Prayers Devotionals

  “Shining Light in Duck Places" Luke 11:34 Years ago I was invited to give my duck call demonstration at a store in Iowa. A huge crowd of duck hunters gathered around me like bees on honey. They’d seen our Duck Commander DVDs and our TV show on the Outdoor Channel, and they wanted to meet me in person. After I went through my demonstration, I used the opportunity to share the gospel. Look, I know if you’re gonna do that, there’ll be a trickle of people who’ll head toward the exit. But that’s okay with me, because I’ve also seen the impact of the gospel on people’s lives. About five years after that presentation in Iowa, I got this letter: Dear Mr. Robertson, I came to hear your demonstration in Iowa because you were my hero in the duck calling world. In my mind you were the big cheese and the guru, so I had you all built up. As you went through the demonstration, I thought, That guy can sure blow a duck call. Good night, if I could only get half as good as he is. I really looked

  Page 49 Christ the Healer Death comes, and then we blame our God, And weakly say, "Thy will be done"; But never underneath the sod Has God imprisoned any one. God does not send disease, or crime, Or carelessness, or fighting clans; And when we die before our time, The fault is man's. He is a God of life, not death; He is one God that gives us birth; He has not shortened by a breath The life of any on the earth; And He would have us dwell within The world our full allotted years. So blame not God—for our own sin Makes our own tears. Douglas Malloch http://www.despatch.cth.com.au/Books_V/Christ%20the%20Healer%20-%20F.%20F.%20Bosworth.pdf

 “Preach It” 2 Corinthians 2 :17 For we are not like the many who make a trade in God's message [for profit], but as those with sincerity, we speak in Christ, as from God and before God. Romans 10:14 https://biblehub.com/parallel/romans/10-14.htm For years I’d been giving my usual duck call seminar around the country. Then something changed. I took the stage at an event in New Orleans and suddenly had what you might say was a watershed moment for me. I looked out over a crowd of about a thousand people and thought, There’s a lot of people here; I owe them at least the Good News! I have to believe that was a nudge from the Holy Spirit, because it certainly wasn’t part of my original plan. Well, I just let ’er rip. I got out my Bible and preached the gospel to them for a good forty-five minutes. Everyone had been drinking beer and partying and having a big ol’ time. But when I started talking about sin, death, and every person’s need for Jesus, the room got as serious as a funeral. I

You Have Heard The Saying Many Times: "Follow The Money" Now For More Of The Story: SO FIRST OFF LET'S HELP YOU READ A QUICK PARAGRAPH THAT YOU MIGHT GLANCE OVER "Student Churches is chaired by a man named Erik Fish. Erik Fish teaches that one does not need to repent of homosexuality when they come to Christ and that one can continue living in homosexuality after they came to Christ and that God may change them after they decided to follow Jesus." Asbury Prayer Event Funded by Same Group that Funds “He Gets Us” “When it walks like a duck…” Well, you know the rest. You’re probably aware of the He Gets Us Jesus propaganda campaign that has been pushed heavily by Ed Stetzer and other moderate-left Evangelicals. He Gets Us is essentially a public relations campaign for Jesus making him out to be a big-time social justice warrior who identifies with all of the leftist social causes as a way to make him attractive to leftists. It turns out that his campaign was heavil

 The apostle John’s high concern was that the church of his day would identify and resist false teaching. As he mentioned in his first letter, false teachers were denying that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh (v. 7). Gnostics saw physical matter as evil and denied that the Incarnation could have happened (see February 16). John calls them “deceivers” and “antichrists.” To follow these teachers would be to “lose what we have worked for” (v. 8)—not a reference to salvation but to the advance of the gospel and the earning of spiritual rewards. To follow them would be to “run ahead” and not continue in Christ’s teaching (v. 9). To Americans, running ahead might sound like a good thing, but to John it meant that the Gnostics thought they knew better than regular Christians. Following them would mean leaving the path of truth and righteousness. John warned his readers not to welcome false teachers into their churches (v. 10). Hospitality— supporting itinerant teachers with food and shelter

 “Heed the Call” 2 Timothy 2:24-26 In the early days of our duck call business, before Duck Dynasty was a hit TV show, I was answering the phone and taking orders. We were happy, happy, happy just to hear the phone ring at that time. Every sale was necessary for our survival. One day as I was taking an order, the customer used the Lord’s name in vain about five or six times. He wasn’t upset, mind you. He just talked that way, probably out of habit. After I finished taking down his shipping information, I said, “Let me ask you something. Why do you keep cursing the only One who can save you from death? Why would you pick Him out and use His name like that?” There was silence on the other end. Finally, I said, “Are you still there?” “Yeah, I’m still here . . . ,” he answered. “You got my duck call or what?” “Yup,” I said. “Got it. It’s on the way.” The caller slammed down the phone. I figured that was the end of that. Ten minutes passed and the phone rang again. “Hello, Duck Commander,”

 When God Stopped In the 1980 comedy The Gods Must Be Crazy, a traveling bushman creates a monkey trap. He digs a hole in a termite mound, while a baboon watches from a distance. The hole is large enough for the animal to stick his hand through but too small for him to pull out his clenched fist. The bushman then places melon seeds inside and waits. After a while, the monkey's curiosity gets the best of him. He goes to the mound and reaches in to pull out the seeds. But he cannot get his arm out of the hole, because he will not let go of the seeds. As the baboon struggles to remove his fist from the hole, the bushman puts a rope around its neck. The monkey was only willing to let go of the seeds after it was too late. This comedy illustrates how we can become trapped by things we should let go of much more quickly in life. The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is also revealing. It was built over the traditional birthplace of Jesus. It has a tiny door, called the Door of Humility

  The Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:9-13 It’s been said that following Jesus without praying would be like trying to live without breathing. It’s simply not possible. Prayer is one of the most powerful ways for us to strengthen our relationship with God and become more like Jesus. That’s why we’ve spent the last seven weeks learning how to pray from Jesus by following the template He set out in His prayer found in Matthew 6. We began with prayers of adoration, communicating our deep love and respect for God. Because He is our loving Father and there is no one like Him. In the second week, we practiced intercession, praying to God on behalf of others. We asked Him to bless them, strengthen them, and bring a little bit of heaven into their lives and our world. After that, we petitioned God to give us what we need. Whether it’s something as small as the food we’ll eat for lunch, or as big as asking Him to bring peace and justice to our divided and broken world. Week four was all about confessio

 His Will Alone Matthew 6:9-13           Matthew 26:39-42 Adoration. Intercession. Petition. Confession. These are the types of prayers we have been learning to pray with Jesus as our guide and the Lord’s Prayer as our map. Every one of these prayers serves to help us connect with God and become more like Jesus. These prayers propel us forward in our discipleship. And all of them together prepare us to practice this final type of prayer: submission. Discipleship without submission doesn’t exist. Following Jesus without accepting His authority in our lives doesn’t work. Why? Because committing our lives to Jesus means laying down our will so we can take up God’s will. And nobody modeled this more powerfully than Jesus Himself. Pray… Father, you are my God and I submit to you. My heart is yours. My mind is yours. My soul is yours. My strength is yours. Everything I am I commit to you. Teach me to obey you and trust you. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard. Because it’s in thos

 Revival Isn’t About Sitting Around Playing Acoustic Guitars and Singing Shallow Worship Songs Revival in the church is a topic that is often discussed and prayed for and has been front and center of the Christian news and blogosphere for the last two weeks in the midst of the so-called Asbury Revival. However, the concept of true revival is easily misconstrued. Many people equate revival with emotional experiences and singing evocative worship songs that garner an emotional response—in fact, for some, it seems the more emotional one gets the closer they are to God. While emotions in worship can certainly be present as part of church life, they are not the essence of true revival. As Jesus said in Luke 11:28, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” The problem with equating revival with emotional experiences is that it can lead to a shallow and low-doctrine understanding of the gospel. Worship songs that are only focused on making people feel good can most ofte

  All Things New Matthew 6:9-13           Revelation 21:5-7 God created everything as an act of love. He created us to live in relationship with Him and serve as His partners. We rejected His rule and, as a result, sin was introduced into the world. But, because of Jesus, our sins can be forgiven and our relationship with God can be put back together. Eventually, Jesus is going to return to finish what He started and make all things new. When He does, death, sin, darkness, and evil will all be defeated once and for all. Then, we will live forever with God in a place where there is no more pain, sadness, or suffering. This is what we are looking forward to. The day when God’s Kingdom arrives in full and all of creation is flooded with His goodness. Pray… Lord, when I feel discouraged by all the crud happening in the world, remind me that you’re coming back. Help me to remember that you are going to take every wrong thing and make it right. That when you return, everything is going to be

  On the Way to Heaven ... teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. - (Matthew 28:20) Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is a lot different than just going to church once or twice a week. To get excited because the preacher moved you and the choir inspired you is nice, but that’s not spiritual growth. To enjoy fellowship with your friends is a wonderful part of the Christian life, but it in and of itself is not discipleship. The goal and the cornerstone of your activity, that which brings God the most glory, is for you to become a disciple. God’s goal is not salvation; that is just the introduction to God’s goal. His desire is that those who are saved become disciples. It is not enough simply to say: “I’m on my way to heaven.” The issue is, are you becoming like the One who is taking you to heaven? That’s discipleship, and that’s what Christ wants from you. Discipleship is that developmental process that progressively br

Trusting the Gardener  Matthew 6:9-13            John 15:1-4 Like we’ve talked about in previous days, submission is not a popular idea. Because submission is choosing to give up what little control we think we have as we trust in God. And, for most of us, we really like having control. It brings us comfort and confidence. But it doesn’t bring us closer to God and His plans for the world. As a matter of fact, until we are willing to let go of control, we will never actually be able to fully obey God. He’s the one in charge, not us. He’s the Father, we’re His kids. This doesn’t mean what we do, think, or say, doesn’t matter. What we do absolutely matters! God wants us to bring all that we are to Him and give all we have to His mission. But, at the end of the day, He’s the only one who can be God. And oftentimes, in the process of us learning to trust and follow Him, there are parts of us we need to let go of. Parts of us that need to die. That’s what we are talking about today. Learning

  He Would Not Be Silenced Obstacles are put in our paths to determine how much we want what's on the other side of them. Bartimaeus had heard about the many things Jesus did. He was not going to let anything get in the way of his once-in-a-lifetime moment with Jesus. And you shouldn't either! The crowd did not think this beggar was worthy of Jesus' time and attention. Some people may feel the same way about you and me. Bartimaeus did not fail at his tiny door. He was willing to face what-ever ridicule and humiliation were required to walk through his door to Jesus. Sometimes, we must starve and sacrifice our egos so Jesus can feed our souls. Jesus told a story of two other men at the tiny door: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with him-self, "God I thank You that I am not like the other men- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give

It's more than just love your neighbors. Do you read your Bible daily? Do you pray daily? Do you Repent? Do you share the word? Have you been born again? Are you jumping on the bandwagon just because it feels good? Do you have a good Bible fearing church you go to? Do you have a preacher that will preach what is the  real word not the water downed kind nowadays? If your preacher is behind the pulpit and doesn't want to offended anyone by there sermon then just what are they doing? You have to stick to his word now matter what. Now if you won't preach on sin or just afraid that you will again offend one of your parishioners because of there politics or sins then why are you preaching? It's his word, preach it the good the bad and BOTH the old and the new testaments. There's more than just sitting around sing kumbaya songs to feel good it's what are you going to do after that? Go With God.

Until It’s Finished Matthew 6:9-13    Philippians 1:6     Hebrews 12:1-2 Before we were even born, God had a plan to rescue us from sin and death through the sacrifice of Jesus. 2000 years ago, Jesus walked out of His own tomb leaving death in the grave as proof that He was who He said He was and He did what He said He was going to do: open up the door for us to leave our past behind and step into a new future with our Heavenly Father. This is why the Gospel has always been and will always be good news. Not because of what we do, but because of what God has done. As followers of Jesus, our right response is to submit every part of who we are to God, our redeemer. Pray… God, thank you for never giving up on me. Every time I fall short and mess up, you offer me grace. That is just one of the many reasons why I want to give everything to you. My whole life is yours. I want to live submitted to you and your plans for my life because I know they are so much better than anything I can come u

  Pray by Faith Prayer is powerful. It can literally move mountains. That is exactly what Jesus said to His disciples will happen when a believer prays with faith: such a person can tell the mountain to move into the sea, and it will happen. Christ promised us that we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer, as long as we believe. The Lord explained that it glorifies the Father to answer our prayers. So, what can we receive in prayer? Anything we believe that we will receive. In other words, our faith is the only condition to our prayer. We should never base our prayer on the circumstances around us, but on the power and the character of God. That is why the Scripture tells us that we walk by faith, not by sight. When we pray for difficult situations, we should not be discouraged by what we see. Sometimes, the answer might take longer to come than we expect. We need to persevere in prayer. Jesus spoke about this in the Gospels. He said that at times we need to pray about something p

  Don’t Drift Away Matthew 6:9-13        Colossians 1:15-23 Following Jesus may not always be easy, but it is always worth it. Because of His sacrifice on the cross, our sins are forgiven and our relationship with God has been fixed. The work that God started then is still going on in the world. And He isn’t going to stop until all things are made new. This is the hope we have in Jesus. The confidence that, someday, our resurrected ruler will return to finish what He started. Until He does, we will choose to submit ourselves to God so that we can stand firmly in the truth of the Gospel and not drift away from the good news we’ve been given. Pray… God, thank you for sending Jesus to die in my place. I am eternally grateful for the gift of salvation. Help me never take it for granted. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus so that I can stand firmly in the truth you have revealed to us. In Jesus’ name, amen. Read…     For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through

 A PRAYER "Lord, help me to glorify thee; I am poor; help me to glorify thee by contentment; I am sick; help me to give thee honour by patience; I have talents; help me to extol thee by spending them for thee; I have time; Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve thee; I have a heart to feel; Lord, let that heart feel no love but thine, and glow with no flame but affection for thee; I have a head to think; Lord, help me to think of thee and for thee; thou hast put me in this world for something; Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much; but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine; take me, and enable me to glorify thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have."

 Be on your guard. Don’t be deceived. There are many false teachers today (2 Tim. 4:2–4). These influential men and women command large audiences and sell many books. Just because it is popular doesn’t mean it is biblically sound. Pray with Us We are easily deceived, Lord. Teach us to rely on Your Spirit’s leading. The better we know Your voice and Your ways, the better we can recognize those who truly serve You and resist deceivers.   1 John 4:1-6

 Pray for Character When we pray out of our relationship with God, we will learn to pray for character first. As research shows, 74% of Americans pray about their own problems. This happens because people focus on their circumstances in prayer. It is OK to pray about our circumstances. We can pray about a better relationship with our spouse. We can pray for wisdom to be a godly parent. We can pray about a financial difficulty we need to resolve.   However, it is even more important to pray for character. For example, the same research shows that 21% of Americans pray about winning the lottery. We pray for more money because we do not want to have any financial worries. A better prayer is to ask the Lord to make you into a person who trusts in His provision and, therefore, does not worry about finances. In the same way, instead of praying that your difficult coworker gets fired, as 5% of people unfortunately do, ask the Lord to make you a person who can work with difficult people. Ask H

  You want to start a revival then start one not set around and sing about it, start spreading the word, you can have all the love fest you want but unless you are speaking the word and get people get to see there sins then it's just a waste, it takes a lot more than kumbaya songs and feeling good about yourself, UNLESS you genuinely want to repent and give your life to God and BE obedient.  See there's that word "BE OBEDIENT" to God. I also don’t think most Americans have heard an authentic, biblical gospel presentation. In fact, I think we have a lot of “almost Christians” in our nation today. They know a little about the gospel, but they don’t understand it fully. They haven’t responded to it or embraced it. For example, when the apostle Paul presented the gospel to Herod Agrippa, the ruler said, Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” Acts 26:28 NLT One of the greatest revivals in human history started with one

  Radical Forgiveness Matthew 6:9-13     Matthew 5:23-24   This week we dove into the line of the Lord’s prayer where Jesus taught us to ask God to forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Those two parts were always meant to go hand-in-hand, because we can’t be right with God and wrong with His kids. This idea shows up repeatedly throughout Jesus’ teachings. Love for God and love for others can never be separated. He made this exact point earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, in the chapter before we get to His prayer we have been studying.   Let’s take a closer look together. Pray… Heavenly Father, may your name be kept holy. I want to honor you by loving and respecting your kids well. Jesus, help me love others the same way you have loved me. Holy Spirit, open my eyes and help me see the people around me how you see them today. I will obey your promptings. In Jesus’ name, amen. Read… “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that y

  The Power of the Holy Spirit Luke 24:44-53 The principle we will explore today is basic but so powerful that it determines whether we experience victory in our lives. You are probably familiar with the book The Little Engine That Could, in which a small engine keeps repeating the words "I think I can." By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That's a nice children's story, but the truth of the Christian life is very different. In the real world, our efforts and determination often fall short. Only by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit can the godly life be achieved.   Throughout the Old Testament, God's Spirit would temporarily come upon saints for a particular work. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Spirit to dwell permanently within each believer. Consider what this means: If you're a Christian, God is living inside of you, available to help all through life by providing guidance, comfort, and empowerm

  The Ultimate Peace Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you . . . —John 14:27 Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Where does peacemaking begin? How can we become peacemakers? Can peace be discovered within ourselves? Freud has told us that peace is but a mental attitude. Cast off our phobias, shed our neuroses, and “bingo!”—we’ll have the coveted peace we long for. I respect psychiatry for what it can do. Unquestionably, it has helped many. But it certainly is not satisfactory as a substitute for the peace which can come only from God. If psychiatry leaves God out, ultimately we shall see psychiatrists going to each other for treatment. There can be no peace until we find peace with God. The Bible says, “He is our peace.” Prayer for the day The balm of Your peace pours over my soul and I humbly praise You, almighty God B.G.

  Submission to God Matthew 6:9-13 Throughout this plan, we’ve been learning how to pray from Jesus. He has been our guide and His prayer has been our map. We began with adoration, communicating our deep love and respect for God. Then, we learned how to intercede, praying for God to show up in the lives of others. After that, we petitioned God to give us what we need. Last week, we discovered the power of confession, exposing the dark parts of our lives to His purifying light. As we close out this journey, we are going to learn the power of submission. Submission isn’t a very popular or fun word today, but it is vital for developing an intimate relationship with God. What is submission? Submission is choosing to accept the authority of someone else. When we begin a relationship with Jesus, we are choosing a life of submission. Because from that moment on, our life is not our own. We have become a new creation in Christ. We have chosen to commit our lives to God and the good news of Jes

Proverbs 13:20 says that he who walks with wise men will be wise. https://biblehub.com/parallel/proverbs/13-20.htm 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us that bad company corrupts good character, it ruins good morals. https://biblehub.com/parallel/1_corinthians/15-33.htm 1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. https://biblehub.com/parallel/1_peter/5-8.htm 2 Timothy 3:5  5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! https://biblehub.com/parallel/2_timothy/3-5.htm Romans 15:5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.  https://biblehub.com/parallel/romans/15-5.htm Matthew 24:5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. https://biblehub.com/parallel/matthew/24-5.htm

  How to have a personal spiritual revival? Tozer Get thoroughly dissatisfied with yourself. Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress. ... Set your face like a flint toward a sweeping transformation of your life. Timid experiments are tagged for failure before they start. ... Put yourself in the way of blessing. ... Do a thorough job of repenting. ... Make restitution wherever possible. ... Any Christian who desires to may at any time experience a radical spiritual renaissance, and this altogether independent of the attitude of his fellow Christians. The most important question is, How? Well, here are some suggestions which anyone can follow and which, I am convinced, will result in a wonderfully improved Christian life. 1. Get thoroughly dissatisfied with yourself. Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress. The contented soul is the stagnant soul. When speaking of earthly goods Paul could say, "I have learned to be content;" but when referring to his

 The word “revival” is from the Hebrew word chayah and means “to bring back to life,” to “restore to consciousness,” or to “restore to a previous condition. As stated in the Bible, it means a restoration, rejuvenation, or renewal of interest after spiritual neglect, oblivion, or obscurity. It is a heartfelt return to God and His commandments. Revival is the product of all Christians praying and seeking the Holy Spirit’s presence. The word revival means awakening. True revival starts in the heart of an individual then goes into the home then the church then the neighborhood then the world. True revival cannot be started by any man. True revival can only be started by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can provide you with the real thing. Should we pray for revival? Spiritual preparation - Unity and prayer are two key elements needed for revival. We must pay this price of spiritual preparation. ... Conviction of sin - In true revival, people are seized with an overwhelming conviction of si

 How Many Times? Matthew 6:9-13           Matthew 18:21-22 God forgives us repeatedly, radically, and undeservedly. And we have been called to extend that same forgiveness to others. It’s not easy. In fact, it can be really frustrating. One day, Peter asked Jesus a question we all have probably wondered at some point—How many times should I forgive someone? And Jesus responds with a math problem that cuts right to the heart of the issue. Let’s check it out. Pray… Heavenly Father, thank you for being so patient with me. Thank you for the finished work of Jesus and the fact that you never turn your back on us. You meet me with mercy every time. I need your mercy today. Help me be merciful like you are merciful. In Jesus’ name, amen. Read…     Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22 NIV Consider… Peter was g

 Let the Light Shine Through     In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16 NLT) A Sunday school teacher said to her class of young students, “Can any of you tell me what a saint is?” One of the girls in the class thought about some stained glass windows of the apostles that she saw. So she said, “Those are people that the light shines through.” That is true. We might be tempted to put people like Peter, James, John, Matthew, and Paul on pedestals. When we read about them in the Bible, they seem like superhuman individuals. But they were ordinary people like us. They made mistakes, and the Bible is honest about the mistakes they made. But they also were saints. And if you are a Christian, then you’re a saint too. Saint is simply another word for a follower of Jesus Christ. The greatness of the disciples wasn’t because of who they were. It was because God’s hand was on them. The apostle Paul wrote, “Rem

  Pray out of Relationship Every Christian wants to be a stronger prayer warrior. We want to pray more. We want to see answers to our prayers. Every one of us wants to be confident in what we pray for. However, we are often all over the place in our prayer. We pray for something; then, we get bored and start praying for something else. Sometimes, we do not know when our prayers will get answered. How do we pray with confidence and see God move as we pray? According to LifeWay Research, Americans believe in prayer:     83% of Americans think that their prayers are answered     65% of people say that they pray, at least, once a month     48% of Americans say they pray every day     35% say that they pray several times a day The more important question is what we pray about. The answer is that 74% of us pray about our own problems. Our prayers are very self-centered. How does God want us to pray? How can we pray confidently? The Bible promises us that we can pray with confidence knowing t

  The church needs to infiltrated everything. This is what we need today. We need Christians to go out and make a difference. We need Christians involved in the arts, making great films and creating graphic design. We need Christians in places of authority, because the Bible says that when the righteous rule, the people rejoice (see Proverbs 29:2). We need Christian doctors, lawyers, and businesspeople. We need believers to let their light shine in this culture today. Religious leaders in Thessalonica had this to say about Paul and Silas: “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6 NKJV). G. Campbell Morgan said, “Organized Christianity which fails to make a disturbance is dead.” Believers in the first century made a disturbance because they understood that God had called them to do their part. They took risks. They left their comfort zones. In the Book of Acts, we see their fearless preaching, their expectant prayer, and their willingness to

  7 honest questions for atheists 1. Would you say that you are (or, were) an atheist based primarily on intellectual study or based on experience? Or did you never believe in God at all? 2. Would you say that even as an atheist, you still have a sense of purpose and destiny in your life, a feeling that you were put here for a reason and that you have a mission to accomplish? 3. Would you say that you are 100% sure there is no such being as God? By "God" I mean an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing being? 4. Do you believe that science can provide answers for many of the remaining mysteries of the universe, including how the universe began (including where matter came from and where the Big Bang derived its energy); the origin of life; and DNA coding? 5. Have you had any experiences in life that caused you to question your atheism? Has something happened to you that seemed genuinely supernatural or otherworldly? 6. Are you completely materialistic in your mindset, meaning, hu