KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:10. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

Peter the apostle asked those who were trying to call for the circumcision of every male before they could be saved, that they should not tempt God by putting a yoke on the Gentile Christians neck, which even their fathers could not bear. He was referring to the law. He says the law is a yoke.

What is the law? The law is the righteous demands of God with no divine provision for its fulfillment.

God gave the Israelites about four hundred and thirty laws. Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 3:10 as follows “As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse for it is written cursed is everyone that continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them”. The real challenge about the law is not one’s inability to follow through with all of it but the lack of provision or ability to do it.

Galatians 3:11 continues “but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith”. The law exposes the weakness of man and makes him a slave to sin. 1st Corinth. 15:56 “The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law”. Sin is made stronger because of the law.

The following lamentation of Paul the apostle is what the law does to man. Rom. 7 :9-11 “For I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment(law) came sin revived and I died. And the commandment(law) which was ordained to life I found to be unto death.

For sin taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it slew me.

Paul says he was living a free happy life but when he got to know or informed about the law, his nature which was death because of sin began to show its true nature. He could not overcome the desire and the urge to sin because he had a sinful nature. The law made sin stronger. All men are dead in their sins. (Rom.5:12) The law exposes this deadness. This is why Peter says the law is a yoke of ‘bondage’. The grace of God is very different. The grace of God is a divine ability that works in your heart such that you are able to fulfill the righteous demands of the law (Rom. 8:3-4). Grace is the answer to the question posed by the law. Grace is not a license to sin but a provision for excellence.  Grace is the person of Jesus Christ taking His abode in man and expressing His life through man.

 CONFESSION

I am free from sin because the grace of God is at work in me. God’s divine provision for perfection works in me. I have a great life of peace power ,purity and prosperity because the grace of God. Hallelujah!

FURTHER STUDIES

Romans 8:3-4 ” For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Romans 7:14 ” For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:4 “And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.”

In our key scripture the two groups of opposing views ensued fully in Jerusalem and were received by the Apostles, elders and the church. Paul and Barnabas declared to the congregation all the things God had done with them.

  Paul testified of all that God had done with them. It is good to testify of the goodness of the Lord. What does these testimonies do?

• Testimonies declare the faithfulness of God. It is an act of praising God for His faithfulness. It is also a way of thanking the Lord for His faithfulness.

• Testimonies makes you count your blessings. This helps you to be assured of your next victory. When David got to King Saul during the challenge of Goliath, he recounted or recaptured what God had done in his life. 1st Samuel 17:36 ” Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them seeing he has defiled the armies of the living God “. David after rehearsing all that God has been doing with him said this one would be like one of them.

• Testimonies overcome the devil. Revelation 12:11. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death “. Testimonies show the defeat of Satan and it overpowers him. (Note anytime you declare your defeat it is testifying to Satan’s victory and it makes the enemy rise mightily in your life). Never testify of the victory of the devil.

• Testimonies strengthens the faith of others. The brethren in Phenice and Samaria rejoiced over the testimonies of Paul and Barnabas. Joy is an expression of strength, inner strength.

• Testimonies become the point of references for others to trust God in similar challenging times. When Elisha got to the bank of Jordan he shouted where is the Lord God of Elijah and then he strokes the river with Elijah’s mantle dividing the river. Elijah’s victory of dividing the river was the reference point for Elisha to do same.

• Testimonies gives us grounds to follow the faith of those who conquered. Heb. 13:7-8 “Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow considering the end of the conversation (manner of life). Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever”. If you do what they did you will have the same results because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

 CONFESSION

I testify of God’s goodness and love towards me. I testify of His deliverance from the claws of wickedness. I am more than a conqueror. My faith is continually made stronger because of His praise in my mouth.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Corinthians 2:1” And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.”

Revelation 19:10 ” And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:3 ” And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.”

Paul and Barnabas with some of the Jewish Christians left for Jerusalem. On their way they passed through Phenice and Samaria. These were towns close to Jerusalem.

They made sure that they stopped over to visit the churches in these places and shared testimonies of the conversions among the gentiles. This bought a great joy to them. Paul was on a mission going to Jerusalem to receive the verdict of the Apostles about whether Christians should observe the laws of Moses before one could be saved or not? I believe this assignment should have kept his attention and not to divert anywhere. Paul who is a lover of all Christians and the spiritual and natural welfare of the churches was so important to him. He stopped over in these two cities to visit the brethren to share testimonies of what God has been doing through them. This was a selfless man.

In our modern times, most of us are so denominationally inclined such that we are almost careless about what happens to “those of the other churches”. Every Christian is in the big family of the household of faith. Whether Pentecostals, Orthodox, or Charismatics, we are one big family with one Lord, one Holy Spirit and one father. Just consider Paul’s passion for Christians as a whole is seen in this statement ;2nd Corinthians 11:28,29 “Beside those things that are without that comes on me, the care of all churches. Who is weak and I am not weak, who is offended and I burn not”?  His life epitomised God’s wishes for his children. This was a man who had a care for every Christian on the face of the earth. The prayers he made or said in his epistles to the Christians speak volumes.

It is a big error to find Christians back biting each other. Some brethren rejoice at the fall, failure or the shame of other brethren. Some of our brethren find themselves in crises and become isolated such that, it seems they are in an island. No one seems to care or notice what is happening to them. Hebrews 10:24 admonishes us that “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works”. We must take steps that would encourage others to express trust and love among the brethren. To provoke means to incite or motivate. We must share with brethren their burdens.

Some brethren became a symbol of ridicule because their weakness or shortcoming got to the domain of the public through one person, he or she might have confided in. How can such a brother be inspired to love others if treated this way? Well we do not respond to evil and wickedness in the same vain, we overcome evil with good. If a brother disappointed you, do not generalise and say everybody is like that.

Do not allow bitterness to consume you. Hebrews 12:15. Forgive and release the brother or sister from your heart.

 PRAYER

Father, I pray for all Christians to walk in love. Strengthening one another by our kind deeds that we demonstrate to one another.

FURTHER STUDIES.

John 13:34 ” A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:2. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

After Paul and Barnabas had disputed over the legalistic teaching brought in by the Jewish brethren, they finally decided to take the case to the Apostles in Jerusalem who would finally decide on what to be done.

Paul had had an encounter with the resurrected Christ who taught him all that he was teaching. The people. (Galatians 1:11). The Lord had used him to do so many miracles which could have caused him to feel proud yet he acknowledged the Apostles in Jerusalem were superiors who were the ultimate authority of the church on the earth. God always have human authorities that he has set on the earth. Romans 13:1 “let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordained by God”. No matter how powerful you may be, or how much you may be   lifted in life, you need to give honour to the authorities that are over you.

In Jerusalem there were apostles and elders. We would remember that Peter speaking in his letter to the Jewish believers scattered in the gentle region in 1st Peter 5::1, acknowledged that he was an elder. This implied there were elders who held special ministerial offices and those who had no specific office. A ministerial office includes Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. An elder hold governing roles as well as teaching.

In our churches we may have certain elders who may also operate in a ministerial office and others who don’t.

 Please understand that governing does not mean dominance. It is service unto God and His people. The Lord said in Mark 9:5 as follows: And he sat down and called the twelve and said unto them, if any man desire to be first the same shall be last of all, and servant of all”. This word servant has the idea of waiter, one who runs errands. He is at the command of his master. From our Lord’s teaching every leader, elder is a servant. It is a big error for any elder to Lord it over the members. If you have been gifted in any way then you must open up to bless the brethren with the gifts. Many gifted men of God allow the praises of men to inflame their pride. They want every other member to bow to them. They declare that miracles are their own doings. This is wrong. Whatever you are and have comes from God and must be used to glorify His name and to bless men. Do not attract attention to yourself.

PRAYER.

Father, in these; last days pending your coming, may the church be committed to walking humbly towards one another.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Proverbs 29:23. A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Proverbs 16:19 “Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:1. And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

Our key scripture says certain men came down from Judea who taught that the brethren had to be circumcised as Moses taught the Israelites before one could be saved. Apostle Paul and Barnabas had a very sharp dispute with them over this. Paul was very vigilant concerning issues about the grace of God. He defended it even to the peril of his life. Let’s be reminded Paul was and ardent Pharisee who defended the law strictly.

What these Jewish Christians were teaching was works are necessary for salvation. This teaching is the basis for all other religions. This is the main difference between Christianity and other religions. The bible teaches emphatically that “For by grace are ye saved through faith not of yourselves, it is a gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast”. Ephesians 2:8-9. Salvation is a gift of God. Gifts are received. They are not earned or worked for. Circumcision is the works of the flesh. Galatians 5:3,4 iterates this point clearly “For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you, who are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace”.

Many religious people believe it is too simple to claim that when one believes in Jesus he is justified and therefore saved. Jehovah witnesses teach one has to teach the materials of the watch tower before he or she can be saved. One needs only to believe in Jesus to be saved, nothing more.

The bible said Apostle Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension with them. Why was Paul so aggressive to defend the truth? Paul had a great love for the disciples or brethren. He would not want one of them to fall away. A little leaven leavened the whole lump. The scriptural security of the brethren, especially the young ones must be our true concern. Let us go to any length to secure them from the wrong doctrines. These days we have multiplicity of voices speaking to them. There are so many television stations, countless radio stations, outdoor preaching with a very vibrant social network. One way to protect them is by prayer, travailing prayer for their preservation. The second means is by teaching them the truth.

 PRAYER

May all Christians come to know the essence of God’s grace, so they may accept its provisions in Jesus name.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Acts 20:28 ” Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

Acts 20:31. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:26. And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.

In our previous study, we asked, what made Paul and Barnabas so successful? The grace of God was the main thing that made them so successful in addition to their self-denial.

Our key scripture reveals that during the commissioning of Paul and Barnabas they were committed to the grace of God. Every call or commission is unto the grace of God. A good understanding of this would cause you to do more exploits for God.

Many Christians are living far below their potential and opportunities because they don’t really understand what this grace is about,  and so receive it in vain as revealed in 2nd Corinthians 6:1 “We then as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. Some people see God’s grace as only the mercy of God to overlook sin. This is a very small aspect of it. The grace of GOD is everything that our Lord Jesus is, that is given to us or placed at our disposal. It is our lord Jesus taking over our being to express or establish his works and abilities through us. 2nd Corinthians 3:5 put it this way “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God”. It is Christ’s fullness which has been made available to us. John1:16. “And of the fullness have all we received and grace for grace “.

They (Paul and Barnabas) were committed to the fullness of the supply and provisions of heaven. This put them at the disposal of the assistance of the angels in heaven. Colossians 2:10 says “And ye are complete in him which is the Head of all principalities and power”. The word complete is the Greek word “pleroo” which means to be made full of God. This grace is an amazing thing. It is an ability to excel. There is no failure associated with the grace of God.

The following is the testimony of Paul about  the grace of God .1st Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed  upon me was not in vain , but I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me “. Apostle Paul says it is the grace of God that has made him what he is yet he laboured more abundantly. This grace of God will really be effective if you decide to do your best. We must willingly strive to do what the master has asked us to do.

In doing this the power in us works to execute whatever task we have to fulfill.

CONFESSION

The grace of God has made me a stranger to failure. I have the fulness of the abilities of the Lord Jesus working in me. I will forever remain productive  and successful in every endeavour.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Acts 9:5. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Philippians 2:13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:26 ” And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled.”

Shall we consider a phrase in our key scripture, Acts 14:26 “……for the work which they fulfilled”. In Acts 13, after the brethren had ministered unto the Lord with fasting, the Holy Spirit said “separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereto I have called them”.

Apostle Paul and Barnabas did not delay in any way. They quickly set off to do the work. They went on a missionary journey combing through most of the cities of the gentile world.

We learn the following from the experience of Paul and Barnabas.

1. That the work of missions is one which early engaged the attention of the Christians. Make up your mind to leave your comfort zone to step out into the missionary field.

2. It entered into their plans and the church was deeply interested. This call for missions should become the interest of every Christian organization.

3. The work of missions is attended with danger. People are now no less hostile to the gospel than they were in Lystra and Iconium. You should not be scared about it, for it pleases the father to stand for Him.

4. Missionaries should be sustained by the prayers of the church. Make it your duty to daily pray for all missionaries on the mission field.

5. The experience of Paul and Barnabas gives us an example for missionaries in founding churches.  

(Some of these thoughts are from the Barnes commentary).

One other important thing we learn from apostle Paul and Barnabas is that they fulfilled their mission. The discomfort of the voyages, the hostilities of the Jews and Gentiles and even stoning did not stop them. They went through every city raised churches and established elders to oversee the affairs of the churches. What made them so successful? They denied themselves and took up their cross. Matthew 16:24 “……if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me”. THE THREAT OF PERSECUTIONS IN HOSTILE NATIONS IS NOT THE REAL HINDRANCE TO THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL IN SUCH PLACES, BUT UNWILLINGNESS OF CHRISTIANS TO DENY THEMSELVES AND TAKE UP THEIR CROSS”. Paul and Barnabas conquered in their time, we can also conquer no matter the challenge or opposition for the grace of God that saw them through is also available to see us through.

PRAYER

Father, may the experiences of Paul inspire this modern church to take the challenge of missions aggressively to fulfill our Lord’s commission.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Matthew 16:24-27 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:23 ” And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.”

Apostle Paul and Barnabas after ministering to the churches and strengthening them made sure that the church would remain running. They ordained elders to take care of the running of these churches.

An elder is not necessarily an older person but one called into a leadership role in the house of God. They were the main leaders who saw to the teaching of the brethren as well as other governing functions that keep the church together and sustained. In 1st Peter 5:1-4, apostle Peter elaborated on who these elders were and their functions. In 1st Peter 5:1 he said “the elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.”

Apostle Peter says he is an elder. Peter was an apostle, that is a leading governing role in the body of Christ. This implies prophets, evangelist, Pastors, and teachers are all elders. The term elder is a very important role. In 1st Peter 5:2 he says “feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind”. One of their roles is to teach the flock of God. They must willingly do it. They should not use their role to extort money..

There is a great deal of sacrifice required from an elder, for he is an example to the brethren in every Christian discipline. (1st Peter 5:3). Acts 14:23 says they were ordained with prayer and fasting. This practice should be observed anywhere Christian leaders are being ordained. Any leader who cannot discipline himself to fast is not worthy of being a leader (except on medical grounds). Fasting is an act of sacrifice. Food is a primary necessity of every person. The urge for it is so strong. To abstain from food for the demands of the task ahead is very important. One main. demand for Christian leadership is sacrifice and self-discipline. No leader would amount to anything without sacrifice and self-discipline. One of Paul’s reason for employing such discipline is revealed in 1st Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection lest that by any means, when I have preached to others I myself should be a cast away.

Fasting also have a great spiritual significance. It isolates us from all the carnal cravings and attention to give proper attention to God. This allows us to better communicate and receive from the Spirit of God.

  PRAYER

Oh, Lord raise leaders for your body who are selfless and committed to pleasing you in all they do. May they be examples to your flock through their discipline and sacrifice, exhibiting a great ability to teach the flock

FURTHER STUDIES

Matthew 9:15. “And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.”

1 Timothy 3:2 ” A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:22 ” Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

In our key scripture Apostle Paul exhorted the brethren to CONTINUE IN THE FAITH. This appears to be a very simple statement or instruction yet it entails a lot.

The faith in this context refers to the Christian life as a whole. It is described as a race in Hebrews 12:1 “wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”. In every life endeavour there are two main enemies or forces that may impede on our advancement. These are internal forces and external forces. In the above scripture (Hebrews 12:1) it talks about only the internal forces that can keep us from making proper advancement. These internal   forces are:

1. Every weight

2. Sin that easily beset us

Weights are practices, actions which may not be necessarily sinful but they seriously keep us from running effectively. Some people are so much attached to their phones and this becomes a weight. Watching TV can become a weight, stealing your precious time. Your association with some friends can also be a weight. Just imaging an athlete, in a very competitive race wearing a pair of suits, a tie, with a hat and a platform shoe. How would such a person perform. He may not finish the race. This is what these weights does to us.

The second internal force that also affects our forward movement in this race is the sin that so easily beset us. Sin is falling short of God’s standard or breaking God’s law. Many people have certain sins that they are not able to handle. To some it is unforgiveness, lying, fear, worry, immorality etc.

Dear child of God you have received grace in Christ and can easily put all these things aside. Don’t allow them to impede your advancement in the faith.

There are also external forces that may slow or totally stop you. These include demonic attacks, persecution, challenges, worldly amusements and any other problems that may come your way.

To continue in the faith, you must aggressively commit yourself to doing everything that would keep you strong. Some of the things you have to do to get you going on are:

1. Maintain a constant fellowship with the brethren.

2. Get yourself involved in every activity of the church that helps your faith to grow.

3. Maintain a strong devotional life, praying diligently always

4. Have times to study the bible

5. Maintain a periodic fasting schedule.

6. Keep listening to messages of anointed men of God that would inspire you.

7. Share the gospel with neighbours and as many people that you can.

8.Be a practitioner of the word of God

If you do these things you will never grow weak in your zeal for the Lord. You will keep advancing in your faith and would be ready for the Lord anytime he should appear.

  PRAYER

I pray that the church of God would commit herself to getting to the end of the Christian race. Let non be drawn off by the deceptions of the world, in Jesus name we have prayed.

FURTHER STUDIES.

2 Peter 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:25 ” Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 14:22 ” Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulations enter into the kingdom of God.”

Apostle Paul confirmed or strengthen the souls of the brethren in various cities by teaching them the truth. He taught them that through much tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.

Many Christians have not been taught about the necessity to suffer for Jesus. This makes very weak Christians. This also makes them converts. The word church is from the Greek word ‘Ekklesia’. It is coined from two Greek words. These are:

1. ‘Ek’ which means “out of” and the second word is “Kaleo” which means ‘to call’. The word church as used in the scriptures means the ‘called out ones’. We have been called out of the world. This implies our lifestyle should not be as the world is, but rather opposite to the pattern and way of the world (Rom 12:2). This would make the world hate us. The prince or god of this world who is Satan would instigate the world to hate and oppose us. This is the essence of persecution. It is very normal for every Christian to suffer for Christ. This should be taught to all Christians. If the church majors on the teachings of comfort, wealth and pleasure then we are in for big trouble. Most Christians would then not make it to heaven if we continue this way. Persecutions and tribulations are definite, and the Christian must be aware and prepared for it. The Lord taught the following in John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you, if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also”.

The Lord admonishes the church to know that if he was persecuted then we his servants would also be treated likewise, for the servant is not greater than his master. Apostle Paul taught in Romans 8:17 that “And if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together”. There is glory for the Christian and suffering as well.

Now living right involves not engaging in certain things. A Christian youth must delay sex before marriage. The Christian must not cheat in exams when everyone is doing so. The Christian must sacrifice his money for God’s work. He must speak the truth even at the peril of his life. The Christian lady must reject sex for favours from bosses. Those who oppose the message of the cross would surely attack us who project it. All these are sufferings that we must endure for the course of Christ. As Apostle Paul said, we must pass through many tribulations to enter into the kingdom of God.

 PRAYER

Father open the eyes of all Christians, especially Christian leaders to prepare their members to stand for Christ in times of opposition and tribulations.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Romans 12:2 ” And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Revelation 2:10 ” Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”