WE ARE THE WEIRD ONES!
As we look back at our studies in this book, we should have come to some very essential conclusions. Here are just a few:
(1) I MUST change! “If we don’t actually change, we deceive ourselves”
Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
(2) I am a Missionary! As a child of God I am “on mission” and need to keep this a priority in my life.
2 Corinthians 5:18 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,”
(3) We must change the way we look at “church”, a word not in the original text. We must see ourselves as the “called out” to be “sent out” if we are to be the faithful servants of God.
John 17:18 “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world”
(4) If we want to Experience God, we must share our Faith!
Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
Matthew 28:18-20 “18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Being able to verbalize what we have learned is one way to insure that we have actually internalized the true meaning of the message. Allowing children (and adults) to verbalize what they have learned is one way to evaluate our teaching methods. Parents should practice allowing their children to verbalize their understanding of the truth.
Being able to verbalize what we have learned is one way to insure that we have actually internalized the true meaning of the message. Allowing children (and adults) to verbalize what they have learned is one way to evaluate our teaching methods. Parents should practice allowing their children to verbalize their understanding of the truth.
PC3 2013 Christmas Card from PC3 Media on Vimeo.
(5) Courage and Humility Must Coexist (p. 254)
1 Peter 3:8 “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;”
James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Psalm 31:24 “Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the Lord.”
Philippians 1:14 “and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”
A TIMELY example of courage and Humility
Going Out of Business for Jesus by Mark Driscoll
Several high-profile discrimination cases around the world raise the question: Will 21st-century society honor the Christian’s conscience, or destroy the Christian’s livelihood?
Good luck building any Christian tribe on an invitation to suffer. Western Christians are, generally speaking, bad at suffering.
You can’t major in suffering at Bible college. Preachers are reticent to speak on it because people don’t want to hear about it.
God works through defeat.
Instead, we’d rather believe that faith is a stick and God is a piñata, and if we swing hard enough, health and wealth will come pouring down upon us.
We don’t want to hear that we have to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” and so we keep buying books and listening to teachers who promise to give us a map showing us how to walk around the valley of the shadow of death.
We don’t want to embrace suffering. We want to avoid it.
God’s will, we are wrongly told, involves blessing. Yet, we fail to accept that suffering for Jesus is a blessing.
Who or what we fear determines what we do and how we live. What are you fearful of? Rejection, criticism, mockery, conflict, hatred, loneliness, unemployment, poverty, a loss of status?
Pastor Doug Wilson once quipped:
“a great reformation and revival ... will happen the same way the early Christians conquered Rome. Their program of conquest consisted largely of two elements—gospel preaching and being eaten by lions—a strategy that has not yet captured the imagination of the contemporary church.”
Thrown to the critics.
Today, we are more likely to get thrown to the critics rather than the lions.
A number of high profile cases around the world will indicate whether 21st-century society will honor the Christian’s conscience, or destroy the Christian’s livelihood.
At this point, a favorable outcome only seems likely in the sense that we serve a God who works through hardship and defeat.
In the western United States, we’ve heard about the florist in Washington and the photographers in Albuquerque—all dealing with lawsuits after declining to participate in same-sex wedding ceremonies.
Those of us on this side of the pond may be less familiar with England’s Peter and Hazelmary Bull. Due to their Christian convictions, the elderly owners of a small bed-and-breakfast in Cornwall will only allow married couples to rent rooms with double beds.
This policy became a problem five years ago when the Bulls turned away a gay couple, who responded with legal action. The case is now headed to the British Supreme Court, but too late to save the Chymorvah Hotel. The Independent reports that the guesthouse went up for sale after vandalism and death threats started taking a toll on Peter and Hazelmary.
Thrust into the spotlight of public scrutiny (and scorn), the Bulls appeared on British national television to face a furious line of questioning from a pair of morning talk show hosts.
Watch as this dear grandmother puts most evangelicals to shame with her gracious but courageous responses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4a3814MC8Q
A chance to bear witness.
Somehow, the myth has gotten around that if something is difficult or if we encounter opposition, it must not be God’s will. God’s will, we are wrongly told, involves blessing.
Yet we fail to accept that suffering for Jesus is a blessing.
We serve a God who works through hardship and defeat.
Through Christ, God identified with us and suffered for us in order to save us. In turn, we identify with him and suffer for him in hopes of glorifying him and sharing his salvation with others.
Jesus tells his disciples to expect this kind of opportunity in opposition. In Luke 21:12–13, he says:
They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.
Christians will have more and more chances to “bear witness” through hardship in the coming years, I am certain.
I praise God that Peter and Hazelmary Bull have provided an example of what faithful witness looks like in our context today. As Hazelmary said, “God demands that our faith doesn’t end at the kitchen door. He means for your faith to run in every corner of your life.”
Please pray for this couple, and for the millions who will hear about Jesus through their story.
And get used to hearing a lot more stories like it!
(6) We are in a battle with Satan, not other seekers. To survive this battle there must be a unity through the Spirit in a bond of peace and love. God’s power is given to those who fully trust Him by walking in faith, without sight, towards His vision. This is very difficult for us because we fear suffering and uncertainty. This is a reflection of our lack of trust and faith. Our prayer should be that when we encounter the battle we have the courage and humility to work the works of God.
2 Timothy 1:7-8 “7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”
Would you have stood up to A&E? How will your children stand in the world they will be living in?
Would you have stood up to A&E? How will your children stand in the world they will be living in?
Video: God with Us! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvau2wd7SXk
We can be humble and courageous because God is With Us!
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