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Articles for the ‘Spirituality & Religion’ Category

When I was in seminary, I remember the professor one day handing out a resource for us entitled, “How to Build A Sermon in Only Ten Hours.” We had been taught that the average time it took to build sermons was 20-40 hours per sermon. Most people simply do not realize the time that pastors and Bible teachers put into building sermon outlines and Bible studies.

With all the other demands on spiritual leaders, a huge time crunch is created when it comes to preparing for the message of the week. Like or not, ready or not, Sunday morning comes around. And for a lot of pastors, so does Sunday night, Wednesday night, and the weekly radio program, the weekly Bible study, the monthly men’s group, the frequent funerals and the occasional revival meeting. Preaching is such a wonderful calling but that does not lessen the time constraints.

Fortunately, we are in the advent of new methods of communication. There are some wonderful resources available for preachers that offer quality materials that also save time. The computer is having a great impact on the landscape of sermon preparation. Think of these factors:

1. A pastor can Google any Bible verse, word, or question and instantly get tens of thousands of pages representing a volume of study that someone has undertaken.

2. The hours of preparation time that are taken over the course of a year in just flipping pages and looking for a resource are eliminated in a click. This is certainly a wise use of time. Why take ten minutes to scour through Strong’s Concordance looking for the meaning of a Greek word when you can do a one second click and find every reference to that word in Strong’s and other word-study resources?

3. An idea library awaits at the nearest PC for every Bible teacher. Many times just reading one idea another preacher shares can ignite pages of thought. This is iron sharpening iron. There are tens of thousands of free sermons to be read and studied online.

These factors are just three amidst many that could be listed. Now a word about abusing privilege. Some people are concerned that pastors will simply come to rely on the work of others without studying themselves, so they discourage the use of the computer in Bible study. To this concern let me say four other quick things:

1. Yes, some will. Eden was perfect but it was still abused.
2. Some still do without the computer by just using books, cd’s, etc. Any thing good can be misused,
3. The use of other’s material to guide us can be blessed by God as we receive it into our own hearts, experience its truth for ourselves, and then share it with others and let them know where we first heard it.
4. Taking an idea that blesses us and building upon it is a method of learning we all use in every area of our lives and we should.

So, just make sure you do your study, whatever the method, with integrity and true heart hunger, and I believe you will be in a safe place and be used by God in what you do.

This article written by Eddie Lawrence, who is a pastor and also the overseer of Sermon Seedbed, a free online Bible study site.

Just like people are different, so are sermons. Some sermons just connect more deeply and seem to produce more results. Yes, the condition of the soul of the person doing the preaching is a huge factor as is his or her natural ability to address a public audience. But with these important things aside, I desire to briefly address practically why some sermons seem to hit the mark better than others. All of we who have preached before understand that a particular sermon may just be more powerful in its results than another sermon although the same preacher delivered both. Why is this? Out of many things that could be said in answer to this, let me suggest only three.

1. A sermon that speaks is a practical sermon.
To be practiced a sermon needs to be practical. In tending to people spiritually we must not forget that they live out their spiritual lives in this world below. Sermons that impact people will address how they are to live out their spiritual beliefs in real life. Make sure the sermon answers the question, “How does this help me live a better life?” Give them the information necessary to know how to practice the truth you are presenting in their daily lives. If what you preached can’t be used in daily life, one could question the usefulness of what is being preached. Of course, biblical truth is good and necessary, so work hard to show people how to put it to use. Bible sermons that are relevant are so needed.

2. A sermon that speaks is an understandable sermon.
With a sea of commentaries and theological study surrounding our study time, we preachers can easily get lost at sea and deliver sermons that never reach shore where the villagers live. Theological concepts and terminology can be verbally impressive but leave people wondering how to gain such lofty heights with their feet planted in this Earth. Keep your language and concepts as simple and understandable as possible. If children in the audience are soaking it in, then you are doing well. If people scratch their heads and talk about how smart you are as you speak over their heads, you should repent forthright and ask God to forgive you for making the way of salvation so complicated people cannot figure out how to get in.

3. A sermon that speaks is a life-giving sermon.
This is vitally important. Jesus came to give people life and when we share his word we should be giving life. He said when he spoke, he spoke life, so should we. To many people have had the sad experience of walking deadfully to a church in hope of help, only to be battered with anger and condemnation. Leave the judgment and condemnation to someone else. Decide you are going to preach the truth but in love. Be a life giving preacher who freely gives hope to all who come. This is the heart of Jesus. This is the heart of a sermon that will be heard and hungered for.

Add to this list other aspects if you wish, but realize that if you want people to practice what you preach, it needs to be practical. If you want them to apply then they must first understand it. If you want them to desire it, then offer them life through it.

This article written by Eddie Lawrence, D.Min. who is a pastor and also oversees Sermon Seedbed a free resource site for pastors and Bible teachers with tons of sermons and sermon outlines.

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.

Every future has its roots. This is why people say that what is happening right now has already been seen from past foresights and predictions. As the ancient wisdom has taught us about superstitions and beliefs, predictions and foresights are also from them. However, we all should understand that whatever prediction some people have to say may or may not come true. Therefore, it is not right to rely on these beliefs. Let us live each day the normal way without too much worries and anxieties because of what the prediction said.

There have been predictions as to the end of day and life. It was predicted to happen in the year 2012. So what made them choose this year? As with the Mayans, an ancient civilization, basing on the complete eclipse of the sun, lots of dates and different data, it boils down to the date December 21, 2012. It may require lots of understanding of their culture to understand why this date was chosen. Other ancient civilizations say that the date of end is actually November 13, 2012.

A lot of prediction has come up from different groups, religions and citizens. Some depended on what the Holy Bible says that there will be pain, suffering, war and famine to happen in the near future. They say that all signs are slowly showing up. Another prediction is that global wars will arise and will soon bring suffering to many people. Well, these are all alarming and frightening, but the best hope there is, is to pray to the one who created us all.

The moment Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert died in 1861, she set a new trend. Her lengthy mourning paved the way for oppressive rituals that funeral directors were to carry on until she died forty years later. The whole court was required to dress in mourning clothes and the Queen herself remained in full mourning attire consistently until three years later. Grieving was no longer enough. Inner feelings were to be on full display through the full-on grieving that had now become fashionable.

Following their Queen’s example, those who could afford to do so indulged in expensive funerals, built complex monuments at the grave and adhered to the new etiquette of grieving. Along with specific clothing came an entire set of rules restricting the way people could act. Popular household manuals gave comprehensive instructions about the correct etiquette to adopt for each period of mourning. Queen Victoria’s poorer subjects had to make do with mixing their clothing in a large vat of black dye.

Compared to the adults, children were exempt from the traditions and were usually not required to wear mourning clothes, although sometimes girls wore white dresses. Many of their mothers, on the other hand, were nearly always in black, thanks to the many deaths that Victorian families suffered. The mourning time for males was shorter. Unrestricted by the curtailed social requirements, it was allowable for them to return to work and continue their daily lives. They simply wore black suits, or even just dark suits accompanied by black gloves, cravats and hatbands.

For females, however, mourning was a serious business. Although they could still attend church services, during full mourning they were not to be viewed in places linked with entertainment or amusement. The lengthiest period of mourning, which usually lasted at least two years, was after the death of a spouse. The required periods then dropped down a level, considering what the relationship with the deceased was. For first cousins, for instance, the period of grieving was only for a month.

Full mourning lasted for at least one year and a day. During this period women were required to dress in all black or in dull dresses with no sheen, trimmed with crepe. Bombazine was an often used material, being cheaper compared to non-reflective silk. Petticoats were made with black ribbon attached to their hems, to protect them if glimpsed. Then there were lace handkerchiefs with black borders, specially designed caps, bonnets and veils, even large “weeper” cuffs on dresses designed for mourners to wipe their nose during times of particular grief.

Second mourning went for nine months. Although women’s clothes would still need to be drab – generally grey – the crepe could be removed and the mourning veil was allowed to be lifted. A little jewellery was allowed, but the limit of this was hard black jet. It was popular for locks of the deceased’s hair to be built into brooches, lockets or watch fobs.

At the time of the half mourning stage, which went from three to six months, there was a gradual introduction of colour, with clothes moving on to brighter greys, mauve and a small amount of white. Jewellery wasn’t any longer restricted to jet and any kind was allowed to be worn.

Whichever level of mourning they were in, individuals had in order to buy the particular necessary clothes, or the materials to create them with, together with all other trimmings, the jewellery and headwear etc. Not surprisingly, a whole industry was created to cater for this fashionable new trend. Jay’s of Regent Street started up in 1841 as a type of one-stop shop, providing everything the mourning family could possibly need. Death was a big seller, as keeping mourning attire and crepe in the house after the mourning had stopped was considered to be bad luck.

When Queen Victoria passed away in 1901, the grieving fashion she had introduced began to disappear and the funeral director’s rituals surrounding grief changed drastically once more.

Most of us have heard of the research that says public speaking is the number one fear among Americans. Now imagine standing before a group of people in a public setting and speaking to them for the first time. Also imagine that they were waiting to hear you teach them about God, the Bible, and to tell them how to live their lives. Now you have a glimpse into the world of preaching.

I remember when I was first started sensing a call to preach in my life. I knew that it would involve preaching from the Bible to people, but I did not have a clue about how to preach. I scurried to the nearest Christian bookstore to see if they had a manual on how to preach. Fortunately there were a few books written by pastors to teach what they had learned to others who felt called to preach the Gospel. Not long thereafter, I discovered there was a whole field of study about the different aspects of preaching. It is called homiletics. I would read any books I could find about homiletics. I was a preacher studying how to preach.

Later I became a seminary student. My wife, children, and I packed our bags, sold our house, and moved to the big city so that I could pursue my Masters of Divinity degree. By that time, I had five years of preaching under my belt, but still so much to learn. Fortunately, the professors of the seminary knew that every wet behind the ears preacher boy needed training in the mechanics of preaching. One of our required classes was an entire year long study of homiletics. It was fun studying different preachers and learning how they put sermons together and how they delivered them to public audiences.

During that year of classes, we students were also required to preach a sermon in front of our peers to be critiqued by them. I know the great day of judgment will be a fearful day, but let me tell you; it was a fearful thing to stand in front of a room full of preachers and to preach to them with their critique sheets on their desks and pencils in their hands. We all survived and really learned a lot.

I know in a short article such as this, I cannot presume to teach anyone how to preach. But here are some thoughts to think about that may help get you started and help you gather some great information on the subject.

1. Since you are online reading this article, use your computer to also search for good preaching advice. Most pastors have a few personal tips that are meaningful and helpful to them. Glean this wisdom from pastors’ blogs and good preaching sites.

2. Surf through some sermon sites and look for eye catching titles. Just a sermon title can sometimes ignite your creativity and a whole message will follow. And often, that message may go in an entirely different direction than the one posted on the website where you found the title.

3. Study the sermon outlines of other preachers. This too will teach you how to look at a passage and see how it was broken apart for preaching purposes. This is a good way to learn.

4. Most sites have a newsletter that they send out. If you get just one idea per month from a newsletter, it is well worth the time it takes to scan over it. Learning from others is the way we all learn in all the different areas of our lives.

5. Nothing is to replace prayer, reliance on the Holy Spirit and a focus on Jesus. Keep these first things first, but also have an humble heart that allows you to recieve and learn from others.

God bless you and as you grow in your knowledge of “how to preach” then preach the Word!

This article is by Eddie Lawrence who is a pastor and overseer of Sermon Seedbed a website full of free sermons.

Think of any memorial service and you see flowers. It really is barely astonishing that both funeral directors and florists declare that funeral wreaths and sprays come 3 rd in their leading 5 selling goods. Flowers have already been utilized at funerals for years and years. In ancient times, not simply were they decorative, they were practical, given that their perfume assisted to cover up unpleasant odours.

These days, flowers are seen as a classic expression of grieving and, as with the rest of the funeral, they feature a great amount of social grace. Floral sprays â?? and also what are frequently known as as sympathy plants â?? usually are sent direct to the memorial service residence when the death is announced. On the day of the funeral, these are put in the hearse, arranged on and across the coffin, accompanying the loved one on their ultimate journey.

Typically, the most popular funeral flowers consist of lilies, carnations, chrysanthemums, gladioli and also roses. Muted colors tones will always be common, in particular for a feminine touch, whilst red-colored suggests unequaled love and white signifies tranquility. The particular season may also impact on accessibility to certain flowers.

Nevertheless, florists are the experts and will often provide advice. They can create unique tributes, which range from easy ‘cottage garden’ baskets and arrangements to sophisticated, contemporary arrangements. Wreaths are a common option, since they are made by means of a circle, that is the symbol of eternal existence. Flower sprays tend to be equally well-liked. These lie flat, exhibiting the blossoms much more openly for viewing from just one single side.

The important thing to selecting proper flowers should be to pick an offering you think family members is likely to appreciate. Some families request that donations be made to a particular good cause instead of flowers. This is a more pragmatic approach, as floral tributes are usually discarded by funeral directors following two or three days and in the case of cremations they are usually disposed instantly following the service.

However, few funerals are totally without flowers. Unlike the commonly sombre tone and dress of the mourners, they bring in a warm component of beauty and colour. Flower tributes display regard to the deceased, whilst offering great comfort to the family members, as they visibly convey emotions that many find hard to put into words.

Even though traditional, floral tributes don’t need to always be limited by the time of funeral or cremation. A lot of funeral directors will tell you that bereaved families value receiving blossoms within the weeks and even a few months following the memorial service. They provide a comforting reminder that people have not forgotten their loved one, especially if combined with a little individual note.

Were you ever been in a situation where you are awakened by a call in the middle of the night?  Thinking it was an emergency, you frantically take the call, anxious who would be calling at such a time.  What would you do if you found out the call was a prank?  What would you do when the caller keeps bothering you every night?  You would not be angry. Instead, you would want to know who your mysterious caller is… and why on earth he or she would be doing that?

Well, at one point we have had experience with prank callers.  For some people, though, prank calls become regular and could become harassment.  Questions like “is someone stalking on me?  Worried about your privacy, you are in dire need of answers.  Just exactly WHO is this caller?

One of the first things that might come to your mind is to hire a private investigator.  A PI can be helpful, yes, but you should also be considering of the money you are going to shed out once you have hired one.  Your case, for sure, will be a lot of work for him doing the research as to who owns that number.  Another thing you could also try is to do a reverse phone lookup at one of the many free sites available, but most prank callers don’t use public landline numbers – which, sadly, are the ones these free sites can provide you with.

Your best option is to go through online reverse phone lookup. With just a single fee, you will have an unlimited access to millions of records, including information on cell phone, unlisted, and landline numbers. 

This may sound unbelievable, but you will also be provided with advanced tools like free search assistance, access to expanded people search database records, even family member information!  Once you have entered the area code and the seven digit number, you will get the information you need in seconds – the number owner’s name and address , his or her background, all helpful in putting an end to your sleepless nights with those annoying prank calls!