Be Like Joshua. Do not Be Afraid to Ask, Who Do You Serve?
Joshua Took A Stand For God. His Challenge to Israel: Who Do You Serve? He told them they were Evil. Because they wanted to Go Back to Egypt to Serve Pagan gods. Joshua was not Afraid. He Boldly told the mob he would Serve The Lord. He tried to change their minds. The message is if Everyone Else Stops Serving the Lord. You need to Stand up to them and Say I Serve the Lord. You need to too. Jesus and You is a Majority.
God is asking you to Stand with him.
Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
1st Corinthians 16:3 “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
“Watch ye.” We need to Lookout for Everything that Tempts us and Avoid these Temptations. Things that cause us to Sin. We must flee from Sin.
Christians need to be very careful who they spend their time with. Your old non-Christian friends will ruin your Christian Faith if you keep being friends with them.
When we are with them we do Sinful things. Things we would not have done if we were not with them. We need to Watch for and avoid Temptations that can cause us to Sin.
“Stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be Strong.”
To Stand Fast, means You Hold Your Ground. You are Rock Solid in what you Believe. No One Can Change Your Mind about Your Christian Faith.
Being a Man, a Woman, being Strong. Means You Will Uphold Your Beliefs, Your Christian Faith.
When confronted do not be Weak and Flee. Never Change or Hide, who you are because of Peer Pressure. Hold firm to what you Believe.
Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
The Apostle Paul is Encouraging Persecuted Christians. Be Strong In The Lord. In The Power Of His Might.
Paul’s speech is telling the Church to be Faithful to the Lord. He reminds them of the MIGHTY POWER OF THE LORD. Back then just by Admitting to being a Christian could get you Stoned to Death, even Crucified. Like Joshua Paul is telling the people to make a Stand for the Lord.
As Christians we will face challenges to our Christian Faith from all sides. Even from people in our own home.
Family members and Friends will stand against your Christian Faith. They will try to change you. They get upset when you stay Faithful to Jesus, and reject Sin. People you will meet in life, or online, will oppose your Christian Faith in Jesus. Stay Strong. Others who claim to be Christians will Pervert the Gospel with False Teachings adding Works to Salvation. The way to stay Strong like Joshua is to know the Bible. Study the Bible.
Jesus is telling us to be STRONG in the Lord. Jesus wants us to stand up and be Counted as a Christian. He wants us to Stand up for the Truth of the Gospel. For the Truth of Christianity.
If you Love others you will correct those who are Wrong in the Doctrine they are Teaching, Sharing. This is what a person does who is STRONG in the Lord like Joshua and Paul.
Jude 3 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
So far we have Jesus, Joshua, Jude and Paul in the Scriptures are telling us to make a Stand. There are no silent Stands. Jude 3, Earnestly Contend for the Faith. Earnestly = Sincere and Intense Conviction, Seriously. Contend = A Difficult Dangerous Struggle to Surmount a Challenge. To Argue, To Assert your Position in an Argument.
Jude 3 Makes it Clear that the Christian Faith is a Fight. Not a Physical Fight. A Fight to Stand up for your Christian Faith. When people say Christians do not Argue. They just showed me they are IGNORANT of the Bible. Joshua had Vocal Arguments to support his Faith in the Lord. As did Paul, Jude, Jesus, the Saints of God. The Bible records numerous Saints Arguing to defend the Lord. When you make a Stand for Jesus. You are Defending Jesus.
I constantly hear “Christians” say do not Correct other “Believers” about what they are teaching others.
These same “Christians” have No Problem Always Condemning Me, Mocking Me. They Judge everything I say. Fake Christians are the Worst Hypocrites.
“Just let it go. We need to just support each other.” That sounds “OK.” Except when someone is Teaching Works Salvation You have a Responsibility to Expose them For Teaching a False Gospel. Keeping Silent, especially when you are part of the Conversation is supporting the False Gospel. That is like just standing by and watching a person drown.
If you care about someone you will tell them when they are Wrong. Especially when they are Teaching False Doctrines.
Jesus is our example.
Luke 19:37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;
Jesus is our example to follow. Jesus was not Weak Like some Preachers and Churches Teach. He Strongly Defended the Scriptures, the Christian Faith.
46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Jesus called People out who were Wrong. He used Strong Language. He never took No for an answer. When Jesus spoke he Never backed down to any one.
47 And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him,
48 And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him.
Strongly Contended for The Faith like Jesus, Joshua, John, Paul and Jude.
Biblically a person who Earnestly Contends for the Faith with Sincere and Intense Conviction, asserts Biblical Truths. They will teach the Bible correctly with their whole heart. They will Stand up and Argue with False Teachers.
Jude 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
The Apostle Paul Strongly Contended for the Faith.
Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
Paul had Strong Words for Peter. When Paul “Withstood” Peter it means he refused to Give in to Peter’s argument. It is WRONG to say that Christians are not to Argue with each other. It is UnBiblical. The Bible records very Strong arguments. Paul Stood his ground refusing to give in to Peter. If you are right Biblically you never give in to any kind of Pressure. Which means you do not concede and agree with a False Teacher.
As soon as the Conversating hits a dead end leave.
There is no Point to Argue the same points over and over again. If this Argument is within Your Church You will need to Leave that Church. If they are Teaching False Doctrines. Never change your mind to Smooth things over. Just to make peace with others who are Biblically Wrong. Joshua would call them Evil.
Galatians 2:12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles,
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
This passage is Teaching that Works can never Save a person. There is only one plan of Salvation for everyone.
Paul like Joshua Stood with the Lord. He drew a line in the Sand and Said in today’s language You cannot Add Works to Salvation. This all happened within the Church. This was a Church matter that was a huge Confrontation. If you are in the Same Church for a Long time these type of Arguments will happen. You might get a lot of new Calvin members that divide the Church.
Acts 15:2 “When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.”
“Had no small dissension and disputation with them…”
This was a huge Disagreement, an Argument involving a lot of different people.
Please Defend the Christian Faith. Always Share the Gospel.
If you have never asked Jesus to Save you. Please pray to Jesus and Ask him right now to Save you.
Bible Salvation.
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
