Thou therefore endure hardness
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3
I believe we would be fooling ourselves if we thought these are joyful and prosperous times that we're living in...
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:3
I believe we would be fooling ourselves if we thought these are joyful and prosperous times that we're living in...
Rather, these are desperate times when many people are suffering in a myriad of ways. And for Christians, if we remain honest, we could attest that our faith seems to be getting tested to the maximum.
Speaking for myself, I seem to go from one problem to another. Then, when one problem gets resolved, a different one crops up in its place.
And with this in mind, during today's chapel service, before the minister came to the pulpit to give his sermon, I felt led to speak to the flock for a handful of minutes in order to give both them and myself an exhortation about being "good soldiers" for Jesus Christ.
So I first read a small portion from the Apostle Paul's second letter to his beloved spiritual son, Timothy, who was a young pastor in the making. I then read a brief message which I wrote this morning shortly before sunrise. For as I was sitting on my bunk, the Holy Spirit stirred me to get a pen and a piece of paper and write the following:
"We're living in very desperate and perilous times. And I believe that the Lord Jesus is calling each of us into a deeper and stronger relationship with Him.
This is not the time, my brothers, for the typical, mediocre, 'business as usual' approach to Christianity. For we are living in a critical period of the Church's history, and at a time when many have grown spiritually cold. They're also indifferent to Christ's mandate to preach the gospel to every person.
In the United States of America, at least, many of us are content to stay cloistered with the walls of cozy church buildings rather than doing the work of soul winners, and going out along the highways and hedges in order to find the lost and compel them to come to Christ for salvation. We've been omitting the Lord's 'Great Commission,' and we're instead settling for our self-made religious safety zones. And this should not be.
My brethren, as the world drifts towards increased wars, acts of terrorism and disease, and as false prophets and teachers flourish, we need to be more grounded in our faith, and in the knowledge of the Word of God than ever before."
D.B.
Speaking for myself, I seem to go from one problem to another. Then, when one problem gets resolved, a different one crops up in its place.
And with this in mind, during today's chapel service, before the minister came to the pulpit to give his sermon, I felt led to speak to the flock for a handful of minutes in order to give both them and myself an exhortation about being "good soldiers" for Jesus Christ.
So I first read a small portion from the Apostle Paul's second letter to his beloved spiritual son, Timothy, who was a young pastor in the making. I then read a brief message which I wrote this morning shortly before sunrise. For as I was sitting on my bunk, the Holy Spirit stirred me to get a pen and a piece of paper and write the following:
"We're living in very desperate and perilous times. And I believe that the Lord Jesus is calling each of us into a deeper and stronger relationship with Him.
This is not the time, my brothers, for the typical, mediocre, 'business as usual' approach to Christianity. For we are living in a critical period of the Church's history, and at a time when many have grown spiritually cold. They're also indifferent to Christ's mandate to preach the gospel to every person.
In the United States of America, at least, many of us are content to stay cloistered with the walls of cozy church buildings rather than doing the work of soul winners, and going out along the highways and hedges in order to find the lost and compel them to come to Christ for salvation. We've been omitting the Lord's 'Great Commission,' and we're instead settling for our self-made religious safety zones. And this should not be.
My brethren, as the world drifts towards increased wars, acts of terrorism and disease, and as false prophets and teachers flourish, we need to be more grounded in our faith, and in the knowledge of the Word of God than ever before."
D.B.
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