Suffering from being a Christian

I Peter 4.12-19

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fire that arises among you to test you, as if something strange were happening. 13 But as you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that when his glory is revealed, you may also rejoice with great joy. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, happy are you, for the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, rests on you. 15 If any of you suffers, let him not be like a murderer, thief, criminal, or someone who meddles in someone else's business. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God through that name. 17For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the wicked and the sinner?” 19 Therefore, those who suffer according to God's will should entrust their lives to their faithful Creator and do good.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

V.12 Have you ever felt that “something strange is happening”? Heavy? Out of common? Oppression, ordeal on every side? So, I have to tell you, not everything is “flowers”. We have in our heart the certainty that God loves us, but Christ said: "In this world you will have afflictions; however, be of good cheer! I have overcome the world" John 16.33. Jesus didn't say it would be easy, but that He won and would be with us to encourage us.

V. 13 The true Christian has to be different. Has he noticed yet? While many of those who are going through an ordeal complain, look for culprits, despair, what should a Christian do? “Rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ.”

V.14 If, because we decided to be true Christians, people insult us, we should be happy because the Holy Spirit will be with us. What a consolation!

V.15-16 We should not suffer for doing something wrong, but for the love of Christ. Let's not be ashamed of it! May this difficulty not make us want to go back.

V.17-18 Will the time of judgment come, and even for true Christians it will not be easy, imagine for those who don't even care about Christ?

V.19 Precisely because of the judgment, if we suffer because God wants it, let's trust Him. The Bible speaks in Romans 12.1 that God's will is always "good, perfect and pleasant". Let us rest in God and do good.

PAUSE TO MEDITATE

There will be a day when everyone will stand before God, are you ready?

 Acts 17 - NLT New Translation in Today's Language

1 Paul and Silas passed through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia and arrived in Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue.

2 As was his custom, Paul went there and on the next three Sabbaths he spoke about the Holy Scriptures with the people who were there in the synagogue.

3 Paul explained and proved to them that the Messiah needed to suffer and that, after dying, he had to rise again. He said: —This Jesus that I am announcing to you is the Messiah.

4 Paul and Silas managed to convince some of those people, who joined them. A large number of non-Jewish converts to Judaism and many high society ladies also joined the group.

5 But the Jews were jealous. They went to get some bad men from the street rascals and formed a band of rioters. These made a lot of confusion in the city and attacked Jason's house, looking for Paul and Silas in order to lead them out among the people.

6 But when they didn't find them, they took Jason and some other brothers by force to the presence of the city authorities, shouting: - Those men have caused disorder everywhere! Now they've come to our city,

7 and Jason hosted them in his house. They are disobeying the laws of the Roman Emperor, saying that there is another king, named Jesus.

8 Both the crowd and the officials became agitated when they heard these words.

9 And the authorities released Jason and the others, after they had paid the required amount for it.

10 As soon as it was evening, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to the city of Berea. When they got there, they went to the synagogue.

11 The people there were better educated than those in Thessalonica and listened to the message with great interest. Every day they studied the Holy Scriptures to find out if what Paul said was really true.

12 So many Jews in that city believed, and also non-Jews, both women of high society and also many men.

13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica heard that Paul had preached the word of God also in Berea, they went there and began to stir up and stir up the people against them.

14 So the brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast; but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.

15 The brothers who were protecting Paul took him to the city of Athens. Then they returned to Berea, carrying an errand from Paul; he asked Silas and Timothy to meet him in Athens as soon as possible.

16 While waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, Paul was disgusted to see the city so full of idols.

17 He went to the synagogue and there he spoke with the Jews and non-Jewish converts to Judaism. And every day, in the public square, he spoke to the people who were there.

18 Some Epicurean teachers and some Stoics argued with him and asked: - What is this ignorant man trying to say? Others commented: —He seems to be talking about foreign gods. They said that because Paul was announcing Jesus and the resurrection.

19 So they took him to a town council meeting and said, "We would like to know what new teaching you are bringing to us."

20 For you say some things that seem strange to us, and we would like to know what they mean.

21 It's just that all the residents of Athens and the foreigners who lived there liked to spend time telling and listening to the latest news.

22 Then Paul stood before them in the town council meeting and said, “Athenians! I see that in all things you are very religious.

23 Indeed, as I was walking through the city and looking at the places where you worship your gods, I found an altar on which it is written: “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” For this God that you worship without knowing is precisely the one I am announcing to you.

24 - God, who made the world and everything in it, is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human beings.

25 Nor does he need anyone to do anything for him, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

26 From one man he created all human races to live on earth. Before creating the peoples, God marked out for them where they would live and how long they would stay there.

27 He did this so that everyone could look for him and maybe find him, although he is not far from each one of us.

28 Because, as someone has said, “In him we live and move and have our being. ” And some of your poets said: “We are also his children. ”

29 And since we are his children, we must not think that God is like an idol of gold, silver, or stone, made by the art and skill of people.

30 In the past God overlooked this ignorance. But now he commands all people everywhere to repent of their sins.

31 For he has set the day when he will judge the world in righteousness by a man he has chosen. And he gave proof of this to everyone when he resurrected this man.

32 When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection, some mocked him, but others said, “We want to hear you talk about this another time.

33 So Paul went away from there.

34 But some people believed and joined him. Among these were Dionísio, who was a member of the City Council, a woman named Dâmaris and other people.

PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW. THANK YOU.

 

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and he who loves her will eat her fruit.”

“The tongue is also a fire; yea, the tongue, which world of iniquity, placed among our members, defiles the whole body, and inflames the course of nature, being in its turn inflamed by hell.” but the tongue, no man can tame it.

It is an unstoppable evil; it is full of deadly venom.

Proverbs 18:21 - 2James 3

 

PHRASE IN THE PICTURE: PORNOGRAPHY ATTRACTS DEMONS! IT'S A DOOR OF DESTRUCTION!

Free yourself from this curse. 🙌 🙏🔥🔥🔥🔥

Pornography attracts demons.

You may think it's something harmless, that no one knows, you try to hide it from your wife, your parents and friend, but the spirit world sees you continuously.

There are evil spirits that feed on the acts of pornography addicts, the spiritual world is more real than the physical world.

It's a dirty industry that encourages sex without consent, incestuous and depraved relationships, there's nothing love there it's all rehearsed, all premeditated to persuade you, billions are raised in exchange for it your heart becomes a cult of demon worship of the sexual perversion.

Our body is a kind of altar, whether of God or demons. Don't let your eyes be an altar of sexual idolatry, decide today to repent! Marriages are destroyed by this evil, if you are going through this, make the decision to fight, it does not mean that you will never have a relapse, but if you persevere, you will win.

 

The Christian and Depression

Elias asked for death when he fled from humanity and just wanted to sleep and forget about reality. Paulo spent a week without appetite or spirit after being confronted with the very hard truth that the purpose of his life until that moment had been in vain. Peter wept bitterly and in heart-rending depression after locking eyes with Jesus after the rooster crowed. Joseph of Egypt certainly wasn't releasing fireworks in slavery or prison. Ana was so sad and depressed that she was crying uncontrollably, to the point that Eli mistook her for a drunk. Mary and Martha were so depressed over their brother's death and the Lord's absence that their emotional state moved Jesus and brought him to tears of compassion. Needless to say, the soul of the upright, God-fearing, evil-shunning man Job was brought down to the brink. David, then, goes without saying, just read Psalm 51 to see how the man after God's heart entered a spiral of depression after the crisis of his sin and the death of his son - in fact, the psalms contain dozens of songs written in depressive agony. In summary, the Bible shows us many men and women of sincere devotion to God who lived through periods of crushing depression without this disqualifying them in the eyes of the Lord or making them “defeated” or failures”.

So have great men of God throughout Church history. Charles Spurgeon lived for decades in a deep depression due to his and his wife's health. Augustine speaks clearly about his depressions and existential crises in “Confessions”. João da Cruz even writes about the terrible state of mind he called “the dark night of the soul”. David Brainerd's story of a very painful life is an inspiration to all of us even today. What then of John Bunyan in his prison years? Martin Luther in his voluntary exile to flee the papist fury produced magnificent writings, including the translation of the Bible into the vernacular. William Cowper, the depressed suffering Christian poet, what an example! All giants of faith, who lived through huge waves of depression. And… “simply depression cannot exist in a heart filled with the Holy Spirit”? Sorry, but this is simply not true.

Biblically, depression is a school of God. No, my brother, my sister, you are not a loser without faith because the circumstances of life have brought you to this point. Never let them deceive you with this thought coming from Prosperity Theology and Positive Confession. Good men and women of God get depressed, and in the midst of that process, God works deep within their souls and emotions. Being depressed is no reason to consider yourself less spiritual, as if the Christian had to live happily ever after, smiling all the time. This is an unbiblical concept born of an apocryphal theology. Depressing yourself simply shows that you are human and dependent on God's grace. If you are depressed and without strength, know that it is not because “depression cannot exist in a heart full of the Holy Spirit”, but because you are in the school of God and in the depths of your depression the Lord is teaching you very important lessons. All clay to be remodeled needs to be kneaded by the potter.

- Constantine 🔥🚨🚒🚑

Nowadays it is common to see "prophets" in some churches wanting to do "signs and miracles" at all costs because, for many, these "signs" prove that they are true "prophets".

But... is that what the Bible teaches us? Are miracles the ultimate proof that someone has a God-approved ministry?

It is true that many prophets of God have had their ministries accompanied by miracles. This is undeniable!! Elisha and Elijah, Moses, Isaiah and even Christ and the Apostles did wonders.

But was it the miracles that proved they were men and women of God?

According to the Bible, no!

To demonstrate this we have in Scripture a man who was so important that Christ himself called him "the greatest prophet who ever lived": It was John the Baptist! "And I say unto you, that among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist;" Luke 7:28, Jesus said.

So we know that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet that ever walked the earth, correct? But of John the Baptist the Bible also says: "John did no sign indeed, but everything John said about him [Jesus] was true." John 10:41

John was the greatest prophet that ever lived, that's a fact; but John the Baptist didn't do any miracles, that's also a fact!! How can this be? Simple: the greatest mark of a prophet is not signs and wonders, but faithfulness with the Word of God! If the prophet (or prophetess) is faithful to the Scripture and what It teaches about the Gospel - if its teachings about Christ are true, then we know that he is a prophet of God!

So stay tuned: It doesn't matter how many ′′ miracles ′′ someone can do, even if it's a thousand a day! However, if the prophet does not correspond with the Word of God, do not listen to him, close your ears, run away!!! For it does not come from God!!

Remember that supposed "miracles" the devil can also do, to deceive many. "For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." Matthew 24:24

Don't focus on "signs" and "miracles". Stick with what is written!

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#FranciscoNetoABND

Contact: abiblianaodiz@gmail.com

PHRASE FROM THE IMAGE: IF YOUR PRETENDENT DOESN'T HAVE CHRIST, YOU DON'T NEED TO PRAY TO KNOW IF IT'S GOD'S WILL OR NOT!

And it's not.

🫵🙏🔥🔥🔥🔥

QUESTION: Can a servant of God marry an ungodly man?

What does the Bible tell us about this?

ANSWER: Imagine that you, a servant of God, marry an ungodly man. You will want to teach your child to keep God's commandments, he will say he doesn't have to obey. You will want to teach your child to be faithful to God, to abhor carnality, to abhor worldliness, as the Bible teaches, but your husband will say that it is nonsense, that there is no need. You will want to teach your child to stay away from pagan parties (worldly concerts, carnival, discotheques, nightclubs, raves, funk dances, etc.), bad company, addictions (drug addiction, cigarette addiction, drink addiction), music mundane/profane, immoral conversations, your husband will say it's okay, that it has nothing to do with it. Because of this GOD #PROHIB mixed marriage between people. You need to choose a spouse who is on the Path of Jesus, obeying God's commandments as He taught us.. otherwise it will be impossible to relate, it will be an unequal yoke and will bring serious problems to the couple.

This is why servants of God MUST NOT marry people of the world, so as not to go through frustrating situations later, remember well when Samson spoke to his parents that he would go in search of a wife for him, his parents said if by chance there was no there among them a good woman for him, but no, he preferred a woman of the world which led Samson to trust himself and not God and that cost him his life and salvation.

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; because, what society has justice with injustice? And what fellowship has light with darkness? And what agreement is there between the Messiah and Satan? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement does the Sanctuary of God have with idols? For ye are the Sanctuary of the Living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk among them; and I will be their God and they will be my people. Therefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord; And touch nothing unclean, And I will receive you; And I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2nd Corinthians 6:14-18

Note: Unequal yoke is not just the union of a Christian and an impious. Unequal yoke is for you to also join a person who #claims to be a Christian but lives in the flesh or has no principles of the Word. You are unequally yoked in the same way. Walk with someone after the model of Christ.