In the Parable of the Good Shepherd (Or Parable of the Lost Sheep) the Pharisees come face to face with the prophesy of Ezekiel, they have failed as the shepherds go intended them to be and through their religion, have neglected the lost sheep. The main point of the parable is that God loves his sheep and only through the good shepherd (Jesus) will the lost sheep be found and there will be great...
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-7 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep...
In a previous post I quoted John Maxell who observed that older and “insecure leaders view change as a threat rather than an opportunity. ” But what if you have to change. Many small churches are facing declining membership because their traditions have not changed in decades. The prevailing belief is worship traditions are Biblical and any deviation must certainly be a sin. Even...
NOTE: Originally posted on thepracticalCHRISTian.net The New Year is a time of renewal reminiscent of the fresh starts each school year brought when we were children. Starting fresh is intoxicating to those of us encumbered with a litany of bad habits and regrets we would like to leave behind. Overwhelmingly those who resolve to leave baggage behind each new year fail. Most can make it a...
Christ was predominately used in books until the turn of the century. Since the 1980s the use of Jesus has taken dominated. Overall the use of both has dropped including use of the word “Gospel.” Data built using Google Ngram
The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all unpleasant things as interruptions of ones “own” or “real” life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day. – C.S. Lewis
The next moment is as much beyond our grasp and as much in God’s care as that a hundred years away. Care for the next minute is as foolish as care for a day in the next thousand years. In neither can we do anything, in both God is doing everything. -C.S. Lewis
Bible class audio for December 12, 2010 “Daily Bread?” Bible class audio for December 5, 2010 “The Lord’s Prayer” Outline and Notes: 1. Father. The first mention of God as our father is by Jesus in this sermon…something he reinforces in his teaching on prayer. The hearers had only known God as the God of the people at large with Abraham as their father. We...
Before you begin this study read Matthew 18:21-35 Servants who have approached the master with a poor spirit, acknowledging how broken and unrighteous we are without him and mourning over the sins we have committed, will have the master bring them into his kingdom and comfort us. Only in this state can we with meekness bring our power under his control and crave the righteousness which he has...
The Maxwell Leadership Bible counts the leadership style in the United States since World War II. There has been an evolution of leadership styles over the past sixty years which illustrates the change in the generations and a move to more internalized and inspired followers. 1. Military Commander. Leaders returned from the war emulating the leadership styles that won the war. They...