A disciple in Jesus’ time was someone who followed a teacher or philosopher. A disciple was both a learner and a follower – believing the teacher’s message and then putting it into practice. Jesus gave the word disciple added meaning, however, because His disciples also went out to tell others about Him. A disciple of Jesus, therefore, is someone who has committed his or her life to Jesus, and seeks each day to learn, to follow and to share Him…..
Prayer does not give us spiritual power. Prayer aligns our lives with God so that He chooses to demonstrate His power through us. The purpose of prayer is not to convince God to change our circumstances but to prepare us to be involved in God’s activity. Prayer is designed to adjust us to God’s will, not to adjust God to our will. If God has not responded to what we are praying, we may need to adjust our praying to…..
From one end of the Bible to the other, there is the record of those whose prayers were answered – men and women who turned the tide of history by prayer; who fervently prayed, and God answered. Paul prayed, and dozens of churches were born in Asia Minor and Europe. Peter prayed, and Dorcas was raised to life, to have added years of service for Jesus Christ. Their prayers were the natural outflow of their deep inner faith. Their prayers…..
The Scriptures teach that a Christian is one who trusts Christ as Savior and obeys Him as Lord. That is the essence of Christian discipleship – believing and following. The New Testament makes no separation between belief and obedience. They are linked together as one, because if you truly believe, you will truly follow. Trust makes us part of the Kingdom, but our love for God and obedience to His will are the badges of our citizenship in that Kingdom……