weekly words of encouragement

God Is With Us – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“God is present in the company of the righteous” Psalms 14:5 (NIV) God is everywhere but God is with us in different ways in different places. We find this throughout the Bible. God is present in the burning bush, on Mt. Sinai, in the Temple, at the Transfiguration, and at Pentecost. But the last is best, for God likes to progressively increase his grace. When the Psalmist wrote Psalm 14 God was more present to his followers than to those who rejected him. He watched them and helped them. But after Pentecost God is now present inside his followers because we replace the Temple. So now God is with us, even in a single righteous person! But even better than that: “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” Matthew 18:20 (NIV). So when we gather in Jesus’ name his presence is magnified! This is Continue Reading →

friendship handshake men

Using Relationships In Evangelism – Part 1

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I got into a debate online with someone who was complaining about God ordering the death of some people in the Old Testament. We went back and forth until finally I explained that the root reason for God’s judgment was that the people were destroying relationships. They had embraced a destructive culture, even to the point of sacrificing infants to their idols. The other person didn’t respond to my comment. What could he say? This is an example of discussing Christian principles of relationships in evangelism, showing that Jesus is the way to healthy relationships. Usually, when we think of apologetics in evangelism, we think of presenting evidence related to facts of the Christian faith. But sometimes apologetics relates to values or ideas that listeners already embrace. For example, when Paul evangelized Gentiles he did not use the same ideas that he used with Jews. When he spoke to Gentiles Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

God is King – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“The Lord is King for ever and ever,” Psalms 10:16 (NIV). In Psalms 10 the author recounts the ways in which the wicked destroy the innocent and prosper in their ways. Yet the Psalmist also declares that God is king of the earth. He also affirms that God will help the victims and do justice to the wicked. We may not be under attack from the wicked but we feel the impact of the ungodly ways of the people around us. Loved ones turn away from God and ministers mislead their congregations. We can offer help but we cannot stop the destruction. Yet God is king and he will redeem all that is his. He will bring everything to a just and good conclusion. If we are willing to trust his kingship then we can allow him to develop mercy and peace inside us. We can let him produce the Continue Reading →

poor broke pockets

Jesus Brought Blessings For The Poor

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It is encouraging to remember that when Jesus came to earth he taught blessings for the poor from the very beginning of his ministry. Even before he was born, in Mary’s song to God when she is pregnant with the Messiah, a song we call the Magnificat, she proclaims, “he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:53, ESV). We also see that at the beginning of his ministry Jesus proclaimed these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” (Luke 4:18 ESV) From these passages we know that the advent of blessings for the poor was an important part of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Jesus never promised to make the poor financially rich, but he did promise something better: to fill their hearts with spiritual wealth. Continue Reading →

weekly words of encouragement

God Is Our Fortress – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” Psalms 9:9 (NLT) In this world we will have troubles (John 16:33), but the promise is that God is our fortress in these times. What kind of fortress is God? He created the universe with billions of galaxies and trillions of stars. If he is our castle, our defense, when trouble or oppression comes, then who or what can break through that defense? Nothing. It is true that God allows suffering in this age of his inaugurated kingdom; he allows this for our Christformation and to shine his goodness to others. We must share in the sufferings of Christ. Yet in all these things, God is our fortress, and he still preserves our soul. “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil [one]” (2 Thess. 3:3, NIV). He Continue Reading →