VIDEO Attention Getter #5: Be Bold

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16

Rebecca Pippert wrote, “As our cultural landscape becomes increasingly secular, secularism does not have the power to erase our human longings for meaning and worth. If anything, it increases them…. So even if people can’t quite articulate what they feel they are missing, the longing and wistfulness are there. But they will not know where to look unless Christians both live and tell the good news of what God has done for all in Christ.”[1]

We don’t have to summon up boldness like an ironsmith pumping the bellows. Acts 4:13 says, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” The Early Church was filled with the Spirit of Jesus, and thus filled with boldness. 

Never be ashamed of the Gospel. Spend time with Jesus, be filled with the Spirit, and tell the Good News of what God has done for all in Christ.

We need to learn again to share our faith in a confident, compassionate, compelling way in this new, post-Christian world.  Rebecca Pippert

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Dr David Jeremiah | Single Messages | Fully Engaged with the Gospel | Romans 1:16-17

Priceless Lives in Christ

There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10

Tears streamed down my cheeks during a frantic search for my lost wedding and anniversary rings. After an hour of lifting couch cushions and scouring every nook and cranny of our home, Alan said, “I’m sorry. We’ll replace them.”

“Thanks,” I responded. “But their sentimental value surpasses their material worth. They’re irreplaceable.” Praying, I continued hunting for the jewelry. “Please, God. Help me find them.”

Later, while reaching into the pocket of a sweater worn earlier in the week, I found the priceless jewels. “Thank You, Jesus!” I exclaimed. As my husband and I rejoiced, I slipped on the rings and recalled the parable of the woman who lost a coin (Luke 15:8–10). Like the woman who searched for her lost silver coin, I knew the worth of what had been lost. Neither of us was wrong for wanting to find our valuables. Jesus simply used that story to emphasize His desire to save every person He created. One sinner repenting results in a celebration in heaven.

What a gift it would be to become a person who prays as passionately for others as we pray for lost treasures to be found. What a privilege it is to celebrate when someone repents and surrenders their lives to Christ. If we’ve placed our trust in Jesus, we can be thankful we’ve experienced the joy of being loved by Someone who never gave up because He thought we were worth finding.

By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

Whose salvation will you commit to praying for today? Who can you share your testimony with?

Father, thank You for reminding me that every person You create is a priceless life worth saving.

The Grace to Overcome

Hebrews 4:14-16

The Lord said that though adversity is part of earthly life, He has overcome the world (John 16:33). And because of God’s abundant goodness, kindness, and love for His children, we don’t have to feel discouraged or walk away from His plan.

We’ll know His divine grace divine grace is working in us when we have …

• Strength to persevere. Through the Holy Spirit, God releases His power into us so we might endure (Acts 1:8).

• A spirit of confidence. The Lord understands our troubles and urges us to approach Him boldly for help (Heb. 4:15-16).

• A sense of His presence. When grace is at work, we will be conscious of the Spirit’s abiding support.

• A focus on God. With divine help, we can shift our attention from our situation to God.

• Trust that God will bring us through—and not just barely but with deeper intimacy and greater faith at the end.

• Assurance of God’s sovereignty. We trust that He’s in control of our trials and will provide all we need in order to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Paul had been through shipwrecks, imprisonments, and beatings—difficulties far worse than most of ours. He didn’t quit because he drew on God’s grace and found it sufficient for every circumstance. Where do you need some grace in order not to give up and walk away?

The Good Confession

“I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession.” (1 Timothy 6:13)

Young Timothy also had “professed a good profession [same word as ‘confession’] before many witnesses” (v. 12), evidently of similar substance and quality to that in the witness of Christ before Pilate. When the Jews urged Pilate to condemn Jesus to death, their charge was that “he made himself the Son of God” (John 19:7). Pilate gave Jesus opportunity to deny this charge and save His life, “but Jesus gave him no answer” (v. 9). Both by His silence, when a denial of the charge could have saved Him, and by His open testimony before Pilate that He was, in fact, a King from heaven itself—indeed “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15)—it becomes clear that our own “good confession” must be a confession of our faith in Jesus Christ as Son of God, our Savior and Lord, especially when that confession is made openly before hostile witnesses.

Jesus said: “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). Paul said, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9); and John said, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15).

Despite the great blessings awaiting all who make a courageous and good confession of saving faith in Christ, most people will refuse until it is too late. There is a time coming, however, when “every tongue [will] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11). HMM

“Come and See”

John 1:46

JOHN the Baptist stood with his disciples and declared Jesus to be the “Lamb of God.” John’s other statements about our Lord were in terms of His Messiahship, but this, with Isaiah 53:7 in mind, looks toward Calvary.

When two of John’s disciples began to follow the Lord, He enquired, “What seek ye?” What do we seek in Him today? And what do we seek in life? The two asked where Jesus dwelt. That is life’s supreme issue: not where dwells this or that thing we seek, but where does He dwell who is Life and Truth?

The answer, given to these and later by Phillip to Nathanael, is the very heart of the Christian experience: “Come and see.” If you would know the truth about our Lord, it cannot be reached by argument and speculation. “Come and see”—that is the road to certainty. “If any man will to do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself.”

One of the two, Andrew, went for his brother Simon. That is a true mark of discipleship, that we seek our brother. And he brought him to Jesus. No greater thing did Andrew ever do for his Lord. If you are not an “important” disciple as Peter was, you surely can be an Andrew.

Next Philip followed, who soon went after Nathanael (Bartholomew). What a testimony to bring—that he had found the long-expected Messiah! Nathanael is disposed to raise questions, but Philip offers the practical test: “Come and see.” He wisely did not argue the question of whether any good thing could come out of Nazareth. Don’t argue secondary issues with questioners; tell them to come and see. Christ is Himself the answer to their doubts.

Our Lord knew Nathanael in advance as a devout Israelite. He knew the hours Nathanael had spent under the fig tree. God knows our hearts, our tears, the secret prayers, the longings of the soul of which men know nothing. He knows the long, lean years when we prayed and seemed to receive nothing. How it must have seemed sometimes to Nathanael that the Messiah would never come! Don’t give up the fig tree! He sees you through the tedious, commonplace years, and one day your great moment will come, and you shall cry out as did Nathanael: “Thou are the Son of God! Thou art the King of Israel!” He will reveal Himself to the faithful.

And not only that, but we shall see greater things than these! For there is greater glory ever to be revealed, and what we see here is but the foretaste of more to follow. As Jesus told Nathanael, He is the Jacob’s ladder between earth and heaven. “Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (v. 51). Jacob learned at Bethel that all heaven was interested in him. So angels are our ministers (Heb. 1:14), and our Lord Himself is the ladder.

Nathanael’s experience had three stages: first, the long years of prayer and waiting; then the revelation of the Lord; and the rest of his life consisted of increasing fellowship with heaven through Christ. Truly, if we “come and see,” we shall “see greater things than these.”

Where Is Our Trust?

You have become enraged with Your anointed.—Psalm 89:38

God’s glory is more important than our own well-being. The serious problem is not the pain that others have inflicted upon us, but the pain we have inflicted (and continue to inflict) upon God. Let me spell out as clearly as I can exactly what I mean.

Many Christians are far more interested in focusing on how they can get God to comfort them when they have been hurt than considering how much they have hurt Him. Not that it is wrong to seek His comfort—Scripture encourages us to do this—but it is only one side of the picture. The most popular books in our bookshops today are titles such as these: How to Be Healed of Life’s Hurts or How to Overcome the Pains of the Past. I repeat that this is a legitimate emphasis, but we must not lose sight of the fact that the important issue is not how badly people have behaved toward us, but how badly we have behaved (and continue to behave) toward God.

Take this for example: Someone hurts us or upsets us, and we decide to become the architects of their judgment. But what does God say? “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay” (Rm 12:19). Don’t you think God is hurt when He sees us ignoring His Word? We may have been sinned against, but is that any justification for sinning against God? Let’s not mince words here, for any violation of a divine principle must be called by its rightful name—sin. And no sin ought to be treated lightly—especially a sin against God.

Prayer

O God, forgive me that so often I am more concerned about how others have treated me than the way I treat You. I see that a failure to trust You is a failure in love. I say, “I love You,” but only so far. Forgive me and help me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Further Study

Ps 62:1-12; Mt 21:12-13; 23:37-39; Lk 19:41

What pain was inflicted on Jesus as He observed the Temple area?

What pain did Jesus feel as He approached the city?

The Word Spoke

2 Timothy 3:15

It isn’t by accident that the Salvation Army’s first doctrine centers on the Word of God: “We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice.”

Without the Scriptures we would be lost. The Scriptures give direction, correction, challenge, command, hope, explanation and foundation for living. Scripture is God’s truth for His world. Its words bring life. Its pages confirm the possibility of forgiveness, salvation, renewal and empowering for living as God intends His people to live. Its messages are never exhausted. There is always more to find, more to take in, more to live by. To explore Scripture is to embark on an adventure that goes on and on, challenging both mind and heart and promising God’s presence throughout the journey.

The psalmist was convinced of its value: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). In the same psalm we read: “Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (v. 89). Writing to Timothy in the early days of the Church, the Apostle Paul declared that the holy Scriptures “are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15).

With numerous translations of the Bible available to help our understanding, we may reflect on what William Booth said shortly after the Revised Version had been introduced in 1881: “I want to see a new translation of the Bible into the hearts and conduct of living men and women.” If the word of God is to rule our lives we must study it, heed it—and live by it!

God sent His Son—the Word of God—to speak His words personally. We have some of those life-giving words recorded for our guidance and inspiration in the New Testament.

Life-giving though His words were and are, Jesus knew that words alone were not enough to meet the need of mankind. Ultimately He spoke supremely through His sacrificial death on the cross. The word was love—unconditional, total, self-giving love. The Word spoke with His life.

Robert Street, Called To Be God’s People

VIDEO Sweet Hour of Prayer

How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? Psalm 13:2

Why is life so hard? Why all the disappointments, fears, and frustrations? And the uncertainty! No one knows what tomorrow will bring. In Psalm 13, David processed his problems through prayer, and by the end he was ready to say, “I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me” (verse 6).

Some of the reasons for our troubles are mysteries for now. But this we know—God uses each tribulation to teach us more about prayer. We’re unable to solve all the problems we face, but God’s power is unlimited and His hand is near. When we don’t know what to do, He promises to guide us. When weakness comes, we can ask for His strength. When worried about others, we can entrust them to Him.

Whenever we face turmoil, we have a direct line to our Father—through prayer. He will never abandon us when our troubles overwhelm us. The hymnist said: “In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief, / and oft escaped the tempter’s snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.”

Prayer is the delight of the saint, the armor of the soldier, and the supplier of the servant. Robert G. Lee

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Trusting God in the Dark

Overcoming Envy

Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands. 1 Samuel 18:7

In the film Amadeus, aging composer Antonio Salieri plays some of his music on the piano for a visiting priest. The embarrassed priest confesses he doesn’t recognize the tunes. “What about this one?” Salieri says, playing an instantly familiar melody. “I didn’t know you wrote that,” the priest says. “I didn’t,” Salieri replies. “That was Mozart!” As viewers discover, Mozart’s success had caused deep envy in Salieri—even leading him to play a part in Mozart’s death.

A song lies at the heart of another envy story. After David’s victory over Goliath, the Israelites heartily sing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7). The comparison doesn’t sit well with King Saul. Envious of David’s success and afraid of losing his throne (vv. 8–9), Saul begins a prolonged pursuit of David, trying to take his life.

Like Salieri with music or Saul with power, we’re usually tempted to envy those with similar but greater gifts than we possess. And whether it’s picking fault with their work or belittling their success, we too can seek to damage our “rivals.”

Saul had been divinely chosen for his task (10:6–7, 24), a status that should’ve fostered security in him rather than envy. Since we each have unique callings too (Ephesians 2:10), maybe the best way to overcome envy is to quit comparing ourselves. Let’s celebrate each other’s successes instead.

By:  Sheridan Voysey

Reflect & Pray

Whom are you most tempted to envy? How can you celebrate their success?

Loving God, I thank You for my friends’ and colleagues’ successes.

When We’re Tempted to Quit

James 1:2-12

Have you ever thought, I can’t take this anymore or I give up? These phrases have the power to change the direction of our life. Let’s look at three things that could cause these sentiments.

1. Satan and his angels. Through their involvement, we can be tempted to stop waiting on God for solutions and instead seek our own way out. Or the enemy may try to redirect our focus away from Jesus and onto our negative emotions. If he can make us feel helpless and hopeless, then he is successfully distracting us from God. 

2. The world. Ungodly people are always ready to give believers advice. We need God’s wisdom to set ourselves apart from their thinking and yet stay connected enough to share God’s message of hope with them.

3. Our own flesh. We have a tendency to do what feels good and benefits us, but God’s way is always best and the most fulfilling.

If you have ever wanted to give up, you’ve probably been influenced by one or more of these factors. But God has good purpose for the trials He allows in our life: They produce perseverance that helps to mature us as Christians. When we look at things from that perspective, we can actually “consider it all joy” to have struggles (James 1:2-4).