"The Present and Future Persecution" - #358

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Welcome to the new readers of this message!  Here is your Devotion, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the Word of the Week, a faith-builder from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained," and the Quotes of the Week.  Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason Gastrich

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JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"The Present and Future Persecution"

Joshua 25:14, 15  "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt.  Serve the LORD!  And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Daniel 3:16-18  "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

Daniel 11:33-37  "And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering.  Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue.  And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.  Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.  He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all."

Matthew 10:16-20  "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

Matthew 13:20, 21  "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles."

Insight: Will you be ready when persecution hits you?  Get ready now.  Be prepared to lay everything on the line for Jesus Christ.  Don't reject your Savior.  Be determined to stay strong no matter what.  In the future, people will face tremendous persecution for their faith in Christ.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, thanks for loving us so much.  Thank you for warning us about the persecution that is to come.  Remove our fears and worries.  Help us to stand strong and be faithful.  Increase our love for You and for others.  Prepare our hearts for what is to come.  Let us see You as You really are and refuse to reject You; at any cost.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

Continental Congress September 6, 1774, made their first official act a call for prayer, as recorded in the Journals of the Continental Congress, after just receiving the news that the British troops had attacked Boston:

"Tuesday, September 6, 1774.  Resolved, That the Rev. Mr. Duche' be desired to open the Congress tomorrow morning with prayers, at the Carpenter's Hall, at 9 o'clock."  - September 6, 1774.  The Journals of the Continental Congress 1774-1789 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1905), Vol. I, p. 26.  David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), p. 100.

The 35th Psalm, the Psalter for the Seventh day of September, was read by Rev. Mr. Duche' in the first Continental Congress.  It begins:

"Plead my cause, Oh, Lord, with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me.  Take hold of buckler and shield, and rise up for my help.  Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'  Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;  Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me."  - September 7, 1774, Rev. Mr. Duche' reading Psalm 35.  "Our Christian Heritage," Letter from Plymouth Rock (Marlborough, NH: The Plymouth Rock Foundation), p. 2-3.  Catherine Millard, The Rewriting of America's History (Camp Hill, PA: Horizon House Publishers, 1991), p. 249.

The Library of Congress, from the collected reports of the various patriots, records on a famous historical placard the effect of that first prayer upon Congress:

"Washington was kneeling there, and Henry, Randolph, Rutledge, Lee, and Jay, and by their side there stood, bowed in reverence, the Puritan Patriots of New England, who at that moment had reason to believe that an armed soldiery was wasting their humble households.  It was believed that Boston had been bombarded and destroyed.

"They prayed fervently 'for America, for Congress, for the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and especially for the town of Boston,' and who can realize the emotion with which they turned imploringly to Heaven for Divine interposition and - 'It was enough' says Mr. Adams, 'to melt a heart of stone.  I saw the tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave, Pacific Quakers of Philadelphia.'"  - September 7, 1774.  First Prayer in Congress - Beautiful Reminiscence (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress).  Gary DeMar, God and Government - A Biblical and Historical Study (Atlanta, GA: American Vision Press, 1982), Vol. I, p. 108.  John S. C. Abbot, George Washington (NY: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1875, 1917), p. 187.  David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), p. 101-102.

Continental Congress September 1774, passed the Articles of Association, as recorded by the Secretary of Congress, Charles Thomson, in the Journals of Congress.  It stated:

"Article X That the late Act of Parliament for establishing... the French Laws in that extensive country now called Quebec, is dangerous in an extreme degree to the Protestant Religion and to the civil rights and liberties of all America; and therefore as men and protestant Christians, we are indispensably obliged to take all proper measures for our security."  - September 1774, article 10 of the Articles of Association.  Catherine Millard, The Rewriting of America's History (Camp Hill, PA: Horizon House Publishers, 1991), pp. 77-78.

Continental Congress June 12, 1775, less than two months after "the shot heart 'round the world" was fired at Concord, issued a call for all citizens to fast and pray and confess their sin that the Lord God might bless the land:

"And it is recommended to Christians, of all denominations, to assemble for public worship, and to abstain from servile labour and recreations on said day."  - June 12, 1775.  The Journals of the Continental Congress 1774-1789 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1905), Vol. II, p. 87.  "Our Christian Heritage," Letter from Plymouth Rock (Marlborough, NH: The Plymouth Rock Foundation), p. 3.  David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), p. 98.

Continental Congress May 16, 1776, appointed a day of fasting and prayer for the colonies:

"The Congress.... Desirous... to have people of all ranks and degrees duly impressed with a solemn sense of God's superintending providence, and of their duty, devoutly to rely... on his aid and direction...

"Do earnestly recommend Friday, the 17th day of May be observed by the colonies as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that we may, with united hearts, confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease God's righteous displeasure, and, though the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain this pardon and forgiveness."  - May 16, 1776.  The Journals of the Continental Congress 1774-1789 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1905), Vol. IV, pp. 208-209.  David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), p. 103.  "Our Christian Heritage," Letter from Plymouth Rock (Marlborough, NH: The Plymouth Rock Foundation), p. 3.  Journal of Congress, Vol. II, p. 93.  Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, Oregon: American Heritage Ministries, 1987), p. 287-288.

A Moment of Introspection

The law of the land doesn't necessarily agree with God's law.  Many cities and countries have laws that contradict the scriptures.  If you are to obey God, it can mean occasionally breaking society norms or even laws in order to obey God.  Now, this doesn't mean that we should abuse this command and act foolishly.  It means that we should listen to God's Spirit and carefully obey God in every area; no matter what.

Have a plan on how you will deal with your upcoming persecution.

The scriptures tell us that persecution is coming.  If you don't make a pact and a promise with God to remain faithful to Him at all costs, then how will you be able to stay faithful to Him when persecution strikes?  Take time now, while you are safe, to promise the Lord that you will obey Him at all costs.

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

deeogmos (See Matthew 13:21, Greek): persecution

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 9:7 - "Be ye fruitful, and multiply." With 6 billion people on this planet, we need to disobey God on this one.

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:

This was a commandment to the first, post-flood generation.  When we read the Bible, we must take it in context and consider whether or not a specific command was for a specific people or for everyone.  For instance, you wouldn't apply the laws for Old Testament priests to New Testament teachers.  This wouldn't make sense.  In the same way, consider the audience and the circumstances in Genesis 9:7.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and explains over 3,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek was given before the biblical law regarding tithing was even recorded.

You want your finances blessed by God; not just your hard work.  Make sure you give your tithes and offerings to Him and understand that He entrusted you with all you have.

You give to God through giving to others.

You serve God by serving others.

All of your life, you'll have chances to cut corners in your relationship with God.  Don't do it.

Implement guidelines in your life to keep yourself pure.

A mature Christian hears and obeys God.

The people who say yes to God are the people you see getting blessed.

You can do religious things without faith and you won't be blessed.

Having certain kinds of fun, even for free, can be costly and wrong.

When God gives you an opportunity to reject temptation and choose freedom, remember that He has given you the power to say no and be free.

If the only time you see Christians is at church, then you'll suffer throughout the week.

These quotes came from God, me, and Miles McPhearson.

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