Characters on the Road to the Cross, Pt 1 (Luke 23:26-33)

Throughout His life and ministry, Jesus Christ encountered a wide variety of memorable characters. People like Lazarus, Zaccheus, the woman at the well, the rich young ruler and the list goes on. Each person that Christ met and ministered to had a specific purpose in God's sovereign plan, and each offers a unique opportunity to see Christ's glory and power on display. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the last few hours of His life. So let's rejoin Pastor MacArthur as he sets the stage for the most important event in human history and reveals the cast of characters our Lord encountered on the road to the cross...

Evolution: Getting Rid of God

It's clear from Darwins own writings—he was a conflicted, tormented soul who suffered the fate of his own doctrines. In that sense, he's like all the other false teachers who have popped up throughout history.

If he's not a Christian ally, why do so many Christians join forces with his followers?

Slaves of Christ

The True Christians Love For The Unseen Christ (Prayer) - Mark Kieler (Part 6 of 6)

The True Christians Love For The Unseen Christ (Prayer) - Mark Kieler (Part 5 of 6)

The True Christians Love For The Unseen Christ (Prayer) - Mark Kieler (Part 4 of 6)

The True Christians Love For The Unseen Christ (Prayer) - Mark Kieler (Part 3 of 6)

The True Christians Love For The Unseen Christ (Prayer) - Mark Kieler (Part 2 of 6)

The True Christians Love For The Unseen Christ (Prayer) - Mark Kieler (Part 1 of 6)

Sermon Outline: 1 Kings 19:1-18 "Solitude"

1) The Straining from a lack of Solitude (1 Kings 19:1-4)

• Numbers 11:10-15

2) The Strengthening from Solitude (1 Kings 19:5-8),

• Deuteronomy 8:3

• John 67:37-38

3) The Searching from Solitude (1 Kings 19:9-14)

• Romans 11:2

• Psalm 18:8-18

• Job 4:15

4) The Sending from Solitude (1 Kings 19:15-18)

• 2 Corinthians 4:1, 7-18

Radical Christian Sacrifice

Greg Koukl - Bible Promises

Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason answers the question "Are there promises in the Bible that the average person can 'claim'?"

St. Patrick: One of the Greatest Missionaries Who Ever Lived

I am a servant of Christ to a foreign nation for the unspeakable glory of life everlasting which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. – Patrick

Mark Driscoll, the Preaching Pastor at Mars Hill Church has an interesting overview of St. Patrick.

Background:

Technically, Saint Patrick is not even a saint, as he was never canonized by the
Roman Catholic Church. Additionally, Patrick was not even Irish. Rather, he was
a Roman-Britain who spoke Latin and a bit of Welsh.

Patrick was born
around 390 A.D. When he was roughly 16 years of age he was captured by pirates
and taken to Ireland on a ship where he was sold into slavery. He spent the next
six years alone in the wilderness as a shepherd for his masters’ cattle and
sheep.

In relating to St. Patrick, Driscoll, deals with the topics of

• Isolation



• God Speaks to Patrick
  
  
  
  

  The Roman Catholic Church had given up on converting such “barbarians” deemed beyond hope. The Celtic peoples, of which the Irish were part, were an illiterate bunch of drunken, fighting, perverted pagans who basically had sex
  with anyone and worshiped anything. They were such a violent and lawless
  people, numbering anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000, that they had no city
  centers or national government and were spread out among some 150 warring clans. Their enemies were terrified of them because they were known to show up for battles and partake in wild orgies before running into battle naked and drunk while screaming as if they were demon-possessed. One clan was so debased that it was customary for each of their new kings to copulate with a white mare as part of his inauguration.
  




• Unique Missionary Strategy
  
  
  

  In faith, the forty-something year-old Patrick sold all of his possessions,
  including the land he had inherited from his father, to fund his missionary
  journey to Ireland. He worked as an itinerant preacher and paid large sums of
  money to various tribal chiefs to ensure he could travel safely through their
  lands and preach the gospel. His strategy was completely unique, and he
  functioned like a missionary trying to relate to the Irish people and
  communicate the gospel in their culture by using such things as three-leaf
  clovers to explain the gospel. Upon entering a pagan clan, Patrick would seek to first convert the tribal leaders and other people of influence. He would then
  pray for the sick, cast demons out of the possessed, preach the Bible, and use
  both musical and visual arts to compel people to put their faith in Jesus. If
  enough converts were present he would build a simple church that did not
  resemble ornate Roman architecture, baptize the converts, and hand over the
  church to a convert he had trained to be the pastor so that he could move on to
  repeat the process with another clan.
  
  Patrick gave his life to the people who had enslaved him until he died at 77 years of age. He had seen untold thousands of people convert as between 30-40 of the 150 tribes had become substantially Christian. He had trained 1000 pastors, planted 700 churches, and was the first noted person in history to take a strong public stand against
  slavery.
  




• Roman Opposition
  

For Further Study:
•At www.ccel.org there is a free copy available of Patrick’s book Confessions.
•Steve Rabey’s book In the House of Memory is a good introduction to Patrick and Celtic Christianity.
•Thomas Cahill’s book How the Irish Saved Civilization is a fascinating historical look at Patrick and the implications of Celtic Christianity on western history.
•www.ChristianityToday.com/history is the site for Christian History and Biography magazine, which is a wonderful resource that includes an entire issue on Patrick and Celtic Christianity.

The Gospel in 6 Minutes - John Piper

What Must I Believe?

Standing on the foundation of Scripture is a body of truth that you must believe. If you reject that body of truth, you are not a Christian...

Free Download of The Pilgrim's Progress - Only Until March 31, 2010!

Free Download of The Pilgrim's Progress - Only Until March 31, 2010!

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, read by Paul Michael, abridged & retold by James Baldwin One of the most powerful dramas of Christian faith ever written, this captivating allegory of man's religious journey in search of salvation follows the pilgrim as he travels an obstacle-filled road to the Celestial City. Along the way, he is confronted by monsters and spiritual terrors, among them Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, and the demons of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. An enormously influential seventeenth-century classic, universally known for its simplicity, vigor, and beauty of language. Coupon Code: PROG103 Discount Price: $0.00 Retail Price: $5.98 Instructions: Add the download format to your cart and enter the coupon code PROG103 when prompted during checkout. This free download requires a different coupon code than our other free downloads and must be "purchased" in a separate order. Purchase a print version on Amazon! This free download is available in MP3 and M4B Formats.

Sermon Outline: Matthew 6:16-18. "Pretentious verses Proper Fasting"

1) Pretentious Fasting. (Matthew 6:16)

• Zechariah 7:5, 9-10
• Isaiah 58:5-9

2) Proper Fasting. (Matthew 6:17-18)

• Matthew 9:14-15

• Ezra 8:21-23

Fellowship in Truth

The Bible is the only authoritative source from which Christianity is derived. Sound strange? That used to be the defining characteristic of evangelicalism.

Collectively evangelicals seem to have drifted far from that principle, and evangelicalism is taking on some strange shapes.

2010 OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY

It was during the Thirty Year War that the deadly and contagious disease known as the Black Plague broke out in Germany. Before it ran its course it struck one in every three persons throughout Europe and left in its wake untold misery, panic and hunger. It reached everywhere, even to sailors out at sea who had not been to port for many months. But one little village in the south of Germany was spared: Oberammergau.

The Townspeople of Oberammergau made a vow that if they were spared, they would give a play of the life of Christ every ten years. The fact that they were saved is one of the most amazing mysteries in history.

Thus, the first passion play took place in 1634. Throughout the years, however, Oberammergau has produced several gifted poets who have set the Play to verse as well as lengthened it, until it achieved its present form as an artistic masterwork. To qualify as actors the performers must be native Oberammergauers, amateurs and persons of high moral and ethical principles. It is a great honor to be chosen to play the part of a saint and the highest earthly honor to be chosen to play the part of Christ. The beautiful Costumes are made by the local villagers and their long hair is natural (no wigs) as they start to grow their hair and beards a year or more in advance in preparation for the play

Video: "Oberammergau - four centuries of faith"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberammergau_Passion_Play

http://www.maranathatours.com/

http://www.morrismurdockescortedtours.com
http://www.matterhorntravel.com/alps2.html
http://www.viator.com/tours

What must be believed to receive eternal life? (John MacArthur)

You cant be a Christian without embracing that body of truth, "which was once for all delivered to the saints.

So, what is that body of non-negotiable doctrine that must be believed to receive eternal life? For that matter, what is it to believe?

Sermon Outline: Matthew 6:12-15. "Prayer for Forgiveness and from Temptation"

1) God’s Pardon. (Matthew 6:12)

A) The Problem: Sin

B) The Provision: Forgiveness

· 1 John 1:8-9

C) The Plea: Confess

· Proverbs 28:13

D) The Prerequisite: Others

· Ephesians 4:32

2) God’s Protection. (Matthew 6:13a)

· James 1:2-13

· 1 Corinthians 10:13

3) God’s Preeminence. (Matthew 6:13b)

• 1 Chronicles 29:11-13

• 2 Timothy 4:18

4) God’s Postscript. (Matthew 6:14-15)

• Matthew 18:21-35
• Luke 17:3-4

Avatar and Nature Worship

This past Sunday Greg Koukl had screenwriter, Brian Godawa as a guest to discuss how Christians can watch movies with discernment, including the popular film Avatar. The film is no doubt a technological marvel but it also has religious worldview and political overtones that have sparked controversy.

Listen to the Interview.

Another Free Download this Month!

Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper, read by Robertson Dean WHY? The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his death? The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God's Son. John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons. Not fifty causes, but fifty purposes—in answer to the most important question that each of us must face: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die? Coupon Code: MAR2010B Discount Price: $0.00 Retail Price: $5.98 Instructions: Add the download format to your cart and enter the coupon code MAR2010B when prompted during checkout. This is the second of two free downloads in March and each require a different coupon code. Purchase the print version on Amazon or CBD! This free download is available in WMA, MP3, and M4B. SPECIAL NOTE: Each free download for the month of March must be "purchased" separately, in two different orders, for the coupon codes to work and for you to receive them for FREE.

Free Download of the Month - March 2010

The Cost of Discipleship
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

read by Paul Michael

Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived a testimony of his thoughtful and engaging writers. Focusing on the most treasured part of Christ's teaching - the Sermon on the Mount with its call to discipleship, and on the grace of God and the sacrifice which that demands. At the same time, it shares with many great Christian classics a quality of timelessness, so that it has spoken, and continues to speak powerfully, to the varied concerns of the contemporary world.




Coupon Code: MAR2010

Discount Price: $0.00
Retail Price: $16.98

Instructions: Add the download format to your cart and enter the coupon code MAR2010 when prompted during checkout. This is the first of two free downloads in March and each require a different coupon code.

Purchase the print version on Amazon or CBD! This free download is available in WMA, MP3, and M4B.

SPECIAL NOTE: Each free download for the month of March must be "purchased" separately, in two different orders, for the coupon codes to work and for you to receive them for FREE.