In these troubling times, it is critical that we know how to “HOLD FAST” to biblical truth. I will let Scripture tell us how. Take these verses and let them strengthen you by the power of the Spirit.
“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). “The gospel…by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31). “Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Philippians 2:16). “Holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19). “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). “Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope” (Hebrews 3:6). “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession” (Hebrews 4:14). May these “words of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16).
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There are places in Paul’s letters that make me amazed at the strength of his confidence in the Holy Spirit’s work. It is our human tendency to hold a controlling grip on our ministry to others rather than leaving it in the hands of the Spirit to complete.
One prime example was the church at Corinth. It was during Paul’s second missionary journey that he “left Athens and went to Corinth” (Acts 18:1). It was there that he met Aquila and Priscilla who had come from Rome because of Claudius, and had the same trade as Paul. This resulted in a spiritual partnership as well and they became valuable assets in Paul’s ministry Getting back to my point, about six years later, Paul wrote this church a very pointed letter about their moral and spiritual state that had been badly influenced by the culture. He left them in the hands of the Holy Spirit to correct their condition. The second letter written perhaps six months later reveals how God had worked in them so quickly. “You show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God” (2 Corinthians 3:3–4). Paul recognized the work of the Spirit in them and that was their commendation to other churches. I trust you are challenged, as I am, to trust the Holy Spirit to take the Word of God faithfully preached through us and make it live in those it was delivered to. Is this our confidence? What happens when we read or hear accounts of missionaries and faithful believers who allowed God to use them in conditions of suffering or intense difficulty? Either we will separate our thoughts from what they are going through, or we will be inspired by their faith and boldness.
Paul knew what happened through his imprisonment. “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (Philippians 1:14). Our natural reaction is to avoid association with this kind of suffering because it is public, and might put us at risk if we are bolder in sharing the gospel. Does that really matter when the eternal destiny of souls are at stake? We have seen in certain parts of the world today, where Christians are being persecuted for their faith and their suffering has produced the expansion of the gospel as others watch their fearless faith. We need to take a lesson from such. As COVID-19 shut down our travel, we prayed for our “Timothys” to take up the torch of the gospel and carry it forward. This is taking place with many because they have gained confidence in the Lord. Is that the inspiration you are passing on to others? We had a very important Zoom Prayer Meeting today for this ministry. The inspiration for our time came from Paul’s words in Philippians 1:12-14. “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (1:12).
You will remember that Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter, which makes this comment very important. He was certainly not complaining about the circumstances in any way. Just the opposite; Paul says that this confinement in prison had resulted in the gospel being spread even more. In fact, “it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ” (1:13). Paul gives an immediate example of the gospel spreading right there among the guards and others in the imperial palace. How do you look at your circumstances? They may be very normal or they may be very difficult. It really does not matter what degree of ease or difficulty you are in, are you letting God use them to advance the gospel? We may all agree that the goal of every believer should be to promote the gospel. But, do you think that way when you are suffering or going through circumstances that challenge our faith? It depends on where your heart is fixed. FROM RANDY
Praise God with us for taking the ministry of training leaders and advancing the gospel forward! Indigenous leaders have risen to the challenge to reach their own countries, fulfilling God’s great purpose in 2 Tim. 2:2. I continue to have zoom leadership meetings where I train trainers in Africa, and soon will be launching a new one in Asia. Let us thank God for the work He is doing here while I have not been able to travel! God has opened doors for me to work with leaders and leadership teams here at home, equipping them to follow Paul’s plan of ministry. This summer I led a 14-week zoom study of God’s Plan for His Disciples, and I begin leading a zoom study of God’s Plan for His Church with a church here in CT, USA. I am amazed, as you have experienced too, that God shuts doors and opens them for His glory! Please rejoice in the Lord with me! VIETNAM – FROM OUR TIMOTHY We are very thankful that the training ministry goes forward in many parts of Vietnam. Here are items to thank the Lord for and pray He will provide what is need for them to move forward.
In the present struggles, people are searching for peace. World leaders and governments are not the answer. Even those seeking to forge “peace agreements” know they are temporary and at best fragile depending on those who make them. Cultural and racial tensions need someone to stand in the gap and bring lasting peace.
Who is the Author of peace or how can peace really be made? Let us review some details of a permanent peace agreement that can never be annulled. “Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:13–17). In the days ahead, I will look at these details in more depth. For now, we must let Scripture convince us that apart from Jesus Christ, there will never be real lasting peace. Paul warned the Thessalonians who were concerned about the Lord’s coming, people will say, ““There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). DO NOT be lulled into a false peace idea. When good news comes our way, we must share it with you. Back on September 17th, we told you that our “Timothy” in Nicaragua had run out of books (God’s Plan for His Disciples) GPHD. It was impossible for us to take a supply of Spanish GPHD books down there in time for his trip to Rio San Juan, so we had some printed locally. He was able to take enough books to train a local church. Here is his report of the training. “I am writing to you very cheerfully to inform you that the training was a great success. Five pastors met with some of their leaders and were motivated by the “BOOM” of the Holy Spirit for work in the ministry. The shepherds (leaders) told me that they had been off and away from the Scriptures, but God brought them back to His Word. They wanted me to stay with them longer, and I made a commitment to keep an eye on their development. Thank you for your prayers. I saw great support from the Lord. I love them.” This is an example of the “SPONTANEOUS EXPANSION” of God’s work through the Holy Spirit. May this happen in more and more places, until “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). This was a very different “heart burn.” Cleopas and his friend begged Jesus to come and stay with them in Emmaus because of the way He explained what had happened in Jerusalem from the Scriptures. It gave them a new perspective. Then they put together a meal for their special guest.
“When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight” (Luke 24:30–31). What a moment! This stranger who joined them on the road not only knew more about current events that they did, but He gave a biblical perspective to those events. After Jesus “vanished from their sight, they said to each other, “Did not out hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures” (32). What are we doing with those moments of deep conviction in our lives? I think we need a lot more of them right now. So many in the Church are consumed with current national and international conditions that they have failed to look at them through the lens of Scripture. This is very dangerous because our thinking and actions are not anchored in truth. As these two men felt their hearts burn from such powerful revelation through the Word of God, we need the same experience to redirect our attention to the person of Jesus and away from man’s opinions and onto the Author of truth. There are moments in our lives when God makes a subtle test of the intentions of our hearts without us realizing what he is doing. It was after the resurrection when most of the disciples were still trying to figure out what was taking place. It was also just before Jesus’ ascension. He was walking along a road that went from Jerusalem to Emmaus and joined with men in deep discussion.
“So, they drew near to the village to which they were going. He [Jesus] acted as if He were going farther” (Luke 24:28). Why would He do that? Was Jesus testing their interest in current events to see if they were just repeating the local media, or were they really wanting to know the “truth” behind current events? “But they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So, He went in to stay with them” (24:29). The conversation along the road challenged their thinking about current events and they wanted to know more from this “stranger.” Their hungry hearts opened the door and “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (24:27). What a critical moment that could not be missed! F. W. Boreham says of this account; “It is clear from all this that we can have as much of Jesus as we will. If He leaves, it is because we are quite willing that He should go. He may go; but, if He goes, He goes with our consent.” (A Packet of Surprises, page 114). Will you let Jesus leave? Yesterday I referred to a familiar verse, John 14:6; “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” That means every word Jesus spoke was truth, which also agrees with John 1:14. There were some Jews who believed Jesus, but Jesus makes sure their faith is taken to a deeper level and says; “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciple” (8:31).
There are other statements Jesus makes which backup His point (i.e., 15:1-11). Being His disciple was not just following Him from place to place, making sure they were at all the important events, etc. In our day it might be like attending church regularly, making sure to give when the offering plate comes by, or even being involved in church activities. Abiding in His word is much more. What Jesus is pointing to in John 8:31 is that a true disciple ‘remains’ under the influence of the word and truth that He taught all the time. It will be evident when we do this because the truth that Jesus taught will be known and understood by us and it will set us free (8:32). I was speaking this morning with a new disciple and he was commenting on the difference that has taken place in his life. Before he surrendered his life to the saving power of Jesus, he would read the Bible and not understand it. Now it is much different! He can’t wait to open his Bible early in the morning and let the Spirit unfold its riches to his mind and heart. Abiding in Jesus’ Word is a proof that we are a true disciple. Are you? |
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