Persecuted Peacemakers and Promises, Promises
May 2, 2016
There is a reason the beatitude about peacemakers is followed by a beatitude about persecution. Those who become ministers of reconciliation often suffer painful consequences because they have identified themselves with Jesus Christ. Being a peacemaker may put Jesus' disciples in the middle of dangerous fighting. Sometimes they even lose their lives. The disciple who has the beautiful attitudes confronts people with a model of what they should be. When people in the world are confronted with a true disciple, they can acknowledge that this is how they should live, or they can attack the disciple who is like Jesus. Very often, they do the latter.
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Read how God gives hope in the face of persecution!
Read about courageous men and women whose faith is flourishing in the face of ISIS and other terrorists. You’ll weep at believers’ suffering and losses . . . and laugh at the creative audacity of indigenous church planters who just won’t take “no” for an answer, whether in the former Soviet Union, in corners of India where Hindu extremists are burning churches, in communist holdouts in other parts of Asia, or in challenging places in Africa and Latin America.
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Mankind is alienated from God. That'’s why those who are disciples of Christ —have been to the top of the mountain and —must come back down with a purpose. If we have been reconciled with God— – made right in our relationship with Him – —it makes sense that God would use us to help others be reconciled with Him. He will also help us find reconciliation in our own relationships and use us to help others find reconciliation in theirs. The seventh beatitude speaks to the mission of those who are part of God'’s solution.
April 28, 2016
The word “mercy” means “unconditional love.” When David writes in Psalm 23:6 that mercy will follow him all the days of his life, the word he uses for “follow” actually means “pursue.” God’'s unconditional love will pursue David all of his life. This is the kind of love for others that we must have too, if we are to be like God.
April 25, 2016
When we are meek, seeking God’'s leadership, we develop a hunger for righteousness— and the desire to live our lives with the goal of pleasing God. We want to know what is right and do what is right. What you do and how you act are important to God. We are called to do what is right—, not just what is expedient. That is what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness.
April 21, 2016
Believers sometimes have the misguided opinion that their faith is weak if they show signs of mourning. This beatitude not only supports mourning— it links it to a blessing. Mourning a loss is normal and there are things God wants us to learn from the loss. We must let God use our mourning to move us in three ways. First, mourning helps us ask the right questions about life. Second, it helps us to seek God’'s answers. Third, it also helps us to accept the blessing God has provided including our salvation.
April 18, 2016
Jesus begins by teaching His disciples eight attitudes— called, the “beatitudes,” or “blessed attitudes,” because each one is introduced by the word “blessed.” Jesus is promising to bless the disciple who has each of these attitudes. This word “blessed” can actually mean “happy,” “spiritually prosperous,” or “in a state of grace.” Each attitude also includes a promise that describes the form in which this blessing will come into the life of that disciple.
April 14, 2016
The Sermon on the Mount is one of the key teachings of the Bible. Jesus preached this sermon on a mountaintop in Galilee when He challenged people who professed to be His disciples to be strategically placed between the love of God and the pain of the hurting people in the world. He challenged His disciples to partner with Him and be conduits of His love. He concluded His sermon with a call to commitment. It changed the lives of many who heard it.
April 11, 2016
The Sermon on the Mount is considered to be one of Jesus' most important discourses and one of His most foundational teachings, considered to hold the essence of Jesus' teaching. Even many who are not Christians believe this sermon is one of the most important messages ever taught. There is perhaps no passage in the Bible that is quoted more and understood less than this teaching in Matthew 5-7.
April 7, 2016
In 1 Corinthians 7 Paul discusses how in the intimacies of marriage, husbands and wives can satisfy each other and how mutual agreement is a very important principle for a fulfilling physical relationship. As the Golden Rule says, “In everything, do unto others as you would have them do to you.” The biblical model for marriage is Christ and the Church. We can only have that kind of love by having a vital relationship with Jesus and allowing His Spirit love through us.
April 4, 2016
God intended sex for many purposes. One of the first purposes is procreation, but it is also meant to be a vehicle of expression for married couples. Unfortunately, what God designed for a joyful expression of oneness often becomes one of the greatest obstacles to our oneness. God’'s Word shows us what our attitudes and expectations about sex should be in the context of the God-ordained institutions of marriage and family; to bring fulfillment and pleasure to both husband and wife.
March 31, 2016
The Bible provides answers to help us in understanding our God-given role, but the labor of division in a Christian home should be based on our natural gifts, talents, and our spiritual gifts. If our lives and homes are built on Jesus, and we understand our spouses, it will keep crises from destroying our marriage. God created sex for procreation. God also intended for intimacy to be an expression of love and the joyful expression of oneness.
March 28, 2016
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Featured Offer
Read how God gives hope in the face of persecution!
Read about courageous men and women whose faith is flourishing in the face of ISIS and other terrorists. You’ll weep at believers’ suffering and losses . . . and laugh at the creative audacity of indigenous church planters who just won’t take “no” for an answer, whether in the former Soviet Union, in corners of India where Hindu extremists are burning churches, in communist holdouts in other parts of Asia, or in challenging places in Africa and Latin America.