How Human Is the Mind of Christ?
Christ is the heart of Christianity. It is hardly surprising, then, that from the beginning of church history his’ own person has been the target of foes from without and heretics from within. Early on, some attacked the doctrine of his eternal deity, others the belief that he had a real physical body, and yet others that he had a real human mind.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-human-is-the-mind-of-christ – by Donald Macleod, Guest Contributor – 12th Apr 2022, inside Desiring God)
The First Call to Worship – Twelve Attributes of God in One Verse:
In 1969, as Apollo 11 orbited the moon, the voice of Neil Armstrong sounded back to earth with some of the most familiar words in the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” As Genesis 1:1 stands, it is a simple yet profound statement of fact. Yet it is also more than that. It is factual, yes, but it is also liturgical. Genesis 1:1 is the first call to worship. In the opening line of Scripture, God calls us to worship him for who he is and what he has done in creation.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-first-call-to-worship – by Jonny Gibson Professor, Westminster Theological Seminary – 26th Mar 2022, inside Desiring God)
Parents lack of biblical worldview puts children at “spiritual disadvantage”: Barna warns, 6 out of 10 US parents don't view the Bible as a “reliable and accurate source of God’s truth”:
A prominent Evangelical researcher has warned that the lack of a biblical worldview among parents of preteens puts youth at a “spiritual disadvantage.”
The George Barna–led Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released the first report of its American Worldview Inventory 2022 Tuesday, which analyzed “the worldview dilemma of American parents.”
The report was based on a survey of 600 American parents with children younger than 13 conducted in January. The respondents were asked several dozen worldview – related questions that “measure both beliefs and behavior within eight categories of worldview application.”
While 67% of parents with children younger than 13 identified as Christians – just 2% of those surveyed subscribed to a biblical worldview as defined by the researchers; According to the report, a biblical worldview “emerges from accepting the Bible as a relevant and authoritative guide for life.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.christianpost.com/news/parents-lack-of-biblical-view-puts-kids-at-disadvantage-barna.html – By Ryan Foley – 14th Mar 2022 (Christian Post Reporter inside Christian Post)
The Stories We Tell Ourselves – Questioning How We Frame Reality:
Let’s talk about framing. Not framing as in home construction, but framing as in the way we perceive reality. Framing refers to how we see things. In particular, it refers to the fact that, as human beings, we don’t merely see things; we see things as.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-stories-we-tell-ourselves – by Joe Rigney – 12th Mar 2022 (Teacher, inside Desiring God)
The Very First Prayer – Why Man Began to Call on God:
Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden, which God himself has provided for this very purpose. And they are charged to turn the whole of creation into a place where God can be known and enjoyed (see Genesis 1:28 and 2:15–16). Relating to God, for them, was natural and unhindered. After the events of Genesis 3, of course, everything gets so much harder.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-very-first-prayer – by Gary Millar – 1st Mar 2022 (Principal, Queensland Theological College inside Desiring God)
Mindfulness and Christian Meditation:
The Bible does speak about meditation. It basically means thinking about God and His Word in His presence.
(For more info, do click the link https://ethosinstitute.sg/mindfulness-and-christian-meditation/ – by Robert Solomon – 21st Feb 2022 (Bishop Emeritus of the Methodist Church inside Ethos Institute News)
Walk the War Before You – What It Means to Live by the Spirit:
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”(Galatians 5:16–17)
In seminary, this passage reshaped my vision of the Christian life. At one level, the passage is simple. It contains an exhortation (“walk by the Spirit”), a promise (“and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”), and an explanation or rationale (the conflict described in verse 17). But as we meditate on this passage, we discover that it also offers a threefold vision for the Christian life as a whole.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/walk-the-war-before-you – by Joe Rigney – 17th Feb 2022 (Teacher – inside Desiring God)
The Man of God You Could Become – Six Steps Towards Spiritual Maturity:
Do you want to grow as a man of God?
Maybe you’re a new believer. Your character drastically differs from just a couple years ago, but you know you have a long way to go. Or maybe you’ve been a believer for a long time, but you’ve sensed yourself spiritually stagnating. You’d be hard pressed to point out a way you’ve made evident spiritual progress in the last year.
If either of those profiles fit you, this article, and its two goals, are for you. The first is to give you a new ambition, namely, becoming a man of God. The second is to give you some directions for the journey.
The “man” in “man of God” is deliberate; I’m speaking particularly to men. Much of what I’ll say also applies to women, but the next-to-last section zeroes in on a uniquely male calling.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-man-of-god-you-could-become – by Bobby Jamieson – 5th Feb 2022 (Pastor – inside Desiring God)
Jim Bakker: The Most Critical Key to Revival:
The most remarkable thing happened on Sept. 11, 2001. In one hour, 19 people had shaken the country to its absolute core. For the second time in 60 years, a foreign power had attacked the United States on its own soil. Americans felt vulnerable and guilty, and they knew there was only one place to go. And that was the church. Business after business put up flags and put “God Bless America” on their marquees and in their windows. America wanted God. Revival was beginning, or so it seemed.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.charismamag.com/spirit/revival/49560-jim-bakker-the-most-critical-key-to-revival – Jim Bakker, 4th February 2022 (inside Charisma Magazine)
Four bowl Metaphors and the Christian Life:
I recently wrote a short article about five metaphors to describe a variety of COVID experiences under confinement conditions. Metaphors help me to understand the world better, explain ideas clearer, and even inspire fresh imagination.
(For more info, do click the link https://ethosinstitute.sg/four-bowl-metaphors-and-the-christian-life/ – by Dr Calvin Chong – 6th Dec 2022 (Associate Professor of Practical Theology @ Singapore Bible College)
Easter Fear Is Natural – Jesus’ unnatural resurrection helps us fear not:
Empty churches on Easter Sunday around the world represent an image that, until this year, would have made sense only in a fever-pitched 1990s end-times novel. Yet, in the middle of a global pandemic, that will now be our reality. The grief that Christians already face over missing their church services for necessary social distancing will intensify when it comes to the preeminent day on the Christian calendar. But if we pay attention, we may see something new and holy about Easter in quarantine. And that something is fear.
(For more info, do click the link https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/april-web-only/russell-moore-easter-fear-natural.html – by Russell Moore – 12th Apr 2020, inside Christianity Today)
Joel News:
India: The largest churches in the world are grassroots movements:
Korean Pastor Yonggi Cho was long known as the pastor of the largest church in the world. But things have changed. Grassroots church planting movements are growing with a speed and vigor that most would find hard to believe.
What would you say if you learn that with 800,000 members the ‘pastor’ of one of the largest churches in the world lives in North India? Beginning with just 12 people in 1994, Randeep Mathews’ house-church based movement started even before he was a Christian.
Indonesia: How a mother found her lost son through a prophetic word:
On a visit to Indonesia German missiologist Wolfgang Simson taught a group of Jesus followers an important insight: “In the Kingdom of God people share a revolutionary lifestyle with each other.”
He elaborated: “Number one: eating as the central element of meeting. Number two: truly sharing, koinonia, so that by the end of the day there is neither rich or poor.” Simson illustrated this with Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler, and the story of Zaccheus in Luke 19.
(For more info, do click the link https://mailchi.mp/joelnews/jni-1141?e=947657d957 – by Joel News – 24th Sept 2019)
Joel News:
France: A monastic order for sisters with Down syndrome – The Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb lives in the centre of France. They are the first contemplative community in the world to welcome into consecrated life people with Down Syndrome or trisomy 21.
Italy: 20 new communities started open doors in government – House church planter Graziano Crepaldi from Switzerland reports that he is seeing a greater hunger for the Kingdom of God in Europe, especially in Italy.
Balkans: Wrestling for peace – Global Nomads, a church planting ministry working in the Turkic world and the Balkans, reports that 70 wrestlers came to Christ;
(For more info, do click the link https://mailchi.mp/joelnews/jni-1142?e=947657d957 – by Joel News – 19th Jan 2019)
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