Monday, April 13, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
How do I become, as you say, a "Christ Follower"?
Well, to become a 'Christian' you need to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship is begun by coming to him and acknowledging our failure and asking for his forgiveness. Obviously we have something we need to be "saved" from if Jesus came to be our "Saviour", right? Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard."
Are you ready to admit your failure to live up to God's ideal? He is ready to forgive you and cleanse you from all your guilt. Next comes our whole-hearted commitment to following him, which simply means to do whatever he would want us to do.
Of course, if we're going to learn about what his will is for our lives, this will mean that we become students of the Bible and study it for ourselves as well as learn what we can at church.
So becoming and being a Christian is not really about being "Catholic" or "Protestant" or "Baptist" or "Brethren In Christ" (which The Meeting House is). Joining one church or another is not the issue, but committing to Christ is. In fact, it seems quite possible that there are all kinds of people who call themselves "Christians", both Catholics and Protestants, who may think they are Christians because they go to church and do other good things, but who don't really know Jesus.
That seems to be the message Jesus gives in Matthew 7:21-23. He says: "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord', but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Jesus goes on in those verses to describe that it is not enough to talk the talk, but what's important is our relationship with him displayed in obedience to his teachings that makes the difference.
The Bible uses a word for that - "faith", which simply means "active trust", believing in someone or something enough to act upon that belief. Are you ready to commit your life to following Jesus as his disciple? He's ready to lead you into new and deeper life (John 10:10). [Bruxy Cavey]
from: http://www.listenuptv.com/listenup/ask-question
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
How to Be Thankful in Tough Times
by Rick Warren
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
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1. Don't worry about anything. Worrying doesn't change anything. It's stewing without doing. There's no such thing as born worriers; worry is a learned response. You learned it from your parents. You learned it from your peers. You learned it from experience. That's good news. The fact that worry is learned means it can also be unlearned. Jesus says, "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today" (Matthew 6:34 NLT).
2. Pray about everything. Use the time you've spent worrying for praying. If you prayed as much as you worried, you'd have a whole lot less to worry about. Some people think God only cares about religious things, such as how many people I invite to church or my tithing. Is God interested in car payments? Yes. He's interested in every detail of your life. That means you can take any problem you face to God.
3. Thank God in all things. Whenever you pray, you should always pray with thanksgiving. The healthiest human emotion is not love, but gratitude. It actually increases your immunities; it makes you more resistant to stress and less susceptible to illness. People who are grateful are happy. But people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes them happy. They're never satisfied; it's never good enough. So if you cultivate the attitude of gratitude, of being thankful in everything, it reduces stress in your life.
4. Think about the right things. If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life, you must change the way you think. The way you think determines how you feel, and the way you feel determines how you act. So if you want to change your life, you need to change what you're thinking about.
This involves a deliberate, conscious choice where you change the channels. You choose to think about the right things: focus on the positive and on God's Word. Why? Because the root cause of stress is the way you choose to think.
When we no longer worry, when we pray about everything, when we give thanks, when we focus on the right things, the apostle Paul tells us the result is, "The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7 NLT).
What a guarantee! He is guaranteeing peace of mind.
© 2009 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers
Monday, December 22, 2008
December is a month when people celebrate miracles
December Desire
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READ: Revelation 22:1-5
They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. —Revelation 22:5
December is a month when people celebrate miracles. The Jewish tradition of Hanukkah—the Holiday of Lights—commemorates the time when a small amount of oil lasted 8 days and kept the light in the temple from going out. And Christmas celebrates the coming of the “Light of the World,” God in human form—Jesus.
A miracle is generally thought of as something that contradicts nature. But a true miracle is the introduction of God’s supernatural power into our world in a way that suspends the laws of physics as we understand them.
In December, it seems that more of us are willing to suspend disbelief and entertain the possibility that “nature” is not the final authority. Even the non-religious yearn for miracles. Deep down, everyone wants to believe that darkness, disease, and death can be overcome.
Perhaps the most wondrous thing about miracles is that it is God’s nature to do the supernatural. The closing chapters of Scripture assure us that this “December desire” for all to be well will become a reality: “There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain” (Rev. 21:4). God will one day bring to an end the unnatural rule of Satan and begin His righteous reign as the rightful Ruler of the universe. —Julie Ackerman Link
Thank You, Lord, that although we live in a world
where Satan’s shadow obscures Your glorious light,
we eagerly anticipate the day when Your full glory will once again illuminate all creation. Amen.
A miracle needs no explanation to those who believe in God; to those who don’t, no explanation is enough.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Power of 5
What is it? It's a Bible reading plan. You commit to reading the Bible at least 5 times per week. We commit to helping you. As a church family we will read the entire New Testament together in 2008!
Click here for January - June Reading Schedule
Why 5 times? According to research conducted by Back to the Bible’s Center for Bible Engagement, those who engage in Bible reading four or more times per week experience life much differently than those who don’t! Indeed, statistics show a much higher level of health and stability despite life’s constant challenges.
What are the stats for
less than 4 times?
Those who DON’T read at least 4 times a week are much more likely to have:
· marital infidelities
· drug dependencies
· financial crisis
· emotional sicknesses
· other undesirable behaviours
Based on the significance of these findings, we decided to create the Power of 5.
It's simple. It's dynamic. It's life-changing.
· Look for the weekly reading schedule in your weekend church bulletin
· Commit to read one chapter each weekday.
· Count on us for encouragement!
What's the power behind the Power of 5? Taking in God's Word is the power; doing it at least 5 times a week is the plan.