Do Good. Be Well.
We serve a God who not only speaks to us, but desires intimate conversation with us.
The Life of Faith: Sermon by Pastor William Carol
But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. ~ John 20:31, NLT
Follow the link to listen to the sermon. Be blessed.
Why was she exposing me to something she didn’t want me to believe in and be deceived by? At the same time she’s sharing with me the evil master-plans of spiritually compromised celebrities, she was not interested in hearing my rebuke that the gospel – the good news Jesus preached – was the only thing she needed to preach to others. The Word of God is the only word she needed to study for understanding. Why? Because when people have the Word of God in them, His Word shines a light on all the darkness within them.
Have you thought about those relationships where God joins hearts and souls before minds are aligned and vows are spoken? When a man and woman try to catch up to what God has ordained as their union? When they struggle to grasp the totality of His promise? How difficult that must be for each to know the end result and to continue to sink in the minutia of process, continually getting lost in the labyrinth of selfish independent will (independent of God’s will).
But, doesn’t that describe the bulk of intimate relationships? We all connect to our significant other in some way, on some level, long before our thoughts and our will align and operate in unity. The life of a relationship is intended to flow towards total unity… into oneness.
I do believe homosexuality is a sin. God’s word says so. But I also believe that a homosexual person has the right to choose their life-path and live how they choose to live. From the beginning of time to this day, God has not stripped one person of the responsibility of choosing between life and death. Nor has He burdened anyone but Jesus Christ with another person’s sin. We all will stand accountable for our own choices in life; therefore we have the right to decide how we live our life. If a person chooses to spend their life with a person of the same gender, it is their God-given right to make that decision.
Governments should not make personal decisions for anyone. Church’s cannot make this decision for anyone.
“So, I had to ask myself this week – why is submission such a dirty word to me?
I am okay with giving up material goods – sacrificing my last dollar, the clothes off my back or even sharing my home. Sacrifice? No big deal. Surrender? Well, I’ve learned to surrender my all to Jesus. I’ve learned to trust that God is in control of everything involving my life. So, surrender – I can do that. I am submitted to God – no doubt about that…. Being a yielded vessel for God sounds great, but being a yielded vessel for God’s people…well… that’s another story….
Imagine how amazing life would be if each of us could get over ourselves every day and serve our loved ones, our community and our neighbors selflessly. Imagine if we simply laid down our life to serve and to love. In such a world, no one would go hungry or thirsty for God’s grace and mercy.”
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In the same way, trust comes by seeing someone do what they said they would do. With each action that follows a word/declaration/promise, trust increases. The third woman I spoke to last week complained bitterly about being unable to trust anyone, having no one to turn to for assistance with her children and being weary of inviting anyone into her home for fear of how they would take advantage of her situation. In exasperation, I told her, “At some point, you’re going to have to just decide to trust someone. Before you get to that point, you have to trust yourself. Do you trust yourself?”
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March 14, 2012Haifa, Israel For they are traveling for the Lord, and they accept nothing from people who are not believers. So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth. ~ 3 John 7-8, NLT Last night, I heard a passionate message about standing firm against IslamContinueContinue reading “Stand Bold Against the Spirit of the Antichrist”
With all her responsibilities, first and foremost, she looks to God. Her primary concern is God’s will in her life. She is a woman after God’s own heart. Let’s examine the characteristics of this remarkable woman — a role model for Christian women today.
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” The Hebrew word chayil, translated here “noble,” or “virtuous” (KJV), means a wife of valor — a strong, capable woman with strong convictions. This description of the ideal wife does not agree with those who associate femininity with weakness and passivity.
Women are prominent in the story of Jesus—he was born of a woman, had numerous interactions with women, and was seen first by women after his resurrection. Although these incidents do not tell us much about women in leadership, we will survey the Gospels to see 1) what Jesus taught about women, 2) how he interacted with women, and 3) why the apostles were all men.
Miriam: First Lady of the Exodus by Sheila Graham, Grace Communion International, http://www.gci.org/bible/torah/miriam “Great queen of Egypt, I believe we can all see that the Hebrew child will not accept nourishment from those not related to him. Why not bring a woman of his own race to feed him?” In her excitement over finding theContinueContinue reading “Women in the Bible: MIRIAM”
Harvest Life 