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REVIVAL

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  By Matthew Murdock REVIVAL The story of the Bible is one in which we were created in God's image and likeness, only to mightily fall, but then because God loves us so much, he rescued us. Per John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." The Trinity calls out to us each for revival, beginning in each of our hearts. Per 2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Per John 15:5: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." And per Luke 5:31: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Revival begins wi

Post 2 - UNITY

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  By Matthew Murdock UNITY  The freshly minted New Testament Church spoken of in the Book of Acts was so effective and powerful springing forth after the resurrection of Jesus, and Pentecost, because of the inauguration of the fullness in the Holy Spirit but also because the church was unified. As Scripture says in Acts 4:32-34: "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them."  This kind of unity is often lacking today in our rugged, go-it-alone, me-first, celebrity culture that we live in.  Ephesians 4:3-6 also describes a picture of unity, which God seeks: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were ca

HEALING - Post 1

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  By Matthew Murdock HEALING   Healing is a topic of top priority for us in the times in which we are living. In this age of me-ism and radical independence, the truth of God's word cries out to us. Jesus, after call Matthew into discipleship and to come follow Him, drank and eat at Matthew's house.  The pharisees objected: "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" (Life Application Bible, NIV, Luke 5:30) And then in Luke 5:31: "Jesus answered them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."  Jesus calls us all to realize our dependence upon Him, and to be in humility before Him. We are depended on the great physician for everything, as the parable of the vine and the branches teaches us. We are called to do our part by submitting to Jesus out of a deep realization of who He is: the savior of the world. He is "the way, the truth, the life." One of