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DAYS of FAITH-BUILDING
TOGETHER
Week 4
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February 24 Sunday |
According to a report in the Dallas Morning News (March 17, 2004), Christian teens are stealing Jesus music. Christian music is huge in the U.S. It is ahead of classical and jazz music combined. Christian artists sold 68 CDs for every 100 in country music. According to the Gospel Music Association, Christian teens are downloading music and burning CDs at nearly the same rate as non-Christians are doing to secular music. Why is this happening?
The report gave the following as possible reasons:
1. Christian leaders do not have clear standards when it comes to this form of stealing. Some of them reflect this fuzziness when they say: “Isn’t getting the Gospel out more important than getting paid (referring to the salaries of Christian singers/composers)? How can it be wrong when it saves souls?” Someone reacting to this logic says, “You would never steal Bibles to give them away. You shouldn’t steal Christian music to give away either.” |
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Discipleship
Discipleship and Theft
Read:
Ephesians 4:28 Leviticus 19:11 Titus 2:9-10
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2. Christian artists are “supposed” to turn the other cheek. They don’t want to sue anyone. “And nobody really has the will to do (to sue) it.” 3. Many Christian teens simply don’t think they’re stealing – they are even burning CDs to give away to friends as gifts. 4. It is so easy and quick. Almost everyone has the right equipment. 5. Some think this is a really cheap way to witness. “They go out and buy a CD, then burn several copies to give away.” 6. They think that because it is so readily available on the Internet, it is not stealing. 7. George Barna’s research reveals: only 10% of Christian teens consider music piracy to be morally wrong. Of these, 64% have engaged in downloading or CD burning anyway – virtually the same percentage as non-Christians.
This illegal downloading and stealing is hurting sales and the Christian Music industry as a whole. In 2003, sales of Christian albums fell by 5.2% to just over 47 million. Major labels cut their workforce by 10%. One CEO blames these statistics on the economy, illegal downloads and CD burning.
As a parent myself, I am aware that music plays a very significant role in the lives of my children. Jean and I have always made it our policy never to copy a song or software we did not pay for. Neither do we “share” our music or software with others. We have always considered these practices as an infringement of the copyright laws. With the advent of the Internet and the ease with which one can share files, we are entering a new era. Let me encourage you to think through these issues seriously. Let me urge you to consider that swapping files of copyrighted music and movies over the internet is the 21st century’s version of highway/daylight robbery. This is no laughing matter. If we allow this form of stealing to go on, we will be hurting our children and ourselves.
What has been done and what we can do about it:
1. Warning labels about copyright laws are appearing on CDs – the “do unto others” strategy. 2. Educate our young people. 3. We must educate our mothers and fathers. Either they don’t know it is wrong or they think it’s just something all kids do, or they do know and they think, “What’s the harm?” Ignorance in this case is not bliss.
Ephesians 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.
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Spiritual Nugget
Prayer throws faith on God and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. 13"And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14"If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it [nasb].
John 14:12-14
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Monday |
As parents we all have encountered the “Why” question from our kids many times. Their whys seem inexhaustible. I don’t remember the whys of my two grown children – it’s been too long. But I do remember my grandson Landon who is four and a half asking me why is the sun in the center of the universe and the other planets rotating around it? To be honest I didn’t know the answer then, and more honest, I hadn’t taken the time to find out so I can tell him the next time. I’d better do it too!
Our Lord Jesus Christ knows the human heart and the importance of heart motives. He constantly drove both His followers and opponents to go beyond the pragmatic elements of what to the more important elements of purpose and intent. To Jesus the why mattered because it moved past the act to the issue of heart motive behind it. Take a look at some examples of His pursuit of the motives behind the deeds:
· “And why do you worry about clothing?” (Matthew 6:28). · “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). · “[O] you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). · “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). · “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
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Ministry
The Why of Ministry
Read:
2 Corinthians 5:14-15; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
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Beyond the motives of God the Father and God the Son relative to the redemptive work, there is another significant “why” question: Why do we do ministry? What drives us, what compels us, what motivates us? Paul’s response is profound and simple; he summarizes it nicely in 1 Timothy 1:5, saying
“The goal …. is love ….”
Are we doing ministry out of our love for Christ or for ourselves?
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Spiritual Nugget
Jesus asked, "… when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
Luke 18:8b
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February 26 Tuesday |
In the fall last year, the Chinese churches in the Triangle area held a joint evangelistic meeting. Some considered it a rather untraditional concert; others thought it was an evening of nostalgia singing old songs in new ways; still others treated it as a social gathering of the Chinese community. Though I was serving in China and did not go to the meeting that day, I am sure that, to those who truly made a commitment to accept Christ, that meeting was a blessing specially arranged for them.
During these few days of vacation, my family and I listened to the tape of that meeting again. To my surprise, my future son-in-law who is an American born Chinese was able to sing the whole song: “The moon represents my heart…you ask me how much I love you? You go and look, you go and ask, the moon represents my heart,…” Naturally my daughter fell in love with this song too. Of course, the feeling is different when someone is singing specially to you.
Is there anyone around us who will have pleasant memories if |
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Evangelism
Always Be Prepared to Give an Answer to Everyone Who Asks You
Read:
1 Peter 3:15 Matthew 10:32-33 1 Peter 1:12 |
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you do something special for him or her? Is there love in our environment? Do we have fellowship with one another? Do we care about the people of the world? Do we truly believe that those who have not yet believed in Jesus are suffering in sin? Can we express our hope in our lives so that others will envy us and ask us for the reason? Are we prepared to share the reason for our hope? Do we have the gentleness so that others would dare to ask? Do we have the reverence to offer this willingness to serve to the Lord? If we are always prepared to work with God, we are blessed.
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Spiritual Nugget
We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb – His child forever I am.(1)
(1)Redeemed by Fanny J. Crosby
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February 27 Wednesday |
Worship starts with a relationship – a God-man, a Lord-servant and Savior-redeemed relationship. This relationship must be cultivated in God’s way. The fourth commandment specifically instructs us on the way to maintain this relationship with Him. We are to keep the seventh day holy to honor God because God rested on the seventh day. To keep holy is to set it apart for God from our usual work, or daily work, which belongs to this temporal life. In Hebrew the word used for “rest” has an emphasis on the idea of “relaxing”, or resting peacefully. We are to re-focus ourselves and relax from a busy schedule on the seventh day to worship God, to rest in Him.
In the New Testament era, the Sabbath has been replaced by the first day of the week to commemorate and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The focus is shifted from creation work to redemption work. Yet the emphasis is still the same; our dedication remains: that is to set apart the seventh day (after six days of work) to honor God.
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Worship
Worshipping God Regularly
Read:
Exodus 20:8 Acts 20:7
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When we observe the seventh day of rest principle, God is pleased. A man by the name of Truett Cathy is the founder of the second largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States. All his chain restaurants are closed on Sunday without exception. He set apart Sunday to honor God. God has blessed him because of his obedience.
Today, as we come to worship God on Sunday, do we set apart that day to rest in God and worship Him? For those who are actively serving God on Sunday, sometimes our Sunday schedule is even busier than our weekday activities. While God is pleased when we serve Him, let’s also be reminded that when we are too busy, the busy-ness will affect our attitude and focus in worshipping God.
Relationships need cultivation. God has set apart the seventh day to be a holy day. Let us come to celebrate and rest in Him on Sunday.
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Spiritual Nugget
We live (walk) by faith (believing) not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
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February 28 Thursday |
The church is an organization with members that share and care for each other. Apostle John points out in 1 John that Christians must first have an intimate relationship with God before establishing relationships with each other. The relationship with God is vertical, while the relationship with others is horizontal. One must be cognizant of several aspects while interacting with others and coworkers.
1) Accepting each other: Everyone is uniquely created by God, with individual qualities, preferences, outlook, and ways. Even twins have their differences. Every life is a treasure in God’s eyes. As God through His Son Jesus Christ accepts each member of His own body, we should also accept those who are different from us.
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Fellowship
Interacting with Each Other
Read:
1 John 1:7
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2) Regard for each other: Consider the strengths of others instead of focusing on their weaknesses. At the same time, know our own weaknesses, instead of drawing attention to our own strengths (Philippians 2:3). An attitude of humility is essential in working well with coworkers.
3) Benefiting each other: In Paul’s epistles, he often encouraged Christians to seek the good of others. In Romans chapters 8 and 15, Paul tells me that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” And “nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” (1 Corinthians 10:24, 33;12:7; 13:5).
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Spiritual Nugget
Faith does the impossible because it lets God undertake for us, and nothing is impossible with God.
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February 29 Friday |
We have the choice to live a good or a bad life. We can choose to remain where we are or we can choose to better our environment and our life.
In India, we are told that the top ten health concerns consist of infectious diseases: malaria, polio, dysentery, tuberculosis, typhoid fever and leprosy. If you promise Indian health experts the eradication of their top ten diseases, they can hardly imagine such a paradise. Yet look at what has happened in the U.S. After conquering most of these infectious diseases, we have now substituted new health problems for the old ones, the majority of them stemming from lifestyle choices.
The sexual revolution and liberation of the sixties opened up the floodgates to smoking, drinking, drugs, divorce, abortions, venereal diseases, AIDS, and numerous other health problems. Today’s health concerns in the U.S. are mostly lifestyle-related: heart disease and hypertension related to stress, cancers associated with a toxic environment, AIDS contracted through drug use and sexual activity, sexually transmitted diseases, emphysema and lung cancer caused by cigarette smoking, fetal damage resulting from maternal alcohol and drug abuse, diabetes and other diet-related disorders, violent crime, automobile accidents involving alcohol. This trend started in the 1980’s and nothing has changed since then. Studies at the Jimmy Carter center in Atlanta show that two-thirds of deaths prior to age sixty-five can be traced to the very same list of lifestyle choices. |
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Discipleship
Discipleship and the Good Life
Read:
James 3:13-18
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It is so disheartening to meet health-care professionals who choose to smoke away their lives even though they have seen the insides of diseased lungs caused by cancer and smoking. One fact is clear. We do not have the will-power to make the right choices.
What choices are you making today? What lifestyle choices will that be? Are you cultivating the lifestyle choices that are in keeping with the Fruit of the Spirit or are you nurturing the Fruit of the Flesh? The Apostle Paul wants us to make a choice. He says in Galatians 5:19-23 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.” The choice is yours.
The good and abundant life that Jesus offers is available to all. He says, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” Ask Him for the gift and the abundant life.
Comparison of Lifestyles
In the U.S., since 1980, two-thirds of death prior to 65 can be traced to the above health issues. These are lifestyle choices. We bring disorder to our body – subjecting its organs to stresses they were not designed to bear.
Is this life really the “GOOD LIFE?”
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Spiritual Nugget
Faith brings great peace of mind and perfect peace of heart.
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March 1 Saturday |
Warren Wiersbe along with David Wiersbe in their book The Elements of Preaching: The Art of Biblical Preaching Clearly and Simply Presented writes of Eutychus X who tells of this story:
There was a cook who cooked well and his household was nourished and satisfied. One day the cook found a cookbook with many recipes also with tables explaining the nutritional values of various foods and contained many colorful and beautiful pictures of sumptuous dishes. He read and studied the book intently every day while feeding his household leftovers. He became so excited about the menus, charts and pictures that he wanted to share them with his household. There were too many in the household to share the book so he bought a video |
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Ministry
The How of Ministry
Read:
2 Timothy 2:14-26
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projector and thus enable everyone to benefit from the wealth of material contained in the book.
His household soon became engrossed in the charts and pictures and began to bring pencils and paper to the table instead of knives and forks. But by then all the leftovers were gone and the cook was too engrossed to prepare any new meals. The household squandered their time doing nothing but discussing the book.
Soon the household became weak and thin looking. The cook himself began to lose weight such that he was unable to carry the projector to the dining room. “I will cook a dish that I used to make,” he said to himself. And he did. As the aroma of the meal permeated the house, the family gathered at the table as before, but this time they came with knives and forks. Soon it was like old times again, as they ate and were nourished. The cook had great joy as he saw the family gain weight and grow in strength.
And he said to himself, “Yea, this may be a fine book, but it is no substitute for a good meal. My household cannot thrive on menus, recipes, pictures and the nutritional values of the food. I will arise and go to my kitchen and spend my time preparing dishes that will feed my family.
And he did. The cookbook gathered dust on the shelf, while in the bookstores, it was selling like hotcakes
Paul instructed Timothy that in living out his faith, his example as a spiritual leader would find its root in a heart that’s right before God (v. 22). Paul’s point is clear – a necessary ingredient in our “how to” of spiritual ministry is that we ourselves must embrace the faith that we seek to lead people to. Our lives must be able to show the impact of living faith on our lives and hearts if we are to be useful in leading others to share in that faith. Is our life example consistent with what we speak?
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