you reflect on…
Tell It On The Mountain
I was surprised to see a nationally distributed news article commending a group of teenage snowboarders who hold weekly church services on a Colorado ski slope. In the Summit Daily News, Kimberly Nicoletti’s story captured a wide audience with her account of teens who love to snowboard and to tell how Jesus changed their lives. Undergirding the teenagers is a Christian youth organization equipping them to demonstrate God’s love.
The Eleventh Hour
World War I has been ranked by many as one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. Millions lost their lives in the first global modern war. On November 11, 1918, a ceasefire was observed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. During that historic moment, millions around the world observed moments of silence while they reflected upon the war’s terrible cost—the loss of life and suffering. It was hoped that “the Great War,” as it was called, would truly be “the war that would end all wars.”
Let’s look at the story of Mary of Bethany to see how simply embracing God’s love can change the world
Faced with the overwhelming evils and ills of a broken world, it’s difficult to see how we could possibly make a difference. We want to help, but just don’t know how. Join with us in this brand-new study.
An Important Command
When asked by a lawyer to identify the most important rule in life, Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). In those words, Jesus summed up what God most desires from us.
Great Expectations
I once asked a counselor what the major issues were that brought people to him. Without hesitation he said, “The root of many problems is broken expectations; if not dealt with, they mature into anger and bitterness.”
In our best moments, it’s easy to expect that we will find ourselves in a good place surrounded by good people who like and affirm us.
Discover what it means to represent God’s heavenly kingdom
A good ambassador will faithfully promote the priorities of their native country, all while living on foreign soil. Insightful lessons from the book of Matthew.
Let’s dig deeper into the gospel of Jesus, and the grace and forgiveness we find there
Well, here’s the bad news, we’re all sinners. Everyone has broken God’s law and deserves the appropriate consequences! But hang on, ’cause there’s good news as well!
True Greatness
Some people feel like a small pebble lost in the immensity of a canyon. But no matter how insignificant we judge ourselves to be, we can be greatly used by God.
In a sermon early in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. quoted Jesus’ words from Mark 10 about servanthood. Then he said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.
The ideal way to wrap up any message!
A good preacher knows that you need a good start to a sermon, and a strong finish as well! Let's study how Jesus concluded His Sermon on the Mount.
As Below, So Above
The Roman paganism of Jesus’ day taught that the actions of gods in the heavens above affected the earth below. If Zeus got angry, thunderbolts shot out. “As above, so below,” went the ancient formula.
Jesus, though, sometimes inverted that. He taught: As below, so above. A believer prays, and heaven responds. A sinner repents, and the angels rejoice. A mission succeeds, and God is glorified. A believer rebels, and the Holy Spirit is grieved.
The Hidden Life
Some years ago, I came across a poem by George MacDonald titled, “The Hidden Life.” It tells the story of an intellectually gifted young Scot who turned his back on a prestigious academic career to return to his aging father and to the family farm. There he engaged in what MacDonald called, “ordinary deeds” and “simple forms of human helpfulness.” His friends lamented what they saw as a waste of his talents.
Three Different Parables With One Lesson: Be Prepared
The return of Jesus Christ should not only keep us watching but find us working. Matthew 24:45-51; Matthew 25:1-13; Matthew 25:14-30
To help listeners understand that believing in the return of Jesus Christ has consequences for the way we live.
Do you think much about the future? What do you think about?
Does it matter very much in the way you live today?
Does the way you think about the future now differ very much from how you thought about the future in the past?
As a Christian who takes the Bible seriously, what do you know for sure about the future?
What difference should that make?
In Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus tells us three parables.
One is about two servants in charge of a household.
Another is about ten young women who could not stay awake before a wedding.
And another is about some slaves who were given a great deal of money to invest.
