The Stand “The Stand” Believers Statesboro 02-05-12

If You Don’t Stand for Something, You Will Fall for Anything.

Within us all is a desire to stand for something. We all want something to believe in, something to rally around, and something to fight for!

It seems to be a desire within all of us, but in the information society that we live in we are flooded with ideas, concepts, ideologies, and opinions. As a result, a lot of people don’t know what to stand for. They are “rebels without a cause” you might say. So they stand for nothing. The problem is that if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything. You open yourself up to deception.

Join us at Believers Church this Sunday as we begin our new series, “The Stand”. This will be a life changing series! Make plans to attend and invite someone to come with you for this SUPER SUNDAY! We are going to have a great time celebrating Jesus and learning why we must take a stand. Services are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Super Sunday brings super crowds so come to early service for a great seat!

See you tonight @ Believers Church for our mid-week service, One Hour on Wednesday. Tonight we continue in our verse by verse study of 2 Corinthians. Middle/High School Students will meet in the “Garage” and Believing Kids will meet in the church building. We have something for every age so take some time out of your busy week to come and receive a mid-week spiritual boost with great worship, prayer and study!

W.A.S.

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN?

THE FALL

Something has gone terribly wrong. The bible reveals that the world you and I live in, after it was created and after Adam was joined with Eve, was pronounced to be “very good”. This intended state of perfect beauty and peace in all things is described in the Old Testament as Shalom^[1]. Whether you are a Christian or an atheist, everyone knows that the world is not as it should be, and we all long for Shalom to exist upon the earth. This is because we are all image bearers of God, and inside of us there is a longing for “Eden”, a world that is perfect as God created it to be.

Genesis 3:1-6; 16-21; 23

Sickness, pain, death, injustice, rape, miscarriages, violence, etc. are all a result of the curse of sin.

SOWING & REAPING

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whosoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whosoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:8

Sometimes the reason bad things happen are simply because people sow to the flesh and they reap corruption.

GOD OF WRATH GOD OF LOVE (DISCIPLINE)

To undermine God’s discipline is to undermine his love. And undermining God’s love would result in misinterpreting the purpose of his discipline.

Hebrews 12:5-11

What we often times perceive as bad, can possibly be Jesus lovingly disciplining us to bring us closer to him. In this case, this is not a bad thing, but rather a good thing, even though at the moment it does not feel pleasant.

THE PROCESS

Sometimes God allows us to go through a process that can last a very long time that is extremely painful, that we do not understand, to accomplish something for his glory. There are several examples of this in scripture. None more prominent that the story of Joseph.^[2]

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Genesis 50:20

WE ARE IN A WAR

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

One of the greatest tools in battle is the ability to surprise your enemy. Our adversary uses this tactic all the time. We do not live in a time of peace. We live in a tumultuous time of war. One of the reasons bad things happen is because we have an enemy who seeks our complete destruction.

WHAT IS GOD’S RESPONSE TO OUR SUFFERING?

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from their troubles.

Psalm 34:17

Our God is a compassionate God. We are told that he is aquatinted with our sufferings,^[3] and close to those who are broken hearted.

“The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”.

Psalm 34:18

God’s response to suffering is compassion, nearness, sympathy and best of all deliverance.

WHAT SHOULD MY RESPONSE BE WHEN SUFFERINGS ARISE?

1. DONT QUIT//2 Corinthians 4:16-18

2. CONTINUE TO TRUST JESUS & HIS GOODNESS//1 Peter 4:19

3. REJOICE//Romans 5:3-5

WHAT HOPE DO WE HAVE IN SUFFERING?

JESUS: He is coming again, to set up a literal Kingdom on earth where he will rule and reign and establish Shalom once again//Revelation 21:1-5

^[1] Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:1-9; 32:14-20; 43:1-12; 60:1-22; 65:17-25; Joel 2:24-29; 3:17-18

^[2] Genesis 37-50

^[3] Exodus 3:7, Isaiah 53:3-5, Psalms 102:19, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15, John 4:6, John 11:33-35, Hebrews 2:18, Isaiah 63:9

This Sunday we answer the number 1 most asked and voted upon question in the ?ASK? Series. And even though this question was asked in a variety of ways, we can sum it up with one very simply way. Why do bad things happen? Join us this Sunday at 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. as we turn to scripture for answers to this very complicated question.

Come to Believers Church tonight from 7-8!

Bring your Bibles as we continue in 2 Corinthians, Ch.10. Tonight will be a wonderful night of worship, study and prayer. I hope to see you and your family. Youth (Middle/High School) will meet in the “Garage” and Believing Kids and Promiseland in the church classrooms.

How do you know what the will of God is? 

We asked what questions you had and this was the 2nd most popular question out of 50+ questions you submitted. Join us at Believers Church this Sunday at 9 a.m or 11 a.m. as Pastor Scott explains how to tell if you are hearing God’s will for your life. This will also be a Sunday of celebration as we baptize several people who have decided to go public in their declaration of Jesus as their Lord and Savior!

Hope to see everyone tonight for One Hour on Wednesday as we get back into our  2 Corinthians study. The Youth are going to have a blast in the “Garage” and Believing Kids are meeting in the Church building. See you here!

Last night the email account believersstatesboro@yahoo.com was hacked.

Pastor Scott is not stranded in Wales UK and is not asking you to send him money.

Not only was the email hacked, but the password was changed and we have just regained access to that email account around 11:00 a.m. today, on 01-16-12. Be leery of any emails you may have received from this account prior to this time and date.

I would send a retraction to everyone who received the erroneous email, but the hacker deleted the Sent Mail Folder after he sent the email. So I don’t know who got one and who did not.

I apologize for any confusion. And I pray that no one sent money to the hacker.

If you receive one of these erroneous emails, just take that opportunity to pray for the salvation of hacker or hackers. They need Jesus!

Ready to go public with your declaration of Jesus as your Lord and Savior? This Sunday you will have the opportunity. Call the church today and let us know you would like to be baptized and then invite your family and friends to come and be a part of the celebration! We look forward to hearing from you!

Question # 3 in our ?ASK? Series this Sunday, January 15th at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Join us as Pastor Scott teaches on what the Bible says about Love, Sex, and Dating.

LIFE GROUP sign-up will continue through Sunday. Come early and sign up for a group

that interests you!