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 Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:26 pm
VIEW MY BIBLE STUDIES HERE YOU MAY DISCUSS THEM IN THE DAILY BIBLE STUDIES DISCUSSION FORUM
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:28 pm
MODERN DAY MARTYR
“Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” 2 Timothy 3:12 (NLT).
If you think that you aren’t being persecuted for being a Christian, think on this: Who was influencing the people who persecuted and martyred early Christians like the Apostle Paul? It was Satan right? And who is influencing the people who call you names, gossip about you, and do mean and hurtful things to you? Again it’s Satan! As Christians, we have a common enemy, and that enemy strives to destroy us. Even though he doesn’t always do this by directly attacking your faith, he still does it indirectly by influencing other people to hurt you and try to get you down. If Satan can depress you that way, then you might even start to doubt your faith. If you lose your faith, then you lose the very thing that gives you life in Christ.
Make no mistake, the battles we face are spiritual battles between good and evil (God and Satan). If others hurt you, remember that it was Christ who was first hurt and that He bore the burden of every hurt and sin you would ever have to endure. So don’t be discouraged in your faith when others mistreat you. Know that you are simply enduring persecution because of the threat you pose to Satan as a child of God! Let’s learn from Paul and remember that there are spiritual battles behind every struggle we face.
James 1:2-4 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:30 pm
WITNESSING 101
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)
What is witnessing? In the dictionary witnessing is: “One who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced.” Have you ever thought of that when the word witnessing came up as far as your Christian faith is concerned? Do you share your experience with people?
When we witness, many times we think that we need to just start spouting off scriptures like John 3:16 or Romans 3:23, 6:23 and 10:9. We think that we need to give them Christianity as a quick fix to their problems, but that is not what Christianity is…
First, Christianity as a message is going to be foolishness to people as 1 Corinthians 1:18 says. This means that they are not going to understand it if you just come up and say “You are a sinner going to Hell and you need Jesus in your life to save you”. They need to see a real reason for why they need Jesus in their lives in the here and now. When Jesus comes into our lives and we get our focus lined up with his our lives will be radically different. We no longer live for the same old junk anymore, we live for a higher purpose.
Second, it is not by our words that people are going to want to turn from their sin, it is by our actions. I have heard many people say that they love the message that Christianity has but that they would never be able to accept it because the people that claim Christianity don’t live that way at all. We need to step it up and live a pure life of love for people and then the message will have a place to be planted.
John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 1:31 pm
STAYING WEAK
“That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV).
This morning I can remember just waking up feeling like crud. I remember Satan telling me, “You don’t deserve to do what you do. You looked at that girl yesterday with lust, what were you thinking? You call yourself a Christian?” I was at the point where I was really weak, and I wasn’t going to be able to last through the night working Teenhopeline. It was obvious I wasn’t fully leaning on God and that it was going to be a rough night.
Later I was looking at this verse, seeing that Paul was right. It is times we feel weak that we can finally get to the point where we know we are nothing without Him. Then we fully lean on God. When we lean on God, we become strong by His Spirit.
“God, please help us to remember that in our most broken times You will use us to reach many other people. God, I pray that You would bless us, and help us to go on standing strong for the kingdom of God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
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