January 2011
61 posts
7 tags
God Said 'Do Not Murder', So Stop Killing People
We are quick to use a lot of labels in the Body of Christ, almost as quick as we are to judge something we do not understand. We are quick to forget where we come from and what temptations or demons we struggle with in our own life. That is not to make it sound like there is a demon behind every lamp post or that our lives are filled with deception. It is only a recognition that there can be a...
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Encouragers In The Approaching Storm: Life and...
Encouragement is an incredible thing, so powerful to change timid hearts and provoke us to great things. Each of us has the potential for great things but often the difference is the people who surround us. What are they speaking into our lives? Are they lifting us up? Are they speaking God’s Word into our life? Do they realize the awesome power of God to make us more than we are? Or do...
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Don't Fall Asleep Now! The Storm Of All Storms Is...
There is no doubt that hard times lay ahead for the disciples of Jesus. For many years the Church has enjoyed freedom to worship God and serve humanity. Even if some people did not adhere to the teachings of Jesus they maintained a level of respect for those who did. However, like any segment of society, the Church’s history is filled with the abuse of power by men who had no interest in...
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Living / Worshiping By The Spirit And Truth
I realize I may be repeating myself this morning but it is a subject worth repeating. God has given us some great means of knowing him but there is none greater than the Bible. I am not going to go all heavy on statistics and such but a simple appeal to the heart of any believer who reads this. We cannot understand the heart of God without knowing the Word of God. Despite the ongoing attacks and...
8 tags
Following Jesus Is As Complicated As 1, 2, 3
Serving God, following Jesus, being a disciple of Jesus is not such a complicated thing. We complicate it. We complicate it because we try to make it an easy thing. I said it wasn’t complicated, I didn’t say it was easy. It is like at our school; the rules are not complicated but they are not always easy either. They can be summed up in one word: respect. If every student kept that...
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You Are In error Because You Do Not Know The...
It is amazing some of the crazy questions people will come up with about God just to avoid the obvious ones. People would rather discuss whether God is actually a woman, why he would allow evil in the world, and if Jesus had a beard, then to discuss the more important matters of the heart. Most atheists do not know exactly why they do not believe, they just don’t believe. They look at the...
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It's Not An Easy Thing Living Here And Belonging...
It is not easy living in this world when we belong to another place. We have to be constantly aware of our environment and it’s effects on us while holding on to who we are and where we belong. Sometimes the differences are subtle and we miss them and other times they are huge and scream at us. If we are not careful, if we do not keep reminding ourselves, if we do not keep our heart with...
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Don't Mess Around With The Invitation, And Don't...
Everyone loves a good wedding. Yesterday my wife and I received a wedding invitation from a couple who we are just getting to know. It is an exciting time for them as they make all their preparations for that special day. Knowing the time it takes to go through the list of family and friends to decide who to invite to the celebration, we consider it an honour to receive an invitation. But...
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The World May Tell You Otherwise But, You Are...
There are a lot of things a person can suffer from but the worse things have to be guilt and regret. We can feel guilt for a lot of things in our life, for things we have done and for things people think we have done. It is a shame when we do this because Jesus died so that we would not have to suffer for our sins. He came not only to transform us so that we could be free from the chains of our...
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Facing The End Of My Rope
I think most of us go through our day without realizing the responsibility we have been given. It’s a pretty big responsibility and we are the second group of people it has been given to; the first group failed. Some people never realize they have this responsibility and others forget over a period of time. The problem is we are going to have to give an account for what we did with it and...
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We Are Not Defined By Our Mistakes
I am hoping that one day the disciples of Jesus will clue in to the truth that the Kingdom of God does not operate in the same manner as the world. In fact, that sentence doesn’t come close to conveying that the Kingdom is a thing of light and the world a place of darkness. The contrast is so great that we can compare it to that of night and day. We say we know this but we don’t always...
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Are You Lying To Jesus?
If you are alone in this world you begin to realize how limited life is without friends. We were created to be in relationship with others; with God, with family, with friends and with neighbours. Man was not created to be alone. In Ecclesiastes we find this counsel: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. ...
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Beauty From Ashes With A Surprise At The End
We can say all we want to the world about Jesus but if people do not believe God exists and if they do not trust what the Bible says they won’t care. Shouting at someone a hundred times that Jesus loves them is not going to convince them that Jesus is real. Quoting a hundred perfectly good Bible verses at them is not going to convince them that the Bible is true. There is so much false and...
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Ahhh, That Poor Fig Tree!
I’m telling you, we have a terrible image of God. We are either too far to one side with judgement or we are too far the other side with love. God is both of these and so much more. He gets to do things according to his wisdom which is often beyond our comprehension. Not only do we need to know this passage from Isaiah, we also have to accept it: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, ...
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How Much Do You Trust Jesus?
A time is coming when we will no longer have the comfort of playing a part and will have to decide to be real with God in our faith. Too many of us are just coasting along, content to worship God and have a good life in this world. We have some challenges in our life but not the sort that would cause us to sweat great drops of blood like Jesus did in the garden. Jesus was about to lose it all,...
So Sorry and saddened
I know we don’t know each other personally, but please accept my condolences. My prayer is for peace for your wife, you and your family.
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Can You Be Rescued From God's Discipline?
I read an interesting Psalm last night in a manner I had never read it before. I had always read the psalms as a collection of songs praising the Lord for helping people overcome obstacles and protecting them from their enemy. There is the great psalm of repentance from David, Psalm 51, which he wrote after being confronted by the prophet Nathan but other than that I had never thought of those who...
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody...”
– 1 John 2:1
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There Is Purpose In your Anger
Anger, when it is misspent, can be a terrible thing. It can be a destructive force that destroys people and things. It can destroy our peace and change who we are. Whereas, anger with control can be a positive force. It can propel us into action to change wrong things and make them right. It can move an entire society to correct wrong attitudes, wrong practices, wrong institutions and protect the...
bjornke asked: What drives you to become a pastor and teach at your church school?
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Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
If only the world knew Jesus! That sums up the desire of all of us doesn’t it? But what Jesus do we want the world to know? There seems to be so many different versions of him kicking about, depending on who you talk to and what their angle is. No wonder the world is so confused about Christianity. I think we all agree that there should only be one Jesus and he should be the one revealed to...
The New Me: High-School Students and There... →
bjornke:
At my High-School, I tell you this is truth, most of the students talk of perverted things 24/7 as if it is cool. But this is because they believe it is cool, for I cannot tell you how many times before I have felt pressured top do the same, yet I will admit I have done so before in the past, but…
Believing in God
nameful:
mybiggestregretever:
My biggest regret ever is believing in God. If there were really a God, why would he let both my parents die young because of cancer?
[Female, 19]
My biggest regret ever is not believing in God when He was right there all along, waiting to hold my hand and carry me heart when this crazy messed up world imploded over my head. Don’t make my mistake
[Male, 19]
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Losing Our Desire To Be Like Jesus In An...
Disciples of Jesus Christ are not permitted to be bullies. In fact, Christians should be the kindest, gentlest, most humble human beings on the face of the planet. This does not take away from the spirit of boldness we have been given but instead it helps define that boldness. However, we struggle with an identity crisis. We read the Old Testament and believe much of it gives us permission to be...
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The Conspiracy To Silence God Will Fail
I don’t know if you have noticed but there is a growing aggression against people of faith. People, who have declared faith in God to be ridiculous, are no longer content with living within their own faithless world, they are aggressively working to destroy any other world. They have been around since the dawn of time, people who refuse to believe in anything but themselves, their own...
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Missing The Point On So Many Levels
Well, it’s back to my school responsibilities today which means back to a regular disciplined schedule. It also means that we are picking up where we left off in Matthew, chapter 20. I am positive we will also be hearing quite a lot from the Psalms this year. Among the adolescents with whom I work there seems to be a problem with ambition. Many of them like to talk the big talk about dreams...
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The Heart Is The Key
The secret to everything in this world and in the world to come is the heart. Riches, fame. possessions are all empty promises, none of which holds the happiness we hope they will bring. In fact, these things, for which we seek with all our energy, often lead to our destruction. It does not matter if we seek it locally or nationally, big or small, grand or moderate, anything outside of the heart...
elledeb asked: I read the story of Lot and his daughters tonight...hmmm. A little help please...
I know that God's ways are higher than I can ever imagine, but it's seems so wrong.
I know that God's ways are higher than I can ever imagine, but it's seems so wrong.