In the 17th chapter of the gospel of John we find Jesus praying in the garden shortly before his arrest, trial and crucifixion. This is the last time he will be with his disciples, and he takes the opportunity to petition the Father on their behalf. Take a moment, read through the passage, notice how specific he is.
Some readers of last week’s article, The 72, let me know that they thought I was belittling the importance of reading the Bible and of prayer in favor of experiences. Certainly this was not my intention. In fact, daily time with God in both His word and in prayer is foundational in our relationship with God.
As some of you know one of my favorite vacation spots is Lake Powell. My friend Doug and I were introduced to boating on the same trip back in 1994. Doug was attending a singles retreat at Powell and I was a speaker for the event.
I started making things more complicated than they needed to be at a very young age. It started with small things, like arguing with my parents that “because I said so” wasn’t actually an answer to "why". Then it lead to a revolutionary understanding. I began to see that that there was no problem, however complicated , that if you looked at it in the right way, couldn't become still more complex.
It’s been said that “we are only human.” In our world it reminds us of our limits, our inabilities, our sinfulness. Before the fall, however, the phrase “only human” would never had been uttered. Humanity was the “very good” of all creation, a being whose capacities seemed expansive rather than limited
Luke 10 records an exercise Jesus gave to 72 of his followers. He sent them out in pairs to prepare the surrounding towns for his arrival, giving each person the ability to heal the sick and exorcise demons. He gave them a short list of instructions, including that they were to take no food or money on their journey.
The Christmas season is at hand, are you ready? I don’t mean have you decorated the tree and finished your shopping or even having planned the menu for the big family dinner. I mean are you ready to answer the questions and challenges that are a natural part of the occasion.
It had been a cold winter on the north-east coast of the United States in 1861, colder still were the hearts of many in the south. As Abraham Lincoln rose to power, so the 11 states announced their succession from the USA.
Every moment of every day there are as many reasons for prayer as there are people on the planet. What are some of your reasons for prayer? How often do these reasons stimulate you to prayer? The answer to these questions will provide you with an insight to the quality of your relationship with God.
Yesterday we talked about the faith-less and the faith-walker. Today we are going to discover what kind of faith-walker you are.
Among those with faith, I believe there are three kinds of Christians.
In all our talk about what the gospel isn’t, it is important to understand what it is. The gospel is both a proclamation and a person. It is the Word that we proclaim, and it is this same Word, the person of Jesus Christ, whom we follow.
If a man decides he wants to live his life separate from God, it means that he goes about his life without thinking about or recognizing God. He may still continue to experience the blessing of God’s presence in the world around him indirectly, but this is also left unrecognized and disbelieved.
