REPORT: Most people believe Jesus is the reason for the season
You can hope again
By Lane Corley One of the most significant and unsung verses in the Christmas Story and maybe in the New Testament is Luke 1:11. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. Luke 1:11 Christian Standard Bible This is the moment that God broke through after 400 years of silence, after allowing the rampaging and devastation and defeat of His chosen people, and after allowing Judaism to become a ritualistic shell of itself. God broke through. God spoke. God set in course the events that would bring salvation to all the world in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The before and after of this verse goes like this: An aging Priest named Zechariah got the opportunity of a lifetime to offer incense in the Temple’s sanctuary. He and his wife Elizabeth, who was never able to have children, and now was well along in years, made arrangements to fulfill this obligation. As he offered incense, God reached down and spoke. Unexpected events, unexpected people involved, unexpected announcement that Elizabeth would have a baby. That baby would become the way-preparer for the Messiah, John the Baptist. This is the moment where God initiated the keeping of His Promises and Securing the Hope … [Read more...]
The Reason For The Season: Day 11
As Christmas approaches, the Baptist Message team invites you to pause daily from the hustle and bustle of life to focus on the Reason for the reason. Join us in a 24-day challenge to read through the Gospel of Luke to get a greater understanding of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. Day 11: Luke 10 (NKJV) ================================== Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two 1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The … [Read more...]
The Reason For The Season: Day 10
As Christmas approaches, the Baptist Message team invites you to pause daily from the hustle and bustle of life to focus on the Reason for the reason. Join us in a 24-day challenge to read through the Gospel of Luke to get a greater understanding of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. Day 10: Luke 9 (NKJV) ==================================== Jesus Sends Out the Twelve 1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. 7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 But … [Read more...]
The Reason For The Season: Day 9
As Christmas approaches, the Baptist Message team invites you to pause daily from the hustle and bustle of life to focus on the Reason for the reason. Join us in a 24-day challenge to read through the Gospel of Luke to get a greater understanding of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. Day 9: Luke 8 (NKJV) ================================== The Parable of the Sower 8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. 4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the … [Read more...]
The Reason For The Season: Day 8
As Christmas approaches, the Baptist Message team invites you to pause daily from the hustle and bustle of life to focus on the Reason for the reason. Join us in a 24-day challenge to read through the Gospel of Luke to get a greater understanding of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death and resurrection. Day 8: Luke 7 (NKJV) ================================== The Faith of the Centurion 1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ … [Read more...]
Chelette: God’s redemptive power saves
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Ricky Chelette, a Louisiana College alum who turned from a lifestyle of homosexuality to one anchored in Christ, urged students attending a recent Baptist Collegiate Ministry meeting not to believe the cultural lie that people are born homosexual. “Some of you are struggling with this very issue,” Chelette said during the gathering, November 15. “The thing we have to do as people of the Gospel is to be able to say there is hope, there is hope to walk out of this.” Chelette founded Living Hope Ministries more than 25 years ago to help others who like him found freedom from the homosexual lifestyle through Jesus. He has discovered males are born with either a sensitive or rough and tumble personality, with the majority of boys experiencing traits of the latter. He said both personality types need affirmation that they have what it takes to be a man, attention from their fathers and affection to succeed. However, most dads do not know how to properly connect with their sensitive sons at early age. This causes a disconnect with the father and a stronger connection with the mother. Even so, the sensitive male craves affirmation, attention and affection from other … [Read more...]
There is hope in the manger
By Marcell McGee Do you remember the joys of Christmas growing up as a child? Your mom, brothers and sisters, decorating the Christmas tree? Then, the anticipation of finding that special gift from Santa under the tree? Remember the afternoon trip to Grandma’s house for Christmas dinner? For most, Christmas has always represented anticipation, joy, family, love, and hope. But for many, hope is a difficult commodity to come by these days. Our hope dims with every negative story we hear, every report of violence we receive, every personal tragedy that we experience. The Christmas season for many, if not all of us, does not always represent thoughts of hope in our lives. We are confronted with individual pain, the memory of lost loved ones, the darkness of obstacles standing before us. Maybe somewhere down the line you have disappointed your parents, your wife, your kids, maybe even God. There comes over us a sense of helplessness or hopelessness. The plans that we had in our youth for a happy life are just a faded memory. With our plans dashed, we begin to think, “Can I ever recover?” “Is there any hope for me?” But, then we are reminded of what that little baby in the manger offers to us all. The Christmas season is a … [Read more...]
Calif. college students accuse ‘VeggieTales’ of promoting racial stereotypes
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