Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Are you the same? Or have you been changed?
Acts 9:5-6 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
A lot of Bibles have as the heading of Acts 9 “Saul’s Conversion, or we could say this is the chapter when Saul, later known as Paul meets Jesus.
Now if you know anything about the Bible, we see in Acts 8, Saul is responsible for killing Christians and persecuting them. So Saul knew about Jesus, he knew what Jesus had done, knew what Jesus had said. He knew that Jesus died on the cross and that His followers declared that Jesus rose from the dead and was alive. Saul knew all that and it drove him to kill those who followed Christ.
But when Saul finally had a personal encounter with Jesus, his whole life changed. He was no longer the same man. A change took place.
2Cor.5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
There are a lot of people who know about Jesus but there has never been a change take place in their life. According to the Bible if you meet Jesus you will change. And if there hasn’t been a change in your life, then you probably didn’t meet Jesus. The Bible is full of examples of this, and everybody that meets Jesus had a change take place in his or her life.
You can’t meet Jesus and stay the same!!
Have you met Jesus? Has there been a change in your life? Or did you just say a prayer? Real salvation causes a change; at least that is what the Bible says!
Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
A lot of Bibles have as the heading of Acts 9 “Saul’s Conversion, or we could say this is the chapter when Saul, later known as Paul meets Jesus.
Now if you know anything about the Bible, we see in Acts 8, Saul is responsible for killing Christians and persecuting them. So Saul knew about Jesus, he knew what Jesus had done, knew what Jesus had said. He knew that Jesus died on the cross and that His followers declared that Jesus rose from the dead and was alive. Saul knew all that and it drove him to kill those who followed Christ.
But when Saul finally had a personal encounter with Jesus, his whole life changed. He was no longer the same man. A change took place.
2Cor.5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
There are a lot of people who know about Jesus but there has never been a change take place in their life. According to the Bible if you meet Jesus you will change. And if there hasn’t been a change in your life, then you probably didn’t meet Jesus. The Bible is full of examples of this, and everybody that meets Jesus had a change take place in his or her life.
You can’t meet Jesus and stay the same!!
Have you met Jesus? Has there been a change in your life? Or did you just say a prayer? Real salvation causes a change; at least that is what the Bible says!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Choices
Deut 30:19-20 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We were going to go out and eat the other day, but we were having a problem deciding were to eat at. I know, I know. Nobody has that problem but us, but we decided to go somewhere we hadn't been in a while, because we were tired of the same places that we usually eat. And it made me think about making choices, and how many choices we make during the course of the day.
You make hundreds of choices everyday. What you will wear, what you will eat, where you will go, ECT. You choose your thoughts everyday. You choose which ones you’ll dwell on and which ones you will ignore. You choose your attitude that you will listen to and how you see yourself.
Choices are extremely important, because the quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your choices. You are what you are today because of the choices you have made in the past. What you will be in the future will be determined by the choices you’re making right now.
God tells us to choose life. I encourage you to make the choice of following Jesus. It is only through Him that life comes. True life, eternal life and the abundant life come only through Jesus.
Jesus said it this way in John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I pray that everyone has a great church service this weekend and that additions are made to the Kingdom.
Oh also by the way, the restaurant choice we made, Very Good!!
We were going to go out and eat the other day, but we were having a problem deciding were to eat at. I know, I know. Nobody has that problem but us, but we decided to go somewhere we hadn't been in a while, because we were tired of the same places that we usually eat. And it made me think about making choices, and how many choices we make during the course of the day.
You make hundreds of choices everyday. What you will wear, what you will eat, where you will go, ECT. You choose your thoughts everyday. You choose which ones you’ll dwell on and which ones you will ignore. You choose your attitude that you will listen to and how you see yourself.
Choices are extremely important, because the quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your choices. You are what you are today because of the choices you have made in the past. What you will be in the future will be determined by the choices you’re making right now.
God tells us to choose life. I encourage you to make the choice of following Jesus. It is only through Him that life comes. True life, eternal life and the abundant life come only through Jesus.
Jesus said it this way in John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
I pray that everyone has a great church service this weekend and that additions are made to the Kingdom.
Oh also by the way, the restaurant choice we made, Very Good!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
We are the work of Your hand.
Isa 64:8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Our lives are the work of God’s hand. Maybe you sang the song in Sunday School, “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands”. Not only does He have the whole world in His hands, but he takes each of us into His hands to mold and make us into what He would have us to be. This verse points us once again to the sovereignty of God, who molds us into what He wants us to be. Each one of us has a unique function in the Body of Christ. And each one of us has an important part in declaring the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Eph. 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
This verse declares that we are His workmanship and created to do good works. So remember, we are in God’s hands and He is using you and me as He sees fit. He is the Potter and we are the clay. So as we go through each day, we need to remember that God has made us to do good works. We must continue to allow Him to mold us daily.
Our lives are the work of God’s hand. Maybe you sang the song in Sunday School, “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands”. Not only does He have the whole world in His hands, but he takes each of us into His hands to mold and make us into what He would have us to be. This verse points us once again to the sovereignty of God, who molds us into what He wants us to be. Each one of us has a unique function in the Body of Christ. And each one of us has an important part in declaring the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Eph. 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
This verse declares that we are His workmanship and created to do good works. So remember, we are in God’s hands and He is using you and me as He sees fit. He is the Potter and we are the clay. So as we go through each day, we need to remember that God has made us to do good works. We must continue to allow Him to mold us daily.
Local Church? Global Impact! for Christian Web Trends Blog
Internet Evangelism Idea #10: Local Church? - Global Impact!
This post is part 10 in the series 20 Ways to Share Your Faith Online leading up to Internet Evangelism Day on April 25. We encourage you to tweet, share, blog & discuss these ideas in your church & circle of influence.
The Great Commission. If you have been in church for any length of time, you have heard about it. It is a specific request from Christ for us to go and spread the Gospel. (Matt. 28:16-20) In the past, fulfilling the Great Commission was left to missionaries. Today missionaries, churches, and ministries are able to “go and tell” in new ways. Local churches and ministries can use their website and the internet to impact the world.
Most churches today have a website. The sad reality is that many churches do not use their website to their fullest potential.
I googled churches in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa is considered by many to be a part of the “Bible Belt”. Even so, it has a good representation of churches large and small on the world wide web. While many of the sites kept their members informed, if you weren’t a member of that particular church, their content might not be of any interest to you. Many churches fail by not duplicating what is happening inside the “four walls of the church” on the internet.
A hard truth is that churches need to market themselves. People are searching and they are doing it in new ways. To make an impact, your website needs to be current and in search listings. One way to keep current is to blog frequently and consistently. If you repost your blog on Facebook and retweet on Twitter, it can impact your website ranking in search engines. Not only that, but you are impacting different people using the different social media outlets. Your “followers” on Twitter are not always your “fans” on Facebook.
Look at it this way: Your website should be a good representation of who you are and what you have to offer. You need to assume that those visiting your site know nothing about your church or ministry. You need to keep in mind that even though you are a church or ministry, your site needs to attract and keep the attention of those who may not believe. You need to use every resource available if you are serious about reaching people through the internet. We can carry out the Great Commission online.
Wendy Spoon is the website administrator for speakinggraceonline.com.
This post is part 10 in the series 20 Ways to Share Your Faith Online leading up to Internet Evangelism Day on April 25. We encourage you to tweet, share, blog & discuss these ideas in your church & circle of influence.
The Great Commission. If you have been in church for any length of time, you have heard about it. It is a specific request from Christ for us to go and spread the Gospel. (Matt. 28:16-20) In the past, fulfilling the Great Commission was left to missionaries. Today missionaries, churches, and ministries are able to “go and tell” in new ways. Local churches and ministries can use their website and the internet to impact the world.
I googled churches in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa is considered by many to be a part of the “Bible Belt”. Even so, it has a good representation of churches large and small on the world wide web. While many of the sites kept their members informed, if you weren’t a member of that particular church, their content might not be of any interest to you. Many churches fail by not duplicating what is happening inside the “four walls of the church” on the internet.
A hard truth is that churches need to market themselves. People are searching and they are doing it in new ways. To make an impact, your website needs to be current and in search listings. One way to keep current is to blog frequently and consistently. If you repost your blog on Facebook and retweet on Twitter, it can impact your website ranking in search engines. Not only that, but you are impacting different people using the different social media outlets. Your “followers” on Twitter are not always your “fans” on Facebook.
Look at it this way: Your website should be a good representation of who you are and what you have to offer. You need to assume that those visiting your site know nothing about your church or ministry. You need to keep in mind that even though you are a church or ministry, your site needs to attract and keep the attention of those who may not believe. You need to use every resource available if you are serious about reaching people through the internet. We can carry out the Great Commission online.
Wendy Spoon is the website administrator for speakinggraceonline.com.
Video for Christian Web Trends Blog
Read the entire article at Christian Web Trends Blog.
This post is part 8 in the series 20 Ways to Share Your Faith Online leading up to Internet Evangelism Day on April 25. We encourage you to tweet, share, blog & discuss these ideas in your church & circle of influence.
Video. It is all over the internet. Did you miss a story on the news? Did you miss Steven Curtis Chapman’s performance on the Dove Awards? Did you miss your favorite TV show? That’s okay, because chances are you can find video of it somewhere on the internet. With the availability of inexpensive camcorders, YouTube, and website hosting providers like OurChurch.com, video is being posted like never before.
I started using video on websites about a year ago. I had no idea what I was doing when I started. But I knew that using video and duplicating sermons on the internet was something I wanted to do. Even though we were pastoring a smaller church at the time, I felt that if we could get the message outside of the four walls of the church, that we could reach people. And we did. With adding blogs and video to our website and the use of social media, our page hits went up 500% in 2 months.
The first response to our videos came from those helping in children’s church and the nursery. They were thrilled to have a way to access the sermon other than listening to a CD on the way to work. Many began watching the videos at work, which gained interest from co-workers. We have a following of members who are homebound by illness or disability, but our biggest response was from fellow pastors. They wanted to know how we were doing it and how we could afford it. They had a misconception that it was unattainable to them.
Most churches already have the tools they need to put video on their site. Many churches already have a website and camcorders are now low-cost and affordable. If you don’t have a website that allows you to host video, make use of YouTube. If your church only has a Facebook page, upload video there. If you want better quality or a video longer than YouTube’s 10 minute maximum, invest in a website that hosts video, like OurChurch.com. Putting video on your site is simple to do and many website hosts including OurChurch.com has help pages and online tutorials to get you going in the right direction.
Technology columnist Mark Kellner made this statement in Christianity Today magazine: “The great peril of today’s online video technology lies in our not using it to share Jesus with others.”
I think that church and ministries who are not duplicating their message on their website are doing themselves a disservice. Adding video to an existing website is simple and will help your church or ministry reach people in a new way.
Wendy Spoon is the web administrator for speakinggraceonline.com.
This post is part 8 in the series 20 Ways to Share Your Faith Online leading up to Internet Evangelism Day on April 25. We encourage you to tweet, share, blog & discuss these ideas in your church & circle of influence.
Video. It is all over the internet. Did you miss a story on the news? Did you miss Steven Curtis Chapman’s performance on the Dove Awards? Did you miss your favorite TV show? That’s okay, because chances are you can find video of it somewhere on the internet. With the availability of inexpensive camcorders, YouTube, and website hosting providers like OurChurch.com, video is being posted like never before.
I started using video on websites about a year ago. I had no idea what I was doing when I started. But I knew that using video and duplicating sermons on the internet was something I wanted to do. Even though we were pastoring a smaller church at the time, I felt that if we could get the message outside of the four walls of the church, that we could reach people. And we did. With adding blogs and video to our website and the use of social media, our page hits went up 500% in 2 months.
The first response to our videos came from those helping in children’s church and the nursery. They were thrilled to have a way to access the sermon other than listening to a CD on the way to work. Many began watching the videos at work, which gained interest from co-workers. We have a following of members who are homebound by illness or disability, but our biggest response was from fellow pastors. They wanted to know how we were doing it and how we could afford it. They had a misconception that it was unattainable to them.
Most churches already have the tools they need to put video on their site. Many churches already have a website and camcorders are now low-cost and affordable. If you don’t have a website that allows you to host video, make use of YouTube. If your church only has a Facebook page, upload video there. If you want better quality or a video longer than YouTube’s 10 minute maximum, invest in a website that hosts video, like OurChurch.com. Putting video on your site is simple to do and many website hosts including OurChurch.com has help pages and online tutorials to get you going in the right direction.
Technology columnist Mark Kellner made this statement in Christianity Today magazine: “The great peril of today’s online video technology lies in our not using it to share Jesus with others.”
I think that church and ministries who are not duplicating their message on their website are doing themselves a disservice. Adding video to an existing website is simple and will help your church or ministry reach people in a new way.
Wendy Spoon is the web administrator for speakinggraceonline.com.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Love never fails
1 Cor. 13:1-3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
You can be the greatest minister, the greatest person in your field of service, ect. Yet, if you do not have love you are nothing. Today love is misunderstood. It is not sexual lust, or a feeling. It is not something you fall in or out of. Love is an action, an unconditional commitment to someone. Remember love never fails.
1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
If we have love in our hearts we can love others even though they have done us wrong.
We have no excuse for not allowing God’s love to work through us.
Rom.5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
When we have love working in our lives it helps us respond differently than we normally would. It helps us or teaches us how Jesus would react in situations.
You can be the greatest minister, the greatest person in your field of service, ect. Yet, if you do not have love you are nothing. Today love is misunderstood. It is not sexual lust, or a feeling. It is not something you fall in or out of. Love is an action, an unconditional commitment to someone. Remember love never fails.
1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
If we have love in our hearts we can love others even though they have done us wrong.
We have no excuse for not allowing God’s love to work through us.
Rom.5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
When we have love working in our lives it helps us respond differently than we normally would. It helps us or teaches us how Jesus would react in situations.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
A life worth living
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Having celebrated Easter, we can certainly thank God for Jesus. In the service we were in, we saw a young girl rededicate her life back to Christ. I was reminded of this verse, because we all have a choice. We can choose the enemy or we can choose Jesus.
The enemy desires to steal our joy, our families, our health, our finances or anything he can get a hold of. He also desires to destroy our lives, dreams and desires, destroy our hope and ultimately kill everything in and around us. His desire is to completely destroy our lives.
But Jesus has come; He has come to give us life. Not only eternal life, but also a victorious life. A life worth living and living to the full. We were recently asked this question:
On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being very little and 10 being very much)
How would you rate your ability to enjoy life?
We should be able to say 10, because of Jesus. He came to give us life and life to the full. That doesn’t mean we will never have trouble or that we are going to be wealthy and never sick. It means because of Jesus and through Jesus we have the ability to live a life full of joy and completeness because of Jesus.
Just like that young teenager who rededicated her life to God. She has the ability to live a life full of joy, because of what Jesus came to do for us.
Having celebrated Easter, we can certainly thank God for Jesus. In the service we were in, we saw a young girl rededicate her life back to Christ. I was reminded of this verse, because we all have a choice. We can choose the enemy or we can choose Jesus.
The enemy desires to steal our joy, our families, our health, our finances or anything he can get a hold of. He also desires to destroy our lives, dreams and desires, destroy our hope and ultimately kill everything in and around us. His desire is to completely destroy our lives.
But Jesus has come; He has come to give us life. Not only eternal life, but also a victorious life. A life worth living and living to the full. We were recently asked this question:
On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being very little and 10 being very much)
How would you rate your ability to enjoy life?
We should be able to say 10, because of Jesus. He came to give us life and life to the full. That doesn’t mean we will never have trouble or that we are going to be wealthy and never sick. It means because of Jesus and through Jesus we have the ability to live a life full of joy and completeness because of Jesus.
Just like that young teenager who rededicated her life to God. She has the ability to live a life full of joy, because of what Jesus came to do for us.
Friday, April 2, 2010
JESUS IS ALIVE!
As we all prepare for Easter, we cannot help but be reminded of the fact that Jesus is Alive! To a lot of the world Easter reminds them of a fresh start, because spring is here and everything is turning green. I am reminded of the fresh start I received in January of 1984 when I accepted Jesus in to my life. As I think about it, that day is very fresh in my mind even years later and I could take you to the very spot it happened.
One of my favorite scripture passages is found in 1 Corinthians 15.
1Cor.15:1-8 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
The facts are:
(1) Christ died for are sins, for my sins and your sins.
(2) He was buried.
(3) But He rose again, the tomb is empty.
(4) He was seen by a lot of different people.
(5) This is the gospel message, and if we believe it we are saved.
Jesus is Alive and for the Christian we should be able to celebrate Easter everyday.
I want to say Thank You for all those who read or view our blogs. Thanks for all the comments and support. This is something we did when we were pastoring a church and it has only increased in the amount of people we have reached or heard from. Wendy will again be a guest blogger for OurChurch.com. We will make that available to you as well.
This Easter Sunday I pray you enjoy your church service where ever you attend and spend some time with your family as well.
One of my favorite scripture passages is found in 1 Corinthians 15.
1Cor.15:1-8 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
The facts are:
(1) Christ died for are sins, for my sins and your sins.
(2) He was buried.
(3) But He rose again, the tomb is empty.
(4) He was seen by a lot of different people.
(5) This is the gospel message, and if we believe it we are saved.
Jesus is Alive and for the Christian we should be able to celebrate Easter everyday.
I want to say Thank You for all those who read or view our blogs. Thanks for all the comments and support. This is something we did when we were pastoring a church and it has only increased in the amount of people we have reached or heard from. Wendy will again be a guest blogger for OurChurch.com. We will make that available to you as well.
This Easter Sunday I pray you enjoy your church service where ever you attend and spend some time with your family as well.
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