Sharing Jesus with Our Country

PRAY OVER THIS

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15

 

PONDER THIS

We are called to preach to the people in our country. God’s people dare not be silent. We dare not identify the Christian faith with the Democrat or the Republican Party. We need to be free to tell people in both parties to repent and get right with God.

We should be civil, but we can’t be silent. Nathan warned David. Elijah preached to Ahab. Eleazar warned Jehoshaphat. Daniel preached to Nebuchadnezzar. Moses warned Pharaoh. John the Baptist preached to Herod.

Would you pray for the people in America right now? And remember when you’re praying for those in America, you’re praying for yourself too. Lord, help us, we deserve judgment, but we need mercy. Bring people in this nation to You.

Whether America survives or not, there is another kingdom and another King. His name is Jesus. And you need to render to God the things that are God’s. Your life belongs to God, and you need to give it back to Him. Jesus died for you on the cross. You are invited to live reconciled with Him through faith and to invite others in your country, state, nation, and beyond to be reconciled with Him as well.

With whom you have been nervous to share your faith?

When have you seen people share the hope they have with conviction and meekness?

PRACTICE THIS

Seek opportunities to share your faith with at least one other person this week.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

The Purpose of Prosperity

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Ephesians 4:28)

There are three levels of how to live with material things: (1) you can steal to get them; (2) or you can work to get them; (3) or you can work to get in order to give.

Too many professing Christians live on level two. We glorify work over against stealing and mooching, and feel we have acted virtuously if we have spurned stealing and mooching, and given ourselves to an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That’s not a bad thing. Work is better than stealing and mooching. But that’s not what the apostle calls us to.

Almost all the forces of our culture urge us to live on level two: work to get. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three: work to get to give. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery — temporal and eternal suffering. Enough for us; abundance for others.

The issue is not how much a person makes. Big industry and big salaries are a fact of our times, and they are not necessarily evil. The evil is in being deceived into thinking that a large salary must be accompanied by a lavish lifestyle.

God has made us to be conduits of his grace. The danger is in thinking the conduit should be lined with gold. It shouldn’t. Copper will do. Copper can carry unbelievable riches to others. And in the very process of that giving we enjoy the greatest blessing (Acts 20:35).

John Piper