Life Compass

I watched this movie. Then I re-watched it. Then I watched it again -- 3 times in one week! It's a simple story done on a low budget, with no big action or special effects. Yet I found it so captivating. I'm quite taken with the depiction of Jesus here - it's spot-on to the way I've envisioned him for years -- NOT as some unrelatable, mysterious, stoic dude in robes as depicted in so many Jesus movies. Here we have him as he really is: omniscient, loving, genuine, earnest, wise, and concerned. Yet not a pushover, and authoritative when he needs to be. And totally unflappable even by overt hostility. Beyond that, I thought everyone else's acting was generally pretty good. And the story delved into several complex issues that have come up in debates for many years, and it handled them really well. So overall, I was very encouraged by this movie and highly recommend it.

Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one's own life, or as some have called it, "self-murder." Over the years, I've heard several questions from people with questions about suicide: ·           "Does God forgive suicide, or is it the   unpardonable sin ?" ·           "Do Christians who commit suicide go to   hell ?" ·           "What does the Bible say about suicide?" 7 People Committed Suicide in the Bible Let's begin by looking at the seven accounts of suicide in the Bible. Abimelech   -   Judges 9:54 After having his skull crushed under a millstone that was dropped by a woman from the Tower of Shechem, Abimelech called for his armor bearer to kill him with a sword. He did not want it said that a woman had killed him. Samson   -   Judges 16:29-31 By collapsing a building,   Samson   sacr...

If you are a backslider, then I have good news for you. The simplest and shortest part of this sermon is how to get back to God. Simply turn to God in your heart, confess your sin and backsliding, and He will receive you with open arms and forgive you of all your sins, failures and mistakes. In I John 1:9 is this sweet verse for Christians, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Isn't that simple? We simply confess our sins honestly, then God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us. Notice the terms "faithful" and "just." What a strange saying about God! Why, that would seem as if God  owed  it to us to forgive us and cleanse us when we, His wayward children, confess our sin! A man is faithful when he keeps his promises, when he does his duty. Yes, and that is what God is. God is faithful and just to forgive us, when we confess our sin, our backsliding,  beca...

1. Jesus Christ, as he is presented to us in the New Testament, and as he stands forth from all its writings, is too single and too great to have been invented so uniformly by all these writers. The force of Jesus Christ unleashed these writings; the writings did not create the force. Jesus is far bigger and more compelling than any of his witnesses. His reality stands behind these writings as a great, global event stands behind a thousand newscasters. Something stupendous unleashed these diverse witnesses to tell these stunning and varied, yet unified, stories of Jesus Christ. 2. Nobody has ever explained the empty tomb of Jesus in the hostile environment of Jerusalem where the enemies of Jesus would have given anything to produce the corpse, but could not. The earliest attempts to cover the scandal of resurrection were manifestly contradictory to all human experience - disciples do not steal a body ( Matthew 28:13 ) and then sacrifice their lives to preach a glorious gospel of gr...

·          by   John Piper ·          Scripture:   Romans 12:1-2 ·          Topic:   Knowing God's Will ·          Series:   Romans: The Greatest Letter Ever Written I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. The aim of  Romans 12:1–2  is that all of life would become “spiritual worship.” Verse 1: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” The aim of all human life in God’s eyes is that Christ would be made to look ...

Faith is more than positive thinking. Positive thinking will NOT produce faith. Faith is trust in God, and the only way to develop faith is to learn to know God. Since He is trustworthy, as we learn to know Him, we spontaneously learn to trust Him. Faith is trusting God when things don't turn out the way we expect. Hebrews 11:6 is the classic text: "Without faith it is impossible to please God: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is (that God exists), and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." God IS a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Not those who seek merely His blessings, but those who seek Him, are the ones who find their reward. For He is the reward. Yet, Luke 18:8 says, "When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?" You can't work on your righteousness - nor can you work on your faith. Both are gifts. Both are fruit. Both come as a result of knowing Jesus. And knowing Jesus comes as a res...

Is it makeup? Driving around in a bright red sports car? Wearing expensive jewelry or the latest fashions hot off the Indian runways? Is it drinking alcohol, dancing or going to parties? Should a Christian avoid any—or all—of these? Should he try not to fit in with the crowd? What does the Bible say? Just what is the Bible definition of worldliness? Must a follower of Jesus Christ completely isolate himself from the world, and everything in it, in order to avoid being worldly? Must Christians be odd, weird or completely “out of step” with the world? Do they need to sound and look “religious” in order to avoid worldliness? What about material possessions or wealth? After all, doesn’t the Bible say, “Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith” ( James 2:5 )? Can a Christian be wealthy, drive a new car or own the best things, yet not be caught up in the things of this world? All men have their own opinions on what worldliness is, but God’s view is the only one t...