by Craig McAndrews | Apr 25, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
When you think about the word empty in terms of a feeling, it doesn’t feel like a great place to be. Imagine for a moment if someone you love sat down and described how they felt about something using the term empty. Would you be encouraged? Do you think you would be able to congratulate them on getting to a point where they were empty? Most likely you would respond with an attempt to help or improve the way they feel. However, when it comes to serving Jesus Christ, empty is exactly where He wants us to be. Although this may not be an encouraging thought, emptying yourself for the sake of the gospel brings with it reward and a life filled with purpose and meaning. As my wife and I have pursued growing our relationship with Jesus and engaging in His work with His people, we have recently found ourselves in the middle of a lot of pain and suffering. Sometimes it is big big rock issues such as a broken marriage, health problems, and death. At other times, it’s simply the pain we experience as we watch people make bad choices that lead to frustration and suffering. As we walk with people through these challenges, we find ourselves burdened with their pain and seeking God on their behalf for direction or deliverance. Have you ever found yourself truly feeling the pain of a friend as they suffer? I would suggest this is one way that we suffer for the gospel in the same way the apostle Paul told the Philippians they would get to suffer (Phil 1:29). When we suffer with others, we can often feel emotionally and even physically spent,...
by Ed Allen | Apr 18, 2016 | Articles, What Do You Think?
Judges 2: 6 When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went each to his inheritance to possess the land. 7 The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD, which He had done for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. (Observation) Under Joshua and the elders who survived him, the people served the Lord. The generation that followed neither knew the Lord or His works. (Interpretation) What God warned Israel about in Deuteronomy 6: 10-12 came to pass; the next generation did “forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” I suggest to you that at least two things were lacking in the generation that did “forget the Lord; “first the knowledge of the Lord and His works were either not passed on or not accepted and second, a generation who never knew anything but peace and prosperity saw no need for the Lord. (Cross-reference) Deuteronomy 6: 10 “Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and...
by Ron Hocutt | Apr 11, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (KJV) One of the more frustrating things to me is the tendency we have as the body of Christ to retreat to high level statements when what we really need is a kick in the pants. We sit in circles and admonish each other to do things like “…love your wife like Christ loved the church” without going any deeper and looking at what that really means. Being a very black and white kind of guy, I’m seldom satisfied with the high level answer and find myself asking “yes, but what does that look like for me today?” Each of us has to answer that for ourselves and defend it before God, of course, but here’s what I think it looks like to “…love your wife as Christ loved the church….” First and foremost, we know from Ephesians 5:25 and John 3:16 that Christ’s expression of love for the Church was that he died for it, so that’s a pretty good starting point. What does it mean to die for my wife? I think we insulate ourselves from the real answer by another set of high-level, non-threatening answers. “It means we sacrifice for them” or “we put their needs before ours.” Again, these are fine and dandy answers that enable us go on with our lives exactly as we did before convinced that we are obeying the command to “love our wives…” In stark contrast to the statements above, here’s the operative set of guidelines I’ve come up with for myself to determine what it means on a daily basis to die for my...
by Walt Henrichsen | Apr 4, 2016 | Articles, People Not Listening
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” John 1:6 John the Baptist’s entrance in human history had a purpose; God sent him. Being sent from God is an essential component in why a person lives, otherwise why are you here? If you have no purpose, you are a biological accident, and if you do have a purpose for existence, what is it? As you reflect on the life of Jesus Christ, God reminds you that He sent Jesus for a purpose. Read through the gospels and note the reasons Jesus said He came into the world. For example, He said, “For the Son of man came to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). At the end of His life, Jesus said to His disciples, “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:21). You, John the Baptist, and Jesus all have the same purpose for existence – to seek and save the lost. This, of course, is the Great Commission. God did not send you to make money, be a success in the world, raise a family, or any such thing. He sent you to represent Him. As you execute your purpose, He promises “…all these things shall be added to you.”1 The birth of the Savior is a reminder that you have a purpose for existence. 1 Matthew 6:33 for more articles by this...
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