Category: Gospel

Views: 61

In the village of Herrnhut (Sachsen, Germany) a brotherly agreement was made in 1727 between the Christian inhabitants through the hand of Count Zinzendorf.

“WHOEVER DOES NOT DAILY PROVE HIS FAITH BY HIS WHOLE CONVERSATION – THAT IT IS HIS FULL DETERMINATION TO BE DELIVERED FROM SIN,
THROUGH THE MERITS OF JESUS, AND TO FOLLOW DAILY MORE AFTER HOLINESS,
TO GROW IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS LORD,
TO BE CLEANSED FROM ALL SPIRITUAL IDOLATRY, VANITY, AND SELF-WILL,
TO WALK AS JESUS DID, AND TO BEAR HIS REPROACH AND SHAME
– SUCH AN ONE IS NOT A GENUINE BROTHER.”

Views: 260

NT contains 27 books and letters, probably written before the destruction of Jerusalem 70 AD but definitely after Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

Matthew: A brief history of the life of Christ, pointing to Jesus as the promised Messiah.
AUTHOR: The early church uniformly attributed this Gospel to Matthew, and no tradition to the contrary ever emerged. This book was known early and accepted quickly. Matthew occupied the unpopular post of tax collector in Capernaum for the Roman government, and as a result he was no doubt disliked by his Jewish countrymen. He was chosen as one of the twelve apostles and the last appearance of his name in the Bible is in Acts 1:13. Matthew’s life
from that point on is veiled in tradition.
TIMES: 4 BC-AD 33
KEY VERSES: Mt 16:16-19
THEME: Matthew is typically described as the story of Jesus written by a Jew for Jewish people. In this context it contains the most references to Jewish culture and the Old Testament of the Gospels. The author’s main purpose seems to be proving to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah. Matthew is also the fullest systematic account of Christ’s teachings. These 5 “blocks” of teaching are one of the key differences with the other Gospels: Chapters 5-7, The Sermon on the Mount; Chapter 10, The Mission Charge; Chapter 13, The Parables of the Kingdom; Chapter 18, The Church; Chapters 23-25, Judgment and the End of the World.

Mark: The briefest and most fast-paced history of the life of Christ.

Luke: The history of the life of Christ, focusing on his important miracles and teachings.

John: The life of Christ, including many teachings and events not recorded by the other gospel authors.

Acts: The history of the apostles and the early Christian church.

Romans: Paul writes extensively on key realities of Christian belief and justification by faith alone.

1 Corinthians: Paul speaks to the errors of the church in Corinth.

2 Corinthians: Paul encourages the church in Corinth and defends his character.

Galatians: Paul’s letter points out that believers are justified by faith, not by our own efforts.

Ephesians: Paul’s positive letter focuses on God’s amazing grace and urges the church to live in love.

Philippians: Paul writes on Christian contentment, unity and kindness.

Colossians: Paul warns his audience against following false teaching, focusing on Jesus’ work of salvation.

1 Thessalonians: Paul encourages his listeners to continue to live in a way that pleases God.

2 Thessalonians: Paul encourages the church and talks about Jesus’ second coming.

1 and 2 Timothy: Paul encourages and instructs his young student Timothy in his role as a pastor.
AUTHOR of 1 Timothy: The external evidence solidly supports the position that Paul wrote the letters to Timothy and Titus. Only Romans and 1 Corinthians have better attestation among the Pauline Epistles. Pauline authorship of the Pastoral Epistles requires Paul’s release from his Roman imprisonment (Acts 28),the continuation of his missionary endeavors, and his imprisonment for a second time in Rome. Unfortunately, the order of events can only be reconstructed from hints, because there is no concurrent history paralleling Acts to chronicle the last years of the apostle. It is most probable that Paul wrote 1 Timothy from Macedonia in AD 62 or 63 while Timothy was serving as his representative in Ephesus.
TIMES: AD 62-6390
KEY VERSES: Ti 3:15-16
THEME: The letters to Timothy and Titus are generally called the “Pastoral” Epistles. They are pastoral in tone and in the subject matter they address. While covering much of the apostolic instruction on the life and doctrine of the church, they also provide some guidelines on how Christians in the church should relate to society. One of the overriding concerns of the books is that truth be valued and guarded. Too often today, truth is subjective and culturally conditioned to the point where people don’t even have problems believing mutually contradictory ideas. Paul speaks of the value of truth in his own apostolic role, and he stands against false teachers who would distort the truth for their own ends.

AUTHOR of 2 Timothy: Fearing for their own lives, the Asian believers failed to support Paul after his second Roman imprisonment and his first defense before the Imperial Court (1:15; 4:16). Now he was in a cold Roman cell (4:13) without hope of acquittal in spite of the success of his initial defense. Under these conditions, Paul wrote this epistle in the fall of AD 67, hoping that Timothy would be able to visit him before the approaching winter (4:21).
TIMES: AD 66-67
KEY VERSES: 2Ti 3:14-17
THEME: This is likely the last of Paul’s writings that we have. He writes this letter from a prison cell where he is being kept like a common criminal. He knows that his work on earth is nearing its conclusion, and these are then his last words of counsel to his trusted companion in ministry. One can sense his weariness, but also his strongly held conviction about what is necessary for the continued growth of the church. One can also clearly see the hope that sustains him as he looks forward to going home to Christ.

Titus: Paul encourages Titus in his role as a pastor.

Philemon: Paul asks a believing slave owner to treat a believing slave with kindness.

Hebrews: A discourse on how Jesus is the ultimate and permanent fulfillment of the Mosaic Law.

James: A letter from Jesus’ brother on the necessity of combining faith with work.

1 and 2 Peter: The apostle warns and encourages his audience as they live their Christian lives.

1 John: John elegantly explains basic truths about the Christian life.

2 John: John warns a believing lady about false teachers.

3 John: John’s letter to a believing man thanking him for his hospitality.

Jude: A letter warning Christians against those who try to deceive them.

Revelation: John’s vision of the exalted Christ and the future of the church.

Views: 851

Throughout his upbringing, David’s heart was passionate for Islam and he was a jihadist who wanted to get Christians to convert to Islam. But God brought him from his home country to Sweden – where he met God. The emptiness he had felt disappeared and for the first time in his life; he felt loved.
33-year-old David, likes to carry the Bible under his arm. It’s “my weapon,”as he describes it. But there was a time in David’s life when he was searching for completely different weapons.

Born and raised in a strict, Muslim family in Afghanistan, it was Islamic thoughts that characterized him. He tried to be the best Muslim he could. All he did was to honor Muhammed. David, born with a Muslim name, hated Jews. He thought Christians were “poisonous” and felt that they were not following God’s path properly.
But deep in his heart he felt an emptiness, he felt that there had to be something deeper and he have always had a longing for it.

David tried to fill the void inside in different ways. First by investing in kung-fu, where he got a black belt. Then in kickboxing, where he also reached the top. In both sports he discovered that there was a “roof” that could not be lifted – then there was no more. The emptiness persisted. He have been at the top of the martial arts, but still his soul just got weaker.

Later he joined forces with jihadists and wanted to go to Syria and to fight in the war, assured that this was the path the Quran urged him to take if he wanted to come to paradise. He wanted to go out in jihad [holy war; red note]. He needed to kill another man to get to heaven, that was the promise of Allah. So he was convinced and desired to die in battle. But he never came to Syria. Thanks to the grace of God, David explains today. Continue reading “The love of God was so overwhelming!”

Views: 856

Lyrics:
Jesus your blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
‘midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
with joy I lift up my head!

Bold shall I stand in your Great Day;
for who a charge to me shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am.
From sin, fear, and guilt and shame.

Through your blood and righteousness,
I am so richly blessed.
By grace I am justified,
redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus be endless praise to You,
whose boundless Mercy did pursue,
and for me full atonement made,
Your blood my ransom paid!

When from the dust of death I rise,
to claim my mansion in the skies,
then this shall still be all my plea,
He lived and died for me!

Oh let the dead now hear Your voice,
now bid the banished ones rejoice,
their beauty this their glorious dress,
Your blood and righteousness.

Views: 709

There is power in forgiveness. If for example when you are out evangelizing, ask the person if they are angry or bitter with anyone.
It can be within the family, in school or work place, in past relations. Ask if he or she can forgive. If the person says “yes I can forgive”, then have the person speak it out, by repeating your prayer to Jesus, for example; “- Jesus I forgive the person who have hurt me. Jesus please also forgive me for my wrongdoings.”

What’s in our hearts should come out in a confession, either it’s a confession of sin, wrongdoing, binding or losing e t c, anything you like to declare or proclaim.
Sometimes the person have difficulties in forgetting the past, then remind him that it’s better to let go, and instead to be set free. Remember it’s a difference between forgetting and forgiving.
Some people may say they have forgiven, but as soon as they speak it out, they have difficulties and may suddenly cry. So we are not telling them to forget, but to forgive, so they can let go (and move on and thereby not think of it that much so their hurt and their feelings and emotions can get healed).

Sometimes it can be difficult to forgive someone and speak it out. I usually suggest then, what if we ask Jesus Himself to help us? Like this; “- Jesus help me forgive this person, because I can’t do it on my own.”
You see, when someone sins, he is in debt (and the debt of sin is death). So when we forgive a person who have done anything wrong to us, and hurt us, we set them free from their debts! Continue reading “The power of Forgiveness”

Views: 656

Is the salvation in Christ instantaneous or is it an ongoing process?
Are you saved at the very moment, when you accept Jesus with your mouth, and believe in Him? Many argue it is so, they believe in “once saved – always saved”. “Salvation is a gift, it can’t be earned” or worked for”.

Those who argue that you are saved forever,  from the very moment when you open yourself up to Him and receive Him, and that this blessing and salvation can never be cancelled, that it’s an instant and eternal validation that God will not withdraw, they don’t believe in an ongoing saving rescue process (they can’t understand it); they refer most of the time to these Bible verses:

John 1:12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Romans 10:9, 13 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. … For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

David Pawson wrote these lines in his book “Understanding the water baptism”:
“Too many want to be happy in the next life (and in this life; my note) rather than holy in this one. They want to be safe rather than saved.
They are usually looking for an instant, even instantaneous, salvation that can be guaranteed as soon and as quickly as possible. Continue reading “When are you saved?”

Views: 545

Prayer Life by Andrew Murray

”Let the believer think not only of what redemption has cost Christ, but also of the fact that Christ is offered to him, by the Holy Spirit, as a gift of inconceivable grace, through whom divine forgiveness and purification and renewing have taken possession of him; and let him ask himself with what return such love should be repaid.

If only time were taken to tarry in God’s presence and ask such questions, the Spirit of God would accomplish his work of conviction of sin in us and would teach us to take an entirely new standpoint, and would give us a new view of sin.

The thought would begin to arise in our hearts that we have in very deed been redeemed, so that in the power of Christ we may live every day as partners in the great victory which Christ obtained over sin on the cross, and manifest it in our walk.

What think you? Do you not begin to see that the sin of prayerlessness has had a more terrible effect than you at first supposed?

It is because of this hasty and superficial converse with God that the sense of sin is so weak and that no motives have power to help you to hate and flee from sin as you ought. Nothing, nothing except the hidden, humble, constant fellowship with God can teach you, as a child of God, to hate sin as God wants you to hate it. Continue reading “Prayer life & conviction of sins”