CCW Podcast

We continue this week with the sixth beatitude "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”.   In this beatitude we have one of the greatest utterances found in the Word of God concerning the life of holiness. Without such purity of heart and holiness of life, we shall never enter heaven or see God. To understand what the Savior meant when He spoke these words, we will examine each aspect of this beatitude as we look at The Blessedness Of A Pure Heart.

If you are blessed with the capability of having a humble and meek Spirit the 1st and 3rd beatitude and sorrow for your own failings (the second beatitude) you will not find it difficult to show mercy to others on the home, job, at church or anywhere else. Mercy is treating people better than they deserve from us. Forgiveness is a type of mercy. So is aiding someone whom we have no obligation to help. Mercy, in all these ways, is the propelling force of Christ’s example through His death on the cross. Matthew 5:7-Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain Mercy.

We continue this week with the fourth Beatitude "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled”. To have a starving spirit is a real hunger and starvation of the soul. It is a parched and dying thirst. It is a spirit that craves after righteousness. The true believer is starved and parched for all righteousness not just for little nibbles. This is so very significant, meaning that the promise of a filled or satisfied life is conditional. A person must starve and thirst for all righteousness if he wishes to exchange personal emptiness for the fullness of Christ.

We continue this week with the third Beatitude "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”.  The word meek describes a person who is strong, very strong, but also humble and tender.  Someone who has a teachable spirit. It does not mean being weak or spineless.  To be meek is to be a person with all the emotions and ability to lead and conquer, but who has their strength under control.  A meek person is disciplined in their responses to others because they are God controlled.  The opposite of meekness is arrogance or pride, having an attitude of self-sufficiency and superiority. A meek person is aware of his own needs and doesn't pretend to have all the answers.

We continue this week with the second Beatitude “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted”.  Poverty of spirit leads to mourning: for when God shows us what we really are without Him, we cannot help but be sorrowful and penitent. The Beatitudes of our Lord are powerful, showing us the path to true discipleship.  Join us this Sunday as we open the Word of Life!

At 30 Years of Age, Jesus began his earthly ministry and immediately amassed a great following.  In Matthew 5, Jesus traveled the Mt. of Beattitudes and began the great sermon on the mount by offering eight "Blessed" Promises.  The first, of which is a prerequisite to attaining to all others "Blessed are the Poor in Spirit" for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.  We will be digging into what it means to be Poor in Spirit and how it impacts our lives today and in eternity.

Tune in as we start out new series on Investing in Eternity!

The message this week from Jesus' sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:1-6 addresses an often misunderstood principle of the Christian life. A critical spirit, a judgmental, condemning spirit, is damaging to human relationships. The media, our social relationships, our schooling, and our work situations and even our government are filled with criticism and judgment. Though we often joke about it, experiencing it is most unpleasant. Few things are more exhausting and debilitating than harsh, unloving criticism. Some think their critical spirit is a spiritual gift, but the Lord does not agree. In Matthew 7, the Lord sets the record straight in no uncertain terms. He tell us how we should relate to our brothers and sisters in this matter of judgmentalism, especially in respect to the fact that we will all undergo a final judgment.

Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). The very words ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK suggest a progression of intensity in our practice of praying. The emphasis is on persistency and intensity in prayer. Join us as we examine the life of prayer that brings heaven’s resources to man’s needs.

This Sunday we will be looking at the Importance of Fasting. This is a subject which has been almost forgotten. Seldom do we hear it expounded in evangelical circles; yet it is clear from the word of God, and from the study of history, that fasting has been practiced throughout the centuries. Christian history gives ample evidence of the proper use of fasting, and it is time for the Church today to restore this religious exercise, which God tells us to do, to its true purpose. Only as we determine to do this in our personal and church family life shall we fulfill one of the conditions vital to holiness, revival, and blessings.