Walk in the Spirit and Avoid Sin
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Dimas Salaberrios, Ministry Associate with Christian Union, is a dynamic teacher, speaker, and pastor. His bestselling memoir, Street God, was released in September 2015. Dimas holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and resides in the Bronx with his wife Tiffany and three daughters.
Transcript
I want to talk to you about a real important topic if you want to be a really faithful and strong follower of Jesus Christ, and I want to challenge you to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. And this is a lifetime battle that we face every day of our Christian journey. Are we walking in the deeds of the flesh [or] are we walking in the deeds of the Spirit?
Rewards of Spiritual Work
Monday, April 20, 2020
Matt Bennett is founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization. A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He resides in New York City.
Transcript
What do you consider as spiritual work, and did you know that there are rewards for spiritual work? Not that you ever earn your salvation, but spiritual work is real, and you can benefit from it. It's motivational when you know what it is and how the benefits can apply to you and to others. My name is Matt Bennett, I'm with Christian Union. We focus on Christian leadership development at university campuses and with adults in New York City, and across the country through Christian Union Day and Night.
Open To Rebuke
Monday, April 20, 2020
Chuck Hetzler, Ph.D., has a diverse background as a biblical scholar, worship leader, and pastor. He served as Christian Union’s first Teaching Fellow at Princeton University and later directed its ministry in New York City. Chuck earned his Ph.D. in New Testament from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently pastors Bethesda Grace Church in Manhattan.
Penn Seniors Create Program to Aid Homeless
By Anne Kerhoulas
Becoming a follower of Christ during college was not part of the plan. But for Penn senior Steffen Cornwell, finding community in Christian Union Martus, Christian Union's ministry at Penn, reoriented his vision for his future. Part of the prestigious Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology, Cornwell has taken a newfound interest in social entrepreneurship and spearheaded a program that allows individuals experiencing homelessness to store important personal identification documents on a secure website.
Challenged by the Martus’ Leadership Lecture Series, Philia, and through discipleship with Ministry Fellow Fuji Kim, Cornwell was captivated by the gospel of grace and the servant-leader Jesus. Before he became a Christian, he read the Bible on his own and “was fascinated by the teaching on righteousness and morality.” But it was through conversations with Christian Union faculty and peers that the idea of justification through faith, rather than works, really took hold. It also spurred him on to consider how he might live differently, knowing that any good work he does is in response to the grace and goodness of God.
Calm in the Storm
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Ken Fish, Founder of Orbis Ministries, is an honors graduate of Princeton University. He has also earned an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary and an MBA from UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of Management. Formerly a colleague of John Wimber, the late leader of the Vineyard Movement, Ken brings more than 30 years of academic study and practical experience to ministry.
Have We Lost Conviction?
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Dimas Salaberrios, Ministry Associate with Christian Union, is a dynamic teacher, speaker, and pastor. His bestselling memoir, Street God, was released in September 2015. Dimas holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and resides in the Bronx with his wife Tiffany and three daughters.
Transcript
Today, I want to talk to you about a word that used to be very popular, but I don't hear it in Christian circles as much as I would like, and that word is conviction. I remember in the 90s, it was very big to discuss about "this person has conviction when they speak, this person is firm in their beliefs. This person has authority when they talk." Even in the Gospels they said [of] the disciples, [that] they spoke with an authority. What that all is discussing is the word conviction.
The Taking of Offense
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Matt Bennett is founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization. A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He resides in New York City.
Transcript
So what do you think is the greatest sin of America? A friend of mine, George Otis, Jr., who's done a lot of these transformation videos—remarkable man who's traveled the world to study revival—in his view, the taking of offense is the greatest sin of America. He calls the United States "The United States of Offense," which is extraordinary given his exposure to revivals around the world and the sins that they deal with in order to see revival come. That is a remarkable statement and something that carries a lot of weight with me. This does happen a lot in Christian and non-Christian circles in the United States. The taking of offense, and then the unforgiveness that goes along with it, and I think maybe for a number of reasons. I'm Matt Bennett, I'm the Founder and CEO of Christian Union. Our focus is Christian leadership development for national revival and reformation.
We Do Not Have a Spirit of Fear
Saturday, April 18, 2020
Fernando Cabrera has proudly served as the NYC Council Member representing the 14th district in the Bronx since January 2010. He is also senior pastor of New Life Outreach International in the Bronx. He is a former program director for the Mental Health and Counseling program at Mercy College, where he also taught for 12 years. Council Member Cabrera earned a B.A. in Religion from Southern California College, M.A. in Counseling from Liberty University and a Doctorate in Counseling from Argosy University. He is married to Elvia Cabrera, and is a father of two and grandfather of five.
Social Injustice of the Sexual Revolution
Friday, April 17, 2020
Matt Bennett is founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization. A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He resides in New York City.
What Should We Say About This Crisis?
Friday, April 17, 2020
Chuck Hetzler, Ph.D., has a diverse background as a biblical scholar, worship leader, and pastor. He served as Christian Union’s first Teaching Fellow at Princeton University and later directed its ministry in New York City. Chuck earned his Ph.D. in New Testament from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently pastors Bethesda Grace Church in Manhattan.
Violation of the First Commandment
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Matt Bennett is founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization. A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He resides in New York City.
Transcript
What does it mean to you that God is a jealous God? Does that sound like a good thing or a bad thing? Is it okay to be jealous? Isn't it a sin to be jealous? It is a lot of the times, but not always. I mean even in human relationships, you can think how there can be a good form of jealousy. If you think about a spouse, and if one is concerned that their spouse has a greater affection for somebody else—you don't want them to be just jumping on them all the time—but it is a genuine concern if you have a spouse and they have a greater affection for somebody else. That's not the way it should be. In that sense, it is good for a husband or wife to be jealous. They deserve and are owed the number one affection of their spouse. And God is the same way.
You Are Not Alone! You Have the Spirit in You!
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Dimas Salaberrios, Ministry Associate with Christian Union, is a dynamic teacher, speaker, and pastor. His bestselling memoir, Street God, was released in September 2015. Dimas holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary and resides in the Bronx with his wife Tiffany and three daughters.
The Difference Between Sadness and Depression
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Fernando Cabrera has proudly served as the NYC Council Member representing the 14th district in the Bronx since January 2010. He is also senior pastor of New Life Outreach International in the Bronx. He is a former program director for the Mental Health and Counseling program at Mercy College, where he also taught for 12 years. Council Member Cabrera earned a B.A. in Religion from Southern California College, M.A. in Counseling from Liberty University and a Doctorate in Counseling from Argosy University. He is married to Elvia Cabrera, and is a father of two and grandfather of five.
Self Indulgence
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Matt Bennett is founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization. A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He resides in New York City.
Run to Christ in the Darkness
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Samuel Rodriguez is President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC). He earned his Masters Degree from Lehigh University and received Honorary Doctorates from Northwest, William Jessup and Baptist University of the Americas. He serves as Senior Pastor of New Season Christian Worship Center in Sacramento, California, where he resides with his wife, Eva, and their three children.
Fear of God
Monday, April 13, 2020
Matt Bennett is founder and CEO of Christian Union, a Christian leadership development organization. A native of Houston, Texas, Matt earned B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Cornell University and holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He resides in New York City.
A Webinar with Dr. Lydia Dugdale
Guest speaker, Dr. Lydia Dugdale spoke to the changes in our perception of death throughout art and history in CU New York’s first virtual forum on Monday, April 13, 2020. This webinar hosted more than 100 guests from across the nation - a unique opportunity for CU New York supporters, friends, and CU Alumni to commune together at this challenging time.
With reference to her forthcoming book The Lost Art of Dying, Prof. Dugdale began her presentation with an examination of the Triumph of Death, a work of art completed by Dutch painter Peter Bruegel (the Elder) in 1562. The work depicts the struggle of society to logistically handle the dead and escape death itself during the Black Death plague of the 14th century. The images in this painting - piles of bodies, skeletal-like figures, a man begging for mercy from a skeleton with his sword raised - are strikingly morbid to our modern eyes. She used this piece to reference the sharp contrast between the modern perception of death and the prominent reality of death throughout history.
A Greater Threat than the Coronavirus
Monday, April 13, 2020The Heart Committed to Jesus
Sunday, April 12, 2020The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. - Revelation 9:20-21 (ESV)
The above passage teaches us that even in extreme situations, a large populace will harden its heart to God in a time when they should repent. John the Beloved apprises his readers that days will come when people will have stubborn hearts set on sin no matter what its aftereffect. Many will “think they are wise when they are not” (Proverbs 26:12) and will suffer sanctions for their decisions. The compassion of Jesus offers a way of refuge in times of extreme woe. Unfortunately, scripture teaches us that it will be rejected.
Revive Your Work and Remember Mercy
Saturday, April 11, 2020O Lord, I have heard the report of you,
and your work, O Lord, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy.
- Habakkuk 3:2 (ESV)
Habakkuk’s prayer for mercy in the opening of chapter 3 follows the back and forth dialogue between the prophet and God in the first two chapters. Much of this dialogue revolves around some of the questions that have haunted us throughout history, especially in times of difficulty: Why is there so much oppression? Why do evil people prosper while the righteous suffer? Why doesn’t God enter into these tragic places and clean them up? Habakkuk, and a battered Judah, is in desperate need of perspective.
