salvation

A Prayer to Our Prince of Peace By: Lisa Appelo “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.” Isaiah 11:1-2 [NIV] This passage talks about stumps and shoots. We have several big oak trees in our yard and when one of them started endangering the house, we had it cut all the way down to a stump. A few months later? New green shoots with glossy green leaves began growing right out of that stump.   That’s the picture that the prophet Isaiah uses. Seven hundred years before Jesus was ever born, Isaiah prophesied that a Messiah would come from the root of Jesse. Je...

To bless the Lord means to praise, exalt, and worship the Lord God. The Psalms says to bless the Lord for:  The Lord Alone Is Deserving of Worship Christians offer praise to the Lord because He alone deserves all worship. To bless the Lord is done out of understanding that He alone is genuinely deserving of worship as Creator and Lord.  The Lord is glorified when His people bless, praise, and acknowledge Him. Such acknowledgment is what humanity was created for. No man can bless the Lord unless they have been made right with God through Christ alone. Only as God has blessed sinners in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 1:3) can they bless the Lord in a manner that pleases Him.  Examples of How the Bible Speaks of Blessing The Hebrew word translated to “bless” in the Old Testamen...

The Joyous Paradox of Advent by Katherine Britton “Come, Thou long-expected JesusBorn to set Thy people free…Dear Desire of every nation,Joy of every longing heart” “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.” – Luke 12:35-36 Like so many Christian doctrines, the Advent season represents a bit of a paradox. I have to thank my colleague Sarah Phillips for expanding my understanding of the tradition, as the three purple candles and one pink candle were mostly a Christmas countdown to me. But Advent has a greater richness if we have eyes to see. I found a parallel to the Advent paradox on a ...

In talking about the pros and cons of “celebrity pastor” culture, my friend Carey Nieuwhof quipped that one thing you’ll never hear is an unchurched person sitting around evaluating preachers. “Comparing preachers is something churched people do, not unchurched people.” He’s right, of course. And he also noted why it’s a silly thing to be concerned about, much less competitive about, in light of reaching the unchurched. An unchurched person comes to a church not because of a celebrity pastor (They don’t know any of them, and if they do it’s usually not a positive assessment.), but because a friend invited them. And then, when they do come, they do not think about or evaluate things the way a churched believer might. So just for fun, here are 12 more things you’ll never catch an unchurched ...

It Takes a Village to Create a Strong MarriageBy: Amanda Idleman   Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. – Hebrews 10:24-25 We all have heard the “it takes a village” saying when it comes to kids. The same is true for strong, healthy, and Godly marriages. Accountability is vital to a healthy marriage. Strong role models of what marriage should be are extremely valuable. We need encouragement from others when we walk through hard seasons and it’s important that our community be one that reminds us that the mission of marriage is to do daily acts of love and good works for your spouse. How many ...

‘Tis the season to sing Christmas carols and one term is found in many. Immanuel. But then there’s also Emmanuel. Why? Are these two the same or distinctively different? If they’re the same, then why are they spelled two different ways? It can be confusing. To get to the bottom of this question we’ll take a deeper look. Biblical Origin Both Immanuel and Emmanuel are found in the Bible. The Old Testament is originally recorded in Hebrew and Chaldean/Aramaic. The New Testament is originally recorded in Greek.  Typically, Immanuel is found in the Old Testament and Emmanuel is found in the New Testament. Here are the two verses where they’re found. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Isa...

Dr. Ray Pritchard Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries Here is Day 10 of Letters to Our Grandchildren: “No Room.”  We wrote this letter to Penny. She is six years old and lives in Missoula, Montana. Check out “O Children Come” by Keith and Kristyn Getty. Enjoy! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

Thanking God for What Didn’t Happen  By Debbie McDaniel “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  Psalms 91:1-2 Sometimes we need to thank God for all the things that didn’t happen, for what He’s stopped that we never even knew about. We may not always see it, or feel it, we might forget it’s there at times, or even wonder if God’s left us to fend for ourselves in the heat of hard situations in life. But His protection is real. He sees what we can’t see. He knows what we may not know. And if we belong to Him, we can trust, He’s with us, every step, going before us, and covering our back too. Yet in a world of dark, He often gets blam...

During four weeks in December, most churches will celebrate Advent, a season of expectation of the arrival of Christ, by lighting five candles. The first four, held in a wreath, are lit once a week, and the last one, churches will either light on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, depending on the calendar year. As mentioned in the Week 1 article for the Candle of Hope, this tradition’s roots started during the Middle Ages (perhaps as far back as the fourth or fifth century AD), but the advent candle wreath we’ve come to know today has solid historical origins from the 1800s onwards. Each of the five candles represents something different, an important element in the coming of Christ and our expectation of him. Three purple candles (Hope, Peace, Joy), a pink candle (Love), and a white candle ...

Dr. Ray Pritchard Author, Speaker, President of Keep Believing Ministries Here is Day 9 of Letters to Our Grandchildren: “Man of Honor.” This letter goes to our four grandsons: Knox, Eli, Josh, and Niko. Check out “What Child is This” by Future of Forestry. Enjoy! PS Click here sign up for the free email sermons.

5 Ways to Let Go of a Past RelationshipBy Lynette Kittle “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” – Philippians 3:13  Like me, do you enjoy hearing of first loves finding each other again after years of being apart? It sounds so romantic and like a dream come true for the couples. Yet, the story behind the reunion makes all the difference, dependent on whether it’s really a happy ending or has involved unfaithful hearts with those involved. Sometimes the story involves two people who remained single and never married, only to reunite years later. Or, after a husband or wife has lost a spouse, they come together with an old flame or first love who is also alone. ...

“But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15  The passage “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” is popular. It’s printed on plaques, found on old reclaimed pallet wood, printed on the front of Bibles, and even hand-painted on walls of homes. It adorns Christian homes in many aspects because it is a statement of faith, an affirmation of a family’s commitment and covenant to serve the Lord.  Joshua’s Commitment The passage carried a heavier significance in the day of Joshua, however. According to the book of Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua, J...