Monday, May 31, 2021

Did You Know God Gifted You?

 

PRAY OVER THIS


But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:7

 

READ THIS


God has given you a spiritual gift. Do you see the word “grace” in today’s verse? It’s the Greek word charis. This is the word that we get our word charismatic from. You have a charismatic gift. Did you know that you’re a charismatic person? Well, you say, “I’m not charismatic.” Don’t think by charismatic that we mean somebody who has a great smile, a firm handshake, and the ability to speak well. We say, “Well, that man is charismatic. He’d make a good politician.” That’s a corruption of the word charismatic. The word charismatic merely means a person who has been gifted by grace.


Now, God has given you a grace gift; therefore, do not insult God by saying God cannot use you. In the Church, there can be no inferiority; there can be no superiority. We are what we are by the gift of God.


CONSIDER THIS


Do you know your spiritual gift(s)? If not, how might you find out?

How are you encouraged by the fact that spiritual gifts are given by God and not based on human talent or anything else?


DO THIS


Make sure you know your spiritual gifts. If you don’t, look up an assessment that can help you determine what gifts God has given you. 



LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Gain of Serving God


“They shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.” (2 Chronicles 12:8)


Serving God is utterly different from serving anyone else.


God is extremely jealous that we understand this — and enjoy it. For example, he commands us, “Serve the Lord with gladness!” (Psalm 100:2). There is a reason for this gladness. It is given in Acts 17:25. God is not “served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”


We serve him with gladness because we do not bear the burden of meeting his needs. He has no needs. So, serving him can’t mean meeting his needs. Instead we rejoice in a service where he meets our needs. Serving God always means receiving grace from God to do what we have to do.


To show how jealous God is for us to understand this, and glory in it, there is a story in 2 Chronicles 12. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who ruled the southern kingdom after the revolt of the ten tribes, chose against serving the Lord and gave his service to other gods and other kingdoms.


As judgment, God sent Shishak, the king of Egypt, against Rehoboam with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen (2 Chronicles 12:2–3).


In mercy God sent the prophet Shemaiah to Rehoboam with this message: “Thus says the Lord, ‘You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak’” (2 Chronicles 12:5). The happy upshot of that message is that Rehoboam and his princes humbled themselves in repentance and said, “The Lord is righteous” (2 Chronicles 12:6).


When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, he said, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak” (2 Chronicles 12:7). But as a discipline to them he says, “They shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries” (2 Chronicles 12:8).


The point is plain: serving the enemy and serving God are very different. How so? Serving God is a receiving and a blessing and a joy and a benefit. Serving Shishak is exhausting and depleting and sorrowful. God is a giver. Shishak is a taker.


This is why I am so jealous to say that the worship of Sunday morning and the worship of daily obedience is not at bottom a burdensome giving to God, but a joyful getting from God. That is the true service that God demands. In all you do, trust me as the giver.



John Piper 

Bible Study


1 Corinthians 12:7-14


[7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.


[12] For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. [13] For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.


[14] For the body does not consist of one member but of many.


Romans 12:3


[3] For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.


Ephesians 4:15-16


[15] Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Lion of Judah


Genesis 49:8-12


    [8] “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;

        your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

        your father’s sons shall bow down before you. 

    [9] Judah is a lion’s cub;

        from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

    He stooped down; he crouched as a lion

        and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 

    [10] The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

        nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

    until tribute comes to him;

        and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 

    [11] Binding his foal to the vine

        and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,

    he has washed his garments in wine

        and his vesture in the blood of grapes. 

    [12] His eyes are darker than wine,

        and his teeth whiter than milk.


Genesis 3:11-15


[11] He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” [12] The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” [13] Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”


[14] The LORD God said to the serpent, 


    “Because you have done this,

        cursed are you above all livestock

        and above all beasts of the field;

    on your belly you shall go,

        and dust you shall eat

        all the days of your life. 

    [15] I will put enmity between you and the woman,

        and between your offspring and her offspring;

    he shall bruise your head,

        and you shall bruise his heel.”


Hebrews 7:14-25


[14] For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.


[15] This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, [16] who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. [17] For it is witnessed of him, 


    “You are a priest forever,

        after the order of Melchizedek.”


    [18] For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness [19] (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.


[20] And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, [21] but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: 


    “The Lord has sworn

        and will not change his mind,

    ‘You are a priest forever.’”


    [22] This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.


[23] The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, [24] but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. [25] Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.


Revelation 5:2-14


[2] And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” [3] And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, [4] and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. [5] And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”


[6] And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. [7] And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. [8] And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. [9] And they sang a new song, saying, 


    “Worthy are you to take the scroll

        and to open its seals,

    for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

        from every tribe and language and people and nation, 

    [10] and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

        and they shall reign on the earth.”


    [11] Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, [12] saying with a loud voice, 


    “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

    and honor and glory and blessing!”


    [13] And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 


    “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

    be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”


    [14] And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Are You Sowing the Seed?

PRAY OVER THIS


“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” Mark 4:3-8


 

READ THIS


In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus gave a parable of a sower. And as he scattered the seed out of his basket, some fell by the wayside; that is, the soil was hard, and the seed couldn’t get in. Other seed fell on stony ground. It got in but it couldn’t get down because beneath the soil in the subsurface was a rocky ledge. Other seed fell among thorns and it sprouted, but then the weeds and the briars came and choked it out. But some seed fell on good ground and brought forth fruit. It’s not our job to analyze the soil; it’s our job to sow the seed. In this parable, the sower was Jesus Christ Himself. And He didn’t say, “Well, that’s bad soil. I won’t put any seed on it,” or, “that’s rocky soil,” or, “there are thorns.” He just sowed the seed.


Likewise, we are called to just sow the seed. Everywhere we go, just sow the seed. It is God that gives the increase. We can’t make the seed grow, but we can sow the seed.


CONSIDER THIS


How faithful are you to sow the seed of the Gospel?

What are some ways you are prone to judge whether a person will receive the seed or not? How does today’s passage challenge that idea?


DO THIS


Sow the seed of the Gospel by sharing about Jesus with one person this week.


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Something to Boast About


By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)


The New Testament correlates faith and grace to make sure that we do not boast in what grace alone achieves.


One of the most familiar examples is Ephesians 2:8. By grace, through faith. There’s the correlation that guards the freedom of grace. By grace, through faith.


Faith is the act of our soul that turns away from our own insufficiency to the free and all-sufficient resources of God. Faith focuses on the freedom of God to dispense grace to the unworthy. It banks on the bounty of God.


Therefore faith, by its very nature, nullifies boasting and fits with grace. Wherever faith looks, it sees grace behind every praiseworthy act. So it cannot boast, except in the Lord. The author of grace.


So Paul, after saying that salvation is by grace through faith, says, “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Faith cannot boast in human goodness or competence or wisdom, because faith focuses on the free, all-supplying grace of God. Whatever goodness faith sees, it sees as the fruit of grace.


When it looks at our “wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,” it says, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30–31).



John Piper 

Bible Study


Revelation 5:12-14


[12] saying with a loud voice, 


    “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

    and honor and glory and blessing!”


    [13] And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 


    “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

    be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”


    [14] And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.


Psalm 145:21


    [21] My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,

        and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.


Psalm 150:6


    [6] Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

    Praise the LORD!


Saturday, May 29, 2021

All Souls Are Valuable


PRAY OVER THIS


For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Mark 8:36

 

READ THIS


A soul is valuable not only because of desirability, but it’s valuable because of durability. What is going to last forever? Buildings are not going to last forever. The clothes we wear are going to disintegrate. Gold and silver will not last. What will last forever? A soul! When God made the human soul, God made it in His own image, and our souls could never cease to exist, any more than God could cease to exist. Our souls will go on—endless, timeless, dateless, and measureless. When the sun, moon, and stars have grown cold, our souls will still be in existence. There was a time when we were not. There never will be a time when we are not. Our souls will exist forever, either in Heaven or in Hell.


The people around us are the most sacred things we will ever see on this Earth apart from the face of Jesus when He comes. There’s nothing more sacred than a soul made in the image and the likeness of God. Think that the person next to you has the potential of being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, or the horrible potential of spending an eternity in the very pits of Hell.


CONSIDER THIS


How often do you take time to consider the value of a soul—yours or those around you?

How might you seek a more godly perspective on the value of the souls of those you meet each day?


DO THIS


Work to memorize today’s verse to use as a daily reminder of the worth of a soul.



LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

When God Goes Against His Will

But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. (1 Samuel 2:25)


The sons of Eli the priest would not obey their father when he rebuked them for their sin. There are three implications of this text for our lives.


1) It is possible to sin so long and so grievously that the Lord will not grant repentance.


That is why Paul said that after all our pleading and teaching, “God may perhaps grant them repentance” — not, “will grant them repentance” (2 Timothy 2:25). There is a “too late” in the life of sin. As it says of Esau in Hebrews 12:17, “He found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” He was forsaken; he could not repent.


This does not mean that those who truly repent even after a whole lifetime of sinning cannot be saved. They certainly can be, and will be! God is staggeringly merciful. Remember the thief on the cross. Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).


2) Sometimes God does not permit a sinning person to do what is right.


“But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.” Listening to the voice of their father was the right thing to do. But they would not. Why? “For it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.”


The reason given for why they did not obey their father was that God had other purposes for them, and had given them up to sinning and death. This shows that there are times when the will of God’s decree is different from the revealed will of God’s command.


3) Sometimes our prayers for God’s revealed will to be done will not be done because God has decreed something different for holy and wise purposes.


I suppose that Eli prayed for his sons to be changed. That is how he should have prayed. But God had decreed that Hophni and Phinehas not obey, but rather be slain.


When something like this happens (which we do not ordinarily know ahead of time) while we are crying out to God for change, the answer of God is not: “I don’t love you.” Rather the answer is: “I have wise and holy purposes in not overcoming this sin and not granting repentance. You do not see these purposes now. Trust me. I know what I am doing. I love you.”


John Piper 

Bible Study

Mark 9:40


[40] For the one who is not against us is for us.


Matthew 12:30


[30] Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.


Luke 11:23


[23] Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.


Matthew 12:31-32


[31] Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. [32] And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Evil Is the Absence of God


2 Thessalonians 1:7-9


[7] and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels [8] in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,


Matthew 10:28


[28] And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.


Matthew 25:46


[46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”


Revelation 14:9-11


[9] And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, [10] he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. [11] And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”


Mark 9:43-48


[43] And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. [45] And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. [47] And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, [48] ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’


Friday, May 28, 2021

Being Good Stewards Part II


PRAY OVER THIS


“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” Malachi 3:8

 

READ THIS


Yesterday, we looked at part one of the stewardship principle, today we will consider part two.


God is not raising money; God is growing Christians. God wants us to grow in grace and knowledge and to love Him.


By biblical definition, tithing is ten percent given to the temple of God (church), for the work of the temple. Giving to charities or ministries is good, but it is not a replacement for our tithes.


When we learn to give back to God freely, there will be a spiritual renewal. God will renew our faith, rebuke our foes, and restore our fruitfulness. Our offerings are like seeds for a crop—when we sow bountifully, we will reap bountifully.


CONSIDER THIS


In what way is giving to the Church like sowing a crop?

How does the way we spend our money impact our spiritual growth? Think of some examples.


DO THIS


This week, take time to consider how you regularly give to the church. Is there anything that needs to change?


LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Payout for Patience


“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” (Genesis 50:20)


The story of Joseph in Genesis 37–50 is a great lesson in why we should have faith in the sovereign, future grace of God.


Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, which must have tested his patience tremendously. But he is given a good job in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. Then, when he is acting uprightly in the unplanned place of obedience, Potiphar’s wife lies about his integrity and has him thrown into prison — another great trial to his patience.


But again things turn for the better, and the prison keeper gives him responsibility and respect. But just when he thinks he is about to get a reprieve from Pharaoh’s cupbearer, whose dream he interpreted, the cupbearer forgets him for two more years. Another painful trial to his patience.


Finally, the meaning of all these detours and delays becomes clear. Joseph is raised up to be the leader of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. He ends up saving from starvation the very brothers who sold him into slavery. Joseph says to his long-estranged brothers, “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. . . . As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive” (Genesis 45:7; 50:20).


What would have been the key to patience for Joseph during all those long years of exile and abuse? The answer is: faith in God’s sovereign, future grace — the sovereign grace of God to turn the unplanned place and the unplanned pace into the happiest ending imaginable.


That’s the key to our patience as well. Do we believe that God is working for us in the strangest and most painful turns of our lives?


John Piper 

Bible Study


Acts 15:17-19


    [17] that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,

        and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,

         says the Lord, who makes these things  [18] known from of old.’


    [19] Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,


Romans 9:25-33


[25] As indeed he says in Hosea, 


    “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’

        and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 

    [26] “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’

        there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”


    [27] And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, [28] for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” [29] And as Isaiah predicted, 


    “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,

        we would have been like Sodom

        and become like Gomorrah.”


    [30] What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; [31] but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. [32] Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, [33] as it is written, 


    “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;

        and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”


Ezekiel 9:4-11


[4] And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.” [5] And to the others he said in my hearing, “Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. [6] Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. [7] Then he said to them, “Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out.” So they went out and struck in the city. [8] And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon my face, and cried, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”


[9] Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.’ [10] As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”


[11] And behold, the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”


Romans 11:5-6


[5] So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. [6] But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Being Good Stewards | Part I


PRAY OVER THIS


“Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’” Malachi 3:7

 

READ THIS


At its core definition, stewardship is our relationship with money: how we obtain, save, invest, spend, and give our wealth. God is interested in this relationship, as is Satan—our enemy who would love to keep us in financial bondage.


If money increases our worries, or if we have plenty in the bank but we have no treasure in Heaven, we are in financial bondage. We all want to be free from the curse of debt, but freedom is only found when we are faithful in stewardship.


In order to obtain financial freedom, we must first personally return to God; He does not need our money, but He wants our fellowship. When we remember tithing is God’s way of revealing our priorities to ourselves, we will see tithing as a great blessing. It is our privilege to show God that He is first in our lives and everything else is second.


CONSIDER THIS


Why might Satan be interested in how we spend our money?

How can we bring God glory in the way we spend our money?


DO THIS


Do something concrete regarding your giving this week to show that God is your first priority.



LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Authentic vs. Phony Faith

Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)


The question before us all is: Are we included in the “many” whose sins Christ bore? And will we be saved at his second coming?


The answer of Hebrews 9:28 is, “Yes,” if we are “eagerly waiting for him.” We can know that our sins are taken away and that we will be safe in the judgment, if we trust Christ in such a way that it makes us eager for his coming.


There is a phony faith that claims to believe in Christ, but is only a fire insurance policy. Phony faith “believes” only to escape hell. It has no real desire for Christ. In fact, it would prefer if he did not come, so that we can have as much of this world’s pleasures as possible. This shows that a heart is not with Christ, but with the world.


So, the issue for us is: Do we eagerly long for the coming of Christ? Or do we want him to stay away, while our love affair with the world runs its course? That is the question that tests the authenticity of faith.


Let us be like the Corinthians as we “wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7), and like the Philippians whose “citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).


That’s the issue for us. Do we love his appearing? Or do we love the world and hope that his appearing will not interrupt our plans? Eternity hangs on this question.



John Piper 

Bible Study


Ephesians 2:19-22


[19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [22] In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.


Acts 1:11


[11] and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”


1 Corinthians 1:6-9


[6] even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—[7] so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, [8] who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.


Philippians 3:20-21


[20] But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.


Wednesday, May 26, 2021

The Priority of Evangelism


PRAY OVER THIS


Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6

 

READ THIS


The wisest thing we could do in the eyes of God is to remain faithful in evangelism. The soul is of great worth; Jesus died upon the cross, paying the price with His blood and agony to show how much He desired our souls.


Our souls are also valuable because of their durability. When God made the human soul, He made it in His own image, therefore, it is endless, timeless, dateless, and measureless.


Every soul has the potential to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ or to spend eternity in the pits of Hell.


We would be wise to evangelize because it is the command of Christ. We remember that we are programmed to go forth (Psalm 126:6); nothing takes the place of going. It’s not enough to “live good lives,” because our lives are not what save souls—salvation through Jesus’s death and resurrection is what saves souls.


CONSIDER THIS


What stops you from going to others with the good news of the Gospel?

How does it change your perspective on evangelism to remember that every person is made in the image of God and will spend eternity either with God or in Hell?


DO THIS


Ask God who He is calling to you to go to this week. How will you live out that call?



LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers