DEVOTION MON 11-08-2010

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2010

“I WAS HOLDING YOUR HAND”

FROM

DAY BY DAY WITH THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

BY

LUCIEN ACCAD

I tell you the truth. Anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it. (Mark 10:15)

Lucien Accad

It was early in June at the beginning of the war in our country. I had to attend to some business in town and took my five-year old son with me. Suddenly shooting erupted. Bullets whistled all around us. People, panicking, were running for shelter. I was trying to remain calm as I did not want my son to panic, and I prayed in my heart for God's protection. When everything had calmed down "after the storm," I wanted to make sure my son was okay and asked him, "Yves, are you okay? Did you see what happened?" "Yes, dad," he said, "people were trying to kill each other." "Were you afraid?" I asked. "Of course not," was his answer. "Daddy, I was holding your hand."

What confidence. As if my hands could protect him from the bullets. Sixteen years later, the war is still raging. But I have never forgotten those simple words from my little son. It has always reminded me that if I have my hand in the Father's hand I don't need to panic.

DEVOTION SAT 11-06-2010

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH, 2010

“SHOULD CHRISTIANS ATTEND CHURCH?”

BY

HANK HANEGRAAFF

I have often said that walking into a church doesn't make you a Christian any more than walking into a garage makes you a car. Attending church does not save us, nor does anything else we do. We are saved by grace, through faith, on account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone. This truth encapsulates how we are justified before God--in other words, how we are forgiven of all sin and declared righteous in the sight of our holy and merciful Creator. It follows then that a genuine believer will not lose his or her salvation by failing to go to church.

However, the Scriptures also teach that the Christian life should be lived within the context of the family of God (Eph. 3:4-15; Acts 2) and not in isolation. Hebrews 10 clearly tells us "not to neglect the gathering of ourselves together as is the custom of some" (Heb. 10:25). Indeed, I cannot conceive of a true Christian not wanting to gather together regularly with fellow believers to worship the Lord through the sacraments and receive His Word through preaching.

Of course, our discussion presupposes the importance of being vitally connected not just to any group that claims the name of Christ, but to a healthy, well-balanced church that honors the historical and biblical Jesus. Such a church, first of all, worships God through prayer, praise, and the proclamation of the Word in the context of the essential teachings of the historic Christian faith.

These essentials include the final authority of Scripture, the Trinity, the full deity and humanity of Christ, the substitutionary atoning death of Christ, the bodily resurrection of Christ, salvation by grace alone through faith, and so forth. As well, a true church soundly administers the sacraments. Furthermore, fellowship should be an integral part of a faithful church's construct, where people come not only to give but also to use their time, talent, and treasure for the edification of the body. Finally, a healthy, well-balanced church equips and encourages people to go out and impact the world for Christ.

DEVOTION FRI 11-05-2010

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2010

“WAS JESUS MEAN?”

FROM

JESUS.ORG

"The Bible says there is one way to heaven and it's the right way. That kind of singularity is like fingernails on a chalkboard to our culture. "One way? Let's offer many paths to God... Man's way - broad. God's way - narrow."

~James MacDonald (from "The Way, the Truth, and the Life?")

Today's Answer

Was Jesus Mean?

by Ray Pritchard

Jesus was not mean, but he could be very, very tough. He sometimes used very strong language when speaking to people he regarded as hypocrites. In a withering excoriation of religious hypocrisy in Matthew 23, he compared the scribes and Pharisees to whitewashed tombs, which is a worse insult than it sounds because the religious leaders prided themselves on their outward righteousness. He could be tough on his own followers also. In Mark 8:14-21 he tells his disciples that they are spiritually blind and have hard hearts. When he appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he calls them "foolish ones" and "slow of heart to believe" (Luke 24:25). He told certain Jewish leaders in John 8:44, "You are of your father the devil." The notion that our Lord was always "gentle Jesus, meek and mild," as if he spent his days saying nice things to make people feel better is only possible if you never read the gospels.

He was gentle and meek and mild and kind. But that's not the whole story. He also demanded that his followers commit themselves to him wholeheartedly. He had no patience for hypocrites who took advantage of others while ignoring their own sin.

Say what you want about Jesus, but don't forget that he took a whip and overturned the tables of the moneychangers, driving them out of temple precincts because they had made a house of prayer into a den of robbers.

Jesus could be very, very tough.

But was he mean? The answer may rest in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps some of the Pharisees and those moneychangers whose tables he overturned thought he was mean. After all, it was precisely because of his righteousness that they plotted to put him to death. His zeal for God aroused envy that turned to murderous hatred.

DEVOTION THURS 11-04- 2010

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, 2010

“GLORIOUS MYSTERY”

BY

GARY CHAPMAN

[Keep] a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

—1 PETER 3:16

Fuller Theological Seminary's School of Intercultural Studies conducted a survey among 750 Muslims who had converted to Christianity. The survey showed that the strongest motivating factor behind conversion was seeing Christians practice what they preached.

The results of this survey and others like it are both an encouragement and a challenge. God gives us the privilege of seeing our lifestyle make a difference to others. Christian integrity means representing God well, speaking his truth and his love. If that seems hard to do, it is—on our own. Yet Christ, "the hope of glory," is in us to love others as Jesus would love them. Paul describes this as a mystery that is too glorious to understand (see Colossians 1:27).

Living with integrity is one of the most important things we can do to draw others to Jesus. That doesn't mean we live perfect lives. We will fail, and we'll need to ask forgiveness of God and others. But even in our failings, we can reflect an authenticity that leads others to a perfect God.

DEVOTION WED 11-03-2010

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD, 2010

“GOD IS NOT ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS”

BY

OZ HILLMAN

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:24-26).

God is all about your death so that HIS success can be realized through you! This is why the Church is having such little impact - there are too many believers who have not yet died to their old nature so that Christ can live fully through them. When believers come to the end of themselves they will lose their lives to Him and live through the power of the Holy Spirit and begin to see the reality of a living gospel that impacts lives, workplaces, cities and nations.

"Much of modern Christian enterprise is 'Ishmael.' Born not of God, but of an inordinate desire to do God's will in our own way - the one thing our Lord never did," said Oswald Chambers. The psalmist describes what it means to live in our own strength:

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves" (Ps 127:1-2).

How does one die so that Christ can be our all and all? It usually takes a crisis of significant proportions for most people to relinquish the control of their lives. It means we come to the end of ourselves and our striving to control the events in our lives and we finally come to the place where we can say, "Lord, I surrender. Please take full control of my life."

Have you come to this place with God in your life? Let go and let God make you a success His way.

Contact Os Hillman at www.marketplaceleaders.org.

DEVOTION TUES 11-02-10

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND, 2010

“THE POWER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST”

BY

DR JACK GRAHAM

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Acts 4:32-35

Have you ever looked up in the sky and watched a flock of birds as they flew over you? The formation you see when you look up depends on how far the birds are traveling. Flocks that are only going a short distance appear as a mass of birds heading in the same general direction. But flocks that appear in that signature "V" formation are the ones making the long haul.

The reason for the "V" formation is that it reduces the amount of wind resistance on each bird except for the one at the front. So when the front bird becomes exhausted, he changes places with another bird to rest and the flock keeps moving. Over the journey, each bird in the flock will spend time in the front.

This is exactly what the early church looked like. Every time there was a need, the people of the church responded and that need was met by every person in the group. What a testimony to the unity of God's people!

God wants you to have intentional relationships among the Body of Christ and to care for your brothers and sisters in the faith. Living a life in isolation is not just unhealthy, it's unbiblical! So live your life in the Body and care for other believers.

MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO STAY CONNECED WITH AND CARE FOR OTHER BELIEVERS.

DEVOTION MON 11-01-2010

DEVOTION , MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST, 2010

“WHEN IT IS RIGHT TO DISOBEY?”

BY

BAYLESS CONLEY

Over the last few devotionals, we have learned the importance God places on obedience to various authorities. And an appropriate question is whether there is ever a time when we draw the line when it comes to obeying men.

In the Book of Acts, Peter and John got in trouble for preaching Christ. In Acts 5:29, when they were told not to preach anymore, Peter answered and said this,

"We ought to obey God rather than men."

That is where you draw the line. If you are ever asked to do something that would cause you to be disobedient to God or that would cause you to violate your conscience (not your preference, but your conscience), that is where you draw the line.

Paul made a statement that he lived in good conscience before God and before men. Your conscience deals with things you truly believe in your heart are morally right and wrong. If you go against your conscience in one of those things, then that is sin.

Stand your ground when it comes to conscience and obedience to God. If people ask you to do something that violates either of these two things—then it is time to take a stand for what you know is right.

For example, in many nations of the world, it is illegal to share your faith. It is illegal to win people to Christ. But Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." We have an allegiance to a higher authority. And when the authorities are telling us to do something that would cause us to disobey God, we obey God, not men.