Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ
From Broth Norm
Message 114:10, “Leave all in the Master’s Hands. It will bring you peace and deliverance.”
There are parts of a ship which taken by themselves would sink. The engine would sink, The propeller would sink. But when the parts of a ship are built together, they float. So with the events of my life. Some have been tragic. Some have been happy. But when they are built together, they form a craft that floats and is going someplace. And I am comforted.
Luke 12:1-12
In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
God knows all. We should not try to hide from him. No matter what do or say it will come out into the open. We should not fear mankind. There is lots of stuff that others can do to us, but Christ will be with us the whole time. If we lose our life for Christ’s sake, then we have gaining it.
Hebrews 12:6-8
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
God never promised that he would make our lives easy. We should be thankful that he put trials in our lives. These trials help us become stronger in our relationship with him and help us grow. Without these trials we would not understand or appreciate the blessing in our lives.
2 Timothy 3:12-15
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
There will be lots of things that will try to pull us away from Christ. These could be the people in our everyday life or temptations that we run into from time to time. We will even be persecuted for our love of Christ. In all of these trails and temptation we must remain strong and true. For only Christ can give us salvation.
Matthew 2:13-18
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Just like the Lord did for his Son and earthly family, God will always protect us when we need it. King Harod did was afraid of Jesus because he would become King of the Jews, but what they did not understand was the type of King that Jesus was going to become. When King Harod killed all the little babies, the Lord made sure that Joseph had moved the family to Egypt to save the young Christ’s life. Since we are all God’s children we can be reassured that when we need protection, God will be right there to give it. Sometimes it might be different than what we want, but God will never leave us.
Message 61:4
Fear not what man may say of you. Those that have gone astray are led by the evil one. Fear not, nor fret not, for some will repent. Thy will see their error and yet the faithful shall be blessed. Come all the way for the Lord wants a holy people whose hearts are just and righteous before him.
The Devil is an adversary that knows no ends. He will try to trick and fool everyone up to the last day. Let us strive to not be tricked and pray for the ones who have. There is still time for them to find the truth. God will help us along the way and if we fall, he will always take us back.
James 1:19-20
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Let us not be quick to judge or act when we are persecuted. We should take our time and let God help us in dealing with a situation. Wither that is with another person or our daily lives. There have many different people who have made a situation worse by acting or speaking out of turn and without thinking. Let us now be one of those people.
Deuteronomy 4:27-31
And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
The Lord promises us that he will never forsake us. They are going to be times when there are not going to be many people following God’s will, but for the ones that he does, he will not leave. Though all the tribulation and things that will come into our lives, we can be reassured that God will always be there with his mercy for us.
Alma 13:28-29
But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all longsuffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.
We need to take comfort in that fact that God will not give us more then we can handle. In our temptations, if we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit, we will make it to the end. But only if we strive to follow the Lord. We need have have the right frame of mine. This includes being humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long suffering. Life on earth might no be easy, but if we keep our eye on the prize, the next stage will be amazing.
Alma 21:5-10
Therefore, as Aaron entered into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people, and as he was speaking unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite and began to contend with him, saying: What is that that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold art not this people as good as thy people? Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our heart? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men. Now Aaron said unto him: Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins? And the man saith unto him: We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We do not believe in these foolish traditions. We do not believe that thou knowest of things to come, neither do we believe that thy fathers and also that our fathers did know concerning the things which they spake, of that which is to come. Now Aaron began to open the scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood. And it came to pass that as he began to expound these things unto them they were angry with him, and began to mock him; and they would not hear the words which he spake.
When we go out to spread the word of God it is important for us to remember that if people do not listen, it is God that they are rejecting not us. There will be people that will fight and try to harm us from doing the lord’s work. The devil has hardened the hearts of the people so that they will not list, even when scriptures are used. It is easier to keep believing the same traditions as it is to believe the truth, even though most can’t explain those beliefs. We have to have faith in God that he will water our seed and protect us when we are doing his work. There will be many people who don’t like the truth, but we still have to tell it to them.
Romans 8:31-32
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
When things get tough, we can take assurance that God is on our side. Nothing in life is to hard for God. When things are tough on for us, remember God is there to help us. Any thing is possible with the help of God.
From Bro. Norm
The Lord said in Message 27:12, “Beware, be careful in your travels for Satan will seek to destroy and hinder the Lord’s work that I told you to do. This is a time of turmoil and distress, for Satan will send destruction everywhere. Build ye upon the foundation Christ has laid.”
Often times we read that verse concerning our travels and the hindrance of Satan to the Lord’s Work and the destruction Satan can cause. Perhaps too often we think of it in terms of a physical hindrance or destruction. Those certainly require wisdom and carefulness; however there is another side to that statement which deserves at least a bit of our attention. Sometimes in our travels we may become complacent in our actions. There are always people around us in our travels and sometimes we are tired, weary, and do not consider others as much as we should. It is times like these when we need to be very alert to those around us, as we are to be the examples of Christ; His Ambassadors; not some weary traveler who lacks simple kindness, and is not looking to the needs and concerns of others. It is then; Satan can cause us to be a bad example. It is then Satan can tarnish our image and our Spirit.
Message 13:2
Satan knows that his time is but short, therefore his power from beneath will work, and oppose the power from above. There is, and will be, distress of nations, and greater trouble shall come to pass. This nation is, and will be in great danger, for there is, and will be a great uniting of power and powers, for Satan will work to destroy all that he can of the good. As the restitution and restoration of all things will be at work, Satan will be there to disturb the minds and peace of men, and to hinder the good that they shall try to do.
There are going to be tough times ahead for us. Satan knows that there will be a time that he will be put in his place. When that time comes, Satan wants to take as many people with him as he can. Satan will fight hard for every soul, but God will fight too. We have to work hard to not only save ourselves, but others as well.
On another note it is good to hear that the Lord is blessing Larry and Norm on their trip so far. Keep them in your prayers that God will continue to bless them.
James 1:12
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
When our life become to much to handle, it is important to remember that the end reward will be worth it. If we stay true to the teachings of Christ, no matter what happens in our life, we will receive our reward as promised by the Lord.
Psalms 32: 7-9
“Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.”
We need to have God be apart of or lives, not just what we do, but how we think and interact with the world. He will teach us and lead us though the tough times as well as the good. But we have to make sure that we understand his teachings and can think on our own. That way we are not lead by others who pretend to be of God. We each have to follow God with our heart and our knowledge, not that others.
Message 5:3
“Remember, Satan, in times past, has led men away from the teachings of Christ and his Church, but let it not be so with you. Others have been led away by adultery because of following the whisperings of Satan, but let it not be so with you. Some have been led by pride and the love of the praise of men, but let it not be so with you. All these things and many more come from the whisperings of Satan. Let not your hearts be tempted neither by the praise of men or by the love of money, because it will rob you of the Spirit and goodness of God.”
Our strength in Christ is important part of our daily lives. It is important for us to lean on him to get us though our lives. Satan will try every thing in his power to lead us away from him. The spirit of God will leave us if we follow the Devil. Things that he does to lead us away might seam like small things a first, but they will lead you way from God. The thoughts of men can be a dangerous thing. I hope that you are able to keep the Devil at bay and stay keep Gods spirit close to you. You will be blessed if you do.
Matthew 5:10-12
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
As we live our lives and the world sees our beliefs, there will be people who will try to destroy us because of it. Jesus said that we will be blessed when this happens. This does not mean that it will be fun, but that God will bless us and we will receive our reward in the end. It is our duty and mission to stand up for what we believe, we don’t want to be like Peter and shy away from God when times get tough.
2nd Timothy 3:11-12
“Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
When we believe in Christ, people think that our lives will be easy. In fact it is just the opposite. When we are strong in Christ, the Devil will try harder lead us away. When we are not following Christ, the Devil does not have to work very hard to keep us apart from Christ. When we go though these trials and tribulations, we have to stay strong in our faith and our walk with God. God will help us though the tough times. God is merciful, but he is also just.
