TUESDAY, 10/7/14 GOSPELS. Matthew 10:21-23 (Page 1040 in the TLASB) “On a Mission!” (By Barry) WORSHIP: Our journey with the Lord is often a battle. Here is a song that gives us hope, in the middle of that! https://youtube/watch?v=2yTEWs_rPUM SCRIPTURE: blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Mat&c=10&t=NLT#s=939021 What’s your mission? You might remember that we are in the middle of a passage in which Jesus is sending his original apostles out on a mission. He has had a lot of things to tell them, and today’s words are intense. We are on a mission, too. And we need to understand that it was never God’s intention for things to be comfortable and easy. There is a battle going on, and God’s desire is for you to win the battle, rather than for you to have a soft, easy life. Read His words carefully in this passage. Jesus is saying that there will be times that, because of people following Him, there will be hatred, violence, and even death. He is clearly saying that a walk with Him is NOT A GAME, right? Let me tell you a couple stories… Asia Bibi is a Christian who lives in Pakistan. She is the mother of five children, and she was arrested and charged with blasphemy. What exactly did she do? Well, after picking berries in 100-degree heat, she was thirsty and drank water out of a public well. Local Muslim women blamed her for “defiling” the well and the conversation soon erupted into a dispute about Jesus and Muhammad. She was arrested, charged, and sentenced to death by hanging-all for being a Christian, and drinking from a well! Lots of people all over the world found out about her situation, and she has not yet been put to death. However, she remains in solitary confinement and one Pakistani leader has advertised a $10,000 reward for anyone who kills her! Crazy, huh? We aren’t finished. Let’s look at a story from Bangladesh. Two young men had been showing a movie about Jesus, and trying to share the Gospel in a place called the Bowalmari District there. Two threats came from the local Islamic school, insisting that they stop showing the movie. The two men decided to take these threats seriously. They stopped showing the movie, and were going to move to a different village. Before they could, they were both murdered in cold blood. Yep, for showing a movie about Jesus. It seems there are some Christians who really are on a mission-and they won’t let anything stop them! So let’s look at some thoughts and questions! —1. Is Christianity a “private” thing? Is it something that we keep to ourselves, or is it something we share? —2. How important is it to you to get to know God better? —3. How far are you willing to go in order to (A) follow Jesus, and (B) share the Gospel with people who haven’t met Him? —4. If you knew that you would have to die for your relationship with Jesus, would you still follow Him? —5. How much does it trouble you to hear that following Jesus might result in families violently attacking each other? PRAYER: Ask God to help you see how serious He is about you, and ask Him to cause you to be serious about Him!
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 03:52:05 +0000
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