Prayer life & conviction of sins

Visits: 433

Prayer Life by Andrew Murray

”Let the believer think not only of what redemption has cost Christ, but also of the fact that Christ is offered to him, by the Holy Spirit, as a gift of inconceivable grace, through whom divine forgiveness and purification and renewing have taken possession of him; and let him ask himself with what return such love should be repaid.

If only time were taken to tarry in God’s presence and ask such questions, the Spirit of God would accomplish his work of conviction of sin in us and would teach us to take an entirely new standpoint, and would give us a new view of sin.

The thought would begin to arise in our hearts that we have in very deed been redeemed, so that in the power of Christ we may live every day as partners in the great victory which Christ obtained over sin on the cross, and manifest it in our walk.

What think you? Do you not begin to see that the sin of prayerlessness has had a more terrible effect than you at first supposed?

It is because of this hasty and superficial converse with God that the sense of sin is so weak and that no motives have power to help you to hate and flee from sin as you ought. Nothing, nothing except the hidden, humble, constant fellowship with God can teach you, as a child of God, to hate sin as God wants you to hate it. Continue reading “Prayer life & conviction of sins”

What is an Evangelist?

Visits: 401

You must have heard of the term evangelist, but have you ever met one?
What images comes to mind when you think of an evangelist? Maybe you are influenced by the Hollywood stereotypes?
Let me take on the task to bring out some clarity and explanation, what the characteristics are of an evangelist.

Historically the church has not been good in adapting the five-fold ministry; Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd/Pastor and Teacher. We read about this ministry in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians chapter 4:11;

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:11

The Bible talks about the gifts of services, or positions, for the functioning of the body of the church. What we can see in today’s church, is that almost every church, uses only two of them and that is the Shepherd and the Teacher.
When you stretch out your hand, you can see your hand has five fingers. How useful is it if you only use two of your fingers and not all of them?
The gifts of services are five;
1. the apostle, 2. the prophet, 3. the evangelist, 4. the shepherd and 5. the teacher.
Many of us are a mixture of them all, but usually we are stronger in one or two of them. Continue reading “What is an Evangelist?”

Förklara Evangeliet för mig!

Visits: 1516

Har du någon gång hört någon säga till dig:
“- Kan någon förklara vad Bibeln och Jesus handlar om, så jag förstår!”
“- Varför har ingen berättat detta för mig tidigare?”

Eller har du vänner och familj som inte vill lyssna, som inte förstår evangeliet?
Kanske du själv har svårt att presentera de Goda Nyheterna, ja då kommer här en video.
Du kan dela med den till andra.
Men varför inte själv öva på att lära dig hur du kan presentera Gospeln, så som du vill förmedla den?

Videon är på 10 minuter, och visar hur du med bildkort samt med ett manus, visuellt kan presentera Guds Frälsningsplan. Du kan göra det hemma med någon, eller ute på ett café.

På slutet av videoklippet dyker det upp ett tips på en annan video. Där används läsk och muggar. Röst och visuell presentation förstärker budskapet, och gör det enklare att komma ihåg.

Flera är det som när de hör Ordet predikat, känner Andens Kraft som manar dem till att ta det viktigaste beslutet i sit liv; att följa Jesus Kristus!

För vi har alla syndat och är i avsaknad av Guds Härlighet & Karaktär.
Och syndens lön är döden.
Ty så högt älskade Gud världen, att Han utgav sin enfödde Son, för att var och en som tror på Honom icke ska gå förlorad, utan ha evigt liv.
Men åt alla dem som tog emot honom, gav Han makt att bli Guds barn, åt dem som tror på hans namn.
Om vi bekänner våra synder, håller Gud sitt löfte och handlar med oss på ett rättfärdigt sätt, så Han förlåter våra synder och renar oss från all orättfärdighet.

The Gospel presented in 10 minutes

Visits: 294

Visual presentation of the bad & the good news

In this video I will share with you…
the story of the Bible in 10 minutes.
I will use cards that we have printed with friends…
to make things more visual.
Imagine that we are playing a game of chess together,
those are my pieces…
and these are yours.
I will make the first move, now it’s your turn to move.
Imagine now that I have the perfect strategy…
to finish the game and do checkmate.
I will do this, then this…
and this…
You would probably say to me:
“Come on! That’s not fair”
Why? Because there are rules!
Everybody knows that we wait our turn to play.
I move, you move…
With God it’s the same, God made his first move.
He created the world. He create each one of us unique.
And when it was our turn to move…
the move we made was that…
we disobeyed God. We have sinned.
God saw this move He saw that it was not a good move,
but He said now it’s my turn to play,
I will also make my move.
I will send my son Jesus to pay the price of their sins. Continue reading “The Gospel presented in 10 minutes”

Other Biblical Words for Character & Glory

Visits: 27515

The word Glory in the Bible, many times refer to the Character of God. When you see God’s Glory you are beholding His Character.
In these two Bible verses you can find the word Character;
Rom 5:4 NKJV; “and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Phl 2:22 NKJV; “But you know his proven character, that as a son with [his] father he served with me in the gospel.”

What does the Scripture tells us to do with our Character? We are to be transformed by the Holy Spirit into a Christ-like Character:
2Co 3:18 NKJV; “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Where do we find that Glory is synonym with Character? Lets look into Exodus 33-34;
Exo 33:18-23 NKJV; “And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. “So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. “Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
Exo 34:5-7; NKJV; “Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

If you follow this link you will find where in the NT the word Glory is mentioned:
Entries for the word Glory in the NKJV Bible

Below you find synonyms for Character; Glory; Honor, Name e t c.

What does Character mean?

  1. Individuality, personality
  2. Feature, trait, characteristic
  3. Nature, quality, disposition, mien, constitution, cast
  4. Name, reputation, repute
  5. Status, capacity
  6. Symbol, mark, sign, letter, figure, emblem

Continue reading “Other Biblical Words for Character & Glory”

I believe, yes I truly believe!

Visits: 312

This is what I believe concerning my Faith:

I believe the Bible is written by godly men, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I believe God our Creator have everything under control.

I believe we need to be Born again in the Holy Spirit.

I believe we have to turn away from bad behavior, evil ways and lies with the help of the Holy Spirit.

I believe in Jesus the Son and God the Father. Both are one. The Holy Spirit is God who wants to live inside us.

I believe God can create a new heart in you, and forgive you for your wrongdoings, if you humble yourself.

I believe we all are under Judgment and one Day we have to answer for our actions, intentions, words and thoughts.

I believe Jesus left His Glory in Heaven to become man, the Second Adam, in order to prepare a Way for us.

I believe Jesus is coming back very soon! Continue reading “I believe, yes I truly believe!”

Christ-like character building

Visits: 629

– Is “Character Building” something a Christian should look into?
– Is it important to grow in moral character?
– What does it mean to be a Christian?

The word “Character” is not really mentioned in the Scriptures, but if you do a word study of “Glory” and “Name”, you will find that these words sometimes refer to Character, especially the word Glory. This is very interesting!

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV)

2 Corinthians 3:18 (KJV)

Reading 2 Corinthians, we understand we are to grow in character (glory), in a Christ-like manner.
In God’s image (character) we were created but sin entered into mankind through the fall of Adam. Paul writes how the spirit and flesh are in constant battle with each other. (Gal 5:16-17)
Know this, what Jesus came to accomplish, that the plan of Salvation was a twofold mission:

 1.   Reveal GOD’S CHARACTER – to men
 2.   Restore GOD’S CHARACTER – in men

Continue reading “Christ-like character building”

A prayer of Repentance

Visits: 1168

Do you feel an urgent need to pray to God for forgiveness? Then come to Jesus, with a true acknowledgement of your faults and wrongdoings. Ask God our Father, who sees everything, to wash you clean. A true repentance must be genuine from your heart.

Do you feel broken? Through Jesus, God wants to heal you and make you whole again. It’s a promise and a gift no one but the Almighty Father can accomplish.
If you have a stony heart, ask God to replace it with a new heart of flesh. Ask Him for a renewal of Spirit, Mind and Soul. Then God will reward you with overwhelming JOY!

The sacrifice God desires the most is a broken spirit. Where you are truly sorry. God promises He will not reject a broken and repentant heart. Thank you God, we can trust in you and you alone!

Psalms 51:1-17 (NKJV)
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin [is] always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight – That You may be found just when You speak, [And] blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.  Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden [part] You will make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, [That] the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me [by Your] generous Spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, [And] my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.  For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.

God is Love

Visits: 329

God is love

Yes, God is Love and He is Merciful.
But He is not all-loving and all-forgiving. That’s a Biblical myth many people have been misled to think.
God is also Just and a Judge. So how can our Creator be both Just & Judge and Merciful & Love at the same time?
These attributes can be in conflict – because if God is Just when He will judge us, and since we are all sinners, that penalty is eternal death – then how can He at the same time be Loving Merciful; and forgive us for our sins?
That’s why God sent Jesus into this world. Do die for me and take my penalty (death) because of my sins.
This action alone shows God’s Mercy to forgive me for my sins, if and when I decide to make Jesus both my Savior and Lord.
Through the son Jesus, our Father Almighty can prove He must be Just according to His Law, but that He is willing to be Merciful & Love at the same time.