Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Re- Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || True Christianity by Leonard Ravenhill
This is a response video to: "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" -
What is the Christian life? Easiness, welfare, prosperity, pleasures?
NO! Christian life is a life of sacrifice, disclaim, agony, to burden
ourselves the marks of the Lord, to be like Him, to live like He did, to
suffer like He did, to walk so close to Him that people will think you
are Him. This is CHRISTIAN LIFE!
In light of the current 18 million video about Jesus going around, lets promote a more truer picture of the cost of Christianity, share this video:
In light of the current 18 million video about Jesus going around, lets promote a more truer picture of the cost of Christianity, share this video:
Friday, May 4, 2012
Staying On Track In Your Daily Christian Life by Greg Gordon
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your
paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
The Christian world is flooded in our day with ideas, programs and plans to help you life your Christian life better. All these teachings and resources state that they will help you stay on track in your Christian walk. In the midst of this day of abidance in resources and information for Christians we must step back and look at the Bible to help find truly what will keep us on track in our Christian walks with the Lord. Here is a short list of simple, yet very biblical ways to stay on track with the Lord in your walk:
1. Not relying on men - It is tremendous to receive writings, daily devotionals, sermons, teaching tapes and many other resources daily yet they can become crutches for us in our walk with the Lord. Even some can come to the place in prayer where they do not pray themselves but just get others to pray for them. Relying on men can be a very dangerous thing and result in not only deception but a lack of ability of follow the Lord yourself (Psalm 146:3). Our Lord Jesus taught 12 disciples to rely on Himself (John 14:1) and not the teachings and patterns of the religious age they were surrounded with. In the same way we must rely on the Lord Jesus Christ and not men or the religious information around us (John 12:36).
2. Doing everything for God - Christian life is primarily about God not ourselves (Romans 15:6). As long as we walk this Christian road we need to keep our focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and namely the person of Jesus Christ "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). Our salvation should constantly bring up in us a great thankfulness and glorifying of God daily (2 Corinthians 4:15). The Bible commends us to glorify God in everything we do if it is in word or deed. When we do these good works out of deep appreciation for the love of God we bring glory to God the Father. Keeping this focus on God's testimony, His glory and Name keeps us from being self-centred and self-seeking in our Christian walks (Romans 15:6).
3. Do not Trust in your abilities and experience - There is a great danger in our Christian walks and being in ministry to trust in our own abilities and past experiences. If we had a great victory in our Christian life and that can become something that builds slowly over time self-reliance instead of dependence on God. Our past experiences can be markers like Abraham made of worship to God so when we come back to think of them it will result in worship of God rather in glorying someone in ourselves that we did it. Our own understanding is so strong and wants to plead with us daily to trust in itself rather in Gods wisdom which is high above our thinking, logic and ways (Isaiah 55:9). We must desire to hear the voice of God in the Bible and by our prayer walks with the Lord and heed that voice even over what we feel is right (Hebrews 3:15). When we obey the Lord and trust Him we will never be put to shame (Psalm 25:3).
4. Saying no to Gossip, slander and grumbling - Mankind is prone to sin in these ares of comparing ourselves with others and putting down others that do not measure with what we think is right (Romans 2:1). Such judging, criticizing, and scrutinizing will never bring the peace of God into one's life and never keep the presence of God in our lives (James 4:11-12). We should always look to ourselves first for when we criticize others it is usually that same weakness that we can find in ourselves and therefore should judge ourselves first. A man who judges himself before God His Father and not men will be a happy and peaceful man of God. There is a time and place for a godly correction especially in the local church may we have wisdom to only open our mouths in such a way as being led by the Lord Himself (1 Corinthians 5:3-4)
5. Seeking after God more then money - Almost all of the world is seeking after money as its prime motive in life. Jesus taught this clearly that the world is in love with money and seeks it as their god (Matthew 6:24). Only those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ are the one's that put money under their feet. If we are pursing fame and success in this world then we are not seeking God's kingdom first (Luke 16:14). This life is just a breath and it is passing away so quickly only those who are wise will build their lives on eternal values and rewards (James 4:14).
6. Building a personal relationship with Jesus - We can get side-tracked by so many things in the Christian walk and therefore to keep it simple can bring much fruit and blessing in your life (John 15:4). Keeping your daily focus on building a relationship with Jesus Christ by reading the words of God, prayer, worship and just thinking on His person. Jesus covets and desires after intimate fellowship with the Church He bought with His own blood. May we respond to this call of His love daily and sit at His feet as Mary did of old (Luke 10:39). Also be honest and share every hurt, burden and care of this life with Him in a simple way like a child. He will never turn you away and Has only deep love for you as you seek to abide in His life (1 Peter 5:7).
7. Mediating on the Words of God - To mediate and muse on scripture is a lost art in much of the evangelical word. This requires us to quiet our hearts to think upon Gods words as more important and higher then ours. To recognize Gods words as eternal, holy and showing the truths of eternal life (Psalm 138:2). To practically take 1-2 verses per day and just muse and chew on them in your mind and heart will produce life and a sense of the presence of God (Psalm 1:2). This practice will bring you peace and give you strength in your Spirit to be more discerning of daily situations you run across in your walk with Jesus Christ.
8. Silence - There is such an overload of information, thoughts and busyness in our culture that we truly do not have time to just be silent and think. We are taught that to stop thinking about what we have to do next is idleness and unprofitable. The practice of true prayer to wait on the Lord in times of silence and pray very purposefully is not done in many churches (Psalm 46:10). Even a time of introspection during the holy communion is not afforded to us in this rushing time we are in (1 Corinthians 11:31). Practically I feel it is profitable to just God this time of quietness and allow Him to speak, impress your heart with scripture. Allowing the peace of God to flood into your hearts and minds as you simply want to fix your minds on our Lord in worship. There is nothing dangerous about this practice when we come with a sincere heart to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and hear from Him (Acts 13:2).
To recap these simple suggestions for our daily walk with the Lord may God give us the grace to in our daily walks:
- Not to rely so much on others but the Lord
- Do everything for the glory of Gods Name and Testimony
- Cater a dependence on God not our own abilities
- Judge ourselves and do not slander and judge others
- Put to death the desire to seek after money
- Build a daily growing relationship with Jesus Christ
- Mediate and muse on the words of God daily
- Stop and spend times of prayerful silence to let God speak to you.
As we seek to do these practical things may the Lord continue to keep us on track with His will in our daily walks.
_________________
SermonIndex.net Moderator - Greg Gordon
The Christian world is flooded in our day with ideas, programs and plans to help you life your Christian life better. All these teachings and resources state that they will help you stay on track in your Christian walk. In the midst of this day of abidance in resources and information for Christians we must step back and look at the Bible to help find truly what will keep us on track in our Christian walks with the Lord. Here is a short list of simple, yet very biblical ways to stay on track with the Lord in your walk:
1. Not relying on men - It is tremendous to receive writings, daily devotionals, sermons, teaching tapes and many other resources daily yet they can become crutches for us in our walk with the Lord. Even some can come to the place in prayer where they do not pray themselves but just get others to pray for them. Relying on men can be a very dangerous thing and result in not only deception but a lack of ability of follow the Lord yourself (Psalm 146:3). Our Lord Jesus taught 12 disciples to rely on Himself (John 14:1) and not the teachings and patterns of the religious age they were surrounded with. In the same way we must rely on the Lord Jesus Christ and not men or the religious information around us (John 12:36).
2. Doing everything for God - Christian life is primarily about God not ourselves (Romans 15:6). As long as we walk this Christian road we need to keep our focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and namely the person of Jesus Christ "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). Our salvation should constantly bring up in us a great thankfulness and glorifying of God daily (2 Corinthians 4:15). The Bible commends us to glorify God in everything we do if it is in word or deed. When we do these good works out of deep appreciation for the love of God we bring glory to God the Father. Keeping this focus on God's testimony, His glory and Name keeps us from being self-centred and self-seeking in our Christian walks (Romans 15:6).
3. Do not Trust in your abilities and experience - There is a great danger in our Christian walks and being in ministry to trust in our own abilities and past experiences. If we had a great victory in our Christian life and that can become something that builds slowly over time self-reliance instead of dependence on God. Our past experiences can be markers like Abraham made of worship to God so when we come back to think of them it will result in worship of God rather in glorying someone in ourselves that we did it. Our own understanding is so strong and wants to plead with us daily to trust in itself rather in Gods wisdom which is high above our thinking, logic and ways (Isaiah 55:9). We must desire to hear the voice of God in the Bible and by our prayer walks with the Lord and heed that voice even over what we feel is right (Hebrews 3:15). When we obey the Lord and trust Him we will never be put to shame (Psalm 25:3).
4. Saying no to Gossip, slander and grumbling - Mankind is prone to sin in these ares of comparing ourselves with others and putting down others that do not measure with what we think is right (Romans 2:1). Such judging, criticizing, and scrutinizing will never bring the peace of God into one's life and never keep the presence of God in our lives (James 4:11-12). We should always look to ourselves first for when we criticize others it is usually that same weakness that we can find in ourselves and therefore should judge ourselves first. A man who judges himself before God His Father and not men will be a happy and peaceful man of God. There is a time and place for a godly correction especially in the local church may we have wisdom to only open our mouths in such a way as being led by the Lord Himself (1 Corinthians 5:3-4)
5. Seeking after God more then money - Almost all of the world is seeking after money as its prime motive in life. Jesus taught this clearly that the world is in love with money and seeks it as their god (Matthew 6:24). Only those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ are the one's that put money under their feet. If we are pursing fame and success in this world then we are not seeking God's kingdom first (Luke 16:14). This life is just a breath and it is passing away so quickly only those who are wise will build their lives on eternal values and rewards (James 4:14).
6. Building a personal relationship with Jesus - We can get side-tracked by so many things in the Christian walk and therefore to keep it simple can bring much fruit and blessing in your life (John 15:4). Keeping your daily focus on building a relationship with Jesus Christ by reading the words of God, prayer, worship and just thinking on His person. Jesus covets and desires after intimate fellowship with the Church He bought with His own blood. May we respond to this call of His love daily and sit at His feet as Mary did of old (Luke 10:39). Also be honest and share every hurt, burden and care of this life with Him in a simple way like a child. He will never turn you away and Has only deep love for you as you seek to abide in His life (1 Peter 5:7).
7. Mediating on the Words of God - To mediate and muse on scripture is a lost art in much of the evangelical word. This requires us to quiet our hearts to think upon Gods words as more important and higher then ours. To recognize Gods words as eternal, holy and showing the truths of eternal life (Psalm 138:2). To practically take 1-2 verses per day and just muse and chew on them in your mind and heart will produce life and a sense of the presence of God (Psalm 1:2). This practice will bring you peace and give you strength in your Spirit to be more discerning of daily situations you run across in your walk with Jesus Christ.
8. Silence - There is such an overload of information, thoughts and busyness in our culture that we truly do not have time to just be silent and think. We are taught that to stop thinking about what we have to do next is idleness and unprofitable. The practice of true prayer to wait on the Lord in times of silence and pray very purposefully is not done in many churches (Psalm 46:10). Even a time of introspection during the holy communion is not afforded to us in this rushing time we are in (1 Corinthians 11:31). Practically I feel it is profitable to just God this time of quietness and allow Him to speak, impress your heart with scripture. Allowing the peace of God to flood into your hearts and minds as you simply want to fix your minds on our Lord in worship. There is nothing dangerous about this practice when we come with a sincere heart to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and hear from Him (Acts 13:2).
To recap these simple suggestions for our daily walk with the Lord may God give us the grace to in our daily walks:
- Not to rely so much on others but the Lord
- Do everything for the glory of Gods Name and Testimony
- Cater a dependence on God not our own abilities
- Judge ourselves and do not slander and judge others
- Put to death the desire to seek after money
- Build a daily growing relationship with Jesus Christ
- Mediate and muse on the words of God daily
- Stop and spend times of prayerful silence to let God speak to you.
As we seek to do these practical things may the Lord continue to keep us on track with His will in our daily walks.
_________________
SermonIndex.net Moderator - Greg Gordon
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Excellency Of Knowing God by Leonard Ravenhill
Source - http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=20359&commentView=itemComments
| MP3 link - Excellency Of Knowing God (File size - 18.6 MB) Topic: Knowing God Scripture: John 17:3 | |
| Description: Ravenhill preaches from a deep burden on the greatest need in our Churches to know God! We don't know God, we talk about Him, we read His book but do we know Him in his grandeur and in his power? This is a provoking and challenging message. | |
The Secret of the Lord by Oswald Chambers
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him . . . —Psalm 25:14
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.
“Him shall He teach in the way He chooses” (Psalm 25:12). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, “I wonder why I shouldn’t do this?” God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, “Now, Lord, what is Your will?”
What is the sign of a friend? Is it that he tells you his secret sorrows? No, it is that he tells you his secret joys. Many people will confide their secret sorrows to you, but the final mark of intimacy is when they share their secret joys with you. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys? Or are we continually telling God our secrets, leaving Him no time to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God. But then we find that God wants to get us into an intimate relationship with Himself— to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so intimately united to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer— “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10)— that we catch the secrets of God? What makes God so dear to us is not so much His big blessings to us, but the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us— He knows every detail of each of our individual lives.
“Him shall He teach in the way He chooses” (Psalm 25:12). At first, we want the awareness of being guided by God. But then as we grow spiritually, we live so fully aware of God that we do not even need to ask what His will is, because the thought of choosing another way will never occur to us. If we are saved and sanctified, God guides us by our everyday choices. And if we are about to choose what He does not want, He will give us a sense of doubt or restraint, which we must heed. Whenever there is doubt, stop at once. Never try to reason it out, saying, “I wonder why I shouldn’t do this?” God instructs us in what we choose; that is, He actually guides our common sense. And when we yield to His teachings and guidance, we no longer hinder His Spirit by continually asking, “Now, Lord, what is Your will?”
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Preserving Our Love for Christ(Must hear !)
MP3 link - Preserving Our Love for Christ (File size - 6.1 MB)
PS: You can hear this sermon without downloading it, for that either hit the play button or hit the link. If you need to download this sermon, then right click the link and the select the option "save link as". Please feel free to contact me if you need any help.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
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