In northern Kenya, a vast stretch of dry and harsh country stretches out almost as far as the eye can see. It a place so harsh that it can sustain few permanent villages; tribes are nomadic here, and a circle of huts or shelters can appear one day and vanish the next.
At the well, Jesus transformed the Samaritan woman, showing how true worship connects our brokenness to God's life-changing power.
Preaching on Psalm 41, Pastor Gary Wilkerson shares biblical wisdom on the power of blessing. Jesus delights in us and wants to deliver us, protect us and bless us.
Michelangelo grew to great fame thanks to his ability to capture the human body’s dynamics and power through paintings and stonework. Centuries later, he is still legendary for his art. Most people have at least seen pictures of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling and the David or Pietà statues.
This week, John Bailey and Mark Renfroe talk through some ways to make resolutions that are rooted in faith and more practically achievable.
Once a woman named Celeste Horvath was New York’s most notorious madam, running a prostitution ring that catered to some of the nation’s most famous men. Celeste had grown up in a Pentecostal home, and her praying grandmother had prophesied over her, “You’re going to be an evangelist.”
“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life’” (John 8:12, NKJV).
Sadly, much of Christ’s body today resembles a modern-day Valley of Dry Bones (see Ezekiel 37:1-14). It is a wilderness filled with the bleached skeletons of fallen Christians. Ministers and other devoted believers have flamed out because of a besetting sin. Now they are filled with shame, hiding out in caves of their own making. Like Jeremiah, they have convinced themselves, “I will not make mention of [the Lord], nor speak anymore in His name” (Jeremiah 20:9, NKJV).
Putting on our new self is really important for Christians. It will affect the way we live our lives. It will affect the way that we receive the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. It has an impact on every aspect of our lives. Putting on the new self is the way to live out that new life that God gives us.
This is critical because it shows that a real meeting with God has taken place and the transformation of our hearts has begun.
As a trainer and facilitator of poverty solution teams in Southeast Asia, I sometimes ask myself, “Are we impacting and transforming lives? Is the kingdom of God actually working through us to push back the darkness and bring forth hope, abundant life and reconciliation?”
The answers to these questions are in the signs of new life.