Amy Carmichael
A good missionary convicts the world, but a great missionary convicts the Church as well. Amy Carmichael was one such missionary. Amy Carmichael was a Protestant Christian missionary who lived from 1867 to 1951. She was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in a devout Christian household. After a conversion experience at the age of 17, she felt called to serve as a missionary and spent the majority of her life working in India. Carmichael was known for her work rescuing young girls from temple prostitution and human trafficking in India. She founded an organization called the Dohnavur Fellowship, which provided a safe and loving home for these girls and worked to rehabilitate and educate them. Carmichael was also instrumental in establishing schools and medical clinics in the region, and she spent much of her time caring for the poor and sick. Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, Carmichael remained dedicated to her work and was deeply loved by those she served. She was known for her kindness, compassion, and selflessness, and was often referred to as "Amma", or mother, by the people of Dohnavur. Carmichael's legacy lives on through the Dohnavur Fellowship, which continues to operate and provide care for children in need. She is also remembered for her writings, which include several books about her experiences as a missionary and the lessons she learned from the people she served. Throughout her life, Carmichael remained committed to her faith and her calling to serve others, and she left a lasting impact on the people of India and beyond. She is remembered as a courageous and selfless missionary who dedicated her life to helping others.
David and Svea Flood
Of all the amazing biographies Stephen brings us in his "Legacies of Light" series, perhaps none will pull on your heartstrings like this testimony of faith. It's a story of a woman's endurance, a man's despair, and a Savior's incredible mercy. Meet David and Svea Flood. David and Svea Flood were 20th century Protestant Christian missionaries who are known for their work in India. David was born in Sweden in 1892 and Svea was born in Sweden in 1897. They both grew up in devout Christian households and felt called to serve as missionaries from a young age. David and Svea were married in 1920 and together they served as missionaries in India for over 50 years. They faced numerous challenges and setbacks during their time in India, but remained dedicated to their work and deeply loved by those they served. They established a mission called The Christian Mission, which focused on sharing the Gospel with people in India and providing education and medical care to those in need. In addition to their missionary work, David and Svea were also active evangelists and spent much of their time preaching and teaching about the Christian faith. They were known for their powerful and inspiring message and their ability to touch the hearts of those they served. Throughout their lives, David and Svea Flood remained deeply committed to their faith and their calling to serve others. They are remembered as courageous and selfless missionaries who dedicated their lives to spreading the Gospel and serving others. Their legacy lives on through the many lives they touched and the ongoing work of missionaries in India and around the world.
Prophecy Matters!
When Jesus teaches His disciples in Luke 21, He knows He is just days away from betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. So, what He chooses to tell His disciples is remarkably important in these final moments together. Jesus offers eternal encouragement to His audience, and generations of believers to follow, about the end times and the eternal security of believers. We can be assured that the kingdom of God wins eternally, no matter how dark it may temporarily seem here on earth.
Doomsday!
Jesus' Olivet Discourse is one of the most remarkable end times prophecies in all the Bible. We live in a world and in a culture that is obsessed with "doomsday scenarios," apocalyptic fiction, and concern about the state of our planet and our existence. As Christians, we take our environmental responsibilities seriously, because we should be good stewards of God's creation. However, Jesus' teaching tells us that nothing humans can do will destroy this earth before God's ordained time, and no human effort will save this earth once God devotes it to destruction during the tribulation period. Ultimately, we can rest assured in our safety as children of God, who will spend the seven year tribulation safely in the Father's House in heaven.
Forecasting the Future
Every year, false prophets are exposed for attempting to predict the future and failing. That's why it's so vital for the believer to depend on the Bible to understand not just truths for our lives right now, but truths for the future as well. As Jesus continues His Olivet discourse, He delivers some warnings to the people of Israel in the form of prophecies, and 40 years later, all of His prophecies came true. That gives us all the more reason to trust His prophecies that haven't happened yet, as Stephen Davey explains in this sermon.
What to Expect in Life
After helping His disciples understand the end times, Jesus turned His attention to equipping them to be prepared for their lives in the present. We still live in the period between Christ's two comings, so the lessons from His teaching are just as applicable to us today. Stephen Davey takes us through six of these implications in today's lesson.
The End is Nearer than Ever!
We rightly think of Jesus as our Divine Savior, as a perfect Teacher, and as our Lord and Messiah. But do you think of Jesus as a prophet? He was, during His earthly ministry. And Jesus gave some very specific prophecies about the end times and the tribulation. While these prophecies don't directly relate to our world today--before the rapture takes place--we can still find key truths and important applications from Jesus' Olivet Discourse.
The Widow's Mite
One of the greatest examples of true and genuine giving comes from a very unlikely source. Jesus reminded His disciples--and reminds us today--of two very important truths: that our care for widows reflects our love for God, and that our attitude toward giving matters more than the amount of our giving.
One Final Riddle
The Sadducees, along with the Pharisees, have completely failed trying to stump Jesus yet again. They thought they could tangle Him in a political web, but Jesus outsmarted them. And now, the Sadducees take one more attempt at trapping Jesus by asking Him an absurd hypothetical about the afterlife. Jesus' response to them reminds us that it's past time to make sure we are confident in our eternal future.
Paying Your Dues
As Jesus continues holding court in the Temple during His final week on earth, He has humiliated the religious leaders yet again, calling them out for rejecting the prophets. And so, the Pharisees and the Herodians join forces to challenge Jesus with perhaps the toughest question He was ever asked during His earthly ministry. And Jesus' response not only gives us several practical principles to apply today, it is one of the most profound political statements in human history.