This article is about Experiencing Encounters with God and investigates the question: “Is Experience Prerequisite to Belief?” There is more than one answer to that question. The article will discuss these things in three different contexts of experience: Part 1: The not-yet Believer Part 2: The Believer Part 3: How God Chooses to Reveal Himself There is also an Addendum with Discussion Questions
In this message, we will be reading through the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, as it is recorded in the 4th chapter of John’s gospel. Our goal is to learn more about being true worshipers – those who worship in spirit and truth – because Jesus said: “The Father is looking for people like that to worship Him. God is a spirit. Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-2
The Parable of the Prodigal Son highlights these three aspects of the heart of God the Father: Grief, Compassion, and Generosity. We are called to become like the Father
The two correlating facets of Holy Spirit Fellowship are “the fellowship OF the Spirit” and “fellowship WITH the Spirit”. They both have to do with personal relationship with the Holy Spirit in the context of a devotional life consisting of various spiritual disciplines or “holy habits”. Further, “the fellowship OF the Spirit” and “fellowship WITH the Spirit” alsohave a collective or corporate dimension: The members of the Body of Christ each partaking of the life of the Spirit, partnering with
Those who are “born of God” (John 1:13) have an identity in Christ which is not derived from race or nationality, nor from family or culture, nor our own ingenuity. This is a birthright which comes only when we receive Christ as the One Isaiah called our “Eternal Father” (Isaiah 9:6). For only a Father can give the right to be called a child. Only the Father’s blessing can be the blessing of a birthright. So, ultimately, everyone must wrestle
On my seventy-eighth birthday, I was feeling sorry for myself. This verse came to mind: “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) A very familiar verse. What does that mean? Is that the best translation of the Hebrew? Is “joy” a verb or a noun – an activity or a feeling? Who’s joy? The Lord’s – but in the gospel of John, Jesus spoke of both “His joy” and “our joy”. And in the gospel of Matthew,
This teaching has to do with nurturing one’s personal relationship with Christ with a view to spiritual transformation (growth in Christ-likeness). Too often discipleship is understood to be attending a special “discipleship class”; and mere attendance is the only responsibility of the disciple. At best, this would make one a disciple of a teacher, and not a disciple of Christ. A disciple of Christ must “attend” to fellowship with the Spirit of Christ. In one sense, this fellowship takes place
Both the Old and New Testaments instruct us to know and understand God: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me….” Jeremiah 9:23-24a “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3 In the
“God-Centeredness” is a quintessential issue. All Christians, as well as all churches and ministries come down on one side of the line or the other regarding Man-Centeredness or God-Centeredness. There is a very clear line of demarcation. Our perspective has implications for virtually every activity of both our personal and corporate lives as Christians. Our perspective also affects our understanding of God Himself, as well as His eternal plans and purposes. In order to address the issue of God-Centeredness, we need to
