Stand Firm in The Faith

“When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.” (1 Corinthians 16:10-11 ESV)

This is how we are to treat those who, in earnest, and as being led by the Holy Spirit, are doing the work of the Lord in sharing the truth of the gospel of our salvation, in refuting the lies of the enemy, in ministering to the needs of the saints, and in loving God and the people of the world. These should also be those people who are following the Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands, who are not living in sin, who are not worldly, but who are living holy lives, pleasing to God, in surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives.

If they are doing the work of the Lord, especially full-time, according to the teachings of the Scriptures, and not according to human thinking and reasoning, and not according to human business plans and marketing schemes, then we should honor them for their work, and we should not despise them, for they will get despised. Rather we should encourage them in the work of the ministry, for it is hard to work for the Lord full-time in a day and age when so many professing Christians are more worldly.

But please make certain that their work is truly for the Lord and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and not of the flesh of man. And please make certain that what they are doing and teaching is biblical, in context, and that they are not teaching Scriptures out of context and twisting them to say what they do not say if taught in their appropriate context. For not everyone claiming to be a minister of the gospel is a true servant of the Lord. Many are con men and liars and deceivers who are feeding the people lies.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV)

So, we are to be on our guard, and we are to be watchful, for not everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ and who claims to be working for the Lord is a true servant of God and a true follower of Jesus Christ. So we are to test what we read and hear against the Scriptures in context to make certain that what we are reading or hearing is the truth and not the lies that so many charlatans are spreading these days. And then we need to be those who are walking in the truth, in obedience to God, and no longer in sin.

And we are to stand firm in the faith that Jesus taught and the NT apostles taught. And they taught that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. They taught that we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands. And they taught that God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ results in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with God to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

[1 Peter 2:24; Luke 9:23-26; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 6:1-23]

And we are to teach the same, even though this message will not be well received by the majority, not even by the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ, at least here in America. For so many are teaching that we can profess faith in Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven, and we are on our way to heaven, and nothing can take it away from us, but regardless of how we live. But the Scriptures teach that if sin is our practice, and not obedience to our Lord, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

And if that is the message that you are giving out, and not the feel-good messages that so many are spreading today, you have to stand strong in the faith, and you have to be courageous, and you must “set your face like flint” (Isaiah 50:7) and be very sure of the truth, and be very determined to not waver from the truth, for you will have many who will oppose you and who will fight against you and who will try to convince you that you are wrong and that their diluted version of the gospel is right. So be of courage!

VOICE OF TRUTH 

By Mark Hall & Steven Curtis Chapman

II Corinthians 12:7-10/I Corinthians 1:20-24

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant

With just a sling and a stone

Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors

Shaking in their armor

Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand

But the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me

Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed

The giant keeps on telling me

Time and time again, “Boy you’ll never win!”

“You’ll never win!”

But the voice of truth tells me a different story

The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”

And the voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CsiBjc0UIA

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