Baptist City Blog

Revelation 21:8

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Has someone ever come to your house who you did not want to come? Unwanted company can certainly ruin a good day. In the verse above, God gives a list of unwanted company. This company is so unwanted that God said they would have their part in Hell. Sadly, many Christians have invited these unwanted guests into their life. Though the Christian will certainly go to Heaven, these unwanted guests should be avoided at all costs. Let me show you these unwanted guests you should avoid.

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1 Corinthians 2:5

"That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."

"They need to learn to stand on their own two feet." This is what is said about those who seemingly cannot seem to do anything by themselves. It is a natural process for someone to go from total dependence to becoming a person who can make it on their own without the assistance of another. Just like a child goes from depending on their parents to total independence as an adult; likewise, a Christian needs to get to the point where they don't need a man to validate their faith.

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Proverbs 2:10-11

"When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:"

"Hast thou considered my servant Job...?" This was the question God asked Satan in Job 1:8, when He talked about Job's testimony. Satan responded by saying, "Hast not thou made an hedge about him...?" Satan knew that he could not get to Job because of the hedge or shield of protection God placed about him.

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Romans 11:4

"But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal."

One of the things that we must always remember about those whom God used greatly in the past is that they were people who had struggles and feelings just like us. When Elijah was praying for Israel, he felt that he was the only one who took a stand for God. He said, "I am left alone, and they seek my life." It was at that point when God reminded him that there were "...seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal."

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Numbers 22:34

"And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again."

The old cliché, "If it were a snake it would bite you" could have been said about Balaam. It is amazing how something so obvious can be so hard to see. The animal which Balaam rode could see the angel of God, but he was blinded to his presence. What could have been a deadly encounter because of his blindness was averted because the donkey on which Balaam rode knew to get out of the way. What was it that caused Balaam not to see the angel of the LORD?

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Romans 1:4

"And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:"

The affect a ministry or a Christian has on their community will only be to the degree of their validation. The ministry of Jesus Christ was validated to the world, and because of that we are still influenced today. Without validation, Jesus would have been another great teacher to those He tried to reach even though He was the Son of God. Who Jesus Christ was needed to be validated so that others would believe Him. Likewise, you may be absolutely right about who you are and what you believe, but without validation of who you are and what you believe it means nothing to those whom you are trying to reach. The verse above shows us three things that validated Jesus Christ, and these three things will also validate you.

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Acts 9:15

"But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:"

The conversion of Saul must have been one of the highlights of Ananias' ministry. Watching Saul grow from a young Christian to becoming one of the leaders of the Christian movement must have pleased him very well. Every time the church gave a report about the Apostle Paul it had to thrill his heart.

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Acts 6:1

"And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration."

The growth of the early church was nothing short of miraculous. It is great to be a part of a growing church. This early church went from a small handful of disciples under Christ's leadership to thousands. Yet, you see the church's growth stop in the verse above. The church had become so large that the Apostles could not keep up with the "daily ministration." They developed a plan to keep the church growing and that plan was to delegate some of their responsibilities to others. This decision led to the church's continued growth to the point where they eventually turned their world upside down for Christ.

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Psalm 119:140

"Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it."

The purity of one's word is very important to God. God described the purity of His Word by saying, "Thy word is very pure..." God thought so much about His Word that He spent 176 verses talking about It's purity. God completely understood that your word dictates your trustworthiness, and if there is any hint of falsehood in your word then you cannot be trusted.

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John 14:12

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

One of the greatest personal battles that every generation will fight is the mindset that they can do greater works. Jesus gave us a wonderful promise that we can do "greater works" because He would go to Heaven to intercede for us. There is no reason that this generation cannot do greater works than the previous because Jesus promised us that we can do greater works.

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