I was reading Tommy Tenny's book "The Ultimate Comeback" and I read these quotes. Some I had read before but they are really good.
"If you do not quit, you cannot fail"
"The shortest path between your failure and Gods favor is humility"
"Never let your past dictate your future"
"Failure is often the womb of success"
"Develop a NOTHING TO LOSE mentality"
"Pass the test when it comes around again"
"When your outward talent is greater than your inward character there is often a crash"
"One night in Gods presence and you can become what you always dreamed you were suppossed to be"
" God does His best work in the secret place"
"One day is as a thousand years, a thousand years as one day"2 Peter 3:8
Friday, July 25, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
7 churches of Revelations 1
The 7 Churches of Revelation
Message 1/Ephesus and Smyrna
Revelation chapter 2:1-11
There are 4 elements to each of the letters in scripture, and they are as follows:
· Praise - what the Lord is pleased with
· Correction needed - what the Lord is upset about
· Advice - to the leaders of the group as to how to get back on track
· Challenge - to the true believers within the group, to hold fast and overcome
1. Church of Ephesus -- Revelation 2:1-7
Praise: I know that you do good deeds, and work hard. You are patient and cannot stand evil. You condemn those who do wrong and hold false teachings to the fire.
Correction needed: You have left your first love - the core of the gospel.
Advice to leaders: Remember where it is that you have fallen from, repent and go back to the original teachings.
Challenge to believers: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Application: Men intent on abandoning the word of God (their first love) for their own doctrinal interpretations. The inference here is the addition of doctrines into the church, placing more importance on them than on the Word of God. This refers to legalistic churches that institute man-imposed salvation requirements, such as specific baptism rituals, or organization membership, and teach that there is no salvation unless these requirements are met. They focus more on dos and don'ts and on who does and doesn't do, than on the core message of scripture and thus they deny salvation by grace through faith. The easiest way to spot a church of Ephesus is their claim of being the only true remnant church of Christ and their insistence that there is no salvation outside of their organization and without their rituals.
2. Church of Smyrna -- Revelation 2:8-11
Praise: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)
Condemnation: Nothing !!
Advice to leaders: Don't fear your suffering - satan will torment you and you will be tried. Be faithful unto death and you will have the crown of life..
Challenge to believers: He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death (and will have eternal life).
Application: Throughout the world, Christians are being persecuted in places like China, Russia, the Philippines and the Islamic Nation States. Witnessing is illegal in many of these places and sadly, it is all too common to hear of Christians being jailed, tortured and even beheaded for the crime of attempting to spread the gospel and the testimony of Jesus.
Message 1/Ephesus and Smyrna
Revelation chapter 2:1-11
There are 4 elements to each of the letters in scripture, and they are as follows:
· Praise - what the Lord is pleased with
· Correction needed - what the Lord is upset about
· Advice - to the leaders of the group as to how to get back on track
· Challenge - to the true believers within the group, to hold fast and overcome
1. Church of Ephesus -- Revelation 2:1-7
Praise: I know that you do good deeds, and work hard. You are patient and cannot stand evil. You condemn those who do wrong and hold false teachings to the fire.
Correction needed: You have left your first love - the core of the gospel.
Advice to leaders: Remember where it is that you have fallen from, repent and go back to the original teachings.
Challenge to believers: To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Application: Men intent on abandoning the word of God (their first love) for their own doctrinal interpretations. The inference here is the addition of doctrines into the church, placing more importance on them than on the Word of God. This refers to legalistic churches that institute man-imposed salvation requirements, such as specific baptism rituals, or organization membership, and teach that there is no salvation unless these requirements are met. They focus more on dos and don'ts and on who does and doesn't do, than on the core message of scripture and thus they deny salvation by grace through faith. The easiest way to spot a church of Ephesus is their claim of being the only true remnant church of Christ and their insistence that there is no salvation outside of their organization and without their rituals.
2. Church of Smyrna -- Revelation 2:8-11
Praise: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)
Condemnation: Nothing !!
Advice to leaders: Don't fear your suffering - satan will torment you and you will be tried. Be faithful unto death and you will have the crown of life..
Challenge to believers: He that overcometh shall not be hurt by the second death (and will have eternal life).
Application: Throughout the world, Christians are being persecuted in places like China, Russia, the Philippines and the Islamic Nation States. Witnessing is illegal in many of these places and sadly, it is all too common to hear of Christians being jailed, tortured and even beheaded for the crime of attempting to spread the gospel and the testimony of Jesus.
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