All posts tagged: God

Fit to Sit: Partakers of Endless Glory

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Part 1 Commentary on Psalm 15 The questions therefore are, Who can be considered a fit member of the Church of Christ here below? and, Who shall be made partakers of an endless glory? In answer to these questions, the character of what we may term a true Israelite, or a good Christian, is given in the following particulars:- Verse 2. He that walketh uprightly a. He walks perfectly. Who sets God before his eyes, takes his word for the rule of his conduct, considers himself a sojourner on earth, and is continually walking to the kingdom of God. He acts according to the perfections of God’s law; he has respect to all its parts, and feels the weight and importance of all its injunctions. As he is the creature of GOD, he has duties to perform to him. He owes God his heart: May son, give me thy heart; and should love him with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is giving GOD his due. As a member of civil society, he …

Five reasons why we miss what God is doing now!

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And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13 ESV) In our text, Elijah had just come to this place from Mount Carmel where he saw God answered him by fire. Yeah! He prayed and fire fell from heaven. But when he came to this cave he thought that God will move in a similar way. And just like …

Cultivating Growth: what church leaders are saying

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Six leaders describe how they foster spiritual transformation in others Article Via Leadership Journal There are many ways Christians grow: Bible study, fellowship, service, prayer, even hardship. Of course all transformation is ultimately the result of God’s work in a person’s heart. But we were curious: what can a leader do to facilitate this mysterious change in those he or she leads? We asked six church leaders to share one way in which they foster spiritual growth. We trust their responses will contribute to your growth, too. Discover the Story Together Scripture is best encountered in community. Sean Gladding For a decade my wife and I have been leading a study called “The Story of God.” Basically, we retell familiar biblical narratives in plain, … Disciplinarians Needed A firm word can lead to spiritual growth. Merrill Powers For the past 11 years, my wife and I have had the privilege of working with individuals who suffer from substance abuse issues. Nearly 600 men … Feed Yourself First If we’re not growing, we have little to …

Is there anything worse than blindness? Yes! A person with no vision.

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Pilgrims with no vision of the promised land become proprietors of their own land… Instead of looking upward at the Lord, they look inward at themselves and outward at each other. The result? Cabin fever. Quarreling families, Restless leaders, Fence building, Starked-off territory, No trespassing! signs are hung on hearts and homes. Spats turn into fights, as myopic groups turn to glare at each other’s weaknesses instead of turning to worship their common strength. _______________________________ Max Lucado, God came near (Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1987, 161. Photo via PRWeb

Hudson Taylor Part 2 (The matter of giving and receiving)

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I am not a pastor who encourages his congregation to give because of what they can get out of it. That does not mean they shouldn’t give. Having said that, the matter of giving is almost never just the matter of giving. According to Paul in Philippians 4:15, “Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only” – it is the matter of giving and receiving. You never ever hardly give and don’t receive – even though receiving is not the motivation here – there is always a receiving. And God determines that which is received. Here is a story in the life of Hudson Taylor that explains this: This is an excerpt from the biography of the life of Hudson Taylor In November, 1851, Hudson moved his lodging to a noisy suburb of Darinside, a neighborhood on the edge of town. Here he began a rigorous …

Hudson Taylor Part 1 (Compelled by the Spirit)

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  I don’t know about you… I love it when God put other people on my heart to pray for them. Sometimes it come to me through a dream, other times it comes it is like a heavy burden or an uneasiness that just drops you to your knees in prayer… especially when you want to sleep and can’t close your eyes because you have this person or thing on your mind. Or you find yourself just thinking about this person and situation incessantly with a strong desire to pray or at least reach out. I humbly report that I have seen vision and heard the audible voice of God concerning these things, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that deep. I am sure you have found yourself thinking about somebody during your day and you called them – so you called them and your call was right on. You found out that it was a marriage under pressure, a kid out of control, a medical report that is devastating, a robbery on the way. God …

A Passionate call to seek, preach and live truth

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preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:2-5 P4CM presents Rhetoric 2012, the largest Christian Poetry event. Featured P4CM Poet Jackie Hill delivered her poem “Jig-A-Boo” in front of an audience of nearly 3,000 people. For more poetry and to know when the next Rhetoric will take please check out: http://www.P4CM.com

DOORS: The Ones you open and walk through

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; Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut… God has put us all on a path that lead to many doors of opportunities. Each of us would be exceedingly wise to enter each door of opportunity that God opens for us. Here is a list of a few: The door of sonship – John 1:12 The door of deliverance – Exodus 12:22, 23 The door of miracles – 2 Kings 4:4, 5 The door of victory – Daniel 3:26 The door of hope – Hosea 2:15 The door of prayer and communion with God – Matt. 6:6 The door of boldness – Luke 11:7, 8 The door to the salvation – John 10:1, 2, 9, The door of faith – Acts 14:27 The door of effectual work (door of kingdom opportunity) 1 Corinthians 16:9 The door of utterance – Col. 4:3 The open door – Revelation 3:8 The doorway to heaven – Revelation 4:1 Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one …

Six things God hates with a passion and one more that crawls under his skin

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Proverbs 6:16-19 Here are six things God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion: eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track, a mouth that lies under oath, a troublemaker in the family. What’s there to elaborate? Eyes that are arrogant – “what is she wearing today…? good grief…look at that hairdo…those shoes don’t match what she is wearing…she doesn’t know how to dress – like “ME,” says the popular chick. A tongue that lies – “oh let’s pray for the Wilcox family… I heard he is cheating on his wife… she wants a divorce and the Pastor is telling her that she needs to stay…” Says the jealous and so-called friend. Hands that lead to murder – “I’m gonna dress up like the joker and shoot some innocent people” says the clown in the Colorado theater killings. The heart that hatches evil plots – “you know I need that promotion… That position that Harold …

Modesto Manifesto!

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It is not uncommon now a days to hear about scandals in the lives of good christian ministers. Many have fallen into temptation and have lost their credibility in disgrace, not to mention the shame brought to the name of Jesus and his church. But there is a leading pioneer and church figure named Billy Graham that have made a difference over the past fifty to sixty years. Don’t get me wrong, Billy has had his share of criticism over the years, having come under intense scrutiny, but there has not been any scandal that has rocked his name or ministry. I believe one of the reasons why Billy Graham and his ministry has been able to remain rock steady has to do with a simple meeting that happened in a hotel room in Modesto, California. In that room on the night of November 1948 was birthed what they called “The Modesto Manifesto.” We will never criticize, condemn, or speak negatively about others… We will be accountable, particularly in handling finances, with integrity according to …