The Evil Media

2 Corinthians 13:1
“This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”

The verse above would solve most rumors and disagreements among individuals if its wisdom was followed. Paul said, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” Paul understood the frustration of being falsely accused. He not only understood the frustration, but he had also felt the punishment from those who didn’t do their job to find out the whole story before they came to a conclusion.

Committing to Faithful Men

2 Timothy 2:2
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

The Christian’s responsibility is to bear fruit. Jesus says in John 15:8, “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” You will never be a good Christian until you have fruit that remains.

Wake Up

Acts 12:11
“And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.”

Have you ever had one of those moments in your life when it was like somebody turned the light on and for the first time you clearly saw what was so obvious? If you have ever had one of those moments, it was as if you woke up to see the reality that many others had already seen. Life and our own agenda can sometimes blind us from what we need to see. According to scriptural illustrations, there are three times when you need to wake up.

On a Need-to-Know Basis

John 16:12
“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.”

Have you ever read a book that had so much information that when you read it again you saw things that you previously didn’t see? That is exactly what the Word of God will do for the believer if they will continue to read it daily. There have been scores of times when the Holy Spirit pointed out a truth from His Word that I had never seen before, even though I had read that verse hundreds of times.

Separated for a Cause

Romans 1:1
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”

Many people will separate themselves from many things because of something they want to do. An athlete will stop eating certain foods because they want to perform at their peak ability. A young couple will separate from friends because they love each other and want to get married. In both of these instances, the purpose of separating was so that they could do something better.

Abusive Power

1 Corinthians 9:18
“What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.”

Power and position is a privilege, not a right. The Apostle Paul totally understood this principle when he said, “…I abuse not my power in the gospel.” He understood why he had the power he had, and he understood Who gave him this power. Paul’s desire was always to keep his power and position in proper perspective.

Stop Questioning the Almighty

Romans 9:20
“Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?”

There is a misconception among many that it is okay to question God as to why He is allowing something in your life. I have heard people say that God doesn’t mind a Christian asking Him, “Why?”. Those who say this and believe this say that God understands our weakness, which He does, so that makes it okay to question the providence of God.

The Power of Action

1 Corinthians 7:16
“For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?”

What does a person do when they are married to someone who is not saved? That is one of the lessons that God is teaching in this chapter. God would later deal with a saved person getting married to an unsaved person, but He had to deal with people who were in a mixed marriage. God knew that there would be many times when a person who was already married would get saved, but their spouse is still lost.

Big things come in little packages

Mark 4:31
“It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:”

When I was young, most of the time I was the shortest in my class. You didn’t have to look hard in the class pictures to find me because I was normally the shortest one in the picture. My daughter seems to have followed in my footsteps, though she had no choice in the matter. Being the shorter person always brought about challenges of seeing what was going on up front, and it also brought a slight bit of jealousy towards the taller students. My father would often encourage me by saying, “Son, big things come in little packages.”

Watch

  • Matthew 26:40

“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?”

Several times in the Scriptures the Christian is warned to watch. The night that Jesus prayed in the garden, He asked His disciples to pray with Him. After praying alone, He came back to check on the disciples only to see them sleeping. The final time He checked on them, He asked them, “What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” Jesus knew the importance of the Christian being on watch. If it is important for the Christian to watch then what does it mean to watch?