Forty Martyrs

Forty martyrs
"History knows them as the 40 martyrs of Sebaste. They were soldiers in the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome's imperial army, around A.D. 320. One day the captain informed his troops that Emperor Licinius had sent down an edict commanding all soldiers to offer a sacrifice to his pagan god. Forty of the soldiers were followers of Christ, and they refused.

The emperor decided to make an example of the soldiers, so he marched them onto a frozen lake and stripped them of their clothes. "Renounce your God and you will be spared from death," he told them. Not one man came forward. Throughout the night the men stayed together, singing their song of victory: "Forty Martyrs for Christ."

When morning came, 39 of the men had frozen to death. The one survivor recanted his confession of faith. The officer in charge that night had been so moved by the scene that during his watch he'd come to Jesus, so he broke rank and walked out onto the ice. Stripping his clothes he openly confessed his faith in Christ. He refused to renounce his new faith. When the ordeal was over, the Roman soldiers carried 40 frozen men off of the ice.

In comparison, my life is like a long night on a soft mattress. I may one day be faced with serious consequences for my faith. You may, too. Will we have the strength of character and heart and faith to stand strong just the same?"

from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins

Perseverance

God's promise to continue working in our lives requires perseverance on our part.

Whether you are an athlete undergoing grueling physical conditioning, an employee struggling under a mountain of work, or a Christian suffering persecution, the key to perseverance is a clear vision of the goal.

While the goal of an athlete is to win the race and goal of the employee is a job well done, the goal of the believer is nothing less than eternity in the presence of the Lord.

The writer of Revelation encourages Christians to keep their eyes on Jesus, who will reward the faithful, and to obey his Word to the end. When you feel like giving up, remember the glory that awaits you as a child of God.

prayer

cling to the promises of Psalm 121 and Psalm 91. "Unceasing prayer is made for you." "Every petition, however fervent, must be with submission to his will."

civility

What happened to civility? Why is there lack of relational basics? What happened to respect, consideration, patience, kindness? Why do we tolerate bad language and poor behavior? Parents why are you not doing your job? A lack of respect has effected divorce rates, crime and pregnancy outside of marriage. Learning to be polite and considerate of others is minimized in todays children. Its all about me mentality is damning.

Death

"There are two kinds of death—the cessation of life here on earth, and the missed opportunity to live in heaven with God forever. To die physically is to leave our earthly body and our place in the earthly community. To die spiritually, eternally, is to miss eternal residence in heaven with God and his people, to be separated from God forever.

When we die physically, we can be even more alive as we take up residence in God's eternal home with him and his people. It is not pleasant to think of dying physically. But it is devastating to think of missing heaven forever."

judging others

Be careful of judging others
1) when we judge others , God will be harder on us
2) we do many things we condem others for doing- in thought or action
3) we do not know the whole truth
4) judgement reveals contempt for the riches of Gods patience
6) Gods judgeent is always right, ours is tainted by our flesh
7) we risk application of the same judgement to ourself
8) we cannot judge rightously because our sight is hindered by our own sin
9) there is only 1 law giver and judge- God wrote the commands
10) our judgement would have to be completely consistant with Gods

this is in regards to the quick mental and verbal judgement, we make towards another

Believing God

FIVE STATEMENT PLEDGE OF FAITH

God is who He says he is

God can do what He says He can do

I am who God says I am

I can do all things through Christ

Gods word is alive and active in me

My promised land is the place where my theology merges with my reality

BELIEVERS WHO KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO BELIVE AND REFUSE TO BE CHALLENGED MAY HAVE A STAND OF FAITH BUT NOT A WALK OF FAITH

PROBLEM IS DOCTRINE OF MAN BUILT ON SINGLE SCRIPTURE

GOD HAS TO BE OUR PLUM LINE

CANNOT PLACE FAITH IN A LITTLE BOX GOD IS BIGGER THAN WE WILL EVER STREACH

GOD STILL PREFORMS MIRACLES

FAITH FILLS THE GAP BETWEEN OUR THEOLOGY AND OUR REALITY

GOD IS NOT OFFENDED BY OUR REQUEST FOR SUPERNATUAL INTERVENTION

TEST WHAT YOU ARE TAUGHT DONT BE A PARROT

FAITH WAS NEVER MENT TO BE DENOMINATIONAL EVERY BELIEVER IS INVITED AND ENCOURAGED BY GOD TO PRACTICE BIBLICAL FAITH

TIME DOES NOTHING BUT GROW US OLD, WHAT WE DO WITH THAT TIME IS WHAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE, IT IS WHERE HE TEMPERS AND TESTS US

WE CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO MAKES US STRONG

THE SPOKEN WORD OF GOD CAN ACCOMPLISH WHAT OUR MERE WORDS AND PRAYERS DO NOT

TAKE SCRIPTURE AND TURN INTO PRAYER, PRAYER IS THE PRIMARY DISCIPLINE OF THE FAITH GOD WANTS TO INFUSE WITH SUPERNATURAL POWER

EXPECT GREAT THINGS FROM GOD AND ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS FOR GOD

WHEN WE SEEK HIM WE WILL FIND HIM, HE IS FAITHFUL