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Articles for the ‘Spirituality & Religion’ Category

Predictions are always welcome. Some people strongly believe 2012 will be the end of the world. They have scientific reasons to back up their research as well. There is a calendar which ends in 2012 and these things suggest that world is going to end in 2012. Many predictions are appropriate, but still your heart cannot believe that this beautiful world has an end.The countdown is already on and still there are clear doubts about the predictions. Even movies have been made and they have a clear message about the end of the world 2012. The Mayan calendar goes more specific on this stand and strongly believes that on the 21st December 2012 at 11.11 GMT, this world will witness its last day. Although all religions have different thoughts and findings about the end of this world, many deny any such predictions, but no one rules out this prediction.

Some things always bother you and surely the end of the world is one. You may have not done anything in life barely as a teenager and if you come to know about this, it will surely make ripples in your heart. Some things like the planets getting closer to the sun and the earth getting heated up frequently cannot be ignored. The ozone layer and the increasing global warming issues are also alarming. Many things are very clear, the changing climatic conditions around the countries, and scarcity of natural resources may contribute to the facts about the end of the world as well. You should think twice before believing this, but at some point or the other you cannot completely ignore it.

Four Suggestions on How to Preach A Sermon

Imagine it! Knees wobbling! Heart racing! Sweat popping! Mind Swirling! What has happened? Are you in love? No, you have just been asked by your pastor to preach a sermon in an upcoming worship service. Yikes! What do you do? Quickly say “No!” and make up an excuse; or, pray for courage and seize the moment? Let me encourage you to go for it. Whether you have been called to be a preacher or not, it can be a very rewarding experience for you. Here are some preaching and sermon preparation pointers for you to consider:

1. Start Praying for Wisdom and Courage

This should go without saying, but I am saying it just the same. Ask God to help you, direct you, and use you for His glory. Pray for the people who will be there when you preach. Pray for yourself to be calm and courageous. Pray for the message to be meaningful and memorable.

2. Select a Relevant and Helpful Topic

Since you are going to preach, use the opportunity to give people a message that will help them in their daily lives. By all means, avoid the temptation of trying to impress people.

You will make a greater impression by giving them instructions that will help them live their lives more fully.

You can easily select a topic that will help people by simply considering the problems they face and the struggles they have to go through in life. Everyone needs encouragement. Everyone needs to know how to handle wrong emotions. Everyone has to learn how to forgive, and on and on the list could go. The Bible is a great resource manual for life and will give you the instruction you will need to pass on to others.

3. Use Stories that Clearly Illustrate Your Points

People remember and relate to stories,especially personal stories. Don’t shy away from speaking about your own struggles or triumphs. This makes for good sermon material.

Sharing how God helped you or blessed you will encourage others as well. This is the power of testimony at work. The introduction or beginning of the sermon is a good place for a personal story.
Even a humorous event that happened to you can be very impacting. Just make sure you are able to weave the aim of your sermon into the particular story you tell.

4. Keep it Moving and Keep it Short

It will be far easier than you think to have more to say than you have time to say it. Use a clear and simple outline and flow through it in a timely manner.

If you finish with people wanting more, you have done well. Even a great start can be lost in a long tedious sermon. Try to keep it around 25-35 minutes maximum.

There are many more suggestions that could be made, but take these four simple ones I have shared and keep them in mind when you preach a sermon for people who like you, need lifting up and blessed.

This article writtenby Eddie Lawrence who is a pastor, author and overseer of Sermon Seedbed, a site that offers free sermons and sermon outlines for pastors and Bible teachers.

THE FOUR KINDS OF DEATH

The following is a sermon on death that gives a biblical perspective on death.

1. THERE IS PHYSICAL DEATH
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

John 11:12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well. 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

In the epistle of James, if you look carefully, you will find there the biblical definition of death:

James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Romans 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2. THERE IS SPIRITUAL DEATH
This is the condition of the living person who does not have eternal life.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

3. THERE IS THE SECOND DEATH
Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

4. There is a fourth death that is mentioned in Scripture as well. Visit Sermon Seedbed to learn about this fourth kind of death and see in this sermon death in its completeness.

This article written by Eddie Lawrence, D.Min. who is a pastor, author and overseer of Sermon Seedbed a free resource site for Pastors and Bible teachers. There you will find lots of sermon ideas and sermon outlines.

For the ordinary layman hearing about communion cups, the first thing that comes to mind is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Popular culture has depicted some of the most significant religious artifacts in a very unorthodox manner, but the good thing is that it helps ordinary people to get acquainted with these religious items.

In the movie, Indiana Jones was looking for Jesus’ cup. For believers, this is called the Holy Grail, the ultimate communion cup which was used by Christ himself.

In literature and some Christian traditions, the Holy Grail did not just mean that cup of Christ, but also stood for the dish and plate used by Jesus at the Last Supper he had with his disciples.

Throughout centuries, this Holy Grail came to be represented as a communion cup that we are now familiar with.

Of course, the use of communion cups varies all over the world. Many cups are made of different kinds of materials depending on the country and the people celebrating it. For example, some of the Christian peasants in Mexico created a communion cup from baked clay while some Christian Palestinians created one from olive wood.

Today, we have come a long way from the glass communion cups that were used before during communion masses. Some small congregations still use glass cups, but it’s a very time consuming process to have to wash each cup after service. Hence, most churches, especially big ones, go for plastic communion cups instead.

No matter what communion cups are made for, they serve one major purpose, and that is to symbolize the faith that people have in Christ.

Communion cups have had a long history. From the Holy Grail to the silver chalices used by the Egyptians and Sumerians to the plastic communion cups we use today. They are all significant for the people that use them in their practice.

As mentioned, the Holy Grail or Chalice is celebrated as one of the most sacred vessels in the Church and it is often blessed prior to using it.  

Even if the Bible does not offer the cup during the Last Supper dinner or make any significance about it, believers still uphold it as a sacred item. Pilgrims in Jerusalem believed that another significant cup was still venerated in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

It supposedly contained the sponge that was used by Christ at Calvary. This was apart from the tradition and belief surrounding the cup from the last supper.

Out of this faith came the belief in the legends of the cup, from Indiana Jones to Merlin and Dan Brown, the story of the ultimate Communion Cup or the Holy Grail is still alive and celebrated.

Of course, legends and stories about the exact Holy Grail have sifted through and became muddled through the years. Whatever the truth may be, there is no denying the fact that the significance of communion cups in today’s Christian celebrations and among believers is still as strong as ever.

Over the years , there are many changes in the designs of communion cups , its not far any different when we talk about communion plates and even church candles.

What are the characteristics of sermons that audiences hear and heed. Whatever they are, they will be good to add to your pastor resources. Let’s look at some of them.I suggest that there are four things to consider that sets a sermon that works apart from others.

1. First it is memorable. Let’s face it, if after the final “Amen!” is spoken, if everyone forgets what was said, then what was said was not that impressive. An audience has a hard time applying a message from one Sunday to the next, if they cannot remember what it was. So such a sermon has elements that make it memorable. Appropriate stories, powerful illustrations that actually are illustrative, and words employed that strike the memory of the audience are all important. Correct application of the sermon also marks the memory. That “this really hits home feeling will plant it into the memory field of the hearer.

2. Secondly, it connects on three levels. The sermon should be reasonable and make sense. It should connect intellectually. A sermon on faith can stretch a man’s natural mind, yet make sense that God would work in such a way since God is a spiritual being whose ways and thoughts are beyond ours. In other words, it makes sense that we cannot always understand God. But to bathe a sermon in ignorance of context, history, good exegesis, and bad exposition can be a hindrance to the hearer. It is amazing how Jesus taught in a way that common people could easily understand his illustrations, yet were tremendously stretched by his application.

The sermon should connect emotionally. Aim at the heart and those “gut” feelings will begin to be stirred within your hearers. Aiming only at the mind without regard to the heart is equally foolish. The heart level is where life change occurs. Preaching should be done within the crucible where real life occurs. Pain is real. Lust is real. Temptation is real. Desperation is real. A message may work in a mental lab and fall flat on its face on the street corner of the real world. This is where a sermon becomes relevant.

The last aspect of connecting has to do with the will. God made us with a will and we use it constantly. Your audience is continually deciding to tune in further or change the channel on you. Aim at the will. Target why what you are sharing is important. An old adage says, “A man persuaded against his will is of the same opinion still.” You may get the mind, and the heart, but the will is the decision maker. A good message answers the question, “Why does this matter?” This is the jugular of the will. Jesus did this, “Repent or you will perish!”

3. The third mark of a sermon that works is that it is true. For the preacher to build any sermon on a foundation that will not rest upon the eternal truth of Scripture is to plan to fail. Not only will the sermon fail but the people who apply it will as well. Truth is established. It has been set in place by God Himself through His Word. Build primarily on what He has said, not what someone else has said. Known and applied truth still sets men free.

4. The last mark of such a sermon is that it is incarnational. Now, that’s a big theological word that simply means, in is delivered through a human being. The man or woman somewhat becomes the message. It is not delivered apart from the personality through which it is being presented. The truth of the Gospel is that God became a man to rescue us from the ravages of sin. Through the art of preaching, truth is brought to men as the Spirit of God bears witness. Passion and concern mark the man who has been marked by the message.

In summary, make a mental check-list as you work on your weekly sermon and impose the following four questions:

 -In what ways, am I making this sermon easy to remember?

-In what ways, am I aiming at the heart of the audience?
-In what ways, am I supporting what I am saying with Scripture?

-In what ways, am I actively applying the sermon to my own life?

Certainly there are other elements to consider, but these four are important and I believe a part of sermons that work. I wish you much success in writing and delivering sermons that ultimately are lived out in the lives of your audience.

Written by: Eddie Lawrence, D.Min. of Sermon Seedbed which offers free pastor resources for pastors and Bible teachers.

Getting the Most Out of Your Sermon Outlines

I once had a professor in one of my seminary classes state that every sermon ought to have at least one point, or else it is pointless. The goal of preaching is to communicate the truths of Scripture in a way that connects with people with accuracy and relevancy.  Being accurate relates to properly communicating the original message of the Scripture for the audience at the time it was written; relevancy relates to applying the Scripture in a way that it somehow helps the people that are hearing it.  A sermon should be outlined in such a way that people who listen to it can do the following:

1. They should be able to endure it.

Preacher jokes abound about long boring sermons.  The mind can only absorb what the seat can endure. Honestly, evaluate how long you stay in front of the people. They are use to sound bytes and frequent commercials in their everyday life. In addition, technology continues to make the learning process more and more interactive.

Here are some suggestions:

-When your outline becomes term paper sized, you are in trouble. Trim it down. Go over it several times making it more and more simple. You will be surprised how much more people will get out of it. If you have been preaching an hour, try aiming at 45 minutes this week. If you have been preaching 40 minutes, aim at 30 and so forth. When you land under 20 minutes consistently, you may be cutting your people a little short.  This is not the issue with any preachers I know. One Sunday I preached a 19.5 minute message. Honestly, it took a lot more prep time than it would have, had I gone 40 minutes. A good pair of scissors might help most of us preachers.

– Don’t bury your sermon in endless sub points. People will struggle keeping up with you. Using PowerPoint can help this, but honestly when you go to the second page of section three under sub point two on page six……. You get the drift. Your audience are not at a required class in order to graduate. They volunteered to come hear you preach, don’t make them regret it.

-On average keep your main points to five or less. 

-Vary the way you present your main points so that you do not become overly predictable. Always alliterating your messages can cause the people to become more interesting in the way you have built your sermon than it what it says.  Sometimes state your points in the form of principles, or in terms of analogy, or a hundred other ways.

-Work on your introduction and conclusion meticulously. A sermon with a good start and finish helps make a lasting impression upon people.

2. They should be able to enjoy it.

Please do not misunderstand me here. I am not saying the preacher’s goal is to entertain. Just as there are pastor resources for you to use, you are a resource that your people will use. So preach in a way they will remember and enjoy. I am saying that  a even a very serious topic can be presented in a way that people are engaged, challenged, and leave knowing they have been given something that can change their lives or at the least something they can chew on. It both cases, they are interacting. Their minds and hearts are participating. This is an enjoyable part of life. It is filled with adventure and agony all at the same time. It lifts us up and onward. There is nothing unspiritual in preparing a message in a way that people can receive it more easily. If the core truth presented is offensive, fine. But if it is how it was presented, that’s a shame. The truth was hindered by the truth bearer in such a case.  Think about the following ideas:

-Use stories, quotes, and anecdotes to communicate bible truths in a way the common man can understand and relate to. Ever noticed that Jesus teaching style often involved parables and short sayings that the people could really bite into?

-Under each main point, make sure you have three elements present. Explain what your main point means. Illustrate the point to people. Thirdly, make sure you apply it to their lives. Answer the question, so what difference does this make to me?

-It’s alright to laugh in church. Jesus definitely used humor in some of his teachings. You are a preacher not a comedian, but a preacher is a person and laughter is a healthy natural human emotion that God gave us.  Sometimes well placed humor can give the audience a little breather as well as giving them the opportunity to vocally interact with the message, both of which are good things.

A good outline will highlight many of these areas and give a fullness and a steady pace and direction to your sermons.  Visit my Sermon Seedbed site to check out all kinds of sermon outlines which are yours free of charge. Remembering the above ideas may help you to avoid some of those longhorn sermons. You know the kind that has two points and a bunch of bull in between!

Eddie Lawrence is a pastor and author and holds an earned Doctorate in Expository Preaching. He oversees Sermon Seedbed which offers free pastor resources for pastors and Bible teachers.

Pastor Resources for Preachers and Bible Teachers

Time is a precious commodity for everyone. As a minister who has been preaching the Bible for over 25 years, study time is extremely important. It is no different for the business man or woman who teaches a bible class at their local church. It is easy to spend hours studying a bible passage, reading commentaries, and going deeper in Bible dictionaries and word study books.

The internet offers tremendous opportunities, insights, and time saving helps. These pastor resources are great! I have had my eyes opened wide to this in the past year after I decided to begin offering my bible studies and sermon outlines to people over the web. I build a site called Sermon Seedbed for pastors and Bible teachers to visit and enjoy. I have been amazed at the response and the encouragement I have recieved from users of the site from over 120 different nations. What a way to expand what you do!

Another benefit I have gained is added knowledge of other great sites on the web for students of the Bible. Sites like Bible Gateway, The Blue Letter Bible, and Sermon Central are amazing and very helpful. Sure there are sites that are too far left and too far right for a lot of us, but don’t allow a bone here or there to keep you from eating fish. There are tons of sites for people who desire to grown in their knowledge of the Bible and hopefully as a result, in their lives.

This article addresses people who have a formal preaching position or those who lead small group bible studies. Let me share with you three tips on making your study time more productive for you and those whom you teach.

1. Don’t bury your audience with endless details.

You purpose should be to open up the Word so it becomes relevant to their everyday life. When someone is struggling with their marriage, fighting an addiction, or coping with anxiety, knowing what those winged beings in Ezekiel’s vision may not be as helpful as knowing how David dealt with being deeply discouraged.

2. Keep it moving and engaging

Similar to the above tip, we preachers and teachers after spending hours studying a verse are tempted to share everything we have mined out of a verse. As a result, we can become bogged down and people begin feeling that it will take forever to cross the finish line. Overcome the temptation to stay at a place too long and keep a steady pace moving toward the end. By keeping it engaging, I suggest that you make a concerted effort in your presentation to connect with the people. Afterall, that is the purpose of it all, to transform lives through sharing God’s Word. Engage them with a story or illustration or question.

3. Be enthusiastic about what you are sharing.

Wow, if you don’t seem to care, then why should they? Notice I said, “If you don’t seem to care…” The actual words you share with people are important but there is so much non-verbal communication that takes place when preaching or teaching. Your listeners are looking at the whole package. Being excited about what you are doing will be contagious. I am not saying overhyped or ramped to explode. Just be yourself with a smile on your face, a spring in your step, and a song in your heart and it will shine through.

You can check out my pastor resources and sermons site at www.sermonseedbed.com.

Of late, we have been hearing about our beloved world coming to an end. Have you ever given a thought to it? They say that 12 21 2012 marls the last day of our earth, as per the Mayan calendar. The 2012 phenomenon, as believed to be, will comprise of a series of cataclysmic or transformative events that will occur on 21 12 2012; with this, will end a five 125-year long cycle and begin a New Era.

It is believed that post 21 12 2012, earth and her inhabitants will go through a positive transformation which might be either physical of spiritual. As per general beliefs, the world will undergo a major catastrophe as the earth will be in total alignment with the moon, the sun and the Milky Way’s black hole. 

Modern thinkers opine that then end of the current cycle will usher in global consciousness shift whereby the world will progress and foster a spiritual revolution. There are so many significances of this date and that’s what makes 21 12 2012 so talked about.

According to some, 2012 will end 26,000 year Precession of the Equinoxes cycle, whereas, some believe that it signifies the end of a 104,000 year cycle. With the end of a cycle, comes a new age. But you must not be scared; instead you must understand the prophecy which says that we all have to be more and more aware and we need to wake up and answer to the beckon call of the new era. Standing on the cross-road, we must enjoy the historical landmark that we witness and respond to it positively.

Mankind will be transformed into a complete harmony of nature and all her children. 21 12 2012 is going to bring one of the best and most significant moments we have ever seen!

Love may be an unrestrained emotion which provides no assurance. If a weak person is madly in love, then he or she may lose all the wisdom and may act blindly. When someone is deeply and madly in love with someone without knowing anything, then the repercussions may be quite devastating.         

Powerful love spells should be used cautiously and not regularly. They must be used at the right place and at the right time. There are instances of such powerful love spells coming with severe damage which can be avoided. One should always analyze such powerful love spells and chalk out their motives. Attempting to break up a loving relationship to acquire egocentric love necessitates a powerful love spell, as the intense energy to break up the immense loving relationship between two adults has to be much stronger and greater than love.

The consequences that the energy administered by a stronger love spell generates can never be predicted. At times, the repercussions may be quite harmful, resulting in tragic deaths and casualties. Even when the powerful love spell is victorious in attaining the love he or she desired, supporting the love against the free natural wish of an individual requires a massive constant effort.

At times, when an individual feels that the love spell targeted to a specific person is not the perfect person, then in that case the spell has to be diverted to avoid the unwanted love. A powerful love spell may be good or bad, depending upon the current situation.  

Your family member is now at rest and now is the time to create an everlasting tribute to them. But how do you decide which type of stone, what color lettering to use and which inscription? Memorials and headstones are available in many different materials, colors and sizes – for example marble, stone and granite memorials are all readily available. Choosing between them can be confusing and tiring.

You should start with the color. What was your loved ones favorite color? Granite headstones come in pretty much every color, so you are not restricted to choosing from just black, gray and white.

The majority of cemeteries allow various colors of headstones and memorials, unfortunately churchyards tend to be stricter. Your cemetery or churchyard should be able to provide you with a copy of the rules and regulations.

Once you have chosen your color, think about what you want the headstone or memorial to say. You should definitely include the name, date of birth and date of death of the deceased, but the rest of the epitaph is free for you to add your messages of love or favorite sayings.

You can also personalize it with a design too. Many different designs can be sandblasted or laser etched on to it. These can range from simple flowers to pictures of your loved one, or engravings of their favorite pastime or pet.

Most headstones and memorials come in set sizes, from really small to very big. Bigger is not necessarily mean better, and a smaller, better quality one can be equally as nice. Churchyards will only permit headstones or memorials up to a maximum height, whereas most cemeteries normally allow them to be any size.

You can get ideas by looking on the Internet; you will find lots of websites that have online catalogs of them. You can also take a walk around a churchyard or cemetery in your local area to see which styles look most appropriate.

Make a shortlist of details that you want, or even draw a rough sketch of how you would like it to look. Once you have done this, it is time to contact a few stores which make and memorials and headstones to ascertain if they are able to create the style and design that you have in mind.

As with everything in life, prices will vary and are negotiable, so be sure to enquire about discounts and be prepared to visit at least a few stores. Once you have placed your order, you can expect the memorial or headstone to be completed in less than a month.