Posts in Category: Encouragement

5 Things To Know About Ministry

Authored By: Mike Sonneveldt
5 Things To Know About Ministry
5 Things To Know About Ministry Are You Called To Ministry? A lot of people claim they are called to ministry. After all, they received a word, a dream, or a feeling in their heart. Such an event permanently changes the course of our life. But there are a lot of things a person needs to understand before answering the call into ministry. We decided to give you 5 things to know about ministry before you start your international ministry. No one is more righteous than the other Let’s get it straight – being called into ministry is a powerful moment. Some of us just have that calling in our life. We don’t find satisfaction in the status quo of a quiet job and relaxed family life. We feel the burden of somehow, someway sharing the gospel and discipling others into a… read more
 

Christianity Ended Slavery

Author: Andrew Alleman
Christianity’s Fight to End Slavery “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 One of the crowning achievements of Christianity in the discussion of its legacy and influence throughout history is undoubtedly its systematic opposition of slavery since its beginning roots. The initial question starts with: does the bible oppose slavery directly? The answer is yes. The conquering and sale of peoples for the slave trade is explicitly condemned in 1st Timothy 1:10. True equality between people regardless of social standing or wealth, being united by the bond of Christ, is described in Galatians 3:28-29: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there … read more
 

Faith in the Fire

Author: Mike Sonnevedlt
Are you being pressed right now? Times exist in our lives, in which the pressures and struggles of life seem to come crashing down on us all at once. While a lot of times we can navigate life with a few issues cropping up, here or there, we will periodically come across the avalanche of “all at once.” These times are perfect for us to truly test our strength, and see where our real convictions sit. Most of us believe that we carry the foundational truths well enough to react the way Christ wants us to, but until we are immersed in real life, we can definitely believe the illusion that we are responding the way we are supposed to. Right now, I'm learning a lot about faith, promises, prayer and the Lord. I'm not going to get into details about my life, but needless to say, a… read more
 

Fear of Man

Author: Mike Sonneveldt
Being accepted into the social group seems to have some type of biological inspiration behind it. We look at social acceptance, and recognize that it's extremely scary for a person to be cast out of the social group. Imagine, if you will, a tribe in the middle of the jungle. They're surrounded by all kinds of dangerous animals, plants and terrain. To walk out of the protection of the circle is to invite many different dangers to prey on you. So you cooperate with your small community, and everybody shares in the hunting, gathering of food, cooking, and building of homes, etc. One night, you say something that nobody in the tribe likes. They all look at you like you've got three heads. The chief leans in and asks you to repeat what you just said. You, with some naivete,… read more
 

For Your Pastor

Author: Mike Sonneveldt
I spend a lot of time writing when I'm working on Self-Evident material. Most of you have probably already learned that a large amount of content produced by Self-Evident has been written in some way, shape, or form by yours truly. Producing content continues to be a passion of mine. I enjoy the research, I absolutely love to write, and I'm spiritually motivated. I want to go after all areas of society and culture. I want them for Christ, and if I get to use my skills and talents to help raise up disciples in these areas: then game on. But sometimes, you wonder whether you're actually making change with everything you're doing. There's a difference between throwing a bunch of paint at the wall, and using a roller to make a pristine new wall color. With the deluge of content… read more
 
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