Scripture focus: Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants, day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never
When I talk to some Christians about sharing their faith with others, they seem scared or even threatened. Often their concern is that someone may resist their efforts at evangelism and ask them questions they cannot immediately answer. However, in Scripture we see that God is not afraid of peoples’ doubts. The account of the Resurrected Jesus’ interaction with Thomas
Scripture focus: And so they reached Jericho. Later, as Jesus and his disciples left town, a great crowd was following. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road as Jesus was going by. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Why share your faith? The Father uses your fallout Evangelism has gotten a bad name over the last few years. For more reasons than we have time to go into in this article, “The ‘E’ Word” is a problem for many people in some parts of the world. Recent polls show that younger generations of Christians in many parts of
Scripture focus: You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:13-14, NLT) Very soon we will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, by God through the power of the
My mother and sister are artists. I am not. I have other gifts (lest anyone worry about my self-esteem), but art isn’t one of them. That’s why I love spending time with my mother and sister. There is something entirely different and inspiring about the creativity God has given them. Years ago, my sister spent a week with me while
Scripture focus: When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. ”Then he asked them, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You
Today is Ash Wednesday, the day Christians all over the world mark the beginning of Lent, many with ashes and prayer and fasting. This is not a day when we usually read the resurrection portion of the gospels, but considering the powerful and visible ways the Holy Spirit has been moving these past few weeks, this may be a good
A few years ago, in a town not too far away, there was a traffic accident involving a car and a motorcycle. The person driving the car was unhurt and was able to walk away from the accident. However, the motorcyclist was trapped under the car and unable to move, though he was still conscious and alert. A witness to
Scripture focus: The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those wo fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked. (Psalm 145:17-20, NLT)
In Part 1 of this series, I shared how God challenged me to become more intentional about sharing my faith. I realized that although I had spent my life in church, I had never learned how to have meaningful spiritual conversations. Preparation became the first step. Before we can confidently step out, we have to sit with our own story.
Henry Jordan was a great all-pro defensive tackle who played with the Green Bay Packers back in the glory days of Vince Lombardi. Henry was as good with words as he was at sacking opposing quarterbacks. That made him a favorite with sports writers. One of his most widely quoted statements came when someone asked, “Does Mr. Lombardi show any
official website Members 0 M+ Congregations 0 K+ It was Easter Sunday, 1885. Two young missionaries, Henry Appenzeller and Horace Underwood, stepped off a boat onto the shores of Korea. At the time, it was a country largely closed off to the Western world, often called the “Hermit Kingdom.” They had no grand strategic plan and no idea what was
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 + When John Wesley first sailed to Ireland in 1747, he found 280 Methodists already gathered in Dublin! The movement had begun before he ever stepped onto Irish soil. That Methodist society was formed by ordinary lay people who simply would not keep quiet about Jesus. And they didn’t stay put. They emigrated,
In 2014, I walked out of a Sunday service deeply challenged by my pastor’s sermon on sharing our faith. As I reflected on what he said, I realized I believed in sharing my faith, but at 57 years old, I had never actually done it. I had been raised in the church and lived in it my whole life. I
I want to tell you something about John Wesley that might surprise you. Actually — it might embarrass you. It embarrassed me. Most modern Methodists celebrate communion monthly. Some quarterly. Some considerably less. We think of it as a memorial — a symbolic remembrance of what Jesus did at the cross. A meaningful ritual. A box to check on the
Someone said that worshipping God is permanent. It starts on earth and goes on for everlasting eternity. All our toiling and efforts are temporary. All our services in the church, mission work, preaching, and teaching, etc., are temporary. But worship is eternal. So, as Christians, worshipping God is our primary duty. What is the True Meaning of Christian Worship? What
This is the third installment on the Christian Pattern. Click here for part one and part two. The Inner Life and the Voice We’ve Stopped Hearing There is a spiritual condition that most pastors recognize but few talk about publicly. It goes by different names in the tradition. The desert fathers called it acedia. The medieval mystics called it desolation.
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 + Back in 1843, a man named Thomas Birch Freeman stepped onto the coast of what is now Benin and began to preach. Freeman, who was the son of a freed slave, became one of the most influential British Methodist missionaries in West Africa. Freeman sailed into a region deeply scarred by the
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 + Let me ask you something. What would it take to stop your congregation from meeting? A fuel shortage? A power grid collapse? A government that has spent decades teaching children that God does not exist? For the Iglesia Metodista en Cuba none of that has been enough. Right now, Cuba is in
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