" PEACE "

Isaiah 26:3-4   " THOU wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on THEE: because he trusteth in THEE. Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: "

     Fighting, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, and other negative acts and attitudes permeate households and nations, revealing that some people do not truly desire peace. "My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace, I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war" (Psalm 120:6).  "The way of peace have they not known" (Isaiah 59:8 cf. Romans 3:17). False peace is made by lying men who say, "Peace, peace; when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:14;8:11). It is vital to realize that sin in the life also will rob you of peace: "Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin" (Psalm 38:3b). "There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked" (Isaiah 48:22 cf. 57:21).

     GOD is the source and giver of true peace. Isaiah spoke of JESUS CHRIST and declared, "HIS name shall be called . . . The PRINCE of PEACE" (Isaiah 9:6). HE is the ONE WHO gives "peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near" (Isaiah 57:19; Ephesians 2:17). "The LORD will bless HIS people with peace" (Psalm 29:11b). "But the fruit of the SPIRIT is . . . peace" (Galatians 5:22). "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever" (Isaiah 32:17). JESUS said, "Peace I leave with you, MY peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). "These things I have spoken unto you, that in ME ye might have peace" (John 16:33). "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for THOU, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8). We obtain the genuine, lasting, perfect peace that GOD alone can give by "being justified by faith" (Romans 5:1), and we enjoy the full measure of that divine peace as we abide in HIM when we "depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14). PNF

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, Feature: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.   www.feasite.org

" Opposition to the Gospel "

Acts 18:1-6   " After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and found a certain Jew name Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart form Rome:) and came unto them, and because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that JESUS was CHRIST, and when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them,  Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. "

     Why does the message of the Gospel infuriate so many people ? The angel announced it as "good tidings of great joy. . .to all people. For unto you is born this day. . .a SAVIOR, which is CHRIST the LORD" (Luke 2:10-11). That message has brought peace and joy to multitudes of people through the centuries. Many who lived in the debauchery of sin can now say, "[I am] washed. . .sanctified. . .justified in the name of the LORD JESUS, and by the SPIRIT of our GOD" (1st.Corinthians 6:11). Why would anyone oppose the life-changing Good News ? Yet, such opposition has not abated in our day.

     Opposition to the Gospel was nothing new for Paul as was experienced at Corinth. He had faced it in many other cities. Indeed, Paul himself, in his past life, had violently opposed the Gospel even to the point of seeking the death of those who were followers of JESUS. However, all of that changed during his personal encounter with JESUS CHRIST on his journey to Damascus (Acts ch.9). Now the persecutor had become the persecuted.

     But the question remains: Why are so many antagonistic to the Gospel ? Without oversimplifying it, remember this: "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:19-20). The Gospel is a simple message. Man is a sinner. GOD is holy. Man cannot bridge the gap between GOD and himself. GOD's justice demands the death of the sinner, but HE provided a SUBSTITUTE: JESUS CHRIST, WHO paid for our sins, "Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). JED

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, Feature: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.   www.feasite.org

" The Unchanging Message That Changes Hearts "

Acts 17:1-9   " Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apolonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging, that CHRIST must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this JESUS, WHOM I preach unto you, is CHRIST. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another KING, one JESUS. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go. "

     After spending time with those who had been saved in Philippi, comforting and encouraging them, Paul and Silas moved on to Thessalonica where Paul found a synagogue and spent "three Sabbath days" reasoning "with them out of the Scriptures" (v.2). His message was the simple Gospel, and, as always, he was "opening and alleging, that CHRIST must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead; and that this JESUS, WHOM [he] preach[ed] unto [them], is CHRIST" (v.3). Thankfully, "some of them believed" and joined themselves with Paul and Silas (v.4), including many from among the Greeks as well as women of influence in the city. However, this advance of the Gospel did not come without opposition. Accused of turning "the world upside down" (v.6), Paul and Silas were sent away to Berea for their safety (v.10).

     The amount of time spent at Thessalonica was minimal, causing one to wonder how much could have been accomplished in so short a time. However, both epistles to the Thessalonians serve to assure us that the teaching they received during those few weeks went far beyond merely surface knowledge. Paul and Silas labored fervently among them, and Paul was careful to ground them as firmly in the truth as he could. The response of those who believed is a joy to behold: "Ye turned to GOD from idols to serve the living and true GOD; and to wait for HIS SON from Heaven, WHOM HE raised from the dead" (1st.Thessalonians 1:9-10). Furthermore, they were vocal about their faith: "For from you sounded out the WORD of the LORD . . . in every place your faith to GOD-ward is spread abroad" (1st.Thessalonians 1:8). Never underestimate the power of the Gospel ! JED

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, Feature: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.   www.feasite.org

" What Must I Do to Be Saved ? "

Acts 16:12-40   " And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days. And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshiped GOD, heard us: whose heart the LORD opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, ' If ye have judged me to be faithful to the LORD, come into my house, and abide there.'  And she constrained us. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: the same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying,  'These men are the servants of the most high GOD, which shew unto us the way of Salvation.' And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit,  'I command thee in the  name of JESUS CHRIST to come out of her.' And he came out the same hour.

And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying, 'These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.' And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto GOD: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 

And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, 'Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.' Then he called for a light and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? ' And they said, 'Believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.' And they spake unto him the WORD of the LORD, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in GOD with all his house.

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, 'Let those men go.' And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, 'The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace.' But Paul said unto them, 'They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily ?  Nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.' And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed."

     I have always been somewhat amazed at this account of Paul in Philippi for a number of reasons. First, despite the fact that a man in a vision beckoned him to come into Europe, it was a woman who became the first convert (vv.14-15). Second, though Satan tried to use the demon possessed woman to thwart the purpose of GOD in Europe, the end result was the Salvation of the jailer and his family. Third, the witness of Paul and Silas had such great impact because they lived what they preached by praying and singing praises unto GOD, which the jailer heard (v.25). Fourth, Paul's insistence that they, as Roman citizens, receive the full protection of the law is a reminder to us that we today have the right to due process under the laws of our land.

     But suppose that Paul and Silas had NOT obeyed the heavenly vision. What if they had simply ignored the call and determined to go into some of the regions of Asia Minor where they had already tried the door ? When and how would the Gospel message have made its way into Europe ? And, what impact would that decision have had upon the whole missionary movement and the spread of the Gospel to Western civilization ? THANK  GOD for the words in verse ten:  "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we (Luke, the narrator, apparently joined them at Troas) endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the LORD had called us for to preach the Gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course" (vv.10-11). It was this obedience that eventually led to Lydia's Salvation and to the vitally essential question of the jailer at Philippi: "What must I do to be saved ? " (v.30). JED

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, Feature: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used  with  permission.  www.feasite.org

" For I Am Persuaded "

PERSUADED,  ABSOLUTELY ! ! !

Romans 8:38-39   " For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of GOD, which is in CHRIST JESUS our LORD."

     One does well to lay to heart one particular word in verse 38: "Persuaded." This word is a heart word. In the Greek text, it is in the perfect tense and signifies,  "I have come through a process of persuasion to a settled conclusion."

     There is a difference between knowing a truth and being heart-persuaded of it as born out in Romans 14:14: "I know, and am persuaded by the LORD JESUS . . ."  To know a Bible truth, one has only to read it. However, to be persuaded of it involves the fact that, first of all, the truth in question touches your own personal safety before GOD and, second, your heart has been so enlightened by the HOLY SPIRIT and you are so won over (persuaded) that confidence, heart-satisfied persuasion, results. Now, Paul says in Romans 8:38, "I am persuaded."  Paul had passed through all the terrible things mentioned a few verses earlier. Look at the scars on his body (2nd.Corinthians 12:9; 13:13). Assurance ?  He had it !  Confidence ?  Listen to his last epistle (2nd.Timothy 4:18).  Persuaded ?  His mind, conscience, and heart were sublimely committed to what he was about to say.

     Many often misquote this verse (v.38), putting it according to natural thought: "neither life nor death."  But GOD says,  "Neither death, nor life."  To the instructed believer, the fear of death is gone (see Hebrews 2:14-15). CHRIST partook of it. But life ! Ah, life is so much more difficult than death - life with its burdens, bitterness, disappointments, uncertainties, often with physical miseries. As Job said,  "My soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life" (Job 7:15). Just as death cannot separate us from the unchangeable love of GOD in CHRIST, neither can life's circumstances separate us. JED

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, Feature: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.  www.feasite.org

" Parenting in an Ungodly World "

Daniel 1:8; 3:10-12   " But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. " 

" Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image: and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou has set up. "

     As our world grows alarmingly ungodly, we often express concern about the impact of an increasingly depraved society upon our young people. This concern is valid (James 4:4; 1st.John 2:15-17). As we expend energy defensively protecting our children from the evils of our day, we often forget that it is also important to build within them a positive offensive attitude toward the time in history in which the LORD has called them to live. Some of the most dramatic examples in Scripture of dynamic godly youth were birthed in times of spiritual darkness similar to our own.

     As a youth, Daniel lived in a spiritually deteriorating world. Though Scripture says nothing of Daniel's parentage, it is obvious that they must have applied the truth of Proverbs 22:6. Those days were treacherous and alarming for families in Judah, yet Daniel not only survived but even excelled in godly virtues. Daniel was probably only thirteen or fourteen years old when ungodly Jehoiachin ascended the throne in Jerusalem. The priests were corrupting the temple, bringing pagan idols into the holy courtyard, and their reprobate minds, in time, caused them literally to turn their backs on the holy place and worship the rising sun (Ezekiel 8). As the WORD of GOD from the prophet Jeremiah was read to the king, he scornfully cut it into pieces and threw GOD's warning into the flames with which he warmed himself. Amazingly, out of those evil days came godly Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The dark days in which we live should prompt godly parents to defensively protect their children from evil and also to offensively train their youth to rise up as spiritual leaders and examples. JMC

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, Feature: A Daily Bible Study Guide.

Used  with  permission.   www.feasite.org

" The TRUTH about the BIBLE "

THE  BIBLE  IS  GOD's  WORD

" For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of GOD spake as they were moved by the HOLY GHOST. " 2nd.Peter 1:21

" . . . When ye received the WORD of GOD which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as IT is in TRUTH, the WORD of GOD . . . " 1st.Thessalonians 2:13

" All Scripture is given by inspiration of GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof . . . " 2nd.Timothy 3:16

THE  BIBLE  IS  TRUE

" Sanctify them through THY truth: THY WORD is truth. " John 17:17

" THY WORD is true from the beginning: and every one of THY righteous judgments endureth forever. " Psalm 119:160

" And now, O LORD GOD, THOU art that GOD, and THY WORDs be true, and THOU hast promised this goodness unto THY servant. " 2nd.Samuel 7:28

" And HE that sat upon the throne said,  ' Behold, I make all things new.' And HE said unto me,  ' Write: for these WORDs are true and faithful.' " Revelation 21:5

The  BIBLE  IS  TIMELY

" This know also, that in the last days, perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent (without self-control), fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady (headstrong), highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of GOD; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away . . . " 2nd.Timothy 3:1-5

" According as HIS divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of HIM that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature . . . " 2nd.Peter 1:3-4

THE  BIBLE  IS  ENDURING

" Heaven and earth shall pass away: but MY WORDs shall not pass away. " Luke 21:33

" For ever, O LORD, THY WORD is settled in Heaven. " Psalm 119:89

" The grass withereth, the flower fadeth but the WORD of our GOD shall stand for ever. " Isaiah 40:8

THE  BIBLE  IS  VALUABLE

To  the  Christian:

" THY WORD is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. " Psalm 119:105

" But whoso keepeth HIS WORD, in him verily is the love of GOD perfected: hereby know we that we are in HIM. " 1st.John 2:5

" THY WORDs were found, and I did eat them; and THY WORD was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by THY name, O LORD GOD of hosts. " Jeremiah 15:16

To  the  Unbeliever:

" So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the WORD of GOD. " Romans 10:17

" Verily, Verily, I say unto you, he that heareth MY WORD, and believeth on HIM that sent ME, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. " John 5:24

The Bible is GOD's TRUTH. IT reveals man's sinful and lost condition, the righteousness of JESUS CHRIST and Salvation through the shedding of HIS blood on the cross; GOD the SON died for your sins and arose bodily from the grave. GOD wants you to believe HIS TRUTH, the Bible, and to trust HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST, as your only hope of Salvation. JESUS said,  " I AM the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: no man cometh unto the FATHER, but by ME. " John 14:6. Trust CHRIST as your SAVIOR today !

Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie

Copyright, Fundamental Evangelistic Assn.

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