That Angry Girl

There are teenagers who are lost and trying to find themselves.

Come to think of it… that is the definition of “teenager,” isn’t it?

The truth is, there are so many young people in this world who are trying to find themselves.

Who am I?

Why am I here?

What is my place in this world?

These young folks can’t find themselves until they find eternal life through Jesus Christ. Same thing applies to old fogies as well...

A while ago, we encountered an angry girl who did not seem to know that... and we wonder if the churches in her area care about that fact?

Sometimes, all we can do is pray.

What if we did that... and perhaps put some action behind our prayers?


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There is no God?

I recall watching an episode of CBS 60 Minutes where Scientist J. Craig Venter tells Steve Kroft that after his groundbreaking work studying the human genome, he does not believe that there is a God. Hmm... what does the Bible say about this?

THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds; there is none that does good or right.

Psalm 14:1 [AMP]

THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt and evil are they, and doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

Psalm 53:1 [AMP]

He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.

Proverbs 28:26 [AMP]

The fool says that there is no God. But the wise person knows that God is real... when we truly know Him with our whole hearts.


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The Big Question

One question that I hear from people who profess to be atheists is...

If there is a God and if God is all powerful… then why doesn’t He just stop all of the suffering in the world today?

We answer that question in this 7½ minute podcast.


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The Atheist Says: Part 3

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The Atheist Says: Part 2

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The Atheist Says: Part 1

When we heard Ricky Gervais say, at the close of the Golden Globes ceremony “…I thank God for making me an atheist” our response was one of confusion.  Consternation.  Calumnation.

Does God make people believe that He does not exist?

Not to pick on Ricky, but people who say such things certainly validate the words written in the scriptures, such as:

THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds; there is none that does good or right.

Psalm 14:1 [AMP]

THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt and evil are they, and doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

Psalm 53:1 [AMP]

He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.

Proverbs 28:26 [AMP]

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Are You Helping or Hurting the Cause?

Are you helping to bring people into the Kingdom of God... or are you chasing people away?  That is the question that we address in this week’s podcast.


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Don’t Get Burned!

Some infants learn the hard way not to touch the hot stove or else they will get burned. Too bad we often learn spiritual lessons the hard way when we fail to heed the loving admonitions of the word of God.


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Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

As we start off a new year... the first year in a new decade... we need to focus not only on the deep and wonderful spiritual things, but also on the everyday natural things.  After all, Jesus not only preached the good news of the Kingdom of God, but He also healed the sick and fed the hungry.

God wants you to be well and to enjoy life -- but that requires some good and positive choices on our part.  Good choices get good results.  The opposite... also true.

Don't wait until you need someone to wheel you up to the preacher to be prayed for... start now by living a healthy lifestyle by using COMMON SENSE and by meditating on the Word of God.

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Χριστός Ανέστη!

For those of you who don’t understand the Greek language, the title of this podcast reads, in English: Christ has risen!


I heard this phrase proclaimed in Greece when I enjoyed the celebration of Easter in that wonderful country.  Granted, half the folks making this proclamation were drunk… but that does not change the truth of this simple phrase.

Christ is risen.  Jesus is alive!

As you celebrate the Christmas holiday season, our focus may be on the baby in the manger (as depicted in the graphic above).  But remember what that baby did:

• He proclaimed the gospel (good news) to those who were oppressed
• He healed the sick
• He raised the dead
• He took your sins upon Himself on the cross
• He rose from the dead (Χριστός Ανέστη!)
• He ascended into heaven to sit at God’s right hand
• He is coming back to judge the quick (living) and the dead
• He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life

As you celebrate friends, family, food and gifts… remember the Reason for the season.

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Meditations on Love, Part 10: From Jihad to Jesus

In the final segment of this ten-part series, our brother Joel Rosenberg related an experience meeting a former terrorist leader who in the past would have murdered Joel in cold blood.

Instead of doing that during this particular encounter, the former terrorist embraced Joel as a brother.

Why?

Because of an act of love.

Someone sowed seeds.  The seeds were Bibles.  The harvest of just one of those seeds was a life changed from murder and terror to compassion and love:

Jesus explains it this way:

³Give attention to this! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

⁴And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

⁵Other seed [of the same kind] fell on ground full of rocks, where it had not much soil; and at once it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil;

⁶And when the sun came up, it was scorched, and because it had not taken root, it withered away.

⁷Other seed [of the same kind] fell among thorn plants, and the thistles grew and pressed together and utterly choked and suffocated it, and it yielded no grain.

⁸And other seed [of the same kind] fell into good (well-adapted) soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing, and yielded up to thirty times as much, and sixty times as much, and even a hundred times as much as had been sown.

⁹And He said, He who has ears to hear, let him be hearing [and let him consider, and comprehend].

Mark 4:3-9 [AMP]

Somebody sowed the word (we explain in this podcast). And while most of the seeds sown were destroyed by the Islamic men who had intercepted them, one seed got through and changed a life for eternity... impacting who knows how many lives?


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Meditations on Love, Part 9: Walk in Love, Avoid Strife, God Defends You!

Referencing our audio teaching entitled Defender, we know that people are often used by satan to cause problems for us.

We also know that God is a mighty Defender Who will fight battles on our behalf with power and might exponentionally greater than we could ever imagine. .

The next important point is to remember that when we walk in love and avoid strife, we may with confidence leave all conflicts in God's hands... where they will be far better dealt with than by your own strength or schemes.

Walk in love towards those who offend...

The power of God will always defend...



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Meditations on Love, Part 8: More Love... More Power!

Our goal is to live a life that exemplifies unselfish love for others.  Even when people act ugly and contrary... we want to obey Jesus’ commandment to forgive them and to show them unconditional (agape) love.

And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 [AMP]

The more love you have (and exercise)... the more power you will have.

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Meditations on Love, Part 7: Unity of Love

Believers in Jesus Christ are one body.  Not the Baptist body... the Catholic body... the Pentecostal Charismaniac body... but we are all one in Christ.  

Okay... so we don’t seem to be acting that way.  But, we should!

BEHOLD, HOW good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Psalm 133:1 [AMP]

The opposite of Psalm 133:1 would be that it is very unpleasant for brethren to dwell together in antagonistic cliques that hate and despise and contradict.

For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). For by [means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptized [and by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 [AMP]

A body that does not function has difficulty achieving many tasks.  The mind may be as bright and sharp as ever... but without limbs and organs that function in synchronicity...

Just think about it...

May grace (God's unmerited favor) and spiritual peace [which means peace with God and harmony, unity, and undisturbedness] be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:2 [AMP]

For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us

Ephesians 2:14 [AMP]

In order to be in unity, we need love.

Love is the cement that holds us together.  When we are held together by love... we have peace.  And peace is a whole lot better than the alternative!

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Meditations on Love, Part 6: Debt of Love

Love is not just a nice thing to do... it is the only thing to do. It is a debt that we owe to others.

⁴³You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy;

⁴⁴But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

⁴⁵To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].

Matthew 5:43-45 [AMP]

As with finances... we want to stay current on our payments to avoid getting a bad credit score. When that happens... you will ride around in a bummy car with a brick-sized cell phone and have the cool people laugh at you.

At least, that is what happens in those commercials.

You have a debt of love. Pay your debts!

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