Today’s message summary of June 3, 2018 from Pastor Gus Brown:
If you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, you want to be in a teaching church. If you are not in His Word, you won’t know how to have a good relationship with Him. You will struggle with family and personal relationships.
If there are relationships that are not good for you, it is OK to say goodbye to them. Where we scuffle as a people is when we separate ourselves from God and His Word. When you seek God’s righteousness (not your own righteousness) in your life, you will be successful in your life.
Part of this will involve sacrifices and even some suffering. Christians will not have it easy.
All that is necessary for evil to triumph is when good people do nothing. Many people do not have an inkling as to what the right thing is to do.
Righteousness knows what is good and what is bad. In our culture today, we often choose what is bad over what is good. The intentions may be good, but they can still lead to bad decisions.
Good counsel comes from being associated with others, and not by separating yourself from people who have your own good as a concern. Whatever help you can receive comes from the sharing of wisdom or knowledge. The opposite of this is to simply please yourself (the flesh).
The church is raised up to do more than just lead people to Jesus Christ. The main mission is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), but it is not the only mission. The mission is to serve in kindness before others and to let God, through the Holy Spirit, take care of the results.
We can always talk about how bad things are in society, but we need to also search our hearts and ask what can we do about it. To sit back and criticize is not part of the solution. God has prepared you for days like this one…to see the problems that we face and put something into action. Show what real love is and caring to other people. Sometimes that means reaching into your own pockets and stepping up to do.
Taking a stand for righteousness will sometimes face criticism. Learn to be able to take the hit from others about righteousness (Satan does not want to see righteousness prevail). We need to be able to speak up for what is right.
Do you allow your own children to bring something into your presence that is of the world and not of God? Sometimes we need to tell our children what is right, and it needs to start at an early age. They also need to see you stand in righteousness, as well. Do what is right, and let that be how you are seen and remembered before others.
Do we know what to do in this day and age? How are we to respond as Christians to all that we see taking place in our culture? Do we, as people of God, know what needs to be done?
1 Chronicles 12:32
From the Issacharites, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command.
You will need to first be able to study the times that you live in. You need to study the problems and situations people are in. No lawyer can plead your case without knowing the facts and events. No doctor can treat an illness without a thorough examination.
Are you looking at the time that we live in and praying over it? What you may find is that we, as a people, are in need of a revival. God will need to turn the hearts of people to Him. The return of Jesus Christ is imminent, but there are still those who need to hear from Him.
2 Chronicles 6:18
But will God indeed live on earth with humans? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you, much less this temple I have built.
Many question whether or not will truly come into their life or not. God does not have any restraints. In order for people to see God work in their circumstances, there will need to be a breakthrough with trusting others to help them. God is indeed very close. He is an ever-present help, but one must humble themselves to ask for His help. No matter where you are in life, He will pick you up as you do what is right. He will help you to be who He intends for you to be. It is not about your past. When you make the decision to truly walk with God, you will see how easy it is to let go of what was wrong and pursue righteousness.
1 Samuel 22:1-2
So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When David’s brothers and his father’s whole family heard, they went down and joined him there. In addition, every man who was desperate, in debt, or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
Saul was still king, but the nation was in complete turmoil. They were disconnected from leadership. The people knew the heart of David, and chose to seek after him even though he was not yet the king. They were able to see that David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). They desired to follow the one who was seeking God Himself.
Who do we follow? Who do we draw near to? We need to draw near to Jesus Christ by seeking His Word.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
The Word teaches, corrects and instructs. If you allow Satan to keep you from learning Scripture (and learning about Jesus Christ), it will keep you in the dark about the Lord and cause you to rely upon yourself. Scripture makes you wise. It is packed with God’s wisdom and knowledge.
You will be surprised at the freedom that you truly have in this study. Satan desires to keep you in bondage. Jesus is the key to freedom (John 8:34-36).
When you have the right relationship with Jesus Christ, you will receive strength and power in all other relationships, as well.
God is not just saving you to keep you out of hell. God is saving you to be a servant for Him. He is saving you and calling you to Himself and is doing a work in you to build you up to be in ministry. He wants to give you what you need to endure and succeed in your life. His knowledge becomes a way of life and how to live by faith.
When you come to a place where you believe that God’s Word is His spoken word, you will be able to step out in faith and live according to His will and purpose for your life. God’s Word is His love letter to those who love Him.
His Word gives correction and instruction in your life. He will never bless sinful behavior; thus, there is a need for correction and instruction to live properly for Jesus.
Isaiah 55:7-12
Let the wicked one abandon his way
and the sinful one his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord,
so he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will freely forgive.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
“For as heaven is higher than earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For just as rain and snow fall from heaven
and do not return there
without saturating the earth
and making it germinate and sprout,
and providing seed to sow
and food to eat,
so my word that comes from my mouth
will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please
and will prosper in what I send it to do.”
You will indeed go out with joy
and be peacefully guided;
the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Stepping out in faith comes from a good, solid relationship with Jesus Christ.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 