The Apostle Paul wrote, in I Corinthians, that faith, hope, and love were three abiding Godly attributes. What is the connection between faith and hope? Does hope increase faith? Does faith increase hope? An important topic if we feel hopeless.
Faith and Patience—both are fruits of the Holy Spirit, we are told in Scripture. God is pleased when we exhibit either or both of these characteristics. It is also true that either of these traits makes it easier to maintain the other. They are somewhat interdependent. Consider the issue further in Faith and Patience.
Did you know you can participate in your own faith development? In this presentation, we discuss biblically sound ways to grow in faith. We also explain the sublime relationship between faith, obedience to God, and godly love, and how the interconnection helps us grow in all three vital spiritual qualities.
The Apostle Paul said, “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.” If you are a Christian, that makes faith an important issue. If we have faith and please God by it, what does he do for us in return? What are the fruits of faith? Consider the topic more closely in this presentation.
In the Book of Revelation, God describes the first round of inductees into his Kingdom as “called, chosen, and faithful.” If God expects us to be faithful, that is, to endure to the end, what guidance does he provide to help us accomplish that goal? Are there things we can do to up our chances of hanging in until the end? This presentation offers four intentional strategies that may help.
God tells us that he is working a plan to draw all of us into eternal life with him. He describes the first round of inductees as “Faithful” in Revelation 17. Since faithfulness is one of the three primary descriptors, we can assume this is important to God. Could you be described that way? This new series details some of the elements of faithfulness and how to intentionally go toward them.
John the Baptist referred to Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The sins of the world we know about, but what about the lamb of God? Did you know there is a biblical festival for Christians that teaches us a lot more about Jesus and Christmas?
A friend asked me to produce a presentation explaining Christ’s return in a way that children could understand. This presentation is my effort at that—an outline with context. A timely presentation for the Festival of Trumpets, which falls on the first day of the 7th month. A day when ancient Israel blew the 7th Trumpet
Esau, we are told in scripture, sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for some lentil stew. Modern people often don’t grasp the value of a birthright as it was in Esau’s day—just as Christians today don’t grasp the value of God’s birthright gift to all his children. That’s why the apostle explains this life-saving lesson to us in the New Testament.
God tells us that the human heart is deceitful and wicked. Humans often are not truthful. He also tells us he desires truth in our “inward parts.” What a dilemma! Jesus further tells us that our problems in life, with others and with God, do not originate with our behaviors, but in our hearts. Yet when we try to please God, our focus is usually “being good”—on our behavior—rather than a change of heart. How can we sort ourselves out and become more aligned with God? One thing for sure, ignoring the problem, carrying on, muddling through, won’t cut it. It takes some focus—on our hearts.
So far in our series, Preaching to the Choir, we discussed, learned helplessness and entitlement. This time we address a closely related state, self-pity. All three of these cause psycho-social and spiritual arrest. In this presentation, learn how to get growing again by overcoming self-pity. Life is so much better when they have a bigger picture of God for our lives.
A lot of people have heard about the Bible story where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. And a lot of people have serious misgivings about what God did in this story. Never-the-less, this is a vital lesson for all Christians. if we can grasp the message, it could save our eternal lives. Listen to this this presentation to consider deeper meaning.
I talked once with a man who had a floundering business. He felt helpless and resentful toward others who were successful. He thought everyone should get an income from the government. Psychological research has much to teach us about this kind of attitude and how to recognize and overcome it.
The Apostle Paul says that the Passover, as he got it from Jesus Christ, is an annual spiritual self-evaluation. One of the things he tells us to think about is our discernment of the Body of Christ. What does that mean? If you think you already know, consider that with God, there is always more to learn.