Christians are not called to specifically make new year resolutions as a mandatory exercise. However, we tend to practice it nevertheless, due to cultural norm. But Christians are to approach this as a spiritual discipline primarily, and not just for physical wellbeing.
Speaker: Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan
What Is True Fasting?
Many Christians approach the topic of fasting as a legalistic practice, trying to please (bribe) God into favor toward us in some way or the other. But the Bible is more nuanced on fasting than we usually tend to think and practice. In this passage, we learn what kind of Spiritual importance Fasting holds.
What To Pray?
How should we approach God in prayer and rely on Him for our earthly provisions? How can we grow in our communion with God and dependence on Him especially in an age where resources for daily life are available in abundance? How should we approach God for forgiveness of sins? Listen to the sermon to learn more on the Lord’s Prayer.
What Should We Pray?
It is important to keep our attitude in check while we pray, because we are invited to speak to Creator of Heaven and Earth. We simply cannot pray to Him without reverence, or pray to impress others. But it is also important to know what should be the content of our prayer towards Him.
Giving Without Hypocrisy
How can our righteousness exceed that of pharisaical righteousness in the area of giving tithes and practicing generosity toward others? Listen to the sermon to learn more on this important ethic of practicing generosity.
Love Your Enemies
In the Bible, even though God opposes the proud or the one who rejects Him, God still expects His people to show love towards unbelievers because He himself is merciful and benevolent towards them. In this passage, we learn how to love unbelievers and also those people who intentionally persecute us.
Being Willing To Suffer Evil
In the sermon on the mount, Jesus doesn’t promote non-violence in a generic sense, because if He did, then we should oppose military force and army by all means. What does Jesus mean when He asks us to suffer evil committed against us and avoid vengeance? Listen to the sermon to learn more on this important topic.
Jesus’s Teaching On Oaths
In Matthew 5:37, Jesus says – “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (ESV) What does that look like in our daily lives? What value do our words have, and why it matters? Listen to the sermon to learn more on this.
Character Traits of the Citizens of God’s Kingdom – Part 2
In this Sermon on the Mount, we learn what meekness and mourning looks like for person who is part of God’s kingdom, and why it is fitting for a believer to do so.