Encouragement Study: Edition #22

Romans 11:11-16

Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!

I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Arouse (verb):

• To stir to action or strong response; excite.
• To stimulate sexually.
• To awaken; wake up.
• To awaken from or as if from sleep.

Paul wanted to arouse the Jews, to stir them to action... maybe get them worked up in anger so that he could save some of them. What does this have to do with encouragement? Everything. Encouragement is a feeling from someone's actions. To encrouage someone is to try to get a response from that person. Am I trying to get someone to an excited state? Am I trying to wake up someone in a figurative sense?

Do you know what? I am willing that Paul's actions, to anger and get the Jews to an envious state worked on some of the Jews. I'm not saying that we should go out and try to tick off a whole bunch of people, but I am saying that maybe others should become angery at our righteousness... just a thought. Johnny Out.

Growing Pains: Part III

Galatians 6:6-10
Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

-As it is written, put yourself to the test. So, in the Spirit of testing, it is good to see what we are sowing.

Sow (verb):

• To scatter (seed) over the ground for growing.
• To spread (land, for example) with seed.
• To strew something around or over (an area); distribute something over.
• To propagate; disseminate.
• To scatter seed for growing.

Disseminate (verb):

• To scatter widely, as in sowing seed.
• To spread abroad; promulgate.
• To become diffused; spread.

Promulgate (verb):

• To make known by open declaration; publish; proclaim formally or put into operation (a law, decree of a court, etc.).
• To set forth or teach publicly (a creed, doctrine, etc.).
• To make known (a decree, for example) by public declaration; announce officially.
• To put (a law) into effect by formal public announcement.

So, this is how I understand it: if I sow a bad attitude to other people, what I get in return are bad attitudes. If I talk to people with love, kindness, and goodness... then that is what I get in return, on a general sense.

The question therein is this:

• How do people see me? What is my reputation? Am I known as a kind and loving person or am I known as a ill-tempered person?

Johnny Out.

Growing Pains: Part II

2nd Peter 3:1-18
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

-A great way to see if you are making progress as a Christian is to test yourself (Galatians 6:4). And to see if you are making progress, see if you have grown in grace and knowledge of Christ.

Ask questions like:

• Have I learned anything about God/Christ in the ten years? five years? two years? year? month? week? day?
• Am I making better decisions based on what I know between good and evil?
• Am I becoming more and more aware of the grace given to me from God?

Put yourself to the test. The hardest part is to not compare yourself to others. If you have growth, then it is growth. If you don't have any growth... well, then guess what? You don't. But don't compare yourself to someone else. Just compare yourself to yourself... that is the only way to do it. Johnny Out.

One Another: Part II

Leviticus 19:1-14
The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

"'Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.

"'Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.

"'When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to the LORD; that person must be cut off from his people.

"'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.

"'Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.

"'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

"'Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.

"'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD.

-There are some differences between this 'one another' and the one from Tuesday. This one uses this another:

Another: ‛âmîyth (pronounced: aw-meeth'):
To associate; companionship; hence (concretely) a comrade or kindred man: another, fellow, neighbour.

So... love one another... love your neighbor. It comes across as one and the same. Here it says to not deceive your neighbor. Do not deceive another person (kindred man).

Deceive (verb):

• To cause to believe what is not true; mislead.
• To catch by guile; ensnare.
• To practice deceit.
• To give a false impression.
• To mislead by a false appearance or statement; delude.

Deceit (noun):

• Concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading; duplicity; fraud; cheating.

This is very interesting... deceiving someone is cheating them. It is lying, it is prostituing the heart, soul, mind, and spirit. It is being unfaithful, to God, to those in my life, to myself. That's a lot to think about.

Growing Pains: Part I

A Catholic Priest, a Baptist Preacher, and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.

One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they all came together to discuss their experience.

Father Flannery, who had his arm in a sling, was on crutches, and had various bandages on his body and limbs, went first. 'Well,' he said, 'I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The Bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation.'

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, had one arm and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he claimed, 'WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quickly DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus...'

The priest and the reverend both looked down at the Rabbi,who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IVs and monitors running in and out of him. He was in really bad shape. The Rabbi looked up and said, 'Looking back on it, Circumcision may not have been the best way to start.'

OK, it's been a while since I dropped some humor. A friend sent this to me... and I thought it was hilarious.

Growth (Noun):

• The act or process, or a manner of growing; development; gradual increase.
• Size or stage of development.
• Completed development.
• Development from a simpler to a more complex stage.
• Development from another but related form or stage.
• Something that has grown or developed by or as if by a natural process.
• The process of growing; full development; maturity.

So the question has been asked... am I growing? Is there some spiritual growth in my life as a disciple... or am I just becoming stagnant. I guess the question should be this: is there progress in my spiritual walk, or is there regression?

Progress (noun):

• A movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage.
• Advancement in general.
• Growth or development; continuous improvement.
• The development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.
• Forward or onward movement:
• The forward course of action, events, time, etc.

Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

"'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

"'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"

-Well, the way I see it, there are two types of growth. One growth is a growth in righteousness. The other type is a growth in being unrighteous. I can look back on my years as a disciple and make a judgment in my growth. I can honestly say, I have seen growth in being righteous. Am I perfect? No. In fact, I would say that I am so far from being perfect... yeah, there's still plenty room for improvement.

One Another: Part I

Did you know that there are 72 verses that contain the phrase "one another" in the Bible? This series is a series that I will look at these verses and try to gleen something from each verse. I will be starting from the first one in the Bible and going to the last one. I would assume there would be 72 studies on this... however, it is more likely that some studies will contain more than one verse.

Genesis 42:14-21
Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" And he put them all in custody for three days.

On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do.

They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us."

According to E-Sword:

One: 'îysh (pronounced: eesh)
A man as an individual or a male person; another, any (man), a certain, champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (goodman, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man [mankind], none, one, people, person, steward, what (man) soever, whoso (whosoever), worthy.

Another: 'âch (pronounced: awkh)
A brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance): another, brother (brotherly), kindred, like, other.

I don't know if the other "one another's" in the Old Testament are the same as this one, but this one another is speaking of family. You could say it like this: They said from one brother to another... or like this: They said to each family member... and that would also work.

Now, the question is this: When I address anyone... do I address them in a family demeanor? Do I honor them as I would a family member? How about this: do I honor family members? Tough stuff to think about. And it is worthy stuff to think about, too.