pure gold money

Loving The Beauty Of Holiness

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The directive to actively pursue purification is one of the most prevalent themes in the New Testament. We can think of pursuing holiness as wiping the mud out of our eyes so we can see God clearly. It is the restoration of our original Adamic image of God which includes freedom from the dirt and grime that robbed us of the vital and peaceful Spiritual life that God desires for us. Holiness becomes increasingly sweeter as we mature because we feel more of the peace and joy that comes with participating in the nature of God. As we grow in holiness we will feel ourselves becoming more at one with our bridegroom. We experience the beauty of holiness and a foretaste of our future marital bliss. So we pursue holiness out of love. Receiving God’s beauty produces delight. When someone finds a gold nugget in the ground it doesn’t look Continue Reading →

honesty

Correcting Fellow Believers

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Bruce and Tom are spiritual friends and have edifying conversations on a regular basis. They encourage one another and each one feels stronger because of the friendship. Bruce starts to notice that Tom makes little joking putdowns of others in his conversations with people. Of course, this isn’t a cardinal sin but it is definitely not godly speech. What should Bruce do? Should Bruce be correcting fellow believers? Being a spiritual friend to someone is a huge blessing, for you as well as them. Believers are recognizing they need spiritual help, so life coaching and spiritual direction are more popular now than in the past. But how can we be a spiritual friend who actually makes a difference in someone’s life? How can we be God’s channel for transformation? One of the keys to being a good spiritual friend is saying the hard things that you don’t want to say. Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

The Least Is The Greatest – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” Luke 9:48, NIV. Once again Jesus declares that his kingdom is an upside-down kingdom. Humans strive for status in this life, but how many people are more concerned with their status in God’s kingdom? Our status in the kingdom of God is not dependent on our status in this world. God is not interested in our worldly status. Instead, it is the one who is least among us who is the most important; the least is the greatest. In this passage Jesus was trying to settle an argument among his twelve disciples about who was greatest. But this doesn’t just apply to the twelve; anyone who is willing to humble themselves like a child is great in the kingdom of God (Matt. 18:4). This is so encouraging to those who have no status in this Continue Reading →

conversation missions evangelism

Invite The Lost Into The Jesus Counterculture

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Last week we saw that it is normal for society to consider Christians intolerant or antisocial and that historically people turn to Jesus when Christians are outcasts and lights for Jesus. So, we have the opportunity to invite people into the Jesus counterculture. Yet, some of us may be avoiding the idea of Christians being separate from the mainstream of society. If we let go of these things we will find peace as well as greater effectiveness for Jesus. Instead, we should remember that we do not need to think of ourselves as being on the defensive. Rather, we are always on the offensive because we are bringing “goodness and light” to the world. The Jesus counterculture is a greater contrast to popular culture than ever before. Some of the lost are looking for an alternative, we can offer the Jesus counterculture. We do not have to be afraid to bring Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

How To Be Fruitful – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Luke 8:15 (NIV) This is Jesus’ promise at the end of the parable of the sower. The seeds that fell on good soil produced a huge harvest “a hundred times more than was sown.” We all want to live fruitful lives for God and produce as much as God allows. So what does this teach about how to be fruitful for God? This verse mentions five responsibilities. First, have a noble heart. That is, we desire what is excellent and honorable. Second, we have a good heart. That is, our heart actually embraces and abides in good. Third, we hear the word. So we need to expose ourselves to God’s word. Fourth, we retain God’s words. Thus, we need to believe God’s words Continue Reading →