Here are the notes for the Depression and Anxiety addresses I gave in Holland on Friday evening.
Three Solutions to Prayer Problems
Podcast. Instagraphics. Website. iTunes. Spotify
“I’m really good at praying.” Said no Christian ever. We know we should pray. We start praying. But soon we give up. Or we pray with no expectation of an answer. Or we pray for the wrong things. Prayer becomes a problem rather than a solution, and it depresses us rather than encourages us. How can we pray in a way that solves our problems rather than adds to them? Jesus guides us in Luke 11:5-13.
How do I decrease stress and increase spirituality?
Podcast. Instagraphics. Website. iTunes. Spotify
Stress sickens the soul. Yes, stress causes bodily disease (some estimate that 90% of doctor visits are stress-related), but it also causes soul disease. Stress and spirituality are mortal enemies. How do I decrease stress and increase spirituality? The problem existed in Jesus’ day too and in Luke 10:38-42 Jesus diagnosed the problem and issued the prescription.
Do and Die
Podcast. Instagraphics. Website. iTunes. Spotify
What is the biggest spiritual problem in the world? It’s exactly the same as the biggest problem in Bible times. Doing good. Or, more precisely, doing good for salvation. It’s the biggest spiritual problem because doing cannot be done. It’s not just that we cannot do enough good; we simply cannot do any good (Romans 3:12). But that doesn’t stop most from trying. How do we solve the massive problem that doing does nothing? Jesus has a surprising answer for us in Luke 10:25-37.
Rejection and Rejoicing
Podcast. Instagraphics. Website. iTunes. Spotify
The fear of rejection can stop the fun of rejoicing. When I was in my late teens and early twenties I was terrified of romantic rejection. I was so scared of hearing young women say, “No” that I didn’t ask them for a date. That avoided the rejection, but it also voided the potential joy of a “Yes.”
For many of us, the fear of Gospel rejection stops the fun of Gospel rejoicing. We’re so afraid of people saying “No” to the Gospel, that we don’t even give them the chance to say “Yes.” In doing so, we not only damn them but we dam up the huge reservoir of potential joy in seeing people come to faith.
So, how can we overcome the fear of Gospel rejection? Let’s see how Jesus helped his disciples do this in Luke 10:1-24.
“Me first!”
Podcast. Instagraphics. Website. iTunes. Spotify
Many want to follow Christ…second. Me first, Christ second. Of course, we never put it that way. We still call him ‘Lord,’ we still say he’s first, but our lives and choices say he’s second. And if he’s second, he’s not Lord. As someone said, “Christ is Lord of all, or he is not Lord at all.”
How do we put Christ second and how can we put him first? Luke 9:57-62 records three interactions between Jesus and three potential disciples that spotlight three rival lords to Jesus.