Faith

The Gospel – Key To Change

by Tim Keller

The Greek term “gospel” (ev-angelion) distinguished the Christian message from that of other religions. An ‘ev-angel’ was news of a great historical event, such as a victory in war or the ascension of a new king, that changed the listeners’ condition and required a response from the listener.So the gospel is news of what God has done to reach us.It is not advice about what we must do to reach God. What is this news? God has entered the world in Jesus Christ to achieve a salvation that we could not achieve for ourselves which now:

1) converts and transforms individuals, forming them into a new humanity, and eventually

2) will renew the whole world and all creation.

This is the ‘good news’—the gospel. And it is good news in three important ways.

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God’s Role in Tragedy

God does not allow evil and suffering to continue because He does not love us, or is in some way detached and removed from us. God takes our suffering so seriously, that he took it upon himself on the cross. ~ Tim Keller

When I speak to a group about RELENTLESS GRACE, the questions are frequently penetrating and gut-wrenchingly honest. One question is asked more than any other. “Do you believe that God caused your injury?”

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“Satan’s Role in Addictions and Dysfunctional Behaviors” WorkshopTranscript – Part 1

note: Members can discuss this workshop in the Message Boards HERE

Obie-host Welcome to CIR’s Workshop:”Satan’s Role in Addictions and Dysfunctional Behaviors” This Workshop is presented by noted author Don Umphrey
The Workshop will be held Wednesdays September 9, 16, 23 30 9:30-11:00 PM Eastern Time
We strongly suggest you get a copy of his latest book Seeking Spiritual Clarity This will help you to get the most out of the workshop. We recommend this workshop for all aspects of recovery (not just addictions).
Let us open in prayer…..
Heavenly Father….
We thank You for our many blessings….

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Answering The Skeptics About God’s Existence

Is Jesus God?
As a believer have you ever been confronted with someone who is skeptical that Jesus Christ exists or that He is the Savior of the world? How about those logical, intellectual folks that like to downplay creation for evolution? Have you ever heard the one about how people evolved from oysters?

I don’t know about you, but I have a bit more faith than that. Do you realize how long it would take for a human to evolve from an oyster? More than the billions of years that they like to say the earth is old. Scientific evidence has yet to prove God does NOT exist. So the evolutionists and the creationists are in the same boat – still waiting for proof to disbelieve the other.

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Coasting – The Importance of Rest

If you’re coasting, you’re either losing momentum or else you’re headed downhill.

I suppose that’s true.

Cyclists don’t get stronger or faster by coasting. The only way to increase performance is to pedal as hard as possible, even on downhill stretches. When you coast, you don’t improve.

But I don’t think coasting is always negative. I think we’re making a mistake to always equate coasting with laziness and waste.

We can get awfully focused on productivity and efficiency, working hard, maximizing potential gains. Nothing wrong with that.

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Asking The Right Questions

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Martin Luther King, Jr.

In my introductory Sunday school class I always begin with this premise: God welcomes our sincere questions.

I find that many people are surprised by the notion that faith and uncertainty can coexist. I think we sometimes imply that people of true faith don’t have questions. This false message squelches the expression of honest questions and creates significant guilt.

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We Can’t Just Wait Around

2 Peter 1:2 NRSV
May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Grace is a very elusive term. We often hear grace defined unmerited favor. But Strong’s goes further. The Greek word for grace is charis. Strong’s 5485 defines it as “especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.” It seems to me that grace is rather interactive.

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How Are You Treating Your Gift?

2 Peter 1:1 NRSV
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Do I think that my faith is precious? That word just jumped out at me on the page when I read it. Did you know that the English word precious comes from the Latin word that means price. And that’s what our faith is: it was paid with a price, with the blood of our Savior. I think that sometimes, in the midst of the frenetic pace of our lives, we tend to take our salvation for granted. It’s been a part of us so long that we forget that there was a time when we didn’t have the hope of heaven.

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