Several topics I would like to view tonight:
1A How does the preaching and teaching of the Word help you in your daily life? What is your life scriptural verse that you live by, and how?
2A Do you believe the Gospel that we preached a generation ago has the same affect on lost people today?
3A There is one gospel. Yes, the Roman Road was effective in my youth, but is that same form affective today as it was?
4A Why are we not seeing the unsaved coming to church as we used to?
5A Another topic: Does it seem in the culture that we live in today, seems fewer and fewer people being raised with a Judeo/Christian ethic. Increasing numbers are growing up without understanding of sin as being a violation of God's moral law, which will result in our approach to sin and forgiveness of sin.
6A Many Christians are finding resources for living other than the preaching and teaching of the Word of God in the Church.
- Is it God’s Word, Preaching/Teaching, Dr. Phil, Oprah, or my own personal self-wisdom? You might say I don't listen to talk TV or radio, I do my on self wisdom thing? That is what I mean.
In light of viewing Oprah yesterday, she interviewed a spiritualist teacher. She, along with a number of other spiritualist teachers, has offered their opinion and subjective feelings and impressions about how to achieve spirituality with the inner self. I want to address this issue of the godly spiritually.
While you might say, I don’t listen to Oprah, or you don’t buy into her spirituality talk, many buy into a host of other spiritualist teaching from our culture. Secular spiritualists have been around since Solomon. Those who try to connect the body life with the spirit being of a person have driven the culture for ever. “The activating or essential principle influencing a person,” known as a spirit, one of many definitions of the term as noted below.
- Footnote: You will find a somewhat good definition of the term spiritualist here http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirit which is another whole subject I would like to address later.
All spiritualist teaching even in the secular culture are striving to help people have a productive life, the question being, productive for whom? We all desire an industrious life, that gives meaning to our living on planet earth.
In the midst of our normal life, we constantly live surrounded by a number of factors that alter our thinking, behavior and affect our acts, and affect our temper or disposition of mind or outlook. Thus
There are a number of cultural, secular spiritualists, who offer advice as to how to gain spiritual health. I personally like this one:
- Rejuvenation of body, mind and soul along with spiritual expansion and exploration is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself! And, what better place to experience this than the beautiful paradise island of Kauai whose panoramic lush views and heart energy embrace you lovingly.· http://www.customizedspiritualjourneys.com/
The number of “Christians” who encounter major distractions in their life, death of a family member, financial difficultly, marriage-related stress, family members’ worries, fears of actual threats and danger, sickness in the family, the workplace environment. Then there is the related emotional state of anxiety which typically occurs without any external threat, those who just can’t handle living their life due to personal mental stress. Some have certain kinds of phobia (from Greek: "fear"), which is an irrational, intense, persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, or people which drive their emotion. And in many cases, leads the “Christian” to be distracted, unfocused, troubled, agitated and ready for the death bed of living life productive for Christ.
Part three later today. hopefully\\\
