How important is Prayer to You?

By Joe Duchesne | Published: October 17, 2011

We recently had a board meeting for Thelastcrisis.tv where one of our board members challenged us to pray more. This same board member stated in her challenge that no significant thing has been done for God without significant prayer before, during and after the work. This challenge has led me to examine my life and ask myself some hard questions. Am I ready to sacrifice my time towards making prayer a priority in my personal life? Am I willing to be seen as ‘wasting time’ in meetings by others because I insist on spending more time in prayer during our meetings? Am I willing to be the object of persecution, jokes and insult by others who see me praying in public? Bottom line, how much importance do I place on prayer? Read More »

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What have you done for Him lately?

By Joe Duchesne | Published: September 30, 2011

When I talk to people in my local community who aren’t a member of my church and ask them if they are a Christian they invariably say that they are. When I then ask them what church they attend they often make an excuse about being too busy or that they go occasionally or some such thing. It is so easy to believe and to say that we are a Christian. Where the rubber meets the road however is in what we are doing.

Your actions are speaking so loudly…

There is a saying I like which says, ‘I can’t hear what you are saying because your actions are speaking too loudly…’ If you say that you love Jesus that’s all well and good. Does the way you live your life prove or disprove your love for Him? Talk is cheap. Anyone can say they love Jesus. The reality is that our actions will be obvious to others if that is the case. Jesus taught that it isn’t everyone who thinks they are his follower who will make it into the kingdom…

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)

Do you believe you are a Christian? A follower of Jesus will commit themselves to belonging to a community of like minded believers. Do you think you love Jesus? When was the last time you gave a cup of cold water to someone in need or gave food to someone who was hungry? How often are you consciously putting your own needs on hold to be a blessing to others in need? How willing are you to put yourself in a difficult / uncomfortable even painful position so that others can be helped? Sometimes? Never?

Unfortunately, if the answer is either of these, your spiritual life is in danger. You may think you are a Christian but the way you think and the way you live put it in serious doubt.

So what can you do about it? Confess your selfishness to God as sin. Ask him to forgive you. He will. Ask him to change you. He loves to do that. Determine to live your life differently, with his power you will.

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Repent!… Leave me alone!

By Joe Duchesne | Published: September 17, 2011

The message at the end of time is a message of repentance. To repent is to change the way we think and act. Repentance isn’t something that comes naturally to the heart of human beings. It is a gift from God. We don’t naturally like to have someone point out what we are doing wrong. Instead, we seek to defend ourselves. We try to justify our behaviour. There is a saying that says, “We buy with emotion and justify with fact.” Nowhere is this more evident than with sin.

If you think back to your childhood, did you ever enjoy receiving the discipline of your parents? I know I sure didn’t. I did everything I could to avoid it including sometimes hiding what I did. We naturally move away from painful situations and painful conversations. You know what our biggest problem is? Ourselves. We have way too much confidence in our own justice and righteousness. We tend to believe that other people have problems that are much worse than our own. We need to have the courage to accept what the Bible tells us about ourselves. The picture isn’t pretty.

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes” - Romans 3:10-18

Paul in Romans is speaking to both Jews and Gentiles. In other words, the whole world is sold as a slave to sin. We cannot please God even if we tried. The only hope we have is the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. As God lives in our hearts he gives us to power to please Him. “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” – Romans 2:13.

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Are Hurricanes a Sign of the End?

By Joe Duchesne | Published: August 27, 2011

Any time we have a major weather phenomenon the question comes up as to whether this weather phenomenon is a sign of the end. Whether we are talking about hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis or nuclear disasters it is natural that people look for answers to these disasters. Some people believe that these disasters are a sign of God’s displeasure and it is a curse that is falling on the recipients of the disaster’s damage. God must be angry. The inhabitants of the earth are getting their due. Read More »

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What does Jesus look like?

By Joe Duchesne | Published: August 15, 2011

Have you ever given any thought about the image of Jesus used around the world? Show the typical picture of Jesus to children who attend church and they’ll recognize Jesus’ likeness… But is this image a true representation of what Jesus looks like? Throughout history images of Jesus have usually mirrored the ethnicity of the artist. It’s natural to think that we would tend to think Jesus looks like we do. According to Wikipedia, the earliest images of Jesus started appearing in the third century. Right from the start the artists who painted the image of Jesus would not respect the cultural and historical context that Jesus lived in.

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Do you Love Jesus?

By Joe Duchesne | Published: August 12, 2011

I just read a great post over at ModernEkklesia.com about Missions. Pastor Rodlie Ortiz makes a great point about how sharing Jesus isn’t about something we are forced to do but something that should come out of our love of Jesus. As Ortiz quoted Lesslie Newbigin, in his book The Gospel In A Pluralist Society,

If one looks at the New Testament evidence one gets another impression. Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly be suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact? Read More »

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Helping the Poor… Sign of being right with God?

By Joe Duchesne | Published: July 23, 2011

I live in Canada where we have an unbelievable amount of freedom and riches. I don’t have to worry about whether or not I’m going to eat today. I’m not concerned about my personal freedom to worship God how I see fit. I generally don’t fear for the safety of my children. I don’t worry about a severe drought wiping me out financially and leading my family and I into slavery. I don’t have these concerns but many people in the world do. Today I’m asking myself the question, “What am I doing about the poor?”  Read More »

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