God

Prayer – What’s The Point?

Dr. John Hawkins
7 Sep 2013
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Have you ever wondered, “If God already knows what he is going to do, is there any point to us praying about anything?” If God is sovereign and always accomplishes his purposes, what is the point of prayer? Thinking like this shows a lack of understanding concerning prayer and its purpose. Prayer is a spiritual discipline designed by God to achieve a purpose in the life of a believer. Balancing divine and human responsibilities The free will of man and the sovereignty of God are balancing concepts. Like many truths taught in the Bible, this is one that is difficult […]

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I’m Gonna Let it Shine

Chrissie Ferguson
6 Sep 2013
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If you attended Sunday school as a young child, it was an easy environment in which to proclaim your love for Christ. Your teachers, friends and parents all talked about Jesus, and identifying yourself as a Christian was easy and comfortable. Remember the lyrics to the children’s song, “This Little Light of Mine?” Your light was going to shine for him. And no one and nothing was going to blow it out. But as you grew up, shouting your love for Jesus from the rooftops may not have been as easy. There were other things to worry about, like fitting […]

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A Helper Suitable

Knox Seminary
7 Aug 2013
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Dr. Warren Gage Good News The Bible begins with a wedding, and ends with a wedding. Genesis opens with a garden wedding near a river alongside of which grows the Tree of Life. Revelation closes with a garden wedding near a river alongside of which grows the Tree of Life. God’s creation of a bride for Adam also reflects the gift of a bride for Jesus Christ, whom the New Testament calls the “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45). In the garden, Adam was put into a deep sleep. The man, though still sinless, was wounded in his side. God took […]

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Doers of the Word

Jeremy McKeen
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One of the most frustrating things in the Christian life is wanting to change but feeling like you can’t. Have you ever wondered why you’re not growing as much as you’d like to? You believe the gospel and rejoice in God’s grace, yet you look at the practical descriptions of a Christian in the Bible and they often seem so out of reach. What gives? What’s the solution? The quick fix Christians often turn to is simply acquiring more knowledge. After all, Jesus said, “Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth” (John 17:17). The truth will set you […]

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Who is the Good Samaritan?

Tullian Tchividjian
6 Aug 2013
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For every good story in the Bible there’s a bad children’s song. This is the one I remember for the Good Samaritan: The man who stopped to help, right when he saw the need; he was such a good, good neighbor, a good example for me. On the surface, this little ditty may seem harmless. The problem, however, is that Jesus wants us to identify with every person in the parable except the good Samaritan. He reserves that role for himself. “You should be like the Good Samaritan.” If you grew up in church or Sunday School, you probably heard […]

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21st Century Peacemakers

Terry Morrow
4 Aug 2013
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  “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Every day, most of us are bombarded with new opportunities to take care of widows and orphans (James 1:27), feed the hungry (Isaiah 58:10), care for the poor (Psalm 82:3, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 21:13, Proverbs 22:9, Proverbs 28:27, Matthew 25:34-46, James 2:14) , defend the oppressed (Psalm 10:18, Psalm 146:7, Psalm 103:6, Psalm 9:9), and reach beyond stereotypes and divisions (Luke 10:25-37). Although it is important to be aware of what is happening around us and of opportunities to serve, it […]

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Where Injustice & Justice

Lori Harding
3 Aug 2013
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I came to faith at age forty. I remember how I longed to experience everything my new Christian life had to offer. I knew God saved me for a purpose. I was not exactly sure what that purpose was, I just knew I was anxious to make my stand for Jesus. I labored to produce the good fruit that I knew would please God. I actually called my step-sister, the only Christian in my family at the time, and asked her if she would join me in evangelizing all of our family members over the course of a thirty-day period. […]

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When God Gives Vision

Doug Sauder
11 Jul 2013
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  Has God ever given you a vision? If he has, it probably started with a burden – something you saw that was terribly wrong with the world. The kind of overwhelming problem that made you think, “we could never solve this.” Fifteen years ago, South Florida news headlines often covered a story about the broken foster care system. Children were removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect and abandonment, and then they experienced more abuse by the very system that was supposed to help them. The stories kept getting worse, and then, in the late 1990s, God brought […]

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Learning To Read Your God Story

Jeremy McKeen
10 Jul 2013
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God loves stories, which is probably why most of the Bible is made up of parables and other kinds of stories. So what is the purpose of all these stories? Are they just interesting Sunday School lessons for children? No. Everything in the Bible is written for you. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to when he says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (Romans 15:4,) Themes and chords By learning to faithfully read […]

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Stay Connected!

Cory Nickols
7 Jul 2013
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Have you ever taken the time to observe a vine that has grown over a fence, shrub or tree? Depending on the vine species, the vine can grow quite vigorously. Some vines are so strong, people can even swing from them. But what if someone were to cut the vine, then what? Within hours, the entire branch that was cut off would wither and die. In the same way, when people get cut off from the main part of the Vine – God – they begin to wither and no longer produce the life giving fruit they were intended to […]

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