Philippians - Lesson 2

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Bible Study 4:      A THEMATIC STUDY OF PHILIPPIANS

 

Series:                   THE JOYFUL CHRISTIAN MIND      (PART 2 OF 4)

Lesson 02:            Philippians 2.1-30 THE JOYFUL MIND OVERCOMES THE PROBLEM OF PEOPLE

 

                  

As review, the book of Philippians is the book of THE JOYFUL CHRISTIAN MIND. One of the ways we can understand what a book of the Bible is about is by looking at words that are repeated in the book. When we study the book of Philippians it's very easy to pick up on the fact that the word, joy, is one of the main words. Almost 20 times in these 4 chapters the Spirit of God uses the word, joy, or some form of the word, joy. Therefore, we know this is a book of joy.

    

As we read through this book we notice that words that have to do with the mind are used frequently. The mind - the thinking process - the understanding - these kinds of words and these kinds of words related to the mind are used over 30 times. So when we put them together and are aware of the fact that Philippians is a book given specifically to those who are in Christ, to those who are saved, to those who are Christians, then the theme of the book becomes the joyful Christian mind - how we as a believer can have joy in the Lord.

    

We might say that the book of Philippians is God's book of psychology. Let me just qualify what I mean when I use that statement. I do not mean that the Bible is a psychology book. The Bible was never intended to be a psychology book anymore than the Bible was ever intended to be a science book. However, we believe that when the Bible speaks on scientific subjects the Bible is true. We believe when the Bible speaks on psychological subjects the the Bible is true.

   

In I Thessalonians 5:23 Paul says that man is a trinity. Man is a body. He has a physical nature. He is a soul. He has a psychological nature. He is also a spirit. He has a spiritual nature. Therefore, when the Bible addresses anything that has to do with the physical realm what it says is accurate. When it deals with the spiritual realm we know that it is true. When it deals with the psychological realm we know that also the Word of God is true.

   

Here is God's pattern and lesson for us about how we as believers can have joy in our lives on the basis of what God does as He works in and through our minds. In these four chapter the apostle Paul deals with the thieves that would rob us of our joy. Therefore, in the last study in chapter one I pointed out the fact that circumstances can rob us of our joy. Just the things that take place. The daily occurrences and events of our lives.

    

The secret of overcoming the thief of circumstances is the single mind. In chapter one we notice many, many times he makes reference to Jesus and the Gospel. Paul points out to us in chapter one that circumstances become opportunities for the believer to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and to extend the Gospel. That's why he says in verse 12 of chapter 1, "But I would you should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." At that time Paul was a prisoner. He had a Roman soldier chained to him. Rather than getting the “mully-grups” and being down and despondent about it he looked at those difficult circumstances as an opportunity to extend the Gospel, to win people to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus Himself get Honor and Glory. That's victory over circumstances. A single mind.

    

In Chapter 2 we are going to learn about the matter of people and how to have victory when we have difficult people who rob us of our joy. People can rob us of our joy. People can bring us great joy; but yet they can bring us great pain. Our mate, our children, our family, our relatives, our business associates, our social circle, these people can be sources of great joy and fulfillment to us. Nevertheless, they can also be sources of great grief and great pain as well. The apostle Paul had people problems.

 

You find this reflected in this book. Look back at chapter 1:14 where Paul said, "And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." He encouraged others to preach. He said in verse 15, "Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good-will.” He said in verse 16, "The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds." Here were Christian preachers and they were preaching in order to make it even more difficult for the apostle Paul. Therefore, even Christian people can cause us problems some times.

    

Look at what Paul said in the 4th verse of chapter2, "I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord." These were evidently two women in the congregation there and they were having a little difficulty and were causing some problems for Paul. When we read the other letters of Paul we will find that he had problems with people. He said, "Demas hath forsaken me." What a problem that was. He said, "Alexander the coppersmith hath done me much harm." He said, "All men forsook me." Paul knew what it was to have people problems. The Lord Jesus had people problems also. The Scribes and the Pharisees were constantly a source of problem to the Lord Jesus. Think about the disciples. Just imagine 3 1/2 years trying to work with the likes of Simon Peter and John and Thomas and that motley crew!

    

Then of course we know his own family came one time to try to get Jesus and take Him home. They thought He had gone crazy. They thought He was out of His mind. Jesus knew what it was to have people problems. Paul knew what it was to have people problems. I have a feeling all of us know what it is to have people problems.

    

A pastor friend of mine once told me after he had had a rough morning at the church, in a way that only he could say it, "Only God could love a human being." Have you ever felt that way? It reminds me of a story I heard about a professor in school who was always talking about love and how we are supposed to love everybody. He talked, taught, and preached so much about love that he gained the nickname Dr. Love. One day some of the students saw him out in his front yard. He had had his sidewalk paved and the concrete was still wet. Some neighborhood boys were playing and they chased their dog right through the middle of his wet concert. Dr. Love immediately turned and went to his garage and grabbed a hoe and started chasing those boys down the street and tried to get a hold of them, rough them up a little, and give them a hard time. The next day in class some of the students said, "Now, professor, we saw you and we saw the hard time you gave those boys who got in the concrete in front of your house. What is this that you have been teaching us about loving people all the time?" He said, "Well students, it's like this. I love those boys in the abstract, but not in the concrete!" It's easy to love people in the abstract, but it is not always easy to love people concretely as we are taught in God’s Word. It's easy to talk about loving people but then when it comes down to dealing with people on a daily basis it's different.

    

An unknown poet said:

 “To dwell above with saints we love, that will indeed be glory.

To live below with saints we know, that's another story.”

    

Sometimes people give us problems basically for two reasons:

 (1) They give us problems because of the things they do that we don't want them to do.

 (2) They give us problems because of the things they don't do that we want them to do. 

    

As we deal with people problems the Lord teaches us in this chapter that the ultimate solution to dealing with people and handling problems with people is found in a certain kind of mindset. A certain kind of attitude on the part of believers. There is a word that occurs for the first time in this book in chapter 2 and verse 3 where Paul said, "Let each esteem other better than themselves."

    

Paul said in verse 4, "Let every man also look on the things of others." Twice in two verses he mentions others. The way you spell JOY scripturally is this:  In chapter 1, Jesus is first. In chapter 2, others are second. Then you put yourself last. You spell it J – Jesus, O – Others, Y - Yourself. The secret to dealing with people is to allow God to put into your life the submissive mind

 

Paul said in Verse 3, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory." “Strife” means knocking others down. “Vainglory” means lifting yourself up. He says don't be that way in your relationship with people. Don't always be putting people down and don't always be lifting yourself up. Rather in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. The submissive mind.

    

The thing I am discussing in this study is not easy. I'm not talking about something we just kind of work up in the energy of the flesh. I'm not saying what we are to do is to build up some kind of self-motivation to love people and have a servant spirit and a submissive mind in my dealing with others. Most of us basically are pretty selfish even though we refuse to admit it. It is by nature that most of us are pretty selfish. Most of us are like the little boy who was on the hobby horse with another little boy. He said, "If one of us would get off I could ride better."   

 

Most of us are kind of like the little poem I read a few years ago:

(I don’t know who wrote it.)

                                                                “I had a little tea party, this afternoon at 3.

                                                                Twas very small, three guests in all,

                                                                 Just I, myself, and me.”

                                                               

“Myself ate all the sandwiches

                                                                While I drank up the tea.

                                                                Twas also I who ate the pie and passed the cake to me.”

    

That's the way most of us view the situation. However, the Bible says if we really want to have a joyful Christian mind we learn to have a submissive mind - a mind that puts others ahead of ourselves.

    

A picture is better than a thousand words. As we read this chapter, having introduced the thought of submissiveness and living our lives in an attitude of service to others, the Word of God gives us here four examples of what it means to have a submissive mind. As I explained in the first study, this is not a verse by verse study but it is a thematic study of these four chapters in the Book of Philippians. I want us to look at the four examples Paul used in the rest of the chapter.

    

  1. He uses the Lord Jesus as an example.  (That is always the greatest and first place to start!)

  2. He uses himself as an example. 

  3. He uses the young preacher, Timothy as an example.

  4. He uses a very interesting man known as Epaphroditus as an example.

 

LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE OF THE LORD JESUS.

 

JESUS CAME TO SAVE PEOPLE.

 

He illustrates the submissive mind because Jesus came to save people. Paul said in Philippians 2:5-11 (KJV) “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 

That's one of the most glorious passages about the Lord Jesus Christ to be found in all of the Word of God. He is saying to let this mind, this attitude be in you that we see in the Lord Jesus. It starts with Jesus Christ in eternity, in His heavenly position. It says he was in the form of God and that he thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Robbery is taking something that doesn't belong to you. However, Jesus didn't have to take equality with God as something that didn't belong to him. He didn't have to rob that because he was equal with God. He is equal with God.

 

JESUS CAME TO SERVE PEOPLE.

    

Here is the position of the Lord Jesus Christ in His heavenly glory. He is equal, co-equal, co-existence with God Himself. Think of all of the glory, the praise, and the angels prostrating themselves before the Lord Jesus. Yet the Bible says that Jesus Christ did not hold on to that in a greedy grasp. The Lord Jesus Christ was willing to lay all that aside. He was willing to put away all of His heavenly privileges in order to condescend into this world and be a servant.

    

If we really want to know somebody (you businessmen and women in particular) don't check them out on how they handle their responsibilities. Check them out on how they handle their privileges. We’ll learn a whole lot more about people in how they handle their privileges. Jesus Christ did not hold on to his privileges in selfishness. Jesus, up in heaven, didn't say, "People are sinners and they deserve to go to hell. They are sinful; they are totally depraved.” No, the Lord Jesus Christ left heaven's glory and He condescended into this world and He became a servant. The Bible says he emptied himself. That means he laid aside his garments of heavenly glory and took upon himself the form of a man and became a servant. He was in the form of a servant. When we read the four gospels that's what we find out about Jesus. Jesus Christ spent His whole ministry serving other people. Jesus Himself said, “the Son of man is come not to be ministered unto but to minister." He lived his life for others.

    

JESUS CAME TO SACRIFICE FOR PEOPLE.

 

"He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Jesus Christ went from heaven's glory all the way down, down, down, until He hit the bottom rung of the ladder, the death of the cross. He died on that cross for others. Jesus is an example of what the submissive mind is all about. It is willing to give yourself for others.

    

There is a great risk and a possible high price to pay if you live that way! If you live that way, people will run all over you and step on you and you may get hurt very badly.” Nevertheless, we need to read the whole thing because Paul says in verse 9, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him." There is a principle in the Bible that when we are willing to submit ourselves and humble ourselves, God will exalt us. Lucifer made up his mind that he was going to be God. Lucifer decided that he was going to exalt himself and live for himself. Therefore, (Lucifer said,) "I'm going up.” (God said,) "O, no Lucifer, you're going down.” (The Lord Jesus came and said,) "I'm going down.” (The Father said,) "Yes, and My Son in Whom I am well pleased, you are going up. I'm going to exalt you as Lord of Lords and King of Kings of the whole universe."

    

We don't have to worry about folks running all over us if we are totally submitted to the Lord. The Bible says, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in due time." (Write that in the Front of your Bible where you can turn to it every you come under attack and it will be like a hot fire on a cold winter’s night in your soul every time you read it!) We don't have to have all of our rights. God will take care of all of that. We just need to live our life for God and live for others. We must just keep following the example of the Lord Jesus.

    

The second example Paul gives is himself.

LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE OF  PAUL.

    

Paul said in Philippians 2:12 (KJV) “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” 

Paul said in Philippians 2:17 (KJV) “Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.”

 

In those two words, “sacrifice” and “faith” Paul, gives the example of himself. He shows the submissive mind in his own attitude, his own ministry, and his own work among people. He shows us in the course of this that this is something that God has to put in our lives. This is a work God has to do in us. 

 

Paul says in verse 12, "Now work out your own salvation with fear, and trembling." Does that teach us that we can work for our salvation? No. That's not what the Bible says and that's not what this verse says. We know the Bible says we can't work for our own salvation. It says work OUT your own salvation, not FOR your salvation. We can't work out anything until first of all it's been worked in. We can go out to a field and plow it and chop it and fertilize it, water it, but we won't get a thing in the world in that field until first of all something has been planted. We have to have some seed planted before we can work it out. We can't work out a garden until some seed has been worked in. We are talking about how to have a submissive mind. The natural person does not think in terms of living his or her life for others. As I suggested earlier we are naturally selfish. Therefore, it has to be a supernatural work that God does in our hearts.    

 

Paul says in verse 13, "For it is God who works in you." Paul says in verse 12 “you work it out.” In verse 13 Paul says “it is God who has worked it in." The moment we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit came to dwell in our heart, we have the power and the resource within us “by the Holy Spirit to work it out.” Therefore, there is in Jesus Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit every mental outlook and every mental mindset that God intends for us to have a joyful Christian life. GOD HAS WORKED IT IN now He says YOU WORK IT OUT. YOU bring it to completion in your life.

    

How does God work in us so that we can work it out in our daily life?

GOD USES HIS WORD.

 

"It is God who worketh in you." Another passage, 1st Thessalonians, says that the Word of God works IN you. That's the importance of that daily Bible time. I would suggest we do it in the morning. It doesn't make sense to me to do it at the end of the day because the day is already over. That's kind of like the kid who borrowed dad's car and had an accident. After the accident he bowed his head on the steering wheel and said, "Dear Lord, I pray this accident might not have happened." It is never any good to pray about good results after the fact, after something is over and passed. Pray before the fact and get in the Word at the beginning of the day. We must get our mind attuned to the truth of God. It all happens right up here in the mind. The Bible says, "be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” God does his work in our minds through His Word. God works in us as a believer. 

 

GOD USES OUR PRAYERS

 

As we begin to study the Word He will show us that selfishness in which is in our heart. That gives us something to pray about and we ask God to forgive us for being so selfish. Then he will show us the needs of others and we begin to pray, "O, God, give me the power of the Holy Spirit so I can live the way this Word teaches me that I ought to live." Therefore, God is working IN and we are working OUT. 

 

GOD USES OUR SACRIFICES

 

Paul was willing to sacrifice for people. Paul said in Philippians 2:17 (KJV) “Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.” Sacrifice and service always go together. We never really serve until we sacrifice. It costs us something if we are going to serve other people. This life of living submissively and living our life for others is not going to be a life of convenience. We have to inconvenience ourselves. We have to sacrifice. It costs us something. It will cost us a little of our time. It may cost us a little of our money. It may cost a little of our peace of mind. Nevertheless, if there is going to be any genuine service there always has to be sacrifice. It was true in the life of the Lord Jesus. He served because He sacrificed. It was true in the life of the Apostle Paul. He served because he sacrificed. In fact he said "If I be offered up..." That word, “offered up” really means to be poured out as a drink offering. In those days they would take the sacrifice, and put the animal sacrifice on the altar, set it on fire. Then they had what they called a drink offering and they would just pour that on top of it. The moment it was poured out on the flames it went up in steam. Paul is saying "I'm just willing to be just the drink offering on top of everything else." He was willing to be poured out on our sacrifice and service. There is the submissive mind and when we have that mindset people don't bug us as bad as they normally would.

 

How does God work in us so that we can work it out in our daily life?

LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE OF TIMOTHY.


Philippians 2:19-23 (KJV) “19But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. 20For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. 21For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. 22But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. 23Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.”       

   

Here is young Timothy, the young preacher boy. An example of the submissive mind sent to serve others. Paul says several things about Timothy. One thing he says is he's my son. However, he is not talking about a biological child. When Paul said Timothy is my son, he means my son in the faith.

    

After Susan and I moved back to Hudson from Naples upon my retirement we started attending Friendship Baptist Church. One of the dear, sweet congregations I pastored many years ago and was blessed to see many people come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. One Sunday a young man came up to me and said to me, “You don’t know me but I am your grandson and I just wanted to meet you.” You can imagine how that threw me back a little, because none of my children were old enough to have children that old and I only have one wife. I took him to the side and said to him, “Son, what are you talking about?” Then he explained to me that someone whom I had led to Jesus years before had in turn led him to Jesus and he said that made me his spiritual grandfather. I wiped my forehead, gave him a big hug, and welcomed him to the family!

 

If you have led someone to Christ you are their father or their mother in the faith. We ought to have a young convert on the string all the time. We ought to have some young believer that we have led to Christ that we are working with and encouraging and discipling in some way all the time.

 

There was Paul and there was Timothy and there could not have been a greater contrast. You talk about a generation gap! There was Paul, a full-bloodied Jew and there was Timothy, a half-breed. There was Paul an old man. There was Timothy a young man. Yet they are of one mind and one heart in the Lord. Therefore, Paul calls him his son. He didn't have anybody he could send who would be more concerned than this young man, Timothy, would be. 

 

I wonder what the Lord would say about us. I wonder if he would say about us what was said about Timothy, or what he would say about others in verse 21. He is saying Timothy is about the only one I could send, he's the only one really interested in others. Isn't it a sad thing when people get so selfish and so caught up in themselves and so busy thinking only about themselves and what pleases them that they forget others. One of the most psychologically healthy things we can do is to begin to focus our mind and our attention and our interest on the needs of other people. Timothy is a son and Paul is going to send him to Philippi.

    

Timothy was evidently one of these kind of guys that would go anywhere, do anything, pay any kind of  price, make any kind of sacrifice for Jesus. What a wonderful example. Every one of us need to be like Timothy. Willing to be sent anywhere and willing to do anything in Jesus name for people.

   

How does God work in us so that we can work it out in our daily life?

LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE OF EPAPHRODITUS.


Philippians 2:25(KJV) “Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labor, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.” 

 

The name “Epaphroditus” means handsome or charming. I like to call him a beautiful Christian. As we read this passage we find he is somebody we can identify with. We find here that he beautifully illustrates this submissive mind, this lowliness of mind, this mind that thinks not upon his things but on the things of others. Epaphroditus was willing to substitute for people. We read about him again in the fourth chapter. In the 18th verse we learn about him that the church at Philippi had sent him to Paul to minister to Paul's needs. He is someone who was willing to substitute. They couldn't go so he was the substitute to go and minister to Paul, to take an interest in people.

    

EPAPHRODITUS WAS A BALANCED CHRISTIAN.

 

I want us to see what a balanced Christian he was. In verse 25 Paul calls him three things: brother, companion in labor, fellow soldier. It is interesting and informative to connect those three statements back with chapter one. Because in chapter one three times he has three phrases about the gospel. In verse 5 he talks about your fellowship in the gospel. That's a brother and a sister in the Lord. "As brothers and sisters in the Lord we share the fellowship of the gospel." He talks about he is my companion in labor.  In verse 12 he talks about "The things unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel." As companions in labor we are seeking the furtherance of the Gospel. Then in verse 27 he says he's my fellow soldier. "Striving together for the faith of the gospel." All of that is right here in Epaphroditus and he's a perfectly beautifully balanced Christian. 

 

I don't know what it is about us today but there seems to be a tendency for Christians like I haven't seen in a number of years to go to extremes and I don't know why that is. Some people it's just all fellowship. They get hung up altogether in the fellowship of the gospel. Just interested in the fellowship, just enjoying one another and discipleship and Christian growth. That's great and there is nothing wrong with that but there's more to the Christian life than just enjoying the fellowship. The worse thing in the world that can happen to a Christian and a church is to get so involved in enjoying the fellowship of the gospel and the fellowship of the church and the fellowship of one another that they forget others who need Jesus.

    

Then there's the tendency for some to get hung up in that other corner in the furtherance of the gospel. They get totally interested in just winning the lost. That's the number one priority. That's the number one assignment of the church, but we haven't completed the job when we lead somebody to Jesus. That is not New Testament evangelism. New Testament evangelism says "go ye therefore and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them." We haven't done the job until we bring those we have won to Christ, baptize them, and get them in the fellowship of a local church. It does no good to just dwell altogether on winning the lost if we don't do the whole job.

    

It's so easy for Christians to get hung up in that third category - soldiers striving for the faith of the gospel. All some Christians want to do is fight. Always picking theological fights. Looking for somebody to fuss with. The Bible says we should earnestly contend for the faith but we can contend for the faith without being contentious. Don't get off in an extreme. We must ask the Lord to help us try to be a balanced Christian. Blessed are the balanced.

    

EPAPHRODITUS WAS A BURDENED CHRISTIAN.

 

Paul said in verse 26, "For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness." We wouldn't expect that in a book on joy.  Paul said in verse 27, "Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. That I may be the less sorrowful." We wouldn't expect words like sorrow and heaviness in a book on joy. 

 

We are talking about Christian joy. We aren't talking about just a smile and everybody being happy. There is a lot more to the Christian life than a grin on your face. There is nothing wrong with a grin on your face. As a matter of fact it would brighten the landscape a little if some people I see would try it once in a while. Nevertheless, there's more to Christian joy than just a grin. Christian joy is something we can have when our heart is hurting. Christian joy is something when we have a burden in our heart. Epaphroditus was burdened Christian. He had a burden for the church. They had heard he was sick and he was burdened about them. He had a burden for Paul. He loved his pastor. He had a burden for the lost. Paul said in verse 30, “Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.” He had such a burden for the lost that he literally “not regarding,” the word means "to roll the dice." He was one of God's gamblers. He risked his own life to win souls to Jesus. He was a burdened Christian. We need a burden like that for others. 

    

EPAPHRODITUS WAS A BLESSED CHRISTIAN.

 

Epaphroditus was a blessing to Paul. He was a blessing to his church. Here we are over 2,016 years down the road and we are reading about him and he's a blessing to us. If we want to be a blessed Christian we need to get interested in others and ask God to put in us a submissive mind

 

HAVING THE MIND OF JOY OVER PROBLEM PEOPLE

Put Jesus FirstPut Others SecondPut Yourself LastBecause That Spells JOY.

    

DO YOU NEED SOME HELP?

 

To find more help in receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please go to the Bible Study Title Page “ETERNAL LIFE.” Please send me an email and let me know about any decision for Christ you make so that I may pray for you. Feel free to send me any questions, comments, or responses you may have as well. For those who are already Christians I invite you to also please let me know of any decisions you make in your Christian life for Jesus. Please send me your questions, comments, or responses and let me know if the Bible Studies are helping you.

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ALWAYS REMEMBER!

 

The support of your local Church ministry and the ministry of your Pastor should be the first priority of your Christian life and your service to the Lord. Be faithful to prayerfully prepare and attend Sunday School and Worship Service this Sunday and participate in worship as your Pastor preaches the Word. Do not forget to give the Lord at least your TITHE through your local church from your gross income – that is your first fruits. Any other other giving is an offering to a ministry unto the Lord. Honor the Lord in all you do and with all that you have. Always remember that everything you have and all you are belongs to the Lord. It is on loan to you – so manage it well! There will be an audit one day! Make sure the Books Balance!

 

All Bible Studies Are Prepared by Pastor Frank Denning And May Be Be Used By Permission.