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What if we set our hearts on getting back to the basics of Christianity and not letting anyone soften the gospel message?

Google defines basics, “the essential facts or principles of a subject.” Synonyms include: fundamentals, foundations, and groundwork.

So, what are the fundamentals of Christianity?

According to the Bible, the gospel message is the foundation with these main essentials:

Jesus, the Savior who loves and takes away the sins of the world.

Salvation, eternal life provided through the bloodshed of Jesus.

Eternity, spiritual life after this physical life in either heaven or hell.

Jesus never preached a feel-good message about eternity. Christ taught God’s truth in relation to eternal life and death. And when we know the truth, we also know that no one would want to go to Hell—a place void of God’s lovely, powerful, and holy presence. 

God’s people, let’s stop letting culture sugarcoat Christianity. And let’s get back to the basics of our faith.

Everyone’s born broken and a sinner. 

We need a Savior. 

JESUS saves. 

Accepting Christ as Lord gives us eternal life and abundant life NOW.

God’s people, let’s stop letting culture sugarcoat Christianity. And let’s get back to the basics of our faith. We need a Savior. JESUS saves. Accepting Christ as Lord gives us eternal life and abundant life NOW. @FridayKaren
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Back to the Basics Scripture

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (ESV)

Romans describes every person’s condition and need for saving. Some call these next five verses the Romans Road. They are great to commit to memory for when you are discussing salvation with someone.

 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (ESV)

 “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (ESV)

 “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV)

 “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 (ESV)

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 (ESV) @FridayKaren
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More Scripture on the Basics

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (ESV)

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (ESV)

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (ESV)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

Salvation Prayer: 

God, I’m a sinner in need of a Savior. Please forgive me for my sins. I believe Jesus Christ died to give me eternal life. Thank You for Your mercy and grace, and for the gift salvation. I accept Jesus as Lord and invite Him to live and reign in my heart and life. In the name of Jesus, Amen. 

Have you made this decision, prayed a similar prayer? If not, contact Patricia at Soaring With Him Ministries to find out more.

Let’s go back to the basics.

Heaven is real. And Hell is real.

But there’s a real Savior who holds the power of eternity in His hand. Jesus. This is Christianity.

Featured image used from filming for Karen’s YouTube Channel, Friday’s Forever.

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Join @FridayKaren as we go back to the basics of #Christianity to remember: Heaven is real and Hell is real, but there's a real Savior who holds the power of eternity in His hand. Jesus. Share your blog! #blog #eternity
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I have attended numerous Red-Carpet premieres of faith-based movies for the past decade. This week’s “Teal Carpet” event at the Fox Theatre for the release of season 3 of the TV series “The Chosen” was perhaps the most crowded one I’ve ever covered.

It’s no wonder. The historical drama series, directed and co-written by filmmaker Dallas Jenkins, has become an international blockbuster, its episodes gathering over 400 million views worldwide. It has been translated into over 60 languages and was the No. 4 searched show across Roku in 2021.

The series by Angel Studios, a streaming media company that uses equity and traditional crowdfunding to finance its projects, quickly became the most successful fan-funded entertainment product in history.

The incredible success of the series, released in 2019, has taken many by surprise. But as “The Chosen” continues to break records and make headlines with the launch of season 3 in theaters this weekend, one can easily understand its outstanding accomplishments.

Yes, there have been many movies portraying the life of Jesus through the years. But the first multi-season series featuring the life and ministry of the Messiah focuses more intently on the people who encountered him and his impact on their lives. It features the humanity of Jesus and his followers in a way that uniquely relates to 21st-century believers.

#TheChosen features the humanity of Jesus and his followers in a way that uniquely relates to 21st-century believers. @thechosentv @AngelStudiosInc @ajc @JonathanRoumie
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As season 3 launches, Jenkins promises remarkable, more profound experiences: “The theme of season 3 is ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.’ The honeymoon phase is over, and now the characters all have to deal with the costs and occasional confusions of following the Messiah.”

Supervised by biblical scholars from three different sectors of the Christian faith, the writers took measured creative liberties, expanding the biblical account to convey the Savior’s impact on first-century Jews and Gentiles. Unsurprisingly, the writing has brought about some harsh criticism and accusations since the writers naturally expanded the script to include certain scenes and words not found in the biblical account. In response to the critics, Jenkins held a 45-minute social media Livestream in May 2021, where he emotionally addressed the issues:

“The Chosen” is “not a verse-by-verse reenactment of the biblical narrative,” he said, but instead a “historical, character drama that is inspired by the Bible.” He continued: “We take Bible stories, we work our way backward to add the context, to add backstory: Some of it is historical, some of it is cultural, some of it is artistic imagination. All of it is intended to support the character and intentions of the Gospels.”

I find myself growing increasingly distressed by Christian leaders and churchgoers who continually look for ways to discredit God’s (sometimes) unorthodox methods to proclaim his kingdom. I have watched the first two seasons and the premiere of season 3, and I am yet to agree with those who say that this project promotes heresy or blasphemy.

I find myself growing increasingly distressed by Christian leaders and churchgoers who continually look for ways to discredit God’s (sometimes) unorthodox methods to proclaim his kingdom. @thechosentv @AngelStudiosInc @ajc…
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There is no question that there will be flaws. And yes, there may be people involved in this project who are not of the traditional Christian faith. But that does not mean that “The Chosen” is not being used to proclaim the gospel truth to people who would otherwise never open a Bible or step foot into a church. Not to mention, it is bringing fresh light to the humanity of Christ in ways that believers may often forget.

As for me, I vehemently echo the words of the apostle Paul in the first chapter of his letter to the Philippian church when news of a sector of carnal “preachers” reached his prison cell:

“But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this, I rejoice.”

Find a movie theater near you to watch the season 3 premiere this weekend by visiting: www.angel.com/the-chosen-3

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, November 19, 2022. Click HERE to find it on the AJC’s website.

The post ‘The Chosen’ Season 3 – My Commentary {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

FREE COPY OF POST: Overcoming Perfectionism 08.19.14

Key Verse:

“So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time?  Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes. Ecclesiastes 7:16-18

PERFECTIONISM

A monster disguised in pretty clothes. Its victims look put together at all times. Their homes are spotless. Their grades, commendable. Their hair is in place any time they hit the door.

If you are a woman, I guarantee you’ve been jealous of a perfectionist before.

But as it is in many things in life, when it comes to the Joneses, there is so much more than what meets the eye.

I know it well. A recovering perfectionist, for many years I struggled with thoughts of inadequacy and failure. I strived for straight As and dreamed of straight hair. Perfectionists were usually raised by a perfectionist parent and therefore their tendency to strive to be the crème de la crème in everything they do is usually a cry for love and acceptance.  Unfortunately, unless they recognize the issue, they carry on the legacy to the next generation, unintentionally pushing their poor children into the same trap.

We live at the age of airbrushed, anorexic beauty. My anti-age cream is advertised by a gorgeous 20 year-old model, who won’t see a wrinkle on her face for another, well, 20 years.  50 year old millionaire actresses sell us the lie that we can fight the losing battle of sagging, wrinkling and hormonal changes at the blink of an eye.

Without a doubt, physical perfectionism plagues our society, infiltrating our families and distracting even many of our beautiful young girls, who are hiding in the restrooms, drowning in the hopelessness of anorexia and bulimia.

Then there’s performance perfectionism. Many of us believe that we must be perfect in all we do. Our homes must be perfectly clean. Home decor must change with the seasons.

We may find ourselves comparing our marriage to some of our friends’, who may seem to have more “sparks” flying around, or whose husband seems to be more romantic than ours. Before we know it, we are nagging John to death, trying to change the man we fell in love with into someone he’ll never be.

And let’s not forget our children’s school performance and sports galore! The pressure to be on accelerated programs and Honor Rolls steal many children’s hide-and-seek moments today. Our baseball, softball and football fields and filled with young boys and girls who are missing their summers for another championship. Missing church for another trophy. We push them. They push themselves. And we all miss the mark.

We fight to perfect ourselves, our children, our spouses, our homes.

And we all become miserable, tired and broken together.

It’s not an easy trap to escape from. But if we want to have an abundant life, escape we must!

We can start by reminding ourselves of this truth: That God is not impressed by our looks or performance. He wants our hearts (Deut 10:12).

Hearts that understand that our perfection is only found in him (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Hearts that make His priority list ours. (Psalm 18:30)

Hearts set less in seeking perfection and more in perfecting our love and devotion for Him.  (Psalm 51:10)

Indeed, today I realize that perfectionism is the world’s and Satan’s way to make me rely less and less on God.

And more and more on fallible, inadequate me.

Instead of attaining perfection, the result will always fall short of our target: We become stressed out, needy of approval, self-indulgent, impatient.

Simply hard to deal with.

Through the Grid of God’s Grace

Our good works and great performance should be viewed through the grid of God’s grace. By grace we are lavished each day with opportunities, gifts and talents which allow us to do our best and be our best.

As Dallas Willard said “Grace is God acting in our lives to do what we cannot do on our own.”

Indeed, God never designed us to accomplish perfection without him. The point of the gospel is that we are unable to be perfect. We all fall short; we all “miss the mark” (Romans 3:23). Sinners need a Savior, and that’s why Jesus came. When we trust in Him, He forgives our shortcomings, imperfections, and iniquities.

We can then stop striving for unreasonable, unattainable worldly “perfection” and rest in the Perfect One (Matthew 11:28).

Verses to Meditate Upon:

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” Philippians 1:6.

For without Me you can do nothing” John 15:5.

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” Psalm 18:30.

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