Passion 4 Him

    Monday, June 09, 2014 by John MacArthur The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor power plant released four hundred times the amount of radioactive material released in the bombing of Hiroshima. Experts estimate that as much as 60 percent of the fallout from the Chernobyl disaster landed in the neighboring nation of Belarus. I’ve had the privilege to minister alongside faithful pastors and church leaders from Belarus, and they can attest to the dramatic, tragic effects of the disaster. The plume of smoke and debris deposited radioactive material across much of the country. The toxic pollution permeated the soil and the water supply, effectively poisoning the entire country, and extending the impact of the disaster to future generations. Just as environmental pollution can wreak long-lasting devastation across a wide region, the same is true of spiritual  poison. False teaching can create years—even generations—of spiritual confusion, corruption, and co...

How does your church provide counsel for its fellowship? That’s a critical question for the body of Christ. The answer ought to be “God’s way.” Yet for more than half a century, due primarily to the influence of so-called Christian psychology, the church, with rare exceptions, has been counseling man’s way in one form or another. The consequence has been that many believers have little more success in overcoming sins that are related to problems of living than do unbelievers. Indeed, even when the flesh is well-meaning—it profits nothing. Jesus declared, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” ( John:10:10 ), but this lack of success would seem to deny His words. Furthermore, looking to worldly sources for help in sin-related mental, emotional, and behavioral problems is a rejection of the authority and the sufficiency of God’s Word. The Bible is absolutely clear regarding its authority and sufficiency for every b...

Contents: Biblical Principles for Time Use Conclusions The majority of people in Western societies complain about the pressure of time and the pace of life. About a third feel that they are too busy all the time, and another third too busy some of the time. This is particularly true of those in leadership positions, in business and the professions , self-employed people, single parents and working women, especially those belonging to an ethnic minority. This even affects children, most of all in middle-class families. On the whole Christians, especially leaders, feel pressured and harried. They are often unable to accomplish all the significant things they would like to do and just as often do not have time to do these thoroughly. Overall most people find it difficult to keep up with what is going on, to maintain peace in the midst of activity, even to take pleasure in the work they are doing. As a result, we often feel frustration at having too much to do, guilt ...

  Written by Mike Gendron. Webster's dictionary defines an oxymoron as "a combination of contradictory words," such as jumbo shrimp, tight slacks and pretty ugly. Would you put Catholic Christian into this category? Some would say "no", because they believe Roman Catholicism is a Christian denomination. Others, who know the official teachings of the Catholic Church contradict the essentials of the Gospel would say "yes." We propose that a Catholic Christian is indeed an oxymoron for two reasons: 1) whom we are is what we believe, and 2) it is impossible for anyone to believe two opposing views simultaneously. We recognize that there may be some Christians attending the Catholic Church but if they have believed the Gospel they are no longer Catholics. Let us consider the contradictory beliefs of Catholics and Christians. By definition we will propose a Christian is one who believes the Gospel while a Catholic is one who believes the offi...

By Marcus Yoars Would the modern American church even be recognizable to early followers of Jesus? By today´s standards in the American church, Jesus wasn´t cut out to be a pastor, nor would His ministry be highlighted as a model for church planters. Consider these facts: Jesus had the greatest preaching, teaching and healing ministry in history. Thousands came to hear Him, followed His every move and lined the streets to get a glimpse of Him or simply touch Him. Yet amid His rock-star popularity, He intentionally offended religious leaders, challenged potential mega-donors and weeded out casual followers with tough teachings. Not exactly the textbook strategy you´d find today to grow your church, much less your Facebook likes and Twitter followers. After Jesus spent three and a half years ministering to thousands, His church consisted of only 120 disciples gathered in the upper room. And even that was a low turnout, considering He had appeared to more than 50...

Many people choose marriage for good reasons yet the divorce rates are still high. Why? Some idealize marriage; others underestimate the amount of effort it really take to make a real relationship work. With so many marriages failing, an increasing number of people are wondering if marriage is even worth the trouble. According to a 2002 survey on marriage and cohabitation, Approximately 28% of men and women cohabitated before their first marriage Among men and women who considered religion very important, more than 4 in 10 had cohabited at some time in their lives  Top Reasons 1. Love: 91% 2. Companionship: 88% 3. To signify a lifelong commitment: 82% 4. Security for children: 79% 5. To make a publice commitment to each other: 77% 6. Legal status or for financial security: 66% 7. Because of religious beliefs: 62% 8.  Response to family pressure: 50% 9. Desire for a special occassion: 45% Courtesy of: http://theartofmarriage.com/what-is-aom/topics-covered/

The best marriage advice I never received. by Dave Boehi I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what couples should know before they get married. For one thing, I’ve been making some updates and revisions on FamilyLife’s  Preparing for Marriage workbook, which is used by thousands of pastors and counselors around the country each year for premarriage counseling. In addition, my younger daughter, Missy,  was married recently . As a parent you think of all the things you should tell a child before marriage, and nothing ever seems to be enough. When Merry and I were preparing to be married, we went through counseling and got a lot of good advice. But there are some important things that we did not fully understand. So if I were talking with a premarried couple, here’s what I’d tell them about the “5 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Was Married”: #1: Marriage is not all about you....