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Books > Christianity > Christian life & practice > Christian religious instruction
The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched
atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a
ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of
Christianity. An odd choice, don't you think? Strange that a tool
of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. Would you wear
a tiny electric chair around your neck? Suspend a gold-plated
hangman's noose on the wall? Would you print a picture of a firing
squad on a business card? Yet we do so with the cross. Why is the
cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther
than the cross itself. Its design couldn't be simpler. One beam
horizontal-the other vertical. One reaches out-like God's love. The
other reaches up-as does God's holiness. One represents the width
of His love; the other reflects the height of His holiness. The
cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave His
children without lowering His standards. How could He do this? In a
sentence: God put our sin on His Son and punished it there. "God
put on him the wrong who never did anything wrong, so we could be
put right with God" (2 Corinthians 5:21 MSG). Or as rendered
elsewhere: "Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner,
so that Christ could make us acceptable to God" (CEV). Envision the
moment. God on His throne. You on the earth. And between you and
God, suspended between you and heaven, is Christ on His cross. Your
sins have been placed on Jesus. God, who punishes sin, releases His
rightful wrath on your mistakes. Jesus receives the blow. Since
Christ is between you and God, you don't. The sin is punished, but
you are safe-safe in the shadow of the cross. This is what God did,
but why, why would He do it? Moral duty? Heavenly obligation?
Paternal requirement? No. God is required to do nothing. Besides,
consider what He did. Just for you He gave His Son. His only Son.
Would you do that? Would you offer the life of your child for
someone else? I wouldn't. There are those for whom I would give my
life. But ask me to make a list of those for whom I would kill my
daughter? The sheet will be blank. I don't need a pencil. The list
has no names. But God's list contains the name of every person who
ever lived. For this is the scope of His love. And this is the
reason for the cross. He loves the world. "For God so loved the
world that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16 NLT). As boldly as the
center beam proclaims God's holiness, the crossbeam declares His
love. And, oh, how wide His love reaches. Aren't you glad the verse
does not read: "For God so loved the rich..."? Or, "For God so
loved the famous..."? Or, "For God so loved the thin..."? It
doesn't. Nor does it state, "For God so loved the Europeans or
Africans..." "the sober or successful..." "the young or the old..."
No, when we read John 3:16, we simply (and happily) read, "For God
so loved the world." How wide is God's love? Wide enough for the
whole world. Are you included in the world? Then you are included
in God's love. God's love is just for you. It's nice to be
included. You aren't always. Universities exclude you if you aren't
smart enough. Businesses exclude you if you aren't qualified
enough, and, sadly, some churches exclude you if you aren't good
enough. But though they may exclude you, Christ includes you. When
asked to describe the width of His love, He stretched one hand to
the right and the other to the left and had them nailed in that
position so you would know He died loving you. But isn't there a
limit? Surely there has to be an end to this love. You'd think so,
wouldn't you? But David the adulterer never found it. Paul the
murderer never found it. Peter the liar never found it. When it
came to life, they hit bottom. But when it came to God's love, they
never did. They, like you, found their names on God's list of love.
Because God loves you, He has invited you to enjoy eternal life
with Him in Heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6
NIV). Jesus made a way to accept God's invitation, and He did it
just for you. Accept God's invitation by believing that Jesus
received the punishment for your sin by His death on the cross.
Confess that you've sinned and ask His forgiveness. Invite Him into
your life and ask for God's help to turn from your sin. You can
pray something like this: Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and
need Your forgiveness. Thank You for sending Jesus to suffer the
punishment deserved for my sin. Please come into my life and help
me live a life that pleases You. Amen. If you have just accepted
God's invitation to you, write your name below as a testimony of
your decision. Then write to us and we'll send you free literature
to help you grow in your new life with Christ. Excerpted from He
Chose the Nails: What God Did to Win Your Heart by Max Lucado.
(c)2000 Max Lucado. Used by permission of Word Publishing,
Nashville, TN.
Many people understand that, at the end of all things, Christ
returns, God will create a new heaven and a new earth where those
who have trusted in Christ will live with him for ever. But what
about those who have "passed on" well before this? Where are they
now? What does heaven look like? What will occupy us there? When
David Oliver faced the death of his son Joel, at the age of 38,
following a short and brutal fight with cancer, he set about
researching and writing this powerful short book on heaven and
committed to write whatever he discovered. Through a thorough
examination of the relevant Bible texts, David provides us with a
thrilling view of the future and a destiny well worth preparing
for, which will enrich our vision and faith.
Der vorliegende Band der Reihe New German-American Studies
eroertert anhand der Lebensgeschichte des geburtigen Westfalen
August Rauschenbusch und unter Anwendung gangiger Methoden der
deutsch-amerikanischen und transatlantischen Geschichtsschreibung
das Schicksal eines deutschen Amerikaauswanderers im 19.
Jahrhundert. August Rauschenbusch migrierte 1846 als
protestantischer Missionar nach Missouri und hatte spater eine
angesehene Stellung als Professor und Ausbilder von Predigern an
einem deutschsprachigen theologischen Seminar im Staat New York
inne. Der Verfasser ruckt durch seine Untersuchung der Biographie
eines deutschen Theologen und Einzelauswanderers in den USA heute
vergessene oder bisher weitgehend vernachlassigte Forschungsfelder
deutsch-amerikanischer Geschichte wieder ins Bewusstsein.
The Walking with God series was developed as the curriculum for
small groups at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington,
Illinois. Since its release in 1992, it has been used by churches
and small groups to help raise up devoted disciples of Christ.
Group members who work through the program will lay a solid
foundation for a lifelong walk with God. While small groups may be
formed for a variety of purposes, the goal of this curriculum is
for groups to produce disciples-fully devoted followers of
Christ-by studying God's Word in community. To this end, the goal
of the study is to produce disciples who walk with God, have a
personal relationship with Jesus, and live in step with the Holy
Spirit. It is also to produce believers who live the Word in all
areas of life and contribute to the work that God is doing in the
local church. Ultimately, the goal is to develop believers who
impact the world and are prepared and eager to spread the good news
of Christ to others. This material will help develop these
attributes in group members. Each lesson includes group Bible study
and discussion questions in addition to devotions, reflections, and
personal study for use by individuals between the group sessions.
A Modern Manual for Sharing a Relevant, Vibrant, Enduring
Faith
In the face of mounting obstacles, parents and educators find
themselves increasingly challenged by the task of leading people
toward lives of faith. Now Thomas Groome, a world-renowned
authority on religious education, has created a contemporary,
holistic approach to teaching Christian beliefs and values that
offers real, effective solutions for today's parents and teachers.
His guide to religious education--which aims to "bring life to
Faith and Faith to life"--is a hopeful road map for reenergizing
the faith community and family from the bottom up.
Der Nationalsozialismus gehoert zu den besterforschten Epochen der
Zeitgeschichte. In den Lehrplanen fur fast alle Schulformen sind
die Themen Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust curricular verankert.
Zugleich aber belegen Studien seit den 1950er Jahren, dass mancher
Schulunterricht zur Verharmlosung, UEberdruss oder Abwehr gegen
"das Thema" beitragt. Die Studie greift diese Problemlage auf. Aus
interdisziplinarer Perspektive kommt dabei die intergenerative
Tradierung von Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust in den Blick.
Schliesslich wird mit Methoden qualitativer Unterrichtsforschung
der Frage nach der "Gegenwart der Vergangenheit" nachgegangen. Hier
steht das Rezeptionsverhalten von Schulerinnen und Schulern zu den
Themen Judentum, Nationalsozialismus und Holocaust im Mittelpunkt.
Im Hinblick auf eine Religionspadagogik nach Auschwitz wird somit
auch eine Antwort moeglich auf die Frage: "How to teach the
Holocaust?"
God's wisdom about expressing emotions. Emotions are a gift from
God, who created each of us with a capacity to feel and to express
our feelings to others. For this reason, we need to know how to
express our emotions in healthy ways, learn how to cope with
negative emotions, direct our emotions toward good outcomes, and
give voice to our feelings in order to improve communication. In
Becoming Emotionally Whole, Dr. Charles Stanley reveals how
regardless of where we are on the spectrum of emotional growth-from
denial to full expression-we can take the necessary steps that God
wants us to take to have truth and lasting emotional health. The
Charles F. Stanley Bible Study Series is a unique approach to Bible
study, incorporating biblical truth, personal insights, emotional
responses, and a call to action. Each study draws on Dr. Stanley's
many years of teaching the guiding principles found in God's Word,
showing how we can apply them in practical ways to every situation
we face. This edition of the series has been completely revised and
updated, and includes two brand-new lessons from Dr. Stanley. Each
lesson includes: Overview: A brief look at what is covered in the
lesson Life's Questions: A teaching from Dr. Stanley that unpacks
the topic of the lesson Living the Principle: Application and Bible
study questions based on the key points Reflection: Key takeaways
to put into practice today and tomorrow
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