God's Message on the Web

From Having Faith To Owning Faith - When we observe faith in different people's lives, we observe a fascinating phenomena. Two Christians who have placed faith in God go through near identical types of crisis. In both, the crises produce a period of questioning, confusion, and doubt. In any living congregation, you will observe all these stages of faith simultaneous. In a living congregation, you will see Christians growing through these stages of faith, and you will see the more mature patiently encouraging the less mature. Bible Study at God's Message From Having Faith To Owning Faith Podcast lesson

The Formula For Success - Only God is bigger than our problems. Only God is bigger than our struggles. Only God is bigger than evil. Only God is more powerful than failure. Only God can minister to, strengthen, and sustain us when an evil world conspires against us. Only God can give life its true meaning when everything goes right. And only God can give live its true meaning when everything falls apart. God is the beginning for the formula for success in this life and in the life to come. It is never too late to add God to the formula. It is never too late to allow God to bring a great success to your future. It is never too late to let God destroy the sin. Bible Study at God's Message The Formula For Success Podcast lesson

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith Part Two - The faith that makes a person righteous is the faith that places its trust and confidence in God, not in oneself, not in what one does. But the faith that makes a person righteous is also living, active, serving, obedient, and expressive. Because I trust God, I serve God. Because I trust Christ, I serve Christ. The most obedient Christian is the person who understands that he or she is righteous through faith. The hardest working Christian, the dedicated servant, the most committed believer, the most sacrificial child of God is the person who understands that he is righteous through faith. Bible Study at God's Message The Righteous Shall Live By Faith Part Two Podcast lesson

The Perfect Solution - The number one priority my God had when He gave His Son on the cross of Calvary was forgiveness. If we don't feel forgiveness, we don't understand why Jesus died for us. God said, You can never be perfect and you can never solve the problem on your own. But I, God, have you covered in Jesus Christ. I grieve for all of those who aren't Christians who feel like there's no need then for them to even consider being a Christian because, their life had been so bad, God would laugh if they decided to be baptized. And I wonder how can we read the gospels, how can we read the Book of Acts and ever believe that? Bible Study at God's Message The Perfect Solution Podcast lesson

Unity Oneness In Christ - If we are to make meaningful progress in preserving the oneness that God in Christ gave us, we must allow the Bible to teach us what God and Christ do for everyone of us when, in faith, we are baptized into Christ. We must allow the New Testament to teach us the concept of unity. The necessity should be obvious. When our concept of unity declares that in the name of unity we split, separate, and divide, something is seriously wrong with our concept. Bible Study at Gods Message Unity Oneness In Christ Podcast lesson

The Righteous Shall Live By Faith - Faith has been and is a powerful force in churches of Christ. I have seen and continue to see many evidences of great faith, and I rejoice in them all. But fear also has been and is a powerful force in churches of Christ. In the past several decades, our fears have had a powerful influence on our theology. That is definitely true in our study and understanding of faith. In some instances we embrace faith, and in other instances we are afraid of faith. Because of our fear, we tend to stress what faith is not instead of stressing what faith is. We have failed to realize that we can know what faith is not but still not know what faith is. Bible Study at Gods Message The Righteous Shall Live By Faith Podcast lesson

Owning Our Past - When it comes to remembering the past, we prefer selective memories. We like to remember the good and to forget the bad. We don't care to be reminded of events or situations that revealed our mortality, that declared that we really are not in control, or that proved life can change completely in the flick of an eyelid. So, individually, personally, what should each of us do with our past? We should own our past. It is ours. Whatever happened actually happened. Each of us can reduce the power of the past to create problems in our lives by owning the past. Bible Study at Gods Message Owning Our Past Podcast lesson

Identifying Faith - If there is a single theological concept, a single Christian principle that the majority of Christians think they understand, it would be faith. Ask any Christian, "Do you know what faith is?" Rarely will you find a Christian who says, No. We might not know the answers to many questions about faith, but we are confident that we understand faith. I must have faith in God, Jesus, the crucifixion, and the resurrection to begin spiritual existence. Bible Study at Gods Message Identifying Faith Podcast lesson