Posts in CTCI Life
What does Jesus mean when He says He is the bread of life?
Jesus is going to declare something. It is going to be bold. It is being set up by this conversation. Jesus has good news. Jesus promises us the bread of life!
Astounding and bold for sure. No one else has ever made that claim. Jesus is the only one. And Jesus is delivering on this promise every day. That makes me want to shout!
10 Times Christians Actually Should Judge Others
Should Christians judge others? Wife, mother, and Mimi, freelance artist and photographer, DiAne Gates writes for children, young adults, and non-fiction for adults through her blogs, http://dianegates.wordpress.com/ and www.floridagirlturnedtexan.wordpress.com.
“You’re not supposed to judge.” And fingers waggle in the face of believers bold enough to confront the current world rebellion against God’s Word. Those finger-shakers cherry pick—lifting Scripture out of context to squelch our rebukes. But does Scripture really prohibit differentiating right from wrong?
Every believer is to judge him or herself according to the Word of God. But many of us don’t know enough of the Word to correctly judge ourselves much less anyone else. Jesus instructed us to snatch the beam out of our own eye before we attempt to rip the speck from someone else’s eye. God, however, gives authority within the body of believers to rebuke and correct when His Word and His righteousness is violated.
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:2-4 NKJV).
Source: 10 Times Christians Actually Should Judge Others
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About the Christian Training Center
There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
The Christian Training Center International was founded in the early 1970’s as The Inn of the Last Resort. It is now known throughout the world for its outreach to families, Christian leaders, and young people. Our focus is to enable individuals – especially young men and women – to face and overcome the mounting issues and pressures in their daily lives. Learn more here.
The most effective way to learn a foreign language is through immersion. In complete immersion, students spend all their time hearing and speaking a new language in a sequential and cumulative format. The goal is to become not only a proficient speaker, but to acquire an appreciation and understanding of a new culture. This approach describes the training process at CTCI.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships.
Learn more here.
What is goodness? Will good works be rewarded?
In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists the “fruit of the Spirit”. “Fruit,” here, means “beneficial results,” the good things that come from the Spirit’s indwelling. As the Holy Spirit works in our lives, our character changes.
Where we had harbored selfishness, cruelty, rebelliousness, and spite, we now possess love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Everything in the list reflects the character of God, and goodness is one that relates directly to morality.
Jesus kissed us by His grace and we forever fell in love. Family is relationships.
Join us for the opening night (2014) of the CTCI family program, Train to Reign.
Isaiah 45:3 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord. I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
Are we frightened by the mobs? Are we more than happy at being persecuted?
The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus. They would. The religious elites just didn’t want people to be upset about it when it happened. That was the big concern. Not murder, just riots. Yee Gads!
In only two days the eight-day Festival of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread would begin. The high priests and religion scholars were looking for a way they could seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week.
“We don’t want the crowds up in arms.” they said. | Mark 14:1-2
Gay pressure group demands 1 of 5 prime-time TV characters be LGBT by 2025
From an article in LifeSite: Gay pressure group demands 1 of 5 prime-time TV characters be LGBT by 2025
The pro-LGBT pressure group GLAAD released its annual report on the state of LGBT “representation” in television last week, and while it found a rise in prime-time depictions of homosexual and transgender characters, it’s demanding that Hollywood double its efforts so that a fifth of regular primetime characters are LGBT five years from now.
“Of the 879 series regular characters expected to appear on broadcast primetime scripted programming in the coming year, 90 (10.2 percent) were counted as LGBTQ,” the group reports, meeting an expectation set by the group last year and marking the “highest percentage of LGBTQ regular characters GLAAD has counted on primetime scripted broadcast programming.”
That means that prime-time “representation” is more than double Gallup’s 2017 estimate that 4.5% of the U.S. population identifies as LGBT. (GLAAD cites a survey it did with Harris that supposedly found that 20% of Americans aged 18–34 are LGBT.) But the group wants that over-representation to double yet again, “calling on the industry to ensure that 20 percent of series regular characters on primetime scripted broadcast series are LGBTQ by 2025.”
Read the article here: Gay pressure group demands 1 of 5 prime-time TV characters be LGBT by 2025 | News | LifeSite
What is gentleness? Is it about caring for the weak?
Human power under human control is a half-broken weapon in the hands of a child. But gentleness places our strength under God’s guidance; it is a powerful tool for God’s kingdom.
God wants us to give Him control of our lives. Relying on our own logic, we have no impetus to submit to God’s ownership of our life. We don’t want to be His slave. With the wisdom given to us by the Holy Spirit, however, we begin to see why we should completely submit to God as Master (owner) of our life.
How can I be an Ambassador for Jesus?
This video is about becoming an Christian Training Center Ambassador. The Christian Training Center is looking for individuals to serve as social media ambassadors. This is a vital volunteer position for us.
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Social Media Ambassadors
There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Please help the Christian Training Center share Jesus with the world!
The Christian Training Center is looking for individuals to serve as social media ambassadors. This is a vital volunteer position for us.
What does it involve? Here is a menu of opportunities. No one is expected to do them all.
- Follow
our content on https://ctcilife.org/
- Like the articles
- Comment on the articles (these can be very short)
- Ask friends to help
- Promote
the articles on your social media accounts
- Follow our social media accounts and like/comment on posts
That is it. It won’t take much of your time but it will make a huge difference to our ministry as we spread the good news of Jesus. We’ll keep you up to date by email with tips and suggestions.
Should we say “We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done”?
We are a slave of Jesus. Jesus is our Master (aka Lord). Jesus owns us.
I have to be clear about that. Of course, slavery is detestable to us. We all hate slavery. We condemn it. We fight against it.
Yet, Jesus and all the disciples were clear that is what we are though. I’m going with Jesus on this.
As a slave, my role isn’t to take care of myself when the day is done. My work is keep at being a slave and taking care of my Master. A slave is who I am. If I was a servant, I could work for several people.
Faith or Experience?
We should battle through our moods, feelings, and emotions into absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus. We must break out of our own little world of experience into abandoned devotion to Him. Think who the New Testament says Jesus Christ is, and then think of the despicable meagerness of the miserable faith we exhibit by saying, “I haven’t had this experience or that experience”! Think what faith in Jesus Christ claims and provides— He can present us faultless before the throne of God, inexpressibly pure, absolutely righteous, and profoundly justified. Stand in absolute adoring faith “in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” (1 Corinthians 1:30). How dare we talk of making a sacrifice for the Son of God! We are saved from hell and total destruction, and then we talk about making sacrifices!
We must continually focus and firmly place our faith in Jesus Christ— not a “prayer meeting” Jesus Christ, or a “book” Jesus Christ, but the New Testament Jesus Christ, who is God Incarnate, and who ought to strike us dead at His feet. Our faith must be in the One from whom our salvation springs. Jesus Christ wants our absolute, unrestrained devotion to Himself. We can never experience Jesus Christ, or selfishly bind Him in the confines of our own hearts. Our faith must be built on strong determined confidence in Him.
It is because of our trusting in experience that we see the steadfast impatience of the Holy Spirit against unbelief. All of our fears are sinful, and we create our own fears by refusing to nourish ourselves in our faith. How can anyone who is identified with Jesus Christ suffer from doubt or fear! Our lives should be an absolute hymn of praise resulting from perfect, irrepressible, triumphant belief.
What is fasting? What are the proper and improper uses?
Fasting can be an empty ritual and is condemned. Did not people come to Jesus and ask: ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast’? And is fasting not a Roman Catholic practice, so that the medieval church developed an elaborate calendar of ‘feast days’ and ‘fast days’? Did it not also become associated with a superstitious view of the mass and of ‘fasting communion’?
What is joy? “Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning.”
Here is some great insight from Sonny Ramsey on joy.
Psalm 30:5 (CSB)
For his anger lasts only a moment,but his favor, a lifetime. Weeping may stay overnight,but there is joy in the morning.
What is love? How much does God love us?
God’s love for humanity. There is good news in that the Word of God and Jesus offers an understanding of the source, character, requirement and value of love. It is based on the nature and actions of God our Father.
Jesus sums up God’s goal (command) for us as one of loving God and my neighbors.
Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?
Why does God let “bad things” happen? Consider this article by Jason Soroski. Jason is a homeschool dad and author of A Journey to Bethlehem: Inspiring Thoughts for Christmas and Hope for the New Year. He serves as worship pastor at Calvary Longmont in Colorado and spends his weekends exploring the Rocky Mountains with his family. Connect on Twitter, Instagram, or at JasonSoroski.net.
To answer this question, we have to start by defining what makes a thing good or bad. Some of these answers seem easy: cancer is bad, violence is bad, death of a loved one is bad, the Holocaust was bad. Most people would agree on this definition of ‘bad things’. These are things that leave us in shock and in pain. These are things that can leave us questioning not only whether God is good, but whether he even exists.
Is Jesus the Way to God? Is Jesus the final authority?
God is God. No one else is. God alone is in control. God is Great and God is Good. We need to know all of that and proclaim the good news of Jesus.
So where does the authority of Jesus come from?
Jesus is His Son but Jesus recognizes, as the Son of God, that are a few limits on His authority. Not much, but a few. Jesus is comfortable with that.
Is leadership easy?
Christian Training Center teens share about their time at Heroes Week.
Best Week EVER!!! (Jonathan Finlay interview)
“No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” | Matthew 6:24
Can material goods turn our hearts away from God?
Material goods can turn our hearts away from God. The pursuit of possessions and wealth and a preoccupation with physical things is futile and dissatisfying. Materialism is defined as “the preoccupation with material things rather than intellectual or spiritual things.”
If we are preoccupied with material things, it is definitely wrong. That is not to say we cannot have material things, but the obsession with acquiring and caring for “stuff” is a dangerous thing for us as slaves of Jesus.
What is Truth? A Description of the Nature of Truth in the Gospel of John
Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is the Way to God. Here is some great insight from Brian G. Chilton.
“What is truth?’ said Pilate” (John 18:38). This classic question was asked by Pilate to Jesus during Jesus’s trial. This question does not resonate with Pilate only. In fact, people throughout generations have asked the same. What is truth? What is the nature of truth? Can truth be known?
While Jesus did not answer Pilate’s question during his trial, the nature of truth was already taught in John’s Gospel in three ways.
Read the article here: What is Truth? A Description of the Nature of Truth in the Gospel of John
Brian G. Chilton is the founder of BellatorChristi.com, the host of The Bellator Christi Podcast, and the author of the soon to be released book The Layman’s Manual on Christian Apologetics. He received his Master of Divinity in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); and received certification in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Brian is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Theology and Apologetics at Liberty University and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Brian has been in the ministry for nearly 20 years and serves as the Senior Pastor of Westfield Baptist Church in northwestern North Carolina.
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What We Believe
There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships. Learn more here.
We are an inter-denominational ministry, and our desire is for transformation: a genuine change of heart and lifestyle that flows out of an intimate relationship with Jesus.
We believe:
- Jesus is Lord. We exalt the One True God who made us and gave us the Lord Jesus Christ as our salvation. Our goal is to be a people with a heart for obedience to Christ in all things. His work made it possible for us to live – eternally and now – as children of God. Jesus made it possible for us to be rightly related to the Father and to one another. His desire is for us to succeed. We believe a right relationship with Him is the first and most important step.
- The Bible is True. God’s Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12-13), which we take into our minds and spirits and live out through the flesh. When Jesus asked what the greatest commandment was, He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31). The basis for everything we teach is “Life is Relationships.”
- Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. We desire to walk in and by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit (available to all believers) empowers Christians for living witness and dedicated service.
Learn more here.
What is friendship? Does it involve forgiveness?
Friendship is an amazing experience. It also can be a fragile relationship. Are we looking at the good in our friend or are we seeing what they “aren’t doing”?
I’ve been there. I’ve done that. Why didn’t they remember my birthday? Why didn’t they call me? Why did they say I was fat? Yikes, the list of “offences” is endless.
I need to get over it. Jesus offers us a way out through His Holy Spirit. Jesus shows us how to love. Jesus shows us how to forgive. That, my friends, is good news.
Old-Earth Creationism on Trial
Old-Earth Creationism on Trial – A respectful yet firm critique of the “biblical” arguments made by Christians who believe in billions of years and a regional Flood instead of a global event.
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There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Check out our upcoming ministry programs for young adults and families. Please click here.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships.
Heroes Semester is a 10-week residential, “family style” living experience like no other! | Participants ages 18-26 come with one purpose – to go deeper with the Lord. Learn more about our programs here.
Strengthening & Restoring Family Relationships — Train to Reign Program | Family is the most vital relationship and the one under the most pressure and attack. Come strengthen your family in a strong relationship with God. Learn more here.
If you would like to donate to the Christian Training Center, please click here.
Who is God? Is God omnipotent (all powerful)?
Omnipotent means to have unlimited power (omni = all; potent = powerful). God is able and powerful to do anything he wills without any effort on his part.
It’s important to note the “anything he wills” part of that statement, because God cannot do anything that is contradictory or contrary to his nature. Hebrews 6:18 puts it like this: “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.”
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” | Psalm 33:6
California is forcing churches to pay for abortions
Lisa Amann has attended Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, California for almost her entire life. Now, she works there as a pastor.
As a Christian, Lisa is passionate about protecting life—especially that of the unborn. “As Christians, we are fundamentally against the destruction of a person’s life and destiny.”
And yet, the state of California wants to force Lisa and Skyline Wesleyan Church to pay for abortions through the church’s healthcare plan.
Is anything impossible with God?
Imagine being a young woman. You are a virgin. An angel shows up and lets you know you are going to give birth to the Son of God.
You ask how that can be since you are a virgin. He lets you know that the Spirit of God will make it happen AND nothing is impossible with God.
NOTHING.
Not a thing.
Testimonies of the Power of God to change lives.
This video is the testimony of Danny and Mary Antoine.
The Antoine’s run Danny Antoine’s Martial Arts & Fitness Academy They are a family-friendly academy geared toward providing you and your family with a life-changing experience. They offer martial arts classes for all age groups, After-School Program, and Full-time Summer Camp Program.
What is faithfulness? Is it seen to God as marital fidelity?
Faithfulness is the proper response to God by his covenant people; seen in a steadfast commitment which reflects God’s own faithfulness to the covenant. Encouraged in all believers, it is especially important in leaders.
We are called to be faithful and trustworthy. I am challenged by this some days. When I think about it and focus on it, I execute God’s goal. Some days, like a sheep, I wander off.
12 Bible Characters Who Did Great Things for God in Their Old Age
Since I am getting older, I love this article from David Sanford. David coaches leaders passionate about demonstrating the relevance of Jesus Christ in every major sphere of life. His book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday, and Amazon. His speaking engagements have ranged everywhere from The Billy Graham Center at the Cove (NC) to UC Berkeley (CA).
Early in our marriage, Renée and I invested a lot of time with women and men in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. One of our dear friends lived to be 101. Another lived to be 106. These two (and many others) showed us how to enjoy life to the full until the very end.
Over the past four decades, Renée and I have actively sought to model our lives after theirs…and after the lives of their favorite Bible characters.
So, who were their favorite Bible characters? We’ll begin with Adam, Enoch, and Noah…and end with Simeon, Anna, and John.
Read the article here: 12 Bible Characters Who Did Great Things for God in Their Old Age – Topical Studies
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What We Believe
There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships. Learn more here.
We are an inter-denominational ministry, and our desire is for transformation: a genuine change of heart and lifestyle that flows out of an intimate relationship with Jesus.
We believe:
- Jesus is Lord. We exalt the One True God who made us and gave us the Lord Jesus Christ as our salvation. Our goal is to be a people with a heart for obedience to Christ in all things. His work made it possible for us to live – eternally and now – as children of God. Jesus made it possible for us to be rightly related to the Father and to one another. His desire is for us to succeed. We believe a right relationship with Him is the first and most important step.
- The Bible is True. God’s Word is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12-13), which we take into our minds and spirits and live out through the flesh. When Jesus asked what the greatest commandment was, He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31). The basis for everything we teach is “Life is Relationships.”
- Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. We desire to walk in and by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit (available to all believers) empowers Christians for living witness and dedicated service.
Learn more here.
Am I a devoted slave of Jesus, the Messiah?
My role is one of a slave. I am a devoted slave of Jesus, the Messiah. Really? Yes, a slave. I belong to Him. Jesus is my Master. Jesus owns me.
I am on assignment. My Master gives me jobs to do. Some days I get distracted but Jesus has given me a mission to complete. I am authorized to proclaim God’s words and acts.
So are you. We all are. I am not unique in this regard. Will I focus on what God has given me to do? That is today’s question. That is every day’s question.
What does “life is relationships” mean? Why is the Christian Training Center so special?
Watch this great Christian Training Center overview. See our founders, Jay and Sally Fesperman explain why “life is relationships” is so meaningful.
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There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Check out our upcoming ministry programs for young adults and families. Please click here.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships.
Heroes Semester is a 10-week residential, “family style” living experience like no other! | Participants ages 18-26 come with one purpose – to go deeper with the Lord. Learn more about our programs here.
Strengthening & Restoring Family Relationships — Train to Reign Program | Family is the most vital relationship and the one under the most pressure and attack. Come strengthen your family in a strong relationship with God. Learn more here.
If you would like to donate to the Christian Training Center, please click here.
What is glory? Did it exist in Jesus before His incarnation?
Jesus the Messiah’s beauty, radiance and splendor reflects the glory of the Father. It is both revealed to and reflected in the lives of believers.
We hear about the glory of God a lot in both the old and new testaments. I think of it as the stunning and the amazing nature of God. It should overwhelm me. We should stand in awe. Do we?
The Christian Bucket List: 50 Things to Do before Heaven
Anyone who can put together a list of 50 items has my respect. Dr. Joe McKeever is a Preacher, Cartoonist, and the Director of Missions for the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans. Visit him at joemckeever.com/mt.
This has become a popular parlor game and a best-selling theme for all kinds of books — places to go, things to do, foods to eat, scenes to see, before you leave this world, or “kick the bucket.” That’s what gave it the name “bucket list.” Hollywood made a movie about this a few years ago.
Today was evidently a morning of slow news because one of the television shows ran a feature on beer, “50 brews on our bucket list.” “Oh great,” I thought. “Just what some beer-guzzling couch-potato needs, an excuse to indulge himself even more.”
So, let’s try to do the right thing here and come up with some positive, non-alcoholic deeds which every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ should do before departing this earthly sod.
Everyone will have his/her own list. This is mine, with a little help from some Facebook friends whom I’ve asked for contributions. Since we’re going for 50 things to do, we’ll break this article down into several manageable segments.
Putting them in any kind of order would be impossible since I don’t know what we’ll end up with. So, just because one item is low on the list and another is high says nothing about their relative importance.
Source: The Christian Bucket List: 50 Things to Do before Heaven
What does it mean to rejoice greatly?
Jesus rejoiced. Jesus is exuberant in the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to usher in the Kingdom of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus died for us but approached it in great joy.
Jesus knew how the story would end. Jesus was happy about it all.
Jesus does the happy dance. Seriously! Jesus “rejoiced greatly”. Jesus is smiling. Jesus is stunned with what God is doing.
God is in a good mood. Jesus knew it. I believe that, do you?
How Should I Respond to Combative People on Social Media?
In this video, recorded at a Fearless Faith Seminar, J. Warner Wallace helps answer an audience question: How should I respond to the growing hostility and polarization I see on social media? Specifically, how should I interact when people are hostile to my Christian identity online?
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There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Check out our upcoming ministry programs for young adults and families. Please click here.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships.
Heroes Semester is a 10-week residential, “family style” living experience like no other! | Participants ages 18-26 come with one purpose – to go deeper with the Lord. Learn more about our programs here.
Strengthening & Restoring Family Relationships — Train to Reign Program | Family is the most vital relationship and the one under the most pressure and attack. Come strengthen your family in a strong relationship with God. Learn more here.
If you would like to donate to the Christian Training Center, please click here.
What is joy? Is there joy in deliverance?
I want the joy of the Lord. I want to be more than happy. I want to celebrate God’s victory in my life. I want to show the goodness of God. God promises, through the power of the Holy Spirit, it will grow like fruit. Now that is some good news.
The “fruit of the Spirit” is what happens when the Holy Spirit indwells us. The “fruit” is the product of the Holy Spirit’s cultivation of character in our heart. Galatians 5:22-23 describes what that fruit looks like; the second characteristic listed is joy.
Does God show favoritism?
Here is a guest article from Mandy Sweigart-Quinn. Mandy is known as the Blue Collar Theologian (www.bluecollartheologian.blog)! She loves Jesus, His Word and encouraging His people! In May 2019 she graduated from Capital Seminary and Graduate School with a MA in Biblical Studies and is now pursuing a PhD in Biblical Studies from Capital.
Does God show favoritism?
One of the greatest lies the enemy loves to heave at me is that I am not doing enough, I am not good enough and that God likes/loves everyone more than me. I know that is a lie and yet I allow it to render me completely ineffective and useless. It steals my joy, it paralyzes my walk with God and leads me to fear being replaced. I know that God is no respecter of persons, meaning he does not show partiality or favoritism but what exactly does that mean?!
Can a healthy tree bear bad fruit?
Jesus is beginning to wrap up His manifesto (Matthew 5 – 7). Jesus changed his brief metaphor from sheep and wolves to trees and their fruit, from the sheep’s clothing which a wolf may wear to the fruit which a tree must bear.
In so doing he moved from the risk of non-recognition to the means of recognition.
Who has your life in their hands? Can you trust them?
Asa Moon tells about his experience as a Christian Training Center Summer Intern.
Who has your life in their hands? Can you trust them?
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There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Check out our upcoming ministry programs for young adults and families. Please click here.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships.
Heroes Semester is a 10-week residential, “family style” living experience like no other! | Participants ages 18-26 come with one purpose – to go deeper with the Lord. Learn more about our programs here.
Strengthening & Restoring Family Relationships — Train to Reign Program | Family is the most vital relationship and the one under the most pressure and attack. Come strengthen your family in a strong relationship with God. Learn more here.
If you would like to donate to the Christian Training Center, please click here.
What does it mean that God is good?
God is good — We see it in his work of creation
We have good news. God is God and perfect. God is good and in a good mood. Everything He made is good. Nothing is to be rejected by us. God didn’t make any mistakes.
In fact, God, at creation, declared it all was very good!
Most excellent! Stunning! Amazing!
How one pastor and church were bad at prayer and now can’t stop praying
Brandon Showalter is a reporter with The Christian Post. He enjoys exploring the intersection of faith and public life, and has reported on a wide range of theological, political and ethical themes and topics.
He was first inspired to break into a career in writing/journalism while mopping floors and scrubbing toilets as a church custodian in April 2015.
He earned a B.A. from Bridgewater College of Virginia, is a fellow of the John Jay Institute for Faith, Society, & Law, and graduated from a three-year program at Bethel School of Ministry in Redding, California.
His most favorite thing to do in life is to sing.
Prayer sounds simple enough but many Christians often complicate it or hardly engage in it at all. Pete Grieg, author of How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People, explains how he and his church went from “bad at praying” to starting a 24-7 global prayer movement — where prayer hasn’t stopped in the last 20 years.
Listen to the Podcast: How one pastor and church were bad at prayer and now can’t stop praying – The Christian Post
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There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Check out our upcoming ministry programs for young adults and families. Please click here.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships.
Heroes Semester is a 10-week residential, “family style” living experience like no other! | Participants ages 18-26 come with one purpose – to go deeper with the Lord. Learn more about our programs here.
Strengthening & Restoring Family Relationships — Train to Reign Program | Family is the most vital relationship and the one under the most pressure and attack. Come strengthen your family in a strong relationship with God. Learn more here.
If you would like to donate to the Christian Training Center, please click here.
What is peace? Do we have it through Jesus?
The Apostle Paul alerts us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. He says that against such things there is no law. | Galatians 5:22
- God’s ultimate provision of peace is discovered in the person and work of Jesus the Messiah. It is only through the Messiah that peace with God can be achieved and maintained.
- There are times we am clearly not at peace. We are not at peace with ourselves and we are not at peace with God or Jesus. Something is wrong. We may or may not know it but it becomes evident in our anxiety and worry. We am not convinced, at that point in time, that God is good and has our best interest at heart.
- It starts with faith. We need to get clear with our faith in Jesus. When peace leaves us, we need to get back to the real issue. We don’t have faith, We don’t believe who Jesus is and what He accomplished. Lack of peace comes from ignoring the core issue of unbelief. God is good. God sent His son to make us right with God. God did it out of love for us. Now that is some good news!
What does it take to be an ambassador?
The Christian Training Center is looking for individuals to serve as social media ambassadors. This is a vital volunteer position for us. You can make a difference in reaching the world for Jesus.
For more information, go here.
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Social Media Ambassadors
There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Please help the Christian Training Center share Jesus with the world!
The Christian Training Center is looking for individuals to serve as social media ambassadors. This is a vital volunteer position for us.
What does it involve? Here is a menu of opportunities. No one is expected to do them all.
- Follow
our content on https://lifeisrelationships.wpcomstaging.com/
- Like the articles
- Comment on the articles (these can be very short)
- Ask friends to help
- Promote
the articles on your social media accounts
- Follow our social media accounts and like/comment on posts
That is it. It won’t take much of your time but it will make a huge difference to our ministry as we spread the good news of Jesus. We’ll keep you up to date by email with tips and suggestions.
Where does Jesus’ authority come from?
What gives Jesus the right to speak and act on his Father’s behalf in forgiving sin, pronouncing judgment and promising eternal life to those who believe in him? We need to understand this.
The Three Intangibles of Effective Leadership
James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina; President of Serious Times, a ministry which explores the intersection of faith and culture (www.serioustimes.org); and ranked adjunctive professor of theology and culture on the Charlotte campus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Dr. White holds the B.S., M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees, along with additional work at Vanderbilt University and Oxford University. He is the author of over a dozen books.
Of books and blogs on leadership, there is no end. Usually detailed within them are concrete, specific tasks or skills needed to be an effective leader. This is all well and good, but the older I get and the longer I lead, the more I become convinced that what sets the most effective leaders apart is more…
… intangible.
What I mean is that most leaders are versed in the basics of leadership. They don’t need a lesson on the importance of delegating, time management or vision casting. Maybe some pointed reminders to flesh out what they already know, but they understand the value of doing it and get the gist of what is involved.
But the intangibles of leadership are different. They can’t really be taught. They are either there or they are not; they are either active or dormant. And three come immediately to mind:
Read the article here: The Three Intangibles of Effective Leadership – Dr. James Emery White, Christianity.com Blogs
What does it mean to be slow to anger?
Our mission, given to us by Jesus, is to love. That is it. That should be our day. That should be our motivation. Love should be our passionate focus.
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone… ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-18, 20-21)
This is our Father’s world. A love story about our Father.
Join us as our Summer Interns share their testimonies and encourage us in the Master Jesus.
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There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Check out our upcoming ministry programs for young adults and families. Please click here.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships.
Heroes Semester is a 10-week residential, “family style” living experience like no other! | Participants ages 18-26 come with one purpose – to go deeper with the Lord. Learn more about our programs here.
Strengthening & Restoring Family Relationships — Train to Reign Program | Family is the most vital relationship and the one under the most pressure and attack. Come strengthen your family in a strong relationship with God. Learn more here.
If you would like to donate to the Christian Training Center, please click here.
Why should we be patient, even as Jesus is patient?
We should be patient, even as Jesus is patient. Naturally, in and of myself, I am not. God’s kindness is leading us to change our mind about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Now that is some good news.
What do I know about any of this?
Hmm … James urges us to be patient and not to complain as we wait for Jesus to return. James holds up the prophets as models of patience.
What Are Skeptics Talking About When They Describe New Testament Variations?
In this clip from a Summit Worldview Conference session, cold-case detective, J. Warner Wallace, describes why some suspects point to variations between ancient New Testament documents as evidence of their unreliability. Do manuscript variations disqualify the Gospels? What are the variations typically described by skeptics?
To see more training videos with J. Warner Wallace, visit the YouTube playlist.
Why are religious elites accusing Jesus of being demon-possessed?
Pharisees (religious elites) opposed Jesus the Messiah during his ministry and were among those who brought about his crucifixion. Some Pharisees, however, accepted the Messiah’s teaching and believed in him.
The Pharisees (religious leaders and elites) were an influential religious sect within Judaism in the time of the Messiah and the early church.
We need to be careful. There is a slippery slope where being a religious zealot moves quietly into religious rule keeping. Has it happened to me? Yikes! I resemble that remark.
Are you ready to make a sacrifice? How do we learn that?
Check out Nikki’s video with Heroes of Today participant, Lydia Morel as she shares why she is returning for a 2nd year!
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There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Check out our upcoming ministry programs for young adults and families. Please click here.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships.
Heroes Semester is a 10-week residential, “family style” living experience like no other! | Participants ages 18-26 come with one purpose – to go deeper with the Lord. Learn more about our programs here.
Strengthening & Restoring Family Relationships — Train to Reign Program | Family is the most vital relationship and the one under the most pressure and attack. Come strengthen your family in a strong relationship with God. Learn more here.
If you would like to donate to the Christian Training Center, please click here.
What does it mean to be fickle? Are we swayed by the next great thing?
Are we being fickle? Do we get swayed by the next great thing spoken by the new charismatic religious leader we hear?
They have a best-selling book. Doesn’t that count for something?
They are successful with thousands attending “their church” every week. Doesn’t that count for something?
Where Does Kanye West Reference the Bible in “Jesus Is King”?
Bethany Pyle is the editor for BibleStudyTools.com and the design editor for Crosscards.com. She has a bachelor’s degree in writing from Christopher Newport University, a background in journalism and a passion for telling good stories.
The literal definition of repentance is to change direction, to do a 180. From the first words of Kanye West’s newest album “Jesus is King,” listeners can tell that the rapper has taken a definite 180 from his old work. He’s traded cursing and foul imagery for praises to God and Biblical references.
The message of his songs and albums is, as with all works of art, up to the listener. But where exactly does West reference the Bible, and what do those references mean? This article will dive in to some of the verses, hymns and Scriptural ideas of “Jesus is King,” without analyzing the message of the songs too much. The following links will give you more information about West’s faith or how his album is being received by Christians. But for now, let’s take a look at the verses and beliefs that inspired these songs.
Read the article here: Where Does Kanye West Reference the Bible in “Jesus Is King”? – Topical Studies
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Our Mission & Vision
There is power in prayer. We see it every day. Let us join with you in tapping into the Power of God. Click here to make a request.
Our programs are like an immersion into a new language – the language of living in Jesus. The goal is fluency in the language of relationships. Programs share a sequential vision, building an understanding of relationships and family culture. The foundation is an encounter with Jesus. This encounter is the means for both insight and vision. Encountering Jesus leads a radical change in living and relationships
Our Vision is to see generations of leaders victoriously modeling Jesus in their families and communities.
Our Mission is training believers to live a victorious life through biblical Truth, experiential discipleship, and family relationships.
Values
Life is:
1) Relationships
2) Personal Holiness
3) Biblical
4) Authentic
5) Relevant
Learn more here.