Throughout
the Living The Solution site we have many articles on various
topics, such as seeking and finding God,
knowing Jesus as your personal
Savior, the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the importance
of putting your faith into action with various articles on Christian
living.
And, of course, articles on love.
In this section you will find links to all our Christian articles
listed under helpful headings. We also have a feature area
for new or timely Christian articles.
It is our hope that your reading will stimulate you to deepen
your faith. That is certainly a result for us in both the
reading
and the writing. If you would like to see articles on a particular
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WOULD JESUS BE WELCOME IN YOUR CHURCH?
Article by Joe Hillyer — February,
2008
Would Jesus be welcome in your church? In most cases, probably
not; yet, there are still some churches that accept “those kind of people”.
Which one is your church?
I know a guy living in Prescott Valley, Arizona. He is about as good a Christian
as you’ll find and probably a better one than most. He has dedicated his
life to Christ. His final goal is to work fulltime in missionary work. If he
knows someone is hungry, he’ll do his best to feed them. If he knows someone
who is hurt, he’ll comfort them. If he knows someone is in trouble, he
will help them. Not once have I seen him turn his back on anyone; he couldn’t.
However, he is not the kind of person most people want coming to their church.
He belongs to a motorcycle gang, but this gang is called Gospel Riders. He has
a beard, wears bike colors, often old clothes, and even a head band. Several
churches in the Prescott Valley area asked him to leave, saying that his kind
was not welcome. The funny thing is the same people that don’t want him
all too often turn their back on the poor and afflicted. They don’t want
to be around them. They don’t want to reach out and help them. So, who
is doing God’s work?
It’s actually ironic how the Bible is full of “those kind of people”.
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A CLEAR PURPOSE
Article by Tom Gilbert — March,
2008
When I read the Gospels I am often struck by how convinced
Jesus was of his purpose and his mission. He spoke about it with an authority
that impressed many people. I don’t think he came across as smug, arrogant
or egotistical. Rather, he had an inner authority. He was sure about his job
to both reveal what God is all about and that he was sent by God, his Father,
to redeem our broken relationship.
The way Jesus lived is the perfect model for us. We are humans filled with strong
wills and it is difficult for just about anyone to accept that they cannot live
life successfully on their own power. We have to receive the power, the grace,
of a loving God to deal with life and especially other people. This has been
my experience. And even learning this lesson I still find that I often try to
control life, to get things to go the way I want. What is this but playing God?
Now Jesus, we Christians believe, is God in human form. Yet, as Paul wrote in Philippians
2:5-7, he didn’t consider this something to be grasped. Rather
he emptied himself and took on the nature of a servant in human form. He didn’t
go around “playing God” although he did many things that revealed
God’s power. Jesus came not only to redeem, but to serve.
He Was Interesting
Over the course of his public ministry many people became
interested in Jesus. Some followed him because of the miracles he performed.
Others, mostly the religious authorities, wanted to see if they could trip him
up. And some felt called to follow him because they perceived that he was sent
by God. They may not have been sure if he was the Messiah, but they believed
he was a prophet of God, a good and holy man.
The amazing thing about Jesus and his inner authority is how he was both self
assured yet humble.
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