Addictive Behavior

I am currently going through an online study with some guys around the country and we are going through a book that highlights twenty godly attributes of the christian man and this weeks chapter focused on addictive behaviors and I really felt led by the Spirit to share a portion of this week's post with everyone. The study of the Book of Colossians will continue next week.

--From the online study blog post--

This chapter is about being moderate in all things and does not just focus on drinking. It is a focus on addictive behavior. Alcohol is the dominant example because it is the probably the most visible area of addiction (next to drugs and smoking) that our society faces, but as Christians, we are to avoid ANY addictive behavior and I would be so bold to say, any behavior that does not bring glory to Jesus or any behavior that may cause someone to stumble no matter how innocent it may appear to us.

I remember back when I lived in Florida I used to play poker with some guys at work every couple weeks. I had fun and enjoyed the game of poker (taking 20 bucks from my friends wasn’t bad either) but after I got saved, I struggled with playing and justified it saying to myself that I would be a light to them because for awhile, they did ask questions about the Bible and Jesus and why I was now going to church. But after while, the questions stopped, I went from not drinking to “only having a couple” and finding myself engaging in the same conversations, jokes and mannerisms as I did before when I was in the world and I found myself no longer being a light. My light was being dimmed by the world around me. I was getting angry when others would get hammered and not pay attention to the game so I realized that this behavior was not glorifying God, was becoming sinful because of my actions and needed to be removed from my life. Jesus said to cut off your hand or gouge out your eye if it causes you to sin. We all know that He wasn’t referring to self mutilation, but referring to removing an area from our life that is causing us to sin so our whole life would not be destroyed.

I removed that area from my life and do not regret it one bit. Now I still had the occasional drink from time to time and the Lord really worked on me in this area to the point that I first gave up drinking in public (to avoid the appearance of evil and to not cause someone to stumble), then I gave up drinking in front of my kids (so as to not present a bad example) to eventually not drinking at all because it provided no positive effect on my life but could only hinder my spiritual growth.

I do believe that Christians should not drink or engage in any behavior that may be construed as sin because people watch us and will use our actions to justify there own. I know this because I used to do it a long time ago when I thought I was saved and going to church. I used to justify drinking and smoking and casual sex because if those around me that went to church to. I figured that if they were doing and were “Christians” then it must be okay.

I feel that we need to live to a higher standard and set the higher example to our family and the world around us and trust me, if we are sincere in wanting to live this way, God WILL help us. He did me.

Now, while some argue whether or not the Bible teaches total abstinence from alcohol (not the point of this post) it does teach abstinence from an area that causes you to sin. If we know we have a problem in a certain area, we avoid those areas. If it is alcohol, we don’t buy beer, we don’t hang around people that drink, we don’t go to places where we may be tempted to drink. If it is porn or lust, we don’t watch movies that contain that, we have our internet pages monitored by a friend for accountability or get rid of it, we don’t go to strip clubs, etc. These things may seem easy to say but I know hard it is but it is something we have to do if want to achieve the victory over this sin.

We can’t confuse “struggle” with “surrender.” We can say things like, “Well, God knows that I struggle in that area and  He forgives me and is working on me.” But if we are WILLINGLY putting ourselves in situations that allow us to sin, then we are not “struggling” anymore but are instead “surrendering.” We have two choices when it comes to sin, we can “struggle” and achieve “victory” or we can “struggle” and “surrender.”

When we let the sin control our lives, we are surrendering and admitting defeat. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says about achieving victory in Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

There are three things we must do:

1)    Remove the sin from our life and avoid the circumstance that cause us to sin

2)    Run the race with endurance using the strength and power of the Holy Spirit

3)    Keep our eyes on Jesus

I want to focus a little on the third one. It is easier to sin when we are looking away from Jesus. John 3:19-21 states:

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

When we are sinning, or have sinned, the last thing we want to is to study God’s Word, pray, talk to a fellow Christian. Why? Because we know that are deeds are (were) sinful and we would rather stay in that darkness where there is no truth and only lies instead of coming out into the light of God and exposing our sin so we can be convicted and let God work in us. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and on the cross to remember that He hung there and died for us so that we could have power over sin and that it would not reign over us any longer. One of my favorite verses is Colossians 1:13 and it says “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ” (NIV)

Jesus died on the cross so we could live in the light and no longer live in the darkness. Our flesh was crucified with Christ but yet we still let it have dominion over us. This is not what God wants. He wants us to live a life led by the Spirit and not by the flesh.  We need to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God that dwells in us to defeat the flesh and awaken the Spirit so we can live in VICTORY.

My final thought is for us to not deceive ourselves in thinking we are living for Christ just because we know His Word but to live His Word instead (James 1:22)

Colossians - Bible Study Week 8 "Rooted in Christ"

Colossians 2:1-10

“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. ”

There are four points I want to highlight in these verses:

1. Don’t be deceived by persuasive words

2. Rooted and built up in Christ

3. Established in our faith

4. Not being swayed with “knowledge” of the world

Don’t be deceived by persuasive words

The word used here for “persuasive” means ‘to entice’ and to ‘to lead into error’ which is exactly what Satan wants to do. He wants to confuse us and have us question our faith. 

Rooted and built up in Christ

We are to be moving forward in our Christian walk (that is why it is not called the “Christian Stand”) and increasing in our knowledge of Christ and the Scriptures. It is only with the true Word can we fight against heresy and false teachings.

Established in our faith

Paul uses military terms like “order” and “steadfastness” to encourage them to remain firm in their faith. There were was the constant threat of false teachings abut Christ during Paul’s day (just like today) and Paul wanted to encourage them to stand fast in the things that they had been taught which are the same things we are taught from the Bible today. The biggest threat was to remove the divinity of Jesus (just like today) .

Not being swayed with “knowledge” of the world

Today it seems people are more zealous to turn people away from God then we are to turn them to God. That means that we as Christians are failing in the Great Commission and lacking in our Biblical knowledge. Our children may grow up in church and belong to a youth group but when they get to college they are challenged with “higher learning” and philosophies that provide no use for the Bible and diminish the meaning and truths of it. Without a firm foundation of faith and how to defend it, they are helpless and will most likely fall victim of the masses and fall away from God and out of fellowship.

The interesting thing is that professors and atheists don’t attempt to prove the Bible wrong on a factual and archeological basis (because they can’t) but they ask difficult questions that if they cannot be answered must mean that the answer does not exists. The fact is that it does exist it is just not resident in the mind and heart. This is why Paul puts added emphasis on firm faith and being rooted in Christ. He concludes with telling them that in Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead and that the fullness of Christ dwells in us. We are complete in Christ.

So how do we apply this to our life?

1. In what ways are we building up our faith and knowledge of Christ?
2. Are we building up our children in the faith of Christ?
3. Are we teaching them how to defend there faith and to not just “take our word for it?”

Remember:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” 

Colossians - Bible Study Week 7 "Who Likes to Suffer?"

Colossians 1:24–29 (NKJV)

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, ²⁵ of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, ²⁶ the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. “

How can anyone rejoice in their sufferings? Who gets happy when they suffer especially if someone else is the beneficiary? I mean if I am suffering shouldn’t I at least get something out of it? That is how the majority of us think, but Paul was asking “How much more can I put into it?”

Paul suffered greatly by spreading the Gospel. Just read the Book of Acts some time (chapters 21-28 especially) to see just what he went through for the cause of Christ.  Paul shared the same feelings as Peter and the other apostle as stated in Acts 5:41 when they said they were “counted worthy to suffer the shame for His name.”

When he says that he fills up in his flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, he is telling them (and us) that he knows that there is much more suffering that he and others must endure to fully follow Christ.

 The next point he makes in these verses is the “mystery” that was hidden for ages and now disclosed. This mystery is the salvation of the Gentiles which he explains in the subsequent verses and is further explained in Romans 16:25–27:

“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began ²⁶ but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith”

You can also read his full explanation in his letter to the Ephesians starting in chapter 3. The gist of it is that God told Abraham in Gen 22:18 that “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” and as Paul would have said, before his conversion and along with the other Jews, is that the only way the Gentiles could be saved was through conversion to Judaism (called proselytes). The good news of salvation came to the Jews first then came to the Gentiles second. We are the wild branch that has been grafted in as explained in Romans chapter 11. This salvation of the Gentiles through Jesus Christ without having to be circumcised and without strict adherence to the ceremonial and sacrificial laws is the mystery that Paul is referring to.

I want to take a minute to explain that last statement. When Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 that he did not come to “destroy the law but to fulfill” He was referring to the ceremonial and sacrificial laws that were fulfilled by His sinless life and sacrificial death on the cross. The moral law is still in effect and is upheld in the New Testament. As a gentile, we are still obligated to uphold the moral laws as defined in the Ten Commandments.

Paul then gives us why he (and other teachers) preach Jesus. It is so every person can be presented before Christ in perfection. This won’t happen until we are glorified in His presence but being taught God’s Word and living by it is part of the sanctification (being set apart) process that will continue until the day of Christ Jesus. (See Phil 1:6)

It is interesting that Paul uses the words ‘warning’ and ‘teaching.’ Both words in the Greek mean “to instruct” but the word for ‘warning’ means ‘to admonish (caution or advise)’ whereas the word for ‘teaching’ means to “instruct by communication of information or skills.” What Paul is saying is that God’s Word contains information for both our sanctification (being set apart for holiness) and our edification (being built up in Christ).

So what is our application in all this?

Ask yourself these questions and you will find the application of this teaching:

1.     What am I doing for the cause of Christ? How am I suffering for Jesus and others?

2.     What is my attitude toward the Jewish people? Since they are the root that I am grafted into, how can I show them love and share the Messiah, Jesus with them?

3.     Am I allowing God to set me apart for holiness or am I still continuing to engage in sinful activities that is preventing my sanctification?

4.     Am I being edified by the Word of God by regularly attending a good Bible teaching church, attending a Bible study and studying God’s Word on my own?

I pray that you will be blessed and encourage by this weeks study!

In Christ,

Mike

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Colossians - Bible Study Week 6

Colossians 1:19-23

“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²² in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

The first thing we see in verse 19 is that it “pleased the Father.” The word here in the original language means “to seem good to one” and “to do willingly” and the word for “fullness” is used to describe a ship manned with all things like sailors, rowers and soldiers, etc) and was used by the gnostic false teachers to describe the sum of all divinely attributes. Since Paul was refuting these teachers, it is significant that he was using this word.

So we can read this as follows: “It seemed good to God that His Son should contain the fullness of God and all things needed to reconcile man back to Him such that He was willing to send His Son to the cross and offer up His blood to make peace.”

The most important thing we have to realize as sinners is that we need to be reconciled to God. Sin separates us from God and we were born with a dead spirit that inhibits us to have a relationship with Him.

We can’t work for our salvation because the Bible does not tell us how many good things to do and I, for one, do not want to see God with a scale comparing my good deeds and bad deeds. We are saved by faith through grace (Eph 2:8) and now we have peace with God as exemplified in the following verses:

Romans 5:1

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

Eph 2:14

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation”

And another thing to note is that it is not just man who is reconciled, it is the entire universe (“things on earth or things in heaven”) and we see this in Revelation Chapter 5 when no one is worthy to open the seven sealed scroll except for “a Lamb as though it had been slain…” This lamb is Jesus Christ and the scroll is the title deed to creation. It was lost by Adam in the Fall and will be regained by Jesus Christ.

Verses 21-22 points out that we were “alienated” (means “to be shut out from one’s fellowship and intimacy”) and “enemies” (means “one who is hateful, despises God, the hostile one) to God but we have been reconciled through the death of Christ. Our ledger of bad deeds has been wiped clean.

I don’t think we can fully grasp the goodness of God’s love demonstrated to us while we were hateful, spiteful and enemies towards God.

Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Verse 23 hints at losing your salvation and can be confusing if read superficially and not in context. The word “reconciled” in verse 21 is in the past tense and in the indicative mood. This means that it is a simple statement of fact that we have been reconciled. It is a past event that has occurred. Warren Wiersbe explains this pretty well so I wanted to include his comments on this:

“Paul used an architectural image in this verse—a house, firmly set on the foundation. The town of Colossae was located in a region known for earthquakes, and the word translated “moved away” can mean “earthquake stricken.” Paul was saying, “If you are truly saved, and built on the solid foundation, Jesus Christ, then you will continue in the faith and nothing will move you. You have heard the Gospel and trusted Jesus Christ, and He has saved you.”

In other words, we are not saved by continuing in the faith. But we continue in the faith and thus prove that we are saved. It behooves each professing Christian to test his own faith and examine his own heart to be sure he is a child of God” (Warren Wiersbe – The Bible Exposition Commentary)

The things we need to take away from these verses is that we have been reconciled through Christ and if we have truly been reconciled then our lives will show it. I close with the words of Jesus in John 15:5

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Colossians - Bible Study Week 5

Colossians 1:15-18
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

One thing to understand is that the false teachers in Paul’s day were very confused about Creation. They taught that matter was evil, including the human body. They also taught that Jesus Christ did not have a real body since this would have put Him in contact with evil matter. These false teachings resulted in extreme asceticism on the one hand and unbridled sin on the other. The consensus was that if your body is sinful, you either try to enslave it or you enjoy it.

In these verses, Paul explains the relationship between Christ and Creation.  The term firstborn does not refer to time, but refers to importance. Jesus Christ was not the first being created, since He Himself is the Creator of all things and preceded Creation. Firstborn simply means “of first importance” or “of first rank.” The use of this term implies both Christ’s priority to all Creation and His sovereignty over all Creation.

The next thing to notice is the phrase “image of the invisible God.” How can someone be an image of something invisible? Jesus said Himself in John 14:7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Jesus was telling His disciples that if they truly looked into His heart and His character, they would see God because He was God. The word for ‘image’ means exact representation of. Even though God is invisible, Jesus has made Him clear to us as explained in John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time. fThe only begotten 8Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

The question we have to ask ourselves is this: “If Jesus is the image of God, are we the image of Jesus?”
1 John 2:6 says “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” Are we?

We see in verse 16 that all things were created BY HIM, THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM. Paul used three different prepositions to describe this relationship between Christ and Creation (Greek: en, dia and eis). By stating that Creation was created by Jesus (en), through Jesus (dia) and for Jesus (eis), Paul is declaring not only that the Creation came into existence through Christ but that it came into existence for His good pleasure.

John 1:3 echoes this description of Jesus “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

Verse 16 also removes any doubt as to just how far Jesus’ dominion extends. It covers everything in heaven, on earth and Jesus is over every ruling body (governments, kings and yes, even our president) in heaven and on earth. That pretty much covers everything.

This is further declared by Paul when he quotes the prophet Isaiah in Romans 14:11 “For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.” and in Philippians 2:10-11 “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In verse 17 “and in Him all things consist.” would be better translated “holds all things together” because the word for ‘consist’ in the Greek means ‘put or place together’ or ‘to unite parts into one whole.’ Scientists will tell you that everything consists of matter that is made of rapidly moving particles but if you ask what holds those particles together, they have no answer, but we do, it is Jesus. By declaring that Jesus not only is the Creator of all things but that He holds it all together, Paul is declaring Jesus to be God. Don’t let anyone tell you that the Bible does not claim Jesus to be God because these versus along with John 1:1 and 1:3 and others clearly state it.

In verse 18, Paul states that Jesus is the head of the body which is the church. No one denomination can claim to be the true church although many do. Some think that they have the market cornered on the Holy Spirit. They are wrong. The church is made up of every true believer. The word for ‘head represents the ‘source’, ‘origin’ and ‘leader’ of the entire church body.

Paul is making it clear that it all begins with Christ. His phrase “Firstborn from the dead” is interesting because I was thinking, “But what about Lazarus and the young girl that were raised from the dead.” Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead to an immortal body. That is what Paul is referring to. Again, no matter how you describe Christ, he is preeminent. He is the first!

Colossians - Bible Study Week 4

Colossians 1:12-14

“..giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption 4through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

I am going to cover these three verses as if they were one because they all tie together and describe one thing:  Christ’s atoning death on the cross.

The first thing to note is that it says were “qualified” to be “partakers of the inheritance.” We have already discussed the inheritance in a previous lesson but as a reminder here are the verses that explain what this inheritance is:
1 Peter 1:4 “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you”

2 Tim 4:8 “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 

So how were we qualified?

This word for “qualified” in the New King James Version replaced the phrase “hath made us meet” from the King James Version and in the Greek means  make sufficient, render fit and to equip one with adequate power to perform duties of one.

Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross was the qualifying act that made us sufficient and rendered us fit to enter into the presence of God. Understand that before you come to Christ, you are at war with God whether you know it or not.
Romans 5:10-For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

The key word there is “enemies.” Romans 5:10 is a perfect compliment to our verses this week because it emphasizes what Christ did for us but moreover, what condition we were in before the cross.

Verse 13 is better translated in the NIV because the words used more accurately represent the Greek words -  Col 1:13 “ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (NIV)

Since we could not deliver ourselves from the guilt and penalty that sin brings, Jesus had to come because He could and did deliver us. The penalty from sin is eternal separation from God forever. That is what we were facing!

But we were not just delivered from an eternity apart from God, we were delivered from the power of Satan! Jesus did not set us free with no where to go, He rescued us from Satan’s grasp and brought us to the bosom of God.

The phrase  "His dear Son" >/b>has be translated “the Son of His love.” This should remind us that His kingdom is a kingdom of love as well as a kingdom of light.
1 John 1:5-7 “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

The problem is that even though we have been rescued from darkness, some still want to hide and live in darkness with their sin. As long as you stay in the darkness and continue a lifestyle of sin, you still not be in fellowship with God. We must walk in the light of Christ and with Christ. Only then are we cleansed from our sin.

For homework, read  John 15:1-11 as it teaches about abiding in Jesus, the true vine.

Till next time…

Have a Blessed week!

Book of Colossians Study - Weeks 2 and 3

Chapter 1:3-8
We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. 

First thing to notice is that Paul was always giving thanks and praying for those in the church  (See Cor 1:4, Eph 1:16, Phil 1:3). Paul understood the struggles that came with being a Christian and was continually praying for the saints and for their perseverance.
In verse 5, he mentions “the hope which is laid up for you in heaven.” What hope is he referring to? Look at the following verses: 1 Peter 1:4 “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you”

2 Tim 4:8 “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 

The hope that is laid up for us in heaven is Jesus Christ. He is “the blessed hope” in Titus 2:13. And this hope is not some uncertain belief that may or may not happen. The hope we have in Christ is the confidence in what God will do in the future. This confidence should lead to a greater trust in God and a deeper love for others as well as influence our lives if we are truly believers.

We also read in these verses that the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ had to come to Colosse. Understand it was not native to the area. It was brought by Epaphras who was a citizen of Colosse  (Col 4:12). Had met Paul at some point and came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, probably in Ephesus. He was most likely the pastor of the church in Colosse. He was visiting Paul while he was a prisoner in Rome. We do not know if Epaphras was arrested as well or a “voluntary prisoner.” All we do know is that he took the Good News back home. Mark 5:19 tell us what Jesus said to the demon possessed man that he cast the demons out of. The man wanted to stay with Jesus but Jesus said, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

We are to take the gospel of Christ to our homes, our families and our friends. We need to let the good news spread and touch the lives of others.

When we become Christians and are convicted of our sins, we sometimes feel the need to become the sin patrol and point out others sins. Sins that we were committing, along side of them, previously. That usually causes a division and casts us in a negative light.

We are to share God’s Word and caution against sin, but we should focus on the forgiveness of Christ and the price He paid for that sin. It is when we truly recognize the price that Jesus paid, that we truly recognize the seriousness of our sin.

The last thing we will look at in these verses is found in verse 6 where it says the Gospel is “bringing forth fruit.”

If we are truly saved, it should be evident in many ways: We will hate sin, feel horrible and repent when we do and want to do good works and help others. These are just a few things. If Christ is in our hearts, it will be reflected in our lives.

Listen to what Jesus said in John 15:2-5 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Pay extra attention to verse 5. If we truly abide in Christ and are branches attached to His vine, we will bear fruit. My pastor friend, David Reed in Delaware said that if we are not producing any fruit, maybe we are attached to the wrong vine! Because if we are, we will be separated and thrown in the fire as stated in verse 6  “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

I think we have covered enough for this time. Read  verses 9-14 for the next time and post any thoughts or questions you may have.
Week 3


Colossians 1:9-11
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy”


These verses start off with “For this reason…” For what reason? We have to go back and look at the previous verses to find the answer. Paul was so overjoyed that he had heard about the Colossians faith and good works that he and his companions were constantly praying for them.


[Quick Note for Reflection: Sometimes when we hear that others have come to the Lord we can be critical and think to ourselves, “What? They can’t be saved. I’ll believe it when I see it” Instead we ought to be praising God and praying for their new found walk with Christ and coming alongside to help them and encourage them and most importantly, shining our light and setting a good Christ-like example.]


Let’s begin our study ( a little longer one this week) by looking at the things Paul is praying for in these verses:


“filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”
How many of us can say we know God’s will for our lives? A few maybe but when we think of “God’s Will” we tend to think of the specific purpose for our lives and that one thing that God wants us to do. God’s will is much more than that. Verses like 1 Thess 4:3 and 5:18 tell us that it is God’s will for us to abstain from sexual immorality and to give thanks in everything. 1 Peter 2:15 tells us that it is God’s will for us to do good so foolish people will be silenced. God’s will for our lives is more than just a specific purpose or certain area of ministry, it is a way of life that is a reflection of Christ.


“that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him”
Can we say that our lives are worthy of the price that Jesus paid? When someone does something for us really nice or gets us a gift when we didn’t expect it, we tend to desire to want to repay that person or really show appreciation for the gift that was given to us. How much more should be show appreciation to Jesus for hanging on a cross and dying for us? Our desire should be to please God in the way we live our lives because instead of  condemnation he showed us grace.  Paul conveyed this same desire to the people in Ephesus in Eph 4:1 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” 


and to the Philippians in Phil 1:27 “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”


and to the people in Thessalonica in 1 Thess 2:11-12 “as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”


“being fruitful in every good work”
Read what Jesus said in Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”


What type of treasures do we have in our heart? What types of fruit are produced by it? Good or Evil? As Christians, we are to produce good fruit. We do not do good works to get saved, We do good works because we are saved.


“and increasing in the knowledge of God”
We need to be increasing in the knowledge of God. Not just memorizing scripture but understanding what Jesus did and understanding how He wants us to live.


Eph 4:10 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” 


This is a verse that every pastor should have highlighted, circled and underlined in his Bible because it clearly defines the key responsibility and duty. That is to equip and edify (instruct and uplift) the people of the church to do the work of ministry. The word “minister” means servant. Jesus gave us the ultimate example when He washed the feet of the disciples. Pastors should be teaching God’s Word and helping others be raised up so they can serve the Lord with the gifts given them.


This verse also says that we all need to come to the unity of the faith. It does not say “to unity OF faith” as others would teach today. It means that we should all be coming together in unity to the faith of Jesus Christ.


“strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power”
In the Greek language, the words for “strengthened”, “might” and “power” can all be translated as “power” but they are all not the same Greek word.


However, “strengthened” and “might” do come from the same Greek root word, “dunamai” which is where we get our word for “dynamite.” The word for “strengthened” means, clearly enough, to strengthen and the word for “might” means inherent power, to be able to do something, to be capable, strong and powerful.


Now the word for “power” is a synonym of “dunamai” called “kratos.”


[You will all be Greek scholars after this.. Seriously, not to make this too scholastic but sometimes the understanding of the original language is important because the Greek language has so many more words than our language to describe one thing so bare with me a little.]


“Kratos” is a word for power that means manifested power, mighty, dominion, great with power and is used only of God in the NT. There are 6 total words (at least listed in my Strong’s Lexicon) for power and 3 are used in this verse. Why these three? After studying these definitions we can translate this verse to read as follows: “Be strong with all your might being empowered by the might of God’s glory.”


Warren Wiersbe commented on this verse saying, “The grace of our Christian lives is but a result of God’s power at work in our lives. Spiritual growth and maturity can come only as we yield to God’s power and permit Him to work in us.”


“all patience and longsuffering with joy”
“Patience” deals with circumstances and means endurance when things get tough. It doesn’t mean sitting back and waiting for the problem to solve itself.  To borrow a quote “Patience is endurance in action. It is not the Christian sitting in a rocking chair, waiting for God to do something. It is the soldier on the battlefield, keeping on when the going is tough.”


A good example can be found in Hebrews 12:1 “…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”


“Longsuffering” deals with people.  The word literally means “slowness in avenging wrongs.” When someone wrongs us we tend to want revenge. We may say to ourselves, “I am not like that, I am a Christian now and I can forgive and leave vengeance to God.” But what if someone hurt your spouse or your kids. Would you seek revenge? Would turn to Lev 24 or Exodus 21 and shout “Eye for an eye!” or would you turn to Matthew 5:38 and read “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also”


The danger is a lack of endurance often results in despondency or losing heart, whereas a lack of patience often leads to wrath or revenge. The last two parts of this verse actually go together telling us that we can have patience and longsuffering through the power that only comes from God.


I know I was going to go all the way through to verse 14 but there is just so much stuff in those verses that go with other versus in John and 1st John among others that I want to put that off to next time.

Book of Colossians Study - Part 1 "Greetings and Background"

Let's begin our study of the Pauline Epistle to the church in Colossae with a little background study of the city and the church.

Colossians – Background (Excerpts from Warren Wiersbe’s Bible Exposition Commentary)

Colossae was one of three cities located about 100 miles inland from Ephesus. The other two cities were Laodicea and Hierapolis (Col 4:13, 16) his area was a meeting point of East and West because an important trade route passed through there. At one time, all three cities were growing and prosperous, but gradually Colossae slipped into a second-rate position. It became what we would call a small town. Yet the church there was important enough to merit the attention of the Apostle Paul.

All kinds of philosophies mingled in this cosmopolitan area, and religious hucksters abounded. There was a large Jewish colony in Colossae, and there was also a constant influx of new ideas and doctrines from the East. It was fertile ground for religious speculations and heresies!

The interesting this is that Colosse may have never been mentioned in the Bible without this letter. Paul did not start this church nor did he ever visit it. But he had heard of their faith (Col 1:4,9) and send them a letter to encourage him. I am sure glad he did because there is so much in this letter that we need to learn from.

When we examine the persons involved in the prison correspondence of Paul (see Eph., Phil., Col., Phile., and 2 Tim.), we can just about put the story together of how the Colossian church was founded. During Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, at least two men from Colossae were brought to faith in Jesus Christ—Epaphras and Philemon (see Phile. 19). Epaphras apparently was one of the key founders of the church in Colossae, for he shared the Gospel with his friends there (Col. 1:7). He also had a ministry in the cities of Hierapolis and Laodicea (Col. 4:12–13).

Philemon had a church meeting in his home (Phile. 2). It is likely that Apphia and Archippus, mentioned in this verse, were respectively the wife and son of Philemon, and that Archippus was the pastor of the church (Col. 4:17).

There is a good lesson for us here: God does not always need an apostle, or a “full-time Christian worker” to get a ministry established. Nor does He need elaborate buildings and extensive organizations. Here were two laymen who were used of God to start ministries in at least three cities. It is God’s plan that the Christians in the large urban areas like Ephesus reach out into the smaller towns and share the Gospel. Is your church helping to evangelize “small-town” mission fields?

The Colossian assembly was predominantly Gentile in its membership. The sins that Paul named (Col. 3:5–9) were commonly associated with the Gentiles, and his statement about the mystery applied more to the Gentiles than to the Jews (Col. 1:25–29). The church was probably about five years old when Paul wrote this letter.

Chapter 1: 1-2

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (NKJV)

To fully understand Paul’s letters, we need to understand the character of Paul. He was a Pharisee (Jewish religious leader) that new the Hebrew scriptures thoroughly (or so he thought) and was present at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58) and would persecute Christians (Acts 8:3). His name was Saul during this time. But on that fateful day when he was on the way to Damascus to arrest Christians, Saul was met by the Lord Jesus and chosen to be His servant (Acts 9). 

The word “apostle” means ‘messenger, one who was sent’ and the word for “will” means ‘desire or pleasure.’ So we can reword this to say, “A messenger who was sent by Jesus Christ for His pleasure…” This is the same greeting that Paul used in Gal 1:3. In other letters, he uses words like slave or bondservant (depending on your translation) but the Greek word “duolos” (bondservant) means ‘willful slave.’

One interesting note is that Paul always used the same greeting in verse 2 in all his letters. “Grace and peace to you” and always in that order signifying that we can never have peace without God’s grace. In his letters to Timothy and Titus, he added the word “mercy.”

Next week we will get into verses 3 through 8 and discuss their faith in Christ.

Till next time…

God Bless,

Mike

Are You LOST?

"6 REASONS PEOPLE ARE LOST AND NEED SALVATION"


1. They are lost because of their rejection Of biblical revelation.

Ps. 19:1-4
"The ​​heavens declare the glory of God;
And the ​​firmament ​1shows ​​His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their ​​line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world."

Rom. 1:18-23
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and 7Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”



2. They are lost because of disobeying their own conscience.
Rom. 2:14-16
“for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”


3. They are lost because of their relationship to the world.

Eph. 2:1-2
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the 1course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience”

James 4:4
“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

1 John 2:15-17
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever”

1 John 5:19
“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

4. They are lost because of their relationship to Satan.

2 Cor. 4:4
“whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”

Col. 1:13
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,”

1 John 3:10
“In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”


5. They are lost because of their relationship to sin.

Gen. 2:17
“but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Jer. 17:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?”

Rom 5:12
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”

Rom 7:14
“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.”

Eph. 4:18 – 19
“having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”


6. They are lost because of their relationship to God.

Eph. 2:12
“that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

1 John 5:12
“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

STAND FIRM - In The War

Sorry for the delay in the final installment of the “Stand Firm” teachings but nevertheless, here we are at the final chapter. So far we have discussed standing firm in God’s Word and standing firm in the world. This last topic is a little similar to the last one because it involves standing strong in the midst of unbelief and persecution but to take it to another level, we are to stand firm in the WAR. Yes, we are at war. I want to open with some verses that you may be familiar with but I think it sets the tone for our lesson. It is from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.

Ephesians 6:10-17
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

This verse is speaking of the spiritual war that Christians fight everyday. Well, honestly everyone is fighting this war, except those that do not have Jesus Christ as their Savior are just fighting on the wrong side and don’t even know it!

I like how Paul tells us to put on the WHOLE armor of God; truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation and The Word of God. Without all of these things, we don’t stand a chance against Satan and his cronies. We say we have faith but yet don’t read the Word or we read the Word but yet have no faith or we think we are saved and don’t read the Word, have any faith and don’t really know the gospel. I think you get the picture. We need to have all of these things in order to survive the war.

But while we are definitely in a spiritual war (I like the term, “invisible war”) we can be in other wars as well. I have a good friend who is in Iraq and is literally in a war. I was in Desert Storm awhile ago so I know what it is like to be in a physical war as well. But you may be dealing with other wars: addictions, marriages, relationships, financial battles, children, etc. God’s Word assures that we have the ability to survive and win these battles as well. We just have to trust in God and sometimes it takes more than just saying “Okay God I trust you” because honestly sometimes we just don’t really mean it do we? We say we trust God but then we pick up that six pack we know we shouldn’t or we ask God to help our financial situations and then we go charge more debt to our credit cards!

The bottom line is we are asking God for help but we are not letting him help or worse yet, we don’t really want His help. We would rather hang around in our sin and feel sorry for ourselves. John 3:20-21 comes to mind dealing with this. Jesus said, “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

You see when we sin, sometimes it is easier to just hang around in darkness and use our struggle as an excuse without really submitting to God. We can even fool ourselves into thinking we are saved and that God will just turn a blind eye to our sin because “He understands our struggle.” In reality we need to repent, turn to Christ and get on with our lives serving Him and leave our past behind!

If this offends anyone, I am sorry if you are offended but I cannot apologize for what God’s Word says. I care enough about you to share it with you.

In Exodus, Moses had a tough job. He rose to power over his own people, killed a guy and ran away and then when He was old, God told him to go back and lead His people out of Egypt. Now these people he eventually led away were tough to deal with. They were always complaining and whining and wanting more (anyone have kids???) Anyway, Moses was always pleading to God on their behalf and when they reached the Red Sea with Pharaoh and his army bearing down on them, you know they were freaking out!

Moses had the faith of God and knew they would be delivered when all hope seemed to be gone. Listen to what he told the Israelites:

Exodus 14:13-14
“Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

They only needed to “be still.” All they had to do was to stand and watch the glory of God. Maybe you just need to “stand still” or maybe you need to “stand up” and get serious about the war that you are fighting. Maybe God is not helping because you are not letting Him. Or maybe some of you just need to “kneel down” to the Creator of the universe and submit FULLY to Him.

What ever wars we are fighting, we need to “Kneel Down” first to the feet of Jesus Christ and surrender all to Him and then we need to “Stand Up” and “Stand Firm” in God’s Word and glory in His grace and mercy. I leave you with a verse of encouragement from James the brother of Jesus:

James 5:8
“You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

Amen and God bless and Come Lord Jesus Come!!

STAND FIRM - In the WORLD

Last time I talked about standing firm in God’s Word and having God’s Word stand firm in us. Today the topic is “Standing Firm in the World.”

As Christians, we are to be in the world but not of the world as Jesus said in John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

Everyday there are churches and pastors and preachers, who were once defending and teaching God’s Word, changing their teachings and beliefs, contrary to the Word of God, in order to increase attendance and to gain acceptance by the world!

Prov 10:25 – “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.”

Matt 10:22 – “All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Would you rather be swept away with people that accept you and like you or standing firm with the Lord forever? It can be hard when we work around people that don’t believe in God and who look at us differently because we do believe in God. But it doesn’t matter how much ridicule, teasing, abuse or mistreatment you think you have ever received or are afraid of receiving, think of Jesus. Think of the beating, the whipping, the scourging, the spitting, the cursing, the nails driven into his wrists, his feet, think of the pain He endured. Think of the abuse He took. Think of the ridicule He received.

Can you or I say that we have gotten that because we are Christians? I think not.

If Jesus can go through that for us, so we can be forgiven from our sins and become children of the living God, the least we can do is be bold and proclaim that gift He gave to us and offers to all, especially those that ridicule us. Jesus forgave the criminal on the cross who was hurling insults one moment and then saved the next. He asked God to forgive those that crucified Him.

The key to living in the world and not of the world is found in these verses:

Phil 1:27 – “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:1 – “…walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”

Colossians 1:10 – “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”

Is the way we live our lives? Does our life represent the love and grace of Jesus Christ? If you were to tell someone you were a Christian, would they be shocked because of the life you really lead? We are to live out our faith and bear the fruit of our salvation that abides in us through Christ Jesus.

1 Cor 15:58 – “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Sometimes we can feel defeated and feel like “What’s the use?” “No one listens to me” “They all make fun of me if I try to share Jesus with them” “No one will like me if I tell them I go to church and believe the Bible.”

Please don’t be discouraged and remember that we are to not seek the praises of men but to glorify our Father in Heaven. The more you are persecuted and attacked by the enemy, the more you should be encouraged because you are doing something right.

Jesus died on the cross for us, the least we can do is be proud of that and not be ashamed!

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”

In closing, I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the believers in Corinth and as he encouraged them to stand strong in their faith, I also encourage you to stand strong in your faith while in this world.

1 Cor 16:13 – “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”

Glory be to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! AMEN!

STAND FIRM - In the Word

I am a fan of both college and professional football but even if you aren’t you’ve probably heard the name “Peyton Manning.” He is the quarterback for the NFL Indianapolis Colts and arguably the best (at least one of the best) to ever play that position. The reason is because he studies the game and his opponent endlessly. He studies game film after game film, memorizes play after to play, practices relentlessly and he trains hard. In the end, on game day Sunday, he is prepared and usually picks the opposing defense apart. (I know they lost the Super Bowl this year, but hear me out)

The reason I bring this up is because of three words I said in the last sentence, “He is prepared.” How good would Peyton Manning be if he blew off studying game film, practicing, reading his play books or working on his signal calling? What if he just looked at the game plan only 1 day a week and for only an hour or so that day? Probably not that good.

So here is my question and the reason I use this analogy: How strong of a Christian do you think you can be if you only open you Bible on Sunday at church? God’s eternal Word has got to have a permanent place in our lives and in our hearts.

2 Thess 2:15 – “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”

How are we to know the attacks of the enemy if we don’t read the warnings in God’s Word? Listen to what Paul says in the book of Ephesians Chapter 6:10-17
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”

It is our weapon against the enemy and against the world. The world tries to conform us to its ways because “times are changing” and we need to “get with the program.” The only program we need to get with is God’s program!

I admit, times are changing but not for the better. If you want a snap shot of America today, read Romans 1:18-32. As much our society is changing and its morals declining, God’s Word remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Psalm 119:89 – “Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”
Isaiah 40:8 – “True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade, but our God’s Word stands firm and forever.”

The question is does God’s Word “stand firm” in you?

Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Get the most out of God’s Word so you can get most out of the life He has given you!