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ONE YEAR BIBLE, AUGUST 8 “ARE YOU THE WELL RESPECTED CHRISTIAN?”

   There's always the exception to the rule, but I believe most of us struggle with wanting to be the respected and dignified Christian, as opposed to what Paul describes as "spectacle to the entire world-to people and angels alike. Our dedication makes us look like fools, but you are so wise (and well respected)".  I think Paul breaks it down "our dedication" makes us look like fools. When we are dedicated, sold out for Christ, we will look like fools. Street preaching is not dignified, passing out tracts and flyers at Walmart does not boost your social status, preaching at a public event doesn't make the Community you live in respect you. "Our dedication makes us fools....BUT, you are wise!" I wonder how many Christians reading this have never Street Preached, passed out flyers and evangelized in an open square? Just the thought of it makes them nausea and raises the hairs on the back of their necks.  Have you become the wise and respectable Chri...
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ONE YEAR BIBLE, AUGUST 7 "NOT TAKING ANY NEW PATIENTS"

     Many Churches in America have given up "reaching the lost". Their Church has just become one exclusive club, "not taking any new members". I always love calling a Doctor's office when I'm sick and being told, "I'm sorry, Dr. Smith is not taking any new patients at this time".  Okay, I'm sorry too, I guess I'll just roll over and die. We may not have a high pitched, squeaky secretary telling people "we are not accepting new patients/sinners" but we can still have the same mindset and posture. Paul, in our text reminds us, indirectly, of our purpose and function in this Christian life. We are involved in a project, it's called "Advancing the Kingdom of God Upon the Earth", it involves work, sowing seed, watering seed (follow up) and causing it (The Kingdom of God/The Church) to grow. "Not taking patients anymore" is an unacceptable answer! "They are unreachable" is an excuse, if not short o...
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AUGUST 6 “WHY DO WE OPPOSE GOOD?”

   Why do people oppose good? All the Israelites want to do is rebuild the Temple. This rebuilding of the Temple seems to irritate some, to the point where they make it their mission, to bring it to a halt. God's people figure they'll just ignore them, they're no threat, they'll go away. Well.....read the rest of the story....they don't go away, they write letters to the king, fabricate lies, slander them.....and of course this won't work against God's people...WAIT IT DOES WORK, and the King writes back and issues orders to have the work immediately stopped. If you're just going to be a religious church, playing religious games you will never have to face demonic opposition, you don't' have to worry about this blog today. However, if you are part of a Church that is pressing in against the Kingdom of Darkness, to advance The Kingdom of God, you'd better believe the enemy is not going to sit idly by and allow you to build anything without a f...
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ONE YEAR BIBLE, AUGUST 6 “WHY DO WE OPPOSE GOOD?”

   Why do people oppose good? All the Israelites want to do is rebuild the Temple. This rebuilding of the Temple seems to irritate some, to the point where they make it their mission, to bring it to a halt. God's people figure they'll just ignore them, they're no threat, they'll go away. Well.....read the rest of the story....they don't go away, they writes letters to the king, fabricate lies, slander them.....and of course this won't work against God's people...WAIT IT DOES WORK, and the King writes back and issues orders to have the work immediately stopped. If you're just going to a religious church, playing religious games you will never have to face demonic opposition, you don't' have to worry about this blog today. However, if you are part of a Church that is pressing in against the Kingdom of Darkness, to advance The Kingdom of God, you'd better believe the enemy is not going to sit idly by and allow you to build anything without a fig...
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ONE YEAR BIBLE, AUGUST 5 "HOW DO YOU LIKE WAITING?"

NOTHING worse than waiting on somebody else.  Especially when you know (or at least think you know) where you are going. I'd rather take a side route, that my wife will be faithful to tell me, "took me longer" than sit in traffic and WAIT.  I'd rather give up something than have to WAIT.  Keep me waiting to long in a store to purchase my goods and you will lose that sale.  What is this wait thing anyway?  I will never forget my months of training in the Marine Corps.  It was madness. They would rush us to the point of an anxiety attack and then when we arrived at the place they were rushing us off to with such urgency, then we sat and at times, waited for an hour before the event began.  Why am I waiting in line for so long when there are other cash registers sitting empty?  Why am I waiting for service at Walmart when I have gone there out of my time, I have gone there to spend my money on their goods, but yet I have been kept waiting in aisles f...
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THE ONE YEAR BIBLE CLUB AUGUST 4 “IS WORK A FOUR LETTER WORD, IN THE CHURCH?”

   I am reading about this religious revival, a religious "awakening" something ....apparently every church yearns for, or so we say.  But you know what I noticed as I'm reading through Chronicles, especially today, I'm noticing it's allot of work and it's costly. And there are few that want to work and there are fewer that want to give. For all the people celebrating and having a great time in this "religious revival" there is also a group of people that are very tired, over worked and quite frankly, not really enjoying themselves or this wonderful idea of Josiah's.. It's allot of work, in verse 14 we read, "the priests had been busy from morning till night offering the burnt offerings..."  Now I have been in the Church and in Ministry long enough to know, that the priests were not rejoicing over this. If they are human like the people in our churches they were venting, saying things like, "next time Pastor, I mean...Josiah ge...
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THE ONE YEAR BIBLE, AUGUST 3 "ARE YOU COASTING ALONG?"

         Josiah was king for 8 years before he decided to seek God.  Did you catch that!  What in the world was Josiah doing for 8 years??? The answer: same thing you've been doing for the past few years...and that is....COASTING.  Coasting on our own abilities, making do with what comes naturally to us and probably finding the path of least resistance. Taking what life simply throws at you and never contending for anything more from God.  The delusion for coasters is that "I am doing alright".  You are deluded and God forbid you should die in that state if you would even make Heaven your home and if you did make Heaven your home (as Paul describes as "one barely escaping through the fires") then you would probably find out all that you did not accomplish, that you could have, had you sought God and not coasted. It is safe to say, isn't it, that Josiah accomplished much more for God once he began to see...
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