One of the clear messages I sensed from God in recent days is that his people must prepare more urgently than ever for the challenges that are coming. We are in the early stages of a movement the church has never faced before, one which threatens us in ways that are now becoming clearer.
If the Church exists to proclaim and bear witness to the rule and reign of Christ, we may find that our culture’s woes aren’t as much the result of a secular occupation as they are the result of a Christian evacuation.
In a post on Facebook, actor and evangelist Kirk Cameron spoke openly about the urgent need for "true faith" in God in the U.S. and around the world.
I believe the greatest challenge we face in engaging our fallen culture lies not in the culture but in ourselves. All that Jesus has ever done, he can still do. All of God there is, is in this moment. But he can do through us only what we allow him to do in us.
Will you have to lose your job, your retirement, your health, or your comfort before you finally wake up? From mass shootings and civil unrest to the promotion of perverted sexual sin and the indoctrination of children, we can all add to the list. So my question is: What's it going to take to get us back on our knees? It seems that most Christians are bored with God. When everything is on the line, they still have no desire to seek Him.
Christians often say, "I've invited Jesus into my life," but the reality is that Jesus is inviting us into His life, His purpose, His restoring work in the world He created.
In recent days, I have been outlining a case for Christian optimism. Today, let’s add another component: secularism inevitably fails to keep its promises, demonstrating our need for faith in a transcendent God.
With God, we often get what we expect. Not because our faith limits God in any way, but because our faith limits our capacity to receive all that God intends to give.
If you have established a personal relationship with Jesus, how would he describe that relationship today? To draw closer to him, listen to him in his word and meet with him in worship. Ask his Spirit to show you anything that is blocking your relationship with him and confess what comes to your thoughts. Then ask Jesus to make himself more real to you than ever before, knowing that he wants such intimacy with you even more than you do with him.
Every year at Easter, Christians refocus on the cornerstone of our faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, it’s easy to forget the significance of the resurrection as we celebrate with baskets, eggs, and bunnies. And it’s especially hard to live in the hope of his resurrection throughout the year as life brings inevitable challenges.
Whether you’re preparing for Easter, or just preparing your heart for the day, it’s helpful to recall that Jesus didn’t just come to earth only to die and rise again. He came so that we could live our lives fully with Him each day...resurrected.
In John 11, Jesus came to see his friends Mary and Martha because their brother Lazarus had died. The story ends happily, with the physical resurrection of Lazarus, but before commanding his friend to “Come out!” of the tomb (John 11:43 CSB), Jesus has a conversation with Martha. He tells her that her brother will live.
Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
He wasn’t talking about his future resurrection or Lazarus’ future resurrection at the end of time. Jesus wanted Martha, and all of us, to understand that when we place our lives in His hands, He will raise them up again to live a fulfilled life in the present.
Our sin causes us to die spiritually because it separates us from a real relationship with God. We can lose all hope in ever having the life we were called to live. Jesus wants us to live a resurrected life, now.
Let’s look at 5 reasons the resurrection is important for the life you’re living right now:
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