Fearless........... Part 2

FAITH:

Multitudes and miracles. Large audiences and spectacular deeds. Throngs of people. Displays of power. When you see them, be careful. High volume doesn’t equate with sound faith. Don’t be impressed by numbers or tricks. Satan can counterfeit both.
Filter all messages and messengers through these verses: “And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either” (1 John 2:22–23). False prophets always minimize the role of Christ and maximize the role of humanity. Be doctrinally diligent. Stick to one question—is this person directing listeners to Jesus? If the answer is yes, be grateful and pray for that individual. If the answer is no, get out while you still can.
Along with heresy we can expect calamity. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earth- quakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains”
(Matt. 24:6–8).
Nature is a pregnant creation, third-trimester heavy. When a tornado rips through a city in Kansas or an earthquake flattens a region in Pakistan, this is more thanbarometric changes or shifts of ancient fault lines. The universe is passing through the final hours before delivery. Painful contractions are in the forecast.
As are conflicts: “wars and rumors of wars.” One nation invading another. One superpower defying another. Borders will always need checkpoints. War correspondents will always have employment. The population of the world will never see peace this side of heaven.
Christians will suffer the most. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matt. 24:9–12).
Paradise is populated with people whose deaths fulfilled this prophecy. Peter. Paul. Stephen. James. Ignatius of Antioch. Polycarp. Justin Martyr. Origen. The world hated these Christ-followers.
Hatred still abounds. Voice of the Martyrs, a Christian agency that defends religious liberties, contends that more Christ-followers have been killed for their faith in the last century than all previous centuries combined. The names of Paul, James, and Peter have been joined by Tsehay Tolessa of Ethiopia, Xu Yonghai of mainland China, Mehdi Dibaj of Iran. The Global Evangelization Movement reports an average of 165,000 martyrs per year, more than four times the number of a century past.
America, proud as she is of religious freedom, suffers from increasing anger toward Christians. Professors publicly mock Bible-believing students. Talk-show hosts denigrate people of faith. We can expect the persecution to increase. When it does, fragile convictions will collapse.
“The love of many will grow cold” (v. 12). Spiritual stowaways will jump ship. The halfhearted will become coldhearted. A great many church attenders will be disclosed as faith pretenders. They will not only leave the faith; they will make the lives of the faithful miserable.
Will this persecution come to us? For some of you it already has. For many of us it might. If we are thrown into jail for our faith or deposed for our convictions, may God help you and me to remember the counsel of Christ: “See to it that you are not alarmed” (v. 6). Don’t freak out at the heresy, calamity, and apostasy. Don’t give in or give up, for you’ll soon witness the victory. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (vv. 13–14).

FRIENDS:

Father, Some days I am afraid to go to those places or do those things that You are calling me to. It may be the same with some of my Brothers and Sisters who know they should be using their God-given gifts in some far away place or just to walk across the street to share with a neighbor or turn and talk to a co-worker. Whatever the case may be, it’s easier to stay inside our comfort zone with our fear and anxiety— but we have a choice. We can either give in to those fears or stand for the Lord and choose what you have called us to do. Please help us to stand up for what is right and good and share with others the wonderful news of Jesus and His Saving Grace. It's in His name we ask these things, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE

15. JOHN 5:1-15; 1 PETER 1:17-25; ECCLES. 12; JEREMIAH 39-43
16. JOHN 5:16-30; 1 PETER 2:1-8; SONG OF S. 1; JEREMIAH 44-46

~ SONG OF SOLOMON~

Remember your love notes of young romance?

Come on, now. think about it.

Flip back through the scrapbook of your heart. You'll find one.

You thought he was the only one. You knew she was the reason for creation. and with youthful passion, you expressed your love.

"I'll love you forever."

"You are my one and only."

"Had I the pen of a poet, had I the stars to give you, even then I couldn't show it...."

Ahhh, the words of romance. (That last verse? That was mine, proving that even a crusty West Texan can be romantic.}

But the most daring Romeos will blush at what you are about to read_"The song of Solomon." A love poem that chronicles the passion between starstruck Solomon and his spellbound bride.

It's unlike anything in the Bible. For that reason, it should be read differently than any book in the Bible. Don't take it literally. Don't search for hidden codes or submerged messages. Love letters are to be appreciated, not analyzed.

Appreciate this one. Don't get hung up on the ancient terms of affection. Sure, they sound strange. My wife wouldn't appreciate being told her neck was like David's tower (4:4) or that her limbs were like pomegranates (4:13). Just remember that these words were not written for you.

You are opening someone else's shoe box of letters and reading the correspondence between two people madly in love.

I guess God knew we needed a reminder that romance was his idea.
by Max Lucado

FOOD:

Kielbasa Stew

From: Better Homes and Gardens
Makes 4 or 5 servings
Cook: Slow cooker for 7 to 9 hours (low), 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours (high)

4 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
3 cups peeled, cubed potato
1-1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 lb cooked kielbasa, sliced
1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 14-oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

In a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker combine cabbage, potato, and carrots. Top with kielbasa. Sprinkle basil, thyme, and pepper over kielbasa. Pour chicken broth over all.

Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 9 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours.

Makes 4 or 5 servings

FUN:


A play on words....(for some of my favorite preacher friends)

A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired.
Whats the definition of a will? (it's a dead giveaway)
A backward poet writes inverse.
In democracy, it's your vote that counts; in feudalism it's your count that votes.
She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but broke it off.
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist you get repossessed.
When a clock is hungry it goes four seconds.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Local Area Network in Austrailia: the LAN down under.
He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
Every calendar's days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted: "taint yours and 'taint mine.
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
A plateau is a high form of flattery.
The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she'd dye.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
Santa's helpers are subordinate Clauses.
Acupuncture is a jab well done,