Jesus never promised an easy path for those who follow Him (John 15:20). As the new church of Jesus Christ enjoyed the blessings of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with other believers, spiritual growth, and the joys of life in Christ, storm clouds formed on the horizon.
What would it take to convince someone to believe in Jesus? While it is impossible for us to compel anyone’s faith, our Lord knew that the authority of His Word would need to be confirmed. Throughout biblical history God has confirmed the authenticity of His Word with miraculous demonstrations of power.
Dear River Reach Family, They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42 For one of our children, doing something one time makes it a tradition that must be repeated. The church has been around for almost 2000 years. During the last…
Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in the United States. Our society has longed for years to find a cure to these voracious killers. While our society pains itself to find a cure for these physical killers, most people embrace the most deadly killer of all: sin.
Our house has a hard time staying clean. Multiple pairs of large and small feet come traipsing through the house from a wide variety of destinations. Contamination arrives with us. Just like spring cleaning is necessary for a home, spiritual refreshing is necessary for the believer’s heart.
Though we don’t enjoy feeling guilty, conviction of sin is an essential step to repentance and forgiveness from God for our sins. The Gospel message first calls us to humility and guilt before it lifts our eyes to the Lord who bore the guilt of our sins and paid for them in full on the cross.
Occasionally one of my children will bring a jar of pickles or spaghetti sauce into my office. I immediately know the reason for their visit. Mommy has given the lid her strongest twist and has not succeeded in breaking the seal. More power is necessary than she is able to muster. Too often we are trying to twist life to make it work.
A federal judge ruled last Friday that the law requiring men — but not women — to register for a U.S. military draft is unconstitutional. Thankfully drafting people into military service hasn’t been necessary since 1973. Our current military is filled with those who serve our nation voluntarily. Similarly, though our Lord calls every one of us to be His witnesses, He does not force any one to serve Him.
My children and I have something fun planned for this afternoon. All day long they have been stopping by my office to ask, “When are we going?” Until 3:00pm roles around, they need to keep doing their school work! God’s grace promises a wonderful future for us! Our hearts long for the day when Christ will usher in the next phase of His glorious kingdom bringing an end to suffering and sin.
Every human achievement is dependent on empowerment. We will never accomplish something beyond the level of our empowerment. Our outlook on a mission depends upon our estimation of empowerment. Too often our hope, encouragement, and motivation crash because we measure life based on our own power.