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Bible Study - below reflects studies developed by memeber of our ministry for your review and use. Offering of this information is for personal use and can only be copied / printed in the original version with no modifications. They are not to be sold or distributed for personal gain. We will date the postineg and separate they by a line so you review individual postings.

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28-May-2014

The Great Delusion

 

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

2 Timothy 2:4

 

If you have believed the Gospel and been born again, you have been given the ministry of reconciliation, according to 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.  And you have been called into partnership with the Lord Jesus, according to 1 Corinthians 1:9.  That’s what the word, “fellowship”, means, partnership!

 

And it saddens me that most of the saints are missing out on the promised blessing of Romans 8:28, where Paul wrote, “28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  And His purpose is that we are partnered with Him in performing the ministry of reconciliation He has given us, because we are His ambassadors in this world.  If you aren’t loving God enough to live according to His purpose, how can you expect all things to work together for your benefit?

 

But the truth, the sad truth, is that most of the saints have entangled themselves in the affairs of this life. They’ve become POWs in the spiritual warfare, caught in “…the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”  Oh, they aren’t bad people.  Most are doing good things in their lives.  But they’ve been snared by the delusion of doing their best, living according to Christian principles, living according to good family values, going to church, performing good, but dead works, instead of living according to His purpose.

 

Loving God and living according to His purpose isn’t about the church or denominational organization, or dinner in the fellowship hall out back of the sanctuary, or visiting with the other members about what’s going on in their lives.  That’s all good stuff, but there's no need you wasting your love on that, because that's passing.  I enjoy meeting with the saints and singing praises and listening to good preaching and have missed a lot of it lately due to my health.  But my health doesn’t excuse me from waging the spiritual warfare.  Every saint in the world can get suited up in the whole armor every day and fulfill Ephesians 6:18-19.

 

Romans 8:28 isn’t given to the average person as a hiding place to explain away all the bad things that happen in his life.  If you want to claim Romans 8:28 for yourself, you have to fulfill the conditions it gives.  Don’t trivialize the Word of God and make it into baby food.  This is a powerful glorious promise, a life changing promise.  This is strong meat, not baby food!

 

The “good” that is promised isn’t about making our lives healthier or happier or easier.  In fact, the Word of God also promises that if you want to live a godly life in Christ you WILL suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). Literally, that means that person will be chased and pursued.  The spiritual warfare isn’t against people, but against the principalities, powers, the rulers of the present darkness in the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, i.e. the prince of the power of the air, Satan.  Do you want to live a godly life?  You’ve just invited Satan and his buds to bring it on.  And they WILL!!!!  You have just thrown down the gauntlet, so to speak.  “13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Timothy3:13). 

 

Brethren and Sistren, quit fighting against the evil men and seducers and take up the REAL  warfare of Ephesians 6.  You’re fighting a losing battle against the evil men and seducers.  They “SHALL wax worse and worse”, i.e. increase and prosper and continue their deceptions and being deceived.  THAT is also the Word of God!

 

The ONLY hope for you is to fulfill the conditions of Romans 8:28.  And so, I pray for you all that God will fulfill Colossians 1:9-17, all of it, and especially, “9 … that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding …” so that Romans 8:28 can be fulfilled in you and for you and through you.

 

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24-May-2014

A New Beginning

 

When something wonderful happens in our life, you want to tell other people about it! The new life Jesus has given you is the greatest story you can ever tell. Jesus commands us to tell others what He has done for us. So why do we make it so hard? You can learn to weave witnessing into your life. There are no boundaries, no age limit, no special place, and no magic formula. If you are a true believer, then this is your job.

 

Sometimes we are hesitant and unsure. We often overlook a person right before us who needs to know about God’s amazing grace. We make excuses, are afraid of saying the wrong thing, or fear we will fail. No excuse is acceptable; Jesus said to do it. The Bible tells us how and encourages us to make witnessing a part of our everyday lives. Here are five steps to help you get started:

 

1. Study the Scriptures - Memorize the ABCs of salvation: all have sinned (Rom. 3:23), believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30–31), and confess your sins (Rom. 10:9). Peter and John said, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). The best way to share Jesus is to make it personal. Tell others what He means to you and how He has changed your life.

 

2. Pray -  Ask God to give you someone tomorrow who needs to know about Him. James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” Ask, believing, and then watch for the one God will send.

 

3. Be keenly aware of all that is going on around you -  Approach people on their level of need. Jake was looking at Bibles in the local Christian bookstore when a woman asked him if he knew anything about a recovery Bible. She explained that her daughter was a recovering drug addict, and she wanted to give her a recovery Bible. He helped her find the Bible and then prayed with her for her daughter and for her own salvation.

 

4. Go with God - You are not alone. God said He would never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). A woman in a local department store was looking at CDs when the man beside her picked up a Jerry Clower CD and began to tell her about Jerry’s love for the Lord. As he shared about Jerry’s faith, he also told her about his faith. She said she was the only Christian in her family and life was often difficult for her. He called his wife over; they put their arms around her and prayed for her and her family right there in the store.

 

5. Trust God to give you the words to say - “You will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matt. 10:19–20). When it comes to being a witness, the only way you can fail is to not share Christ at all.