OMBS7/ Let the world know!

PRAYER - "Prayer Against Dishonest, Threatening People"

A godly person craves to see others living godly lives. But David felt as though everyone around him was dishonest or threatening. "Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail, ...They speak ...with flattering lips and with a double heart." When you feel oppressed by phonies, flatterers, dishonest, intimidating or threatening people, remembered that God's words are pure, as silver tried in a furnace, and faithful for eternal generations. Though men fail, God never fails.

Psalm 12:5 - "Now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him."

PRINCIPAL- "Those Who Returned From Babylon"

Skip seventy years from where II Kings ended. If you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, you find this roll-call of repatriates - those who made it back home from Babylon - BEFORE the story of the captivity is even told. Your trial (captivity) is not the big story. Your triumph over it is.

1 Chronicles 9:2-3 - "The first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions in their cities were, the Israelites, the priests, Levites, and the Nethinims. And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim, and Manasseh."

PRINCIPLES - "God's House Before My House"

The temple in Jerusalem was totally desecrated with idolatry and the worship of false gods by several kings before God removed the Jews to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. After seventy years of punishment, God brought the Jews back to Jerusalem. The very first thing they did was restore the temple and establish true worship of God. They learned a hard lesson. Put God first.

1 Chronicles 9:13-27 - "...very able men for the work of the service of the house of God. ...priests; ...Levites; ...porters; ...keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: ...chief porters, ...lodged round about the house of God."

PROPHECIES - "The Prophetic Destiny of Transgressors"

It may not appear to be a prophetic subject, but being punished for one's sins is truly a prophetic fulfillment. When King Saul disobeyed God by sparing the Amelekites, and consulting the witch of Endor, he sorely transgressed against God. We all have prophetic destiny; a reward if we have obeyed the gospel, or eternal punishment if our sins remain unforgiven.

1 Chronicles 10:13 - "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, ...and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, ...And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him.

Let the World Know

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.... that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me.... – John 17:20-23

Over the years the Church has come up with all kinds of elaborate ways to evangelize the world. We get together and map out plans and strategies and raise money for it. But through it all, we rarely mention the plan that Jesus gave us. Most believers don't even realize that He gave us the key to winning the world, but He did. He prayed about it right before He went to the Cross. He asked the Father to bring us into a place of such oneness with each other and with Him that the world would know that He had been sent from God. If you and I and all the rest of the Body of Christ would get together and start loving each other, we'd evangelize the world so fast it would make your head swim. It's true. But until recently, we've been too busy scrapping with one another and getting our feelings hurt to give it much thought. But, praise God, it's beginning to dawn on some folks now that we need to stop that stuff. We need to start treating Jesus' command that we love one another as a command instead of an alternative. We need to drop our silly arguments and be unified by the Spirit of God. Do you want to take a step toward evangelizing the world today? Then start praying for oneness. Make up your mind that you're going to start loving your fellow believers instead of criticizing, complaining and talking ugly about them. Start confessing that the Church of God is going to rise up together in faith and love as one glorious Body driven by the power of Jesus Himself. We are, you know. Jesus prayed that it would happen, and the Holy Spirit is already bringing it to pass. Satan would like to stop it, but he can't. It's far more powerful than he is—and it's going to blast a hole in his operation that's big enough to drive a train through. It's going to let the whole world know that Jesus truly is Lord!

Plan of Salvation read acts 2:38