Joel Osten Explains Why He Doesn't Preach About Hell and Carrie Kintz Analyzes

 

It was an Easter Sunday profile that sparked the controversy. Featured on
CBS Sunday Morning, Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, told reporter Tracy Smith why he won't preach about hell.
"[People] already feel guilty enough. They're not doing what they should, raising their kids—we can all find reasons. So I want them to come to Lakewood or our meetings and be lifted up, to say, 'You know what? I may not be perfect, but I'm moving forward. I'm doing better.' And I think that motivates you to do better."
It's not particularly surprising that

Develop Yourself

(Proverbs 18:16 NKJV) "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men."

In order to fulfill your purpose in life, God has put certain gifts, qualities and talents within you. These gifts are actually the very tools that God expects you to utilize to fulfill your purpose. It is not by accident that you are gifted in certain areas of life. God ordained those gifts for your purpose before the foundation of the world.
You need to realize that God expects you to be responsible where the development of your gifts are concerned. After you have discovered your purpose, you need to learn how to develop the gifts that accompany it. Your gifts are always in seed form. It is your duty to

Be Filled with the Spirit by John Piper

 

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.
The apostle Paul commands in Ephesians 5:18 that we be filled with the Spirit. Therefore, I want to try to answer two questions today. What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? And, how can we be filled with the Spirit? I think it might help you follow me if I tell you at the outset where I am going. So I'll start with my conclusions and then give the biblical support. I think being filled with the Spirit means, basically, having great joy in God. And since the Bible teaches that "the joy of the Lord is our strength" (Nehemiah 8:10), it also means there will be power in this joy for overcoming besetting sins and for boldness in witness.
But, basically, it means radiant joy, because the

Let Us Walk by the Spirit by John Piper

This is the second in a series of messages on the Holy Spirit. Last week we dealt with the cause of the new birth. I argued from John 3:5–8 that human nature, with which all of us are born, will not enter into the kingdom of God unless it is changed. This change is called being born again. And what this means is that the Spirit of God creates something new; he takes out of us the heart of stone that rebels against God, and he puts into us a new heart which trusts God and follows his ways. Or to put it another way, the Holy Spirit establishes himself as the new ruling principle of our life. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." In other words, that which is begotten by the Spirit has the nature of the Spirit, is permeated by the character of the Spirit, is animated by the Spirit. This change is owing wholly to the Spirit's work of free grace, prior to any saving faith on our part. The new birth is not caused

That Which Is Born of the Spirit Is Spirit: The Role of the Holy Spirit in Conversion by John Piper

 

Unless God gives me a clear indication to go another way I will be preaching during these last four Sundays of winter on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I feel a great yearning in my own heart to know more of the Spirit's power for holiness and power for witness. I feel a tremendous need to learn to rely more fully on his guidance as the Spirit of wisdom and truth. The life-giving, renewing Wind of spring is blowing through this church, and my great desire is to unfurl the sail of my heart and watch it fill up with the Holy Wind of God and be drawn in his direction, at his speed, in his power.

The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8)

We will see the paradox in that statement today, because we can't even begin to draw near to God without the Spirit's help. Which means that in our very effort to

4 Steps to Finding God's Will for Your Life by David Jeremiah

For many of us, finding God's will for our lives may seem illusive. In fact, people frequently ask me, How can I find God's will for my life? My response may shock you. Finding God's will is much easier than we make it. Here are four steps to help identify God's will and purpose for your life.
1. Understand Your Calling as a Christian
The reality is, God has revealed most of His will to us in His Word already.
All Christians are "called to be saints" (Romans 1:7). In fact, the word "church" in the original Greek refers to those "called out"—in a spiritual sense, called out of the world to God. So every Christian has a divine purpose: "to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called" (Ephesians 4:1). We have a purpose as servants of Christ to carry out the instructions He left with His apostles—to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples in all the nations of the world (Matthew 28:19-20).
Are we living according to

Feeling Down? by Heather Lindsey

Have you ever felt like life is purposeless? Or that life is just weighing on you and you feel like there's no way out? You know the scriptures, you know that things are going to get better but at the same time, you're like why God? "I feel trapped in my own life." Have you ever felt like, this test is too big and I don't see the way out. I don't know how God is going to deliver me from this one. If you're feeling this way, I can assure you that this battle has nothing to do your physical environment. The screaming children, the job you hate, the fact that you're tired of being single or broke. This battle is SPIRITUAL. NOT PHYSICAL.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us: "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

So, although it may seem like it's people, things and your situation that has you frustrated but I want you to know that you're in the midst of a war. A battle. An attack against your walk with the Lord. This is not the time to recite how much you hate your life, or how frustrated you are with everything. This is the time that you need to go to WAR. This is the time where you need to

Take Refuge by Liz Curtis Higgs

So, how's your holiday season going so far? Tree up? House decorated? Presents starting to stack up? Travel plans made?
Odd how a season meant to bring us so much joy can feel like the world's longest to-do list.
Sigh.
For the next 90 seconds, let's escape from all the craziness and take refuge in the Lord and in His Word. This is what Christmas is all about. This is what matters.
Let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy. Psalm 5:11
Take a deep breath. No, really. Breathe.
Think about the magnificence and the greatness of God.
Consider the many blessings He has poured into your life.
If you feel the urge to smile, do so.
Now you're ready.
Let all who take refuge in you be glad;… Psalm 5:11
Never mind climbing onto Santa's

More Than Conqueror by Abiodun Sotola

Congratulations!
December is a special month. The whole atmosphere changes and you can both see and smell the festivities in the air. Joy permeates everywhere. Thank God you are alive!
The month is significant for all and especially Christians as we celebrate the fact that many  years ago, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ was born into this World. The coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ lifted us from the depth wherein we have fallen to the highest place. And now, we are more than conqueror through Him that love us with an everlasting love.
As we celebrate Christmas and prepare to enter a new year, lets remind ourselves of five areas of life, streams of grace that we need to use to guide our life.
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
(John 8:36, Colossians 2:14-15, John 16:33, Isaiah 53:5-10)
The blood of Our Lord Jesus was shed from five major points on the cross
1. The back when He was beaten
2. The head when He was crowned with thorns
3. The hand when He was nailed to the cross.
4. The leg when He was nailed to the cross.
5. The side when He was pierced.
It all means we have complete redemption, total freedom in Him, even right now. We are

Shake Things Up by Kay Ijisesan

(Acts 4:31 NKJV) " And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness."

The response of a natural man to pressure and persecution is discouragement. In fact, the devil wants you to just quit and cave in. This generation is actually known for the weakness of being so quick to quit.
There are forces of the enemy that operate in the realm of the spirit that are assigned to frustrate us and force us to let go of our victories when we are under pressure. However, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God. God has given us the privilege of calling upon Him in the place of prayer. Rather than breaking down, let pressure

Humble Yourselves! Receive the Mercy of God by Rev. John Paul Shea

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept 20, 2015
Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Tucson, AZ

Today's Gospel (Mark 9:30-37) gives us a lesson on humility, which is necessary for
every Christian who wants to develop a right relationship with God.
In today's Gospel, Jesus is teaching His disciples that He is going to suffer. This proclamation of Our Lord about His suffering was the second He made to them about His coming passion.
You may recall in last week's Gospel that Jesus asked his disciples "Who do people say that I am?" Peter was the only disciple to get the answer right. He said,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Then Jesus tells Peter in essence, "Yes, you got it right."
He then speaks of the consequences that are to take place because He is the Son of God — that He must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.
Yet, Peter did not understand. He was thinking like

To be Human or Not to Be: That is the Question About Abortionby Christopher Ziegler

New Jersey Pro-Life Witness
Twitter Handle @CZWriting
reprinted from Times of Trenton with author's permission
(Editor's Note: Mr. Ziegler wrote this piece in response to several articles marking the 42 nd anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Jan. 22, 1973, that legalized abortion.)
This is the question I believe a person should answer when deciding his or her position on abortion: Is the fetus human or something less than human?
That is, does a fetus, existing in utero, constitute a human life? If our answer to this question is "no," we have very little cause to say

Learn A Lesson From The Fig Tree by Rev. John Paul Shea

Learn A Lesson From The Fig Tree
Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Nov. 15, 2015
Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Tucson, AZ

In today's Gospel (Mark13:24-32), we focus
on the end times and the great cosmic battle. We are reminded that the world we live in today is passing away, and we are to keep our hearts focused on the world that is to come!
After Our Lord describes the dramatic scenes of what will

Anchor Your Soul by Kayode Ijisesan

(Hebrews 6:19 NKJV) " This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil. "

So many Christians let go of their faith very easily because they don't have their souls anchored on the promises of God. They have what I call "loose soul." They don't take time to

Your New Birth by Anyasi U. R

Think for a minute and contemplate what is meant when we talk of the new birth among Christian folks. This concept -if we are hereby allowed to call it so- is one that has to be sat before a thoroughly elucidatory discuss in order for it to be made clearer.

The foregoing exists to usher in this statement; being born again is a purely spiritual exercise while the matter of having a new birth in Christ is