Disturbed By the Name of Jesus

Several years ago Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a short, simple but powerful song with these moving lyrics.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there’s just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away
But there’s something about that name
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away
But there’s something about that name

Today the name of Jesus is controversial. People don’t like hearing anyone invoke Jesus’ name.

I’ve personally been advised not to pray in Jesus name in some settings. Former Florida football star, Tim Tebow, was severely criticized for invoking the name of Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Ironically Chaplains in some states have been ordered not to speak of Jesus or pray in His name during their counseling periods.

When Franklin Graham released his book, The Name, he was accused of “bigotry” and engaging in “hate speech.”

Continue at: https://thepreachersword.com/2019/04/16/disturbed-by-the-name-of-jesus/

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Doing Good – A Good Thing

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

blog article: https://raymcdonald.wordpress.com/2019/04/09/doing-good-a-good-thing/

Taken Captive by False Teachers

https://churchwatchcentral.com/2019/03/08/taken-captive-by-false-teachers-false-doctrines-10-signs/

Loving Our Neighbor Through Church Discipline

Satan is crafty and sin is deceptive. The book of Proverbs teaches that “there is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way to death” (14:12, 16:25). Like putting makeup on a pig, sin disguises itself so we don’t see its true nature. It slowly lures us to its desired end while making sure the dark path looks clean and pretty. As far as we can tell, everything looks right so we continue moving forward not realizing the trap is laid and we will soon be caught.

The blinding nature of sin is one of the many reasons God has given us the local church. As we do life together, we have an obligation to look out for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Someone may not be able to see the trap ahead, but it’s clear to those around them. Do we love them enough to warn them?

We continue look at marks of a healthy church that are seldom emphasized today. Using 9 Marks of a Healthy Church as our guide, we’ve examined expository preaching, biblical theology, the gospel, a Biblical understanding of conversion, evangelism, and the value of church membership. Today, we’ll look at the next mark: biblical church discipline.

Read it at: http://growingingrace.blog/2019/04/15/loving-our-neighbor-through-church-discipline/

According to His/Her Ability

“The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.”¹

“There is a story of a 33-year-old truck driver by the name of Larry Walters who was sitting in his lawn chair in his backyard one day wishing he could fly. For as long as he could remember he had wanted to fly but he had never had the time, money, or the opportunity to be a pilot. Hang gliding was out because there was no good place for gliding near his home. So he spent a lot of summer afternoons sitting in his backyard in his ordinary old aluminum chair—the kind with the webbing and the rivets, the kind most of us have.

“One day Larry hooked 45 helium-filled surplus weather balloons to his chair, put a CB radio in his lap, tied a paper bag full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to his leg, and slung a BB-gun over his shoulder to pop the balloons when he wanted to come down. He lifted off in his lawn chair expecting to climb a couple of hundred feet over his neighborhood. Instead he shot up 11,000 feet right through the approach corridor to the Los Angeles International Airport. When asked by the press why he did it, Larry answered: ‘Well, you can’t just sit there.’ When asked if he was scared, he answered, ‘Yes … wonderfully so.'”²

Oops! Surprise! Surprise! Admittedly, Larry had no idea what he was getting himself into. Sure, he would have been wise to get some practical advice from the folk who use weather balloons. Crazy? Yes, but at least he had the courage to give what he wanted to do a try. I’m not suggesting that we do anything crazy, but at least let’s do something worthwhile with our lives.

As I’ve said before, just about every Christian I have ever asked the question, “Do you believe God has a purpose for your life?” answer, “Yes, I do.” But when I ask them what it is, most don’t have the vaguest idea what it might be. In a sense they just sit there and do nothing about it. As the old adage puts it, “Better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all.”

God’s instruction to each of us is to give/do/work “each according to his/her ability.” In other words, whatever abilities we have we need to put them to the best possible use doing God’s work here on earth. The way we do this is by helping others according to their need—according to our ability to help.

Suggested prayer; “Dear God, please help me to get with your program—what you are doing in the world today—and not sit around waiting for some kind of a ‘special’ call, but by putting to use my God-given abilities in your work for your Kingdom. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Acts 11:29 (NIV).
2. Robert Fulghum, Everything I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten (New York: Villard Books, 1988), p. 139

Comment: http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=1235

Christ Our Ransom

A Broadcast with R.C. Sproul

Many believe Jesus’ death was a meaningless act or mere example. From his series The Cross of Christ, R.C. Sproul corrects these views as he considers what Jesus Himself taught about the crucifixion.

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10 Dietrich Bonhoeffer Quotes That Taught Us About ‘Life Together’

By Carrie Kintz

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April 9th marks 73 years since Dietrich Bonhoeffer was killed in a Nazi concentration camp. However, through various biographies and writings, his legacy has lived on in church history. Prolific on many subjects relating to Jesus and the church, Bonhoeffer not only wrote about total submission to the will of God, he lived it.

As the church continues to reap from the bounty of his writings, like The Cost of Discipleship and Ethics, there is one particular book that gets lesser attention but is equally important to the church and church leaders.

Life Together is a slim volume, unimpressive in its length, yet deceptively packed full of truth about communal living in the church. In this book. Bonhoeffer not only explores what life together in the body looks like Scripturally, but practically. He shares how Christians can and should interact, the dangers of too much community and being too solitary. His writing on the subject is a must read for any Christian wanting to understand the beautiful tapestry God weaves together through His children, and how one matures in that community.

As we remember the life of Detrich Bonhoeffer and his contribution to the church, here are 10 things he taught us about community in Life Together.

Detrich Bonhoeffer Quotes

1. Accountability is an absolute necessity among brothers and sisters in the body.

“Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin.”

Read more: https://churchleaders.com/daily-buzz/277152-10-things-bonhoeffer-taught-us-life-together.html