Prayer

Battle Ground

Don’t Miss the Point

1^st CORINTHIANS 2:1-5

As a nation we just enjoyed a time of great celebration. It is a time when family gets together, songs are sung, presents are exchanged, and even many businesses close to celebrate the occasion.

This is all wonderful, fun and important. Unfortunately a very large part of those who take part in the celebration have been deceived into participating in this celebration for the wrong reasons; and thereby missing the point completely.

• As “on fire” Christians I pray that we never lose sight of what we truly celebrate this season: By the very name Christmas we are reminded that we are celebrating a most incredible event: When Jesus Christ (God The Son) physically entered our world by humbling himself to be born in the form of a human.

• Jesus did this for one reason and one reason only; and the Apostle Paul through all that he did and said in his ministry knew that it was very important not to become entangled in details, and miss the main point. Check out what he says in today’s passage: 1^st Corinthians 2:1-5 (1. And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5. that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.)

• Notice what Paul said in verse 2: (“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”)

• This is the bottom line; the whole point of the need for Christmas, and of being a Christian is about one thing and one thing only: Jesus Christ (God The Son) loved the whole world so much He decided to come into our world as a human for the sole purpose to die for us, because there was absolutely no other way to save man kind, for we were all headed for hell.

• This ultimate act of love demands a response from us. And the only correct one which leads to accepting this wonderful gift of salvation from God is to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior (according to Romans 10:9)

• Therefore as we end this wonderful Christmas season let us wrap our hearts and minds around the true meaning of the season; which is God’s ultimate gift of true love: John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.)

By Morris Brison

Be Bold – Acts 28

“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, [31] proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” Acts 28:30-31

Are you bold with your faith? A bold person is one who does not hesitate and is courageous and daring. Does that describe you and your faith? The Apostle Paul was very bold about His faith in Jesus. In fact, he went all the way to Rome from Jerusalem so that he could tell Caesar about Jesus. He did not care what it would take to get there. Paul was arrested, beaten, shipwrecked, and bitten by a poisonous snake so that he could bold about his faith.

Many Christians today are more concerned about what people might think of them if they share their faith with others. nobody wants to be thought of as weird or as an outcast. We all deep down want to belong and feel accepted. But here is the good news; if you are a Christian, you belong to God and you have been accepted by God. He loves you and will take care of you no matter what.in all of the horrible circumstances that Paul went through God took care of him. God tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)

So what are you worried about? What is keeping you from being bold? We have the Gospel, the greatest gift given to all mankind. The Bible tells us that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:6). When you don’t share the Gospel with others because you are worried about what they might think of you, you are making a choice that you reputation is more important than their salvation. Is a persons opinion of you really more important than whether or not they get to hear the Gospel?

Paul, at the end of the book of Acts is in Rome boldly telling people about Jesus. He was not ashamed of it. He was not worried about what others thought of him. He just did what Jesus has told all of us to do; Preach the Gospel (Matthew 28:19). Preach the Gospel to everyone around you. You have a gift, don’t keep it to yourself, share with everyone.

Acts 2

New Birth

Have you ever had a hands-on experience with the birth of a new child? Maybe your parents, a sibling, aunt and uncle? Isn’t such a joyous time to reflect on the pregnancy that was before, to look back and see some of the hardship someone may have endured through the pregnancy, but to now see the bundle of joy resting quietly in the arms of the mother? It is a precious moment between the mother and father with their new child. It is a time of rejoicing!

In the book of Acts, we have here, a church which has been planted, Peter and the apostles are leading, and many are coming to know Christ as Lord and as Savior. Specifically in chapter 2, Peter gives this awesome message about the person of Christ, who He is and what he came to do. In other words, Peter was preaching the gospel!

Peter comes before the men of Judea and Israel because they accused Peter and the apostles of being drunk, but in actuality, they had received the Holy Spirit and they were speaking in tongues (Acts 2:2-4). Peter begins by speaking about the prophecy from the Old Testament about the things that were to come which were happening right then and there. Peter then gives them the power of the gospel message by saying in verses 22-24, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

Peter said to these men that they were the ones who crucified Jesus on the cross, and explains to them their intentions, but then shows them the will of the Father, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” That is the gospel message! Jesus came, was crucified, died a sinner’s death even though He wasn’t a sinner, and God raised Him up from the dead, conquering sin and conquering death!

This gospel message is also true for everyone today! Notice, the gospel message has not changed! We preach the same exact thing even in this very day, and do we not see people coming to know Christ? Yes we do! And you know how many were saved by the message that Peter gave that day?! 3,000!!! 3,000 people gave their lives to Christ, repented of their sin and now have been made right with God. It goes on in verse 42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” This verse is actually what Harvest takes as part of their statement of faith and we believe it to be true, that those who come to Christ need to hear the Word of God taught so they can grow in their faith, and they need to continue to have fellowship with the brethren.

There are 2 things we can take from this:

1. Preach the Gospel!!!!

It is so important for us as believers to be preaching the Word of God. If we did not preach the gospel how would others know about God? We have been called by God to preach! Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Also in Romans 10:14-15 it says concerning preaching the gospel, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” That is the mission, preach the gospel. You want to be used mightily by God? Preach the Word.

2. Go To Church!!

It is also important to be in fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ. How will we grow and how will we know Christ if we aren’t reading the Bible, praying and going to church surrounding ourselves with other believers. Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Go to church, get involved and allow the Lord to use you in any way capable. Get plugged in and see the transforming grace of God in the lives of those who come to know Christ.

Is it not cool when we see people come to know Christ? It is so cool when people who have lived their entire life for themself, realized their importance for a Savior, and the power of the Gospel is right there, ready to change them! What power the gospel has! Did you know the same power that conquered the grave lives in you now? You, as a believer of Jesus Christ, have received the Holy Spirit, and are now a new person, the old has gone away and the new is now here!

How awesome is the power of the gospel!? Has it changed you? Have you allowed the Lord to be Himself, Lord? Does He rule and reign your heart? I pray so! Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”

How do I preach the gospel? Acts 2:38-39 is the answer! “ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

John 16

Temporary Sorrows, Eternal Joy

I don’t know about you but a lot of times there are things in my life that come up that can be pretty depressing. I sometimes get bummed out and wonder if that situation will get any better. I’ll be honest, it’s difficult sometimes to think that a situation will actually get better.

In John 16, Jesus is speaking to His disciples before He goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, and before He is going to be arrested . He speaks on a subject to them where they had become weary. They didn’t know the outcome and they were a little afraid. Jesus said to them in John 16:16, “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” I can imagine the disciples thinking, “Huh?!”

What point is Jesus trying to make here? When He made this statement He was speaking about the hour of His crucifixion coming when He will be delivered into the hands of men to be killed and will raise from the dead 3 days later, then ascend into Heaven. That is when He says the phrase, “A little while, and you will see me no longer…”  They won’t be able to see Him physically anymore because He is going to sit at the right hand of God in Heaven.

Then when Jesus makes the statement, “and again a little while, and you will see me,” and again Jesus is saying after not seeing me, then you will see me. This is a little confusing isn’t it? In simplified terms Jesus is saying, “Look, I’m going to go to Heaven after my resurrection so you won’t see me after that, but when you die, as believers of Jesus (Myself), you will then see me again for eternity.” Make sense?

They were bummed when they heard of this news. He was no longer going to be with them, but then would be eventually. This news brought them great joy, knowing that they wouldn’t be with Him for a short time, but would soon enough, be with Him in eternity.

Jesus compares this sorrow turning into joy by using the idea of pregnancy. He says in verse 21-22, “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” What great assurance that is! You may have sorrow now, but joy is surely coming after that.

Jesus continues to speak about Him overcoming the world and living a perfect life on this earth, showing His equality with God and also showing that He is able to sympathize with us on our behalf. Do you know that God knows all things you go through, good and bad? He is with you every step of the way!!

Are you bummed, are you wondering if your parents will stay together, if they will stop fighting? Are you wondering if you will lose the house and have to move somewhere else? Are you worried about the family member who is close to death? Look no further than to John 16:33, Jesus says, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”