The Spirit of Apathy

What would you say is the greatest enemy of the Christian faith? Many of us would point to Satan, or to the moral decline of our nation, or to society's influences that diminish the role of God, as our greatest enemies. However, I believe that our most dangerous threat doesn't come from outside the faith. Instead, our greatest enemy is complacency and apathy in the hearts of believers. Apathy is the enemy that is destroying the church.

A man once sat down with a pastor and said, "I'm considering joining your church. I want you to know I don't have time to attend regularly or do any work for the church. My talents are kept busy elsewhere, and I won't give any specific amount of money. The pastor said, "Sir, the church you want to join is down on the corner." The man said, "But there's no church on the corner." The pastor said, "Yes, there is. It's the old First Church." The man said, "But it's been closed for years." The pastor said, "That's the only kind of church that needs your kind of commitment."

The spirit of apathy has to be the most destructive thing I can think of when it comes to our daily lives. It causes us to be depressed, stunts our spiritual growth, and drains our energy. It is one of those things where if we are not careful it can completely take over our lives.

Apathy can affect all areas of a person's life, from the value placed on health, nutrition and exercise, to time spent with family, to cleanliness of the home, to the condition of ones financial state, to ones responsibility to their fellow man, the church and to God Himself. We have become apathetic towards the one person who gave us life, hope and a reason to live. We have forgotten whom we are to be pleasing.

So, what can we do to change this feeling of "church complacency and apathy?" If I may, I would like to offer a couple of suggestions:

First, to avoid living complacent and apathetic spiritual lives, we must make a commitment. As Christians, we must not only make a decision to follow Jesus, we must commit our lives to Him. When a person makes a commitment in the New Testament, it is a fully devoted commitment. We cannot be partially committed, or sort of committed. We are either committed or not committed.

Second, to avoid living complacent and apathetic spiritual lives, we must recapture our zeal for spiritual living. Zeal is an enthusiastic and diligent pursuit of God and His will. We should be so excited and thrilled to be children of God, that we crave and desire to fervently serve Him every day of our lives. Amen! In (Jn. 2:12-25), Jesus became upset with some people who were turning God’s House into a market place, so He drove them all out of the temple courts. He got rid of the sin and corruption that were polluting God’s House. It was Jesus' Zeal for God and spiritual living that motivated Him to cleanse the temple.

I wonder how many of us, after seeing the sin and corruption in the temple courts, would have just walked on by and did nothing? I wonder how many of us would have just ignored the situation because we didn’t have an interest or a desire to deal with it? Just as Jesus was zealous for spiritual living and for the things of God, we must be zealous as well.

Scripture Readings: Acts 5:42; Romans 12:11; Psalm 42:1,2; John 2:17

The Bible says, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

Have a blessed day!

Jennifer

Keep Knocking!

When William Carey had succeeded in establishing his pioneer missionary work in India, his supporters in England sent him an assistant, a Mr. Ward, who was a printer by trade. Soon they were turning out printed portions of the Bible for distribution among the natives. Carey spent many years learning the language and wrote grammars and dictionaries for the use of his successors.

One day while Carey was away from his station, a disastrous fire broke out and completely destroyed the building, the presses, many printed Bibles and, worst of all, the manuscripts, grammars and dictionaries on which Carey had spent so much time.

When Mr. Carey returned, his servants told him of the loss. Without a word of despair or anger he knelt down and thanked God that he had the strength to do the work all over again. He started immediately, not wasting a moment in idle despair and before his death he duplicated his first achievements and produced far better work than he had done formerly.

Thousands, in this world, have lost all—including the very house over their head—and many who know the Lord have gone on, in faith, seeking to serve Him in and through it all. When sudden disaster and loss come to God's people, He again proves His all-sufficiency. Having Him, all else is as rubbish. Let us be completely occupied with Him and His glories.

God encourages us to come to him for our every need. We shouldn't despair if God does not answer our prayers immediately, he will in due time, if we continue to pray. He often hears prayers and grants blessings even "long after" they appear to be unanswered or withheld. He does not promise to give blessings "at once." He promises only that he will do it, or "will answer" prayer.

Why does He often cause us wait? He tries our faith. He might leave us to persevere for months or even years, until we "feel" entirely our dependence on him, until we see that we can obtain the blessing in no other way, and until we are "prepared" to receive it.

Often we aren't prepared to receive it when we ask for it at first. We may be proud, or have no just sense of our dependence, or we would not value the blessing, or it may "at that time" not be best for us to obtain it.

However, all of these blessings our heavenly Father is more than ready to give to every one that asks for them, like an indulgent parent gives food to a hungry child. And this is the advantage of the prayer of faith, that it quiets and establishes the heart in God. We should go to Him again and again, until the prayer is heard, and God grants what we ask of him. (Luke 11:9-10) Perserverance in prayer, and persistence in faith will always get God's attention!

Scripture Readings: 2 Corinthians 6:4; 2 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; Luke 11:8

Let us pray:

Father, You bless those who revere Your name and delight in Your commands. In the midst of inner turmoil or outer conflict I will not be shaken for my heart remains steadfast trusting in You and Your overall plan for my life. I want to remain firmly grounded as I overcome the daily obstacles common to all who live on earth. Help me to learn the valuable lessons along the way as I press on toward the goal for which You have called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Amen.

May God Bless You,

Robyn

Saturday Scriptures with Sahara - Jonah Chapter 4

Jonah is an example of how the character of a good and a great man can be tarnished by anger, and his usefulness impaired. The purpose of this book is to show that God is a merciful and gracious God. Although the wicked city of Nineveh deserved to be crushed immediately, God was patient towards them. A reluctant prophet, Jonah originally ran from God before delivering a message of repentance to the nation of Nineveh. His story suggests the irrationality, the danger, and the injury of anger.

In chapter 4, God deals with Jonah and teaches him about His love and compassion. Unfortunately, when a man feels anger and gives unrestrained expression to it, as Jonah did, his fellowman is not as patient and long suffering as God was and does not always return the soft answer which God returned to the angry and petulant Jonah.

Anger is one of the most common sins, yet one of the most dangerous and harmful to the peace and well-being of man. More than any other sin, it blasts the flower of friendship, turns men out of Eden, destroys peace and concord in the home, incites to crime and violence, and turns love and affection into hatred.

In Psalm 4:1-4, David contrasts the “sons of men” (vs.2) and the “godly” (vs.3). He says that it is characteristic of the godly to “Be ye angry, and sin not.” Thus we ought not to sin as the world does when they become angry, but sin not.

It is not necessarily a sin to be angry. Certainly God does not expect us to rejoice when people do wrong. We must be angry at sin. “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11).

However, when we are angry, we want to make sure that our anger does not venture into sin. So, let us look at a few Bible principles that will help us control our “righteous indignation.”

First, we should not be quick to anger. Many sins committed in the wake of anger are like a hot water geyser. They build up and spew out without any control. It is the anger that causes us to say things that later we wish we had not said. This kind of anger strikes out at others and does not help anyone.
Second, when provoked, think before you become angry. Ask yourself a few simple questions. Is this a situation over which it is worth becoming angry? Am I angry because of this situation, or am I angry because something bad in another part of my life is affecting my judgment? (In other words, am I “kicking the cat”?) Is my getting angry going to affect people in a negative way to hinder good relationships? These are questions that we should ask ourselves when provoked to anger.
Third, when we do get angry, we must control ourselves. No problems have ever been solved by losing control. Loss of control builds problems. Although it is sometimes very difficult, when we become angry, step away from the situation, cool down, and come back and confront the problem in an adult-like fashion.
Finally, we must resolve our anger within the same day it is provoked. A sore left untreated will fester and fester until it becomes infected; it can then cause major complications with serious consequences. Anger is much the same way. If we allow it to continue it will intensify and our anger will become bitterness. Soon it is not simply a small mistake we made which irritates us, but the whole world.

Once more, always remember that anger is one of the most intense emotions God has given to us. However, we can use anger for a good purpose. Let us resolve: (1) not to become angry hastily, (2) to think before we become angry, (3) to control our anger should we become angry, and (4) to resolve our anger before the end of the day. I definitely have not mastered anger. Nevertheless, I still want to learn God’s principles on the subject or on any subject he has! –thanks to Kevin Cauley

For further reading and study:

Ephesians 4:26; James 1:19-20; Proverbs 15:1; Ephesians 4:31-32; Proverbs 14:29; Proverbs 19:11; Proverbs 10:12; Psalm 4:4

Have a blessed day!

Sahara

Bible Study Snacks: Romans 1:18-32

Hi, everyone!

Thank you for joining me again as we continue our journey through the Book of Romans. As always, I sincerely hope that you find these Bible Study Snacks helpful and spiritually enlightening. So far, we have studied Chapter 1, verses 1-17. Before we move on today, I’d like to briefly recap, or review the scripture that we have discussed up to this point...

As is the custom in most of his epistles, Paul begins by extending greetings and offering thanks. Identifying himself as a bond-servant of Christ, he mentions his apostleship and its mission in the gospel of God concerning His Son; to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles (1-6).

Addressing the recipients of his epistle as “all who are beloved in Rome, called as saints,” he extends to them the popular two-fold greeting of that day: “grace” and “peace” (7). He is thankful for their well-know faith and reveals his desire to visit Rome and to proclaim the gospel there (8-13). The motivation behind that desire is his sense of obligation and bold conviction that the gospel is God’s power to save (14-17).

Let’s pray:

Heavenly father, please guide us as we study your Word today; I pray that our hearts and our minds will be open so that we will not only receive your Gospel, but learn from it as well; you are the Light of the world, Lord, and your Spirit will illuminate our path as we journey through your teachings. In the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Today, we will be looking at Romans, Chapter 1:18-32. The main idea is God's wrath against mankind. Take a some time to read these verses if you haven’t already (it will be helpful!)

Paul begins Romans 1:18-32 speaking of God's wrath. Then, builds his case that everyone deserves it. He begins with those who reject God and what He has revealed. We often wonder how God judges someone who has never heard of Jesus? In Romans 1:18-32 Paul answers that question more clearly than it is addressed anywhere else in the Bible. He explains why even those who have never heard of Jesus are guilty before God, deserve His judgment, and need to be rescued.

Study Questions:

1. Read verses 18-19. What meaning do you see in the phrase "the wrath of God is revealed?
2. Whom does Paul mark as deserving that wrath?
3. What reason does Paul give for their deserving God's wrath?
4. From Romans 1:20, identify how and to what extent God has made himself evident to those who haven't heard the gospel.
5. How could intelligent people turn to idolatry?
6. Looking at Romans 1:21-23, make note of how Paul says these people have rejected God and why they are guilty.
7. What does Romans 1:24 give as the consequence of the rejection of what God has revealed?
8. Identify the judgment of Romans 1:26-27 and the results of it.
9. Identify the judgment of Romans 1:28 and the results of it in the verses that follow.
10. Describe the holy opposite of the immoral person depicted in Romans 1:18-32.

After answering the study questions, read Romans 1:18-32 again. Pause and read the question and verse as many times as you feel necessary. You might see something new that you missed the first time around. As we go along in our studies together, I pray that God’s message will continue to come through crystal clear to you! The next time we meet, we will study Romans 2:1-11.

Until next time...may God bless you!

Sheri

Got Creation?

A British astrophysicist known for his theories on the origin and the destiny of the universe was recently honored with one of the world's leading religion prizes. Martin Rees, a 68-year old expert on the extreme physics of black holes and the Big Bang, was the recipient of the 2011 Templeton Prize which is awarded by the John Templeton Foundation.

The $1.6 million award is among the world's most lucrative. Rees, who professes no religious belief, was chosen because of the nature of his research, which he said he invites everyone "to wrestle with the most fundamental questions of our nature and existence," said Dr. John M. Templeton, Jr.

In an interview at a London hotel ahead of the prize announcement, Rees told The Associated Press that he was attracted to "big questions which we can't answer." One of the biggest has been posed by scientists who wonder why it is that the physical laws of the universe seemed perfectly calibrated to support human life. Even a slight tweaking of what scientists call universal constants could so alter the cosmos as to make it inhabitable.

In one of his many books, Ree's argued that the perfect tuning was neither a mere accident nor the act of a benign, or benevolent creator. Instead, he said, "an infinity of other universes may well exist" where the constants are set differently. Some would be too sterile to support life, others too short-lived. Ours happens to be just right.

How important is it that Christians appreciate creation as a miracle? Should we take the Genesis record and the days of creation as symbol, myth, or legend in order to harmonize with science? If we weaken faith in creation as a miracle, what effect does that have on the evidence for the all-wise, all-powerful, true and living God and in Jesus as His Son and in the Bible as His revelation?

Miracles are used throughout the Bible as evidence that God exists, that Jesus' claims were true, and that apostles and prophets were sent by God. This, in turn, constitutes proof that the Bible is the word of God.

This explains why unbelievers, atheists, agnostics, liberals, modernists, skeptics, and believers in evolution continually deny or undermine Bible accounts of miracles. It likewise shows why true believers must recognize and defend Biblical miracles.

There is no denying that creation is a controversial topic. We couldn't even begin to touch on everything that has been written or said about the topic here. I will, however, leave you with some things that you could use in your own personal study of the subject; with your bible study group, or religion class. It is my most sincere hope that you will find these scriptural references helpful and reassuring in your journey with God.

The Bible repeatedly affirms that no one but God could create the universe. Psalm 72:18; Psalm 95:1-7; Isaiah 40:25-28; Nehemiah 9:6; 1 Chronicles 16:25-27; Jeremiah 32:17; Job 38:4-11; Heb. 11:3; Jer. 10:10-12; Psalm 100:3; 86:8-10; Job 9:8-10; Ecc. 11:5; Rom. 11:33-36

Specifically, living things were created supernaturally, not by natural reproduction. Genesis 1:11,12; Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7,21-23;

The Bible uses various descriptions to refer to miraculous works of God. Job 9:8-10; Psalm 139:13,14; Psalm 33:6-9;

Let's Pray:

Holy Father, we praise you and give you glory; we bless you for calling us to be your holy people; remain in our hearts, and guide us in our love and service. Help us to let our light shine before others; and lead them to the way of faith. Holy Father, we praise you now and for ever. Amen.

Bless you!

Paige

Money Can't Buy His Love

Austrian millionaire Karl Rabeder is giving away all of his $4.7-million fortune. He said, "My idea is to have nothing left. Absolutely nothing. Money is counter productive—it prevents happiness to come." He will sell his six gliders, his 42-acre estate in France and his luxury villa in the Alps. He plans to move into a small wooden hut in the mountains or a studio apartment in Innsbruck. In selling everything, he says, he felt free.

I am sure most would agree that the above illustration describes some pretty extreme measures regarding material possessions. The point is that this man obviously has what many think would bring happiness and peace of mind. Yet, for this gentleman, all of his material riches did not bring him the type happiness he seeks.

This brings to mind the story of the rich religious leader who asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. (Luke 18:18-29) After Jesus told him the price he would have to pay, the Bible says he became very sad. We can assume that he could not bring himself to pay the price by giving up all of his material possessions. He was never mentioned again after this.

In 1 John 2:15, John tells us, "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you." The Bible has many references regarding this theme: Material wealth and possessions will not bring you true happiness. Don't get me wrong. God is not denying us his blessings, if we are truly sincere about our faith. When it all starts to go wrong is when we begin to believe in the world more than Him. We see examples of this almost everyday in the media.

You see, it's not all about money, wealth, and fame. As mentioned before, the Bible teaches us this lesson. It is difficult sometimes for us to understand that nothing in this life is really ours. The world deceives us into thinking so. The Greek adjective aphilaguros is defined as without love of money; or not loving money; without covetousness. Having faith in Jesus Christ doesn't cost a thing. All He asks is for you and I to believe in Him for all our needs. That's it! He offers this to everyone. And what do we receive from Him? Eternal life! Try buying that someplace! (John 3:15)

Have a blessed day!

Debi Lynn

Living a Purposeful Life in Christ

John W. Gardner, founding chairman of Common Cause, said it's a rare and high privilege to help people understand the difference they can make -- not only in their own lives, but also in the lives of others, simply by giving of themselves.

Gardner tells of a cheerful old man who asked the same question of just about every new acquaintance he fell into conversation with: "What have you done that you believe in and you are proud of?"

He never asked conventional questions such as "What do you do for a living?" It was always, "What have you done that you believe in and are proud of?"

It was an unsettling question for people who had built their self-esteem on their wealth or their family name or their exalted job title.

Not that the old man was a fierce interrogator. He was delighted by a woman who answered, "I'm doing a good job raising three children;" and by a cabinetmaker who said, "I believe in good workmanship and practice it;" and by a woman who said, "I started a bookstore and it's the best bookstore for miles around."

"I don't really care how they answer," said the old man. "I just want to put the thought into their minds. "They should live their lives in such a way that they can have a good answer. Not a good answer for me, but for themselves. That's what’s important."

There are many today who are living their lives without purpose. We wake up, maybe go to work or school, come home, go to bed, and then do the same thing again the next day, and the next, and the next, etc. Before you know it, we find ourselves living a routine, but without any real purpose. Of course, I am being very simplistic here but you can see how easy it would be to get so caught up in the daily course of living that we just go robot-like through the motions.

The good news is that God wants so much more for us than to simply pass aimlessly through this life. In the book of Ephesians, Paul writes to the Gentiles, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 3:10-11)

This epistle was written to encourage believers to walk as fruitful followers of Christ and to serve in unity and love in the midst of persecution. Paul knew that in order for the church to survive the followers needed to be reminded of their purpose. What purpose was he talking about?

In chapters 1-3, Paul teaches about the unity of believers. These are the truths and blessings that all believers have in common. He wrote that all Christians are “adopted as sons through Jesus Christ” (1:5). All believers are, “redeemed through His blood” (1:7), and “sealed by the Holy Spirit” (1:13). Paul continues on to clear up one of the most misconceived and/or often ignored subject even to this day, “Salvation by Grace”. He wrote that salvation is by the “Grace” of God and that it is through “Faith”, and that no one can contribute to salvation, in any way, even with good deeds.

In chapters 4-6, Paul encourages the believer to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling”. Every believer has a responsibility to live as servants of Jesus Christ. In these chapters, Paul teaches that it takes hard work to be in unity with others; and that we are to be “imitators of God” (5:1). He mentions imperative truths and advice for well functioning families, including husbands and wives who upon the oath of marriage become as “one flesh” (5:31). In chapter 6, Paul instructs believers how to prepare for spiritual battle by dressing in the “full armor of God” (6:11). Prayer is the key weapon of the Christian soldier. He emphasizes his principle with the repeated statement “stand firm”.

As you can see, Paul made certain that the believers were well aware of their purpose for being true followers of Jesus Christ. These were very dangerous and trying times for Christians. It would have been easy, especially under the constant threat of persecution, for them to become disillusioned and lose focus. Paul was well aware of this, and his reassuring words were just what they needed to hear. So, only one thing yet remains to be asked here. Do you have a clear purpose for living in Christ? Perhaps it’s time to perform a “purpose” checkup of your life? It’s never too late, and no time is better than now.

Scripture Readings: John 11:52; John 18:37; Acts 2:23; Romans 8:28; Romans 8:30; Ephesians 1:11

Let’s pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that I am living my life with the purpose of faith that you have intended for me; and that I am not just going through the motions without rhyme or reason; but with the clear intention of fulfilling my purpose and responsibility of living as your faithful servant. Amen

Have a blessed day,

Sarah