How do missionaries work? The word “missionary” means “a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work” (dictionary.com). The word stems from a Latin word meaning “one who is sent.” In the New Testament, we can identify several missionaries. Philip seems to be the first of these.
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.
Not too long ago, President Trump was criticized for calling gang members “animals.”
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.
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.
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.
What will be the fate of the rest? “But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” (Ezekiel 11:21-22).
God has made extraordinary efforts to encourage humanity to repent. In this lesson, we will look at how Revelation 8-9 teach this truth through the limited judgments that God has used on the earth. The hearer should understand that the world is designed in such a way as to bring suffering humanity to repentance for their sins, and that when we don’t repent, we create great suffering in our lives. I want to teach Revelation 8-9 and show the relationship of these verses to the Old Testament prophets and their call for people to repent.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There is much we can learn from a person with Down Syndrome.
In the conversion of Saul we see 1) Confrontation, 2) Contrition, 3) Concern, and 4) Conversion. The objective of this study is to understand the conversion of Saul so that we may explain it to others. Saul's conversion serves as a model for everyone's conversion.
Graham said that some people are just born Christians, no conversion necessary.
In this lesson, we will study why Jesus died on the cross. To understand that Jesus brings unity to mankind in the church, we must understand God’s original design in the creation. When we understand this, we will understand that Jesus died on the cross to restore unity between God and man, and between man and man. Each member should understand that Jesus died on the cross to bring unity in the church as the restoration of His purposes in creation.
This is an emotional phenomenon known as attachment: when we identify with it to the point of ownership. We take everything said or done about the subject “personally.”
An audio sermon on three questions answered in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand were baptized. The post contains the full text of Acts chapter 2.