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St. Paul School of Leadership & Discipleship Lesson 176 - DEVELOPING WARRIORS—NOT WIMPS (PART 5) By Frank Eiklor and the Shalom Team Chapter 4 The Service of God's Warrior Paul was in prison, yet he was free. He know that the sovereign Lord Jesus was in charge of his life. Paul could witness to the crowds in public or to a jailor in a prison cell. Jesus Christ had died for Paul—and no price was too great to pay to be a follower of the risen Lord.
Paul was a warrior, not a wimp. And he challenges you and me to follow him as he followed Christ. Then we can tell those we disciple to do the same by following our examples of total commitment to the Lord. Here is the final chapter in the book of Philippians.
1) A WARRIOR'S CRY—Philippians 4:1-3 Paul calls for Chrisitian unity. There are too many divisions and too much unforgiveness in the church today. Be an example of one whose heart is pure, forigivng and full of love for all.
2) A WARRIOR'S CONDUCT—Philippians 4:4-9 Let these principles rule your life. Learn to rejoice when times are tough (v. 4). Be self-controlled and gentle (v.5); pray instead of worry (v.6); learn the difference between God's true peace and the false "peace" of sin (v.7); learn to think scripturally positive and pure thoughts (v.8) and imitate the example of Paul's life and others who have been true disciples of Jesus (v. 9).
3) A WARRIOR'S CONFIDENCE—Philippians 4:10-13 You will face many tests in your Christian walk. God is teaching us to trust Him when times are good and times are hard. You can do all things through Christ who lives within you.
4) A WARRIOR'S CO-WORKERS—Philippians 4:14-19 The Lord Jesus gave Paul faithful friends in the Philippian churhc. He will surround you with some mature, caring Christians as you reach out to be friendly and care about others. Don't wait for people to first care for you. Take the initiative and learn to find and meet the needs of others. When you do, the Lord has promised to meet your every need (v. 19).
5) A WARRIOR'S CROWN—Philippians 4:20-23 Paul lived to bring others to Christ. That is why God has left you and me in this world. Like Paul, those we influence and win to the Lord will be our joy and crown. And look how Paul even reached some of the Emperor “Caesar’s household” whom he probably met as fellow prisoners or perhaps as his jailors. Either way, they came to love the Lord through Paul’s ministry in prison. No wonder the Lord gave Paul the privilege of telling us to follow him as he followed Jesus. Let’s live as warriors—not wimps!
"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:1) Related Articles · More Articles Jesus said many would come in His name and deceive the hearts of the simple, sinful and proud. Eastern mysticism and meditation is a big thing in the gullible West. And one day a “world leader” will appear on the scene with the persuasion of a god and the heart of a devil. Jesus warns His children to know the Scriptures, live in obedience to the Father’s will, and stay alert to the signs of the times. They laugh no more. Now God’s description of how He will destroy the old earth and create a
new one makes perfect sense. The splitting of the atom turned many skeptics into believers.
After all, look what man himself is capable of doing with the atom and hydrogen bombs. Now
the fear is that nuclear weapons are being placed in the hands of madmen who wish to annihilate
their enemies. God has blessed man with incredible genius. We stand in awe as we watch men and women in a room full of computers and high-tech instruments guiding and landing spacecraft on distant planets. At that moment, we appear invincible. But then a mammoth tornado comes—or a terrifying hurricane—or rains that flood whole regions and never listen to our shouts to “Stop!”—or the shake that removes from under our feet any confidence or pride we carry, and leaves us numb with hardly enough breath to even utter the paralyzing word “EARTHQUAKE!”. And man is helpless in the face of it all! |
