Exhortations For The Church: Volume 12



Preface

Do you remember the fire you had for things of God when you were first born again?

I do.

All I could even think about was God, Jesus, Bible, church.

It is like the fleshly fire of that first mate ... when you fell  in love.

Keeping that relationship with God throughout all the years that follow is important.

And as we grow closer to the return of Jesus, we are warned by Jesus as follows:

Matthew 24:12-13    And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

As the iniquity of this world grows, we might find that our love for the Word of God has diminished from that love we had at the beginning.

This simply means we need to put extra effort into Bible reading and the reading of godly exhortations.

For this reason, we present daily exhortations on our blog:  Jesus Ministries Exhortations

And godly exhortations are presented to the church in these books so we can keep the faith in God before us day and night and renew our thinking from the ungodly way of this present world.

Joan Boney



1

Building a Root System


If you can't stand repetition and are always looking for a new, sensational writing, you might be like those in Athens.

Acts 17:21  (As Paul waited in Athens he noticed the following about the people there.)   For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing. 



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Paul explains in the following scripture how repetition is very important for us to make us more secure and safe.

Phil. 3:1 ... Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Learn to rejoice in the WORD. 

Let every word be established in you ... keep it before your eyes, looking at that word over and over ... let it go deeply inside your soul.


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II Cor. 13:1 ... This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

You do not have to have 3 different people speaking that same word.  Paul shows that he was speaking that same word to them the third time and by this would every word be established.


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To keep that word and produce proper fruit, we need to view that word often and do that word in an appropriate way and share that word with others.

Philemon v. 6 ... That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

You cannot consume that word upon yourself without sharing it with other people and expect your faith to develop properly.

Share that word.  In sharing, we establish what we believe about that word.

If you do not have faith enough to share that word, then you do not have faith enough.


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We must do more than hear the word.  We must not deceive ourselves.  It is in doing that word that our faith is established.

James 1:21-22 ... Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.


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By the following parable, Jesus taught them the difference between having the word bring forth fruit, 30-60-100 fold, and having the word profit them nothing.

Mk. 4:14-20 ...

The sower soweth the word.

And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.


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For the WORD to develop in you and grow to the point of bringing forth fruit you must hear the word, believe the word, focus on the word, do the word, and share the word with other people.

Don't you have at least one other person who is a real believer with whom you can share things of God?  Share with that person. 

Mt. 18:20 ... Jesus says ... For where two or three are gathered together in MY name, there am I in the midst of them.

Or share with our little church group.  Blog: Jesus Ministries Exhortation 


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In some of the churches I have attended in the past, they had Wednesday night services where people stood up and gave their testimonies to the group.  These were often very powerful services.

What God, by the Holy Spirit, does in the believer is unforgettable.



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Exhortations For The Church:  Volume 12
Available from amazon.com in paperback and eBook



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