To God be the Glory!

What excuse are we waiting for to become better people, better Christians?

The Jesus Inquest - Book Review

The Jesus Inquest: The Case For and Against the Resurrection of the Christ

By Charles Foster 

Did Jesus of Nazareth really die upon a cross and then rise again after three days in the tomb?  That is the question  that Charles Foster seeks to answer in a fictional courtroom trial.  The trial may be fictional, but rest assured the arguments and evidence are based entirely on fact.  These are the  arguments that occur right here in our world between the non-believer and the believer.  With exhausting detail, Foster brings to the light, every intelligent (and a few not so intelligent) and relevant argument against the resurrection.  X (the prosecution) lays out his argument thoroughly, and then Y (the defense) counters each point argued by X by offering argument and evidence to disprove X's conclusions and  support the resurrection.  This is the general format for each chapter.  X opens against the resurrection and Y responds in support of the resurrection.

Foster, a barrister, uses all of his lawyerly skills to present an unbiased examination of the evidence - from both perspectives.  He is not afraid to expose every "contradiction" in the resurrection story with skill and convincing argument.  Then, just as convincingly,  he dismantles the prosecution's case - point by point.  Foster's goal?  To either prove or disprove the resurrection of Christ.  

If you are easily offended by suggestions that Jesus of Nazareth was/is anything but the Son of God, if you have a difficult time hearing arguments that essentially negate the divinity of Christ, then this book will probably offend you.  Foster, pulls no punches in the examination of the arguments.  He does not water down the comments by X in order to be non-offensive.  He maintains a true voice for both sides throughout the book.  However, if you are interested in an honest examination of the facts from an intellectual standpoint, then you are in for a treat.  Foster manages to keep the book interesting and well paced, for a quick and intriguing read.  In the end, you may find that your faith is stronger and you are better prepared to discuss the resurrection with dissenters.  


Booksneeze has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Make a difference

As Christians, we are charged with the responsibility of caring for those in need, the poor, the hungry, the widowed...  In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus said,

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

People look around this messed up world we live in and ask, "Where's God in all of this?"  The answer is simple.  He's here, living in the heart of each Christian and it is our job to make a difference for Him in this world.  We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  If we see a wrong and nothing gets done about it, it's our own fault.  If we see a hungry family and no one feeds them, it's our fault.  Christians are here, living in this foreign world (our real home is in heaven) for a reason.  To serve God by serving others.  We are supposed to make a difference. We are not just supposed to float through our days never having any impact or influence in the world.  God has equipped us to serve Him with power and effectiveness.  All we need to do is step out in faith and He will supply all of our needs. 

Step out today.  Make an impact for God and make a difference in someone else's life.  Be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Thankfulness

As Thanksgiving approaches, I feel a spirit of joy rising within me. I am blessed abundantly beyond measure and have much to be thankful for. Thank you God for every blessing, not just the obvious ones, but especially the blessings that often come disguised as trials, for those are the ones that shape me into the image of your Son.


Don't forget to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness to God in all things, not just the things that bring us joy.  Be thankful for the trials that come into our lives.  Give them to God and He can use them to accomplish great things in us.  It is through our trials that we are made more like Jesus.  So, if that is your hearts prayer, to be more like Jesus, then rejoice and give thanks when you are being tried and tested.  


God loved us enough to save us while we were yet sinners.  He took us just as we were.  However, once He saves us, He loves us too much to leave us in that state.  He sets about the task of changing us, slowly and sometimes painfully, into the image of His Son.  Allow God to change you.


Be thankful for God's love and have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Amazing Grace skit - David Jeremiah - Turning Point

Are there palatable sins? Is one sin more acceptable to God than another? Watch and see.

The Power of the Christian Life

Too many Christians today are living without any power in their lives.  Their prayers reap withered crops, their testimonies fall on deaf ears, and their daily lives reflect nothing.  This is more than sad, it's devastating.  God has called us to so much more.  Why then are so many of us living powerless lives in Christ.  The answer is much simpler than some would have you believe.  The power of the Christian life is available to every single one of us if we want it.  There are three simple keys to experiencing the power that God has in store for His followers -the same sort of power that the Apostles experienced in the book of Acts.  I say three keys, but in reality they are all deeply intertwined with one another so I am going to present them together, as one idea.

If we want to live powerful and effective lives for Christ we need to bathe our selves in Spirit filled prayer and Bible study.  That's it.  Sounds simple enough, right?  You may be thinking that you already do that, but you don't feel particularly powerful as a Christian.  Well, let's look a bit more closely at this thing.

First, you must be Spirit filled.  True, all Christians are given the gift of the Holy Spirit upon their conversion.  However, if you look closely into the book of Acts, there are several examples where Christ's followers prayed and were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are given the gift of the Spirit when we become Christians, but He does not just lay in wait for us to do something that falls into His job description and then  pops out like a genie and manifests some power in our life.  We need to continually be looking to God to give us a fresh filling of His Spirit.  It starts with looking to God and seeking His presence and His power.  This key leads to our next key, which is really married to our first.  They go hand in hand and you can't experience one without the other.

Second, we must be calling on the name of the Lord.  We must pray!  We must pray as individuals and we must pray corporately.  However, we must not just be sending up empty prayers to Heaven.  For our prayers to be effective and powerful, we must be praying with the power of the Holy Spirit.  Do you see how these two concepts are intimately linked?  We have no powers in ourselves apart from God.  God's Spirit gives us God's power here on earth as He sees fit.  Without it, we are hopeless.  When we seek God's Spirit in prayer and we cry out to God as a result of that seeking, our prayers have real power in this world.  God's power.  We cannot just send up prayers by our own sheer will.  We need the power of the Spirit to help us pray as we ought.  When we are spirit filled, it causes us to thirst after God.  It gives you a longing to hear from Heaven and it manifests itself in a rich and rewarding prayer life.  Without a Spirit filled prayer life, our labors on earth will be for nothing.  There will no power in our work and no blessing from God.

Last, we must esteem the Word of God above all else.  God's Word is our life.  We should hunger for His Word.  As Christians, we should be looking to God's living Word as the blueprint for our lives.  Very frequently, it is through God's Word that we hear from Heaven.  Many Christians complain that they pray but never seem to hear from God.  I have to ask them if their prayers are spirit filled AND if they are reading their Bibles.  God speaks to us through his Word.  That is why He gave it to us.  He speaks in other ways as well, but He always speaks through His Word.  There is power in the LIVING WORD of God.  It is not just a book with pages.  When you seek God's presence through prayer and through Bible study, that Word penetrates the darkness of your heart and changes it.  It seeks out the hidden things in your life and brings them to light so that you may repent and be changed.  That's power!

Now, this is not a step1, step 2, step 3 lesson in becoming a Christian with power in this world.  These three concepts are married to one another.  They must go together.  Seek God's Spirit in prayer before you send up your petitions to Him. Bathe your prayers in Bible study.  Study the Bible with a Spirit filled heart.  Each is an extension of the other.  If you seek earnestly after God, He will come to you.  Draw near to Him and He WILL draw near to you.  If Christians would get back to "a book of Acts Christianity"  they would experience a power that would transform them and people around them.  That power is not theirs, it comes from God - by seeking God and by being filled with God.  Without Him, we are useless.

Faith In And For The Holy Spirit

Why are so many Christians living without the power of the Holy Spirit?  Why?  Imagine what our world would be like, our testimonies, if each follower of Christ were living in the power of His Holy Spirit.  Now, I'm not talking about Charismatic, Assembly of God antics here, I'm speaking of New Testament, Book of Acts, Holy Spirit power.  I'm speaking of the body of Christ as it was meant to be, as it was in the beginning.  Come on Christians, start believing God for the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit.  Listen to Jim Cymbala speak on this topic.

Lifehouse Everything - Drama

Have you ever felt like you couldn't find God's presence amidst the pain and struggle in your life? Have you ever felt like He has walked away from you and left you alone with your hurts? I'm here to tell you that God never walks away from us. We stray from Him. Keep your eyes and heart fixed firmly on Him for He is ALWAYS there. This video speaks powerfully to the battle that many people face in their walk with God. I hope it speaks to your heart today!

Kenneth Davis Haveth Fun