I just finished my awesome class on Martin Luther King Jr. In our last class, as the instructor was speaking I wondered what MLK Jr thought of Jesus Christ. I don’t know why I wondered since I assumed that since he was an ordained pastor that he believed the core fundamentals of Christianity. Please read the Apostle’s Creed which was a great oral way to recite the fundamentals of Christianity for the early church and the lay people who didn’t know how to read.
https://www.bibles.net/the-full-text-of-the-apostles-creed/
Like a fan who discovered their favorite celebrity has flaws, my heart sank when I realized from his earlier writings as a seminary student revealed his belief that ‘Jesus was not God’. My jaw dropped when I read the AI-generated summary of his papers. I really hope he changed his mind later in his life. I also greatly wrestled with this same topic about 12 years ago. If you are wrestling with this topic on “Is Jesus God?” please review resources that helped me to conclude that “Jesus is God”.
Key resources that helped me to conclude that “Jesus is God.”
Books:
- “Case for Christ” by Lee Stroebel
- “The purpose driven life: What on earth am I here for?” by Rick Warren
- “Just As I Am” by Billy Graham
- “No Compromise” by Keith Green
– Ministries:
- One for Israel: bible studies – https://www.oneforisrael.org/
- Times Square Church sermons – https://www.timessquarenyc.org
- Ravi Zacharias* and Nabeel Qureshi – Christian apologists – watch their messages on YouTube shared in conferences and universities https://www.nabeelqureshi.com (*Due to the scandals and cover ups by Ravi Zacharias, his ministry website is no longer accessible. You will need to find his old messages on YouTube.)
There were more resources that the Holy Spirit used to finally convince me that “Jesus Christ is God”. As you can see, it took me a while to be convinced. God is not intimidated by your questions and wrestling. Just make sure that when you are wrestling, you do it in the safety of a good, bible-based church and faithful Christian friends surrounding you. The Holy Spirit will inform your friends to bring you back in, if you are drifting to dangerous doctrines or morally falling away.
Extra – here is an amazing testimony of a KKK terrorist who became a born-again believer of Jesus Christ while in prison and became a Bible scholar in prison; and now he is the president emeritus at the C.S. Lewis Institute. Please listen to his story on why he became a KKK member as a teenager and participated in violent crimes against civil rights activists and supporters.
https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/tom-tarrants
Here is a brief article about him. I highly recommend listening to the podcast since he shared a lot more in there.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2019/08/thomas-tarrants-consumed-hate-redeemed-love-klansman/
Here’s a great article that I read yesterday about Simon, the zealot that Jesus called to be his disciple. Yup, Simon is one of the original 12 who became an apostle to the church. Zealots during Jesus’ times were like Tom Tarrants. With God, all things are possible. Keep praying and believing.
Have a wonderful and blessed weekend!
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(Below is an email that was sent to the ladies who registered for our prayer group this spring semester. Please keep our prayer group in your prayers for our unity and harmony. Thank you!)
Hello ladies! Thank you for registering with our prayer and intercessory group. I am excited for the opportunity to get to know you and see how God uses our prayers to usher in His glory and kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven”.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206&version=NIV
Before we meet, please read the Members Commitment letter and we ask you to commit to their standards as best as you can. God will honor your efforts.
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1JR30PWP0MZOEpwlaYKRdA5aSM5a9tNY86rxM-Mcq4kU/mobilebasic
Our group starts next Wednesday, 2/12 at 12:30pm. I’ll be praying in-person at the church in our cry/comfort room in the upper sanctuary. If you can’t join me in-person, you can also join by teleconference number. In order to get everyone familiar with our prayer format, please review the guideline below.*
One more thing- We will promptly end at 1:30pm. However, I will be available to stay on longer to fellowship, talk and pray more. I look forward to praying together and getting to know you. I’ve cc: my two co-leaders in the email above. We will take turns leading the prayer meetings. Please keep our prayer group and each other in your prayers. God bless you abundantly!
We have organized our prayer format into four steps to keep from talking over one another:
1. Announce yourself if you are dialing in.
2. Praise and thanksgiving – go around the group alphabetically to praise God and give thanks for our blessings. There are no petitions at this time. (say “amen” once you are done).
3. We take a moment of silent reflection to recall our sins and ask God for forgiveness.
4. Petitions and requests – we go back alphabetically to ask for our petitions and requests (say “amen” once you are done).
Matthew 18:19-20 (AMP)
19 “Again I say to you, that if two believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”
Quotes to inspire us to pray and intercede:
“Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” – Samuel Chadwick
“Prayer is the way you defeat the devil, reach the lost, restore a backslider, strengthen the saints, send missionaries out, cure the sick, accomplish the impossible, and know the will of God.” – David Jeremiah
“As the students go, so goes our nation! If we win the spiritual battles across our nation but neglect our college campuses, all our progress will be undone in a generation. Therefore, students today need our support and earnest prayers…Without a greater degree of genuine, unified prayer, our hopes and dreams for this generation may never be realized.” – Francis Chan
“If a church is to be what it ought to be for the purposes of God, we must train it in the holy art of prayer…Believe me, if a church does not pray, it is dead. Instead of putting united prayer last, put it first. Everything will hinge upon the power of prayer in the church.” – Charles H. Spurgeon
“Our prayers lay the track down which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails.” – Watchman Nee
“You’ll never be a perfect parent, but you can be a praying parent. Prayer is your highest privilege as a parent. Prayer turns ordinary parents into prophets who shape the destinies of their children, grandchildren, and every generation that follows. Your prayers for your children are the greatest legacy you can leave.” – Mark Batterson
Journal of Faith 