Light of The World

"I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." —Luke 15:7 I don't know of a greater joy on this earth, next to being a Christian, than leading someone to Christ. It is unbelievably great. Jesus said there is joy in heaven over one sinner who comes to repentance (see Luke 15:7). Think about that: one sinner. Heaven breaks out over one person. It means there is a lot of applause in heaven every time a person believes. This is God's heart, and it should be our heart as well. If I am a true disciple, then I am to go and make disciples of others—effectively to reproduce myself. That brings us to what Jesus said: Go into all the world and preach the gospel (see Matthew 28:19–20). So how are you doing in this regard? Are you going into all of your world and preaching the gospel? Are you making disciples? New believ...

"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14 NKJV). In a broad sense, we should pray about everything. But there are certain things that we don't need to pray about. For example, if someone were to say, "Greg, I'm praying about robbing a bank. Would you pray with me?" I will pray for that person, but I won't pray that God will bless their efforts. Why? Because the Bible says, "You shall not steal." We don't need to pray about that. Yet, there are certain things God tells us we can pray for. He tells us we can pray for wisdom. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5 NKJV ). We can pray for His provision. Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus ( NKJV...

And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." —Acts 9:17 After Saul's conversion, there was great doubt among the first-century believers as to whether he had really become a Christian. They thought it was some kind of a trick to infiltrate their ranks. It is hard for us to understand how notorious Saul of Tarsus was. He was the Christian killer. He hunted down followers of Jesus, tortured them, and even put some to death. It would be like hearing that one of the most renowned atheists of our day had put his or her faith in Christ. It wouldn't make sense. Is it possible? Sure it is. With God, all things are possible. So when Christians heard that Saul was a believer, many of them were essentially saying, "We ar...

Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. —1 John 3:2 There is some confusion among Christians as to what our bodies will be like in heaven. Two-thirds of Americans who believe in the resurrection of the dead also believe they will not have bodies after the resurrection. But that is not the case. We will have real bodies. The resurrection of Jesus assures me that I will receive a new body just like His. The apostle John wrote, "Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is" (1 John 3:2). So when Jesus rose again from the dead, was He in a real body? Yes, it was a real body. Remember, He appeared to Thomas and essentially said...

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast , immovable , always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. ( 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 ) The resurrection of Jesus Christ brings spiritual victory over sin and death to all who believe in Him. "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." As we allow the Lord to be our guide through each day, He " leads us in triumph in Christ" ( 2 Corinthians 2:14 ). When this process is unfolding, an effective Christian life is developing, by the grace of God at work in us. 1.        "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast ." It is the will of God that our lives be marked by steadfastness (constancy and stability). Illust : Mat 7:24/25 therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man w...

"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them." —Revelation 20:11 If you are a Christian, the idea of a final judgment shouldn't frighten you. Here is the good news: Though it is true there will be a final judgment, it is also true that you won't be there. Christians will be judged, but it will be more like an awards ceremony that will take place in heaven as rewards are meted out for faithful service to the Lord. It will not be a judgment as to whether or not you go to heaven. You see, when believers die, they don't go before God to determine whether they will get into heaven. Let's see if your name is in the book. . . . Okay. You are in. Come in. That is not how it works. When believers die, they go straight to heaven. They are in. It is done. It is sealed. On the other hand, the people who stand befor...

and Jesus said to him''Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'' -Luke 23:43 Talk about being in the right place at the right time. The thief on the cross got in under the wire, so to speak. Initially, both criminals being crucified on either side of Jesus had joined in the mockery of Him. But one came to his senses and said to the other: ''Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong'' (Luke 23:40-41). Then he said to Jesus, ''Lord remember me when You come into your Kingdom'' (Verse 42). And Jesus replied,''Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise'' (Verse 43). Isn't it amazing how you can tell someone something, and they don't get it.... Don't get it... Don't get it. Then one day, they get it. Sometimes we have t...

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. —Romans 8:34 What a comfort it is to know that Christ intercedes for us in heaven. Why is that important? Because the devil will come and whisper in our ear, "Why don't you go ahead and sin? No one will ever know. I won't tell if you won't." So we take the bait and do the wrong thing. Then the devil comes right back to us and says, "You miserable hypocrite! Do you think you are worthy to approach God? Do you think God will hear your prayers?" He comes with the temptation, and when we take the bait, he comes with the accusations. Think of it as a courtroom with Jesus as our defense attorney and the devil as the prosecutor. The Bible says the devil accuses us before God, day and night (see Revelation 12:10). He basically says to God, "You know, this person is a hypoc...

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. —2 Corinthians 1:4 The apostle Paul knew a lot about suffering. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 1:8–9, "We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead." What a candid admission from the apostle: We didn't think we would live through this. We thought we were going to die. So here is what we did. We stopped relying on ourselves and instead started relying on God. Paul also said that we should take the comfort that we have received from the Lord and share it with others: "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them...