Class 7B: Signs of the Times

Section 1: Signs of the End, from Matthew 24

Matthew 24:1-14-Jesus gives the signs of His coming
Matthew 24:1-2-Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. (2) And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
The disciples were bragging to Jesus about the Temple, what a beautiful building complex it was that King Herod built. He told them it would be destroyed, and we learned in an earlier class how this prediction was fulfilled so specifically. (See “Destruction of the Temple” in Bible Knowledge, Part 1 [Class 6a].)

Matthew 24:3-NowW as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
The Mount of Olives is a little hill just outside the walls of Jerusalem.
They thought, “My goodness, when the Temple is destroyed, that must be when You’re coming back and the world is going to be destroyed!” They didn’t realize that the Temple was going to be destroyed only 40 years later by the Romans, and it would still be over two thousand years before the end of the age!

Matthew 24:4-And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.”
Watch out! There are a lot of preachers and teachers who give all kinds of funny stories and explanations and interpretations of these things. You’d better stick to the Bible! Stick to what Jesus says right here.

Matthew 24:5-11-For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. (6) And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (8) All these are the beginning of sorrows. (9) Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. (10) And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. (11) Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

The Signs of the End: Getting fulfilled!
The disciples wanted to know, “When’s the end of the world going to be?” Jesus described what would happen before His return. Of course, we’ve experienced the things that Jesus described in these verses-the disasters, the sorrows, the persecutions-for the last 2000 years! But the scale and intensity with which these verses are being fulfilled has increased dramatically and that is significant. Let’s look at some examples.

[There are more examples in the accompanying Study Notes]

Deceivers and false prophets

vs. 5-For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
vs. 11, 24-Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (24) For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
The Bible tells us that if people willfully reject God’s truth, they will be given “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.”
2 Thessalonians 2:10-11-They did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.
When we refuse the truth, there is nothing left to believe but a lie! This is why much of the world today is wide open for deceivers and false prophets. It was estimated in the 1990s by a Syracuse University professor who researched the contemporary religious situation in America that there are over 2,000 practicing gurus calling themselves Christ!
Not only are many people unknowingly falling for Satan’s deceptions, increasing numbers are following Satanism. Rick Hatfield, director of Brylin Hospital’s adult and adolescent inpatient chemical dependency treatment facility near Buffalo, New York, warns, “Satanism is one of the greatest and most prevalent threats facing kids today.”
1 Timothy 4:1-Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
Youth involvement in the occult and witchcraft has been attributed to lack of spirituality in the churches. The Manchester [England] Guardian Weekly reported in the late 1990s that there are an estimated 80,000 witches in England.
The growth has been called a “renaissance in witchcraft,” and there are now open schools in witchcraft that teach “psychic self-defense” and the history of witchcraft. “Pagan power” is similarly on the increase in the U.S. There are about 2 million Americans who adhere to some form of paganism.
There are many striking statistics to show how people are falling away from the Christian faith. Here are a few examples:
Among churchgoing Anglicans (Church of England), only half believe in the Virgin Birth and almost a third of the clergy don’t believe it either! Only 2% of the population worships at church each Sunday.
In Germany, about 20% of people who call themselves Protestant and 10% of Catholics in Germany are atheists (Readers Digest).

Falling away from true faith (News clips from the 1990s)
Germany (Religion Today) German churches are facing a “fall into insignificance,” according to the German magazine Der Spiegel. Churches are losing members in droves, political leaders ignore the moral admonitions of clergy, and Christian values are having less impact on society, reported Idea, an evangelical Christian news service in Germany. According to a recent poll, only 37% of the German population thinks the church should teach moral values. The German public believes the police, political parties, and the environmental organization Greenpeace are more qualified than churches to pass along moral values.

England (The London Times) Almost a third of Anglican clergy believe that the Virgin Birth is a legend or are unsure if it is true. Among churchgoing Anglicans, about half believe that it happened. The Church of England’s attendance figures have fallen so sharply that less than 2% of the population now worships at church each Sunday, and only 1% regularly take communion.

The spirit of the age
Popular culture is often linked to a post-modern spirit of the age-one in which ideas of right and wrong and moral sense are simply choices individuals make.
“We had a reporter recently call to ask if genocide could be categorized as something ‘wrong,’” says John Seel of the Postmodernism Project at the University of Virginia. “What you see these days is a total lack of any authority in intellectual life. Everything is just okay as long as you think it is.”

Wars and rumors of wars
vs. 6-And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars…

The world has never been completely free from the scourge of war, but no period in all of history has witnessed the escalation of wars as has the 20th century. The International Red Cross estimates that over 100 million people were killed in wars during that century. The century came to a close with a third of the world’s 193 nations embroiled in conflict. In 1999 alone there were 65 armed conflicts!
Since World War II, which was supposed to be “the war to end all wars,” there have been over 130 major wars (conflicts resulting in over 1,000 deaths a year), as well as hundreds of smaller conflicts, armed rebellions, and revolutions. These 130 wars have killed more than 23 million people directly and another 20 million through famine and other war-related disruptions.

War victims in the 20th Century
Worldwatch News Release
Three times as many people-110 million-fell victim to war in the 20th century as in all the wars from the first century A.D. to 1899. And 70 percent of all war casualties since World War II have been civilians, rising to more than 90 percent in the 1990s.

World’s conflicts killed 100,000 in 1999
Agence France-Presse
At least 100,000 people have died in armed conflicts in the past year, the majority of them in Sub-Saharan Africa, the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) said in its annual report [released 10/00] on the world military balance.
Wars and civil unrest continued unabated in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, notably Colombia, and Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. The Caucasus region, notably Chechnya, and Central Asia were the scenes of unresolved and persistent conflict, it added.
However, around 60 percent of the death toll came from Sub-Saharan Africa, where conflicts were recorded between Ethiopia and Eritrea, in Central Africa, Sierra Leone and southern Sudan.
There are now 14 ongoing UN peacekeeping operations around the world using the services of 28,900 troops from 38 countries-nearly three times as much as a year earlier.
Meanwhile, sales in the world arms trade in 1999 were estimated at around 53.4 billion dollars. Global military expenditures were about 809 billion dollars.
The U.S. remained the largest arms exporter with a 49.1 percent share of the global market.

More Facts and figures on war
World Health Organization
Worldwide, there were some 19 million refugees and displaced persons in 2002- largely as a result of wars, political turbulence, civil conflict and social unrest (e.g. Afghanistan, the Balkans, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, East Timor, Somalia and Sudan). In such emergencies, malnutrition runs rampant, exponentially increasing the risk of disease and death.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute website
The 1991 Gulf War cost the Allies a half billion dollars a day, or about $350,000 a minute. One fighter plane costs about $25 million. One Tomahawk cruise missile costs $1.3 million. One air-to-air missile costs $800,000.
Translated into more relatable expenses, for the price of one Sparrow radar-guided missile, a school full of hungry children could eat lunch every day for five years.
World military expenditure in 2001 was $839 billion. That means an astronomical 1.6 million dollars are spent worldwide on the military every minute! A $30 billion, 10-year plan to provide clean water to the poor of the developing world would cost just thirteen days of military spending.
Total world military spending for 2001 of 839 billion dollars represents a significant proportion of world economic resources. As a global average it accounted for 2.6 per cent of world GDP and 137 dollars per capita. However, both economic resources and military expenditure are unevenly spread. The 15 major spenders account for over three-quarters of world military spending. Five countries account for over half. The United States accounts for 36 per cent, followed by Russia with 6 per cent and France, Japan and the UK with about 5 per cent each. The 63 countries in Africa and Latin America together accounted for 5 per cent of world military spending in 2001.

Civil wars (nation against nation)
vs. 7-For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…

The Greek word for “nation” originally used in this prophecy, “nation shall rise against nation,” is ethnos, which is more accurately translated “a race” or “a tribe.” Jesus was saying that ethnic groups would rise against each other-a prophecy dreadfully fulfilled in former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and other trouble spots around the world.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that during the 20th century, the murders perpetrated by dominant clans or ethnic groups in nations against other clans or ethnic groups in their own countries have exceeded the deaths caused by wars with rivals outside their borders!
In the seven years following the end of the Cold War in 1989, an estimated 101 conflicts raged. Most were wars not between states but within states. They were fought by opposing groups with unsophisticated weapons. In Rwanda, for example, much of the killing was done with machetes.

Deaths in civil wars (amongst people of the same country)
Compiled from articles in AP, The Independent, State Department, Center for Defense Information, CIA, World Almanac
Following is a list of death tolls or estimates in a sampling of civil conflicts fought in the 1990s:
Algeria: 75,000, 1992-98: An insurgency touched off when the army canceled elections the Islamic Salvation Front was poised to win. Algeria is getting its first civilian chief of state since 1965, but the election brought charges of fraud.
Burundi: 150,000-250,000, 1993-99: Tutsis and Hutus have been fighting since the 1993 assassination by Tutsis of the first democratically elected president-a Hutu-and a coup in 1996 that brought a Tutsi government to power.
Colombia: 1,200 civilians, 1998: Thousands die yearly in violence perpetrated by drug traffickers, leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitary squads, and wayward army soldiers in a decades-long struggle. The country’s ombudsman says civilian massacres rose 16 percent in 1997, to 1,200, and more than 300,000 people were displaced by violence.
Guatemala: 200,000, 1960-96: Civil war ended with a peace agreement between leftist rebels and the government.
Kosovo: 2,000, 1998: A death toll that has risen to unknown heights since Serbs intensified their ethnic purge of Kosovars and NATO started bombing to stop the repression. Mass graves have been reported in Kosovo. NATO has acknowledged bombing a passenger train and possibly a refugee convoy; Serbs said about 75 died as a result.
Liberia: 200, 000, 1989-2003: More than 1 million now displaced within country, more than 300,000 fled to neighboring countries. Rebel leader Charles Taylor launched Liberia into conflict leading an insurgency to overthrow then-President Samuel Doe. Taylor won presidency in 1997, after leading a ruinous seven-year civil war. Since then rebels have battled to remove him.
Northern Ireland: 3,250, 1968-1998: Street clashes between Catholic protesters and Protestant police, leading in 1970 to the start of bombings and shootings by the IRA and then random killings by Protestant groups.
Rwanda: 500,000-1,000,000, 1994: A 90-day slaughter of Tutsis or moderate Hutus by soldiers, militia and others under the influence of the Hutu government, finally put down by Tutsi-led rebels.
Sierra Leone: 14,000, 1992-99: Continuing war between the Revolutionary United Front and the government, with the rebels backed by an ousted military junta and the government by a UN-led intervention force.
Spain: 800, 1961-99: Basque separatists broke a truce in their armed campaign for independence and resumed a campaign of assassinations and car bombings.
Sri Lanka: 57,000, 1983-99: Tamil rebels have been fighting the government for an independent homeland in the small island nation.
Sudan: 1.5 million, 1983-99. Rebels from the Christian and animist south have been fighting for autonomy from the Arab and Muslim north in a conflict marked by famine.
Turkey: 37,000, 1984-99: Kurdish rebels have been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey, using guerrilla bases in northern Iraq.

Famines
vs. 7-There will be famines…

A famine is a drastic, wide-reaching shortage of food.
The WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that about 4 million people a year die of starvation, or about 30 people every minute.-That means, during the two hours that we are here together, about 3,600 people will have died of hunger!
“Some 40,000 hunger-related deaths occur every day, mostly in rural regions,” according to World Bank former vice president Ismail Serageldin.
It is estimated that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed, and one-third is starving. More than 800 million people are chronically undernourished (World Health Organization).
Water shortages in parts of the world in the next 25 years will pose the single greatest threat to food production and human health. 1.3 billion people worldwide have no access to clean water (World Bank).
The terrible irony is that the world can produce enough food to feed its expanding population. While some famines are caused by drought or other natural disasters, most starvation in the world today could be avoided were it not for man’s selfishness and inhumanity. War, embargoes, government corruption, and economic oppression are all symptoms of the real problem. While innocent children starve, some rich nations destroy millions of tons of food in order to keep prices artificially high.

Water crisis “likely to hit 40 countries”
South China Morning Post / Associated Press-1999
More than a billion people lack safe, clean water and the problem will worsen next century, experts say.
Most of the projected water shortages in 2025 would be in Africa and the Middle East, but India, parts of China, Peru, England and Poland would also be affected, said a newly formed commission that focuses on world water supplies.
The commission said the problem could afflict more than 40 countries in all. A United Nations analysis found that 1.4 billion people now lacked safe and reliable water. Water-related diseases kill from five million to seven million people annually, experts said. The UN said up to half of the population of the developing world suffered from such diseases at any given time.
The UN said shortages would affect 2.3 billion people, or 30 percent of the world’s population, in more than 40 nations by 2025.
Ismail Serageldin, chairman of the World Commission on Water, said, “Water is life. Shortage of fresh water is … going to be one of the major problems of the 21st century.”

Pestilences
vs. 7-And pestilences…

Pestilences, also known as plagues: At least 30 previously unknown diseases have appeared globally since 1973, including HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis C, Ebola hemorrhagic fever and others.
Twenty well-known infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera have re-emerged or spread since 1973, some reappearing in “deadlier, drug-resistant forms.” Less than 20 years ago the medical profession claimed victory over a wide array of bacterial and viral killers. But instead of fading, the cases of infectious diseases have skyrocketed throughout the ’90s. Doctors now warn that the current resurgence of drug-resistant bacteria strains could prove to be more deadly than AIDS. Drug-resistant strains of microbes are having a deadly impact on the fight against tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, diarrhea, and pneumonia, which together kill more than 10 million people worldwide each year.
As AIDS continues its global rampage, the statistics have become staggering. UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS, in its “AIDS Epidemic Update” released in December 2002, stated that 5 million new HIV infections occurred that year. 3.1 million people died of AIDS in 2002, bringing the total of AIDS-related deaths to 6.4 million. As of the end of 2002, over 42 million people are living with HIV / AIDS.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says “around the world close to 14,000 every day are infected with HIV and the pandemic is getting worse.”
In the 45 most affected countries, it is projected that, between 2000 and 2020, 68 million people will die prematurely as a result of AIDS. The projected toll is greatest in sub-Saharan Africa where 55 million additional deaths can be expected.
Aside from the above-mentioned plagues, there is, of course, cancer, which is considered non-infectious. Scientists estimate that about 80 percent of cancers are caused by environmental factors. Over 100 different kinds of cancer now kill over 6 million people every year.

Earthquakes and other natural disasters
vs. 7- And earthquakes in various places.

The Universal Almanac tells us:
There were only 21 earthquakes of major strength between the years 1000 and 1800.
There were 18 major earthquakes between 1800 and 1900.
There were 33 major quakes between 1900 and 1950-so there were almost as many in 50 years as the number in the preceding 850 years!
There were 93 major earthquakes between 1950 and 1991 (almost triple the number of the previous half century) which claimed the lives of 1.3 million people around the world.
The US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center reports that there are over 3.3 million earthquakes occurring annually throughout the world. Around 140 of them are magnitude 6.0 or greater on the Richter scale. There is no reliable predictor of when quakes will occur and they occur over widely scattered areas of the world.
There were a record number of disasters in 1999. About 70,000 people were killed in well over 700 disasters. Of these, about 20,000 people died in six serious earthquakes, with many thousands more left injured and homeless (Munich Re, Insurers, and other sources).
Because of declining soil fertility, drought, flooding or deforestation, some 25 million “environmental refugees” were driven from their homes in 1999. In the last six years, the number of people needing assistance from the Red Cross and Crescent alone due to floods and earthquakes has risen from less than half a million to more than 5½ million.

Quakes and floods bigger killers than terror in 2002
Reuters
Despite rising concern around the world about terrorism, the past year saw far more people killed by natural disasters than any man-made catastrophe.
Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurance company, said in an annual report on natural disasters that 11,000 people were killed by floods, earthquakes, storms and other extreme weather in 2002, and worse was likely to follow.
“Although in the case of man-made catastrophes the year 2002 was marked by numerous air crashes, shipping accidents, major fires, and further terrorist attacks, they were far from reaching the same extent of (economic) loss or number of victims as the natural catastrophes,” Munich Re said.
This year’s death toll was lower than the 25,000 in 2001, when an earthquake in the western Indian state of Gujarat killed at least 19,700 people, but economic losses from such disasters soared to $55 billion, Munich Re said.

Persecution of God’s people
vs. 9-Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.

“This century [the 20th] is known as ‘The martyrs’ century’ because more people have lost their lives for their Christianity since 1900 than in all the previous centuries together,” writes the mission agency Open Doors, founded in 1955 by a Dutchman known as Brother Andrew, whose 1967 book God’s Smuggler has sold 14 million copies around the globe.
“Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world,” writes Nina Shea, former advisor to the Committee of Religious Freedom, in her book In the Lion’s Den. “During the twentieth century more of them died, as a result of persecutions, than in all the preceding nineteen hundreds since the birth of Christ. When I say persecution I don’t mean simple discrimination, but slavery, torture and murder.”
“All over the world there are about 200 million followers of Christ suffering today,” says Michael Horowitz of the Hudson Institute, “and it’s surprising that nobody, neither the Christian community nor the establishment, talks about it.” The average number of Christian martyrs per year worldwide is 163,000 (International Bulletin of Missionary Research).
Nineteen European countries violate religious liberty, according to the 1998 report of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF). Subsequent annual reports describe an increase of intolerance and repression of minority religions.

Examples around the world…
(Editors: These are exampleS of state-sponsored discrimination of non-majority faiths.)
Central Asia and former Soviet countries. (Forum 18 bulletin, July 2003) An alarming number of states raid religious meetings to close down services and punish those who take part. Turkmenistan is the worst offender: it treats all non-Russian Orthodox and non-Muslim worship as illegal. Uzbekistan and Belarus specifically ban unregistered religious services. In Belarus, numerous Protestant congregations-some numbering more than a thousand members-cannot meet because they cannot get a registered place to worship. Officials in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan also raid places where worship is being conducted.
Turkmenistan has dismissed from state jobs hundreds of active Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses and other religious minorities. Armenia has ordered local police chiefs to persuade police who were members of faiths other than the Armenian Apostolic Church to abandon their faith. If persuasion failed, such employees were to be sacked. Belarus has subjected leaders of independent Orthodox Churches and Hindus to pressure-including fines, threats and inducements-to abandon their faith or emigrate. Officials in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Belarus repeatedly attack disfavoured religious minorities in the media, insulting their beliefs, accusing them falsely of illegal or “destructive” activities, as well as inciting popular hostility to them. Turkmen and Azeri officials try to persuade people to abandon their faith and “return” to their ancestral faith (Islam).

France and Belgium. (IHF, News Release July 2003) Since the mid-1990s, the Belgian and French governments have been engaged in efforts to monitor and warn the public of religious groups depicted as “harmful sects.” These policies have primarily targeted religious groups that have never been engaged in anything but peaceful and lawful activities, and have encouraged prejudice and intolerance toward them. The governments in the two countries have not taken any effective measures to counteract the hostility and discrimination suffered by members of religious groups depicted as “sects.” The “anti-sect” policies pursued by the Belgian and French governments have also set a problematic precedent for former socialist countries that have sought to present restrictive policies toward “new” religious movements as democratically acceptable.

Malaysia. (AP, April 2003) Malaysian church leaders and lawyers have urged the government to lift a ban on a Bible in the Iban language. The Bible is widely used by churches in Malaysia’s Sarawak state on Borneo island, where the Iban people are one of the largest indigenous groups. The Home Ministry announced that this Bible was among 35 books banned effective immediately because they were considered detrimental to public peace.
Egypt. (Barnabas Fund, June 2003) Naglaa, a Christian convert from Islam, and her husband Malak have been held in prison since mid-February in an effort to force Naglaa to give up her Christian faith and return to Islam, to leave her husband, and to raise her children as Muslims. Naglaa and her husband Malak Gawargios Fahmy were arrested at the airport as they tried to leave Egypt for Cyprus. Under Egyptian law, and it is prohibited for Christian men to marry Muslim women.)
Laos and Vietnam. (Christian Solidarity Worldwide [CSW], July 2003) Persecuted Christians have been driven off their lands and face destitution. 21 Bru Christians were imprisoned in Savannakhet, Laos. One man is serving a sentence of 15 years in Udomsay Province for his religious activities. In Vietnam, unregistered Christians face threats, persecution, and eviction from their land, as well as destruction of church buildings, beatings, forced conversions and demands for renunciation of their faith.
Eritrea. (CSW, 2003) Persecution of independent Protestant churches continues. At Easter, two Evangelical Lutheran Church members were arrested and detained for three days. In Sahel, military police forcibly conscripted sixteen female and forty male Pentecostal Christians, although all had completed their mandatory military service.
Bhutan. (CSW, 2001) The government of Bhutan has stepped up its persecution of Christians. Bhutanese authorities and police moved in to churches on Palm Sunday to register the names of believers. Many pastors were detained, interrogated, and threatened with imprisonment. The authorities want Christians to stop witnessing and have closed many churches. Forms have been circulated requiring Christians to comply with “rules and regulations governing the practice of religion.”

China. (CSW, 2001) Important official documents revealing centralized coordinated plans to crack down on and eliminate specific religious groups have been disclosed. One of the documents issued by the Ministry of Public Security, entitled “Notice on Various Issues Regarding Identifying and Banning of Cultic Organizations” lists 14 groups identified as cults. Some of the doctrines condemned as heresies in the document are beliefs widely held by Christians around the world, such as praying for healing. The Shouters and the All Sphere Church (founded by Xu Yongze) are listed as cults, with reference also made to the South China Church. The head of the South China Church, Gong Sheng Liang has been sentenced to death, along with four other leaders of the group.
Russia. (CSW, 2001) Russian proposals for a new state policy on religion would give broad social access solely to those confessions deemed “traditional” there. An earlier state policy on national security adopted shortly after Vladimir Putin became acting president last January refers to the need to “counter the negative impact of foreign missionaries,” who, some state officials believe, are western agents bent on destabilizing the nation and seizing control of Russia’s Far East. When the Moscow municipal authorities recently refused to renew the legal status of the Salvation Army in the capital, a local court cited the church’s subordination to a foreign center of authority among the grounds for the decision.

Family members
Members of the Christian movement The Family have experienced persecution. Provoked to action because of malicious allegations by detractors, in the early ’90s the authorities raided communities affiliated with The Family in Argentina, Australia, France and Spain. The pre-dawn raids by armed police, who in some cases also sent helicopters, were frightening for children and adults alike. The children were seized and taken into state care while some of the adults were arrested. Subsequent investigations indicated that the authorities had been misled and the raids were uncalled for. Examinations of the children showed that allegations of abuse were false and that the children were in good health. They were all returned to their parents. The adults who had been arrested were soon released without any charges.
According to the testimony of Dr. T. Jeremy Gunn before the House International Relations Committee at the U.S. House of Representatives on June 14, 2000, the mistreatment of The Family members by French authorities was not unlike that of the French Vichy government’s persecution of the Jews during the World War 2 Nazi terror. He said, “Nevertheless, there are some frightening broader similarities to Vichy in some extreme cases, such as the 1993 raid on The Family community in Aix-en-Provence. In that case, 200 heavily armed police arrived during the night and dragged members of the group into custody, alleging that they had committed child abuse. In February of this year, the court in Aix-en-Provence finally dropped all charges against the group and closed down the investigation.”

Love of many growing cold
vs. 12-And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

2 Timothy 3:1-4-But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: (2) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) unloving … (4) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
The breakdown of family life and a horrific increase in domestic violence are all sad indicators of the fulfillment of these verses.
According to European Union statistics, 11% of European citizens live alone, compared with 8% twenty years ago. In England, almost one out of every four children lives in a household with just one parent. Europe-wide, 13% of children live with just one parent, which is not that surprising considering that a third of all European marriages are likely to end in divorce. In America, the Census Bureau projects that 4 of 10 first marriages will end in divorce. 70% of children will spend some time of their childhood in a single parent family.
Domestic violence is another tragedy. In the USA, estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year to 4 million women who are physically abused by their husbands or live-in partners per year. In 1996, among all female murder victims in the U.S., 30% were slain by their husbands or boyfriends. Forty percent of teenage girls age 14 to 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend (FBI and other sources).
In Europe things are little better. Recent studies (October 2000) in the United Kingdom revealed that police receive more than 1,300 calls every day, or more than 570,000 calls a year, relating to domestic violence. The figures suggest that an individual is violently assaulted in their home every six to 20 seconds. An average of two women are killed by their partners or ex-partners in England and Wales each week.
A mother’s love for her infant has always been considered as pure and natural as can be, yet the lack of love and care on the part of those around a pregnant woman may cause her to feel that her only option is to abort the child. Reuters reports that “women around the world are having fewer children and are ending more than a quarter of all pregnancies in abortion.” Considering the stresses and material difficulties caused by the lack of a loving, supportive partner, we can sympathize that there are difficult decisions to be made because of an unplanned pregnancy, however abortion is not an acceptable option in God’s eyes. It is deplorable that despite the fact that fetal science has made it evident that human life begins at conception, worldwide over 46 million unborn children’s lives are snuffed out every year.
Jeremiah 2:34-Also on your skirts is found the blood of the lives of the poor innocents. I [God] have not found it by secret search, but plainly on all these things.

Britain singled out as lonely nation
There are 1.6 million lone parents in Britain. A steady decline in marriages coupled with rising divorce rates has revealed that Britain may be turning into a nation of loners.
The independent Family Policy Studies Centre (FPSC) findings show that more than 6.5 million people in Britain-about 28% of households-now live on their own, three times as many as 40 years ago.

Gospel preached in all the world

vs. 14-And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Unlike the rise in wars, famine, plagues, earthquakes, etc., Jesus said that this particular sign was not merely something to indicate “the beginning of sorrows,” but was a specific sign that would indicate when the actual End-Christ’s Second Coming-would be upon the world.
Christians and Christian churches now exist in every country of the world. The Gospel has been preached to over 4 billion people in these countries. Over 50 million Bibles are distributed every year, as well as nearly 80 million New Testaments. Four billion Gospel tracts are also printed each year.
The entire Bible or parts thereof are now available to about 98 percent of the world’s population, having been translated partially or entirely into some 2,203 different languages.
Other Christian books are also proliferating, with some 3 billion being printed every year by 1,500 presses and publishers. The Gospel is also preached from 2,160 Christian radio and television stations, and religious shows are carried on many more thousands of secular stations.
Plus there is a proliferation of religious Web sites on the Internet.
So this is one of the signs of the End that has already occurred! The Gospel has already been preached in all nations all over the world. If not directly by missionaries, certainly by radio and television, the Internet, literature, or travelers and visitors and so on. Every nation on the face of the Earth has today heard the Gospel. Perhaps not every tribe and tongue and dialect and little tiny group, but every single nation on the face of the Earth has now had the opportunity to hear the Gospel.

The Word gets out!
Bible boom. (Religion Today) Bible Societies around the world distributed 20 million Bibles in 1997. The Scriptures were produced in hundreds of languages and distributed in almost every country. The total distributed, including New Testaments and gospel booklets, was 561,633,376, the Bible Society of New Zealand said.
(Christian Daily News) In 1999, 24 million complete Bibles (Old and New Testament) were distributed. The Bible or portions of the holy Scriptures are available in 2,233 languages.
New translations. (Religion Today) Portions of the Bible have been translated into more than 2,000 of the world’s languages, according to the United Bible Societies. In the past year, the entire Bible was translated into eight new languages and the New Testament into 30 new languages. Some 62 other ethnic groups had at least one chapter of the Bible translated into their language for the first time, the UBS said.
The Jesus Film: Forget Titanic. Forget Star Wars and Gone With the Wind. They are small fry compared to the Jesus Film, which has been watched by more than two billion people. More than 40 million people in 120 countries have prayed to become Christians after viewing the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, according to Campus Crusade. The movie has been translated into more than 760 languages and dialects.

Topping one billion!
To date over its 34-year history (as of May 2003), members of The Family have led over 27 million people to receive Jesus and distributed over one billion pieces of Gospel literature.

Verses 15-21: The Antichrist One-World Government and the Great Tribulation
All of the sobering signs-the increase in disasters, in famines, in wars-were the “beginning of sorrows.” The fact that the Gospel has been preached brings us to the next phase: The very last days. Now Jesus is going to be even more specific about the exact end of things:
Matthew 24:15-21-Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), (16) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (17) Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. (18) And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. (19) But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! (20) And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. (21) For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

The Antichrist, his government, his image, and his mark
vs. 15-When you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place…

Jesus is referring to the prophecies in the book of Daniel.
Daniel 11:31-And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.

There are many references in Revelation and other places in the Bible that also expand on this. We don’t have time to go into a detailed study now, but we’ll summarize. We learn from the Bible that when the Antichrist claims control of the world, he sets up some kind of an Image or an idol, “the Abomination of Desolation” which the people of the world are ordered to worship-signifying their worship of him.
Revelation Chapter 13 puts this in terms that we can understand quite easily, so let’s look at the key verses.
Revelation 13:14-15-And [the Antichrist's false prophet] deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. (15) He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
The “beast” is the Antichrist. But the Image of the Beast is something else. How could an image speak? If we think of an old marble idol, it’s hard to picture it; but if we think of a computer that sends out instructions, whether the instructions are literally verbal or written, then it’s easier to imagine. We don’t know what the Image will be, but it is now technologically possible for it to be “speaking.”

Revelation 13:16-18-[The false prophet] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, (17) and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (18) Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Here’s the famous “Mark of the Beast” or “666.” It sounds like some kind of financial control, because without the mark, nobody is allowed to buy or sell.
Until this point in history, no government could have had such total control, but now the technology is available in ways that are unprecedented! Society is even being prepared and convinced that such a government would be the solution to the world’s pressing problems-a New World Order.
The mechanisms of the Antichrist’s New World Order are being put in place little by little. Technology has broken down borders and national sovereignty has become less important. These conditions will make the creation of a one-world government relatively simple. It’s happening so gradually that global government will be a logical next step. The poor of the world will certainly embrace it. At the moment, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and those who are poverty-stricken won’t think it can get any worse.
The mark will probably be touted as a great financial convenience, but there is more to it than that. In the Bible receiving the mark and worshipping the Beast are usually mentioned together. Though it doesn’t specifically say how they relate, the implication is that receiving the mark is part of accepting the Antichrist’s rule and something God’s children should therefore not do.

Revelation 14:9-10-If anyone worships the Beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God.

The Invisible World Order
(Atlantic Unbound)
On July 17th 1999, 120 member states of the United Nations agreed to create a permanent global war-crimes tribunal, to be called the International Criminal Court. The ICC and other projects like it are signs that the world is getting serious about thinking of itself as a world. As we envision more and more of these global institutions we are simultaneously confronted with the prospect of more and more databases of increasing size and complexity. The time has come to take a step back and ask the question: Are we ready to live in such a place?

Wiring the West
(Steve Harris, The Age Melbourne)
In a six-day live chatroom, 40 heads of state, 250 political leaders, 300 scientists, artists, academics and intellectuals, and 1,000 corporate chiefs (each with $1 billion in revenue) talked over what in the world is going on, and where the world might be going. The annual World Economic Forum is committed to improving the state of the world. It seeks to bring leaders from various fields together to discuss key issues, away from the usual obstacles of bureaucracies, protocols, and media scrutiny.
Whichever word in whichever language, the world’s elite has either fully embraced globalization, or fully accepted it as unstoppable: ready or not, the world is being plugged into one hot-wired, digitized, interactive marketplace, with normal definitions and understanding of time, distance, corporations, assets, value, consumers and government being challenged or transformed with astonishing speed.

Globaphobia?
(Tony Parkinson, The Age Melbourne)
Technology is shrinking the planet. Satellite communications have seen the cost of a three-minute transatlantic phone call fall from $244.65 in 1930 to less than $4 today. The cost of computing power has fallen by 99 per cent since the ‘60s. In 1980, IBM predicted the world market for personal computers over the next 10 years would be 275,000 machines. By 1990, there were more than 60 million PC users. World trade has also expanded exponentially as nations open their markets. A study by Michele Roth, of the Global Policy Forum, found that 160 of the top 200 most influential institutions on the planet today are transnational corporations.
They have overtaken all but the wealthiest nation states. As the 1997 Asian financial meltdown demonstrated, governments can be powerless before the tidal wash of international capital. The Bank for International Settlements reported a flow of more than $100 billion into Asia in one year, and $100 billion outflow the next.
Canada’s Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, voiced the growing sense of vulnerability among the political class. “Capitalism hasn’t come up with all the answers. We cannot see prosperity disappear overnight because some boy in red suspenders in New York decides this is not a good currency.”
General Motors has corporate sales bigger than the revenue of the Danish government. Toyota has a turnover greater than Norway’s. The 10 biggest industrial multinationals (Mitsubishi, General Motors, Mitsui, Itochu, Ford, Sumitomo, Toyota, Exxon, Marubeni and Shell) each has revenue bases bigger than the tax take of the Australian government.
Only the governments of the U.S., Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Italy carry more financial clout than the biggest multinationals. But even they may not be able to stare down the cumulative might of global financial markets. In 1992, speculator George Soros “broke” the Bank of England and forced a devaluation of the pound sterling.
The postwar era has produced the most remarkable rise in living standards in history. Yet the number of the truly destitute exceeds 1.3 billion. For one-fifth of the world’s population, mainly in Africa, living standards fell during the ‘80s. More than 1.5 billion people lack safe drinking water and more than a billion are illiterate.

The charter for global democracy
(Henry Lamb, WorldNetDaily)
In less than a year [September 2000], the United Nations will convene a special Millennium Assembly as a global summit on the future of the world. A Charter to achieve global governance was developed for presentation at the Millennium Assembly. It is called The Charter for Global Democracy. It has already been signed by influential leaders in 56 nations, and has the support of NGOs [non-governmental organizations] around the world. The document is, in reality, a Charter for the abolition of individual freedom.
The first of 12 principles calls for the consolidation of all international agencies under the direct authority of the United Nations. The second principle calls for regulation by the UN of all transnational corporations and financial institutions, requiring an “international code of conduct” concerning the environment and labor standards.
Dozens of documents, all promoting some form of world government, have been circulating for most of this decade. All contain these same principles. The Millennium Assembly will receive these documents and meld them into the legal instruments required to modify the existing UN Charter. It will take a year or two for the legal documents to be prepared and adopted, and another year or two for ratification. The world is truly standing at the threshold of world government.
(Editors: The Summit was convened as planned in September 2000, attended by more than 150 heads of state.)

Controls and limits on personal freedom-already happening!
(Wired)
The European Union is quietly getting ready to approve legislation that will allow the police to eavesdrop both on Internet conversations and satellite telephone calls without obtaining court authorization.
The legislation is part of a much wider memorandum of understanding between the E.U., the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, a non-member European nation. That agreement allows authorities to conduct telecom surveillance across international borders, according to a Europol document leaked to members of the European Parliament.
If approved, the agreement would permit real-time, remote monitoring of e-mail, as well as of calls placed on satellite telephone networks. Unlike most laws in Europe, the agreement will allow law enforcement to listen in without a court order.

(Joseph Farah, WorldNetDaily)
* Your e-mail communications and phone calls overseas are being intercepted by a global government surveillance system.
* Your cellular phone calls to your elected government officials are being monitored by the same mysterious Echelon program controlled by the U.S. National Security Agency.
* Your international faxes are also being copied and analyzed by this 50-year-old international civilian espionage organization.

(Simon Davies, Los Angeles Times)
Fifty years ago, a bizarre and terrifying novel went on sale in bookshops across the world. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four caught the imagination of millions, and in the process catapulted Big Brother into the international vocabulary. The phrase soon became shorthand for the power of the state, and it helped entire generations to express their fear of intrusion by authority.
To the digital generation, the all-seeing, all-knowing Big Brother is represented by large computer systems. Each adult in the developed world is located, on average, in 300 databases. As these databases converge with the telecommunications spectrum, nearly everyone becomes entangled in a web of surveillance enveloping everything from our bank accounts to our e-mail. To millions of people, Big Brother looms as a chilling warning about the creation of a surveillance society through information technology.
Superficially, Orwell got it wrong-1984 came and went with many of our freedoms apparently still intact. But a closer reading of the book reveals that we are nearer to Big Brother than we might imagine.
In Orwell’s fictional Oceania, a mass of “telescreens,” complete with microphones and speakers, watched over every square inch of public and private space. These devices, centrally monitored, began their life as public information systems and ended up policing the morals, thoughts and behavior of all citizens.
Compare this with the present day, where hundreds of thousands of cameras have been placed on buses, trains and elevators. Many people now expect to be routinely filmed from the moment they leave the front gate. Hidden cameras are being installed unhindered in cinemas, alongside roads, in bars, dressing rooms and housing estates. In the United States and Britain, visual surveillance is becoming a fixed component in the design of urban centers, housing areas, public buildings and even throughout the road system.

The Mark of the Beast-financial control, and more!
(The Straits Times)
SINGAPORE-Take out your wallet and count the number of cards you carry, not to mention all the Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) that you have to memorize for every possible transaction. Then there is your passport, driver’s license, insurance documents, not to mention details like home and work addresses, phone and fax numbers.
All that information, says BT Laboratories’ Peter Cochrane, can be put into a single silicon chip on a smart card. Everything from employment and medical records to financial status can be written into the chip. Add a short-range wireless transmitter-receiver, implant the whole thing under your skin, and you have a personal transponder, just like those in airplanes.
A chip like that can give you total freedom, according to Professor Cochrane. You walk into an airport and clear Customs and Immigrations in minutes because all your personal information will be processed by computers instead of humans. Since all your financial information is also in the chip, you can simply walk up to an ATM machine in any country and withdraw money as and when you need it.
Even grocery-shopping could be easier. Just walk into a store and pick up whatever you want to buy. No more queues at the cashier’s counter.
All this could be reality in 10 years time.

The future of money
(Time)
Cash is headed for a whole new dimension. MasterCard has invested millions in the development of an E-cash system called Mondex. Smart Mondex cards have tiny embedded microchips that can store not only electronic dollars but also five other types of currency, an abbreviated medical history and even a personalized electronic “key” that can open everything from your apartment to your office. Says Henry Mundt, MasterCard executive vice president for global access: “The chip that we are putting on the card now will form the platform for the ultimate in remote access for consumers to their funds, anytime, anywhere. What we really see happening in the future is consumers being able to design their cards to meet their individual needs. We refer to that as moving more toward life-style cards.” E-cash is already everywhere, from highway tolls to subways.
Technology and finance have become one and the same. As William Niskanen, chairman of the Washington-based CATO Institute, puts it, “The distinction between software and money is disappearing.” And nowhere is that truer than in the world of cold, hard cash.
Paper money is, in its way, amazing stuff. It is, for instance, easily transferable and widely accepted. You can pay the baby sitter without even thinking about the complex financial dynamics underlying the transaction. Cash-especially U.S. dollars-is also portable, storable and exchangeable. (Just ask the thousands of Russian Mafiosi who pay for nearly everything with $100 bills.) But paper cash does have some awful drawbacks. Lose it and it’s gone; sit on it and it may lose its value overnight: think about what just happened in Asia, or earlier in South America.
Enter electronic cash. The idea of digital money is simple enough: instead of storing value on paper, find a way to wrap it in a string of digits that’s more portable and (most important) smarter than its paper counterpart. Smart money? Well, yes. Because digital cash is endlessly mutable, you can control it much more precisely than paper money. Think about the $2,000 check you send to your daughter at college for expenses. How is that money really spent? Books … or beer? Electronic cash takes that relatively simple transaction-passing an allowance-and makes it into a much more intelligent process. And one that hardly requires something as old-fashioned as a bank.
For starters, you can send the money over the Internet encoded in an E-mail instead of sending a check. Your daughter can store the money any way she wants-on her laptop, on a debit card, even (in the not too distant future) on a chip implanted under her skin. And, you can program the money to be spent only in specific ways. You might instruct some of the digits to go for books, some for food and some for movies. Unless you pass along a few digits that can be cashed at the local pub, she’ll have to find someone else to buy the drinks.
Smart, digital cash may also address some of the other problems of paper money. If you lose your digital cash, for example, you will be able to replace it instantly by asking your computer to invalidate the disappeared digits and replace them with a fresh set. And unlike paper money-which stops earning interest as it shoots out of the ATM slot-smart money can keep earning interest until the moment you spend it.

The Great Tribulation
vs. 21-For then there will be great tribulation…

When the Antichrist has set up his Image, Jesus Himself said then begins the Great Tribulation! We know from other Scriptures that the Antichrist will rule for seven years (Daniel 9:27), and he sets up his Image halfway through. The Great Tribulation begins halfway through his reign. Not all seven years of his reign is tribulation, the first half is perhaps going to be fairly good, restoration of peace and the economy, a worldwide government at last, and perhaps less wars, especially at the beginning.
The “Great Tribulation” is a time of persecution of Christians and other devout religious believers. It’s going to be dangerous for those who love God and stand up for Him and refuse to accept the Mark of the Beast. The New World Order’s forces will be trying to kill those who refuse to worship the Antichrist.
Contrary to what some prophecy teachers have taught, the Christians of the world are still going to be here during the Tribulation. They’re going to have to go through it. But the Lord assures us:
Matthew 24:22-And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
The Lord doesn’t let it last too long, so it won’t be too hard on you and me. Otherwise, “no flesh would be saved.” During this time, the Lord’s children will be miraculously protected and provided for, and it will also be a time of great witnessing and reaping.
We’ll learn more about this in a future course.

The Tribulation

We know from the Scriptures that the reign of the Antichrist is seven years: Daniel 9:27
We also know from a variety of other verses that the Tribulation period is 3½ years:
Daniel 7:25-He [the Antichrist] shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time* and times and half a time. (*”Time” meaning one year.)
Revelation 13:5-And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
See also Revelation 12:6 and Daniel 12:7b.

Watch out!
Matthew 24:23-25-Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. (24) For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (25) See, I have told you beforehand.

Jesus says to watch out during this time! He’s talking about the Tribulation period, especially. “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there”-why? Why would people start looking for Christ then? They’re going to start looking for Jesus because they know that He’s coming soon!
Jesus says that when they say “I’m here,” “Jesus has come here,” or “He’s over there,” don’t believe it! You know why? You’re going to know it when Jesus comes! You’re going to know it! “For,” He says, “false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Even the Antichrist and False Prophet are going to do great signs and wonders, so that their followers will believe a lie and be damned.
Matthew 24:26-28-Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. (27) For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. (28) For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Jesus warns not to expect Him sooner than has been predicted, and that there will be many false Christs and false prophets who will try to deceive people into thinking either that they are Christ or that Christ is coming nearby somewhere, He is here or there. And He finally says, “Don’t believe any of them, because when I come you’ll know it!” The sky will light up like lightning from one end to the other, and there will be such a sign in the Heaven that you couldn’t possibly mistake the fact that Jesus is coming!
He will gather you together to His Body, and we will meet Him in the air! This is spoken of a number of times in God’s Word. It is spoken of in the first chapter of Acts, and in 1st Thessalonians chapter 4, etc. (This event is commonly known as the “Rapture.”)
What does this mean about a carcass and eagles? The coming of Christ will be as obvious as the gathering of eagles or vultures around a carcass.
The best way you’re going to know when Jesus comes is you’re going to be there! You’re going to rise to meet Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord!

Jesus returns!

Matthew 24:29-31-Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (30) Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Some theologians have taught that Christians will be “raptured” (resurrected) before the time of Great Tribulation. However it is clear from these verses that the Rapture occurs “after the tribulation of those days.”
That’s when Jesus is going to come: after the Tribulation! It says after the Tribulation shall appear the sign of the Son of man in Heaven. After the Tribulation, then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. After the Tribulation they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. After the Tribulation He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together His elect. That’s when Jesus is going to come back for His elect, to rapture His Saints, to gather them together!
How are you going to know when Jesus comes?-He’s going to come like lightning, shining even from the east unto the west! You’ll know when He comes because He’ll shine like lightning around the world and you’ll rise to meet Him in the air!

Keep watching the signs!
Matthew 24:32-44-Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. (33) So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near- at the doors! (34) Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. (35) Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (36) But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but My Father only. (37) But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. (38) For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, (39) and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. (40) Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. (41) Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. (42) Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. (43) But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. (44) Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

We’ve been talking about the signs. We know things are happening. Just like the leaves on the tree, we know summer is near!
Which generation will not pass? It wasn’t the generation of the disciples who Jesus was talking about, but the generation who sees the signs.
God’s Word is true and is going to happen. Just as we’ve been studying about so many prophecies that have already been fulfilled, all these other things that the Lord has said shall also happen!
The next part of this passage talks about the days of Noah. They were days of wickedness and violence on the earth. That’s something else we can see around us.
Then the Lord talks about those He takes with Him in the Rapture. It doesn’t matter where you are, or what you’re doing at the time. If you’re one of the saved, Jesus is going to take you to Heaven!
Jesus is not going to forget you! He’s not going to leave you behind when He comes, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. If you’re asleep in bed, He’s going to wake you up and take you. “Two shall be working out in the field,” and some will be taken and some will be left behind.
But nobody who has received Jesus is going to be left behind! No one who trusts Christ for his salvation is going to be left behind. When Jesus comes at the end of that Great Tribulation He’s going to take all of us who love the Lord, all of us who are saved, to be with Him forever!
Jesus is going to come then in the clouds with lightning and thunder and earthquake and stars falling and moon darkened and sun blacked out! The whole world’s going to know something very unusual and very apocalyptic is happening! His coming won’t be a secret, hidden event by any means!
And it’s going to be the Apocalypse for sure!-The revelation of Jesus Christ Himself coming in the heavens, in the clouds, in great power and glory, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and Christ Himself will shout and call us from every part of the Earth and we’ll be gathered together to be with Him! “And so,” He tells us, “shall we ever be with the Lord!”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17-For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Section 2: What’s Ahead, In a Nutshell!

Chronology of the future
We’ve learned in this class what will happen before Jesus returns. Now we’ll take a little time to quickly look at what will happen after His return. This is a very brief overview, but for the moment this is all we have time for.

You can read more about this in the Discovering Truth-Bible Basics book, pages 259-268, chapter on “The Endtime.” We’ll also learn more about it in later classes.

Jesus Returns!

Jesus returns in the clouds
(Matthew 24:27-30; 1 Thessalonians 4:16)

The Resurrection and the Rapture

The dead resurrected; the living raptured
All of God’s saved children will have a glorious and beautiful and wonderful resurrection. The Christians who have already died and gone to be with Jesus will arise from their graves and receive new resurrection bodies. The millions of Christians who are still alive on Earth, having survived the Antichrist reign, will be instantly changed, transformed, as they also receive their new eternal bodies.
(1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Rewards

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
There will be a great feast and a great ceremony, and Jesus will pass out the gifts, the presents, the rewards to all of those who loved and served Him.
(Revelation 19:6-8)

The judgment seat of Christ

Christians will be rewarded for their works.
(Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:12)

The Wrath of God upon Earth

The Lord’s punishments on those who rejected Him and worshipped the Antichrist
(Isaiah 13:9-11; 26:21; Revelation 14:9-10)

The Battle of Armageddon

The wicked will gather together at Armageddon (the plains of Meggido) in Israel to try to fight the nations who are resisting the Antichrist’s regime. When it looks like the antichrist is close to victory, Jesus Himself, along with His resurrected, glorified, Heavenly forces, will return to Earth again out of Heaven on majestic white horses to utterly defeat and destroy the Antichrist and his forces in the supernatural, catastrophic Battle of Armageddon. Some believe the war will last forty-five days. The battle will wipe out the very worst of the antichrist forces, leaving only those from both sides who are going to remain alive and survive through the Millennium, over whom God’s children are going to rule and reign.
(Revelation 16:16; 18:19-20; Jude 14,15)

* The Antichrist and his False Prophet will be cast into the Lake of Fire

(Revelation 19:20)

The Millennium

One thousand years of peace
Then we, the saints of God, along with our King Jesus Christ, will take over the world and set up the Kingdom of God on earth and restore it to the beauty of the Garden of Eden again. This amazing period will last for one thousand years, and therefore is known as the Millennium! During this time people will choose to follow and receive Jesus, or choose to rebel.
(Daniel 2:44, 7:27; Revelation 20:4-6, 2:26-27, 5:10)

The Devil bound

The Devil will be bound and cast as a prisoner into the Bottomless Pit for this thousand-year period.
(Revelation 20:1-3)

The Battle of Gog and Magog

The final test
As a final test and sifting, at the end of the Millennium Satan is going to be released from his prison in the heart of the earth for “a little season,” just long enough to deceive the remaining unconverted wicked over whom we have been ruling.
(Revelation 20:7)

The last battle

These rebels will again follow the Devil, in open rebellion against the Lord and His government, resulting in the catastrophic Battle of Gog and Magog in which God is so fed up with them that He just sends down fire out of Heaven to devour the wicked completely! In fact, He will cause such a horrible fire to come down that it will completely wipe out the entire surface of the earth and the atmospheric heavens shall be rolled back like a scroll.
(Psalm 2:1-5; Revelation 20:8-9; 2 Peter 3:10-13)

The Devil is cast into hell

(Revelation 20:10)

Great White Throne Judgment

The unsaved dead of all ages raised. The books are opened.
After this climactic Battle of Gog and Magog, all the unsaved of all ages will be raised to stand before God Himself in the final Judgment in which “the books are opened” and they will all be given their final sentences according to their works and will be assigned to their places in the hereafter.
(Revelation 20:11-15; Luke 12:47-48)

New Heaven and New Earth

The Heavenly City comes down to earth.
God’s great Heavenly City will then descend from above to the beautiful, recreated, Garden-of-Eden-like New Earth, and God Himself will dwell with us right here on Earth.
(Revelation 21:1-3, 22:2)

Only the saved live in the city; unsaved nations outside.
(Revelation 21:24,27, 22:2; Hebrews 11:13-16)

Eternal life and happiness forever
(Revelation 21:4-7, 22:3)

Conclusion

God’s love for the lost
We’ve heard some rather dismal descriptions of the world today as well as predictions of what is yet to come. It is important to understand that although the Lord predicted these things would happen, they’re not happening the way He would want things to happen if He were running the world. (It’s a bit like reading a summary of the plot of a film before you watch it. Although you know what’s going to happen, you’re not the one who has determined the course of events.)
The Lord doesn’t like what is happening, but He has allowed mankind to have the majesty of choice-the collective choices of mankind that have brought things to the terrible state they are in now, and will yet bring humanity even closer to disaster.
The Lord would much prefer if people would choose to follow His loving ways. The world would not be in the mess it is now if people had chosen to live according to the principles of love.-But even now, despite all the horrible things that are happening, Jesus promises to forgive, help, love and comfort all those who come to Him.

2 Peter 3:9-The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

We’ll discuss more about these subjects in later classes.

Our role in the Endtime
You don’t need to fear the coming tribulation if you love the Lord! Don’t worry about that 3½ years of Great Tribulation! God can be a much greater Enemy to the forces of the Antichrist than they could ever be to us!
1John 4:4-You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
God’s Word says that during this time:
Daniel 11:32b-The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.
The people who know Jesus are going to be strong! The worse things get, the more God’s Spirit is going to be poured out from On High to help us withstand the dark evil forces that will be warring against us! The Lord has promised power for the hour, and to be with us:
Deuteronomy 33:25b-As your days, so shall your strength be.
Matthew 28:20b-Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
In the world’s darkest hour of greatest iniquity, even then we’re going to supernaturally, miraculously witness and shine brighter than we have ever shone before!
Romans 5:20b-Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
We are going to have an important role in this time period. Our job will be to stand up as God’s witnesses and to explain to them what’s happening and to lead and to encourage and to feed God’s people till the very End!
Daniel 11:33a-And those of the people who understand shall instruct many.
People are going to be more desperate than ever during those dark days, and you who are faithful witnesses and know God’s Word are going to win a lot of souls in that day!-Because a lot of people are going to need salvation and be more open and ready to receive the answers the Lord wants to give them than they are now.
So even during the Tribulation, we’re going to continue our work for Jesus!

Class 12B: What is God’s Will

Section 1: God’s Will for You

We should desire to please the Lord
1 Thessalonians 4:1-Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God.
John 14:15-If you love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:23a-Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word.”
Throughout these classes, we’ve talked and learned a lot together about the close relationship the Lord wants to have with us. He wants to bring satisfaction and joy into our lives. We’ve talked about the gifts He offers-the gifts of healing, joy, of hearing from Him, of love, of strength, of help in times of trouble, of His very presence.
Until now we haven’t talked much about what He is expecting in return, besides our praise and our love for Him, a love so abundant that our hearts should be so full of love that it overflows upon others.
So now we want to talk about giving Him more of ourselves so that He can fulfill His plan in our lives.

The Lord’s expectations
We know from the Word that the fundamental thing that the Lord expects from all of us is love: to love Him and love our neighbors.
What else have we learned over the past months about the Lord’s expectations? (Spend a few minutes considering what you have learned since embarking on the 12 Foundation Stones course.)

Making the right decisions
We can see from our discussion that we know general principles, but do you know specifically what He wants you to do? When you are faced with a decision, how do you determine what would most please the Lord? We’ve learned about hearing from Him in prophecy, and that is one of the ways to know His will, but there are additional ways that will help you make the right decisions and that’s what we’ll look at today.

A sense of priorities is essential for making the right decisions.
No man is a great man, and no woman is a great woman, unless they have a sense of priorities. If we keep from doing the better thing because we’re so occupied with things that are secondary, we will not find the fulfillment that we seek nor will we achieve the great potential He has placed in each of us.
There is a very true saying: “Only one life, it will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”
1 Corinthians 3:14-If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
Matthew 6:33-But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
2 Corinthians 4:18-We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Busy on the way
There was an older woman who arranged to travel by train through the mountains in the south of Austria. She had always wanted to take that trip, knowing the grandeur of the Alpine scenery she would pass as the train made its way. She boarded the train and decided to make sure she was comfortable. For the next few hours the woman fussed with her handbag and her little bag, trying to arrange things-adjusting a little pillow she had brought along for her back, and fussing about, never looking out at the scenery. Ordering tea, opening her sandwiches, checking the timetable, and the time went by. She had always talked about wanting to see what it looked like, but she didn’t deal with the main purpose of her trip at all! She forgot what it was all about and just fooled around with those little, inconsequential things. It was a misplaced attention, a false priority. The emphasis was in the wrong place. The mountains passed her by…

What’s important?
It was reported that eleven millionaires went down on the RMS Titanic. Major A. H. Peuchen left $300,000 in money, jewelry, and securities in a box in his cabin. “The money seemed a mockery at that time,” he later said. “I picked up three oranges instead.”

Keep the lights burning!-He knows his priorities!
The keeper of a lighthouse at Calais, France, was boasting of the brightness of his lantern, which could be seen ten leagues away at sea. A visitor said to him, “What if one of the lights should chance to go out?”
“Never! Impossible!” he cried, horrified at the thought. “Sir,” said he, pointing to the ocean, “yonder, where nothing can be seen, there are ships going out to all parts of the world. If tonight one of my burners went out, within six months would come a letter, perhaps from India, perhaps from America, perhaps from some place I never heard of, saying, ‘On such a night, at such an hour, the light of Calais burned dim, the watchman neglected his post and vessels were in danger!’ Ah, sir, sometimes in the dark nights, in stormy weather, I look out to sea and feel as if the eyes of the whole world were looking at my light. Go out? Burn dim? Never!”

God has plans for you!
1 Peter 4:10-As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Romans 12:6-8-Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; (7) or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; (8) he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

God has gifted each of us with certain qualities and abilities. When we are making decisions and seeking God’s will, we should ask ourselves, what are we doing with the gifts we’ve been given? Are we using them for what is most important?
Consider this passage:
“In all the ages there never has been and never will be a man or woman just like you. You are unique and have no double. No two leaves, no two jewels, no two stars, no two lives are alike. Every life is a fresh thought from God to the world. There’s no one in the entire world who can do your work as well as you. There is a need for you. God has a plan for you. And if you don’t find and enter into God’s purpose for your life, there will be something missing from the glory that would otherwise have been there. Every jewel gleams with its own radiance, every flower distills its own fragrance, every believer has his own particular bit of Jesus’ radiance. Has God given you a different personality? He has also created a particular circle of individuals who can be reached and touched by that personality only, and you can do it as none other in all the world.”

No matter how weak you feel, God can use you!
It was advertised long ago in a large city that a great violinist would play on a violin worth a thousand dollars-at that time, a considerable amount of money. The theatre was packed. Many came as much to see the fine violin as to hear the music. The violinist came out and played, and the people were enraptured. But suddenly he threw the violin down and stamped on it, crushed it into matchwood and walked off the stage. The people were shocked, and thought the man must have lost his mind to destroy such a lovely and costly instrument. Then the manager came on and addressed the audience, saying, “Friends, the violinist has not been playing on the thousand-dollar violin yet. The instrument you have heard he bought at a second-hand store for 65 cents. He will play on the thousand-dollar violin now.”
And so he did, and there were few people in the audience who could tell any difference. He simply wanted to show them that it is the violinist, rather than the violin, that makes the music. You may be a 65-cent fiddle, but the Master will make music upon you if you are yielded to Him. (Acts 4:13-14; Romans 12:1-2.)

The first step in finding His will: Yield to Him!

The choice to do God’s will should come from a willing heart. God wants volunteers, not draftees!
2 Corinthians 9:7-So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
1 Chronicles 28:9a-As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.
The first step in finding God’s guidance is to yield to God. You need to be willing to let go of your ideas of what you think is best in order to find God’s plan.
Proverbs 3:7-Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.
Matthew 6:10-Your kingdom come. Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

In His care
A young lady stood talking to an evangelist on the subject of consecration. “I dare not give myself wholly to the Lord,” she said, “for fear He will send me out to China.”
The man of God said: “If some cold, snowy morning a little bird should come, half frozen, pecking at your window, and should let you take it in and feed it, thereby putting itself entirely in your power, what would you do? Would you grip it in your hand and crush it? Or would you give it shelter, warmth, food, and care?”
A new light came into the girl’s eyes. “Ah, I see, I see!” And her face shone as she went away. Later she again met the clergyman and recalled to him the incident. With a countenance all aglow with joy, she said, “And, do you know, I am going to China!”

Accepting your calling
It is said of Henry of Bavaria that at one time, becoming weary of court life, he determined to enter a monastery. When he presented himself to Prior Richard, the faithful monk gave him the strict rules of the order. The king listened eagerly and enthusiastically expressed pleasure at the prospect of such complete consecration.
Then the prior insisted that obedience, implicit and expressed was the first requisite of sainthood. The monarch promised to follow his will in every detail. “Then go back to your throne and do your duty in the station God assigned you,” was the prior’s word to him. The king took up his scepter again, and from then until he died, his people said of him, “King Henry has learned to govern by learning to obey.”

Follow the Guide
Psalm 143:10-Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.
An experienced guide of many years in the jungles of Africa once said, “It’s hard to lead those who are willful. It’s very difficult to guide them. They don’t trust their guide, they’re always wanting to have their own way, and I’ve seen many such people in my days of guiding who ran into dangerous situations and serious accidents because they wouldn’t follow the guide.”
Is it strange then that God’s people, the sheep of His pasture, need a Shepherd to guide them? We shouldn’t go a day without the presence and guidance of the Lord.
Psalm 100:3-Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Finding God’s will for us and for our possessions

Finding God’s will for ourselves includes finding His will for the possessions He has given us stewardship over.
As we learnt in our classes on the “Golden Rule,” the Lord expects us to give of ourselves in loving service for Him and others. Part of this giving includes sharing of our material possessions and finances with the needy, and also supporting other believers in their work for the Lord.

“Every good gift comes from above”
James 1:17-Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Psalm 136:25-Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever.
Ecclesiastes 5:19-As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor- this is the gift of God.
We work for a living yet ultimately the blessing of our material possessions comes from the Lord. If we acknowledge Him as the Giver, then we acknowledge that we’re really just stewards, taking care of that which He has given into our hands. This puts our financial decisions into better perspective. We should be seeking God’s will not only for what we do, but also for how we use our money and belongings.

Stewards of that which we possess
Some years ago a couple of livestock buyers in the South rode up to the home of an old man and noticed a fine milk cow grazing in the yard. One of them said, “Uncle, we would like to buy this cow. Is she yours?”
The old man replied, “No, sir, boss, that isn’t my cow. She’s the Lord’s cow. I’m just keeping her for Him.”
That old man had grasped the great principle of stewardship. We really do not own anything. Whatever we seem to possess is just loaned to us for a little while, for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness” (Psalm 24:1).

The believers’ duty to support God’s work
Whether we ourselves can work for the Lord or not, we should be helping those who are.
Galatians 6:10-Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Romans 15:26-27-It pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem. (27) It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.
1 Corinthians 9:6-11-Is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working? (7) Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? (8) Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? (9) For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? (10) Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. (11) If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?

No matter our financial state, believers are encouraged to give
Mark 12:41-44-Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. (42) Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. (43) So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; (44) for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
2 Corinthians 8:1-4-Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: (2) that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. (3) For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
1 Kings17:9-16-[A poor widow of Zarephath gave sacrificially, and God blessed her with unending supply of food in famine.]

Example of giving to needy fellow-believers
Romans 15:26-For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.

God will pay us back for sacrificial giving:
Luke 6:38-Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Proverbs 28:27a-He who gives to the poor will not lack.
2 Corinthians 9:6b-7-He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (7) So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Biblical example of a giving spirit
See 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9.

The blessings of giving
Charlie Page was a young man, broke, penniless and jobless. One day he stopped on the street to listen to a Salvation Army service. When the tambourine was passed around for the collection, he told the girl who held it out before him that he would like to give something but had nothing himself, even for his food. She gave him a dollar, saying, ‘Take this: put ten cents in the offering, and hereafter give a tenth of all you get to God. Keep this up all your life, and you’ll never be penniless again.’ He did so, got a job, and began giving his tenth regularly. By and by he became a millionaire, and gave much more than a tenth, building hospitals and helping in many ways to carry on the work of the Lord.
Malachi 3:10-”Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of Heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

Choosing God’s will is not necessarily easy

When we do what the Lord wants us to do, we have the satisfaction of knowing that we are pleasing the One who loves us and laid down His life for us.
But fulfilling what the Lord wants you to do is not always going to be easy. You could face discouragement and other trials.-We talked about this in the “Three Steps to Victory” class.
One challenge you may face when you choose to do God’s will is that it won’t necessarily make you popular and could even sometimes bring you into conflict with those around you.
For instance, if you determine that it is not God’s will for you to spend so much of your weekends hanging out with your friends, they may not be happy about this.-Or if you decide it is God’s will for you to pass out tracts or help at a food bank, maybe your family or colleagues won’t be happy about it.
While we hope that you won’t have problems like this, don’t be surprised if this sometimes happens!
John 15:18-20-If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. (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. (20) Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
Galatians 1:10b-For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Standing up! (Humor!)
There is a true story of a young man who was a very courageous young believer. After leaving school, he went to a university near his home. During the first few weeks of class, an atheistic professor asked his class if any students considered themselves to be Christians. It was obvious that the professor intended to embarrass anyone who raised his hand. This young man looked around and saw that none of the two hundred students was going to admit his faith. What should he do? He either had to admit his Christianity or deny it, like Peter did when Jesus was about to be crucified. He suddenly held up his hand and said, “Yes, I’m a Christian.”
The professor made him stand in front of the class and said, “How could you be so stupid to believe that God became a man and lived here on earth? That’s ridiculous. Besides, I read the Bible and it didn’t say a thing to me.”
This young man looked right at the professor and said, “Sir, the Bible is God’s letter to Christians. If you didn’t understand it, that’s what you get for reading somebody else’s mail!”

Rewards for doing God’s will

The promises and rewards for doing God’s will are numerous!
John 15:14-You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Hebrews 10:36-For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
1 John 2:17-And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Ruth 2:12-The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.
2 Chronicles 15:7-But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!
Daniel 12:3-Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
Matthew 5:12-Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 16:27-For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Matthew 25:21-His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
1 Corinthians 3:8b-Each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
Galatians 6:7b-For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
Ephesians 6:8-Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
2 Timothy 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.
Hebrews 6:10-For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Revelation 2:10b-Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:23b-All the churches shall know that I am He Who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Revelation 3:11-12-Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. (12) He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

Section 2: Seven Ways to Know the Will of God

How can you find God’s will specifically for you? Here are seven ways.

1. The Word

2 Timothy 2:15-Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16-All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
The first place we look for the will of God is in the Word of God. This is the known, sure, absolute, revealed will of God. You don’t have to have any doubts about it. This is it! If God never tells you another thing than what He has already written, if you just operate according to the Bible, you’ll get along great!

2. The voice of the Word

Psalm 119:130-The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
The second way to know God’s will is by the voice of His Word. God speaks not only in His Word, but He speaks through the voice of His Word. The psalmist said,
Psalm 103:20-Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His Word.
Have you ever had the Lord speak directly to you with the voice of His Word? You’re reading a passage of Scripture when all of a sudden a verse or phrase or even a single word comes alive and hits you between the eyes? “That’s for me! That’s the answer!” Or perhaps you’ve been praying about a certain situation when the Lord reminded you of a verse or passage that was exactly the answer you needed. It was so loud and clear that God couldn’t have spoken any more emphatically if He’d yelled it out!
That is the voice of His Word, speaking through His tried and proven written Word. It may have been originally given for somebody thousands of years ago, and yet, all of a sudden, it speaks to you personally.
So the first way to know God’s will is through His Word, the Bible. Then there is the voice of the Word-a specific verse, phrase, or passage from the Bible, which speaks to you personally.

3. Revelations

What do you think would be the next surest indication of the will of God?-A direct revelation: a prophecy, dream or vision.
The Lord sometimes reveals His will through prophecy and revelations.
Ezekiel 3:10-Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.”
1 Corinthians 14:31-For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged.
God sometimes reveals His will through dreams:
Job 33:15, 26-In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds … (26) he shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, he shall see His face with joy, for He restores to man his righteousness.
Acts 2:17-And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.
Caution regarding determining God’s will only by dreams:
Ecclesiastes 5:3-For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words.
God sometimes reveals His will through visions. A vision is when God flashes a picture in your mind’s eye:
Numbers 12:6-Hear now My words: if there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.
Hosea 12:10-I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.
However you receive your revelation-whether through a prophecy, a dream or a vision-you have to measure your revelation against the Word. Be sure that direct revelation does not contradict the Word of God.
In these last days the Lord is using prophecy more than ever to help us not only determine His will and guidance but also to provide feeding instruction. Prophecy is an enormous subject on its own and so we have covered it in detail in an earlier class. In this class we are pointing it out as only one of three ways of receiving direct revelation. This should be taken in relationship to this particular class. Prophecy should not just be relegated to a minor role in your lives but rather given the prominence that the Lord is emphasizing today.

Watch for the man with the pitcher!
(As told by a missionary family traveling in a camper van:)
The Lord told us to go to one town we’d never been to before: Albany, New York. We didn’t know anybody, we didn’t have any place to stay, but the Lord said to go into this town and watch for a man carrying a pitcher of water, and he was to be the man who would help us.
We parked in front of a little Italian Pentecostal church. The children got out to stretch their legs and play on the lawn. We’d been sitting there for about an hour and out comes the gardener. It turned out he was like the janitor. He was carrying a big watering can, watering the flowers. Mother said, “Look! A man with a pitcher!” We were expecting to see someone carrying one of those old Bible pitchers, but after all, how many men carry pitchers? But it just dawned on us, one of those watering cans with the long spout is a pitcher!
My son in law went over there and started talking to him. He put us in touch with the preacher who invited us to help with a revival meeting that very night, and through all of this, we were offered places to stay.
So that’s how we began our visit and how the Lord supplied for us-through “the man with a pitcher”!

4. Advisors and counselors

Proverbs 11:14-Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
Proverbs 15:22-Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.
When possible it’s wise to seek out good advice. This is not calling on others to make the decision for you; this is seeking out information and guidance.
Don’t hesitate to call on others when you need advice about a major decision you’re about to make or a large project that you’re about to embark on. Often the Lord uses the things we each experience not only to teach us, but also so that our experiences can be a blessing to others. Sometimes it’s difficult for us to admit that we don’t know everything and that others have wisdom or insight that we don’t. But even this helps us walk humbly before the Lord and others, realizing that we don’t know everything and need help.
Who should you seek counsel from? If I wanted to learn how to play the piano, I wouldn’t go to business college; I’d go to a pianist who knows how to play well. If I wanted to learn how to cook, I wouldn’t go to see a computer technician, but to somebody who knows how to cook, whose meals I’ve enjoyed. If you need some spiritual advice about finding God’s will, go to someone who loves the Lord, and whose life shows the good fruit of living close to Him. Godly counselors are people whom you can trust because they have good spiritual fruit.

“By their fruits”
See Matthew 7:15-20.

5. Circumstances and Conditions

2 Corinthians 2:12-[Paul wrote:] Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord.
1 Corinthians 16:9-For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
Revelation 3:7-8-And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: (8) I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.’
Matthew 7:7-Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Circumstances and conditions are generally a poor means in themselves of finding the will of God, but in combination with the other steps they can be a good indication.
If things just seem to be working out a particular way or moving in a certain direction, without your trying to make them go that way, or even when you’ve tried to push in the opposite direction, this could be a sign or a confirmation of the way that the Lord is leading you.
If something is God’s will for you, He’ll make a way for you to do it. He’ll set up the conditions, and help things to flow. He’ll open doors for you to walk through and show you plainly, through physical circumstances, that you’re doing the right thing and making the right decision.
Other times, if something you’re planning on doing isn’t the Lord’s will, He’ll make it clear to you through closing the door and making it so that you can’t go through with it. He might change the circumstances that had at first seemed to be “just right” for what you had in mind, to make you reconsider.
Imagine a long hallway lined with doors. Which room are you going to enter? You walk down the hallway knocking at doors, trying the handle. You can only go through the door that opens.
This is the principle of finding God’s will by “open and closed doors.” Sometimes it takes awhile to find God’s will and it takes searching through different possibilities. On the other hand, sometimes obvious circumstances indicate God’s leading.
For instance, if you are considering whether it is God’s will for you to visit a relative in another city, but there is a fuel strike and you can’t get fuel in your car and the buses aren’t running, then it is most likely a “closed door.”
However, you can’t base your decisions solely on whether or not the circumstances and conditions around you jibe with what you believe to be God’s will. You’ve got to use the other ways of finding God’s will in conjunction with this.

6. Personal desires

Psalm 37:4-Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Proverbs 16:1-The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
At times when you feel a strong desire or longing to do something, go somewhere, or see someone, it may be that God put that feeling in your heart. When you are pleasing the Lord, He often puts the desire within your heart to do the thing that will make both you and Him happy. He is willing to fulfill your particular wishes as a part of His plan for you.
When our desires, wants and wishes are good for us, then He usually gives them to us. Or when our dreams, goals, ambitions, and aspirations will bring us and others happiness, He usually lets us fulfill them. However, if our personal desires aren’t a part of the Lord’s plan for us, and He knows that something won’t be good for us, then it’s wise to listen to Him and follow Him, because He knows best. He can see the past, the present, and the future. He’s the only One who’s all-knowing, all powerful, all seeing, and ever present to help us in our times of need, and in our times of decision making.
If you have a special dream or desire that you want to fulfill in your life, if you’re following God, your wishes may very well be within His will. Why not ask Him?-He’ll show you what to do! He’ll show you what’s best!

7. “Fleeces”

Sometimes to find God’s will you can ask for a specific sign or indication. This we call a fleece, a term taken from the story of Gideon in the Old Testament.
Gideon was one of the more notable leaders of the children of Israel in the period following their conquest of Canaan. When God called him to fulfill a certain mission, he argued with the angel God sent, because he didn’t think he was the right man for the job. He eventually consented, but in order to be sure that it was God that was speaking to him, he asked God for a sign.
Judges 6:36-40-So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said-(37) look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” (38) And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. (39) Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” (40) And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
The Lord doesn’t always give signs like He did for Gideon, but sometimes He uses them to give us a needed boost. You can’t always expect such a confirmation, nor can you rely on “fleeces” alone, as they aren’t always a sure an indicator of God’s will. However, if you have tried all of the other ways to find God’s will and believe He is leading you in a certain direction, “fleeces” can be helpful as a confirmation.
If you ask God for a sign, you need to ask in faith, being willing to act upon whatever the outcome is. Asking God for a sign or “putting out a fleece” is equivalent to making a contract, an agreement between you and the Lord, and you need to fulfill your part of the bargain.

Summary of seven ways to find the will of God

1. The Word
2. The Voice of the Word
3. Revelations (prophecies, dreams, visions)
4. Advisors and counselors
5. Circumstances and conditions
6. Personal desires
7. “Fleeces”

How God shows His will

God does not necessarily follow any particular order when revealing His will through these means.
He may speak to you through a prophecy first, then you may confirm that prophecy by the Word. Or He may speak to you through the voice of His Word, and then you search other Scriptures and see what the Lord generally has to say about the subject. We can’t put God in a box and say He’s got to speak to us in this or that way, in this or that order. But these are ways we know He works, not only from our own experience, but also from what He has said in His written Word.

Sometimes we want to know what God’s will isn’t!
The same principles apply!

You don’t find God’s will by just sitting around doing nothing.
If, after trying all these ways, you still can’t find the will of God, go ahead and do something. You will soon find out whether it is His will or not. Pray for God to lead you, and start. A boat has to be in motion before the rudder can take effect.

You should also bear in mind that sometimes God’s will and plans are conditional.
For instance, perhaps you have prayed and feel that it is God’s plan for you to start a Bible study group and include a certain friend. You offer him a New Testament to help him in his search for truth. But if your friend refuses the book and doesn’t want to read it, the Lord may show you an alternative route for starting the Bible study. In this case the overall plan the Lord gave you is still applicable, but because of your friend’s choice, the details change.
Matthew 10:13-If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

God often gives His children alternative choices.
The Lord lets us choose within the boundary of His overall will.
1 Kings 3:5-At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

There is more counsel in the Making Great Decisions book. You can also fin several relevant Bible studies in Discovering Truth-Bible Basics: “How to Find the Will of God” (pages 85-95) and “Giving” (pages 80-84).

Let’s do it!
May God help us all to not only find His will, but to do it!
John 13:17-If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Class 12A: What are the Standards

Introduction

The Story of Tommy
Tommy was a little crippled boy. He lived in poverty with his aunt in a small third-story apartment of a rundown tenement on a busy city street. He was so severely handicapped that all he could do was lie helplessly in bed.
One day he asked a newsboy friend of his to bring him the book about “the Man who went about everywhere doing good.” The little lad searched and searched for this unnamed book, until one book dealer finally recognized that he must have been talking about the Bible, and the story of Jesus. The newsboy scraped together what little money he had, and the kindly bookseller gave him a copy of the New Testament, which he took back to Tom on his third-floor pallet.
They began to read it together, until Tommy was wonderfully converted by the words he read, and he decided that he, too, wanted to do good, like the wonderful Man in the book. But Tommy was crippled and could not even leave the little one-room apartment. So he prayed and asked God to help him, and the Lord gave him an idea.
He began to laboriously copy helpful verses from the Bible onto tiny scraps of paper, which he would then drop from his window to flutter to the busy street below. Passers-by would see them drifting down and curiously pick them up to see what they were, only to read the words of the Man who went around everywhere doing good-Jesus Christ! Many were helped, encouraged, comforted, and even saved through the simple ministry of this little lad and his Bible.
One day a wealthy businessman was wonderfully converted through reading one of these little verses. He later returned to the spot where he had found the tiny scrap of paper that had led him to the Lord, seeking some key as to how it got there. Suddenly he noticed another little bit of paper floating down to the sidewalk from above. He watched as a poor, tired old woman stooped painfully to pick it up, and noticed her countenance brighten as she read it-and there seemed to be new strength in her step as she journeyed on.
The businessman, now transfixed to the spot, kept his eyes glued upward, determined to find the source. He had to wait a long time, for it took poor Tommy many painful minutes to scrawl even one verse on one of those pieces of paper. Suddenly the businessman’s eyes were drawn to a certain window, as he saw a scrawny little hand reaching out to drop a tiny piece of paper, like the one that had brought a whole new life to him. He carefully noted the location of the window, dashed up the stairs of the dirty tenement, and finally found the humble dwelling of tiny Tom, the sidewalk missionary.
The businessman soon became a close friend of Tom. He brought Tom all the help and medical attention that he could. One day he asked Tom if he would like to come and live with him in his palatial mansion outside the city.
Much to his new friend’s surprise, Tommy answered, “I’ll have to ask my Friend about it”-meaning Jesus!
The next day the businessman returned, eagerly seeking Tom’s reply. Oddly enough, Tom asked him some strange questions: “Where did you say your home is?”
“Oh,” said the businessman, “it’s in the country, on a luxurious estate. You’ll have a beautiful room all your own, servants to care for you, delicious meals, a good bed, every comfort and attention, anything your heart desires. And my wife and I will love you dearly, and care for you as our own son.”
Hesitantly, Tommy queried again, “Are there any people that would pass under my window?” Surprised and somewhat baffled, the businessman replied, “Why, no, only an occasional servant, and perhaps the gardener. You don’t understand, Tommy, this is a gorgeous country estate, far from the tumult of the city. You’ll have quiet there and be able to rest and read, and do all you want-away from all this filth and pollution and noise and the busy throngs.”
After a long and thoughtful silence, Tom’s face looked very sad, for he hated to hurt his newfound friend. Finally he said quietly, but firmly, with tears in his eyes, “I’m sorry, but you see, I could never live anywhere where people don’t pass under my window.”
Here’s the story of someone so simple, so helpless, and so isolated, you might have thought he could never have had any ministry at all. He would seemingly have had every excuse for not helping others, but rather expecting to be helped himself. But love found a way!

Section 1: God’s Ways vs. Man’s Ways

Lifestyle
The purpose of this class is to help you evaluate your lifestyle according to God’s standards. Let’s start by looking at something that Jesus said on this subject:

Matthew 6:19-21-Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:25-34-Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (26) Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?(27) Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?(28) So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; (29) and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (30) Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (31) Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The ways of the Lord

God’s ways are often different from those of the world.
Isaiah 55:8-9-For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. (9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
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. (16) 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. (17) And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Jesus’ message was not conventional!
The greatest sermon ever preached, the “Sermon on the Mount,” was given to a handful of disciples by Jesus.-The disciples changed the world because they heard the voice of God teaching them things that were completely contrary to what was being said in the “valley” of mainstream society!
In society they were saying, “Blessed are the Romans-the proud, and haughty and powerful. Look what they’ve done! They’ve conquered the whole world. It pays to be a Roman!” But on the Mount, Jesus was saying just the opposite:
Matthew 5:3-9-Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

The Lord wants us to discern between what is of Him and what is not
Romans 12:9b-Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
Job 34:4-Let us choose justice for ourselves; let us know among ourselves what is good.
Isaiah 7:15-Know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
1 Peter 3:11-Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
The most important thing to gain from this class is the principle of discerning or identifying which are God’s ways and which are the world’s so that you can make the right choices in your day-to-day life. There are many examples of contrasting values and we’re going to look at just a few that illustrate this important principle.

Section 2: Spiritual Riches vs. Material Wealth

Is money the most important thing?
Does having enough money to obtain the latest gadgets, the fastest car, the most fashionable clothes, the biggest house, the most advanced computer, or the widest-screen TV bring happiness?
Ecclesiastes 5:10-He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:12-The sleWp of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

What money buys
Money will buy:
A bed but not sleep.
Books but not brains.
Food but not appetite.
A house but not a home.
Medicine but not health.
Luxuries but not culture.
Amusement but not happiness.

What are you seeking?
John 6:27-Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.
Matthew 6:31-32-Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Society at large generally promotes the acquisition of wealth as being most important. Is that really so?
The Lord knows we do have physical needs. “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” It’s not that there’s something wrong with money, riches, or wealth. It is as the Bible says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). It depends on whether you own things, or the things own you! What matters is your attitude toward them and the priority you allow material things to have in your life.

Bigger barns
Luke 12:16-21-Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. (17) And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ (18) So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”‘ (20) But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ (21) So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
The rich man in this parable wanted to build bigger buildings, which was not so bad in itself if he had wanted to do it for the right reasons, but his purpose was to increase his goods for himself, not to share with others. The reason his heart was in the barns was because the barns were in his heart.

Money: Good or evil?
1 Timothy 6:10-For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Money in itself is not intrinsically evil. Having money isn’t bad! It is a matter of your attitude towards it and how you use it. For example, someone may use their wealth to help others by opening a business that provides jobs or using the profits that it generates to give generously to worthy causes.
Ecclesiastes 5:19-As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God.
Proverbs 28:16b-He who hates covetousness will prolong his days.
1 Timothy 6:17-19-Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. (18) Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, (19) storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Riches can be a gift from the Lord for which we should thank Him
Deuteronomy 8:11-18-Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, (12) lest-when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; (13) and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; (14) when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; (15) who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; (16) who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end; (17) then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ (18) And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Dangers of being overly involved in the pursuit of wealth
Mark 4:19-The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Luke 12:15-Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.
Mark 8:36-For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

The unsatisfied rich man
A rich man sought after Jesus and asked His counsel:
Mark 10:21-22-Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” (22) But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
What a sad picture! This man obviously had not found satisfaction in his wealth or he would not have come to Jesus seeking for answers to his life. But even though his riches did not satisfy him, from this brief passage it does not sound like he was willing to give them up for something better when Jesus asked it of him.

Having an eye for business! (Humor)
An orchard property owned by two brothers was devastated by the worst drought in fifty years. Desperate for funds to tide them over, they went to the nearest provincial city and walked into the largest bank in town.
Somehow they found their way unannounced into the bank president’s office. He was startled when they fell to their knees in front of him and begged him to grant them a loan to save their farm, which had been in the family for more than a century. When he told them that his bank only lent to commercial clients for very large amounts, they burst into tears and implored him to make an exception.
Finally, anxious to get rid of them, he said, “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I sometimes have a gamble and I’ll take a bet on you both. As a schoolboy I lost an eye in an accident. I was fortunate that I was able to get a glass eye, which is almost the same color as my other eye. If you can tell me without guessing, which is my glass eye, I’ll lend you the money.”
Quick as a flash, one of the brothers replied, “I know, it’s your left eye.”
“You’re right, but how could you tell?” asked the president.
“Because when I first looked up at you, that was the one which showed the most compassion,” was the reply.

God’s economics: The blessings of giving

What is God’s law of economics?
Luke 6:38-Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
God blesses us when we give, rather than keeping selfishly for ourselves.
Proverbs 11:25-The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.
Acts 20:35b-It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Proverbs 11:24-There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty.
Proverbs 28:27-He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.
2 Corinthians 9:6-But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

The Lord repays
The old German shoemaker had just sent his boy with a basket of garden vegetables to a poor widow. He worked hard at his trade and cultivated his little garden patch, yet nothing was more common in his life than some such deed as this. “How can you afford to give so much away?” someone asked him.
“I give nothing away,” he said. “I lend it to the Lord, and He repays me many times. I am ashamed that people think I am generous when I am paid so much. A long time ago, when I was very poor, I saw someone in want, and I wondered if I could give, but I could not see how. I did give, and the Lord helped me. I have had some work, my garden grows well, and never since have I stopped to think twice when I have heard of some needy one. No, if I gave away all, the Lord would not let me starve. It is like money in the bank, only this time the bank never breaks, and the interest comes back every day.”

Seek first the kingdom
Matthew 6:33-But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Love for God and others should motivate our lives, rather than a purely personal pursuit for our own well-being. This verse puts priorities into perspective. What is the “kingdom of God” that it refers to? Jesus said to His disciples that “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21), so it’s referring to His people, the saved. How do you “seek first” His kingdom? You’re going to be mostly interested in doing God’s will and furthering His kingdom which means leading other people into it, by witnessing yourself and/or helping those who are witnessing.
The Lord promises that if you do this, if you’ll put Him and others first in your life, then “all these things shall be added unto you!”-The material things that you need.

Putting giving into action!
We all have responsibilities to pay our bills and take care of the material needs of our household. If our financial resources are limited, how can we then find enough to give to others?

Examples of giving
Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity help countless thousands of deprived and needy people throughout the globe. Following are some examples as told by Mother Teresa of those who have contributed to her work:
The other day, two friends of mine came to see me. They brought a large amount of money to use for feeding the poor. I asked them, “Where did you get all that money?” They answered, “We were married two days ago, but before that we decided not to have a large wedding banquet. As a witness of our love for each other, we wanted to bring this money to Mother Teresa.”
Not so long ago a very wealthy lady came to see me. She sat down and told me, “I would like to share in your work.” I said, “That is fine.” The poor woman had a weakness that she confessed to me. “I love elegant saris.” (A sari is the usual garment worn by women in India.) Indeed, she had on a very expensive sari that probably cost around eight hundred rupees. Mine cost only eight rupees. Hers cost one hundred times more. It occurred to me to say to her, “I would start with the saris. The next time you go buy one, instead of paying eight hundred rupees, buy one that costs five hundred. Then with the extra three hundred rupees, buy saris for the poor.” The woman now wears 100-rupee saris, and she would wear even cheaper ones except I asked her not to buy them. She has confessed to me that this has changed her life. She now knows what it means to share.
The other day I received fifteen dollars from a man who has been paralyzed for twenty years. The paralysis only allows him the use of his right hand. The only company he tolerates is tobacco. He told me, “I have stopped smoking for a week. I’m sending you the money I’ve saved from cigarettes.”

Points to consider
What are examples of how money can be used to help others?
The Lord promises to bless us when we give to others. Have you seen examples of this in your own life?
How do you think God’s economic standard (”give and it shall be given to you”) compares with the worldly commercial system?
Can you think of practical ways to adjust your budgeting so that you can give more to others?

Section 3: Trends and Fads

Whose influence?
Romans 12:2-And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
1 Corinthians 7:31b-The form of this world is passing away.
Colossians W:8-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.
Worldly influences are all around in many forms, surrounding us in ways we don’t often think about-through advertising, fashion magazines, newspapers, the people you see in the movies or on TV. They’re all constantly trying to influence us and to mold our thought patterns-movie stars, sports heroes, musicians and rock stars, that beautiful girl on the billboard or that hunk of a man you see in a commercial. Some are genuinely beautiful-God’s creations, the way He made them-but many are false images, unreal, synthetic, not natural.
These images motivate people to act or think or strive for a certain thing, or a certain look, a certain thrill, most of which they can never attain. It’s all very subtle, but a very real thing.
The “ideal” figure: An example of a common trend
The media can distort a girl’s concept of beauty. The desire to be as slim as models, pop stars, and actresses can result in eating disorders-anorexia and bulimia-that damage the lives of tens of thousands of young people every year, some fatally. Much blame for this has been laid at the door of the media and fashion industry.

What is a beautiful figure?
“I stopped buying fashion magazines completely when I was about 24,” wrote one woman. “Comparing myself to the models had a very strong and negative impact.” Indeed, one mother of a girl with an eating disorder speaks of the “unrelenting publicity in our newspapers and magazines and television advertising to be thin, thin, thin.” She says: “Both my daughter and I like being slender, but we feel the constant barrage turns it into the most important thing in life, ahead of everything.” Clearly, recovering from an eating disorder may require adopting new beliefs about what constitutes genuine beauty.
According to an article in the British Daily Telegraph newspaper, anorexic models will be banished from the pages of women’s magazines in the United Kingdom under a voluntary code agreed by editors. The announcement was made at a Body Image Summit organized by the government, following a damning report by the British Medical Association that claimed the media obsession with thin women was one of the main causes of eating disorders reaching a record level. Concerns have been raised about the thinness of models, actresses and singers who are seen as role models by young women. Research shows that there are 60,000 people with eating disorders in Britain. One in 10 sufferers are male, but the majority are young women.

Following the dictates of fashion can be harmful to health, plus a waste of money and time
There’s nothing wrong with looking nice, but today things are getting out of hand. Some people go to extremes to adjust their looks, just so they can be what they think is more beautiful. It’s gotten so far out of hand these days that in some places it’s even fashionable to use plastic surgery or dyes to snip it, tuck it, inflate it, deflate it, color it-you name it!
When someone gets so immersed and obsessed with fashion and fads, it can grow and grow until that’s all they can think about.
Psalm 1:1-Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.

In contrast, God’s beauty is simplicity
Real beauty is more than skin deep:
1 Peter 3:4-Rather let it [beauty] be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
Psalm 90:17a-And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.
Proverbs 31:30-Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

The balance: Taking care of the temple

The Lord does expect you to take good care of yourself, for you are His temple:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20-Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (20) For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The requirements of good health are proper exercise, cleanliness, food, sleep, and right living. Do take good care of yourself. Endeavor to stay fit and you’ll feel better for it and be a better witness.
For instance, someone who is truly overweight can be liable to health problems, so it is good to find a way to get to the correct weight. If you have a weight problem, you’re not going to shed those pounds overnight, just like you didn’t put them on overnight. You’ll lose them gradually, and the best ways to do so are the old tried-and-proven methods that have worked for thousands of years: Eat less fattening foods and exercise more.
A normal amount of body care and staying in good health and good shape is good, but tampering with your body and trying to change things that don’t need changing is another story.

Points to consider
What do you think is taken to an extreme as far as diets, clothing, etc?
How can you make the right choices as far as clothing and style? Some questions you may want to ask yourself include: Is this style appropriate in my culture? Can I afford this? Are advertisements sweeping me up or do I genuinely need this item? Can you think of other guidelines?

Section 4: God’s Guidance vs. Media Manipulation

Music, TV, films, books-how does the Lord see them? Let’s look first at music.

The wonders of music
The Lord loves music. He created it for our listening pleasure as well as a vehicle for His message. He also created certain kinds of music for fun and enjoyment-tunes that strike a chord in our hearts to thrill us and energize us to dance and jump for joy. David of old “danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14a).-And then there are melodies that comfort us in time of trial, Heavenly notes that float into our hearts to heal and soothe, just as David played music:
1 Samuel 16:23- [He] would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well.
Music plays an important role in our lives. It touches emotions that sometimes even words cannot express. It’s a beautiful expression of the heart and has a special communication with the precious inner feelings the Lord has placed within each one of us. It can be a very emotional experience, both good and bad.
Some music can bring warmth and calmness, clarity of thought and inspiration.-Other music can bring on confusion, aggression and depression.

Choosing the music you listen to
Music is spiritual. Therefore, it is advisable to use wisdom in deciding what music you listen to. Whether it is contemporary or classical, it takes discernment to judge what is edifying and what is not.
If a piece of music makes you feel depressed, moody, confused or aggressive, then it’s probably not inspired by the Lord! But if it makes you feel love, joy, happiness, peace, excitement, or compassion, then chances are that He inspired it.
There are many contemporary musicians and composers who play some nice tunes. However, some of the music performed and composed by these musicians can be sad and melancholic and can cause emotional grief. The Bible admonishes us to “discern between good and evil”:
Hebrews 5:14b-…Those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Psalm 34:1a-Depart from evil and do good.
Listening indiscriminately to ungodly music by ungodly artists-or even a particular piece of music that induces negative emotions in you even though you normally enjoy this artist-can bring you spiritual problems, whatever the genre of the music. Uninspiring music will take a toll on you!
Something you hear doesn’t have to make much sense or have much meaning, but it can still take hold and be repeated over and over and over countless times. And once it gets stuck in your head, it’s hard to get rid of it. Have you ever noticed how the soundtrack of a certain commercial will stick in your mind? Hasn’t it ever happened to you that you’ve heard a song and then the melody and words just kept running through your mind over and over? Then months or even years later, when you thought you’d long forgotten that song, suddenly it pops back into your mind. You need to be careful about what you’re feeding your spirit, which means trying to avoid listening to uninspiring music.

The darker side
Much modern music is a powerful vehicle for the Devil’s message and propaganda of hate, destruction, hopelessness, and even downright Satan worship. The horrific message of some modern music seeps into the hearts and minds of the listeners and poisons their very souls, drowning out the voice of God’s Spirit and the good and encouraging thoughts He’s trying to give them. Those who are constantly bombarded with the devilish lyrics and hellish sounds, find themselves depressed, confused, and completely void of any positive goals or inspiration for living.-Or worse yet, some of that devilish music even leads its adherents to drugs, hatred of other races or the opposite sex, violence or suicide! It’s so sad!

Other forms of media manipulation
2 Kings 17:15-[In this verse, talking about the children of Israel, it says:] And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them.
The same applies to other forms of modern media besides music, such as television, movies, newspapers, radio, the Internet, etc. Does what you watch, read, or listen to motivate you to be loving and helpful to others? Does it encourage you and leave you with positive, happy feelings? Or does it bring you down the slippery slopes of depression or provoke you to aggression?

TV Violence and Values
The simplicity of the experiment at the day-care center and the starkness of the results stunned the parents.
When a class of two- to five-year-olds watched public television’s big-hearted purple dinosaur, “Barney,” they sang along, marched along, held one another’s hands, and laughed together.
The next day, the same class watched the aggressive teenage avengers, “Power Rangers.” Within minutes, they were karate-chopping and high-kicking the air-and one another.
“Even though the goal of these programs isn’t to teach, our kids are learning because they’re always learning,” says David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family, who conducted the experiment.
According to the National Television Violence Study, prime-time violence, on both broadcast and cable networks, has increased since 1994. The study also concluded that the way violence is portrayed in most instances-glamorized, sanitized, and without negative consequences-poses a serious risk to children.
“These patterns teach children that violence is desirable, necessary, and painless,” says Dale Kunkel of the University of California at Santa Barbara, where the study was done.

Addressing a United Nations-sponsored conference on education in Melbourne, Ms. Diane Tilmann, an American educational psychologist, cited recent United States statistics on television viewing habits which found that the average 11-year-old had watched 10,000 murders on television.

Avoid the negative!
The Lord counsels us to avoid negative influence:
Psalm 101:3-I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
Psalm 119:37-Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.
Although magazines and newspapers might seem to be neutral vehicles for conveying the news or other items of public interest, you must also realize that aside from providing a service they also have an agenda. The management and editorial staff have views which they want to convey to their readership. Those views may not necessarily be wrong or opposed to God’s view on things but God’s people ought to have discernment about what they read and not swallow everything hook, line and sinker.
Romans 12:2-And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Proverbs 15:21-Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly.

Points to consider
What influences you more: Television programs, music, the Internet, or magazines and newspapers?
Give examples of when you noticed a positive or negative change in your mood after watching a movie.
Which music do you like to listen to because it influences you in a good way and cheers you up when you’re down?

Section 5: Conflict Resolution

When people are having a disagreement, the solutions that God offers contrast sharply with the world’s!

God’s answer: Love, humility, and prayer solve all problems
Matthew 18:15-Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Galatians 6:1-Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
2 Timothy 2:24-And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.
Ephesians 4:32-And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Abraham’s good example
Genesis 13:7-11-And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.

The way of the world: Violence, lying, aggression
Proverbs 10:12-Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.
Proverbs 13:10-By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.
Proverbs 16:29-A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.
Proverbs 29:22-An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression.
James 3:16-For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

The two goats-a sample of humility
A man walking in the mountains observed this scene:
Two goats were making their way over a narrow path on the mountains. One was ascending the trial, the other descending. He also noticed that they must pass at a point where the trail was so narrow that there was room for only one goat. He watched to see what would happen.
The animals rounded a turn in the path which brought them in full view of each other. They backed up, as though ready for a lunge, and then the most amazing thing happened. The goat on the trail below laid down in the path, while the goat above him walked over his back. The first animal then arose and continued his journey up the trail.

How do wars begin?
A boy once asked, “Dad, how do wars begin?”
“Well, take the First World War,” said his father. “That got started when Germany invaded Belgium.”
Immediately his wife interrupted him. “Tell the boy the truth. It began because somebody was assassinated.”
The husband drew himself up with an air of superiority and snapped back, “Are you answering the question or am I?”
Turning her back upon him in a huff, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could. When the dishes stopped rattling in the cupboard, an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the son. “Daddy, you don’t have to tell me how wars begin. I know now!”

Some chilling stats
In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war. The twentieth century came to a close with a third of the world’s 193 nations embroiled in conflict. When the twentieth century began, the ratio of military to civilian casualties was 8:1. By the end of the century the ratio was 1:8.

Points to consider
Consider the principle, “love, humility, and prayer solve all problems.” How could that be applied to solve the conflicts that are currently raging?

Section 6: To Serve or Be Served

Leadership takes many forms: The employer, teacher, foreman, politician and parent are some examples of leaders in society today. A quick look at God’s guidelines for leadership shows that humility is high on His list:

The godly leader serves
Luke 22:24-27-Now there was also a dispute among them [Jesus' disciples], as to which of them should be considered the greatest. (25) And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ (26) But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. (27) For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.”
Matthew 23:11-12-But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (12) And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Only in the folly of this world do men fight each other for fickle fame and fortune. Only in the transient world do men struggle for power, position, riches, and glory-only to find that it doesn’t satisfy! Take for example Alexander the Great, who, having conquered all the known world, died drunken and weeping that there were no more worlds to conquer! Or Napoleon, who made all Europe to tremble at his feet, but died in exile, begging to have his boots pulled on, that he might die like a soldier! Or Caesar, whose friends stabbed him in the back at the pinnacle of fame! They all were weighed in the balances and found wanting.
In contrast, a godly leader will desire to serve those he leads. He will not try to be proudly self-sufficient but will humbly accept their counsel and assistance.

The story of Nebuchadnezzar: “Those who walk in pride He is able to put down.”
See Daniel chapter 4.

Small in our own sight
Have you ever thought of it, that only the smaller birds sing? You never heard a musical note from the eagle in all your life, nor from the turkey, nor from the ostrich. But you have heard from the canary, the wren, and the lark. The sweetest music comes from those who are small in their own estimation and before the Lord.

Big heads
A proud man asked a farmer: “Why don’t you hold up your head in the world? I bow my head before neither God nor man!”
Answered the wise farmer: “Do you see that field of grain? Only the heads of grain which are empty stand upright. The well-filled ones bow their heads!”
God creates out of nothing. Therefore, until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him (Martin Luther).

Points to consider
Consider the differences in Jesus’ example of leadership compared with many world leaders today.
Consider how these principles might apply on a more everyday level such as in the workplace, in the schoolroom, in the home.

Section 7: The Wisdom from Above

The right wisdom
The wisdom that is “from above” brings good results, including peace.
James 3:17-But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
James 3:13-Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
That which is portrayed as “wisdom” but results in violence, war and confusion is the “world’s wisdom” that God describes as foolishness.
1 Corinthians 3:19-20-For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; (20) and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”

Foolishness to God
Turning to foolishness can be a result of rejecting the Lord.
Jeremiah 8:9-The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have?
Psalm 14:1-The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

In time we will see clearly what was God’s wisdom and what was not!
Ecclesiastes 12:10-14-The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright-words of truth. (11) The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. (12) And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. (13) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. (14) For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil

The folly of science without wisdom
We have too many men of science, too few men of God. We have grasped the mystery of the atom, and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. The World has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience.-Gen. Omar Bradley (1893-1981)

Some kind of wisdom! (Humor)
One day, a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, chemical engineer, and computer engineer were driving down the street in the same car when it broke down.
The mechanical engineer said, “I think a rod broke.”
The chemical engineer said, “The way it sputtered at the end, I think it’s not getting enough gas.”
The electrical engineer said, “I think there was a spark and something’s wrong with the electrical system.”
All three turned to the computer engineer and said, “What do you think?”
The computer engineer said, “I think we should all get out and then get back in.”
(Computer users often turn off and re-start their computer to try to overcome a problem.)

New technologies imperil humanity
By John Markoff, NY Times News Service; Reuters (1999)
The co-founder of one of Silicon Valley’s top technology companies believes scientific advances may be ushering humanity into a nightmare world where super-smart machines force mankind into extinction.
In a heartfelt appeal published in the April 1999 issue of Wired magazine, Sun Microsystems, Inc., chief scientist Bill Joy urges technologists to reconsider the ethics of the drive toward constant scientific innovation.
“We are being propelled into this new century with no plan, no control, no brakes,” Joy writes. “The last chance to assert control-the fail-safe point-is rapidly approaching.”
Joy’s fears focus on three areas of technology undergoing incredibly rapid change.
The first, robotics, involves the development of “thinking” computers that within three short decades could be as much as a million times more powerful than those now available. Joy sees this as setting the groundwork for a “robot species” of intelligent robots that create evolved copies of themselves. Another computer scientist, Vernor Vinge, says machine intelligence will awaken sometime between 2005 and 2030, a date he calls “the singularity.” Dr. Vinge argues that this evolutionary watershed might accelerate progress well beyond human control.
The second, genetics, deals with scientific breakthroughs in manipulating the very structure of biological life. While Joy says this has led to benefits such as pest-resistant crops, it also has set the stage for new, man-made plagues that could literally wipe out the natural world.
The third, nanotechnology, involves the creation of objects on an atom-by-atom basis, which before long could be harnessed to create smart machines that are microscopically small. Or it might be possible to create tough omnivorous bacteria that could out-compete real bacteria. Spread by the wind, like blowing pollen, they could be designed to replicate swiftly and reduce life on earth to dust in a matter of days, according to Eric Drexler, one of the nation’s principal advocates for nanotechnology.
All three of these technologies share one characteristic absent in earlier dangerous human inventions such as the atomic bomb. They could replicate themselves, creating a cascade effect that could sweep through the physical world in much the same way a virus spreads through the computer world.
“It is no exaggeration to say we are on the cusp of the further perfection of extreme evil,” Joy writes. “An evil whose possibility spreads well beyond that which weapons of mass destruction bequeathed to nation states on to surprising and terrible empowerment of extreme individuals.”

Charles warns scientists of disaster
John Vidal and James Meek, The Guardian, 1999
(England) Prince Charles’s simmering anger with the direction of some modern science will blow into a philosophical storm as he argues that the only way to avoid environmental catastrophe is for humankind to rediscover an urgent “sense of the sacred.”
In a lecture to be broadcast on Radio 4, he will confront scientific materialism, politicians, and business leaders to argue that it is because of humanity’s “inability or refusal to accept the existence of a guiding hand that nature has come to be regarded as a system that can be engineered for our own convenience and in which anything that happens can be fixed by technology and human ingenuity.”
He will add: “We need to rediscover a reverence for the natural world, … to become more aware of the relationship between God, man, and creation.”
He asks: “If literally nothing is held sacred anymore, what is there to prevent us treating our entire world as some ‘great laboratory of life’ with potentially disastrous long-term consequences?”

In contrast: God’s wonderful wisdom created the world!

Can you explain the watermelon seed?
“I am not so much of a farmer as some people claim,” said Hon. W.J. Bryan in his lecture on “The Price of Peace,” “but I have observed the watermelon seed. It has the power of drawing from the ground and through itself 200,000 times its weight, and when you can tell me how it takes this material and out of it colors an outside surface beyond the imitation of art, and then forms inside of it a white rind and within again a red heart, thickly inlaid with black seeds, each one of which in turn is capable of drawing through itself 200,000 times its weight-when you can explain to me the mystery of a watermelon, you can ask me to explain the mystery of God.”

Nobel laureates testify of their faith
Surveys show that about 40 percent of scientists believe in God. Amongst the top scientists who have won the Nobel Prize, we find these opinions:
German physicist Max Born, who pioneered quantum mechanics, said, “Those who say that the study of science makes a man an atheist, must be rather silly people.”
American physicist Arno Penzias shared the 1978 Nobel Prize for discovering microwaves in space-patterns that physicists have interpreted as showing that the universe was created from nothing. Penzias said, “If I had no other data than the early chapters of Genesis, some of the Psalms and other passages of Scripture, I would have arrived at essentially the same picture of the origin of the universe, as is indicated by the scientific data.”
German-British researcher Ernst Boris Chain was awarded a Nobel Prize in medicine for his work with penicillin. Chain says, “The principle of [divine] purpose … stares the biologist in the face wherever he looks … The probability for such an event as the origin of DNA molecules to have occurred by sheer chance is just too small to be seriously considered …”
American physicist Arthur Compton discovered what we call the Compton Effect, relating to X-rays. He said, “For me, faith begins with the realization that a supreme intelligence brought the universe into being and created man. It is not difficult for me to have this faith, for an orderly, intelligent universe testifies to the greatest statement ever uttered: ‘In the beginning, God…’”
William D. Phillips won the 1997 Nobel Prize in chemistry for using lasers to produce temperatures only a fraction of a degree above absolute zero. Phillips once quipped that so many of his colleagues were Christians he couldn’t walk across his church’s fellowship hall without “tripping over a dozen physicists.”
Among Nobel laureates, there are a number who recognize the hand of God in the universe. In studying God’s handiwork-His creation, which testifies of Him every day-these men and women have come to the conclusion that there must be a Creator.

The amazing Earth
If Earth were as small as the moon, the power of gravity would be too weak to retain sufficient atmosphere for man’s needs; but if it were as large as Jupiter, Saturn, or Uranus, extreme gravitation would make human movement almost impossible.
If we were as near to the sun as Venus, the heat would be unbearable; if we were as far away as Mars, we would experience snow and ice every night even in the warmest regions. If the oceans were half their present dimensions, we would receive only one-fourth the rainfall we do now. If they were one-eighth larger, our annual precipitation would increase fourfold, and this earth would become a vast, uninhabitable swamp!
Water solidifies at 32 degrees above zero. It would be disastrous if the oceans were subject to that law, however, for then the amount of thawing in the polar regions would not balance out, and ice would accumulate throughout the centuries! To prevent such a catastrophe, the Lord put salt in the sea to alter its freezing point! (Psalm 104:24).

Points to consider
Disillusioned by the uses men made of science, Albert Einstein said not long before his death that if he could live again, he would choose to be a plumber rather than a physicist!
Which aspects of technology do you consider having benefited mankind?
Which aspects do you think have hindered more than they have helped?
Technological advances and scientific discoveries can be used for good or for evil. Sometimes it is not the discovery itself that can be judged as good or not, but the use that has been made of it. Can you think of examples of something that has been used both for good and bad?

Ending note

Evaluation
We’ve looked briefly at a variety of subjects. You can see that God’s ways of looking at things around us are often different from the viewpoints held by much of society. If we are prayerful and consider the guidelines given in the Word, we can learn to discern between that which pleases God and is therefore good for us, and that which isn’t.
How do you apply this principle in your life? Take a little time over the coming week to pray about and evaluate some area of your life-perhaps what you do for recreation, what music you listen to, what budget you have for clothing, and so on. On the basis of what you’ve seen in His Word, how do you measure up? Is there anything you need to change?

Class 11B: Three Steps To Victory

Step 3: Move On!

Now we’re ready for Step 3: “Move on!”

(a) Recognize the lessons and grow

Life is a constant learning process. Receiving Jesus as your Savior is just the beginning of becoming what God wants you to be.
The learning process is a marvelous thing! Nobody’s perfect, and that’s what life is all about!-It’s about not being perfect. It’s about learning and growing.
Perhaps one of the best ways to understand this is to look at the illustration that Jesus gave in John 15. It is the fruit-bearing branch that is pruned.
John 15:1-7-I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. (2) 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. (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. (7) If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Experience to your spiritual development is like exercise to the body!
What does exercise do for your body?-It strengthens you. So every experience you go through, every test, every trial, every new thing, everything that you learn along the way, causes you to gain experience, and experience is to your mind and your spirit what exercise is to your body. Every experience you go through, God designs to make you stronger!

Learn your lessons and keep moving forward!

There can be a danger in dwelling too much on your mistakes and problems. Many Christians spend a lot of time trying to perfect themselves. Some sit around reading the Word and praying and going to church just so they can “get better” and learn lessons for themselves alone. They have in effect enrolled themselves in a personal advancement course.
That’s not what we’re talking about! Although we all have some spiritual learning and growing to do-and particularly if our problems are hurting others, they need to be dealt with-still, we do not want to spend all of our time focusing on our own problems, sins, shortcomings and lacks. Acknowledge your lessons, then move on. It is better to invest most of our energy in helping others.

Burdens can be a bridge
A biologist tells how he watched an ant carrying a piece of straw which seemed a big burden for it. The ant came to a crack in the earth which was too wide for it to cross. It stood for a time as though pondering the situation, then put the straw across the crack and walked over upon it. Here is a lesson for all mankind! A man’s burden can be made a bridge for his progress.

If you fall, don’t just lie there!
An elderly woman slipped and fell in a busy street. Passers-by hastened to assist her, but she was already struggling to hoist herself up.
“Thanks, I’m all right,” she assured them. ” I always fall forwards, never backwards.”
Nevertheless, she accepted help to a seat in a nearby store. “I seem to be very fond of kissing the ground of my native town,” she mused wryly.
Obviously she knew how to take life’s tumbles with a smile, and the incident made me think. We can’t all fall forwards physically when our feet stumble; sometimes we inevitably fall backwards.
But when life gives us a hard knock mentally, we can try to take it courageously so that we “fall forwards”-that is, looking to the future instead of dwelling on the past. In the words of Aldous Huxley: “Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.”

Finish the race
We can find inspiration from the life of John Stephen Akhwari, as told in Bud Greenspan’s book 100 Greatest Moments in Olympic History.
When the winner crossed the finish line in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic marathon, officials thought the race was over. Then, an hour later, John Stephen Akhwari, a runner from Tanzania, entered the stadium. Bloodied and bandaged from a fall, he limped painfully with every step.
As Akhwari made his way around the track, the crowd began to cheer loudly. When he crossed the finish line, you would have thought by the roar of the crowd that Akhwari had been the victor.
Later, when asked why he had not dropped out, Akhwari replied, “I don’t think you understand. My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish the race.”
When you’re bruised and bloodied by life, press on; your Creator did not send you here to start the race, but to finish it!
Keep going, no matter what the cost. Keep fighting, no matter what bruises you get. Keep running, no matter how many times you stumble and fall. Your cuts and bruises and scrapes and scars are medals of honor in the Lord’s sight, signs that you had the faith, courage, determination, and commitment to keep going, even though it was tough! You may have fallen, but you refused to quit.
At the end of the race, you’ll then be able to say like Paul of old did: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

(b) Keep your eyes on Jesus, not yourself.

Romans 7:18a- For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.
Galatians 2:20-It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
Isaiah 26:3-You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

Get your eyes on Jesus. Think about the Lord! Jesus is your best friend and He is the One who can help you get the victory, whether over your personal problems or whatever obstacles you face.

Hebrews 12:1-3-Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (3) For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Peter walks on the water-and almost sinks when he takes his eyes off the Lord!
Matthew 14:28-32-And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Put your weight on Him!
I learned to swim in boyhood, but it was only this summer that I achieved complete mastery of myself in the water. For 30 years I had assumed that I must constantly struggle to keep from sinking.
One day an expert swimmer watched me for a few minutes and then cried: “Stop fighting the water and trust it to hold you up. Use your strength and get somewhere.”
Under his direction, a few moments sufficed to convince me he was right. I lay flat in the water without moving hands or feet and to my delight, it held me up. Then I struck out, using my strength to forge ahead. What a revelation! Why didn’t someone tell me that years ago?
So many constantly struggle to keep from sinking, when if they would only trust Jesus they would be kept afloat.

Above the storm
A story is told that once the passengers of a vessel steaming along the St. Lawrence River in the US were very angry because, in spite of the fact that heavy fog was encircling the boat, full speed ahead was maintained. At last they went to the first mate, and complained, “Oh, don’t be afraid!” the mate replied, with a smile. “The fog lies low, and the captain is high above it, and can see where we are going.”
Are you tempted to complain about the way your Great Captain is leading you? Believe that He can see the end of the way. Then, declare, “Thou, Lord … makest me dwell in safety.”

(c) Trust the Lord that He knows best

Romans 8:28-And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Something that can help you to learn to exercise your spiritual muscles is developing the awareness that everything that happens in our lives has a reason! The Lord has a reason for it, and we should always look for that reason.
When you see your life in that light and things that happen to you as being the Lord’s voice speaking to you and trying to show you something, it opens up a whole new way of looking at things, and it brings the Lord so close. If you’ll stop and look and listen and ask Him what He is trying to show you, you’ll become so much more aware of His presence and you can see all of the concrete ways in which He guides you.
When you recognize how wonderfully the Lord uses all the little things in our lives to speak to us, that gives you a more positive outlook. For example, if you get sick, try to look for all the positive reasons why it could have happened, instead of just looking at it as a hindrance and complaining about it, and considering it something that you just have to suffer through.
Sometimes it’s not so easy to figure out what He is trying to show us, but if we keep persisting and looking for the answers, the Lord will be faithful to show us that He always has a reason for the things He allows us to go through.
If you can learn to see the good in things that happen to you, your life will be richer, your lessons greater and your mind more tranquil, and you will more easily recognize the Lord’s hand in the events of your life. It makes all the difference in the world whether you look at a flood of problems, trials, battles, and tribulations just waiting to see the worst happen, or if you look at them with the excitement and challenge that comes from waiting to discover all the good you know the Lord will bring out of them.

[See Obstacles Are for Overcoming page 23, "Beauty for Ashes" for more on the Romans 8:28 principle.]

The end of a bitter trial
(As told by Corrie Ten Boom in her book, Father Ten Boom.)
It happened around the year 1640. A group of Spaniards was traveling through the jungles of South America when one member of the party fell seriously ill with malaria. In a short time, the fever weakened him so much that he was unable to walk.
His friends were at their wits’ end. They improvised a stretcher from branches and tried to carry him on it. The condition of the sick man and the difficulties in transporting him became such that they finally decided to lay him down at the side of a pool of water, in the shadow of a tree with thick foliage. There they left him.
His situation seemed desperate. His fellow travelers had left him some food, but he paid no attention to it. Water! That was his only thought. Tormented by a burning thirst, he bent down to the water, only to fall back in despair. The water had a loathsome and bitter taste.
But as time went on, and the fever continued to burn and consume his body, he drank again and again. Then a strange thing happened. After every drink of water, the fever seemed to subside and the pain to become less severe. Strength returned to his weak body.
Healing had come to him through the bitterness of the water. You see, the tree under which his companions had laid him was the Cinchona, or quinine tree. Leaves and pieces of bark had fallen into the water, and the quinine had dissolved. Not only was the exhausted traveler completely restored, but a wonderful remedy was discovered, through which countless lives have since been saved.
This is way it often goes with those of us who have to pass through dark and bitter trials. How easily we rebel against the circumstances that cause us to suffer and which we cannot change. However, the Lord sometimes sends troubles our way in order to heal us. We must believe in His love and wisdom. Soon we discover that the bitterness of the medicine was necessary in order to heal us.

It worked for good! (Humor)
A butter-fingered man who had been unemployed for a long time at last found a job in a chinaware house. He had been at work only a few days when he smashed a large vase. He was summoned to the manager’s office and told by that dignitary that he would have to have money deducted from his wages every week until the vase was paid for. “How much did it cost?” asked the culprit.
“Three hundred dollars,” said the manager.
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” he said, “I’m so happy. At last I’ve got a steady job!”

(d) Forget yourself and help others. Use lessons to help others.

The Lord lets us go through difficult experiences to comfort others and help them! The best way to forget your own problems is to help someone else solve theirs.
Get your mind on helping others! Seek their happiness before your own. Ask the Lord to help you love Him so much that you’ll love others so much that you’ll forget your own self, and live for Jesus and for others!
They even say work therapy is a pretty good thing, to get busy physically, work hard, and forget your troubles. That’s true to a certain extent, but that only takes you so far. Why not get busy and work hard for Jesus, work hard to help other people! If you get busy helping others, you’ll be so filled with His joy that He gives you as a result of trying to make other people happy, that you’ll forget that sad self of yours.
Remember also that the lessons you learn, the comfort you receive from the Lord and others, equips you to comfort others. We can sympathize more with others when we ourselves have gone through hard times. If we were all so righteous and we didn’t have any of these weaknesses, we couldn’t help others much, we couldn’t be sympathetic or compassionate, we couldn’t even understand them. Use the lessons you’ve learned to help others through their difficult times.
2 Corinthians 1:4-[Jesus] comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Saving himself by saving another
The story is told of Sundar Singh (a Christian from India, 1889-1933) who was traveling with a Tibetan companion on a bitterly cold day. Snow was falling heavily, and both men were almost too frozen to go forward; they felt they would never survive the terrible experience. They reached a steep precipice, and there they saw that a man had slipped over the edge, and was lying, almost dead, on the ledge of rock below. Sundar suggested that they should carry the poor fellow to safety. The Tibetan refused to help, saying it was all they could do to save themselves; and he went on, leaving Sundar behind. With great difficulty Sundar managed to get the dying man up the slope and on to his back, and then he struggled on with his heavy burden.
Before long he came upon the body of his former companion, the Tibetan. He was dead, frozen to death. On struggled Sundar, and gradually the dying man, receiving warmth from the friction of his own body against that of his rescuer, began to revive, while Sundar himself grew warm through his labor. At last they reached a village and were safe. With a full heart, Sundar thought of the words of his Master: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).

Carrying the load
When someone living in a simple village has a heavy load to carry, he will often tie it to one end of a pole with a stone of equal weight fastened to the other. Then, with the pole across his shoulder he is able to carry his load in the easiest possible way.
It’s the same idea as packing our holiday luggage into two small suitcases to balance one another when we’re carrying them, rather than in one large heavy bag that weighs us down.
It works like that in life, too. Many people have found that the best way to cope with their own troubles is to help carry someone else’s as well. By turning their attention to the problems of another person, it becomes much easier to forget their own.

(e) Patiently wait on the Lord

You’ve prayed for help. You’ve followed the preceding steps. You are trusting, believing, fighting, trying to change.-And yet still you are beset with the same trial! Maybe you have a personal weakness you haven’t been able to overcome. You want to stop smoking, or you want to not lose your temper. Or maybe you need healing from a long-term ailment. Or maybe you need a new job to be able to make ends meet. And although you’ve done everything we’ve suggested, it hasn’t happened yet! What’s wrong?
It is a fact that we don’t always get answers to our prayers right away. This doesn’t mean we’re doing something wrong, but the Lord is expecting us to have patience. When the Lord delays in answering prayer, it tests our faith. Patience takes faith, to trust in God for the outcome.
Psalm 40:1-I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
Lamentations 3:26-It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Hebrews 10:36-For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.
James 1:3-5-The testing of your faith produces patience. (4) But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
Learning patience seems to be one of God’s most frequent lessons, yet one of our own rarest virtues, as it really tests our faith and drives us to the Lord and His Word, to Whom and which we might not otherwise give so much time and attention. Testing our patience is one way God has of getting our attention while we’re waiting for His answers!
Isaiah 40:31-But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
James 5:10-11-My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. (11) Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord-that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
There is a beautiful and wise saying: “Anything wonderful can happen in that little margin of time when you do not give up, but keep on believing and keep on praying.”

It came to pass
In a testimony meeting in the South, an old Christian got up and said that she was always encouraged by the words, “And it came to pass.”
“When I am upset by troubles, I go to the Bible, and I never get far before I read ‘It came to pass.’ And I say, ‘Bless the Lord it didn’t come to stay-it came to pass!’”

It will stop (humor)
As William Dean Howells and Mark Twain were coming out of church one morning, it commenced to rain heavily. “Do you think it will stop?” asked Howells.
“It always has,” answered Twain.

Short cuts aren’t always wise!
Jeffrey aspired to become a taxi driver in London. Part of the test involved knowledge of the shortest route between any two points in the city. He studied the maps till he knew them by heart-but he failed the test.
In answer to a question about the quickest route from one place to another he gave what clearly was the shortest on the map. It would, however, have meant taking his taxi down a long flight of steps and through a passage wide enough only for pedestrians!
Short cuts are not always what they seem. While we should be grateful when trials end, we should always keep in mind that most of the things worth waiting for come to us through patience and effort. Don’t be deluded by life’s “short cuts.”

Quick Review of Step 3: Move On!

Now let’s review the last step-how to move on from the “valley of trials” to the “mountain lands of victory.”

(a) Recognize your lessons and grow. The Christian life is a growing process. Recognize what you should learn from the problem. Even if the problem is not your fault, there still may be lessons to be learned.

(b) Keep your eyes on Jesus, not yourself. Trust Jesus to bring the victories that you need.

(c) Trust the Lord that He knows best. “All things work together for good to them that love God.” You will enjoy greater peace in your life if you can trust that the Lord loves you and will not allow anything in your life that will not turn out to be for good, even though you can’t understand it right away.

(d) Forget yourself and help others. Getting busy helping somebody else may in itself solve your own problems. Also remember that the Lord allows us to go through things so we can comfort and help others.

(e) Patiently wait on the Lord. The Lord always answers, but His timetable often isn’t the same as ours! “Anything wonderful can happen in that little margin of time when you do not give up, but keep on believing and keep on praying.”

Class Section 2: Quiet Time-Refuge from the Storm

Quiet time with Jesus

The storms of life come upon all of us in different ways-personal trials, spiritual battles, physical difficulties. It’s wonderful to know that there is a shelter where we can find solace, rest, comfort, and guidance, and that is in the presence of the Lord. Remember that Jesus tells us:
Matthew 11:28-30-Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
One of the best ways that you can implement each of these three steps to solving your problems, as well as preventing some problems before they even start, is to set aside a little time each day to come into the Lord’s presence. Spend regular time in quiet prayer, praise, and reading the Word. The more time you can devote to this, the more victories you’ll obtain and the closer you’ll get to the Lord.
This is not the same as study time, but just time to spend in fellowship with Jesus, talking to Him, and listening to Him. Think of it as taking time alone with a loved one, just as you may do with your husband, wife, boyfriend, or girlfriend.

The strength-giver

This type of spiritual rest and quiet will renew you and give you strength to face whatever comes your way.
Isaiah 30:15-For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”
Hebrews 4:9-10-There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. (10) For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Jesus can solve all your problems in one little glimpse! He can refresh your whole spirit with one deep breath. He can clarify all your thoughts with just one sweet strain of Heavenly music. And He can wipe away all your fears and tears with just one little restful moment in that perfect peace He gives when your mind is stayed on Him and Him alone, because you trust in Him. It just takes one little glimpse of Jesus to make it worth it all!

“I can only lie still”
Hudson Taylor (English missionary to China, 1832-1905) was so feeble in the closing months of life, that he wrote a dear friend, “I am so weak I cannot work; I cannot read my Bible; I cannot even pray. I can only lie still in God’s arms like a little child, and trust.” This wondrous man of God with all his spiritual power came to a place of physical suffering and weakness where he could only lie still and trust. And that is all God asks of you, His dear child, when you grow faint in the fierce fires of affliction. Do not try to be strong. Just be still.

Class 11A: Three Steps to Victory

Introduction

Difficulties are common to all

Among the parables that Chinese teachers use is the story of a woman who lost an only son. She was grief-stricken out of all reason. She made her sorrow a wailing wall. Finally she went to a wise old philosopher. He said to her, “I will give you back your son if you will bring me some mustard seed. However, the seed must come from a home where there has never been any sorrow.” Eagerly she started her search, and went from house to house. In every case she learned that a loved one had been lost.
“How selfish I have been in my grief,” she said, “sorrow is common to all.”

Section 1: The Ups and Downs of Life

Be happy

God is not a sad God!-He’s a happy God, Who wants you to be happy too. The Bible says,
Psalm 144:15-Happy are the people who are in such a state; happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
Even though we all face difficulties and problems from time to time, we have so much to be happy about! We have solutions, because we know the great solution-giver: Jesus!

Battles are inevitable!
Even though the Lord wants us to be happy, there are times when it isn’t so easy. Some people think that as soon as they receive Jesus they’re never going to have any more problems and things are going to go real smoothly.-But getting saved doesn’t bring complete relief from all problems and struggles.
There’s a saying: “There’s no testimony without a test, there’s no triumph without a trial, and no victory without a battle!”
Jesus bled and died for you on the cross to save you, and won the battle for eternal life for you. But when it comes to day-to-day living, we all have some battles to fight!
What if a soldier said, “I’ve joined the army-why do I have to fight?” But that’s what a soldier joins the army for, to fight!-And we are in a spiritual warfare, and the Devil is going to try to fight you!
1 Timothy 6:12-Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
2 Timothy 2:3-4-You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (4) No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted him as a soldier.
There’s an old saying: “The enemy doesn’t start shooting till you go over the top!”-which dates from the trench warfare of World War I. Not until you came out of your trench and started attacking his territory did the enemy really let go and let you have it with all his big guns! Now that you are walking on the path of serving the Lord, it is only to be expected that you are going to face battles.

Types of problems
We could divide our troubles or difficulties into three groups: 1) physical problems, 2) difficulties caused by our own mistakes or by intentional or unintentional actions of others, and 3) spiritual attacks from the outside.

1. Physical problems
Most of us face some physical weaknesses or limitations or sickness at some time or other, or maybe we are short of money or have some other material lack.
Philippians 4:12-I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
The apostle Paul wrote this, so he obviously experienced physical difficulties.

2. Human weaknesses
Romans 7:18-19-For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. (19) For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
Hebrews 12:1b-Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
The Lord made each of us differently, and has allowed each of us our own particular imperfections-plain old human weaknesses, frailties and lacks like selfishness, pride, laziness and envy-”every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us,” against which we must daily battle. Battling these keeps us in shape spiritually, fighting and relying on the Lord!
We can also suffer problems because of the actions of others, whether intentional or unintentional. Maybe a scheduled bus doesn’t show up and you’re late for an important interview. Maybe someone has borrowed some item but failed to return it. The examples are endless.

3. Spiritual attacks
Then there are the attacks from the outside. The Devil tries to defeat you personally, to hinder you, and discourage you. You’re already saved, the Lord’s possession forever, but the Devil fears you and knows that he’s going to lose others from his clutches because of you and your witness. So what does he do about it?-He tries to hinder and stop you, and discouragement is one of his favorite tools. Thank God we know the answer: Faith! We’ll be talking more about how to defeat the Devil’s devices later in the class but for now, remember we are already victors:
1 Corinthians 15:57-Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

No trial greater than you can bear

Troubles are common to all! Whether we face trials from spiritual attacks, or battles with our human weaknesses or physical problems, we all have troubles! Not to speak of the mistakes that we make, or suffering from the effects of the mistakes of others, and so on.
No matter what problems you face, always remember that the Lord is with you and can help you get victories! The trials of life can be overcome by trusting in Him and looking to Him for help. God’s Word promises,
1 Corinthians 10:13-No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
If you’re ever tempted to feel all alone and forsaken and like you’re the only one that’s going through this, and you feel like you’re going through it worse than anybody else because of all your mistakes, just remember, many others have felt the same way.-And they have pulled through victoriously. The Lord’s not going to make it any harder for you than you can take, and will always make a way of escape.

Fiery trials: How will you respond?

1 Peter 4:12-Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.
1 Peter 1:7-That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The Lord sometimes lets things happen that we don’t understand to test us and try us. He places us in the refining fires of His trials and testings.
Some things happen that keep you close to the Lord-sickness, trouble, problems. Sometimes they happen to drive you close to others. Sometimes they happen to keep you humble. Sometimes they happen to make you pray. There are all kinds of reasons for having troubles.-And even troubles and tribulations are good for us! We’ll talk more about that later.
The sorrow, the suffering, the sacrifice and sadness you go through will bring out the best in you-sweetness, compassion, tenderness, brokenness, love, and concern for others-if you love the Lord and turn to Him when you go through such trials. He says,
1 Peter 4:19-Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
If we learn and grow from our difficulties, then they will make us better, not bitter.

Thank God for this wheelchair!
Dr. Hubert Davidson visited the noted poetess, Myra Brooks Welch, who perhaps is best known for her masterpiece, “The Touch of the Master’s Hand.” As he turned to leave her home, Myra Welch patted the arm of her wheelchair and said, “And I thank God for this.” Imagine being grateful for a wheelchair! But her talent lay undiscovered prior to her wheelchair days. Rather than becoming bitter, she chose a better way, and a wonderful ministry opened new doors of blessings for her. Her poems have blessed many.

Closer to Jesus

Psalm 55:22-Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
Remember that whatever troubles you face, the ultimate result can be a closer and better relationship with the Lord. When you’re in trouble and call out for help, He answers!-And His presence will be so precious and real to you when you let Him encourage, guide and lead you. No matter what you go through, He is there to help, comfort and bring meaning to it all.
Hebrews 13:5-Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
If possible, share a personal anecdote on how the Lord’s presence seemed even closer during a time of trial.

Three steps to victory!

No matter what the problem is, if you’ll just put into action what you’ve already been learning in our classes, you’ll find the answers. We could say generally the answer is “be close to the Lord” and that is true, but we think it would be most helpful to go through the specifics. Whatever your problems are, if you will prayerfully follow these steps, you’re guaranteed to win victories!

Summary:
Step 1: Identify the problem
Step 2: Find the solution
Step 3: Move on!

Step 1: Diagnose the problem

((a)) Ask the Lord about your problem

When any of us face any kind of a crisis or dilemma, test or privation-whatever the trouble or problem-what is the thing we should do?-Complain? Get upset and angry that things aren’t going just the way we would like them to?-Of course not!
When things go wrong in your life, whatever your emotions at the time, one of the first things you should do is ask the Lord what is wrong, whether you have done something wrong, and what lessons He wants to teach you from it.
There can be many reasons why a problem has arisen. Whether you have any fault in the matter or not, it is beneficial to take the time to pray about why things happen.-It’s good to always keep the Lord in mind, asking Him about things.

Psalm 143:10-Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.
Matthew 6:10-Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

((b)) Look in God’s Word and find the counsel and guidance you need about your problem! Ask the Lord to speak to you through His Word.

2 Timothy 3:16-17-All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Psalm 119:105-Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Look for similar situations or problems in the Word. Draw your encouragement from the Word.
You can also find counsel in godly writings like those offered with this course, such as Discovering Truth and books in the Get Activated series. “Obstacles Are for Overcoming” has a wealth of advice.

* The riches of the Word
Some time ago an elderly man living in New Jersey made an unusual discovery as he leafed through an old family Bible. Many years earlier, his aunt had died and left it to him. Part of her will read: “To my beloved Steven Marsh I bequeath my family Bible and all it contains, along with the residue of my estate after my funeral expenses and just and lawful debts are paid.” When everything had been settled the nephew got a few hundred dollars plus the old volume mentioned in the will.
After the money was used up, his only support was a small pension, and for more than 30 years he lived in poverty. Then one day he cleaned out his attic in preparation for a move to his son’s home where he hoped to spend his old age. There in a trunk was the family Bible he had inherited. Opening it, he was amazed to find banknotes scattered throughout its pages. He counted over $5000 in cash. Within his reach were riches he could have been enjoying all along.

((c)) Recognize the spiritual warfare

Your great, yet defeated Enemy
God, Jesus, the good angels and departed saints, are not the only inhabitants of the spiritual world! There is also a dark side, headed up by the Devil, who is our arch-enemy, and is assisted in his evil tasks by his minions, lesser devils and demons. The Devil (Greek: diabolos) is the fallen angelic being who is the supreme enemy of God and man. He is in direct opposition to everything God is or all He wishes to do. Starting in the Garden of Eden, the Devil has attempted to deceive every living soul.
Revelation 20:10a-The Devil, who deceived them …
He is called also “the accuser of the brethren”:
Revelation 12:10-Then I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”
Sometimes the problems we face are not caused by other people or by our own sins, but they are part of the spiritual warfare that is going on unseen by human eyes.

Ephesians 6:11-12-Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. (12) 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 (spiritual) places.

That’s why the Lord promises:
Isaiah 59:19b-When the Enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
Luke 10:19-Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

He also cautions us:
Ephesians 4:27-Nor give place to the Devil.
1 Peter 5:8-9a-Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (9a) Resist him, steadfast in the faith.

The temptation of Jesus
Jesus was carried out into the desert and tempted by the Devil. Even His physical body was allowed to be put under the power of the Devil for a short time. But under the attack He never yielded but resisted the Enemy with the Word of God, until the Enemy saw Jesus wasn’t going to give up, and then he quit.
Matthew 4:1-11-Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the Tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Then the Devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ “Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” Again, the Devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the Devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Take note of how Jesus fought back with the Word, “it is written”!

Be aware of the Devil’s devices
2 Corinthians 2:11-We are not ignorant of his devices.

God’s Word tells us not to be ignorant of the Devil’s devices, so although we don’t even like to talk about him and we’d rather emphasize the positive, you need to be able to recognize the Enemy and his wiles so you can fight and overcome him.
So what are “Devil’s devices”? How does he try to hinder us, stop us, slow us down, etc.? Here are a few of his most common wiles:
He tries to play on our weaknesses, frailties, or vices. Perhaps someone has a natural tendency to grumble, which is something we all do on occasion, even though it is more healthy physically and spiritually to have a positive attitude:
Nehemiah 8:10b-Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
The Devil may try to tempt the “occasional grumbler” to habitually complain, which results in unhappiness and even depression. The Devil often attacks us first in our thoughts: That’s the door through which he finds entrance. But thank God you can slam that door shut with Scriptures, as Jesus did!
The Enemy attempts to separate us from others: This is such a typical device of the Devil.-He accuses God’s people and exaggerates to you what others are doing, and will try to take things that others have said or done and twist them and make things sound a lot worse to you than they really are. He’s an expert at picking on all the little flaws and all the little faults that he can find, and constantly tries to accuse others and get you to blame everything that goes wrong on someone else!
Part of what our spiritual adversary says is often true, because he couldn’t get you to believe his lies unless he told you some truth mixed with it, which would deceive you into thinking his lies were true too! So you have to be on guard.
James 4:7-Therefore submit to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you.

Greater is He that is in you!
1 John 4:4-You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Jesus is our Defense Attorney before God, our Judge, defending us from all the fiery darts of the Evil one, that prosecuting attorney, the accuser of the saints, Satan himself! Through the name of Jesus you have power over the Devil, and you can command him to leave! (James 4:7)

The Lord and His angels and you are far more powerful than the Devil and his demons! Satan has to obey your commands in the name of Jesus. He might fight against you for a while, but sooner or later he’s going to have to knuckle under and admit defeat.
Philippians 2:10-At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

Warning: The Scripture says we’re not to be unaware of the Devil’s devices. In other words, we are to beware of his devices. But we’re not to get so fascinated by studying how he works that it becomes a fascination for evil!

* For more on this subject, see the chapter in Obstacles Are for Overcoming, “Spiritual Warfare” (pages 39-43).

Don’t let the Devil trick you!
Needy miners and settlers in British Columbia, Canada, engaged in stripping abandoned Fort Alcan of lumber, electrical appliances, and plumbing, made an amazing discovery. While dismantling the jail they found that the mighty locks were attached to the heavy doors, and two-inch steel bars covered the windows, but the walls of the prison were only wallboard made of clay and paper, painted to resemble iron. A good old heave against the walls by a man not as strong as a football tackle would have burst the wall out. Nobody ever tried it because nobody thought it possible. Many Christians are prisoners of fears that are nothing when pushed against. Satan cannot do anything against a child of God, but he loves to put barriers of papier-mâché in the path of a believer to make him think that there is no progress in the direction of the will of the Lord. When by faith we push against it, we will be free.

((d)) Accept your responsibility

Some people tend to blame everybody else for all of their troubles.-“Why me, Lord? I didn’t do it, they did it to me! It wasn’t my fault, it’s his fault, her fault! They’re the ones to blame! They’re the ones who made me do it!”
How can you ever grow spiritually or learn any lessons from the Lord when you’re self-righteously blaming other people for everything bad that happens to you and if you won’t accept the responsibility for your own problems?
Even if you were not directly to blame for something, you still need to take responsibility for your situation and work toward a solution. No matter who caused the problem, blaming others will not resolve it. Concentrate not on placing blame but on finding solutions.

Don’t be too quick to judge and blame others!
Matthew 7:3-5-And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? (4) Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? (5) Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.

It’s human nature to look around for somebody else to blame our problems on. “Passing the buck” started in the Garden of Eden. It’s sinful man’s first line of defense when he’s in trouble-to blame others.
Just look what happened in the Garden of Eden: When they got caught in their sin, the first thing Adam said to God was, “It was my wife, she did it!” Then Eve said, “It was the Serpent’s fault, he did it!” And the serpent as good as said, “It was God, it’s all His fault!”
Genesis 3:12-13-Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
To “pass the buck” and try to blame things on others is an almost automatic reaction and self-defense mechanism with most people.

Acknowledging your own blame is essential if you want to make progress.
Nobody who continues to blame other people for their problems is going to be able to progress and grow spiritually! You’ve got to take the responsibility yourself.
You’ve got to confess your part in the wrongdoing (all have sinned-including you!) so that the Lord can forgive you, because it says “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:9). But if we don’t confess our sins, if we don’t even think it’s our fault, then how can the Lord forgive us?
Even if you feel you have not been in the wrong, progress is not going to be made until you forgive the other person and make steps toward reconciliation.

Be honest with yourself!
We must not only glory in our successes, but also be willing to confess our mistakes and attempt to rectify them.-But, as they say, the hardest words in any language are: “I was wrong.”-And the hardest one to confess your faults to is yourself! We hate even to admit to ourselves our own mistakes, sins, and shortcomings, as it is sometimes so discouraging, humbling, and humiliating.-But you’ll never get the victory until you face the facts honestly and confess. “He that confesses his sins,” the Word says, “shall be forgiven. But he that covers his sin shall never prosper!” (Proverbs 28:13).
Another reason why we need to confess our sins is because it really helps keep us humble! It helps you to be honest with yourself and with others and with the Lord. This takes humility of the kind only God can give.-Because it’s just the inborn, sinful nature of man to not want to take the blame and so be unable to confess.
So may God help us all to be honest with ourselves, others and God! As Shakespeare said, “If thou canst to thine own self be true, thou canst not be false to any man!”-Be honest now!

((e)) Seek godly counsel. Ask others to pray with you.

People often have the attitude, “I wanted to get my problem all straightened out and worked out, and get the victory by myself.” But sometimes it can be difficult to resolve some issues on your own.-The more you worry about them and think about them, the more confused you’re likely to become. Whereas if you do what the Scriptures say and let someone help you bear those burdens, you may be able to get help and resolve the problem much sooner.

Proverbs 11:14-Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
Proverbs 19:20-Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.
Proverbs 20:5-Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Proverbs 27:9b-The sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.

One word of caution: If you are seeking counsel from another, make sure you ask for help from somebody spiritually strong, who will not be hurt by your problem.

Romans 15:1a-We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak.

Quick summary of Step 1: Identify the problem

We’ve gone through the first step. Let’s quickly review how we can diagnose our problems and find out what is actually wrong.

(a) Ask the Lord about your problem. Ask Him to tell you whether you have done something wrong that is causing this problem. Or does He have another reason or lesson behind it?

(b) Read the Word. Look for similar situations or problems in the Word and see how the solution was brought about. Let the Word guide you; also let it encourage you and cleanse you.

(c) Recognize the spiritual warfare. Be aware of the Devil’s devices. He often tries to play on our weaknesses, frailties or besetting sins. Remember always that the Lord’s power is much greater than the Enemy’s.-Resist the Devil and he will flee. Don’t become fascinated with his evil handiwork.

(d) Accepting the responsibility for your own actions is essential if you want to make progress! Don’t blame others. Concentrate not on placing blame but on finding solutions.

(e) Seek godly counsel. Ask others to pray with you. Be sure when asking for counsel that you go to someone spiritually strong who will not be adversely affected by the problem you will describe.

Step 2: Find the Solution

((a)) Pray and ask the Lord for help!

As we saw earlier, we all have times of trial and need, and when those times come the Lord is more than able to help us.-So one of the first things to do when facing a problem of any kind is to ask the Lord for His help! Ask, believing that He can and will help you!
2 Samuel 22:7-In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears.
Psalm 34:4-I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 50:15-Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.
Hebrews 4:16-Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Use His strength!
A small boy was trying very hard to lift a heavy object. His father coming into the room and noting the son’s struggle asked him. “Are you using all your strength?”
“Yes, of course I am,” the boy impatiently exclaimed.
“You are not,” the father answered. “You haven’t asked me to help you.”

Let the Lord lift you!
During the construction of one of the bridges over the East River in New York, the engineers were baffled by an old sunken barge which lay embedded in the river bottom. Powerful engines, steel cables, derricks, and tugs were powerless to remove the obstruction.
A young man, fresh from technical school, thought he could solve the problem. At low tide, he had a large barge towed out to the spot and had cables attached to either side and fastened to the sunken derelict. As the tide came in from the Atlantic, the barge rose, bringing with it the submerged wreck. The young engineer had linked to his task the limitless power of the ocean tides.

((b)) Confess your sins to the Lord, and if necessary to others

Psalm 97:10a-You who love the Lord, hate evil!
You’ll never be able to correct the problem or find the solution if you deny it exists and keep saying everything is all right.-That doesn’t solve the problem at all. In fact, it makes it even worse! You’ll never get the victory over such a problem until you honestly face it and confess it.
Proverbs 28:13-He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
The Lord promises forgiveness, and God says everything He can in His Word to encourage you to have faith to be delivered from your problems! But deliverance is dependent on your willingness to be honest and confess your sins and your faults.
If you’re willing to recognize and face your problem, then you can attack it and overcome it! So confess your sins to the Lord and ask Him to forgive you.

Confessing to others
James 5:16-Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
There is also a time when you should not only talk to the Lord about your sins, but sometimes you also need to confess to others who were affected by your mistakes.
If others have been hurt by your actions, you should apologize. If you’ve done something for which you should be sorry, by all means say so.

David’s prayer of repentance
Psalm 51 is a beautiful expression of repentance of sin.

((c)) Take a stand against your problems. Don’t give up!

Once you’ve recognized that you have a problem and you’ve confessed it, then you’ve got to take a stand against it. When you’re determined to forsake a spiritual problem and you call out to the Lord with a whole heart to deliver you, He does His part and will fulfill His promises:
Ezekiel 36:26-I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.
2 Corinthians 2:14-Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
The Lord will be faithful to answer prayer and do His part. But then you’ve got to do your part by exerting the effort to forsake and “put off” the old negative patterns and bad habits. His Word says:
Ephesians 4:22-24-That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, (23) and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, (24) and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5-For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, (5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
You don’t always necessarily get over this sort of thing in a day, it often takes a while.

It can be a struggle…

If you have a tough struggle getting the victory, it may be because the Lord is testing you to find out how much you want it, and how much you’re willing to fight for it before He’s going to reward you with it. But if you do your part, the Lord will certainly do His, and you will win!-So don’t give up!
1 Timothy 6:12-Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Ephesians 6:10-11-Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Galatians 6:9-And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Keep trying!
Having prayed for the Lord to help you overcome a certain problem doesn’t mean you will now automatically do all the right things-especially if you’ve had a certain habit or attitude for any length of time. When you realize that you are wrong about something and you repent and the Lord delivers you, you start out again with a clean slate. But because your thought patterns have gone in a certain direction so long or you have some sort of negative habits, you have to learn to do things differently, and even to think differently in many areas.
It may take some falling and getting up again before you can walk very far without stumbling. In this sense, you may have to pay for your sins by continuing to fight them for a while. But if you keep persevering, the Lord will reward your determination-sometimes so quickly, it’s truly miraculous-and you’ll find you’re hindered less and less by those old habits cropping up.
Proverbs 24:16a-For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.
Proverbs 4:18-But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

“Go to the ant!”
“Go to the ant, … consider her ways and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6).
One king used to relate to his friends an anecdote of his early life. “I once was forced to take shelter from my enemies in a ruined building, where I sat alone many hours,” he said. “Desiring to divert my mind from my hopeless condition, I fixed my eyes on an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself up a high wall. I numbered the efforts it made to accomplish this object. The grain fell 69 times to the ground; but the insect persevered, and the 70th time it reached the top! This sight gave me courage at the moment, and I never forgot the lesson.”

Struggle: Shake it off and step up
A story is told of a dog that belonged to a certain farmer in what had once been a gold-mining area. One day, while the farmer was walking with his dog in bushland near the farm, the dog fell into one of the many old abandoned mineshafts. Although the shaft was dry and quite narrow, it was not so deep and the dog managed to survive the fall without breaking any bones.
The farmer could hear his dog barking pitifully, but could not get down the narrow, crumbling shaft to get him. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer decided the only thing to do was to end his dog’s distress as soon as possible. He decided to bury the dog in the old shaft and put him out of his misery. He went back to his farm, got some tools and on returning, began to shovel earth quickly into the shaft.
Initially, the dog was terrified as the earth fell on him in the darkness. But as the farmer continued shoveling and the dirt hit the dog’s back … the dog shook it off and stepped up. Clod after clod rained down on him. “Shake it off and step up … shake it off and step up … shake it off and step up!” the dog seemed to be saying to himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how hopeless the situation appeared in the dim depths of the shaft, the dog fought his panic and just kept right on shaking off the dirt and stepping up until at last he was within reach of the farmer who joyfully hauled him out to safety.

((d)) Be positive

Philippians 4:8-Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.
We all go through experiences sometimes where we think negative thoughts instead of listening to the Lord. If your thoughts are not according to His Word, or cause you to be discontent or bitter, dissatisfied or unhappy or critical of yourself or others-these things are not of the Lord, and you must rebuke the Enemy in Jesus’ name when he tempts you with these kinds of negative thoughts.
I John 4:1-Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Romans 12:9b-Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
A lot of people feel bad because they think an unloving or sinful thought. But as the saying goes, “Even though you can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, you can keep them from making a nest in your hair!” Thinking the thought is not sin; it is the dwelling on it and letting it fester in your mind that is. Resist all such negative thoughts and think positively!
When a room is dark, you don’t go around trying to chase the darkness out of the room.-You let the light in and the light chases out the dark! Fill your mind with the Light of God’s Word and the darkness will flee. The way to get rid of temptations and negative thoughts is to think of good things, Godly things. Read your Bible, pray, think about Jesus, and then you don’t even have time to think the other thoughts.-Which is why Isaiah says,
Isaiah 26:3-You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
If you watch your thoughts and watch your words and fill your heart and mind with the Lord and His Word, you will be well protected and fortified and surrounded by God’s angels of protection, and you will be freed from the Enemy’s critical and confusing static and negative accusations and doubts.

((e)) Praise the Lord. Keep cheerful!

One of the greatest things in the world that anyone can learn is to be content in whatsoever state you’re in, whether it’s to be abounding or to be in want.
Philippians 4:11-Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.
1 Timothy 6:6-Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
We all need to learn to count our blessings! The Lord wants us to think on the positive things, and try not to set our minds on all the negative things and trials and doubts and fears that the Devil tries to get us preoccupied with. Think about your many blessings!
When Jonah finally shouted, “Salvation is of the Lord!” that old whale that had swallowed him just couldn’t take it, and he spit him up!
Jonah 2:9-10-”But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” (10) So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Even if God lets the Devil send along a whale-of-a-lot of trouble to swallow you up, you’ve just got to keep praising the Lord! The Devil can’t stand that, and the trouble can’t stand it, and God will deliver you! But if you get all down in the dumps and go around complaining and doubting, you’ll just sink deeper and deeper to the bottom of the sea.
When the Enemy tempts you to get down and critical or complaining about something, fight back by praising the Lord and counting your blessings!
Psalm 150:6-Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
We could all praise the Lord more and be more positive! Thank Him for the health you do have! All kinds of things could be wrong with you, but thank the Lord for the blessings you do have! Stay positive, thankful and full of praise to Jesus!
Whenever possible, express your praise in words, preferably out loud. Just saying it in your mind is good but sometimes it is just not quite enough. You need to say it out loud, because if others are listening, it is a declaration to them that you are trusting the Lord. It shows your confidence in the Word and your belief in praise.
Psalm 71:8-Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day.
Psalm 34:1-I wWill bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

David-A sample of praising through troubles
Poor King David, he had lots of troubles just like us sometimes, and he had his groanings. The Psalms always comforted me, because when I have my hard times and troubles and my groanings, I can remember, “Well, dear King David had the same problem sometimes!” Sometimes he was sure he was finished! Once he said “I shall someday surely die at the hand of Saul!” (1 Samuel 27:1). That was really not much faith, was it? He thought he was surely going to get killed by his enemies. But he didn’t, did he? He died in peace at a ripe old age when he was clear up in his 80s. He never got killed by his enemies and all of his worries about his enemies killing him never happened. So he might as well have not done all his worrying, just like I shouldn’t worry.
The nice thing about all David’s Psalms and all of his time that he gets down in the dumps and weeps and groans and cries and laments is that he never stays there! He always pops back up again and winds up on a positive note. I think the Lord probably let him have all these problems and troubles so he’d write about them and show how you can pull out of them by looking to the Lord.

A positive outlook
Among the students at a well-known college there was a young man who had to get about on crutches. He had an unusual talent for friendliness and optimism and so won the deep respect of his classmates. One day a student asked him what had caused his deformity. “Infantile paralysis,” he replied briefly, not wishing to elaborate on his difficulties.
“With a misfortune like that, how can you face the world so cheerfully?” inquired his classmate.
“Oh,” replied the young man, smiling, “the disease never touched my heart.”

Quick summary of step 2: Find the solution

Let’s review how to find the solution.

(a) Pray and ask the Lord for help. Ask Him to solve the problem. Sometimes we have not because we ask not!

(b) Confess your sins to the Lord and if necessary to others. Of course, you cannot do this until you recognize your problems. Remember, Jesus will forgive you. The keys to receiving forgiveness are repentance and confession. Also bear in mind that sometimes, particularly if your actions have hurt others, you need to confess and/or apologize to other people.

(c) Take a stand against your problem. Then, don’t give up! Sometimes if you are trying to overcome a bad habit, it can take awhile to establish a new, better habit in its place. You’ll get tested along the way. But keep going! Victory belongs to those who persevere.

(d) Think positive thoughts. Fill your mind with good things, and there won’t be room for the Devil’s doubts and discouragement. Use the Word in your fight. Memorize and quote Scriptures. Sing uplifting songs.

(e) Praise the Lord. Keep cheerful! Victories are often found along the path of praise.

Class 10B: Getting Results

Section 1: More Witnessing Tips

Perhaps you have already tried to witness but you’ve been discouraged by lack of success, or difficult questions.-Or perhaps you’ve been reluctant to even try, for one reason or the other. We’re going to spend a few minutes looking at ways of witnessing and overcoming some of the difficulties that you might face.

If your life is full of the Lord, it will flow out on to others
You will naturally talk about what you believe in:
John 3:11-Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
Acts 4:20-For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

If you have the love of Jesus you cannot hide it!
Matthew 5:14-16-You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.

I love to point him out!
Some years ago two boats glided past each other on the Mississippi. An aged man was conversing with a friend on the deck of one of the boats when suddenly he said with zest, “Look! Yonder’s the captain!”
Asked the friend, “Why are you so enthusiastic while you call my attention to the captain?”
The grateful man replied, “Well, sir, years ago, as we were going along like this, I fell overboard. I couldn’t swim and I began to sink, but the captain rescued me. Since that day, I just love to point him out!”
When we were still lost in sin, the waves of sin all but overwhelmed us. But the Captain of our salvation, Jesus, rescued us. Should we not joyously “point Him out” to others?

Be sold on the product!
2 Corinthians 4:13-And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.
Psalm 107:2-Let the redeemed [saved] of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.
Were you ever faced with a salesman who was trying to sell you something and you’ve asked them: “Well, do you have one?-Do you use it?-How does it work for you?-Do you like it?-Are you sold on it?” If they enthusiastically rave about how good it is and how it really works for them, you just might buy it!

Fill your heart beforehand
Prepare to give answers by studying the Word beforehand:
2 Timothy 2:15-Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.
1 Peter 3:15-But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
If you’re full of the Lord’s love, His Spirit, His Word, and you want to really get it across, when you open your mouth He’ll fill it, and it will come right out of your heart.
Matthew 12:34-Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

It’s the Holy Spirit that wins!
When trying to express the wonderful love Jesus has for people, our words often seem to fall short. But the Holy Spirit can nevertheless use our words to speak to people’s hearts so they understand what you are trying to express. Like Paul said:
1 Corinthians 2:4-5-And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (5) that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God..
If you’re in the right spirit and are sincere and trying to do your best, the Lord will bless your witness! You don’t have to be afraid of making a mess of things, because whatever you say to try to share the truth of the Word, the Lord’s going to bless it. His Word is not going to return unto Him void and His sheep will hear His voice.
Isaiah 55:11-So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
John 10:3-4-The sheep hear his [the shepherd's] voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. (4) And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

You don’t have to know all the answers!-Jesus is the Answer!
You don’t have to answer all people’s questions and their confusion and their doubts about things. If they ask you a question you don’t know the answer to, just tell them that’s something you’re not sure about yet and you’re still learning. “The Bible is a big book and it takes a lifetime of study to learn all the neat things in the Word. But one thing I do know, I sure know that the Lord answers prayer and He’s my Best Friend and He really works!”
You don’t have to feel bad if you don’t know all the answers! Just talk about something you do know! Give them some Scriptures you do know! (You can also try to arrange to meet them again later, and in the meantime research the Word or counsel with your teacher or someone experienced in witnessing and in studying the Word, to find answers you can share.)
You can give them your own testimony; you can tell them what the Lord has done in your life.
The blind man that Jesus healed was a perfect example of that. When the scribes and Pharisees came up to him and asked him about his healing, he said he didn’t know too much about the details, but this one thing he knew: once he was blind but now he could see! (John chapter 9).
John 9:25-He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

Just preach Jesus!
A young minister in a college town was embarrassed by fact that many in his congregation were more educated and seemingly wiser than himself.
He sought counsel from his father, an old and wise minister, saying: “Father, I am hampered in my ministry in the pulpit I am now serving. If I cite anything from geology, there is Professor A-teacher of this science, right before me. If I use an illustration of Roman mythology, there is Professor B-ready to trip me up for my little inaccuracy. If I mention something in English literature that pleases me, I am cowered by the presence of the learned man that teaches that branch. What shall I do?”
The sagacious old man replied: “Do not be discouraged, preach the Gospel. They probably know very little of that.”

Controversial questions
Answer sincere questions honestly and show those who are really interested the truth. If they want to know, God will show them. But beware of those who ask questions, not because they want the answer, but because they’re only trying to trap you, like the self-righteous Pharisees whose minds were already made up and didn’t want to be confused with the facts, and rather tried to trap Jesus with His own words.
Luke 11:53-54-And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, (54) lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.
2 Timothy 2:23-But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.
Titus 3:9-But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.

So what about Hell?!
Fred was witnessing to Steve. The first thing Steve wanted to do was argue about Hell:
“Do you believe there’s a Hell? What about Hell? Blah, blah, blah!”
Fred said, “You want to talk about Hell? You want to argue about Hell? I’ll tell you what, you let me talk first, and then when I get done telling you about Jesus, then we’ll talk about Hell, okay?”
So Fred started talking about Jesus, and before you knew it, Steve was asking Jesus to come into his heart. When they finished praying, Fred asked:
“Well, now what do you want to know about Hell?”
Steve said, “Oh, I don’t care anything about Hell now, I’m not going there!”

The printed Word-giving out literature
Don’t underestimate the power of the printed Word! Giving out tracts and other Christian literature is a wonderful way of sharing the message. The literature will remain after you are gone. There are countless testimonies of people finding the Lord only through the written Word, never having received a personal witness!
Try to have a selection of tracts with you at all times. You can give a tract to anyone, even if you don’t have an opportunity to talk with them: The ticket collector, the sales assistant, the beggar on the street.
Psalm 119:105-Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Let the Lord speak! You’ve got the greatest Speaker in the universe to speak to them!-The most eloquent, the most expressive, the most discerning, the most beautiful, the most wonderful! Give them the Word! If you have a good tract or a poster that presents the message with the Word and scriptures, you can let them read that. Let the Lord speak to them personally and directly.
A good tip some of us have found regarding books or something more substantial that you want someone to read: The best way to get people to read a book is not to give them the book, because then they may just put it on the shelf and plan to read it someday. But loan them the book and then they feel obligated to read it and return it.

The tract that went “astray”
From Philip and Meekness, Namibia
A few months ago, 18-year-old Marcus found a crumpled piece of paper on the street. It turned out to be one of our tracts, which had somehow made its way to the town where Marcus lives, 800 km away, near the Angolan border. He wrote to the address on the tract, and asked to enroll in the free correspondence Bible study course that we had advertised.
Our correspondence began, and before long Marcus was asking for Family posters and tracts-”especially ones about the Endtime”-to pass out to his friends and acquaintances. “There are lots of youths in my city, and I want to do something for them,” he wrote.
Since then, Marcus has given out about 1,000 posters and over 1,200 tracts single-handedly. He has witnessed to his classmates and teachers, and as a result 15 others from his school are also taking our Bible study course.
Yesterday we were able to meet Marcus and two of our other correspondence-course students for the first time. It was wonderful for all of us! We gave them another big box of posters and tracts to distribute.
How many people do you suppose will be in Heaven as a result of what Marcus and his friends are doing?-All because one little tract made it into the right hands!

The Bread of Life
Sadhu Sundar Singh (a famous Christian from India who lived 1889-1933) was distributing Gospels in central India. He came to some non-Christians on the train and offered a man a copy of the Gospel of John. The man took it, tore it into pieces in anger and threw the pieces out of the window. That seemed the end. But it so happened, in the providence of God, there was a man anxiously seeking for truth walking along the railway line that very day, and he picked up, as he walked along, a little bit of paper and looked at it, and the words on it in his own language were “The Bread of life.”
He did not know what it meant, but he inquired among his friends and one of them said, “I can tell you it is out of the Christian book. You must not read it or you will be defiled.”
The man thought for a moment and then said, “I want to read the book that contains that beautiful phrase!” and he bought a copy of the New Testament. He was shown where the sentence occurred-our Lord’s words “I am the Bread of Life”; and as he studied the Gospel, the light flooded into his heart. He came to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and he became a preacher of the Gospel. The little bit of paper through God’s Spirit was indeed the Bread of Life to him, satisfying his deepest need.

Just one tract in Burma
A son of one of the chiefs of Burdwain was converted by a single tract. He could not read, but he went to Rangoon, a distance of 250 miles, where a missionary’s wife taught him to read, and in forty-eight hours he could read the tract through. He took a basket full of tracts, and with much difficulty preached the Gospel in his own home, and was the means of converting hundreds to God. He was a man of influence; the people flocked to hear him. In one year 1,500 natives were baptized in Arrecan as members of the church. All this through one little tract!

Bible or dinner?
In the islands of New Guinea, a chieftain sat peacefully reading the Bible, when he was interrupted by a French trader. “Bah,” he said in French. “Why are you reading the Bible? I suppose the missionaries have got hold of you, you poor fool. Throw it away! The Bible never did anyone any good.”
Replied the chieftain, calmly, “If it weren’t for this Bible, you’d be in my kettle by now!”

The miracle of music
Somebody once wrote, “Music is the speech of angels.” The witness contained in a song is a powerful way to get across the message. We have many witnessing songs that you can learn to sing and play and they will wonderfully augment your witness. What inspires people about our music is that it’s happy music and makes them happy. It’s good music and makes them want to be good. It’s friendly music and makes them want to be friendly. It’s godly music and makes them want to be godly. It’s saving music and makes them want to be saved. It’s enjoyable music and makes them want to join in. It has good fruit and makes them want to do good and be good!
Psalm 40:3-He has put a new song in my mouth-praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.
Acts 16:25-But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Be a sample of love
Your personal example is an important aspect of your witness that will help to win others.
Philippians 2:15-16a-That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (16a) holding fast the Word of life.
1 Timothy 4:12b-But be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
2 Corinthians 3:2-You are our epistle [letter] written in our hearts, known and read by all men.
Titus 2:7-8-In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, (8) sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
John 13:35-By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Your greatest witness is love, for the only love of God they can see is the love they see in you. If you don’t show them love they can see and feel, they’re going to have a hard time believing that there is Someone up There whom they don’t know and that He really loves them.
You should always drop a little love into the hearts of those you pass by, even if only with a word, a smile, or a look of sympathy, so they will know that God has loved them that day!

Jesus’ main message was His sample of love!
By His example of kindness, His example of concern for the people, they knew that He must have something that was real and genuine and that love does exist and God does exist. We should endeavor to follow His example:
John 13:15-For I [Jesus] have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.

Don’t forget that part of your sample is the joy of the Lord!
Portray the Lord as He is-a happy God, who loves and rejoices in love and happiness. A joyful countenance helps to win others.

When samples speak louder than sermons
People must learn to love you first before they can learn to love your God! The world-famed personal evangelist Dr. Dwight L. Moody used to say that, “The only Bible the World reads is bound in shoe leather!”-Meaning you!

Relating and Adapting
In winning people, you have to inspire their faith in you before they can believe God. Like Jesus said,
John 13:20-Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him [God] who sent Me.
You need to establish points of contact with them. There must be something in common in order for people to communicate. So use the kind of language that will win them. If it takes strong language to get the point across, use it! If it takes sweeter language, use that! But if you use platitudes with the lost, wandering youth, they will reject it! Ask God for wisdom!
James 1:5-If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Proverbs 11:30-The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
One of the most needed abilities in witnessing is adaptability, being able to be anything to reach anybody and to become all things to all men. This tactic of adaptability was largely responsible for much of the apostle Paul’s soul-winning success. He said,
1 Corinthians 9:20-22-And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Familiarity
Matthew 13:57-A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.
Sometimes witnessing to those whom you are closest to can be the most difficult of all! If by any chance you have difficulties witnessing to your family or close friends, don’t feel that this means that witnessing to strangers would be harder. You might find it the opposite!
As we talked about in our last class, when it comes to witnessing to your family and friends, a lot of your witnessing can be incorporated into your conversations with them on other topics. You don’t have to start preaching constantly at them.
You may find that your greatest witness to those who know you well is not the words you speak but your sample. As you let Jesus work in your life, you should find that some aspects of your character and behavior are changing. Perhaps you don’t get so anxious or angry when things are difficult, or you are more cheerful or more considerate. Those who are around you daily will notice these changes and will wonder what’s happened to you. Their curiosity may open the door for you to explain the source of the changes.

Don’t give up!
Even though you might not see the results of your witnessing right away, in some way you’re getting results. The Lord has promised that His Word will not return unto Him void, it will accomplish His purpose!
You will not see some of the results until you get to Heaven because you don’t always know the results of the seeds you plant in someone’s heart, how or when they will take root. Perhaps the person you have witnessed to will eventually find the Lord due to something that you said, or your witness will have worked in their heart to cause them to be more open and receptive when some other Christian witnesses to them.
We can’t always expect to be the sowers and the reapers, because the Lord said that some sow and some water, but God gives the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:6-I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
No matter who you are trying to witness to-those you know personally, or strangers-if you don’t succeed after the first attempt, try again! No matter what happens, when you’re witnessing personally or giving out literature or whatever you are doing, don’t ever give up just because you have a few defeats.
Witnessing never fails! Even if you don’t feel like a success as far as winning converts, you are doing the job that the Lord gave you to do, so you’re succeeding!

Section 2: Leading someone to the Lord

Typical questions, with answers from the Word
These questions are not all related to salvation. These are just a few of the many questions you could be asked while witnessing and examples of some verses that could be used in the answers.

I am basically a good person, so why do I need Jesus?
John 3:16-For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 10:10b-[Jesus said:] I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Romans 3:23-For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Why Jesus? What about others, like Confucius, etc.?
Acts 4:12-Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
John 14:6-Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Can’t I get to Heaven through my good deeds?
Ephesians 2:8-9-For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; (9) it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Titus 3:5-Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

If I have Jesus in my heart, then am I free to do as I please?
Acts 17:30-Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.
James 2:8-If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.
1 Corinthians 10:23-All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.
1 Corinthians 6:20-For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If there is a God, how come I have so many problems?
Psalm 34:19-Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
1 Corinthians 10:13-No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Romans 8:28-And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

I did something very bad! Would God forgive me?
Hebrews 8:12-For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.
Psalm 103:12-As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

How can you prove the existence of God?
Psalm 19:1-The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Romans 1:20-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 Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

Why do I have to receive Jesus?
John 1:12-But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
Revelation 3:20-Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Can I lose salvation if I am bad?
Psalm 37:24-Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
John 6:37-All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

What or Who is God?
John 4:24-God is Spirit.
I John 4:8-God is love.

What about the Ten Commandments?
Matthew 22:37-40-Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Why should I love others if they don’t love me?
I John 4:11-Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Romans 5:5-Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Class 10A: The Seven Steps

Section 1: Why Witness?

Making a difference

In the last class we talked about Heaven. We know it’s a wonderful place, and today we’re going to talk about how we can offer more people the opportunity of experiencing it! But we’re not just going to talk about making a difference in eternity.-Let’s also look at here and now. So many people struggle through life, battling loneliness, dissatisfaction, health problems, financial problems, frustrations, you name it-so many problems! When someone receives the Lord, their problems don’t all magically disappear, as you’ve probably experienced yourself. But the difference is that now they have Jesus to walk with them along the path of life. They have the source of joy, of love, to help them through their lives. Don’t we want other people to know Jesus as we know Him?-That’s what “witnessing” is about. Witnessing is sharing the love of Jesus with another human being, testifying of your belief in Jesus. The goal is that the person you testify to will also accept Jesus as their Savior.

What do we mean by “witnessing”?

Acts 1:8-But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
We use the term “witness” for the act of telling others about Jesus, salvation and our faith. Most of us are more familiar with this term being used to describe someone who testifies in legal proceedings. A witness stands before the judge and jury and tells what he or she knows. In similar manner, we who are saved and have come to know Jesus as our Savior, are called by Him to testify before the jury-the world-what we know about Him and His love for us.
There are many ways to witness. You can witness with a smile, a hug, or an act of generosity. Yet what takes these actions beyond the realm of the “loving thing to do” into actual witnessing is if you bring Jesus to someone in some way, either talking about Jesus or God’s love, or letting the person know that it is the love of Jesus that motivates you. You are telling them or conveying in some way that He loves them, that He offers them a chance for eternal life if they will receive Him as their Savior. This is witnessing. This is “preaching the Gospel to every creature,” as He has given commandment to do.
Mark 16:15-And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

Witnessing: Making the connection
Witnessing is making a connection from God to somebody who needs His love. You are the connection between God and that person. In everything we do in witnessing, God is the One who’s sending the message and they are the one He wants to get it to.
But it has to go through you.-You’re like a telephone operator. And if you don’t make the connection, if you’re lazy and slow and negligent and you don’t care and you don’t even want to be bothered with these calls and so you don’t make the connection, then it’s a broken connection, and they never get the message, and they never receive the love, and so there’s never any answer. A witness is the connector between God and the people. A witness is the operator who receives the message of God and passes it on.

The definition of “witness”
Dictionary definitions of “witness” include: One who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced: a witness to the accident. One who furnishes evidence. To testify to one’s religious beliefs.

Jesus gave the “Great Commission” to all believers
Matthew 28:19-20-”Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
John 20:21-So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Romans 10:14-15-How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (15) And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”
“Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) doesn’t sound like an option, does it!? The message is clear! Jesus again made it quite apparent that all believers are appointed to preach the Gospel when He said:
John 15:16a-You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.

Salt of the earth
At a meeting some young people were discussing the text, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). One suggestion after another was made as to the meaning of “salt” in this verse.
“Salt imparts a desirable flavor,” said one.
“Salt preserves from decay,” another suggested.
Then a Chinese Christian girl spoke out of an experience none of the others had. “Salt creates thirst,” she said, and there was a sudden hush in the room. Everyone was thinking: Have I ever made anyone thirsty for Jesus? (See Matthew 9:36-38)

Which Martin do you know?
At the beginning of the Reformation, Martin of Basle came to a knowledge of the truth, but, afraid to make a public confession, he wrote on a leaf of parchment: “O most merciful Christ, I know that I can be saved only by the merit of Thy blood. Holy Jesus, I acknowledge Thy sufferings for me. I love Thee! I love Thee!” Then he removed a stone from the wall of his chamber and hid it there. It was not discovered for more than a hundred years.
About the same time Martin Luther found the truth as it is in Christ. He said: “My Lord has confessed me before men; I will not shrink from confessing Him before kings.” The world knows what followed, and today it reveres the memory of Luther; but as for Martin of Basle, who remembers or even knows of him?

We have a responsibility to the people we meet
Proverbs 14:25a-A true witness delivers souls.
Acts 26:18-..Open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
James 5:20-Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

If we don’t offer them a chance for salvation, they will suffer, and so will we!
Mark 8:38-For whoever is ashamed of Me and My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.
1 Corinthians 9:16-For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
Ezekiel 3:17-19-Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: (18) When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. (19) Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

Don’t miss the chance
If you have the opportunity to witness to someone, you should talk to them! You may never see them again! Maybe they’ll die, maybe they’ll go some place else, maybe that’s the last chance you’ll have! You’re responsible to give them the message.

“You will never speak to that man again.”
This story was told by Dr. R. A. Torrey, American evangelist (1856-1928):
One evening when Mr. Alexander and I were in Brighton, England, one of the workers went from the afternoon meeting to a restaurant for his evening meal. His attention was drawn toward the man who waited upon him, and there came to his heart a strong impression that he should speak to that waiter about his soul, but that seemed to him such an unusual thing to do that he kept putting it off.
When the meal was ended and the bill paid, he stepped out of the restaurant, but had such a feeling that he should speak to that waiter that he decided to wait outside until the waiter came out. In a little while the proprietor came out and asked him why he was waiting. He replied that he was waiting to speak with the man who had waited upon him at the table. The proprietor replied, “You will never speak to that man again. After waiting upon you he went to his room and shot himself.”

His greatest mistake
Evangelist D. L. Moody, said that his “greatest mistake” occurred October 8, 1871. On that night in Chicago, he addressed one of the largest crowds of his career. His message was about the Lord’s trial before Pilate, and was based on Pilate’s question, “What shall I do then with Jesus?” (Matthew 27:22).
As Moody concluded, he said, “I wish you would seriously consider this subject, for next Sunday we will speak about the cross, and at that time I’ll inquire, ‘What will you do with Jesus?’ Ira Sankey then sang the closing hymn, which included the lines, ‘Today the Savior calls; for refuge fly. The storm of justice falls, and death is nigh.’
But the hymn was never finished, for while Sankey was singing, there was the rush and a roar of fire engines on the street outside. That was the night of the great Chicago fire that almost destroyed the whole city. And before the next day, Chicago lay in ashes. “I have never since dared,” said Moody, “to give an audience a week to think of their salvation.”

The love of Christ compels us
Matthew 9:36-But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
2 Corinthians 5:14a-For the love of Christ compels us.
The Lord wants us to be moved by the same feelings of compassion, love and care as He is. “He was moved with compassion.” The love of Christ should motivate us to do all we can to reach out to others, not merely out of a sense of duty and obedience to His commandments, but because our hearts are sincerely touched by the needs of others.

The blind man who was healed
A blind man was taken to a hospital. The doctor operated, removing cataracts from his eyes. The man went back to his home seeing and rejoicing. In a few weeks he went back to the hospital. This time he was holding the end of a rope to which forty blind people were clinging. He had led them to the place where he had received his sight. Should we attempt to do less in a spiritual way?

How your witness can change the world
Your witness can change more than you realize! The words of God’s prophets have crossed the ages and swept around the earth and changed the course of nations! Their messages have changed the hearts of men and given hope for a better world.
But whether you change a nation or not, if you have changed even one life by the power of God’s love you have changed a part of the world! If one life can be changed, it shows that it’s possible for more lives to be changed, and the world can be changed, starting with just one person-all because you shared the love of God with others.
Never underestimate the far-reaching results that the salvation of even one person can have! Even if you don’t see the results right away, that person may some day do great things for God or mankind.

For more on this subject, see the article “Change the World” in Activated issue #5

World changers!-A few examples from history.
Armenia became the first Christian state in the history of the world in 301 A.D.. Gregory “the Illuminator” visited the country and in 303 A.D., converted King Tiridates III and members of his court.

How Norway, Iceland and Greenland heard the message: Olaf I (968-1000 A.D.), King of Norway, participated in numerous Viking raids along the Baltic and North Sea coasts and in the British Isles. During his last campaign in England (994) he was converted to Christianity. The following year he returned to Norway, where he set out to Christianize the country. His efforts also contributed to the conversion of Iceland, Greenland, and the Faeroe Islands to Christianity.
The story continues: Leif Ericson (circa 975-1020), was the Icelandic explorer thought to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot on North American soil. He voyaged from Greenland to Norway shortly before 1000. There, according to one tradition, King Olaf I was responsible for converting him to Christianity and later sent him back to Greenland to win its Viking settlers over to the Christian faith. One of his converts was his mother, Thjódhild, who is said to have built Greenland’s first Christian church at Brattahlid.

The abolition of slavery: Christians played important roles in many humanitarian and reform movements during the 19th century. In England, evangelical Protestants were leaders of the agitation that led to the abolition by Parliament of slavery in British dominions. In turn, at the Congress of Vienna in 1814, Great Britain exerted its influence to induce other foreign powers to adopt a similar policy abolishing the slave trade, and eventually nearly all the states of Europe passed laws or entered into treaties prohibiting the traffic. In the U.S., evangelical Protestants also actively campaigned against slavery.
One of the outstanding leaders against slavery was William Wilberforce (1759-1833), British statesman and reformer. He converted to Christianity in 1784. Wilberforce became the chief spokesman in the House of Commons for the movement to abolish the slave trade. In 1807 Wilberforce secured enactment of legislation prohibiting the trade. He joined the struggle for the complete abolition of slavery and in 1823 was a founder of the Anti-Slavery Society. The Emancipation Bill abolishing slavery became law one month after his death.

Each of these examples has one key point in common: What happened was the result of the conversion of one person.

Former Japanese gangster a fervent witness
A Japanese gangster who became a Christian is converting other criminals. Hiroyuki Suzuki takes the Christian message to railway stations and public squares, using his notoriety to grab attention, according to the Times of London. He has numerous tattoos and several amputated fingers attesting to his previous allegiance to the yakuza organized crime organization. Suzuki is the founder of Mission Barabbas, a group of reformed gangsters who have embraced evangelical Christianity. His ministry includes fervent preaching, songs, and faith-healing. Christianity is considered a mysterious sect by most Japanese, and only 1.5 percent of the population is Christian. But Suzuki’s church in Tokyo overflows on Sundays.
Suzuki dates his conversion to a point when he was deep in debt, taking drugs, and plagued by illness. He put a gun to his temple but didn’t have the nerve to pull the trigger, according to the Times. His estranged wife had been an ardent churchgoer and, out of desperation, he sought refuge in a church. “I told the minister I was a gangster who had done time, deserted his wife and child, and was beyond redemption. But the minister talked to me about God’s love and the meaning of the cross,” Suzuki told the Times. He returned to his family and was accepted immediately. “That made me believe in the existence of unconditional love and the fact that people can start over again.”
Food for thought: What if the minister hadn’t been available to talk with Suzuki? What if he had closed the doors, said it was too late, or maybe even been afraid to speak with him?-But because he was willing and available to witness to Suzuki, how many souls have been saved as a result?

Miracles in Cambodia, 2000
Miracles are turning people to Christ in Cambodia, said Advance, a publication of the Foursquare Gospel Church. Residents of two villages professed faith in Christ after a display of God’s power, Advance said. In one village residents asked a missionary pastor to pray for rain for their newly planted crops, while in a nearby village residents asked him to pray that God would stop the rain until their crops were planted. For the next week, rain fell on the village that had planted its crops, but not on the other village, the publication said. People in both villages declared themselves Christians and received the Lord as their Savior!
Food for thought: What if the missionary hadn’t been there? What if he had prayed for them, but hadn’t told them Who was answering their prayers?

Heavenly rewards for witnessing
Daniel 12:3-Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
Luke 12:8-Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.
1 Corinthians 3:8b-Each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
1 Corinthians 9:17a-For if I [preach the gospel] willingly, I have a reward.
It’s a thrilling, wonderful satisfying experience when, having found the love of Jesus, you pass it on to another. You’ll be so thankful when you meet that soul in Heaven, that you’ll be jumping up and down for joy, and feel that it was worth it all.-And they will be thankful to you for all eternity that you told them about Jesus’ love and won them to the Lord!
The most precious, priceless thing that God ever made is a human soul! Souls are forever!
1 John 2:17-And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
The end result and goal of witnessing is a newborn babe in the family of God, a soul made whole by the hands of God. Saved souls are the only thing we can take with us from this world! As Paul wrote to one of his flocks:
1 Thessalonians 2:9,13,19-We preached to you the gospel of God; (13) when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. (19) For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?

> Joy in Heaven as a result of each soul saved!
Luke 15:10-Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Section 2: Getting Ready To Witness

How to witness
Most likely you’ve already been witnessing. Maybe you gave a tract to someone. Maybe you told someone else about these classes. Maybe you have been acting differently and someone you’re close to asked you “why” and you told them about your faith. Or maybe you’ve been telling someone about what you’ve been learning or reading.
There are many ways to witness. In this class we’d like to help you learn in more detail some of the ways of witnessing successfully, including how to explain salvation, how to answer questions, how to lead someone in prayer, and how to witness in a way that will appeal to the hearer. The Bible says:
Proverbs 11:30-The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Before we look at the main lessons in this class, there are a few points to take into consideration.

Pray and ask the Lord to lead you
As with everything else in life, you’ll be more successful and have fewer problems if you ask the Lord for His guidance! Although the various tips and lessons in this class will be useful, there is not a set method for how to use them. It is up to you to pray about how to apply and use these tips.
Ask the Lord to speak to you about those He wants you to witness to. He can show you the best approach and the best timing if you ask Him.

Be flexible
A witnessing method, or a certain subject of conversation, may be very successful on one occasion but inappropriate on another. For example, the elderly and the terminally ill are probably thinking about what awaits them at death, so the promise of eternal life in Heaven will probably inspire them more than anything else to receive Jesus. Most teenagers, on the other hand, feel they have their whole lives ahead of them and are far more concerned about coping with the present, so the promise of a Friend who truly understands and will love them unconditionally may be just the thing to win them.
Be prepared to alter your way of witnessing depending on the needs, interests, and the circumstances of those you are talking with.

Use wisdom
Not every witnessing “method” is appropriate under all circumstances. For instance, in some countries public distribution of Christian literature is against the law.
The Lord expects us to exercise wisdom in how and when and to whom we witness. “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves,” Jesus told His disciples. “Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). The Lord doesn’t mean for us to cause ourselves unnecessary trouble by giving the message to people who we know won’t receive it and possibly even persecute us for it. The whole purpose of witnessing is to win others with the Lord’s love, not antagonize or offend. In some non-Christian countries, unwise witnessing can lead to serious persecution.
In some countries or cultures where people are fairly ignorant about Jesus or the Bible, you need to go slower in order for them to understand. In those situations it can take time and a lot of patience to win people to Jesus. Some people have to be convinced of your sample-the way you live and how loving and concerned you are for others-before they’re ready to accept what you have to say.
Ask the Lord for His wisdom in knowing how, when, and where to witness and to whom!

A matter of timing
There’s also the issue of how quickly or slowly to bring up Jesus, and how far to take it the first time.
When it comes to your family and friends, a lot of your witnessing can easily be incorporated into your conversations with them on other topics. You don’t have to come home and start preaching constantly at them right off the bat.-In fact, it will likely turn them off to what you have to say if you do. In those circumstances start off gently, and sometimes slowly. Bring Godly principles and mentions of Him and His Word into your discussions as the opportunity arises. Your friends and family will be watching to see what good your newfound faith is doing you. Seeing you changed for the better, a sample of happiness, kindness, and love, will be a far greater testimony to them than any sermon. Soon enough, an opportune time should come up where you can explain Jesus’ love and His gift of salvation to your friend or loved one who has not yet received Him.

Be available
Your best ability is availability when it comes to preaching the Gospel! You can be a witness at school, at work, in your neighborhood or city, or on some foreign shore. If you’re willing to be what Jesus wants you to be and to do what He asks you to do, He can make you a mighty witness, whatever your age and experience.

Personal witnessing
Many soul-winners have found that the most effective way of winning souls is through personal conversations. You talk with someone and listen to that person as an individual, and therefore can adapt your witness to their individual needs.
There are other more public methods of witnessing. We’ll talk about some of the most useful in our next class (including literature distribution and so on), but for now, we’ll concentrate on personal witnessing.

Section 3: Seven Steps of Witnessing

We’re going to look at seven steps, which covers from the start-finding someone to witness to-all the way through to establishing them in the faith.

1. Find someone to witness to!
2. Ask questions
3. Listen!
4. Give them God’s answers
5. Get a decision
6. Take care of those you lead to the Lord
7. Pray for people

1. Find Someone to Witness to

We could divide the people you witness to into two categories:
Firstly, there are people whom you encounter in your own surroundings and you don’t have to go out of your way to meet-your relatives, your work or university colleagues, your friends, the clerk at the grocery store you visit daily, the gas station attendant, and so on.
Secondly, there are people whom you don’t know. If you will witness to them it will obviously be somewhat different than an ongoing witness to someone you see almost daily. A rule of thumb can be that those you see regularly you can go slow with, but those who you are unlikely to see again you should try to bring all the way to salvation if possible, or at least give them a salvation tract.
The suggestions we will share with you now apply for both categories of people, but you’ll see there will be obvious differences in approach.

2. Ask Questions

You need to show concern about them and interest in them, and the way you do that is by asking them questions about themselves and their lives.-And you will find there’s nothing most people like to talk about more about than themselves!
In other words, show you’re interested in them. Ask them about their background. If you understand them better, you’re much better able to witness to them and know what they need the most.-How are you going to find out who the person is, what he is, what he does, what his religion is, or anything about him at all unless you ask questions?
Proverbs 18:13-He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.
One of the best ways to start witnessing is just exactly the same way you get acquainted with anybody or any stranger: “Hi, how are you? Nice day, isn’t it?” Talk about the weather or anything, everybody’s interested in the weather. You can talk about issues of concern. Get into some interesting subject. And of course the most interesting subject to everybody is guess what? (Themselves.) The Lord can inspire you to use situations around you to help you initiate a conversation with someone.
Remember that conversation is give and take. Although you want to ask questions to get to know them, don’t interrogate them! You should also enter into the conversation and tell about yourself.

The class “The Golden Rule, Part 1-Success with People” also had good tips about communication.

Ideas for conversation starters

Use current events and trends to arouse their interest
Luke 13:1-5-There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. (2) Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? (3) I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (4) Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? (5)I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
In these verses, Jesus referred to current events-Pilate’s cruelty, the tower of Siloam falling-to bring to life the points He wanted to teach. Current events and trends are interesting and can be a good way to get a conversation going. However, you will want to tread a little carefully as you may find yourself on the opposite side of an issue with the person you are talking to. If you do this, it is not going to help your witness. Remember, it is better to lose an argument and win a soul than vice versa. Current happenings such as holidays, new movies, and so on can also be good conversation starters, especially among younger people.
You’ll also find that one of the most interesting things to many people is the future, Bible prophecy. You start asking them, “Well, do you know what the Bible says about this? Do you know what the Bible says is going to happen next?”

Witness in a quiet place when possible
The best places to witness are quiet ones-someplace quiet and private enough that the person you’re witnessing to can talk with you without being embarrassed by others or distracted by anything else. Perhaps you’ll want to invite them for coffee or go sit in a quiet corner of the park, if weather permits.
If possible, the place also needs to have sufficient light so that they can read the things you’re asking them to read.

3. Listen

Get them to speak their heart; listen to them
Proverbs 20:5-Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Matthew 12:34b-For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
James 1:19a-So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.
In witnessing, you’re not the one who’s supposed to do the talking at first. It’s best to get them to talk first to see where they’re at, where they stand, who they are, what they are, where they are, as well as where they’re from, etc.. Then you’ll know how to talk to them eventually. So ask questions, then listen to their answers until finally something is said that opens the door for you to witness.
A lot of witnessers talk too much, quote too much Scripture, and all that, without listening to the person they’re witnessing to. You have to show interest and concern in the person and their problems. Ask them questions, and listen to their answers. That may be the best thing you could do for them to start with-be somebody they can talk to, and pour out their hearts to.
Even if you have to listen for a long time, keep trying to turn them in the right direction when you see what they need. Try to guide the conversation if you can by asking more questions: “Oh, is that so? What about this or what about that and what did you do then? Well, did you ever do so-and-so?”

When you are witnessing, you are soul doctors
What does a doctor do? You come in, you’ve got problems. Does he immediately start writing out the prescription for you? You, as the spiritual doctor, know the prescription, you know the remedy, but they’re going to think you’re kind of crazy if you start giving them the remedy without even finding out what’s wrong with them! How are you going to know what the prescription is-the prescription Scripture-unless you find out what their problem or their illness or their ailment is?
So get them to talk, listen to what they have to say, and that way you’ll find out what’s wrong with them, what their problems are, what their background is.
Almost everybody will talk if you show them a little human interest, a little love, a little concern, and ask them questions.

4. Give Them God’s Answers

Give them God’s answers to their problems
Once they’ve said their piece and given all their problems and proposed answers which they themselves don’t even believe and know don’t work, you start giving them God’s answers: “Well, do you know what it says here in the Bible? Do you know what God said about it? Do you know what it really means? Do you know what you really need to do?” etc.
Then is your time to start giving them God’s answers: Telling them in your own words, and also showing them Scriptures (which we’ll talk about more in a minute).
The main answer, of course, is accepting the Lord. So after you listen to their answers, say, “Yes, but you know the Bible says so-and-so.”-”Well, Jesus said that what you need to do is so-and-so, to be born again,” and so on.

Give your own personal testimony-tell what the Lord has done for you!
Your own personal testimony is just about the most effective thing you can tell them. Because then they’ve either got to say, “You’re a liar and I don’t believe you!,” or, “It must be true, because you say so.”
The Apostle Paul was a great witness, and almost every single time he started his witness before kings and judges or whoever it was, he invariably started with his own personal testimony: “This is what happened to me!” When it was a new crowd, new people, new situation, he always said, “Well, this is what happened to me.”-You can read examples in Acts 22:3-21 and Acts 26: 1-20.

In the story of Jesus witnessing to the woman at the well in John chapter 4, she was so thrilled about her experience with this stranger named Jesus that she called the townspeople to meet Him:
John 4:28-29-The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, (29) “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
As a result of her personal testimony, many were saved:
John 4:39-And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified.

Sometimes people will not listen to anything else.-They may refuse to listen to all your preaching.-You could even prophesy and they wouldn’t listen! You could do all the teaching that you think they might need and they’ll still never listen!-But when you start telling them your life story-”This is the way it happened to me and this is my testimony, this is my personal experience”-instantly you have their attention, they’re fascinated!-People are interested in people! Everybody loves a story, and life stories are a much more effective witness than getting into theological arguments and preaching sermons on doctrine.
The moment they confess that it’s possible for it to happen to you, then they have to confess that it’s possible for it to happen to others! If it’s happened once, it’s most likely to happen again, and it can happen to them!

Illustrate your points with stories
Mark 4:2-He [Jesus] taught them many things by parables.
Everybody loves a story! Jesus Himself knew that it is just human nature to want to hear stories about real experiences, so He often told parables to illustrate His messages. His stories and vivid examples were usually simple, but very powerful and effective in bringing spiritual principles down to earth, showing people how they could apply them in their everyday lives. Are stories effective?-Obviously, yes! Just look at Jesus’ example!
Matthew 13:34-All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them.
The more you can paint a word-picture and help others to visualize the truth you are trying to tell them with a story which illustrates the point, the better they will understand it.
The famous preacher, Spurgeon, once said that illustrations are like windows, letting the light stream in!

The soap illustration
Never state a fact if you can bring the fact to life with an illustration. Here’s an example:
A soap manufacturer, who was an unbeliever, walked along the road one day with a preacher of the Gospel. Said the soap manufacturer: “The Gospel you preach has not done much good, for there is still a lot of wickedness in the world and a lot of wicked people too.”
The preacher made no reply until they passed a dirty little child, making mud pies in the gutter. Seizing his opportunity, the preacher said, “Soap has not done much good in the world, I see; for there is still much dirt and many dirty people about.”
“Oh, well,” said the manufacturer, “soap is only useful when it is applied.”
“Exactly!” said the preacher, “so it is with the Gospel that we proclaim.”

Use the Word in your witnessing
The Word of God is powerful and convinces people:
2 Chronicles 17:9-So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the Lord with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people.
John 20:31-But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
Acts 17:2-3-Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, (3) explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”
Acts 18:28-For he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Titus 1:9-Holding fast the faithful Word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Most of the world knows about the Bible, even the unbelievers, and they know it’s a holy book. People have a certain amount of respect and reverence for holy books. They’ll probably be interested in what it has to say, especially on these subjects you’re talking about, to prove that this holy book that millions and millions, in fact billions have received, says these things. You’ve got a lot more weight and authority if you’ll use the Bible.
Scripture memorization is important for witnessing, so you can find the verses you want to show:
Psalm 119:42-So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in Your Word.
1 Peter 3:15-But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.

Have them read the Word
No one can hear the Word of God without being influenced and affected in some way. Don’t just quote it to them, or just read it to them, but also let them read it themselves. You remember about 80% of what you see, but only about 40% of what you hear-which means reading it is twice as effective!

Keep their attention:
“Look, read this! Oh, it says that here, read this!” Don’t you read it to them; most of them can read. You just keep that Bible in front of them and keep them interested. Even while you’re talking and flipping pages, keep them interested so that you won’t lose their attention.
It’s good to be able to find Scriptures with your Bible upside-down. If you turn the Bible around and start hunting for something, they’re going to start looking at the top of your head and thinking about other things.
You may like to have tabs cut or marked in your Bible to mark different books or parts of the Bible. You can put these marks there so that when you flip through the Bible, you can find things easier.
You’ll do a lot better in your witnessing if you’ll get them to respond each time by reading a Scripture. “And do you know what’s going to happen next? Here, read it! You know what’s going to happen after that? Here, read it!” That’s the best way to keep their attention and the best way to get them to remember it and really never forget. They may not memorize the verse completely, but they’ll never forget that they read that right in the Bible, that’s really what it said, that’s really what’s going to happen.
Of course, in some situations you can’t always exactly bring out a Bible.-Sometimes you might, but in a public place like a café, the person you are witnessing to might be embarrassed if you read to him out of the Bible or have him read from the Bible. Usually you can only do that in private personal witnessing.

Keep your witness simple
1 Corinthians 1:17-For Christ did not send me [Paul] to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2-And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. (2) For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:4-And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.
2 Corinthians 1:12-For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.

Keep your witness simple
Some cynics asked John Wesley [1703-1791, founder of the Methodist Church], “Dr. Wesley, when you have both children and learned doctors of the law in your audience, to whom do you direct your message? You couldn’t possibly be able to talk to both.”
He said, “I talk to the children, of course, and then the learned doctors will understand.”
That’s what Jesus did! He talked very simply to the common uneducated people and He very rarely directed any complicated remarks to the learned lawyers, the scribes and pharisees and chief priests. In fact, He tried to avoid them.
Martin Luther said: “When I preach, I regard neither doctors nor magistrates, of whom I have above forty in my congregation. My eyes are on the servant maids and the children.”

Just a few verses
You shouldn’t try to cram the whole Bible into the person you’re witnessing to. Just keep on going over a verse or two until he can’t forget them; otherwise, you’ll just confuse him. Keep things simple!

By grace
A fellow who had been a Catholic priest, yet had never really known the Lord, was in the hospital. An old lady came by and quoted him the verses Ephesians 2:8-9. She just kept talking to him and quoting those same verses over and over to him, “For by grace you have been saved” and so on. He said it just burned itself into his mind until he couldn’t get rid of it! And it finally woke him up to the fact that he didn’t have to work his way to Heaven!-And as a result, he was saved!

Give them literature to take with them
The literature will keep speaking to them even after you are gone! Literature is also good for busy people on occasions where you can’t say too much yourself. You can give them something to read and think over afterward.

John 3:16 is all you really need to know to win souls!
You can win a lot of people to the Lord with only John 3:16. Let’s look at how to use this verse in your witnessing.

“For God so loved the world”-the world includes you, let me put your name in here.
“that He gave His only begotten Son”-that’s Jesus.
“that whoever believes in Him,”-do you believe?
“should not perish, but have everlasting life.”-then you are going to live forever in Heaven!

Lift Up Jesus
Acts 5:42-And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Acts 13:38-Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man [Jesus] is preached to you the forgiveness of sins.
Acts 20:21-Testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:23-But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness.
2 Corinthians 4:5-For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.
1 Timothy 1:15-This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
John 12:32-And I, [Jesus] if I am lifted up … will draw all peoples unto Myself.
1 Corinthians 2:2-I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ.

Don’t forget to mention Jesus!
Two businessmen were friends for a long time. Joe was a Christian and Mike, the other, wasn’t. Finally Mike went to a Gospel meeting. He heard the message of salvation and prayed to receive the Lord. Later Mike told his friend what had happened. Joe said, “Wonderful! That’s tremendous! I’m a Christian, too.” Mike, the newly-saved Christian, was stunned.
“Do you know why it took so long for me to receive the Lord?” he asked. “You, Joe, never told me you were a Christian and never said anything about it, so I thought, ‘Wow! If somebody can be that good and upright without knowing the Lord, then what need is there for Jesus?’”

Find points of agreement. Lovingly win others. Don’t argue.
1 Corinthians 9:19-22-For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; (20) and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; (21) to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; (22) to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
1 Thessalonians 2:7-8-But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. (8) So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
2 Timothy 2:23-24-But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. (24) And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.

When you’re witnessing to someone, you should try as much as possible to find points of agreement. Don’t dwell on your disagreements, on things that you know they’re going to disagree with. You’ve got to win the person over to yourself first, really, before you can win their heart, before they’re going to believe what you’ve got to say about Jesus and the Bible and getting saved. So don’t start off hitting them between the eyes with something you know they don’t believe and wouldn’t agree with!
Love the person, even if you don’t like his point of view! This is true of all your witnessing! Dwell on the positive, not the negative. Discuss the things you have in common, not your differences. Emphasize the things you agree on, not argue about, and try to establish as many points in common as possible, instead of picking out the flaws! You’ve got to remember to make a differentiation between the sin and the sinner, to hate the sin but not the sinner.
Avoid getting drawn into arguments. There is a saying “a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” There is little point in pursuing a line of conversation if the other person is just trying to argue about it.

Avoid confrontation
When witnessing to someone from a different religious background, try to avoid confrontations. Stick to the simple love of Jesus and how much He cares for them and wants to help them. Find things that you have in common; stay attentive, and as you talk with them and get to know them, you’ll doubtless find plenty of things that you can agree on. The Holy Spirit will speak to your heart, bringing to mind passages you’ve read in the Word or things that you have experienced that they will be able to relate to. God will show you how to “turn their key” and spark a desire within them to know Him like you do. Emphasizing common ground, rather than arguing doctrinal details, will help you in many cases to reach and win those who would be turned off and unwilling to listen if you were to let your conversation turn to dogmatic preaching, or get stuck on matters that aren’t essential to salvation.

Patiently explain. Speak with sincere love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
Speak in love, or it’s just empty words like sounding brass (a noisy gong) or a clanging cymbal. Kindness has converted more people than zeal, eloquence or learning.

Show the joy of the Lord!
On the appropriate occasions, your cheerfulness is part of your witness.
At a mission hall in London, a lady who was unfortunately deaf also took part in the work. On one occasion a celebrated preacher said to her, “And what part do you take in this noble work?”
“Oh,” she answered quietly, “I smile them in, and I smile them out again.” Soon after this the preacher saw the good results of her sympathy as a crowd of working men entered the hall and looked delighted to get a smile from her.
The Bread of Life cannot be recommended to people by those who look as if that bread disagreed with them.

5. Get a Decision

Help them realize their need for Jesus, but that they can’t be too bad for Him!
Luke 5:31-32-Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. (32) I [Jesus] have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

It’s helpful for people to realize that they’re “sinners” in order for them to realize that they need a Savior.-Just like people need to realize they’re sick before they will accept the doctor’s advice and prescription. Unlike a physical illness, however, sometimes it’s hard for people to realize that their hearts or spirits are “sick” and in need. Or, they may realize that they have problems, but place the blame for their problems on others, or on circumstances.
Well, it’s not essential for someone to admit they’ve “sinned” or done wrong in order to receive Jesus and His salvation. It’s enough if they admit that they can’t solve their problems on their own and need help. But admitting that they’ve made mistakes sure helps them to realize why they need Jesus! Most people are aware that they aren’t all that great. Many try to be good and do good, but find it difficult. Many want to be kind, generous and caring, but find it difficult.
In your witnessing, without being accusatory or pointing fingers, bring out how nearly all of us have failed to live up to our expectations for ourselves. Not only that, but we’ve all done things that are wrong, sinful, that have hurt others, and that would be worthy of punishment if God so saw fit. But rather than giving us our due punishment, God chose to forgive us if we accept that forgiveness. That’s why Jesus came to Earth-to take our punishment, to suffer for our sins, so that we didn’t have to!

Bring them to a decision
1 Kings 18:21a-How long will you falter between two opinions?
Matthew 22:42a-Saying, “What do you think about the Christ?”
2 Timothy 4:2-Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

Try to bring the person to whom you witness to a decision. The ideal decision, of course, is to get them to ask Jesus into their heart then and there. Some, however, will not be ready for this. In that case, try to get them to at least promise to think about it and consider it further; if possible try to arrange to talk more with them-and the sooner the better. “Strike while the iron is hot,” as the old saying goes.
Your goal is not necessarily to fully persuade them that everything you have said is true, and that everything Jesus has to offer will come to pass in their life if they receive Him. Rather, try to persuade them to just try Him!
They don’t have to be as convinced as you are about Jesus’ power in order to take the step of receiving Him. Some people need to see things for themselves. They do have to have a little bit of faith, even just to ask Jesus to come into their lives; yet even the smallest step toward Him will be honored, and every sincere prayer answered.
Of course, there is more to being a Christian than saying a simple prayer and wanting to receive what Jesus has to give. Yet every journey starts with a single step, and unless that first step is made, the rest of the path will surely not be traveled.

The salesman who doesn’t sell
A Methodist layman visited a great city church in Ohio during a business trip. After the service he congratulated the minister on his service and sermon. “But,” said the manufacturer, “if you were my salesman I’d discharge you. You got my attention by your appearance, voice, and manner; your prayer, reading, and logical discourse aroused my interest; you warmed my heart with a desire for what you preached; and then-and then you stopped, without asking me to do something about it! In business, the important thing is to get them to sign on the dotted line.”

It has to be their decision-you can’t force them to decide
There is an old saying: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink!” Well, that’s true of people too. You can lead them to the truth, but you can’t make them drink it! If they don’t want it, you can’t drink it for them. To make the decision to receive Jesus is their job, not yours. You can win their hearts, but only the Spirit of God can really win their souls, their spirits.
The Lord didn’t say, “Go ye into all the world and save everybody!” That’s something you can’t do! Their salvation in that respect depends on them and their decision. You can’t make them make it. That’s their individual choice.

Show them the Word to bring them to a decision
Our job is to witness and to show them the Word! When you show them Revelation 3:20 and they see that He’s promised to come in if they ask Him to come in, God by His Spirit can quicken their faith to believe it so that He will come in, because the Word is the foundation of faith. Give them the Word!
Romans 10:17-So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
Once you’ve given them the Word, they can then choose whatever they want to choose. Don’t feel you need to keep on trying to convince them endlessly!
You’re offering them a marvelous opportunity, a marvelous privilege, a marvelous gift, the greatest in the world: Free salvation, eternal life! If you were offering a million dollars, you wouldn’t be begging for the person to take it! You’d say, “Here, do you want a million dollars? You can have it if you want it. Just reach out and take it. It’s your choice!”
You can’t force people to choose! Just give them the answers in the Scriptures, and if they don’t accept it, that is their choice.
This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be persistent, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep praying and talking with them and doing what you can, but try to have a little common sense! Don’t try to force it on people. Don’t try to convince people who don’t want to be convinced!

Pray with them to receive the Lord
For those who answer yes, and want to get saved, lead them in prayer. You can pray a prayer and have them repeat each phrase.
You can encourage them that they don’t have to go down to an altar, they don’t have to stand up, sit down, turn over, stand on their hands, it has nothing to do with the position of their body or eyes or head!-It’s all in how you position your heart! If your heart is humble before God, you know you need His help, all you have to do is take Jesus. Jesus promises,
Revelation 3:20-Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Here is an example of a salvation prayer:
Dear Jesus, I ask You to come into my heart. Please forgive me for all the wrongs I’ve done, and give me Your gift of everlasting life. Help me to love You, and help me to share Your love and truth with others. Amen.

Praying with or for those who are unsure:
With those who are not completely receptive but are not outright rejecting the Lord, you can take several approaches.

1) The unsure: If, after all your witnessing, they still claim that they don’t believe in God or the Bible, you can suggest to them, “Why don’t you say, ‘God, if there is a God out there somewhere, show me, reveal Yourself!’”-Even if they don’t believe the Bible and they’re not convinced about Jesus, if they really want to know, God’s Word says if they seek Him they’ll find Him! He says,
Matthew 5:6-Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

2) Maybe already saved: With someone who thinks he has already accepted Jesus but doesn’t know for sure, you can say, “If you’re not sure, why don’t we just make sure right now? Let’s pray.” And then let him follow you in a salvation prayer.

3) For someone who isn’t so convinced they need Jesus: You can ask them something along these lines: “Do you want to get everything straightened out in your life and make everything right and have everything go well, and have a peaceful and good life? Jesus is the Spirit of goodness and light and love, and He’ll bring solutions to all of your problems, if you just ask Him to come into your heart!” Here’s an appropriate prayer for someone like this:
Dear Jesus, I need help and I’ve heard You can help me! There is so much happening in my life that is beyond my control. I’ve heard You’re the good Spirit of love and light and power. Please come into my heart and life and sort things out for me.

4) Someone who is too shy to pray: If someone is uncomfortable praying with you, you could give them a written prayer to read silently, or suggest they pray alone later on.

6. Take care of those you lead to the Lord

Once someone has made a decision to accept Jesus into their heart, they are a spiritual “baby.” They’ve been “born” into the world of the spirit, and they’re spiritually alive. However, there’s still a lot of growing for them to do. In order to grow, a physical baby needs to be fed. The spiritual nourishment for the new Christian comes from the Word. Babies also need to be nurtured.-They need the tenderness and affection of their parents. Likewise, “babies” in the spiritual realm need the warmth of a loving example from their “parents” in the Lord, the ones who led them to Jesus.
You may feel like somewhat of a babe yourself spiritually, or at least a young child-or maybe a teenager at best! Yet when you take on the job of witnessing and ministering to others, in a way it forces you to “mature” into a spiritual “adult” more quickly; because they now depend on you to at least get them started in developing their spiritual skills, and learning how and where to find their own nourishment.
Take your new “baby” through the steps of growth that you followed when you were new in the Lord yourself. Teach your newfound little brother or sister what you do know, and as for what you don’t, refer them to the ones who are helping and counseling you spiritually.

2 Timothy 2:2-And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Encourage the new believer to hook up to God’s Word and to develop their personal connection with the Lord. You don’t have to take all the burden of their care and growth upon yourself, but you should take the responsibility of seeing to it that they can find what they’re looking for in the sense of being fed from God’s Word, as well as be someone that they can go to for fellowship in the faith and moral support.
Even if someone is in a situation where there’s no one around who they can lean on for counsel or instruction, if they have a Bible and/or Bible-based publications and a desire to read and study and apply what they learn from the Word, they can make steady and even sometimes rapid progress.

More practical tips
If it is someone you don’t know personally, see if they would be willing to meet again for classes and further teaching.
Ask for their address and phone number so that you can meet again and/or send literature through the mail.
If the Activated magazines are available in a language the new believer understands, then encourage them to sign up for a subscription!
When you have finished and graduated from the 12 Foundation Stones course, you may teach it to others. We will discuss this more at the end of the course.

<You can also encourage them to subscribe to the 12 Foundation Stones course by email at contact@thefamilyeurope.org>

For more on this subject, read One Heart at a Time (Get Activated! book), chapter: “Taking Care of the Baby.”

7. Pray For People

Don’t neglect the power of prayer for the people you meet and witness to! Whether they receive the Lord with you or not, you should pray for them.

If they didn’t pray with you-perhaps because you didn’t have the opportunity to go so far in your witness, or because they were not ready to make the decision-keep praying for them, that the seeds that have been sown in their hearts through your witness will eventually bear fruit.

Caring enough to pray
Thomas Johannes Bach, well-known statesman and pioneer missionary in South America, and for almost twenty years the general director of The Evangelical Alliance Mission, whose Godly life profoundly influenced thousands around the world, often recalled that first “chance” encounter on the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark.
How irritated he was at the nerve of the slightly built Danish lad who offered him a Gospel tract.
“Will you please take this little leaflet? It has a message for you.”
“Message indeed! Why do you bother other people with your religion? I’m quite able to take care of myself.”
Such a show of temper from this fiery, redheaded engineering student did not deter the young lad who continued to hold the piece of paper before him. Johannes snatched the Gospel tract, deliberately ripped it, crumpled it up, and put it in his pocket.
Bach, still angry and yet surprised that the young man said nothing, could not help watching him to see what he would do. He saw something he would never forget. The young Danish lad stepped into a nearby doorway, folded his hands, closed his eyes, and began to pray. Johannes was astonished to see tears on his cheek.
Fifty-nine years later in Copenhagen, the seventy-six-year-old missionary, author, and teacher stood on the very spot where he had received that piece of paper and thanked God for the young Danish lad who had cared about his soul.

You should also regularly pray for your loved ones to get saved.
The Lord will answer your prayers! You may not see the answer right away, but keep praying. You can appropriate the promise below that Paul made to his jailer.
Acts 16:31-Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Pray for your loved ones
For many years the mother of Tom Carter prayed that God would save her boy and make a preacher out of him. Her boy was a criminal. He landed in prison, but the mother still prayed for him, believing that God would answer her prayers. One day she received a telegram from the prison, saying that her son was dead.
The mother was stunned for a few minutes. Then she went to her room. There she prayed with her open Bible before her. She said to the Lord, “O God, I have believed the promises Thou didst give me in Thy Word. I have believed that I would live to see Tom saved and preaching the Gospel. Now, a telegram says he is dead. Lord, which is true, this telegram or Thy Word?”
She rose from her knees and wired the prison: “There must be some mistake. My boy is not dead.” And there was a mistake. Tom Carter was alive! Not long afterward he was saved. When he was released from prison, he became a mighty soul-winner and preacher.
As for those who received the Lord with you, keep praying for them, that the Lord will work in their lives, bringing them closer to Him; that He will increase their faith; that they will take the steps they need in order to grow in their faith. Pray also for their specific needs.
Remembering them in prayer is something you can and should do, whether you’re able to keep meeting them or not.

Praying for new believers-Early Church samples
Colossians 1:9-12-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; that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12-Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 John 1:2-Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Review of the Seven Steps of witnessing

1. Find Someone to Witness to!
There are differences in approach for people you know and those who are strangers.

2. Ask Questions
Show concern by asking them questions about themselves and their lives.
Use current events, happenings and trends to arouse their interest.
Witness in a quiet place when possible.

3. Listen!
Encourage them to speak their heart; listen to them and hear them out.
When you are witnessing, you are soul doctors. Listen and find out what their problems are.

4. Give Them God’s Answers
Tell them God’s answers in your own words and also by showing Scriptures.
Give your own personal testimony-tell what the Lord has done for you!
Illustrate your points with stories.
Use the Word in your witnessing.
Have them read from the Bible.
You need to know your Bible well enough to find the verses they need.
Keep your witness simple.
John 3:16 is all you really need to know to win souls!
Lift up Jesus!
Find points of agreement. Lovingly win others. Don’t argue.
Avoid confrontation.

5. Get a Decision
They should realize their need for Jesus.
Bring them to a decision.
It has to be their decision-you can’t force them to decide.
Pray with them to receive the Lord.
For those who are unsure, you can pray for them or with them, with a different approach.

6. Take Care of Those You Lead to the Lord
Encourage new believers to read the Word so that they will grow in faith.
Help them find the spiritual counsel and leadership they need.

7. Pray for People!
Pray for those who are not yet saved to receive the Lord.
Pray for your loved ones to receive the Lord.
Keep on praying for those you lead to the Lord to grow closer to Him.

Class 9B: Now and Forever

Section 1: What Will You Be Like in Heaven?

You can hardly appreciate Heaven and what it will be like unless you know what you’re going to be like! Of course, we don’t know all the details, as it is somewhat a mystery, but here are some verses and ideas on the subject.

The mystery of the resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:51-52-Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed- (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
When the Lord created the life cycles of butterflies and moths, He was illustrating resurrection. They hatch from eggs into little worm-like caterpillars. Then they wrap themselves up in a cocoon called a chrysalis, almost like a coffin, and it seems they die. But then spring comes and suddenly the coffin splits open and out comes a beautiful butterfly or moth! Once it was just a little crawling worm, and all of a sudden it breaks out into a beautiful butterfly that flies in the heavens!-One of God’s prettiest creatures.
Like the difference between the grain of wheat and the full-grown, full-blown stock and head that comes from one grain, or the flower and the tiny seed it comes from, that’s how much better your new Heavenly body is going to be! It will be so much more wonderful; it will be like the difference between the seed and the flower! Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 15:35-38-But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” (36) Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. (37) And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain-perhaps wheat or some other grain. (38) But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.
Paul says it’s such a mystery you can hardly understand it, just like most of us do not understand how a seed buried in the ground comes to life and springs up and becomes a whole new plant. That’s how much more wonderful your new body’s going to be, and how different!
He says there’s one kind of this and one kind of that, and if you bury a grain of wheat in the ground you’re not going to get apples. What comes out, the final end product, is going to look like the grain of wheat you buried. In Heaven you’re going to look like yourself, but with a marvelous new body!

Spirit bodies until we receive our new bodies at the resurrection
When we’re talking about how we will be in Heaven, it’s important to understand there are two stages. If we die now, before Jesus returns, we are given a type of spiritual body. When Jesus returns, then the bodies of the saved believers (who were already in Heaven) will be resurrected. Those who are still alive at His coming will be instantly transformed to receive their resurrected bodies:
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17-For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
The Bible doesn’t say much about the present state of those who die now (before Jesus returns) but tells in some detail our state when resurrected. So now let’s look at what we will be like in our resurrection bodies.

When we are resurrected, we will be like Jesus after His resurrection
Philippians 3:20-21-For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, (21) who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
We’re going to be like Jesus! We’re going to look like Jesus did when He rose from the dead. We are going to be much the same as we are now, except that we’re going to have supernatural bodies. We will look like we do now, just as Jesus did after His resurrection. He could even eat and drink and they could feel Him and touch Him as well as see Him. Jesus took on a physical form, which means it is some kind of a form of flesh. Theologians call them theophanies, a word literally meaning “God body,” the fleshly physical embodiment of a spirit being. We’ll be like Him-God’s Word says so!
1 John 3:2-Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
He was born of woman, of flesh. He died like a man, like flesh dies, but He was resurrected like we’ll be resurrected, being in a sense part spirit and part flesh.
1 Corinthians 6:14-And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
Romans 6:4W-5-Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.

The qualities of our new heavenly bodies
Let’s look at the qualities that Jesus had when He was resurrected.

A new kind of body
When Jesus was resurrected, He was not purely spirit.
Luke 24:36-40-Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” (37) But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. (38) And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? (39) Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” (40) When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

Jesus was still human and still had a body of flesh and bone-He says so! Flesh and bone!
You notice He doesn’t say blood, because “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). Corruption comes through blood and the carnal nature of our present physical bodies that are from the dust. We’re going to have flesh that looks like this flesh and feels like this flesh too, but it’s not going to have the kind of life that blood gives, which is not eternal life.
We are going to have a new kind of a spiritual, resurrected, marvelous, eternal, glorified body; and yet it’s going to be material enough and natural enough and recognizable enough and seeable, feelable, enjoyable enough to actually be constructed as we now are of flesh and bones-but eternal flesh and bones, incorruptible, immortal flesh and bones.-Flesh and bones! Think of it! And that kind of marvelous glorified Heavenly body is going to be able to enjoy all the pleasures that our body enjoys here and now.

Recognizable
1 Corinthians 15:49-And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man.
Even as we have looked on Earth, we will resemble that same image in Heaven. We will bear the same looks and general appearance-here called “image”-as we have here on Earth, but much more glorious.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that it’s going to be like the difference between sowing a seed, and then what comes up out of the seed. He says it’s going to be new and different, and yet we’ll recognize each other; we’ll “know even as also we are known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Powers of movement
When Jesus was resurrected, He was not only able to do all the normal natural things we humans do, but when His disciples were in a locked room with the doors all barred, all of a sudden He came walking right through the door without unlocking it! Jesus could appear or disappear; He could walk right through walls or locked doors.
John 20:19-Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
John 20:26-And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
In your new body, you’ll be able to walk through walls, doors, and appear and disappear just like Jesus did. Perhaps we’ll even fly!
Isaiah 60:8-Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their roosts?

The pleasures of life continued
All of the pleasures of this present physical life can be continued into the next life as well, since we will have a body which is similar to our physical body, but so much more glorious and wonderful and supernatural that it’s even called spiritual. Yet it can actually materialize and eat and drink and be merry, have fun, love and all of the present pleasures of this life extended into the next. We will have an immortal, incorruptible, all-powerful body that can enjoy these pleasures even more there than we do here, and forever without ever suffering pain or sickness or weariness or death. It will be absolutely marvelously heavenly forever!

Still able to eat, although it won’t be necessary
Luke 24:42-43-So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence.
Jesus ate with His disciples several times after He was resurrected. In Luke 24 we read how He sat down and ate with them. Another time He broke bread with the disciples after the walk down the road to Emmaus. They didn’t recognize Him until after He broke bread.
Luke 24:13-17, 30-31-Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. (14) And they talked together of all these things which had happened. (15) So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. (16) But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. (17) And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” … (30) Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. (31) Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

For more on this subject, be sure to read 1 Corinthians 15, if you haven’t already.

Section 2: Our Heavenly Co-Workers

Heaven is a busy place
Job 1:6a; 2:1a-Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. (1) Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord.
Revelation W4:2, 6, 9-10; 5:11-Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in Heaven, and One sat on the throne. (6) Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. (9) Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, (10) the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne. (5:11) Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.
Being in Heaven does not mean an eternity of nothingness, but a whole new life of movement, action, learning, and achievement. When you read the book of Revelation, you’ll see there are lots of things happening!-People coming and going, trumpets blowing, singing, praising, people being called in for audiences, sent on assignments, and more!

Helping those on Earth
From the Scriptures we can see that one of the activities of Heaven’s inhabitants is helping those of us still alive here on Earth. Those in Heaven are not only observing our activities, but they are assigned by the Lord to actively assist and sometimes communicate with us on Earth.
Some examples of God using the spirits of departed believers to communicate with those still living on Earth are found in the account of the spirits of the departed prophets, Moses and Elijah, appearing and conferring with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration; and Saint John’s account in the book of Revelation of his conversation with a heavenly messenger sent by God to reveal to him mysteries of the future.
Let’s look at some of the Scriptures that explain this.

The cloud of witnesses-Hebrews 12:1
The 11th chapter of the New Testament Book of Hebrews is an inspiring account of the faith and exploits of many of the most outstanding men and women of God who appear in the Old Testament. Immediately following this listing of heroes and heroines of faith, we are told in the first verse of the next chapter,
Hebrews 12:1-Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
The original manuscript of the New Testament was not divided into chapters, so you’ve got to keep in mind the chapter before this (11) in order to know what “great cloud of witnesses” he’s talking about. Those who have already gone on to be with the Lord are watching us, praying for us, and trying to help us.

Delivering prophecies
In almost every case of the Biblical prophets there was some spiritual agent or an angel or someone helping him most of the time. Time and again when the prophets revealed something, they said the angel of the Lord or someone else was there showing them. So it must have been the angel who was communicating those visions, and the prophet was able to see what God was showing the angel to show to the prophet to pass on to the people.

Daniel 8:13a-Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking.

Daniel 8:15-Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

Daniel 9:21-23-Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. (22) And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. (23) At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:”

Daniel 12:5-7-Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. (6) And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” (7) Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

Ezekiel 40:1-4-In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the Lord was upon me; and He took me there. (2) In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city. (3) He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway. (4) And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.”

Zechariah 1:9-Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.”

Zechariah 2:3-And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him.

Matthew 1:20-But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew 2:13-Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”

Luke 1:11-13-Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. (12) And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. (13) But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias.”

Revelation 1:1-The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants- things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.

Heavenly communication
Isaiah 30:21-Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.
Zephaniah 3:9-For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one accord.
Communication in the spirit world may be different than in this physical world, and perhaps includes thought transference. This helps to explain how we receive messages from those beyond, as they usually communicate directly in our thoughts.

Try the spirits

Of course, not every communication from the spirit world comes from a good source. In this class we are focusing on angels or men and women who loved the Lord in their lifetimes and went on to help from Heaven.
There is another side to spiritual communication-the darker side. Not every spirit is from the Lord and not every prophecy is inspired by Him!
I John 4:1-3-Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
As the Word says, you must “test the spirits” through His Word so that you will not be led astray.
The judgment of prophecies was explained in the classes on prophecy and you may like to review this subject.

The book of Revelation

In chapter 19 of the book of Revelation, written by the apostle John, after receiving a glorious revelation of the future from a heavenly being, he writes,
Revelation 19:9-10-Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” (10) And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

A similar passage from chapter 22 says,
Revelation 22:8-9-Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. (9) Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”

The book of Revelation contains a number of other passages where John records messages he received from departed saints.

Revelation 6:9-11-When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. (10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (11) Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
It is interesting that in this passage John sees and hears the so-called “dead,” and identifies these “souls” as “fellowservants” and “brethren”-the same terms applied to the messenger that he fell down to worship in the previously quoted text. It’s also noteworthy that these spirits who had already left this life still expressed concern about “them that dwell on the earth.”

In chapter 7, John describes more astounding sights and sounds he partook of during a spiritual trip to Heaven:
Revelation 7:9-14-After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, (10) and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (11) All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, (12) saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” (13) Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” (14) And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Here John beholds an innumerable multitude of people in Heaven, and he then carries on a two-way conversation with one of them, an “elder,” who clearly appears to be a departed believer. In chapter 5, verse 9, these same “elders” proclaim to Jesus, “You have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,” showing that indeed these elders are departed brethren.

Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration

Another outstanding appearance of two renowned departed saints is recounted in three of the four Gospels, in the description of Moses’ and Elijah’s meeting with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. These two prophets had left this life hundreds of years earlier, but held what was no doubt an important conference with the Lord shortly before His crucifixion.
Luke 9:28-31-He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. (29) And as He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. (30) And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
> The saved of all ages can communicate with those still in this life
The privilege of helping those still in this life is not limited to personalities from the Bible. The saved of all ages who have passed on to the spirit world can communicate with us. Our loved ones who have passed on, and those unknown to us personally, may on occasion deliver messages from Heaven.
One example of this is the founder of our movement, David Berg, who departed this life in 1994. It makes sense that those who devote their lives to sharing the good news of Jesus’ love will want to continue doing so when they pass on beyond, so the Lord gives them opportunities to communicate with us.

Section 3: Getting Ready for Heaven

Getting this far
It’s like the old lady when they made fun of her because she believed that when she died she was going to go to Heaven. “Ah,” they said, “didn’t you know all that stuff’s been debunked and there’s no such thing as God and Heaven? That’s ridiculous to believe like that!”
She said, “Well, even if it isn’t so, I sure have had a good time getting this far!”
Think that one over! Even if we don’t get to enjoy it forever, we’ve had a good time getting this far, haven’t we? But the fact is we are going to enjoy it forever! Heaven is our destination!

We don’t have to fear death
1 Corinthians 15:55-57-”O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (56) The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 7:24-25a-O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (25a) I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!
For us, as believers, death will have no sting because our sins are forgiven, and the grave will have no victory because we have won the victory over the grave through Christ and our salvation and our eventual resurrection. Our spirits are immediately free to go be with the Lord, so it’s not really death for us in the same way it is for others. We don’t really “die” in the sense that they die.
That’s why we don’t really like to call it “dying” or “death.” It’s better to call it “graduation,” “passing on” or “promotion.” It’s just like passing from one room to another. It’s a very beautiful experience for most people who know and love the Lord.

John 11:25-26-Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. (26) And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
John 8:51-Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My Word he shall never see death.

Jesus Himself said we don’t really die! He doesn’t even want to call it death or dying. At times when they said somebody was dead or had died, He said they were “sleeping.” He didn’t even want to say that they were dead. At least apparently their body was sleeping and probably their spirits had an after-death experience or life after life.
Matthew 9:24-He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him.
John 11:11-He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”
Whenever it comes and whenever we go to be with the Lord, however we go to be with the Lord, our entry into the next world is going to be a wonderful experience! Our place in Heaven is guaranteed!
Matthew 16:28a-Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death.
Psalm 23:4a-Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me.
Hebrews 2:14b-15-That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil, (15) and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Dying Grace
You don’t have to worry about death and fear it and wonder about what’s going to happen when you die. When it comes the Lord will give you dying grace and dying will probably be the easiest thing you ever did. The hard thing is to live!-Right?
It’s like what Dwight L. Moody told the old ladies when they asked him, “Doctor Moody, have you got dying grace?”-Two self-righteous Holiness sisters who figured, of course, they had dying grace already!
He shocked them by saying, “No, sisters, I’m sorry, I don’t have dying grace!”
“You mean, you, the great D.L. Moody, the great evangelist, you don’t have dying grace yet?”
He said, “No sisters-I’m not dying yet!”

Out of sight, but not gone
I am standing on the seashore. A ship spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the ocean. I stand watching her until she fades on the horizon, and someone at my side says, “She is gone.” Gone where? The loss of sight is in me, not in her. Just at the moment when someone says, “She is gone,” there are others who are watching her coming. Other voices take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!” That is dying.

The other side-those who die without the Lord
We’ve talked a lot about Heaven and we haven’t talked much about what happens to those who die without knowing the Lord.
Most of the people whose Near-Death Experiences we’ve heard about must have been saved, or at least good people, and that’s why they all had such good experiences. However there have been other studies of other kinds of people, some of them not so good and criminals and whatnot, and some of their experiences were not so happy, it was more like a bad drug trip! There is a Hell and a very unhappy side to eternity, but we don’t have time to get into it in this class.

Our lives are in the Lord’s hands. He’ll bring us Home when it is time.
As much as we’re looking forward to Heaven, we should never consider taking matters into our own hands. God knows when and how we’re supposed to die. If you love the Lord, God has appointed a time and a place for you to die when your job is done.
Psalm 48:14-For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.

We do not consider suicide an acceptable act in the eyes of God. Anyone who commits suicide is robbing God of the life that He has given them to serve others! God knows when and how you’re supposed to die, and we should each wait for God to make the decision and have His way, whatever it is, and not die at our own hand.
Life is a precious thing, given to us by God, and though He has given man the freedom of choice, He means for you to leave with Him the choice of when your physical body dies and you return to His arms. God has His Own timetable for each person on Earth, and when your time is up, He’ll call you Home.
This present life on Earth is for a reason. There are lessons to be learned to prepare us for Heaven, and it’s wisest and best for each of us to live our lives on Earth through to the end in order to be prepared and learn what we need to learn before our arrival in Heaven!
Although Heaven has wonderful beauties and glories, including freedom from the pain and suffering that exists in our earthly life, those who end their lives prematurely will have to face the consequences of their action once they get to the other side. They will have to learn the lessons that the Lord wants them to learn from their wrong decision. They will still have to face the sorrow, pain, and suffering which they have caused their friends, relatives, and loved ones.
Self-destruction is no victory. It could come under the classification of the Scripture about respecting the “temple of God” which you are:
1 Corinthians 3:16-17b-Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (17b) … For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
The worst disrespect of all would be to destroy your own body. We need to wait for God to make the decision of when our life on Earth should be over. We have no right to destroy the God-given life which He’s given us to live for Him and others!

NDE: June’s story
(As told by her doctor:) June had had a cardiac arrest at the age of five during surgery to repair her heart valves and to install a pacemaker. She often talked about her near-death experience, mainly because it was such a beautiful event that it always seemed to be with her. Although she was deeply anesthetized during the surgery, she suddenly found herself floating above the doctors, watching them as they worked. She could recount details: the appearance of certain instruments, for instance, and the fact that one of the doctors was right-handed and the other left-handed. When the doctors began their procedure to restart her heart, she found herself leaving the operating room and traveling down a long tunnel. At the other end, she was bathed in light, a bright warm light that she always described as “the Light of God.” As she later told her husband, Don, “I was never afraid again after I experienced the light. I know that I can die at any time, and yet I have no fear.”
It was the experience of this light that gave her such a positive outlook on life. Without it, much of her life would have been dark. Her parents died when she was young. Her sister died of a drug overdose at the age of eighteen. June knew that pacemakers sometimes stop working, causing heart failure, but she didn’t dwell on it. “I was more afraid than she was,” said Don. “She had no fear because she had seen the light.”
The day before she died June was having a cup of coffee at her kitchen table, when her dead sister appeared. She stood before her and announced, “June, it’s time to go.” Then the apparition sat down across the table and drank a cup of coffee. When the apparition finished, she simply got up and left the house. June felt that she couldn’t tell her husband what had happened. Instead, she called the aunt and uncle who had raised her and told them about the peculiar occurrence. “I am going to die, and I just wanted to say good-bye,” she said. Then she called her two brothers. She told them not to mention their conversation to her husband until she died because it would be too upsetting for him.
She simply told Don how happy he had made her. She was glad to have such a beautiful home and a wonderful child. Nothing could have made her happier. That night she died in her sleep (at age 28) because her pacemaker failed. Her heart simply stopped.

We can prepare for Heaven by pleasing the Lord

Our lives in the world to come depend upon the choices that we make while on Earth. Those who choose to love God and receive Him and try to do good and love their fellow man will be blessed with love in the world to come. On the other hand, those who hate and destroy and kill will be judged in the world to come, and they will suffer for their choices and for their lack of love.
If we want to go to be with the Lord in Heaven, if you have received the Lord into your heart, that’s what counts! You’re saved!
John 6:37b-And the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
However, if we want the Lord to rejoice at our arrival and if we want rewards, then we need to do the things that please Him. We have already prepared for Heaven by receiving the Lord. Now our lives need to show and manifest our faith. Remember what Jesus told us:
Revelation 14:13-Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on, and their works follow them.
Matthew 16:27-For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
A good question to ask yourself at the end of each day is: “What have I done with my life this day? What did I do for Jesus? What did I do for others?”
Believers will be rewarded at the Judgment of Jesus Christ, the Throne of Christ. For many, the greatest part of our reward will be meeting people that we have helped, especially meeting people in whose salvation we were involved. When these people get to Heaven, they’re going to be so thankful and appreciative because we were instrumental in bringing them into that heavenly Kingdom!

Rewards in Heaven

Matthew 6:19-21-Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 25:31-40-When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. (32) All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. (33) And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. (34) Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (35) for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; (36) I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ (37) Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? (38) When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? (39) Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ (40) And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
Psalm 62:12-Also to You, O Lord, belongs mercy; for You render to each one according to his work.
Jeremiah 17:10-I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
Revelation 22:12-And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
2 Corinthians 5:10-For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Heaven is full of sinners!

Heaven is full of normal people, just like we are. Anyone who arrives in Heaven is there because they are saved by grace, not because they’re some sort of holy, self-righteous hypocritical type of person! This song expresses the thought very well.

Heaven Is Full of Sinners
By Jeremy Spencer

I know Heaven is full of sinners
You never thought you would see.
They were lost, humble, loving sinners
Jesus came to free.
I know Heaven is full of sinners,
People like you and me.
All so happy to be forgiven
For eternity!

You can never be too bad for Jesus,
Only too good!

Heaven’s open to all who will receive Him
If only they would!

I know Heaven is full of sinners.
We just might be surprised
At the characters we will meet There
In our Home up high!
They’re our sisters
And they’re our brothers,
All saved by grace.
Sinning saints! There are no others
In that heavenly Place!

Class 9A: What is it like?

Section 1: Introducing Heaven

Heaven awaits us!
Jesus wants us to understand both the love that is in Heaven, and the place that those who love Him go to, when they pass beyond the veil. The distance beyond the veil is not so great, and what happens on the other side is not totally different to what happens on this side, on the earth side. But in Heaven there is the joy, the love, the peace, and the contentment that we who are saved have a taste of here, but which there we will experience in abundance.
He wants us to understand what it is like when we come into the fullness of His love and the fulfillment of the promises that He has made. Heaven is real; death is just the door through which we pass from the life we now live into eternity!
1 Corinthians 13:12-For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
Many people in the world say that when you pass through the doors of death, it is over, it is finished, it is the end. They are wrong! You enter into a new life: The life on the other side of the veil. You are still you. You retain your individuality. You continue to live and to mature and to learn. Your spirit carries on.

What we are studying today
In today’s class, we’re going to look at what the Scriptures say about Heaven, and we’re also going to hear some testimonies of those who have had glimpses of Heaven through “Near Death Experiences.” Through testimonies, through the Bible’s teachings, and through prophecies and other revelations, we know a great deal about what awaits us! And we want to share at least a portion of this today.

The most important point to grasp from this class is that Jesus has prepared a wonderful place for us in the life beyond
Jesus told us:
John 14:2-3-In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
When we are called from this life, when we are brought to the threshold and we are called across, we leave the things of this life behind-our flesh, our material belongings. We shed these things as one sheds a garment. But our spirit, that which is truly “me” and truly “you,” steps across the veil and lives on forever. Our experience and knowledge-and mainly the things that we have learned of the spirit, the matters of love, of kindness, and of truth-these things remain with us and benefit us throughout eternity. Therefore this class, and the one following, is also a challenge. Will we learn the lessons we need to learn in this life and apply them?
In God’s wonderful kingdom of love, all is love. There we will have and experience all of those things that we seek. No matter what our limitations here, there we will have peace of heart and mind and contentment of spirit; there we will have no fear; there our needs will be filled abundantly; there we can be creative; there we can find true love, and fill the empty spaces in our lives, our hearts, our minds, and our spirits.
Jesus is the door to Heaven, and by coming into it through Him, your life in this world, and in the world beyond, will be much greater than anything you ever imagined! You’ve received Jesus, so you are going to live with Him in His loving, exciting, wonderful, fulfilling, peaceful kingdom-forever!

But don’t get too impatient!
The Lord will bring us to Heaven in His own time:
Psalm 31:15a-My times are in Your hand.
Psalm 48:14-For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.
We’re studying about Heaven because that’s where we’re going to eventually go!-But in the meantime, the Lord has a lot for us to do, including bringing as many other people with us as we can.

Section 2: Why Learn About Heaven?

We are going to study what the Bible has to say about Heaven, and we’re also going to hear the accounts of people who have had a “Near Death Experience” (NDE). They died, perhaps following an accident or during a medical procedure, but then were revived. During the time they were clinically dead, they experienced something for which there was no other explanation than they had been given a glimpse into what it will be like to make the transition from this life to the next world.

The Grand Finale

Heaven is such a wonderful, almost unimaginable “Happy Ending” that the final chapters of the Bible are devoted entirely to it!-Revelation chapters 21 and 22’s description of Heaven is the Grand Finale of the Bible, the thunderous climax of the symphony of God, and reveals a place of such resplendent beauty that just reading about it will lift you into the Heavenlies, beyond the imagination of man! We’ll look at those chapters in a minute.
The most stupendous things that you never even dreamed of are already in existence in that way-out home of the children of God-that Heavenly City whose Builder and Maker is God, and which our departed friends and saints are already enjoying!
Hebrews 11:13-16-These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (14) For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. (15) And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. (16) But now they desire a better, that is, a Heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
It is such a beautiful place that you can hardly even possibly imagine it!-But the Lord in His great love for us has been telling us a lot about it.
1 Corinthians 2:9-10-But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (10) But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Why learn about Heaven?
They say that anticipation is 50% of enjoyment, so why not enjoy half of Heaven now? We’re halfway to Heaven here in spirit, and we can get half of the enjoyment ahead of time just by thinking about it, praising the Lord for it, thanking the Lord for it, reading about it, dreaming about it, and anticipating it! We can have 50% of our enjoyment right now just by looking forward to it!
That’s one reason it’s good to talk about Heaven and think about Heaven and read about Heaven. After all, that’s where we’re going to spend eternity, so it’s a pretty important place, don’t you think? It’s our eternal Home, the place that Jesus has gone to prepare for us to live forever, so we certainly ought to be interested in it and want to know what it’s like and what we’re going to be like when we get there!
All God’s children of faith since the beginning of time have been looking for “a city which hath foundations”-eternal foundations-”whose Builder and Maker is God!” They were not satisfied with being citizens of this world, with its earthly, carnal, flesh-and-blood kingdoms of evil men and evil spirits. But rather they looked for a country made by God, a Heavenly country, a Heavenly City, built by the Lord!
Hebrews 11:10-For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
If you’re looking for the perfect city and the perfect government in the perfect country with perfect people, just wait a little while longer-it’s coming! Jesus promised that He’s preparing a place for us (John 14:2-3).
Heaven is a great place to look forward to, and we hope you will get thrilled and excited about it too, as it will help you to bear some of the burdens and trials that you’re going through now when you realize the wonderful things that God has in store for you!
Romans 8:18-For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Nothing to fear
Fear of death is one of the greatest fears that grips people, but the Bible tells us that Jesus can set us free from those fears. He conquered death! There is nothing to fear, only a joyful and patient waiting to meet our Savior face-to-face.
Hebrews 2:15-And release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57-O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? (56) The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 22:3-4-And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. (4) They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

Near Death Experiences almost always result in a loss of fear of death
One of the outstanding characteristics of someone who has had an NDE is that he or she no longer has any fear of death. They’ve been given a glimpse into the world beyond, and they know there is nothing to fear.

NDEs are real!
The research on NDEs offers quite compelling evidence that these experiences are genuine. For instance, Dr Melvin Morse, author of Closer to the Light, wrote:
Michael Sabom, an American cardiologist, has done some fascinating work on out-of-body experiences and people who almost died of cardiac arrest. In these experiences, a person in a near-death crisis claims to leave his body and watch his own resuscitation as the doctor performs it in the emergency room or during surgery.
Sabom had 32 such patients in his study. Sabom asked 25 medically knowledgeable patients to make educated guesses about what happens when a doctor tries to get the heart started again. He wanted to compare the knowledge of “medically smart” patients with the out-of-body experiences of medically unsophisticated patients.
He found that 23 of the 25 in the control group made major mistakes in describing the resuscitation procedure. On the other hand, none of the near-death patients made mistakes in describing what went on in their own resuscitations. This presented very strong evidence that these people were actually outside their bodies and looking down as they said they were.

NDE: Jerry’s story
In 1997 (at age 47), I was involved in a serious car crash with many major injuries. When I was trapped in the car, I felt no pain even though I had my pelvis broken in two places, a fractured tailbone, a rib that had punctured my lung, a fractured skull, lacerations to my face, and part of my ear was severed.
I saw a place of warmth, love, and friendship. It was something like a tunnel but not round. It was a walkway type tunnel that you see joining buildings or stores together, the type that goes over a street, not narrow, but wide. I walked along it, or it felt like I was walking but I don’t remember my feet moving. It was not bright on the sides of the walkway, but it was not dark either.
When I reached the end of the tunnel, I could see people. It appeared to be only from their waist up. It was not scary at all. Everyone was smiling and happy.
I saw faces that I recognized. I saw both my grandfathers and my father. It was very dark behind their bodies and I felt the presence of multitudes of others behind them.
Someone was shaking my hand as if to greet me. I think it was my father. He died of Alzheimer’s disease and was a mess when he died. But now he was upright and looking healthy and I realized just how short he really was. All these people were so very happy to see me.
At that point I felt the need to go back to the living. It was not a horrifying feeling but just a point where it was time to decide. I still don’t think the decision to go back was mine. I feel someone decided it for me.
My hand was still holding (not shaking anymore in greeting) the person who I first started shaking hands with. The hand was very warm and soothing. My hand slowly and gently slipped away as I floated backwards to the living world. Then it was over. I was back. In retrospect, I am not afraid of dying now.

Let’s think about Heaven
All of those wonderful Bible heroes who are memorialized in God’s hall of fame, the 11th chapter of Hebrews, considered themselves pilgrims and strangers here because they all looked for that Heavenly City which hath Foundations, the one country that really belonged to them and that they belonged to. They were able to endure all kinds of tribulation on Earth and suffering and hard work and even torture and death because they looked forward to that City.
2 Corinthians 5:1-A building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.
So it pays to think about Heaven and talk about Heaven and try to visualize Heaven and what you have to look forward to-knowing that the suffering of this present time is nothing compared to the glories that we are going to share in the near future.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18-For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, (18) while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Colossians 3:1-2-If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Hebrews 13:14-For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.
The Heavenly City, which will come down from God out of Heaven and dwell with men! This is the hope of all ages: That now-unseen Eternal World where we shall dwell with Him forever! That’s what we’re all looking forward to!-Not pie in the sky, but Heaven on Earth!-A New Heaven and a New Earth with its Eternal City!

Another destination: Hell
Of course, not everyone who dies is heading for Heaven. All do, however, pass on into the unseen world of the spirit and some go to Hell. What is Hell? It is the antithesis of Heaven. In every way that Heaven is beautiful, Hell is devoid of beauty. Imagine your worst nightmare and you have a taste of Hell. (You could read Luke 16:19-26, the parable of Lazarus the beggar and the rich man, for a description of Hell.)

Prayer

Paul the Apostle, when writing to some of his followers about heavenly things, told them that he prayed continually,
Ephesians 1:17-18-That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (18) the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

Section 3: Our Heavenly Home!

The Bible’s picture of Heaven
Revelation chapters 21 and 22 offer the most detailed, specific description in the Bible of what Heaven is like, so we are going to now have an in-depth, verse-by-verse study of the marvels of these chapters. Come with us now, as we swing out into space and travel far into the future! In fact, in these marvelous chapters we’ll travel even beyond the realms of space and time, into the amazing realm where God Himself dwells, the Eternal Now!-Are you ready?-Here we go!

Eternity with the Lord
Revelation 21:2-3-Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from Heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
The place we’re going to dwell with the Lord forever hereafter is not some fanciful dreamland way off in outer space, but an even more amazing Dream City that’s going to come down from God, out of Heaven. God’s going to come down and live with us, and us with Him, in that beautiful Dreamtown.

No more tears
Revelation 21:4-And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
Isn’t that beautiful? If you’ll read carefully, you’ll see that it doesn’t say there aren’t going to be any tears! I think a lot of people, when they get to Heaven and face the Lord, are going to be ashamed and cry and weep over their sins and their failures.
But isn’t the Lord wonderful and loving and merciful? He says He’s going to wipe away all those tears, and there will be no more pain, no more death, no more sorrow!-Only eternal, wonderful happiness!
It’s going to be so wonderful that you’re going to forget about all your troubles of the past.
Isaiah 35:10-And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Our inheritance
Revelation 21:5-7-Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new. … (6b) I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. (7) He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
In this wonderful Heavenly City, His overcomers shall “inherit all things!”
1 John 5:4-5-For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. (5) Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
The Lord loves faith and He loves His faithful children and He is going to reward them greatly! They’ll inherit all things, anything they ever wanted or ever desired!-For it is God’s delight to give us the desires of our own hearts, if we love Him and delight ourselves in Him! He says,
Psalm 37:4-Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Luke 12:32-Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Reunion with loved ones
Another wonderful thing about Heaven will be a reunion with our loved ones! It’ll be the greatest family reunion ever known, with your loved ones and relatives and children and parents and ancestors and descendants and fellow laborers and loves. There we will all be together in one place at the same time, rejoicing and praising the Lord all together in one great, grand Heavenly fellowship meeting. So that’s another thrilling aspect of Heaven to look forward to.-We’ll all be together at last!
Everyone there is going to be so good and loving and kind and helpful and gentle and tender and cheerful and faithful, really loving the Lord and caring for each other.-Just beautiful!-The perfect society, the perfect community, in perfect fellowship with each other and the Lord. There will be no hate or jealousy or selfishness or cruelty or any of those bad things.-Everybody’s going to be just lovely!-So sweet and kind!-Just beautiful, just perfect!-Like angels! It will be wonderful!-You’ll love it!

NDE: Sammy’s story
I had been having flu-like symptoms accompanied by some minor aches radiating out from the chest into both arms and up into the jaw. I gave the doctors two picture-perfect EKG tests and the symptoms were written off as a nasty virus. After a couple of weeks of no improvement and another EKG it was decided to give me a cardiac stress test. This involves walking on treadmill at various levels of difficulty while wired to an elaborate EKG machine. During the first stage of my test I felt a crushing pain in my chest. It was as if someone had placed a giant vice on my chest. I remember the doctor asking me if I was okay and beginning to fall, but I don’t remember landing on the treadmill or floor.
After that my memories are bits and pieces of images and feelings. I remember going through a tunnel or tubular passage with a loud rushing noise in the background. I do not remember entering or exiting the tube.
The next thing I remember was being drawn toward a magnificent light of immeasurable brilliance. As I moved toward the light, my first wife [his first wife was deceased] intercepted me. She was happy to see me but concerned because it was not time for me to be there. I knew she was happy and contented in her present form. I don’t remember her telling me any of that. I just knew it.
It was as if we made a right turn. The next thing I remember is sitting in a warm green pasture-like setting with a brilliant blue sky. I can’t clearly remember if there were grass, flowers, or other plants there. I spoke with someone there. We talked for hours about why we are all here and my plans for this life. At that time I knew it all-the whole meaning of life and what it is all about.
I cannot remember any of what we discussed except the last sentence. It is clear to me I am not supposed to remember. To this day, I still dream of the conversation in great detail. When I wake up, I still can’t remember it. I do not know who or even what I spoke with. I can tell you I felt unconditional love and limitless wisdom.
As I said, the only thing I remember from that conversation is one sentence. I remember it as clear as if I just heard it. A deep male voice said, “Then it’s decided, you’re going back.”
At the end of that sentence the medical personnel defibrillated me the second time. I was slammed back into my body and I felt the shock with a vengeance. It was as if somebody set off a small bomb in my chest. My eyes popped open and I saw the back of the head of the man who did it. I heard him say “conversion” which is the medical term for re-establishing a cardiac rhythm. They tell me it was the second shock. The doctor who administered the stress test said they shocked me twice. The first time I did not convert.
My eyes closed again. The next time they opened I was in cardiac care.
The memories I can recall of my NDE are very sharp and clear. What I do remember is clear with no dream-like qualities. I recall traveling at a very high speed through a dark tubular passage. I saw a very bright, indescribably beautiful full-spectrum light. As bright as the light was, it was not unpleasant or painful to look at. I met my deceased first wife. I spoke with a superior entity about why we are here and what my mission in this life is.

Our Heavenly Home’s divine design

John gives us an amazing, specific, detailed description of our future Heavenly home itself, the great Space City, New Jerusalem!-Including its exact measurements, colors, materials, etc:
Revelation 21:9-11-Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” (10) And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God, (11) having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.
Like a diamond, in other words. The city is so beautiful that God likens it unto His crowning creation, a beautiful woman! Earlier in verse 2, John said that he saw the Holy City descending “as a bride adorned for her Husband,” so we know this reference to the City as “the Bride” is symbolic, as it’s obvious that this marvelous City which He has prepared for His true Bride, His Church, is a very literal, down-to-Earth, Heavenly Home with literal walls and mansions and a river and trees and gates and exact physical measurements and dimensions.

Revelation 21:12-14-Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
On each of the gates is a name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. John also says that the names of the twelve original apostles are on the wall. That doesn’t mean that they are the walls or that they are the gates!-This is simply God’s way of honoring them.
Revelation 21:15-16-And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.
Do you have any idea how long 12,000 Biblical furlongs equal in modern measurements?-There isn’t a clear consensus on exactly how long the furlongs referred to in Bible times were, but it’s roughly equal to 185 meters. Thus 12,000 furlongs would equal about 2,200 kilometers [1,500 miles]! And that is a very big City!-2,200 kilometers in each direction-wide, long, and high! It’s almost beyond comprehension!

Many mansions
From the measurements we read in Revelation 21, the Heavenly City is an immense size! The tremendous capacity of this marvelous, final, great, Heavenly City that Jesus has gone to prepare for us is simply amazing!
Remember what Jesus said in John 14:2:
John 14:2a-In My Father’s House are many mansions.
Just think, one of these days you’re going to live in a beautiful place that isn’t going to cost you anything!-No upkeep, no expenses, absolutely nothing except what it’s already cost Jesus!-And it will be commensurate with your works on Earth, what you already paid for it down here. There are some things that you’re working for right now that you’re not going to receive till you get there, but you’ll find that whatever you’ve paid here is not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed there!
Whatever place Jesus has gone to prepare for you will be fantastic! I’m sure that when you see what He has for you there, you’ll be amazed!

Jesus, the glorious Light of Heaven
Revelation 21:23-The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
It doesn’t say there’ll be no moon and no sun, but it says in the City they won’t need the moon and the sun, because it will have its own light, the Light of God and His Son Jesus! But the sun and moon will still continue on in the world outside the City on the planet Earth, which will still exist with its new Garden-of-Eden-like surface.
But inside this Heavenly City we won’t need these earthly lights, because the Lord is the light thereof and it will be light all the time, all day and all night, and we’ll never have to go to bed, we’ll never have to sleep, because we’ll never get tired or weary. And even for those on the outside, it will be a blessing just to live anywhere within view, within sight of that City, just to be able to see it at night and thrill to its gorgeous splendor, resplendent with the golden, supernatural, miraculous Light of God! God’s Word says that even the sun and the moon shall be ashamed in comparison to the glory and the beauty and the light of that Holy City here on the surface of the Earth!
Isaiah 24:23-Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously.
God’s city is going to be perfect and pure and governed by God himself! It’s going to be so beautiful! In fact, it’s not going to be beautiful, it’s already beautiful! Jesus has been working on it ever since He left!

NDE: Donna’s story
It was l973 and I was 17. I was in the hospital. I had lost massive amounts of blood and had bad cramping of the stomach due to a miscarriage. I remember being in the emergency room and then they admitted me to a private room. When I was there and the doctor was examining me my heart stopped, my fever was off the thermometer, and he called in more doctors and nurses.
I distinctly remember starting to feel myself leaving my body and floating up to the top of the room. As I looked down there were five doctors, three nurses, IV’s being put in both arms and a heart machine all trying to bring me back! I just looked down on them and it felt so good to be up there that it was quite beautiful and I really didn’t care to go back.
The next thing I recall was floating way up to a place in a bright illuminous light that I have never seen in this world-words could not describe the warmth, love, and peaceful feeling that was in this light.
I saw a huge three-dimensional screen come up bigger then any movie screen I had ever seen in my life! I just stood there watching my whole entire life pass before my eyes on this screen. Everyone I had ever encountered in my 17 years of life was on this screen; every emotion and feeling was also played too! It was surreal!
After that I started floating toward a tunnel. It was very long but the light on the other end was unbelievable. I was in so much bliss going toward the light. The feelings I had were so loving and peaceful, nothing like I ever felt on earth. I really wanted to go and never come back here! It was pure joy, peace, and bliss, but I was told I had to come back, my purpose was not fulfilled here.
I started floating back. Next thing I remember looking down at my body with all those doctors trying to bring me back and fighting for them not to! I could not move a muscle in my body yet as my spirit body was moving back into my physical body. I kept saying “No, no, don’t do this to me! Let me go! Don’t save me!” I was really hoping they wouldn’t bring me back!
I learned one thing when I was there I will always remember. The message was to love each and every one and judge no one or nothing! Just that simple!
Isaiah 60:20-The Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended.

The River of Life

Revelation 22:1-2-And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
The Prophet Ezekiel also caught a glimpse of this wonderful river and these heavenly trees and described them thus:
Ezekiel 47:12-Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.

Read Revelation 22

If you die before the Rapture, straight to Heaven you go

As we’ve been reading Revelation 21 and 22, we’ve been focusing on the description of Heaven from the point of view of the final destination-after Jesus has returned to reclaim the world for God, after the Millennium, the Heavenly City is our eternal home.
But what about the believers who die now? Where are they now? Do they have to wait until some time in the future to enjoy the pleasures of paradise? No! Those who die now do not have to wait until Jesus’ Second Coming before being raised from the dead. Paul said,
2 Corinthians 5:8-To be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
So this wonderful place we’ve been reading about is already filling up with the saved of all ages. They are already enjoying the wonders of God’s Heavenly Home! They are already in the presence of Jesus.
Perhaps you’re wondering what it is like for them, and what they are like. So far we’ve talked a lot about what Heaven is like, and in the next class we’ll talk about Heaven’s inhabitants-us!-and what we will be like.

Ending note

Prayer
Dear Jesus, we thank You that we will be able to spend all eternity with You and with our loved ones who have received You, that we will never be apart. We will never be alone, and with each passing day we will grow to know You more and more, and see You more clearly and understand You more deeply. Amen.

Class 8B: Eternal Salvation

Section 1: Eternal Salvation by Grace

Salvation-Eternity in Heaven with the God of love
The greatest gift of love that God has given us is Jesus! Jesus loved us enough to leave His home in Heaven to come to earth with a mission from His Heavenly Father-to live, love, and die for humankind. He left the splendors of Heaven to suffer a cruel death at the hands of cruel men. Why? That we may be saved.
God knows that none of us could be good enough to earn our way to Heaven. It’s only Jesus’ sacrifice in our place that makes it possible for us to obtain salvation, the blessing of spending eternity in Heaven with the loving Creator.

Receiving Jesus guarantees eternal life in Heaven
Romans 6:23b-The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 11:26a-And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.
John 14:3-I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
1 John 5:11b-God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

Jesus has done it for us
I remember hearing of a young man who went to a pastor in great distress about his spiritual state.
He said to the minister, “Sir, can you tell me what I must do to find peace?”
The minister replied, “Young man, you are too late.”
“Oh,” said the young man, “You don’t mean to say I am too late to be saved?”
“Oh, no,” was the reply, “but you are too late to do something. Jesus did everything that needed to be done twenty centuries ago.”
We can only get saved by receiving Jesus.

We don’t deserve to go to Heaven
We are all sinners, and sin brings about spiritual death; but Jesus died in our place, taking our punishment:
Isaiah 59:2a-But your iniquities have separated you from your God.
Romans 6:23a-For the wages of sin is death.
Romans 5:8-But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21-For He made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for [instead of] us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 John 2:1-2-My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (2) And He Himself is the propitiation [atonement] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Jesus paid for our sins
Two men who had been friends in their youth met years later in the police court of a great city. One sat on the judge’s bench, the other in the prisoner’s dock. Evidence was heard, and the prisoner was found guilty. In consideration of their former friendship, the judge was asked to withhold sentence. “No,” he said, “that cannot be. Justice must be done and the law upheld.” So he gave sentence: “Fifty dollars fine, or fourteen days at hard labor.”
The condemned man had nothing wherewith to pay, so prison was before him. Then the judge, having fulfilled his duty, stepped down beside the prisoner, paid his fine, put his arm about him, and said, “Now, John, you are coming home with me to dinner.”
Not even God can overlook sin. He must be faithful and just. But for us the Judge was crucified! Jesus paid the price for our sins! “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the World!…He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (John 1:29; Isaiah 53:12).

We can only get saved through Jesus
Acts 4:12-Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
John 14:6-Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
John 3:16-For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
1 Timothy 2-5-For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
John 3:36b-And he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
John 8:24b-If you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
John 10:9-I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
1 Corinthians 3:11-For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:12-He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Salvation is simple
Jesus came to try to make salvation as easy as He possibly could! He showed the people that they didn’t have to follow the religious laws and rules and regulations and the Ten Commandments and all the rest. All they had to do was simply confess that they were sinners and needed salvation and ask Jesus to give it to them.
The whole idea is so simple and so childlike that Jesus said you must become as a little child to enter His spiritual Kingdom of love, joy, and happiness here and now in this life-as well as a beautiful, wonderful, and thrilling eternity in His heavenly Kingdom in the next life. He said,
Matthew 18:3-Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
John 3:3-Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Nobody can fully understand salvation
-That’s why Jesus said that you must be like a little child and just accept it by faith! The Bible says that the love and peace of God “passeth all understanding.”
Ephesians 3:19-To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Philippians 4:7-And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
It’s a love that passes your understanding and lands right down in your heart! It is something you don’t have to understand. In fact, you can’t understand it, it’s impossible to understand God’s love!-All you can do is receive it!
Does a baby understand the love of its mother? Does a little child understand the love of its father?-No, he just feels it, knows it, accepts it, and receives it! Even before he understands language, before he even learns to talk, he understands love, he feels love, and he trusts his parents because they love him. He hasn’t read it in the Bible, he hasn’t read love letters from his mother, he simply feels it in her love and sees it in her actions.
So you don’t have to understand all about God to know His wonderful love and salvation in Jesus.-All you have to do is receive it!

Letting go
A traveler upon a lonely road was set upon by bandits who robbed him of everything he had. They then led him into the depths of the forest. There, in the darkness, they tied a rope to the limb of a great tree, and bade him catch hold of the end of it. Swinging him out into the blackness of surrounding space, they told him he was hanging over the brink of a high precipice. The moment he let go he would be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. And then they left him.
He was filled with horror at the awful doom impending. He clutched despairingly to the end of the swaying rope. But each dreadful moment only made his fate more sure. His strength steadily failed. At least he could hold on no longer. The end had come. His clenched fingers relaxed their grip. He fell-six inches, to the solid earth at his feet!
It had only been a ruse of the robbers to gain time in escaping. And when he let go it was not to death, but to the safety which had been waiting him through all his time of terror.
Clutching will not save you. It is only the devil’s trick to keep you from being saved. Let go! That is God’s plan to save you. “And will I not fall to my death?” some ask. No! Underneath is Jesus!

Salvation cannot be earned through works; it is a gift
We can’t work for our salvation. It is by grace, a gift of God, and cannot be earned.
Ephesians 2:8-9- For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Titus 3:5a-Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.
Galatians 2:16-Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
2 Timothy 1:9-Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Romans 3:28-Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Romans 11:6-And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Jesus died because we’re all sinners and it is impossible for us to be perfect, it is impossible for us to perfectly keep laws like the Laws of Moses. Only Jesus was perfect and that’s why He could pay the price of our sins and God could forgive us, because He took our punishment for us. He gives us salvation as a gift, because we could never earn it, we could never be perfect. We always make mistakes and commit sins.
God has offered pardon to the guilty. It doesn’t matter how bad you are, how wicked you are, or what you’ve done.-It doesn’t matter to God! If you’ll just confess your sins to Him, ask Him to forgive you and take Jesus into your heart, He’ll save you.

Why following Jesus’ example is not enough
At the close of a Gospel service, an intelligent-looking man came to the minister and said, “I do not see any necessity for the Blood of Christ in my salvation. I can be saved without believing in His shed Blood.”
“Very well,” said the minister. “How then do you propose to be saved?”
“By following His example,” was the answer. “That is enough for any man.”
“I suppose it is,” said the minister. “And you propose to do just that in your life?”
“I do, and I am sure that is enough.”
“Very well, I am sure that you want to be following right. The Word of God tells us how to do that. I read here concerning Christ, ‘Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.’ I suppose that you can say that of yourself too?” (1 Peter 2:22).
The man became visibly embarrassed. “Well,” he said, “I cannot say that exactly. I have sometimes sinned.”
“In that case you do not need an example, but a Savior; and the only way of salvation is by His shed blood.”

We can’t be good enough
Romans 3:23-For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Mark 10:26-27-And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”(27) But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
If we were good enough to be saved, we wouldn’t need Jesus. But we have all sinned, we all come short of God’s standards, we all need His love and mercy to be saved, and we find that love and mercy in Jesus Christ!
We cannot save ourselves by our own works, our own goodness, our own attempts to keep His laws and to love Him, or even our own endeavors to find and follow His truth! Salvation is a gift of God performed by a miraculous transformation of our lives when we accept His truth in the love of His Son Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Mercy, not justice
A mother sought from Napoleon the pardon of her son. The emperor said it was the man’s second offence, and justice demanded his death.
‘I don’t ask for justice,’ said the mother, ‘I plead for mercy.’
‘But,’ said the emperor, ‘he does not deserve mercy.’
‘Sir,’ cried the mother, ‘it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask.’
‘Well, then,’ said the emperor, ‘I will have mercy,’ And her son was saved.
This little incident gives us a good idea of the meaning of mercy. We think of clemency as another word for mercy, but mercy is the ‘gracious attitude of one who sits in the seat of authority toward one who has given offence by breaking of the law, or by some violation of those canons of conduct which constitute offence.’ This is at least part of its meaning.
Grace is the unmerited favor of God toward the undeserving. Grace bestows what we do not deserve; mercy does not mete out to us what we deserve.
(Exodus 34:6-7; Micah 6:8; Hebrews 4:16)

Even if you could keep the Mosaic Law, it wouldn’t save you

The Mosaic Law was a legal code that God gave Moses. It was a strict code of justice and retribution:
Exodus 24:12-Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
Exodus 21:23-25-But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, (24) eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (25) burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Hebrew 10:28-Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

The Ten Commandments were not merely “helpful moral guidelines,” but strict laws carrying the death penalty
Galatians 4:21-Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
Deuteronomy 27:26-Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law.
Galatians 3:19-What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed [Jesus] should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
Galatians 3:23-But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
What is more, the ten commandments were only the beginning; Moses’ law contained hundreds of other commandments!
Punishment was very severe in those days. There were 23 crimes for which you could be put to death. God was trying to show His people that He really meant business, that He really didn’t want them to misbehave. You could get stoned to death even for cursing your father or mother. You could get stoned to death for all kinds of things. That was a very terrible way to die, but the reason for it was as a deterrent of crime and disobedience and sin.

The Ten Commandments, with death penalty for breaking them.

Exodus 20:2-3-(1) You shall have no other gods before Me. [Death penalty: Exodus 22:20; Deuteronomy13:1-18.]
Exodus 20:4-5-(2) You shall not make yourself a carved image. [Death penalty same as (1). See also Leviticus 26:1,30; Deuteronomy 4:23-26.]
Exodus 20:7-(3) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. [Death penalty: Leviticus 24:10-16.]
Exodus 20:8-10-(4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [Death penalty: Exodus 31:14-15; 35:2.]
Exodus 20:12-(5) Honor your father and your mother. [Death penalty: Exodus 21:15,17; Leviticus 20:9; Deuteronomy 21:18-21.]
Exodus 20:13-(6) You shall not murder. [Death penalty: Exodus 21:12; Leviticus 24:17,21; Numbers 35:16-31.]
Exodus 20:14-(7) You shall not commit adultery. [Death penalty: Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22.]
Exodus 20:15-(8) You shall not steal. [Punishment: Exodus 22:7; Proverbs 6:30; death penalty: Exodus 21:16.]
Exodus 20:16-(9) You shall not bear false witness. [Punishment and/or death penalty: Deuteronomy 19:16-21.]
Exodus 20:17-(10) You shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor’s.

Scrupulously keeping the Mosaic Law never saved anyone
Romans 3:20-Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 9:31-But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
Hebrews 7:19-For the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
In the beginning, God created man to freely and willingly choose to love and obey Him as His thankful children. He really preferred the whole thing by grace and faith to begin with and there were very few rules, very few laws, everything was to be done voluntarily out of love.-That was His original plan.
But as man became more and more disobedient and wicked, God had to give him more and more laws and rules and regulations. These laws were not made for the righteous person, because the righteous person doesn’t harm or do wrong to his neighbor, but they were made for the wrongdoers, the evil people, the wicked.
The Laws were given for the people who do not have love, who do evil, unloving, harmful things. The Bible says that:
1 Timothy 1:9-Knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers.
What do you have to do with a wild animal, a ravenous beast that might bite you or destroy you?-You have to either put him in a cage or kill him. Evil men are like wild animals. Look at the atrocities and cruelties that you hear of people committing nowadays.-Even wild animals don’t commit some of the atrocities you hear about!
Because man didn’t follow grace and faith and love, God had to crack down with the rules, the cage of the law for the transgressors. But the rules couldn’t save man, they only showed him where he was wrong. (See Romans 3:20 above.)
In fact, it is impossible for anyone to be good according to the Law of Moses. The Mosaic Law makes every one of us a sinner, because not one of us can keep all the law!

The Lamb takes away sin
John the Baptist publicly identified Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, 36). This calls to mind the Old Testament sacrificial system. In the sacrifice God accepted the blood of animals as the means of atonement for sin. It is likely that John had many themes from the Old Testament in mind when he called Jesus the Lamb of God. These themes probably included the sin offering (Leviticus 4), the trespass offering (Leviticus 5), the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), and the Passover sacrifice (Exodus 12).
Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb Who was killed for our sake. As it says in Isaiah 53:12b, “He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

The Old Law was merely a copy, a shadow, of the real thing
Colossians 2:16-17-So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, (17) which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Hebrews 8:5-Who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Hebrews 9:8-9-The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. (9) It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience.
Hebrews 10:1-For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.
I John 2:8-Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

Jesus’ death ended the Mosaic Law and ushered in the era of grace
The Mosaic Law was impossible to keep
This showed man he was a sinner in need of grace. The old law was unprofitable and eventually to be replaced.
John 7:19-Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?
Acts 15:10-Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Romans 3:19-Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Romans 8:3-For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.

Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled and ended the law
The old Mosaic Law is now discarded (for believers in Jesus):
John 19:30-So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Romans 10:4-For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Colossians 2:14-Having wiped out [the slate completely clean of] the handwriting of requirements [the law] that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Hebrews 8:13-In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first [covenant] obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 10:9-Then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first [law] that He may establish the second.
Hebrews 8:6-But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
The law was only our teacher, our instructor or “schoolmaster” to show us that we’re sinners, to bring us to God for mercy, and to show us His absolute perfection and perfect righteousness which was impossible for us to attain:
Galatians 3:24-25-Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (25) But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

The saved are no longer bound by the rigid Mosaic Law
Jesus has liberated us from the Mosaic Law, in its place, giving us His laws of loving God and loving our neighbor.
Romans 7:4-Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another-to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
Romans 6:14b-You are not under law but under grace.
Romans 8:1-2-There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
The Lord far prefers that we willingly and cheerfully do what He asks with the right loving motivation, because we want to do what’s right and because we love Him and others, rather than just because we have to obey because it’s the law or because of fear of punishment or fear of judgment, etc.
In fact, God would have preferred to have trusted His people with more freedom if they had been more humble and honest and had more love, consideration, unselfishness, thoughtfulnes, and real concern for others-not wanting to hurt anybody and just wanting to help everybody. But usually He hasn’t been able to because most people just aren’t that unselfish or loving or thoughtful.
Freedom is God’s ideal, His ultimate, His plan from the beginning! And it’s almost like He’s been trying to bring His people step-by-step out of bondage towards this goal through the ages.
He brought the Jews out of their slavery in Egypt, but then they were in bondage to the harsh and rigid rules of Moses-the Law.
Then along came Jesus with His grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, and truth-our salvation:
John 1:17-For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath
Jesus came and showed us that salvation and true righteousness are not by works, but by grace!-That “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”-There is the example of when the disciples picked corn on the Sabbath day, and another time He healed on the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

What is the Sabbath?
The Sabbath is one day in seven set aside as a time for rest and worship. Jews observe this on the seventh day of the week, Saturday. Christians who observe the Sabbath usually do so on Sunday.
God originally set the seventh day aside for a day of rest in the story of Creation:
Genesis 2:2-3-And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. (3) Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
The fourth Commandment is “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” All work except acts of mercy, necessity, and worship were forbidden on the Sabbath. However, during the period between the Old and New Testaments, Jewish religious leaders added greatly to the details of Sabbath legislation, which made the law a burden rather than a rest and delight as God had intended.

Jesus breaks the sabbath law
Mark 2:23-28-Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. (24) And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” (25) But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: (26) “how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?” (27) And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. (28) “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
Mark 3:1-5-And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. (2) So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. (3) And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” (4) Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. (5) And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
(See also Matthew 12:1-14.)

The end of the old Law
Matthew 5:17-Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
By fulfilling the Law, Jesus ended it; therefore we (saved Christians) are no longer required to keep the Laws of Moses of the Old Testament.
Romans 10:4-For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
The death of Jesus marked the end of the Law, the end of the Old Testament.
testament or a contract was often sealed with the testator’s blood. They would sometimes prick their finger and sign their name in blood as proof that they really meant business. When Jesus shed His blood, He was in a sense signing His name to the covenant in His own blood. This was the new contract.
God’s grace through Jesus’ Law of Love is the end of the old law. Paul preached sermon after sermon and wrote letter after letter showing that the old Law was finished, it was done with!-The Mosaic Law is done away with for the Christian who is living under grace and under the Law of Love.
Romans 7:6-But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Galatians 3:13-Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.
This was the most raging controversy between Jesus and the Jews. It was also the most raging controversy between Paul and the legalists, the “concision” as they were known, the converted Jews who said, “Yes, we now believe in Jesus, but we still have to keep all the old Law, we still have to keep the Ten Commandments, the Mosaic Law, the Sabbath, etc.”
There are still many Christians today who are just like those legalistic concision members of the Early Church.-They’re still partly in the dark, they don’t realize that Jesus is enough, that His light is sufficient, that His love is all we need. They’re still preaching the Mosaic Law with one hand while preaching Christ with the other.
But according to Jesus Himself and every book of the New Testament, Christians today are no longer under the Laws of Moses! We are under grace and under love. For us the old Law is gone forever. We now only have the Law of Jesus, God’s only Law-Love!
Galatians 5:14-For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 7:12-Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Romans 13:8-Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
If you have love, you are fulfilling the laws of God.

Only Jesus can save you
Christ’s message was clear, His death was plain, the message of God was very clear throughout the Old and New Testaments-especially the New Testament, but very clear even in the Old Testament. Abraham was the father of the faithful because he was a man of faith, demonstrating that he couldn’t do it himself, he just had to have faith in God.
God’s message is: “Only I can save you, you cannot save yourself!”
In contrast, the message of the “works” religions has always been: “Save yourself! You’re your own god, your own savior. Why depend on another? Save yourself!” This started in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:5)-and man has been trying to save himself by his works ever since.
Sad to say, hundreds of millions of Christians around the world today, in spite of the message of Christ, in spite of the message of His sacrifice on Calvary, in spite of what Jesus did to save us, gave His life and His blood for us, are still being taught by their leaders to try to save themselves. Isn’t that sad?

The two religions
While presenting the Gospel on the street of a California city, we were often interrupted as follows: “Look here! There are hundreds of religions, and the followers of each sect think theirs the only right one. How can poor men like us find out what really is the truth?”
We generally replied something like this: “Hundreds of religions, you say? That’s strange.-I’ve heard of only two.”
“Oh, but you surely know there are more than that?”
“Not at all. I find, I admit, many shades of difference in the opinions of those comprising the two great schools, but after all there are but two. The one covers all who expect salvation by doing. The other, all who have been saved by something done. So you see the whole question is very simple. Can you save yourself, or must you be saved by another? If you can be your own savior, you do not need my message. If you cannot, you’d do well to listen to it.”

You cannot lose your salvation: Once saved, forever saved!
John 6:37-All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
If you have Jesus, then you have eternal life, and you cannot lose eternal life! You can lose your physical life, but never your eternal life.
Salvation is forever! Once saved, you are always saved, because God cannot lie or go back on His Word or on Himself. God doesn’t change His mind. Once you’ve received Jesus Christ and you’ve let Him into your heart and you love Him and you know Him and you believe on Him as your Savior, you are a saved child of God and you’re going to live forever!
Once you are “born again” as His child, you will always be His child. You can’t be unborn!

John 3:36a-He who believes in the Son has everlasting life.
You have salvation right now! Your salvation does not depend on your behavior, or on going to church, or on anything like that. It doesn’t say you’re going to have it, it says you have it right now!-”Has everlasting life!” If you stand in danger of losing it many times, how can you have everlasting life? It’s not everlasting if it only lasts a few minutes, till your next sinful thought or next evil deed.
How can you be saved and unsaved, and then saved and unsaved, 100 times a day? Some say, “Well, I won’t know if I’m going to make it to Heaven until I’m dead and He balances up and measures all my good deeds against my bad deeds. If the good ones outweigh the bad ones, well then maybe I’ll make it.” They never really know when or where they stand or how or if or what! It’s enough to make a nervous wreck out of you! But thank God,

Hebrews 4:3-We who have believed do enter that rest.
We can have rest and peace of mind, knowing that we don’t have to worry about whether we’re good enough or if we’ve been too bad or if we’re going to make it or not, every day wondering whether we’re going to be saved or not. If you could save yourself, the Lord wouldn’t have had to give His life for you.
True, you are more likely to receive His daily blessings upon your life if you conduct yourself in the way that He wants you to, if you do the things that please Him. But you can’t keep yourself saved. Jesus did that once and forever, and His gift is eternal life.
Grace plus faith plus nothing!-That’s salvation! You don’t have to be good to get saved and you don’t have to be good to stay saved! But this does not mean that you can just live as you please once you are saved.

What about sin?
Just because you are saved doesn’t mean that everything you do is right and good! Although your sins won’t result in you losing your salvation, you may lose some of God’s blessings in your life if you walk on the wrong paths.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20-Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (20) For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Romans 6:15-What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
You have a responsibility to live according to God’s Law of Love to the best of your ability. If you disobey that law, you will be sinning. If you commit sins against the Lord and others that are unconfessed, unrepented of, and not made right, you will endure the consequences for them in some way.
As a loving Father, the Lord will try to help you learn from your mistakes and discontinue from taking the wrong paths in life.
Hebrews 12:6-Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.
Just remember, that even if you are disobedient and chastened of the Lord for your sins, once you are saved, you’ll always be saved!

Eternally His
John 3:36 should end all your worries: He who believes in the Son has everlasting life.
He doesn’t keep popping in and out of your heart. He is there all the time. He says,
Matthew 28:20-”Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Hebrews 13:5-Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
John 10:28-And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Not by feelings
Dr. Thomas was a young man Mr. Poole had been talking to night after night, endeavoring to win him to Christ. Nothing he said seemed to cut through the mental fog that blocked the way to a clear understanding of salvation. Finally realizing that the young man’s difficulty was his own inability to “feel” saved, Mr. Poole took a coin, handed it to Dr. Thomas, and asked him to put it in his shirt pocket.
“Do you feel you’ve got it?” Mr. Poole asked.
“No,” replied the young doctor, “I know I have.”
“So,” Mr. Poole continued, “we know we have Christ when we accept Him and believe His Word, without feeling it.”
Dr. Thomas testified later, “When I awoke the next morning my soul was overflowing with joy, and since then I have never doubted that it was on that Saturday night I was born again-converted to God.”

Cleansing for ALL sins
Isaiah 53:6-All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.
No matter what your sins are, if you are sorry, Jesus will forgive you!
1 John 1:7-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.
All sin, A-L-L, all sin! You don’t have to worry about all those different kinds of sins, because you’re going to be forgiven for all your sins: Past, present and future! Because He promised, “the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin!” Praise God!

Justification
A simple way to remember the word “justified” that always stuck with me since I was a boy was when the preacher illustrated how when we’re justified by Jesus’ blood, it’s just-if-I’d never sinned! He cleansed us from all our sins. “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin”-past, present, future. (1John 1:7) Just-if-I’d never sinned, justified. Really it means it makes you just, righteous, saved!

> Review quiz
(Answers with supporting references are below.)

* Questions
1. “Salvation” means that when we receive Jesus, we are guaranteed what?
2. How many people in the world are sinners?
3. We deserve punishment for our sins, but when Jesus died, what was He taking upon Himself?
4. What is the ONLY way we can get saved?
5. Can we get saved by our own good works?
6. If we are a pretty good person, isn’t that enough to get us to Heaven?
7. How do we know that salvation is by grace?
8. What does “by grace” mean?
9. What was the Mosaic Law?
10. What was the penalty for breaking most of the Ten Commandments?
11. Were there only ten commandments?
12. Was it God’s plan that the Mosaic Law was to be maintained for eternity?
13. Did anyone ever get saved by only keeping the Mosaic Law?
14. Is it possible to keep the Mosaic Law in its entirety?
15. What does this show?
16. What did Jesus’ death on the cross do to the old law?
17. Do believers in Jesus need to keep every jot and tittle of the old Mosaic Law?
18. Does that mean that a believer can do anything he chooses?
19. Which is greater: Grace or Law?
20. How long does salvation last?
21. What happens when you sin? Can you lose your salvation?
22. Can you lose Jesus out of your life?
23. What sins does Jesus forgive you for when you repent?

Questions with answers:
1. “Salvation” means that when we receive Jesus, we are guaranteed what?
(Answer: Eternal life in Heaven.) Romans 6:23b; John 11:26; 1 John 5:11.
2. How many people in the world are sinners? (Answer: Everyone!) Romans 3:23.
3. We deserve punishment for our sins, but when Jesus died, what was He taking upon Himself?
(Answer: Our punishment; He died in our place.) Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 1:9.
4. What is the ONLY way we can get saved? (Answer: By receiving Jesus.) Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; John 3:16.
5. Can we get saved by our own good works? (Answer: No.) Romans 3:20a; Galatians 2:16.
6. If we are a pretty good person, isn’t that enough to get us to Heaven? (Answer: No.) 2 Timothy 1:9.
7. How do we know that salvation is by grace? (Answer: The Bible tells us so.) Romans 3:28; Ephesians 2:8-9.
8. What does “by grace” mean? (Answer: It is a gift, not something we worked for.) Titus 3:5a.
9. What was the Mosaic Law? (Answer: A legal code that God gave Moses on Mt. Sinai.) Exodus 24:12.
10. What was the penalty for breaking most of the Ten Commandments? (Answer: In most cases, death was the penalty, which shows that the Ten Commandments were not merely “helpful moral guidelines,” but strict laws.)
11. Were there only ten commandments? (Answer: No; Moses’ law contained hundreds of other commandments.) Deuteronomy 27:26; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 9:10.
12. Was it God’s plan that the Mosaic Law was to be maintained for eternity? (Answer: No. It was a mere shadow of the real thing.) Colossians 2:16-17; Genesis 8:5; Hebrews 10:1.
13. Did anyone ever get saved by only keeping the Mosaic Law? (Answer: No.) Romans 3:20, 9:31; Hebrews 7:19.
14. Is it possible to keep the Mosaic Law in its entirety? (Answer: No.) John 7:19; Acts 15:10; Romans 7:14-19.
15. What does this show? (Answer: That man is a sinner in need of grace.) Romans 3:20b, 7:7; Galatians 3:24.
16. What did Jesus’ death on the cross do to the old law? (Answer: It fulfilled and ended the law.) Matthew 5:17; John 19:30; Romans 10:4; Colossians 2:14.
17. Do believers in Jesus need to keep every jot and tittle of the old Mosaic Law? (Answer: No.) Hebrews 8:6,13, 10:9.
18. Does that mean that a believer can do anything he chooses? (Answer: No. Jesus has liberated us from the Mosaic Law but expects us to keep the two Great Commandments: love God; love others.) Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 7:4, 10:4.
19. Which is greater: Grace or Law? (Answer: Grace.) Mark 2:23-28, 3:1-5; Matthew 5:17.
20. How long does salvation last? (Answer: Forever!) John 6:37, 3:36; Hebrews 4:3.
21. What happens when you sin? Can you lose your salvation? (Answer: No, you will be chastened, but you cannot lose your salvation. Once saved, always saved!) Hebrews 12:6.
22. Can you lose Jesus out of your life? (Answer: No, He is with you always.) Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5; John 10:28.
23. What sins does Jesus forgive you for when you repent? (Answer: Everything!! All sins!) Isaiah 53:6; 1 John 1:7.

Section 2: Communion

What is Communion?
1 Corinthians 11:23-26-For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; (24) and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (25) In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” (26) For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
What is Communion? It’s a witness to others that you believe what His Word says. The bread symbolizes the body of Jesus. The wine symbolizes His blood.

The Last Supper
Luke 22:7-20-Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. (8) And He sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat.” (9) So they said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare?” (10) And He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. (11) Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”‘ (12) Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.” (13) So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. (14) When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. (15) Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; (16) for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” (17) Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; (18) for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” (19) And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (20) Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

The meaning of the bread: 1) Jesus’ body was broken for our healing and 2) one loaf symbolizes unity
Jesus’ body was broken for us for the healing of our bodies. When we partake of the bread we can claim healing.
Isaiah 53:5-But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
The bread doesn’t heal any more than the wine saves your soul, but partaking of it is a manifestation of your faith. It’s a witness. The bread represents His body that was broken for us, and if we eat it by faith we can claim healing by faith.

There’s nothing wrong with chewing it, swallowing it, eating it like you would food. He said, “Take, eat, this My body.”

It’s best to use one piece or loaf of bread (at Communion) as this demonstrates our unity. One piece represents His Body that was broken, and when we all eat of it, it is going to become a part of each of us. In other words, we’re all becoming part of the One.

The meaning of the wine: the blood, shed for our salvation and forgiveness of sins
After the same manner Jesus took the cup. The wine symbolizes Jesus’ blood, shed for the remission of our sins, for the salvation of our souls.
Matthew 26:28-For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
I John 1:7-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.

Showing Jesus you love Him
Communion is a precious illustration that the Lord gives us. “As often as you do it, you do it in remembrance of Me,” He said.-And what else? “You do show the Lord’s death.”
In other words, it’s showing you love Him, you appreciate what He’s done for you, you’re doing it in remembrance and thanks for what He has done for your body and your spirit, and you’re also witnessing to others what He has done for you at the same time. It is both a thanksgiving and a witness.

Don’t ever forget the resurrection when we’re speaking of the death. The death was for a resurrection, and if it hadn’t been for the resurrection, all the rest of it wouldn’t have been enough.
1 Corinthians 15:14-And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
-But thank God He is risen!

How often to hold Communion
Jesus didn’t say just how often you had to have Communion, He said as often as you would you’re remembering Him and you’re a witness for Him. So do it as often as you feel led.
It doesn’t have to be any place special.
It doesn’t have to be elaborate, it can be very simple-use whatever you have. Although it’s best to use one loaf or piece of bread and wine, some people have had to use bread and water, or crackers and coffee, etc., when nothing else was available.

Sample Communion ceremony

Prayer for the bread
Pray for the bread. Following is a sample prayer:
Thank You Lord for this bread that symbolizes Your body broken for us. You said, “Take, eat, for this is My body which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of Me.” We remember that Your body was broken for us and we thank You for it. Strengthen each of us here and give Your healing to those who need it. Amen.

Pass the bread

Each one should break off a small piece. They should retain their portion until all have been served, as that best illustrates the meaning of unity, if all eat it at the same time.
Everyone should now eat his or her piece of bread

Prayer for the wine
Pray for the wine. Following is a sample prayer:
We thank You, Jesus, for this cup that symbolizes Your death on the cross. Your body was broken many times even before You got to the cross. You suffered such agony for us, and then You shed Your blood unto the death that we might live. We thank You, Lord, for shedding Your blood for our sins. Please do cleanse each of us and forgive us for all of our shortcomings, errors, and sins. As we drink this wine, we thank You by faith for the forgiveness of our sins that You have promised. Amen.
Pass the cup of wine

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