Rejoice When You Lose For Jesus

“”And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Acts 5:40-41 ESV. We may not experience physical persecution but we may experience social persecution or discrimination in the workplace. Even high school students are unpopular if they are holy. Thus, we can follow the example of the apostles and rejoice when we lose out for Jesus, what greater honor is there? Jesus encourages us with this promise: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” Matt. 5: 11-12 ESV. Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted – Weekly Words Of EncouragementNovember Continue Reading →

We Have God’s Spirit And Power – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” Acts 2:17 (ESV) The promise of God’s Spirit actually dwelling inside His people was one of the most important promises of the Old Testament. This indwelling would mean that God’s people would have the power to actually follow God’s directives for living. They would also have power to be channels of God’s kingdom power on earth in order to fulfill God’s desire for people to hear from God and for healing hearts as well as bodies. Now we have this power available to us and we can “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25) and “by the Spirit [we] Continue Reading →

I Have Been Reborn In The Image Of Christ

When someone repents and believes in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord then God does something that defies the imagination. He actually creates a new self inside us. Why does He do this? Because in our natural state we are a mixed bag of good and bad. The good comes from the fact that God originally made us in His image, that is, as a limited reflection of himself. But when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command and try to take control out of God’s hands then the image of God in them shattered. This meant that they could no longer think and act in healthy ways but rather in destructive ways, which is what sin is. (Sin is anything that blocks God’s goodness, especially the love we are supposed to have for one another.) Furthermore, they could no longer bond with God because it would be like Continue Reading →

Our Good Deeds Will Shine Forever

“”For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.” Rev. 19:7-8 (NLT) After Jesus returns we, the bride of Christ, will “wear” all the good deeds we have done in our life. This means that every good deed we do has eternal value, they are not forgotten. These deeds will shine on us for eternity! This may sound a little strange to our ears but consider how much God values the good things you do. He wants people to help and build up one another even more than we think. It is so important to Him that He will beautify us with our good deeds and display them to all creation and we will be full of inexpressible Continue Reading →

Believing I Am Loved By God

Jason Hanson’s dad was out of the home when Jason was two years old. Eventually Jason started using drugs, got kicked out of his house, almost committed suicide twice, experienced his sister’s suicide, started selling drugs, committed two assaults and eventually ended up in prison and accepted Jesus. But he couldn’t live a Christian life and ended up in prison three more times. Each time he got out he was a lost soul looking for life but he kept relapsing. Eventually he ran into James, a Christian man who poured his life into Jason. This transformed his life. James let Jason know that he cared about his heart, he showed him how to live a godly life, and he persevered with Jason for over eight years. In short, he re-fathered him. Incredibly, Jason eventually became a very effective youth pastor! It would not have happened without James’ fatherly love and Continue Reading →