Biblepraise Fellowship Online

For centuries, various Philosophers have studied and postulated theories about human behaviour. Thomas Hobbes, a 17th century Philosopher said, “People only do the right thing because they fear being punished if they get caught”.Recent studies have attempted to debunk this research by trying to prove that people tend to be less selfish when they cooperate but it was also established that people tend to cooperate if they know that they would benefit in some way fom such cooperation.This brings us to the question, “Did Jesus have to die?” I pondered over this question for a while and realised that it could not be answered unless we shift our focus to the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?”In the John 15:13 Jesus said, ‘Greater love...

Once again, we are in that period called the Lenten season. It is globally recognised by Christians all over the world as a time of fasting and prayer and self examination. Observance of this period differs depending on church denomination. While the mainstream orthodox churches (Catholic, Anglican, Methodists) observe it strictly, others such as Evangelical and Pentecostal churches pay very little attention or encourage their members to fast during the period.The purpose of this writing is not about the whether to observe lent or not, rather it is about paying consistent and continuous attention to the tenets of the Christian faith, whether during or after the lenten season.I grew up in the Methodist church and as a child, I observed the difference i...

As one of the worship leaders in my Church, when I choose the songs I would lead in a meeting, I have often found that out of the songs, there often would be one particular song that would keep intruding in my thoughts.

One song in particular that I love singing is, “One Thing Remains” written by Christa Black-Gifford, Brian Johnson & Jeremy Riddle.

The first verse goes as follows;
Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant in the trial and the change
One thing remains
One thing remains



People have various reasons for not believing in God or accepting Jesus into their lives. One of tho...

Central to the Christian faith is the cross.  The shape of the cross has become a figure of design for some people and for others, it is just a piece of jewelry. For some others, it is like a talisman that they wear about to protect them from danger.
The cross can be seen almost everywhere but many do not know what it signifies. 
A little background on the cross;  The Cross was used by the Romans as a horrible and shameful instrument of death. It was reserved only for those at the lower levels of society like slaves and servants. So disgraceful was death by the cross that the Romans themselves would declare, “Perish the thought that any Roman die on a cross”. 

 “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing'” (Luke 23:34). What must people around his cross have thought?
Hatred seems to come so easily to human beings. In a tit-for-tat world, forgiveness seems to make no sense. Why should I turn the other cheek after an insult, if I can match his – and go him one better? Why should you overlook her slight, if you can tell someone about it – and damage her reputation? 
Why should we not burn down your store and house, if you harm someone of my race or faith group – even destroy our entire community? I’m sure you get the point.

Why is forgiveness such a powerful thing? In my experience, I have seen people struggle when it comes to forgiving others who have hurt them. How many times have I heard people say, “If you know what he did to me, you won’t ask me to forgive him” or “I can’t ever forgive her for what she did to me, not now, not ever!”

 

Forgiveness is a core tenet of the Christian faith. You can’t ignore it and you can’t avoid it. Sooner or later, someone is going to hurt you, someone will step on your toes and it will really hurt. For other people, forgiveness might be a matter of choice but for the Christian, it is not a choice really, it is what is expected of us.

 

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But of you do not forg...

I'm always amazed to read the scathing blast of a Christian self-righteous sermon in print.  A couple of Bible passages are always given as a reference to illustrate the point of the sermon.  Then the inevitable guilt club is picked up and swung, right at a sinful heart, in perfect judgment.

"How dare you ask God's forgiveness, when you are not forgiving!

 

How dare you ask for mercy when you are not merciful!"  The questions and accusations are hurled like darts at a pulsing target, and when they hit the heart, many things can happen.  These accusations can make a person, weighed heavy by sin, feel hopeless, as they suppose that "not even God will forgive my sin."  I've seen this happen, and I...

I remember Nancy Flurrie.

It was 1953 and we were both in second grade.  I was the "smart" oneand she was the "dumb" one, or so I thought.

I made life a living hell for that poor girl, and she just took it! Gentle and shy, Nancy was about eleven years old, and it had taken her years to reach second grade.  She had difficulty reading and writing.  All the kids made fun of her, especially me.

Nancy would just stand there, avoiding my eyes, and the tears would roll down her cheeks.  Cruel and clever, I was able to manipulate the crowd, so that the taunts of the audience would increase Nancy's misery and shame.  We called her stupid, ugly, smelly, dirty -- Nancy never fought back, which was a riot to her tormentors.

Then, one day, something changed.

I went to...