DO YOU HAVE WEAPONS FOR THE BATTLE?

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ByKenBlue

One way to make people beholden to you, and keep them coming back for answers, is to frighten them of impending war, disease or natural disasters.  Keep telling people that the sky is falling, and to stay tuned to you for an update. The news media are experts in this art.

Christians should be aware of this tactic and not allow it to create fear or get their mind off winning souls, getting the saved into the membership of the church, and teaching them how to serve the Lord.

Anyone attempting to live for Christwill discover that we are in a war. However, we must know the enemy and the weapons at our disposal. “ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

The first thing we discover is that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual powers. We must know the teachings that are contrary to the doctrines of God and bring them in line with the knowledge of Christand God. Our weapons are identified for us. “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:13-18.

The believer must not be paranoid or live in fear. If we are not careful, we will be fighting the wrong enemy. We know who he is, and we have all the weapons God intended for us. With these, you can win!

 

 

 

LET’S STUDY REVELATION-# 1

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Revelation

Our plan is to study the book of Revelation by adding a lesson each week, as the Lord permits. I hope you are helped and blessed. Feel free to add any comments or questions.

LET’S STUDY REVELATION-# 1

The Book of Revelation is the introduction to the “Day of the Lord,” wherein Jesus Christ returns to this earth to defeat Satan and his host and reclaim that which He created and redeemed. In that day it will be revealed that He is the rightful and only Lord God Almighty. Paul charged Timothy in the sight of the mighty Christ to: “…keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;” (1 Timothy 6:14-15). Revelation 1:1-19:11 is the account of events which precede the appearing or unveiling of King Jesus.

There are several errors some commentators make when considering the Book of Revelation. The first, being the assumption that Revelation 1:19 gives the key outline of the book. This is the traditional approach, and it has blinded readers to any other consideration. The second error is the assumption that Revelation is written in chronological order. It is not. Finally, there is the wrong interpretation of symbols, such as making that which is literal, symbolic; and that which is symbolic, literal. Until the reader understands these matters and applies them properly, he will always be confused as to the true purpose and meaning of Revelation.

In chapter 1, we deal at length with the first problem. We believe the key to the book is not verse 19, but rather verse 10; and that it gives a clear understanding of the “Day of the Lord.”

The Book of Revelation is not chronological, but rather it is several accounts of the same events. This principle can be clearly understood from the four gospels. Although they are different, each is an account of the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ with added details. Below, we give extensive examples of this principle for the reader’s consideration, in the hope it will aid in the understanding of the Revelation.

The Rule of Looping Parallelism:

Looping parallelism is demonstrated where the first account of an event gives the quick “scope” or overview of the subject matter. The first account will be very general and broad. The second account loops back to a particular beginning point; will cover the same time period and give additional details or information of the same event.

 

IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMER TIME

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As many of you know, Open Door Baptist Church, led by Pastor Jason Murphy, had a total of 700 in attendance on the 4th of July weekend. There were 127 first time visitors who filled out visitor cards. In order that you might understand their work was more than a “flash in the pan,” the following was sent to me byPastorMurphy.

 

“Sunday, Aug. 7 at 4pm we held our third set of “Foundation classes” for this year. These classes help with guiding our new adults in spiritual growth and educating them as new believers and teaching them what it means to be a member of Open Door Baptist church.  In our “Membership” class we had 26 new people join the church.  And a total of 70 people went thru the discipleship classes on Aug 7th Praise the Lord!”

“Our people still take their family vacations, but the ministry moves on and people are getting saved and growing inChrist, I’m very excited for this fall we are having a Sunday school challenge – I’m challenging all our adults to try one of our 10 classes for four weeks. Sunday school was important in my spiritual growth and so I know it’s a vital thing if you want to “grow” spiritually and build relationships with other Christians.”

I challenge all the young pastors to contact Pastor Murphyand glean from his experience. Your great sermons will not increase the attendance at your church. There are key things you must also do. You can reach Pastor Murphyat: http://www.opendoorbaptist.com/.  It can be done, even in the good old summer time!

 

TO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

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ByKenBlue

“Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it” Proverbs 25:16.

 

One major mistake pastors make is assuming the more Scripture they can cram into the message, the more effective they are. Nothing could be further from the truth. I love honey, but too much of it will come right back up. The stomach cannot digest it.

The mind can only digest so much also. It is better to have one truth from a text or passage, and then come at it from every angle. People can understand and assimilate one truth. Sometime one verse from the chapter is all that should be preached in the sermon.

When preaching a book of the Bible, look for the paragraph divisions and then develop an outline from within the paragraph. Discover what subject the paragraph is about, and then give the sermon a title that explains the subject. Next, search for action verbs within the text and create your sub points. They too, should be a complete sentence about that portion. The sub points should state the application. Next, read the Scripture that supports the sub points.

The preacher may be impressed with how much Scripture he can put into one sermon, but that is not the point of a sermon. You should give a clear title that comes from the text. Your sub points should support the title and state the application. Remember, milk is also a type of the Word, and so is honey, but too much of either may be sickening. So, preacher, don’t attempt to give too much of a good thing