Category Archives: Share the Good News

Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Persecution / Glorifying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News, Study the Word

Walk In The Light

Yeshua is the Light. He came to show us how we should live in relationship with the Father. He came to die for our sins so we may be reconciled with the Father. He came in order that the Father’s purpose would be fulfilled. Let us seek to walk in the Light. Seek out and understand what Yeshua taught and how He lived.

Let us pray that the Lord would give each of us and others we pray for eyes to see and a heart that is not hardened, that we may receive the message of truth and not a corrupted version of it.

Let us challenge ourselves that if we truly believe in Him, we do not keep it a secret. May we never love the approval of men more than the approval of the Father. It is a harder thing than we would like to admit. The approval of men is vivid and immediate around us in our lives. The approval of the Father is sometimes not immediately visible, especially if we face persecution. However, pray that He would strengthen you and that you would live for Him and His approval rather than that of man.

John 12:27-50

Jesus Foretells His Death

     27“Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28“Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. 31“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” 33But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. 34The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36“While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”
These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them. 37But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. 38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?” 39For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40“HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.” 41These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. 42Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

      44And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45“He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. 46“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. 47“If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48“He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. 49“For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. 50“I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”

Do not be quick to say to yourself, “I walk in the Light” or “I never seek approval of man over the Father”. Instead, pray for wisdom and clarity. Ask the Lord to show you if there are areas in your life where you are doing so.

If we walk in the Light, then we should be seeking the Light more and more, studying, discerning and continuing to learn and change our behavior and attitudes. Who among us would claim we know the Lord fully? We are walking fully and completely with Him in our lives? If we are not, but we seek to walk in the Light, then we should be continuing to study and learn and change our behavior to be more and more in line with Christ. Our attitudes should be changing. Many have found a “comfortable” lifestyle where they have settled in, complacent to accept that this is the way to live in relation with Christ. We should be continuing to learn and change as our understanding grows.

If we truly seek the approval of the Father over that of man, then we should be continuing to experience some form of confrontation or adversity. If we boldly live for Christ, and there are many who stand against Him, or even stand in His name but are living such that they are clearly far from Him, we should be encountering some conflict. If we are encountering no conflict as we live out our faith, even with other church members, we must ask ourselves if we really are living for Christ boldly as a light or if we are blending in with others around us into the darkness. Are we only hanging out with those who agree with us or are we presenting Christ  and our full understanding of Him to others who do not agree? If we are to make disciples, we must bring the truth of His word to bear even for those who may not seek to hear it. We saw this in Yeshua’s ministry clearly. Some accepted. Some rejected.

With help from the Father, what changes do you need to make in your life to walk closer with our Lord?

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Anger (unrighteous anger), Bitterness / Resentment, Complaining, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Family, Persecution / Glorifying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News, Study the Word, Unteachable / Foolish, Wickedness / Evil, Wise, Worldliness

To Stand Boldly With and For Christ Means Others Will Come Against You

Today we are digging in a bit deeper into John 7. In a previous article, we highlighted that Yeshua was documented as participating in the appointed times of YHWH as laid out in Leviticus 23, in this case Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. Though this has largely been dropped from mainstream Christianity, those who seek truth by following Christ’s example should study more and consider participating in the appointed times as Yeshua did. My family has been doing so for years now and it is very rewarding, though a bit awkward as you get started.

There are a few main points I want to highlight as we dive a bit deeper into the beginning of John 7.

  • For those facing persecution for their faith in Christ, note that Christ in this chapter also chose the time and place for His teaching. He knew there were those who wanted to harm him. He was clearly actively proclaiming the truth of the gospel, but did so strategically and at times remained private or hidden. We should take care not to use this as an excuse to avoid standing for YHWH. Clearly Yeshua proclaimed His ways publicly.
  • For many of us who come to know Christ and then proclaim the truth of His message, the fullness of His instruction, our own families and friends may reject us. It is uncomfortable for many who claim to follow Christ, and perhaps genuinely do, to accept that much of what the church has taught them is wrong and they should change based on study of the whole word of YHWH, the whole Bible. The appointed times are a great example. You will face resistance and discouragement from some for pursuing the same celebrations of YHWH that Yeshua participated in just because they are not wanting to face the change themselves. Do not be discouraged. For Yeshua, even His own brothers were not believing in Him.
  • Do not fear rejection. Ask YHWH for the grace to accept and deal with it, as Christ did. The world will hate us, as it did Yeshua, if we testify that their deeds are evil. You can see it plainly today. If you share with someone the love of Christ for unborn children and the fact that abortion is offensive to YHWH and should be to us… you will be likely scorned by half the population not just as “disagreeing” but labeled all sorts of mean and nasty things. They will say you hate women and such. None the less, we must stand up for the ways of YHWH as Christ did.
  • If we teach the full word of YHWH it will be different from what most Christians are now accustomed to. Many ignore Sabbath. Those that don’t, celebrate on Sunday instead of Saturday (as Christ and His disciples did), gluttony is a significant problem in our culture but it is taboo to say anything, sexual relations outside of a husband and wife relationship are out of control in society, and coveting is practically a national pastime more than baseball. Our society does not accept rebuke or correction, each claiming offense if someone tries to point out where they may be in need of repentance.  People don’t like change and they like admitting they are wrong even less. Though some people will agree with you and say good things, so too will many disagree with you, grumble and say bad things about you… as they did Yeshua. Be prepared for this and ask YHWH to help you with it.

You can not preach the truth of the gospel without offending those who reject it or accept only parts of it. To stand boldly for Christ means others will come against you. If no one is coming against you, you may want to reflect if you are really living and speaking boldly for Christ in your daily life and if you are doing so to those that do not necessarily already agree with you.

John 7:1-13

Jesus Teaches at the Feast

     1After these things Jesus was walking in Galilee, for He was unwilling to walk in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill Him. 2Now the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was near. 3Therefore His brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may see Your works which You are doing. 4“For no one does anything in secret when he himself seeks to be known publicly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” 5For not even His brothers were believing in Him. 6So Jesus said to them, “My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. 7“The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil. 8“Go up to the feast yourselves; I do not go up to this feast because My time has not yet fully come.” 9Having said these things to them, He stayed in Galilee.

      10But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. 11So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, “Where is He?” 12There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.” 13Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Share the Good News

The Spirit, Not Our Persuasion, Will Draw His Chosen To Him

Yeshua was not afraid to teach boldly. He did not hesitate to confront people with the truth in uncomfortable ways. He spoke with power and authority and let those who refused to accept make their choice. Too often today we think in church or personal outreach we must be incredibly sensitive in how we teach and share the message of Christ. We fear we may offend someone and then they will not receive the message. Up to a certain point, this is true and we can be thoughtful about how we share the message. However, there are many occasions today where churches have so watered down the gospel to avoid offending people, that they must surely be offending God instead.

John 6:41-58

Words to the Jews

      41Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” 42They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45“It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46“Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48“I am the bread of life. 49“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50“This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51“I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

      52Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” 53So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55“For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58“This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

Many churches are actively redefining or rejecting Biblical truths that make people uncomfortable. Many individuals do the same. They avoid confrontational passages of scripture, such as sharing scripture about homosexuality being an abomination to God, because they fear offending someone. If we as believers will not boldly stand for the word of God, than how shall the lost find their way?

Let us not be afraid to share God’s word directly and without watering it down to make people feel better.  We can do so with gentleness and respect, but also boldness. The Father is the one who woos and draws people to Himself through the Holy Spirit. When He is at work, we need to be sharing the full truth with these people. When He is not at work, providing a watered down, feel good, version of scripture will not help anyone anyway. It is not our job to rationally convince someone based on logic that the gospel is true. We are to pray for people, release the gospel message in its power, and let the Spirit work.

44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Share the Good News

My Food Is To Do The Will Of Him Who Sent Me

Imagine if we were to follow the lead of Yeshua and act as if doing the will of YHWH was food to us! We would be focused on it multiple times a day. We would not miss many chances to serve Him. I pray the Lord empresses upon me this same view, deep in my soul… that serving Him is like eating… essential to my daily walk through life.

John 4:31-38

    31Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” 34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. 35“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36“Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37“For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38“I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

Let us also not get hung up on who gets the credit for spreading the gospel. Let us give all the glory to YHWH! Some will sow, others will reap. We have different roles, but all are important. Let us go and do the will of the Lord as if it were the very food we need to survive daily.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News

An Unlikely Audience

Yeshua was willing to go through Samaria (Jews generally avoided dealings with Samaritans) and stop and talk with someone that Jews did not typically associate with. This was intentional, not accidental. He knew what He was doing and what would happen next. He chose to reach out to people who Jews generally avoided.

He started a conversation about something very basic, a drink of water, but quickly transitioned into sharing the truth that He is the anticipated Messiah, son of YHWH. He started with a metaphor about thirst and painted the picture of how accepting Christ as Lord satisfies us permanently, like living water. It is a great example of how we may engage someone to speak of Yeshua and how He has transformed our life. We may begin perhaps without a full theology lesson and start with the human aspect of how it affects our lives and will affect theirs should they choose to follow Him. Yeshua also demonstrates sharing truth with those whom we may not normally expect will be open to hear it, those who many Christians may often avoid talking to.

John 4:1-30

Jesus Goes to Galilee

      1Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2(although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. 4And He had to pass through Samaria. 5So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

The Woman of Samaria

      7There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.9Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12“You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” 13Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

      15The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” 16He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” 19The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

      27At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” 28So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, 29“Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” 30They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

Let not overlook, however, that this should not be the end of the journey toward Christ for this woman. She told others and they came to Yeshua. It is easy to conclude that He continued to teach them as they came. Further, for those who truly accept Him as Lord, they will want to learn more and understand more over time in their new walk with Him. To stop seeking Him after only declaring you will follow Him (as if all were complete and finished at this point) would be folly. It would be like starting a long journey to a wonderful destination by opening a gate that leads to the path, and then sitting down at that point inside the gate and never going any farther. We must seek to know, love, and serve Him more as we continue forward.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News

Are We To Light A Lamp And Put It Under A Basket?

Are we to light a lamp only to put it under a basket? Then what is the point? Similarly, are we to follow Christ, but hide it from others and declare it a “personal” faith? or are we to publicly proclaim the name of Yeshua as Messiah, even if it offends some.

If we take  a few minutes to consider the beginning of Yeshua’s public ministry, we will quickly confirm some things we should already know. The worldly would increasingly have us believe that our faith is private, not to be shared at our jobs or in government or schools. This is all made up, of course, as our country was founded on Christianity and there is no such thing as “separation of church and state” in our founding documents. Bible verses for a long time were part of the books that were used to teach kids how to read. (For more on this,  I recommend investing in The Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America’s Christian Heritage and its sequel, America’s Most Pressing Concern. I have them in DVD format.)

We can see from Yeshua’s early ministry that it starts with those who believe pointing to Christ and inviting others to join them. No one is forced. Many reject but some accept and follow and produce much fruit. I love how John the Baptist was not concerned with losing his own followers and just pointed to Yeshua as Messiah. Then Andrew went and reached out to his brother. Yeshua invited some. A private faith is not what Yeshua calls us towards. Yeshua wants us to openly and publicly follow Him and invite others to do so as well.

John 1:35-51

Jesus’ Public Ministry, First Converts 

      35Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). 42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

      43The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”47Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Pray and reflect on your life and habits. Are you keeping your faith to yourself? or sharing it through actions and words to point to Yeshua as Messiah? We are to be a light to others who are lost, even if we may offend some by following Christ and talking about it. Do not let society pressure you into putting a basket over your light so no one can tell. Let your light shine bright and be lifted up in the midst of the darkness.

Matthew 5:14-16

  14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Government, Interceding for Others, Share the Good News

A Call To Prayer For Our Nation

There is a battle going on for our nation and for nations around the world. It is not always fought with military. Often it is fought through politics. There are many who want to keep leading our country farther and farther away from a Christian worldview. They want to demonize people who live out their faith by suing them (e.g. bakers, florists, artists). They want to create rights for people who are struggling with their sexual identity while stripping rights away from Christians who want to live according to YHWH’s word. They want to fight for the right to provide free abortion to kill children while decrying that any who oppose abortion are against women. This is nonsense. It is lies. Half the children killed would grow into women.

We see this battle playing out in politics. There is a push to make government the sole provider and master of all things instead of YHWH. The government should determine what healthcare and education you get. The government should take your money and decide whom to give it to. Instead of equality of opportunity, they want to claim equality of outcomes. There will never be an end to it. We need only look to countries like China or Russia to see how the government, once established with enough power, will continue to persecute and scatter those who follow Christ or try to control them.

At this point, the odds are stacked against the righteous in terms of the power of the government, the way in which education has been stripped of God and Biblical focus and replaced with a secular worldview, the way in which traditional mainstream news media have a clear bias in reporting (as well as new media like major social media platforms), the way in which pastors are silenced on politics under threat by the IRS to revoke non profit status, and these are just some examples. For those who deny Christ, there is no concept of “fair play” or true right and wrong. They constantly redefine what is right and wrong to suit their purpose.

But take heart, that if we are on the Lord’s side, than we have all we need. If we are to follow Christ, we must actively stand up and stand against evil. We must influence others. We must vote. We must not believe the lie that we are to separate our faith from our government. Our government was founded based on faith in YHWH through Christ. We must recognize that this is a spiritual battle for our country as well. We must not remain neutral, but rather based on God’s word get involved despite any persecution we may face.

More than anything we must humble ourselves and pray. Let us repent from sin, rededicate ourselves to the Lord, and pray for Him to bring our nation back to righteousness. Pray that He would defeat the plans of the evil and raise up righteous leaders across our nation in government and in churches and in education and in the news.  Let us pray for our nation in this battle between evil and righteousness as David prayed for Himself in similar situations he faced.

Psalm 7 

The LORD Implored to Defend the Psalmist against the Wicked.

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

     1O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge;
Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,

      2Or he will tear my soul like a lion,
Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.

      3O LORD my God, if I have done this,
If there is injustice in my hands,

      4If I have rewarded evil to my friend,
Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary,

      5Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it;
And let him trample my life down to the ground
And lay my glory in the dust.

Selah.

      6Arise, O LORD, in Your anger;
Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries,
And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.

      7Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You,
And over them return on high.

      8The LORD judges the peoples;
Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.

      9O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.

      10My shield is with God,
Who saves the upright in heart.

      11God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.

      12If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.

      13He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts.

      14Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.

      15He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has fallen into the hole which he made.

      16His mischief will return upon his own head,
And his violence will descend upon his own pate.

      17I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Pray for our president and congress. Pray for those in the judiciary to be guided by godly principles consistent with our Constitution as written, not as changed to imply what others today want it to say. Pray for local and state officials. Influence others. Do not remain silent. Vote. Continue praying. Let us take action to help bring about a return of our nation to righteousness and away from darkness.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Grace / Patience, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News, Wise

Conduct Yourself With Wisdom Toward Outsiders

I remember back when I thought I was a Christian, but was really only a churchgoer. I did not know Christ personally, but only knew of Him. (Even Satan knows Christ.) I recall vividly when a person whom I did not know well decided to engage me with the words “I have the words to save you.” This was entirely ineffective and, in fact, ended any chance of my listening to what he had to say. It was not helpful.

I pray for YHWH to help me conduct myself with wisdom toward non believers (and believers). I pray He would help direct my speech to be productive and impactful… engaging effectively while still staying true to YHWH’s word. Let us not miss also that Paul highlights the fact that each person may respond better to a different approach. It is not “one size fits” all.

Colossians 4:5-6

   5Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Paul was very good at engaging people effectively. He could address Jews or Gentiles. When he went to Greece, he did not start by calling them all pagans who are going to hell, but rather started by calling them “very religious”. He looked for a connection to meet them where they were without compromising the message of the gospel. His sermon on Mars Hill was a great example of successful engagement with those who do not know Christ.

Acts 17:22-34

Sermon on Mars Hill

      22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

      32Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.” 33So Paul went out of their midst. 34But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Mockers, Purposeful / Intentional, Share the Good News, Worldliness

Whom Will You Choose?

We all must decide in our lives… whom will we choose? Will we choose to follow the crowd or will we choose Christ? The crowd will demand we reject Christ.  Even in many churches today, the members do not live according to the word of God. They live more by the laws of man than those of God.  There are an absurd number of churches that can’t figure out if God changed His mind on homosexuality because some mortal judges passed a court ruling by one vote. They pursue the ways of men rather than those of God.

Often the seeming easy route, the route to be praised and accepted by men, will lead away from God. Perhaps it is subtle sometimes and often not subtle at all. The crowd will not draw you toward God. We must seek personal holiness and a relationship with our Father in heaven. We must pray, worship, and study. We must ask for the Spirit to lead us and be willing to obey and follow, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable. Then perhaps we may be ready and willing to stand for Christ when all others around us call out to crucify Him.

Luke 23:13-25

Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release

     13Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. 15“No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. 16“Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 17[Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

      18But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” 19(He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) 20Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, 21but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 22And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 23But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. 24And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. 25And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Jesus chose obedience to the Father. Jesus chose to die for our sins so we may be forgiven. Whom will you choose? Decide ahead of time or you will likely fail when the situation is difficult around you.  Start by asserting yourself for Christ in small ways at first to gain confidence if you find that helpful. Take small steps until you are ready to take bigger ones. Pray for God to help you be bold for Him.

Keep in mind that in some cases you will not face an angry mob. You may face coworkers or friends at the coffee bar or in the office kitchen or at lunch. They may just be speaking against Christ and how He calls us to live in seemingly small ways. Will you stand up for Christ?

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Self Control, Share the Good News

Will You Stand With Christ In Conflict With Man?

We all have days where we fail in our pursuit of living for Christ. Peter boasted that he would face death and not deny Christ, but quickly found out that is easier said than done. Christ knew Peter would fail, and told him so, but still loved Peter.

Luke 22:54-65

Jesus’ Arrest

     54Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. 55After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. 56And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 57But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 58A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” 60But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62And he went out and wept bitterly.

      63Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, 64and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” 65And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.

Let us indeed seek to be bold like Peter in our pursuit of living for Christ, but let us also seek humility and ask the Spirit for His grace to support and guide us. Keep in mind, the others had not even followed as far as Peter. Peter was in this position only because of his passion to support Christ and his boldness. We may not be in the same position as Peter, but we will face times where we either stand up for Christ amongst others who reject or deny Him or we don’t. We either make choices to live our lives in a way that is consistent with His instruction or we don’t. There is no middle ground. There is no “private” Christianity that we keep completely to ourselves.  When we stand for Christ, people may and often will make us feel uncomfortable or outright confront us.

We are also reminded we should not expect good treatment from those who reject Christ. If they treated Christ in this way, and He is infinitely better than us, then how shall they treat us?

Be prepared to face challenges in this world if you choose to live for Christ. When you fail, get back up again and ask forgiveness, pray again for help from the Spirit, and continue in your pursuit of living for Christ.

Decide ahead of time, will you stand with Christ in conflict with man?

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.