|
 David Servant ( - )
Read freely text sermons and articles by the speaker David Servant in text and pdf format. David Servant is the Founder of Heavens Family, helping the least of these world-wide. David Servant has been serving in ministry since 1979 as a church-planter, pastor, teacher and missionary. When David Servant read the results of his high-school vocational aptitude test, he laughed. The results told him that he was best suited for a career in ministry or in entertainment. At the time, David's future goal was to live in a log cabin in the wilderness and live off the land for the rest of his life. The Lord, however, had different plans for David Servant. God didn't intend for him to run away from the world, but rather to play a part in changing the world by building God's kingdom. David received his call to ministry during his (reluctant) freshman year at Penn State, and one year later was enrolled in Bible School.
David Servant is the author of eight books, including Forever Rich, and the The Disciple-Making Minister, a 500-page equipping manual that has been translated into more than 20 languages and is being distributed to tens of thousands of pastors.
|
|
|
showing from 51 to 100 of 542 articles
(Disciple-Making Minister) 051 - A Final Objection
It is often said that in the Western world where Christianity has already become part of the culture that people will never accept the idea of churches meeting in homes. It is thus argued that we must stay with the institutional model.
First, this is p ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 1 - The Death of a Wealthy Fool
Luke 12:13-34
If you are reading this, that is a good indication that your heart is open to be challenged. Now your journey toward true joy begins, and it begins at the only place it can, by honestly considering what Jesus said.
We'll start with His ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 10 - My Journey
One of the people who read the manuscript of this book encouraged me to write a chapter about my personal journey through the needle's eye. It also occurred to me that other readers might be wondering if I actually practice what I preach. Thus the reason ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 11 - The Old Testament View
Although I rested my case at the close of the ninth chapter, it occurs to me that there are many professing Christians who resort to various Old Testament scriptures to justify their disobedience to Christ’s commandments. I’ve already limitedly expose ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 2 - Jesus Loves a Rich, Young Ruler, Part 1
Mark 10:17-30
I hope you are still praying fervently for God's help. If you are reading this, that is a good indication that He's answering your prayers. Now pray that God will help you read this chapter with an open heart, honestly, just like a child. ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 3 - Jesus Loves a Rich, Young Ruler, Part 2
Mark 10:17-30
Before we can return to our study of Jesus' encounter with the rich ruler, we must finish what we've begun in the previous chapter. We've already considered what Jesus taught about the roles of repentance and obedience in regard to salvat ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 4 - A Steward, A Rich Man and a Beggar
Luke 16:1-31
If you have made it this far that is a very good sign. Be encouraged. God must be helping you in answer to your prayers.
Although we've laid a foundation, there is still more that Jesus wants us to learn about stewardship. Many question ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 5 - Lay Not Up For Yourselves Treasures
Matthew 6:2-4, 19-34
When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give alms ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 6 - The Deceitfulness of Riches
Mark 4:3-10, 13-20
There is yet still more to all that Jesus taught about material stewardship. In light of all that He said on this subject, it is amazing how little of it is mentioned in most churches. When it is, it is too often softened.
As we c ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 7 - A Worthless Slave
Matthew 24:36-25:46
I could hardly believe the letter I was reading. The author of that letter was accusing me of "blatantly dismissing Jesus' very clear demands for investment productivity"! My accuser went on to explain how those who stand before Jes ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 8 - The Rest of What Jesus Taught
We've now completed our study of Jesus' major statements regarding stewardship. If you're still reading, you've probably made some very significant stewardship decisions. Yet the flow of the world and most of the church may well be tempting you to wonder ... read more
(Through The Needle's Eye) 9 - The Early Church Follows Jesus
Have I perhaps misinterpreted what Christ taught about money, possessions and stewardship? If I have, a study of what was taught and practiced by the apostles and early church would reveal my error. Did the apostles encourage their disciples to "believe G ... read more
A Closer Look at Forgiving
It's Friday after prayers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and worshippers are streaming from Al-Jafali Mosque to surround an area in the adjacent square that has been cordoned off by police. In the center of that square kneels a man with hands tied behind his ba ... read more
A Feast For Everyone Luke 14:15-24
This important story was told by Jesus while He was dining with a group of Pharisees. Just after He had said something about the resurrection of the godly people, one of the diners expressed what a privilege it would be to share in the Kingdom of God. The ... read more
A Few Good Women Luke 8:1-3; 10:38-42
The United States Marines often advertise for recruits, saying they are looking for "a few good men." Jesus, however, found a few good men and women as the first recruits for His growing army. They loved Him because He first loved them. According to what ... read more
A Forgiven Woman Shows Her Faith and Gratitude Luke 7:36-50
This woman who kissed Jesus' feet probably had a reputation as a prostitute. Although the Bible contains no such record, it seems likely that Jesus had previously ministered to her, accepting her repentance and forgiving her many sins. Now, at Simon the P ... read more
A Gentile Woman Persists in Faith Matthew 15:21-31
This first story has always been a difficult one to fully understand, because Jesus doesn't act like we'd expect Him to act. We view Him as always kind, compassionate and impartial, but He seems to be uncaring and prejudiced as He relates to this Gentile ... read more
A Jewish Teacher Visits Jesus at Night John 3:1-16
The Pharisees of Jesus' time were a very strict sect of Jews. They tried to follow all of God's laws fully as well as many laws they made up themselves, thinking they could earn their way to heaven. Nicodemus was not only a Pharisee, but also a member of ... read more
A Little Leaven...
Some years ago when I was a pastor, I walked into my church office after a Sunday morning service to find a sandwich bag on my desk containing three chocolate brownies. Some thoughtful and anonymous saint who knew my love for chocolate had placed them the ... read more
A Lot of Profit from a Little Exercise
At the close of last month's e-Teaching titled Lord, Please Bless This Poison, I promised that this month I would reveal a simple exercise for weight loss that requires very little effort and only requires seconds each day. So I'm going to keep good on my ... read more
A Poor But Generous Widow Mark 12:41-44
People who love God will show their love by how they live their lives. One area in which their love for God will be manifested is how they spend their money. If how they spend their money isn't affected by their relationship with God, they probably have n ... read more
A Prophet Among Profits
It was pointed out to me that the title of last month's E-teaching, Jesus, the Greatest Prosperity Preacher, was a phrase also used by a popular prosperity preacher in one of his teaching articles. He used that phrase, however, not as I did, but rather as ... read more
A Question for My Beloved Calvinists
Those who have been reading with me through the New Testament chronologically---by means of our daily emailed devotional that we call HeavenWord Daily---know that I am not a Calvinist. In fact, practically every time we happen upon one of the many passage ... read more
A Rich Young Man Rejects Jesus Matthew 19:16-30
The first question that the rich young man asked Jesus was, "What good things must I do to have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16). His question contained his assumption that a person could receive eternal life by doing certain good things. He assumed eternal ... read more
A Roman Soldier's Faith Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10
Because Jesus ministered in Israel, a nation predominantly inhabited by Jewish people, most of the people He helped were Jewish. However, during Jesus' time, Israel was controlled by the Roman Empire, so there were also Roman governmental leaders and sold ... read more
A Silly Gospel
1.) What about all that the New Testament teaches about the "father-heart of God"? Jesus called God "Father" over one-hundred times in the Gospel of John. How could our loving heavenly Father be said to hate anyone?
The answer is that God is not the Fa ... read more
American Idol
Imagine a person taking a block of wood and carving it to look like a bearded man in a robe. At the bottom of his wooden figurine, he carves the name "Jesus." Finally, each day he bows before it in worship. Does that make him a Christian?
No, that make ... read more
An Inconvenient Truth
Provocative communicator Tony Campolo has been known to begin sermons with the following words:
I have three things I want to tell you. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 children died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition.
... read more
Another Reason Why Jesus Became a Human Being 1 Timothy 1:15; Hebrews 2:14-15
Yesterday we learned one reason why God's Son became a human being: to teach us about God. But there was a second reason that is even more important. Jesus became a human being so our sins could be forgiven, as we just read: "Christ Jesus came into the wo ... read more
As a Father
Last month, George Sodini walked into a women's aerobics class at an LA Fitness Club just a few miles from where I live. He turned out the lights and began shooting into the darkness, firing fifty rounds. Within seconds, he killed three women and wounded ... read more
Baby Jesus Presented in the Temple Luke 2:21-40
When Jesus was just a newborn, He was like any other baby. He couldn't walk or talk, He cried when He wanted to be fed, and He dirtied His diapers regularly. Isn't it funny to think that God dirtied His diapers? More than making us chuckle, however, it sh ... read more
Beware of False Teachers
According to the New Testament, the outstanding characteristic of a false teacher is his underrating the necessity of holiness, which is reflected by his teaching and personal life. Numerous scriptures bear this out. For example, consider what Jesus taugh ... read more
Calvinism's Limited Atonement
Finally we come to the L of the TULIP acronym, which stands for Limited Atonement. Because Calvinists believe that God unconditionally elected before time only certain people to be saved, Calvinists are thus faced with some difficult questions: Why does S ... read more
Calvinism's Perseverance of the Saints
Because Calvinists believe that God shows His irresistible grace to totally depraved people whom He has unconditionally elected before time, Calvinists have no choice but to believe that it is impossible for a genuinely-saved person to forfeit his salvati ... read more
Calvinism's Total Depravity and Irresistible Grace
Let us first consider points one and four of Calvinism’s TULIP: Total Depravity and Irresistible Grace. Without a doubt they are intrinsically linked, and thus it is almost impossible to consider one without mentioning the other. (Moreover, the other th ... read more
Calvinism's Unconditional Election
So far we’ve covered the T and the I of the TULIP acronym. Now we will proceed with the U, which stands for Unconditional Election. This Calvinistic doctrine states that God, in eternity past, chose certain individuals for salvation. This election was n ... read more
Can a Christian Have a Demon?
When it comes to the subject of casting out demons, we are prone to fall into the ditch on either side of the road, either downplaying something that is entirely scriptural, or finding demons behind every bush. As with all biblical topics, the truth is fo ... read more
Christian Clichés that Contradict Christ
It has been said that if you repeat something often enough, people will start to believe it even if it isn’t true. This certainly seems to be true concerning many oft-repeated Christian clichés about God's love. Consider the following statements that s ... read more
Christians in Politics?
Since publishing my e-teachings earlier this year on the moral issues of abortion and government theft, I've been involved in some very interesting conversations regarding the proper role of Christians in politics and government. Christians definitely do ... read more
Day 1, Matthew 1
All those names listed in Jesus' genealogy are meaningless apart from the Old Testament. So let me state at the outset that we're not focusing on the New Testament during this one-year study because the Old Testament is irrelevant! Jesus and the New Testa ... read more
Day 10, Matthew 10
When we consider the twelve men whom Jesus chose to be His apostles, we realize that it is God who qualifies people for ministry. Four of the twelve were unschooled fishermen, one was a former tax collector, and one was a former right-wing revolutionary ( ... read more
Day 100, 2 Corinthians 2
Not wanting to visit Corinth a third time to face the same unresolved problems, Paul determined to wait. Remember that when we read 1 Corinthians, we learned that there were factions in Corinth over favorite teachers and leaders. Although one group was lo ... read more
Day 101, 2 Corinthians 3
Paul's critical comment at the end of chapter 2, "We are not like many, peddling the word of God," is our first indication in this letter that there may have been false teachers who had gained some influence in Corinth. Paul's comment could have been cons ... read more
Day 102, 2 Corinthians 4
This chapter offers a glimpse into the heart and ministry of the apostle Paul that should have touched the hearts of the Corinthian believers as they considered the price he paid for their sakes. Paul's intent, I suspect, was to subtly contrast himself wi ... read more
Day 103, 2 Corinthians 5
Paul, never short of metaphors, today offers two relating to Christian death. For believers, death is like a day when we will change our residence, and it is definitely a move to a nicer neighborhood, from a temporary tent to an eternal house (5:1). Death ... read more
Day 104, 2 Corinthians 6
In the previous chapter, Paul made mention of certain antagonists in Corinth who "took pride in appearance and not in heart" (5:12). This theme surfaces more frequently as Paul's letter progresses, and it becomes quite clear that he had found himself comp ... read more
Day 105, 2 Corinthians 7
Our sanctification---our growing in holiness---is not something that is done by the Lord as we "let go" and "stop trying to be holy by our own efforts" as is sometimes taught. Believers must "strive against sin" (Heb. 12:4), "resist the devil" (Jas. 4:7), ... read more
Day 106, 2 Corinthians 8
This and the next chapter of 2 Corinthians beautifully reveal a full and balanced picture of Christian stewardship. Note that the occasion was not the receiving of an offering by Paul for his ministry, or for a church building program, but rather, for poo ... read more
Day 107, 2 Corinthians 9
According to Paul, the Corinthian believers had previously promised a “bountiful gift” (9:5), which would, of course, be made possible only by bountiful giving. Thus Paul cautioned against covetousness (or better translated "greed") that might affect ... read more
Day 108, 2 Corinthians 10
Paul once more turns his attention to defending himself against his antagonists in Corinth, whom he refers to as false apostles in the next chapter (11:13). It is apparent that they were not only boasting of their "credentials"---in order to boost their s ... read more
|
< Previous
1
| 2 | 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| 8
| 9
| 10
| 11
Next >
|
|
|
