takeaway from church discussion (July 5th)

Though sometimes our discussion drifted like it just about always does, our focus was primarily on death and it drifted into suffering and martyrdom.
I'm gonna start this off with a couple questions for thought..

How should I look forward to death in my life?
How should that effect my outlook on the death of others?

First, I'll give my opinion and the opinion of the others in our discussion, as far as i could tell. I should be willing to give my all for Christ, whether that be best accomplished in death or in life. We shouldn't fear death, but we shouldn't give ourselves up, either. Paul didn't openly avoid the Pharisees but he didn't surrender to them. We should serve God in life as a living sacrifice and follow His will as best we can, until we die by God's will. We shouldn't be afraid of suffering or pain and rely on God's strength if we suffer for His glory.
Now, to address the question of how that should effect our view on the death of others.. We should not be afraid to give our lives for them, if necessary. You've all heard the stories about Jim Elliot and how we died without giving a fight to the inhabitants of the island. He died evangelizing for Christ. That story has been such a great witness, even long after his death, to Christians and non-Christians alike. God used his testimony to witness to many. I doubt Jim Elliot feared death, and neither should we. Also, there's the case of the man on the Titanic. He gave his piece of driftwood to a non-believer, because he was ready to die. Now that's commitment. One of the stories i heard today that was in a recent magazine was, a protestant reformer running from Catholics. He was running over an iced-over lake, when a persecutor behind him fell into the ice. The man turned around, knowing he would die later, to help the man who fell in the ice-cold water. He "gave his life, that others might live"; others that didn't know the Lord. This is how we should look upon God's work. We shouldn't fear death, we shouldn't fear suffering, and if the time comes when we'll have to answer a man, at the point of a gun, "deny Christ or die", we will be ready to defend the faith. God supplies us with strength and love for those that persecute us. If a thief was to hold up a gun to your head and say to give him all your money, how much would it confuse him if you replied, "sure. oh, and here, take my watch too! and my shirt! oh, and by the way, Jesus loves you and i do too"? He would be flabbergasted and want to know the secret to your love and bravery, when looking down the barrel of a .45. (".. by doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.")

How can we miss opportunities of ministry, when we know full well the horrible death waiting for unbelievers? That is the exact reason the believer on the Titanic gave his life for the unbeliver.. so that he would have a chance to have eternal life with Jesus. He will be rewarded for that in Heaven, and will most likely receive a lot of gratitude from the rescued man, when we gets to Heaven, by the faithfulness of a man of God.

We should be ready to suffer for God, but not needlessly. It's obvious what your response should be when someone threatens, "deny God or suffer", but sometimes the path isn't as clear. If a rapist threatens a woman, she shouldn't let him rape her. Should flee, because it wouldn't glorify God for her to suffer in that way. Always be thoughtful of the TIME to suffer for God, and not only the point to be READY to suffer for Him.

Hebrews 2:14-15 - Death is our friend
Genesis 3:2-3 - The law of death
Romans 6:23 - The payment for sin
Isaiah 26:19 - Death is your friend

Our attitude toward the family of a dead believer should be "Hallelujah! He's in a better place!", though sometimes this seems callus. We should rejoice for the belivers that have gone home and not mourn them.
(1 Corinthians 15:35-58) We will have new bodies, raised in glory. Corruption cannot enter Heaven, so we shall be changed to a glorified state. (vv. 55-57) Where is the sting of death? Death is when we are glorified and when we meet God. what's so bad about that? Let us be joyful.

Look back to the boldness and faithfulness of our forefathers and the martyrs of the Bible. How we approach death is out greatest witness. Don't take it lightly.

I know this has been a jumble of thoughts and experiences, but i want to end with this thought and a verse. It is the instinct of man to fear and "scream like a little girl", just as much as it is the instinct of a bird to fly, when dropped out of the nest. We shouldn't fear or worry about the future, but trust God and do not give into fear.

I would like to leave you with this verse. (Philippians 1:21-24) For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and be to with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

Paul is in conflict, i think.. stuck between the want to be with Christ in Heaven, and to fulfill His will on Earth. We shouldn't worry about when we die, but what we can do for God on Earth, until our time comes. Dont' worry about the future. God knows all and He knows how and when you will die. Just concentrate on how God can use you now, and how you can serve Him openly, here on Earth.
I hope this has blessed you.

Teaching

Lately, I've been being taught by God a lot by my friends' encouragement and experiences. I think God has put my friends through certain things before me so that they can teach me by their experiences and things God has taught them through the years. I didn't grow much in my spiritual walk when i was a kid, but God blessed me by placing me in a Christian environment with Christian parents and Christian friends, where i learned a lot of Bible knowledge and what some passages meant in context. Now that I've been given some knowledge of His Word, God is growing me in Him and using my friends to carry out his will. =) I should've grown more WHILE i was learning, but, for some reason, that wasn't God's plan. and who am i to question the Almighty Creator of His intentions? Job was reproved for becoming prideful and not trusting Him, and I've all too many times done that, before. I'm trying to lean more on God and set a firm foundation in Him, while I'm growing, so even if friends should fail me, I'll be "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms".

I'd like all of you to pray for me, if you wouldn't mind, to grow in my spiritual walk and to lean more heavily on God in trust. Thank you!

"Worthy of All" - My Latest Song

Jesus, my Savior, I come to Thee now,
Thanking You for your mercy, your grace, and your love.
Jesus, you died, paying the price for my sins.
Lamb of God, you are perfect, without blemish and without spot.

Chorus:
The Heavens declare your glory,
The earth shows your majesty, Your death proclaims your great love!
And i will celebrate your death on the cross!
And i will celebrate my life through You!
'Cause there's no one greater or mightier or more loving or more perfect,
Than You.

Jesus, Holy Spirit, I fall on my knees,
Overwhelmed in your prescence, your blood covers me!
Lord, you are worthy, worthy of all praise.
Father, you are mighty, mighty over ev'rything!

Chorus:
The Heavens declare your glory,
The earth shows your majesty, Your Death proclaims your great love!
And i will celebrate your death on the cross!
And i will celebrate my life through You!
'Cause there's no one greater or mightier or more loving or more perfect,
Than You.

Bridge:
Jesus, You are worthy of all!
Jesus, You catch me when i fall!
Jesus, You are worthy of all!
Jesus, You catch me when i fall!

Chorus:
The Heavens declare your glory,
The earth shows your majesty, Your Death proclaims your great love!
And i will celebrate your death on the cross!
And i will celebrate my life through You!
'Cause there's no one greater or mightier or more loving or more perfect,
Than You.

Than You!

Oh... than You...




(let me know how you like it. leave comments)

Blessings

The way God blesses us still amazes me.. He surrounds me with friends who know the Lord and choose to follow His will. I think he has a special plan for me, to bless me with so many people wanting to follow him and constantly encouraging me to do the same. He has provided for my every need, though I'm not near grateful enough and countless times, I've taken his blessings for granted. I've been blessed SO MUCH to be born in a country with religious freedom (for now, at least) where i have the right to worship and praise without fear, to be raised in a Godly home with Godly parents and siblings, to have instilled in me a knowledge of Biblical teachings, and again, to be surrounded by such awesome friends who have surpassed me in spiritual growth and can therefore teach me by experience. =)
My friends have been such a blessing to me.. they encourage me when i try to feel sorry for myself, put myself down, and have a self-pity party. They share with me what they've learned and what God has taught them throught the years and even daily. It's so much more real when people can name an instance in their life of when they've gone through the same trials and problems you're having, and tell them what they did to solve it. (i.e., praying, reading their Bibles or even trusting God and waiting)

At this point, I'd like to thank all my friends, family, mentors and accaintances God has brought into my life to teach me about His plan and His will. (i know it sounds like I'm making a graduation speech or something. haha) God is truly amazing and works in ways we can't even understand without His inspiration, and maybe not even then. Our minds work so much differently than God's does, and i know this is an old line, but we could NEVER (not if we had eternity) run this world, much less create it and have an ingenius plan for it. I hope I've touched your life, through this, and reminded you not to take the many blessings God's given you for granted. He gave you them for a purpose and, as friends have had to remind me of so many times, we're all different. You're special, I'm special, and God has given us all different mindsets, emotions, characteristics, attitudes, qualities, and even quirks. Yes, EVERY part of you is unique, even those things that you've done wrong and God has taught you from.

I love Veggie Tales, and one of my favorite parts of their episodes and one i hope i always remember is "God made you special, and He loves you very much". I feel like that's what God wants me to end this post with, and i hope it blesses your heart. It's so simple yet, so profoud.. and sometimes we don't seem to grasp it. Anywho... i hope God has used me with this post, to teach His followers. Thanks for reading! =)