Paul instructed Timothy about courage when he wrote in 1 Timothy 2:24-26 that “the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” While Paul never counseled Timothy to budge on his biblical convictions, he basically challenged this young pastor to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). Courageous pastors understand that they are not politicians who serve a constituency; they are preachers of the Gospel who serve their Creator and God. They “preach the Word” and are “prepared in season and out of season” because they embrace their call to “correct, rebuke and like
that time would have brought scorn on His name over the whole earth. The praise extends to an exhortation for the whole city and nation to consider God’s works and worship Him: “Let Mount Zion be glad, Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments. Walk about Zion and go around her; count her towers; consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, that you may tell it to the next generation” (48:11-13). The psalmist urges the people to rejoice at God’s mercy, but also to walk through the city to see the glory of God reflected in the beauty of its architecture and the strength of its defenses. He wants them to praise God for the salvation of His city and the preservation of His people to their children and their children’s children, whose very existence is a reminder of God’s continued blessing. The lesson for us is the same. Take stock of your life. What of yours has not
their intentions. That is why we asked them to leave the country, and they agreed.” Religion Today Summaries NBC Apologizes for Cutting ‘Under God’ from Pledge NBC broadcasters and executives have been trying to backpedal since the network aired a segment on Sunday that cut “under God, indivisible” from the Pledge of Allegiance. According to CNN, the omission happened in a video montage during the U.S. Open golf coverage and incited almost instant criticism. NBC’s Dan Hicks apologized for the edit on air just three hours after it happened. “It was not done to upset anyone and we’d like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it,” he said. Chris McCloskey, vice president for NBCUniversal Sports and Olympics, addressed the
Christians. Eight churches were forcibly closed down in the area of Bejaja, while one Algerian believer was sentenced to five years in prison for handing out a Bible to a neighbor; a sentence without precedent in the entire region. The Christian minority in Algeria makes up less than one tenth of one percent of the population. Religion Today Summaries ___________________________________ Sermon Helps From www.sermonhall.com Sermon Outlines: God’s Provision for Our Perfection Matthew 5:48 Intro: The Greek word for “perfect” is tēleios, meaning “having reached its end, finished, complete, full-grown.” The Christian ideal is perfection, or completeness. How do we get there? I. The Scriptures Are Provided for Perfection