Category Archives: Spiritual Development

Practical teachings from the Bible for every day living.

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#S3:034: How to Overcome Racism in the Church [Podcast]

Overcoming the Spirit of Division

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In the 1960’s the church deacon board mobilized lookout squads, and on Sundays, these took turns patrolling the entrances lest any black “troublemakers” try to integrate us. I still have one of the cards the deacons printed up to give to any civil rights demonstrators who might appear: Believing the motives of your group to be ulterior and foreign to the teaching of God’s word, we cannot extend a welcome to you and respectfully request you to leave the premises quietly. Scripture does NOT teach “the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God.” He is the Creator of all, but only the Father of those who have been regenerated. If any one of you is here with a sincere desire to know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, we shall be glad to deal individually with you from the Word of God. (Unanimous Statement of Pastor and Deacons, August 1960) When Congress passed the Civil Rights Acts, our church founded a private school as a haven for whites, expressly barring all black students. A few “liberal” members left the church in protest when the kindergarten turned down the daughter of a black Bible professor, but most of us approved of the decision. A year later the church board rejected a Carver Bible Institute student for membership (his name was Tony Evans).1. What is racism and how can we overcome it? We’ll be taking a look at this in this new series.

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[Tweet “Racism is a demonic spirit of division who’s aim is to magnify the difference between people.”]

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#S3:031: How to Ask Questions and Stay in Humility [Podcast]

How to Increase the Presence of God in Your Everyday Life

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Today, we are picking back up with the series on increasing the Presence of God in your everyday life. The series is about adjustments, adjustments you can make in your heart. We’ve spent some time looking at this prayer adjustment as we look at the believer’s role in praying for kings and presidents and God-ordained authority. We left off talking about a second king, Nebuchadnezzar whom God set-up but then brought down because he refused to acknowledge that it was God who sets men up and takes them down when they don’t act right. Nebuchadnezzar, as we saw, was not acting right. he got over into pride and God took his mind from him for a seven-year period. We looked at Job who also got over into some areas he shouldn’t have gotten into over the trial he experienced. We saw how God mercifully positioned Job into a place of humility so the grace of God could resurrect him from his tragedy. We’re going to pick up right where we left off, with Job, Nebuchadnezzar, and a new king that you would never have guessed that God would anoint to be king. All this and more on this week’s Light on Life.

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[Tweet “God dealing with pride in the world of men is a more common issue than we realize.”]

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#S3-029: Why God Sets Up the Lowest of Men as Authority [Podcast]

How to Increase the Presence of God in Your Everyday Life

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In the last podcast in this series, ‘How Do You Pray for A President You Don’t Agree With?‘ we referenced Cyrus, an ungodly leader, whom God allowed to ascend the throne. Cyrus was a man full of pride. He was a false god worshiper. He was not a lover of the only true Father God in heaven. He treated Him just like any of the other gods of the nations he conquered. God used his religious tolerance policies to His own advantage bringing Israel back to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. In this week’s podcast, we begin to take a look at a second king whom God allowed to come to power, Nebuchadnezzar.

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[Tweet “The best candidate for President may be the most inferior as far as God is concerned.”]

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Encore Post: How to Be Up In A Down World

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The world is a negative place. Just turn on the nightly news if you doubt it. I very rarely tune into the news because of this. You can protect yourself from all the gloominess but it takes some work. If you aren’t proactive, it’s easy to be swept away in the tidal wave of negativity around you. Jack Nicholson said, “In my last year of school, I was voted Class Optimist and Class Pessimist. Looking back, I realize I was only half right.1 No matter which half are you, you can grow. You can be an up person in a down world.

[Tweet “They say a mind is a terrible thing to waste. The same is true of your heart.”]

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Why Tithing Brings Great Increase and Blessing

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Did you know that 88% of people believe that the Bible teaches generosity? 1 Did you also know that one part of generosity includes giving back to God? It starts with you being generous towards Him. It starts with tithing. Some raise up with objections or comments about why they think they shouldn’t or why they can’t tithe. But, tithing works. God’s promises are true. It works just like clockwork. Here are a few points to bring an understanding of the Bible system of tithing.

[Tweet “Nothing in God is instant – nothing. You plant seeds. You wait for harvest. That’s how it works.”]

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#S3-026: Why Successful People Allow the Lord to Build Their Life [Podcast]

How to Increase the Presence of God in Your Everyday Life

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In 1787, prayer helped determine the future of our country in a significant way. The Constitutional Convention was on the verge of total failure over the issue of whether small states should have the same representation as large states. In this hopeless situation, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin offered a suggestion. He was convinced Scripture is right when it states, “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1), so he said: “Gentlemen, I have lived a long time and am convinced that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? I move that prayer imploring the assistance of Heaven to be held every morning before we proceed to business.” p 1046 The motion carried. From then on prayer was offered each morning. The change after prayer was introduced was so dramatic that in a short while a compromise was reached which is still in effect today. 1 Successfully praying for the President and our nation’s leaders have several key elements. We begin to examine these elements in today’s Light on Life podcast.

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[Tweet “If you want to live a Holy Ghost empowered life, get used to the concept of waiting on the Lord.”]

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#S3-019: Why Planting Churches in the Nation of Ghana is A Good God Thing [Podcast]

Going into All the World with the Gospel

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In this week’s edition we are going to break into the series we are doing on the Name of Jesus. You know we have engaged this series for many weeks now and we are going to pick it back up next week. But in this week’s Light on Life, we have a special guest in our studio and we are going to be doing a special podcast with our special guest. His name? Maxwell Abishai. Maxwell is a missionary to the nation of Ghana. We are going to interview him. We are going to talk about Missions. We are going to talk about the Great Commission. We are going to talk obeying Jesus words and going into all the world and preaching the gospel and making disciples of all nations. We are going to talk about establishing the gospel among the Muslim people of Ghana. A special Missions podcast. That’s what we are talking about in this week’s Light on Life.

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[Tweet “The media is almost totally ignoring the incredible global progress of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”]

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#S3-015: How the Mighty Names of God Energize Your Life [Podcast]

How to Use the Name of Jesus to Live a Miracle Life

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In this week’s podcast, we re-engage the series on the Name of Jesus. We left off, in ‘Why the Name of  Jesus Works for Your Life‘ with a question Moses asked God after He told him to go to Egypt and deliver Israel. Moses asked God for His Name. What was God’s response and how does it help us understand Jesus Name?

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[Tweet “The name El-Gibbor is a picture of Jesus leading the armies of heaven in Revelation 19.”]

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#S3-014: Do You Have A New Vision for A New Year? [Podcast]

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This is the New Years edition of Light On Life. This is the time of the year where people think about things like resolutions, goals and vision for the upcoming year. Soon after the completion of Disney World, someone said, “Isn’t it too bad that Walt Disney didn’t live to see this?” Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios, replied, “He did see it—that’s why it’s here.” 1  Vision is seeing things invisible. Do you have a new vision for this new year?

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[Tweet “The degree of vision which dwells in a man is a correct measure of the man.”]

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#S3-013: What if God Never Sent the Miracle Star? [Podcast]

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God’s plan was thought up and set in motion before the foundations of the world (Eph. 1:4). Particular courses of events and situations, at times, align to bring into a focus a particular aspect of God’s wisdom and plan. Today, we are going to look at the birth of Jesus in this way. We are going to look at some of the events that came into view and we are going to ask a rather startling question about one of those events, the appearing of the star. Here is the question: ‘What would have happened, had the Star not appeared?’

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[Tweet “God’s plan for your life was thought up and set in motion before the foundations of the world.”]

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#S3-011: What’s the Value of a Good Name? [Podcast]

How to Use the Name of Jesus to Live a Miracle Life

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The podcast this week starts the beginning of a new series on How to Use the Name of Jesus to Live a Miracle Life. We are going to be looking at the various aspects of the Name of Jesus which give it it’s extraordinary power. Today, we start out with understanding some of the Bible principles surrounding names.

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[Tweet “The early church used the Name of Jesus to heal the sick in every case.”]

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Why There Is No Condemnation In Christ

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A man came from Europe to this country in 1867. He became dissatisfied and went to Cuba when they had that great civil war there. Finally he was arrested for a spy, court-martialed, and condemned to be shot. He sent for the American Consul and the English Consul, and went on to prove to them that he was no spy. These two men were thoroughly convinced that the man was no spy, and they went to one of the Spanish officers and said, “This man you have condemned to be shot is an innocent man.” “Well,” the Spanish officer says, “the man has been legally tried by our laws and condemned, and the law must take, its course and the man must die.” And the next morning the man was led out; the grave was already dug for him, and the black cap was put on him, and the soldiers were there ready to receive the order, “Fire,” and in a few moments the man would be shot and put in that grave and covered up, when who should rise up but the American Consul, who took the American flag and wrapped it around him, and the English Consul took the English flag and also wrapped it around him, and they said to those soldiers, “Fire on those flags if you dare!” [D. L. Moody, Anecdotes and Illustrations of D. L. Moody Related by Him in His Revival Work, ed. J. B. McClure (Chicago: Rhodes & McClure, 1878), 147–148] That’s how it is in Christ. We were condemned by the law. But God, in the person of Jesus, wrapped His robe of righteous around us. And though we were condemned to be executed to a devils hell, yet because of Jesus we are sons of God on our way to heaven.

The Bridge Commentary consists of four sections: Definitions, Background, Comments and Questions. The Definitions section explains all significant Greek words found in all the verses of this passage. The Background section contains material which will help to frame the passage in it’s 1st century setting. The Questions section includes queries you may want to ask of the text. Finally, the Comments section contains observations of the verses sorted in word or phrase order.

 

 Click on this link for a flow diagram of this passage.