Science, Atheism & Freewill - Dr. Ravi Zacharias respond

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is within you, says the Lord. 

Turn to the Lord with your whole heart, and forsake this wretched world: your soul will find rest.

Learn to despise outward things, and to give your self to inward things: you shall see the Kingdom of God come within you. 

                                                                     - a Kempis

Thoughts on Worship

God values all of the gifts we bring Him, at least the honest and sincere gifts. I believe that this includes gifts of praise and thanksgiving, service, and material offerings.

Maybe God accepts gifts, not just by acceptance or rejection? Maybe they are accepted by degrees?

What if the gift is acceptable to God in the measure of character and attitude in which the one who offers to God?

If this is true, wouldn't we need to postpone giving to God until right relationships are established with others???

Could neglecting this truth found in Matthew 5 be the explanation of the barrenness of our worship? 

I suppose that if our worship is not focused, full and free, then we need to evaluate all our relationships.


True worship so satisfies the worshipper that they do not have to look and yearn for man-made substitutes. 

Quote of the Day

“If you are renewed by grace, and were to meet your old self, I am sure you would be very anxious to get out of his company.” 
                                                                         ― Charles H. Spurgeon

Broken

“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.” 


                                                                             ― Vance Havner

The Right Climate

A businessman purchased a tropical plant. He put the plant in his office and did every thing he knew to keep the plant healthy. He gave it water, plant food, sunshine and lots of tender loving care. After two weeks the plant was turning brown and dying. 

He called the Florist and asked if the plant had a guarantee because the plant was dying. The Florist asked how he was caring for the plant. He said he was giving it water, plant food and sunshine. 

The Florist asked: “Are you misting the plant?”

“What do you mean, misting the plant?” The businessman responded.

The Florist replied, “The plant you purchased is a tropical plant and it needs high humidity. Take a spray bottle and spray mist on the plant for a week or two.” 

After two weeks of spraying the plant it turned green and was revitalized.

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What is required for you to be and remain healthy spiritually?

Reading the Bible in a "New Way" - Part Three

(Excerpt #3 - Conclusion)

 I am saying that we mustn’t belittle scripture by bringing the world’s models of authority into it.  We must let scripture be itself, and that is a hard task.  Scripture contains many things that I don’t know, and that you don’t know; many things we are waiting to discover; passages which are lying dormant waiting for us to dig them out.  Awaken them.  We must then make sure that the church, armed in this way, is challenging the world’s view of authority. 

It seems to me that evangelical tradition has often become in bondage to a sort of lip-service scripture principle even while debating in fact how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.... Instead, I suggest that our task is to seize this privilege with both hands, and use it to the glory of God and the redemption of the world.

Reading the Bible in a "New Way" - Part Two

Excerpt #2...

"If we really engage with the Bible in this serious way we will find, I believe, that we will be set free from (among other things) some of the small-scale evangelical paranoia which goes on about scripture....Of course the Bible is inspired, and if you’re using it like this [reading large portions] there won’t be any question in your mind that the Bible is inspired..." 

Of course you will discover that the Bible will not let you down.  You will be paying attention to it; you won’t be sitting in judgement over it.  But you won’t come with a preconceived notion of what this or that passage has to mean if it is to be true.  You will discover that God is speaking new truth through it."

Reading the Bible in a "New Way" - Part One

The following is taken from a lecture by N.T. Wright concerning the "Authority of Scripture." He is encouraging Christians to read larger portions of scriptures so that Christians better understand the authority of the God's Holy Word. Hence, reading the Bible in a new manner not necessarily with different meaning. 


"In private reading, and in informal group meetings, we need again to experiment with new ways of reading scripture.  Anyone who has heard an entire biblical book read... will realize that such things as chapter-divisions, or almost any divisions at all, can be simply unhelpful.  

We need to recapture a sense of scripture as a whole, telling and retelling stories as wholes.  Only when you read Exodus as a whole (for example) do you realize the awful irony whereby the making of the golden calf is a parody of what God wanted the people to do with their gold and jewels . . . and only by reading Mark as a whole might you realize that, when the disciples ask to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand, they are indeed asking for something they do not understand."

Video - What would you do?

Difficult to watch, but may affect a significant change in your life. 

Please be at least 18 years old to watch. 

Click Here to Watch.

Love...

“Love is a commitment that will be tested in the most vulnerable areas of spirituality, a commitment that will force you to make some very difficult choices. It is a commitment that demands that you deal with your lust, your greed, your pride, your power, your desire to control, your temper, your patience, and every area of temptation that the Bible clearly talks about. It demands the quality of commitment that Jesus demonstrates in His relationship to us.” 
                                                                             -   Ravi Zacharias

Do You Believe in Evolution? The Evidence...

Refutable?

Click Here to See Evolution Video

Government

"Just because you do not take an interest in politics, it doesn't mean that politics won't take an interest in you!"
                                                                        - Pericles (430 BC) 

Silent Sermon

A member of the church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.  After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening.  The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.  Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing.  In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.  After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.  As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more.  Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting.  The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.  He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.  Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon.  I will be back in church next Sunday.'