Trip to Costa Rica
I am grateful to the elders for permitting me the time to go, to Rafael Barrantes for the invitation, and to God for the opportunity to lift up His Son Jesus Christ to the people of Costa Rica.
Tag: Jesus
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Why Love the Law of God?
We should love the law of God because: 1) It Gives Us Understanding, 2) It Makes us Upright, 3) It is Uplifting. Each listener should understand what spiritual benefits come from loving the law of God as set forth in Psalm 119:97-104. I hope that each would renew their love for God’s law.
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Christian Unity is Based on Christian Teaching
Christian unity is based upon Christian teaching. We are united as Christians and without the teaching we are not Christians. This teaching is summarized in the list of seven “ones” in Ephesians 4:4-6. Each person should understand that for us to have unity as Christians we must adhere to the same standards of Christian teaching.
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What is Evangelism? – Jesus Sums it Up in one Sentence
In this lesson we will answer the question, “What is Evangelism” in a fourfold way. Evangelism is 1) Prayer, 2) Opportunities, 3) Work, 4) Teaching. I want each hearer to understand what all is involved in evangelism. The aim of this sermon is to educate and encourage each Christian to be evangelistic.
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The Last Will be First and the First Last – A Sermon on Judging
The kingdom of God is composed of people not expected by men because 1) Men judge based on appearances only, 2) Men do not believe in God’s mercy and grace, 3) Men Make Cheap Sacrifices thinking that will be pleasing to God. Each listener should understand that it is God who sets the standard for who enters His kingdom, not us. I hope that we would seek to understand what God’s standard for the kingdom is so that we can conform to it being a people that doesn’t judge based on appearances, that show true mercy and grace to others, and that understand that we must make real sacrifices.
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Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross? – So We Could Be Forgiven
Jesus died on the cross so that we could be forgiven of sin. Forgiveness means that 1) Every person has an opportunity to be forgiven. 2) God no longer holds our sins against us, 3) We have a standard upon which to forgive one another. Each listener should know what he needs to do to obtain forgiveness, where that puts him in a relationship to God, and to his fellow.
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Recovering from Spiritual Narcissism – Part 6
Everyone knows that person who wallows in self-pity. Ask them how they are doing, and their response is “I’m OK, I guess.”
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Taking Risks as Christians
In this study, we will look at different kinds of risks that Christians must take to be Christians. There is the risk of 1) Leaving the ones we love, 2) financial loss, 3) our life and health, 4) public rejection and failure. Each Christian should know what kind of risks he or she faces each day in living the Christian life and be prepared to handle those risks understanding that while there may be "risks" while we are upon the earth, the outcome is guaranteed. I want to spur the brethren on toward taking more risks in these areas because the greater risk one takes the greater reward that is associated with the risk.
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What To Do When You Fail – A Lesson on How to Handle Failure
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
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What Jesus Did Not Do – A Lesson on the Divinity of Jesus
In this lesson, we will look at what Jesus did not do that most people would have done given the same circumstances. The listener should understand that Jesus was extraordinary in His behavior. We will conclude that Jesus was divine.
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Honoring our Mothers
May God bless our mothers, and may our mothers be godly.
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Where was the Church before it was restored?
The point is this: the assumption of restoration does not necessarily imply non existence of that which needs to be restored as the question seems to imply. We recognize that restoration means that that which needs to be restored has deteriorated badly. In what sense? In the sense that not very much of the original is left. But that means that SOME of the original is still there. How can it be restored? By following the pattern for the original. In the case of the church, where do we find that pattern? In the New Testament.
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What’s the difference between Protestants and Catholics?
When the reformers, who eventually ended up creating the Protestant movement, withdrew from the Catholic church, they also renounced Catholic tradition as a source of authority for religious practices. In its place, they demanded that things be settled "sola scriptura" with scripture only.
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Praising the Maker of Mothers
We praise the Maker of our mothers because He made our mothers to be 1) Kind, 2) Compassionate, and 3) Caring. Each listener should be able to understand why God made mothers and the importance of their role within the home.
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Parakletos
As we were running, I matched his pace, talked to him about the run, and encouraged him to keep going; we had great conversation and fellowship. As we were running, walking, talking, and enjoying our time together, I realized that our run illustrated the concept of the Greek word parakletos.
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Being a Friend of God
In this lesson, we will look at what it means to be a friend of God. One is God's friend when he 1) Loves God with all his heart, soul, and mind, 2) Does what God wants him to do simply because God has asked us to do it, 3) Tells others about what a great friend God is. Each hearer should be able to understand what it takes to be a friend of God. I want everyone to be motivated to make God their friend.
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Why Did Jesus Die on the Cross? – To Be the Perfect Sacrifice
Jesus died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for sin because 1) Justice Demands Payment 2) Old Testament Sacrifices were Insufficient, 3) A Perfect Sacrifice Was Needed. This lesson explains why we need a perfect sacrifice and why Jesus was the perfect sacrifice.
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Lowering our Expectations of Others
What we desire of others reveals our expectations of them and our high opinion of ourselves.
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Recovering from Spiritual Narcissism – Part 4
The spiritual narcissist judges others to feel righteous while ignoring his own sins. Jesus says to first take the log out of your own eye (Matthew 7:1-5).
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Running for Down Syndrome Awareness
There is much we can learn from a person with Down Syndrome.
