What kind of legacy are you leaving your children, and if you don't have children, what kind of example are you leaving your friends and family? Can you do better? Have you ever thought about what it takes to make a beautiful character that will be remembered for the ages?
We all want a sense of security and peace and to feel heard, accepted and cared for. Is prayer the way to do this? Should everyone pray? Does it really do any good? Watch this quick video and then listen to the full podcast.
Did you watch Part I and listen to the podcast? There was SO many cool lessons about what Nehemiah did to mobilize his community and change his world that we needed an additional podcast to bring all the modern-day lessons to light! Onto Part II!
There is so much we can do to take action and make things better. Watch this quick video and then listen to the podcast about how Nehemiah changed everything using his brain, wits and faith. You will be surprised how much of this story resonates with our lives today!
How do I know if I'm a true Christian? What should I look for to know if I am a real follower of Jesus or not?
Have you noticed how easy it is to offend people these days? There seems to be such an overt need to accept and to be accepted that we go overboard with the “correctness” of our words and behavior lest we hurt anyone’s feelings at any time. Now, being accepting of others is a good thing, but is it the most important thing? Should we willingly lay all other principles and standards upon the altar of mutual acceptance? Are we compelled to accept the world the way it is without regard to the good we have gleaned from the way it was? How did Jesus do it? He certainly spent time with the sinners of his day but was it at the cost of higher principles? Did Jesus actually “hang out” with sinners? Was his time with them to make them feel good or accepted? What is God’s role in all of this? If we want a relationship with God, does He accept us as we are or is there more to it?
If you want to know what you should do differently to change your life, consistency and discipline are the keys. Failure is almost guaranteed without them.
Tell us if this is familiar: You have decided that your life feels pretty empty, that what you have tried and how you have tried it just does not work. You know there has got to be more meaning to life, and so you are drawn to Christianity and you accept Jesus. For a while, you feel better, but slowly you get that gnawing feeling that nothing has really fundamentally changed in your life. What do you do? How do you find the real bottom line change that you have been looking for and actually let it change you? If this description fits you or someone you know, then stay with us, because we are going to get basic and practical! I am a Christian but want to REALLY be a Christian. So, where do I start?
A few weeks ago we began to tell the story of the dramatic events that led up to the conversion of the Centurion Cornelius to Christianity. Because the expansion of Christianity to Gentiles was such a radical shift in God’s methods, radical measures had to be taken! Today we will finish the story and see how its conclusion would change the history of Christian faith by the inclusion of you and me!
Sometimes things need to change. When there is a great plan in progress, the need for great change is likely to be a part of that plan. Since Adam’s fall from grace, God’s plan for man’s redemption has been punctuated by changes, including the great Flood which ended the old world, the calling of Abraham which began the age of the Patriarchs, and the death of Jacob which ushered in the age of Jewish favor. Each change had a distinct purpose. Today’s story about the conversion of Cornelius signaled that another change was on the horizon – a change that would be played out through the experiences of the Apostle Peter and Cornelius, the first Gentile convert. God’s plan was progressing and great change was necessary. But why Cornelius? Why a soldier?
