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Propeller
November 05, 2009
Likewise, there is a DNA pattern in the Kingdom of God. Spiritual life begins when the “seed” of God’s Word is received in the “soil” of a human heart. This leads to spiritual new birth, spiritual health and spiritual multiplication. This explains how followers of Jesus become like Jesus – they have his DNA.
The DNA of divine truth comes from heaven. It comes from the Spirit of God through the Word of God. The Bible is unlike all other books. It is inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16). That puts it in a category by itself. A.W. Tozer writes, “The knowledge of God is by the direct impression of the Spirit of God upon the spirit of man.” A “direct impression” begins when we read the Word of God. Just as God once spoke directly to Moses from within the burning bush (Exodus 3:4), God continues to speak directly to us from within the Bible. We should approach the Bible as a Voice from heaven, not a user’s manual. It’s not a book that was once written – it’s a Voice that is speaking here and now.
Are you leading or participating in a small group? In your Christian discipleship relationships, are you asking and expecting others to make a commitment to read the Bible for themselves? In Acts 17:11 we read “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” There is a time to “receive the message” and a time to “examine the Scriptures” for yourself.
Are you expecting the members of your small group to merely come each week and “receive the message” from a lesson that you have prepared for them? Or are you asking them to “examine the Scriptures” for themselves? What if I purchased a membership at a local gym and asked you to come and watch me work out? Would you get in shape by watching me do my workout? We must read the Scriptures for ourselves and stop depending on others to always prepare a lesson. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. The Bible is our curriculum. Open your heart to the Word and you will hear the voice of God speaking directly to you.
Other articles by Paul Schlieker
Making Christian Disciples Requires Practice -- How People Learn to be Like Jesus by Paul Schlieker (Paul Schlieker)
Disciple-making requires practice. People learn by doing. No one becomes like Jesus be merely thinking about him. In August 2008, Nebraska football player Philip Dillard was quoted in the Omaha World Herald on what Bo Pelini and the other defensive coaches at Nebraska were expecting. "They're not really trying to correct stuff from last year; they're just coaching their defense. They tell you what you're supposed to do and you're supposed to do it."
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Facing the Impossible -- With God's Power (Paul Schlieker)
Every few years a motivational seminar comes to Omaha. These events are designed to teach you how to succeed at the highest levels and turn setbacks into comebacks. My company encourages me to attend these seminars to improve my insurance practice.
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Pakistan is going through a serious moral turmoil, and Pakistani Christians are being targeted in this moral and spiritual turmoil. The continuous persecution of Christians in Pakistan is making them suffer from many psychological dis-eases. This moral turmoil is also making them suffer from spiritual distress. Their questions needs to be answered, if not answered they need to be listened, so that they are able to explore their emotional and spiritual pains.
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Matriarchal Society of Harrapa and Pakistan (Naeem Harry)
Between the years 3000 BC and 1500 BC, a unique civilization
flourished in the Indus Valley that covered an area larger than modern
Pakistan. This was an empire called the Harappan Empire whose people
were called Dravidians. The major cities were Harappa and Mohanjodaro
whose features were unique for those days because they included well-
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Housing varied from two-room structures to large two-storied houses
with courtyards.
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Reflection: - Empowering the Youth (Friar Bernard Y Bhatti OFM)
I firmly believe that the youth have a great role to play in any country, nation. It does not matter what they are, what language, color, or geographical background they come from. They have the power, energy, and potential to change and to transform their world for better or for worse.
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Divided we fall (Nasir Saeed)
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said recently that relations between the US and Pakistan had reached a turning point after the killing of Osama bin Laden and that Pakistan needed to take “decisive” steps in the days ahead to fight terrorism.
As always, Pakistan is confused and divided on this and many other issues which need our urgent attention as we seek to take solid steps to resolve them. These issues have become a chronic disease but unfortunately, almost without realising, we have become involved in a blame-game and the rest of the world is looking at us amid increasing trust deficit.
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Governor's murder deepens fears of Pakistani Christians (Michael Georgy)
To understand why Pakistani Christians feel so threatened by growing Muslim extremism in their country, speak to the uniformed police guard at the jail where a Christian woman is on death row, accused of blasphemy.
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