Any number of things can get you down.... Losing a dear friend or relative, especially losing a spouse, a child or a parent. Losing a job, or being bypassed for a promotion or that lucrative assignment. Interest rates and financial returns going down and cramping your style. More so, a large personal investment suddenly turning sour. Natural disasters laying your properties to waste in minutes, and perhaps just being at the wrong place at the wrong time such that an accident gets you. Sickness or physical disability eating away your body and draining you and your family financially. A beloved son or daughter turning wayward, or a parent becoming unconcerned and starts to just do his or her thing. The list can go on and on. If you're in this kind of situation or anything similar, don't lose hope. The story of your life is not yet done. There's still a new day beyond the horizon. And changes can quickly come your way! Here's a moving, deeply encouraging short video - Sunday's Coming! This combines the words of a famous sermon by S.M. Lockridge and scenes from The Passion Of The Christ. The video was uploaded by CityWest Church. Please watch the video!
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge (March 7, 1913 – April 4, 2000) was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, a prominent African-American congregation in San Diego, California, from 1953 to 1993. He was known for his preaching across the United States and around the world (from Wikipedia). The words of his sermon Sunday's Coming have stirred the hearts of many and have provided the balm for encouragement.
Now you might say "I'm not a Christian! How does this video even relate to me?"
One thing you need to understand whether you are a born-again Christian walking with The Lord and growing in faith, or if you were an atheist, or a Buddhist, or Hindu, or Moslem, or one from any other world religion, your personal belief system does not change the historicity of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus really happened!
Here is a podcast from Reasonable Faith by Dr, William Lane Craig, that gives a scholarly defense of the resurrection of Jesus. By listening to this you will understand that given all the background evidence, it is more reasonable to accept and believe the resurrection happened, rather than believe that it didn't happen.
And there is so much more free literature and podcasts from the Reasonable Faith website, that your questions on God and Christianity can be fully answered if only you searched.
The writings of Josh McDowell provide powerful arguments and research to support the resurrection of Jesus. He is one of my favorite authors and from my University days, his books have provided strong insights, a logical and organized defense of scriptures, and inspiration to follow the man who was "More than a Carpenter". He was an atheist who set out to disprove the claims of Jesus, but got confronted with so much evidence that he couldn't deny that Jesus was who he claimed to be. His book "Evidence That Demands A Verdict has been a part of my library since I first got hold of it.
Here is a link to Josh McDowell summary for defenses of the resurrection. Here he discusses the empty tomb, the reliability of the New Testament, the broken Roman Seal, the Roman Guard (like a platoon, this is not one man) that went AWOL, the grave clothes, the hallucination theory, the swoon theory, etc.
Put these all together and you have very strong, compelling arguments and evidence for the true and historical resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
If you need more information to accept the reality of Jesus and his claims to being the Son of God, another resource I recommend is The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. Here is a description from Amazon's website, and you can also order the book from this link.
A seasoned journalist chases down the biggest story in history--is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the son of god?
Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are recognized authorities in their own fields. Strobel challenges them with questions like: How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?
Strobel's tough, point-blank questions make this Gold Medallion-winning book read like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction. It's a riveting quest for the truth about history's most compelling figure. What will your verdict be in The Case for Christ?
How to get totally encouraged? Know God, and know your purpose!
Let's face it - either there is no God, or there is God.
If there is no God, then you are nothing but a bag of chemicals, with no greater purpose, no intrinsic value, and as evolutionists would have you believe - a result of random chance and mindless processes occurring over billions of years. What is another day in such a life, good or bad?
If God is real, then you are a created being, known to God from before your life began, you have a greater purpose, and you have intrinsic value. And God can help you in whatever situation you are in! All is not lost. There is a new day coming.
If there was no God but you believed there was and lived your life as if there is God, it would be expected that you would still live a life that had more meaning and fulfillment, a more disciplined life, a happier life, albeit contrived. In the end when you die, you would not have lost anything but perhaps a wild life filled with dangers and pain at every corner. A net benefit, still.
If on the other hand God is real and you believed there was no God and lived your life accordingly, you would have no basis for any true joy or deeper purpose in life, you would live in enmity with God, not recognizing His sovereignty and not realizing His provisions and protection, not having a relationship with Him. You would suffer loss in life. And in death, you would suffer your greatest surprise as you are confronted by a living, Sovereign God who will sentence you to your greatest judgement, a life with total separation from the God who has provided you goodness in life but whom you rejected, so in death you become totally separated from all that is good and beautiful, enduring a painful and hopeless eternity.
So, on a very base level, even without looking at apologetics and evidence, it makes good sense to believe in God, or at the very least, to diligently examine the case, the logic, the arguments and the testimonies for belief in God. And in fact when you do study the evidences and arguments, you will find it overwhelmingly in favor of belief in the Living God and in His Son Jesus Christ.
If you are already a Christian, seek scriptures for promises that give you hope and assurance. There is a much for you to find! As a Christian, you can trust that ALL things will work together for your good!
We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. (Romans 8:28 AMP)
If you are not yet a Christian (not yet one who loves God and is called according to his purpose) then this verse does not apply to you. You can think that all things will work out for the better, but that is just positive thinking. It can create some positive results, but you have no basis for positive expectations, and no guarantee of a good ending.
So - Seek God and accept his personal invitation and His Promises. Read the book of John. By accepting Jesus, your situation will immediately change, whether you feel it or not, and you will have the greatest basis for encouragement you can ever have!
Place a comment if you have questions related to this post, and I will endeavor to respond as best I can. Let me know if you have questions on other topics and I will get you answers and point you towards finding more resources.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge (March 7, 1913 – April 4, 2000) was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, a prominent African-American congregation in San Diego, California, from 1953 to 1993. He was known for his preaching across the United States and around the world (from Wikipedia). The words of his sermon Sunday's Coming have stirred the hearts of many and have provided the balm for encouragement.
Now you might say "I'm not a Christian! How does this video even relate to me?"
One thing you need to understand whether you are a born-again Christian walking with The Lord and growing in faith, or if you were an atheist, or a Buddhist, or Hindu, or Moslem, or one from any other world religion, your personal belief system does not change the historicity of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus really happened!
Here is a podcast from Reasonable Faith by Dr, William Lane Craig, that gives a scholarly defense of the resurrection of Jesus. By listening to this you will understand that given all the background evidence, it is more reasonable to accept and believe the resurrection happened, rather than believe that it didn't happen.
And there is so much more free literature and podcasts from the Reasonable Faith website, that your questions on God and Christianity can be fully answered if only you searched.
The writings of Josh McDowell provide powerful arguments and research to support the resurrection of Jesus. He is one of my favorite authors and from my University days, his books have provided strong insights, a logical and organized defense of scriptures, and inspiration to follow the man who was "More than a Carpenter". He was an atheist who set out to disprove the claims of Jesus, but got confronted with so much evidence that he couldn't deny that Jesus was who he claimed to be. His book "Evidence That Demands A Verdict has been a part of my library since I first got hold of it.
Here is a link to Josh McDowell summary for defenses of the resurrection. Here he discusses the empty tomb, the reliability of the New Testament, the broken Roman Seal, the Roman Guard (like a platoon, this is not one man) that went AWOL, the grave clothes, the hallucination theory, the swoon theory, etc.
Put these all together and you have very strong, compelling arguments and evidence for the true and historical resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
If you need more information to accept the reality of Jesus and his claims to being the Son of God, another resource I recommend is The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. Here is a description from Amazon's website, and you can also order the book from this link.
A seasoned journalist chases down the biggest story in history--is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the son of god?
Retracing his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith, Lee Strobel, former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools like Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis who are recognized authorities in their own fields. Strobel challenges them with questions like: How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?
Strobel's tough, point-blank questions make this Gold Medallion-winning book read like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction. It's a riveting quest for the truth about history's most compelling figure. What will your verdict be in The Case for Christ?
How to get totally encouraged? Know God, and know your purpose!
Let's face it - either there is no God, or there is God.
If there is no God, then you are nothing but a bag of chemicals, with no greater purpose, no intrinsic value, and as evolutionists would have you believe - a result of random chance and mindless processes occurring over billions of years. What is another day in such a life, good or bad?
If God is real, then you are a created being, known to God from before your life began, you have a greater purpose, and you have intrinsic value. And God can help you in whatever situation you are in! All is not lost. There is a new day coming.
If there was no God but you believed there was and lived your life as if there is God, it would be expected that you would still live a life that had more meaning and fulfillment, a more disciplined life, a happier life, albeit contrived. In the end when you die, you would not have lost anything but perhaps a wild life filled with dangers and pain at every corner. A net benefit, still.
If on the other hand God is real and you believed there was no God and lived your life accordingly, you would have no basis for any true joy or deeper purpose in life, you would live in enmity with God, not recognizing His sovereignty and not realizing His provisions and protection, not having a relationship with Him. You would suffer loss in life. And in death, you would suffer your greatest surprise as you are confronted by a living, Sovereign God who will sentence you to your greatest judgement, a life with total separation from the God who has provided you goodness in life but whom you rejected, so in death you become totally separated from all that is good and beautiful, enduring a painful and hopeless eternity.
So, on a very base level, even without looking at apologetics and evidence, it makes good sense to believe in God, or at the very least, to diligently examine the case, the logic, the arguments and the testimonies for belief in God. And in fact when you do study the evidences and arguments, you will find it overwhelmingly in favor of belief in the Living God and in His Son Jesus Christ.
If you are already a Christian, seek scriptures for promises that give you hope and assurance. There is a much for you to find! As a Christian, you can trust that ALL things will work together for your good!
We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. (Romans 8:28 AMP)
If you are not yet a Christian (not yet one who loves God and is called according to his purpose) then this verse does not apply to you. You can think that all things will work out for the better, but that is just positive thinking. It can create some positive results, but you have no basis for positive expectations, and no guarantee of a good ending.
So - Seek God and accept his personal invitation and His Promises. Read the book of John. By accepting Jesus, your situation will immediately change, whether you feel it or not, and you will have the greatest basis for encouragement you can ever have!
Place a comment if you have questions related to this post, and I will endeavor to respond as best I can. Let me know if you have questions on other topics and I will get you answers and point you towards finding more resources.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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