GOD’S WORD FOR SEPTEMBER 20

We are reading from a daily devotional  called “Running To Win” written by Erwin Lutzer  and the late, great D.L. Moody.   Erwin Lutzer is a light in our day as D.L. Moody was in his.  Besides his many ministries, and many books, Pastor Lutzer was Senior Pastor at Moody Church in Chicago for 36 years and now serves as Pastor Emeritus there.  He is  Chancelor and a former professor at Moody Bible Institute, where he taught Theology and Ministry, and now has numerous radio teachings.

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BADGE OF HONOR

“For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38

D.L. MOODY

I do not believe there is any false religion in the world that men are not proud of. The only religion of which I have ever heard that men were ashamed of is the religion of Jesus Christ. I preached two weeks in Salt Lake City, and I did not find a Mormon that was not proud of his religion. When, within forty miles of Salt Lake City, the engineer came into the car and wanted to know if I wouldn’t like to ride on the engine. I went with him, and in that forty-mile ride he talked Mormonism to me the whole time, and tried to convert me so that I would not preach against the Mormons. But how many, many times I have found men ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the only religion that gives men the power over their affections and lusts and sins!

ERWIN LUTZER

Why would any believer be ashamed of the gospel? The answer is that other religions appeal to what we can do—they tell us of the blessings that come to us. Christianity teaches that God can only help those who know they cannot help themselves! We must see ourselves as helpless and dependent solely on the death of the God-man on a cross two thousand years ago, who was raised from the dead and later taken to heaven. We must trust Him alone to take away our sins.

Furthermore, Christians are often seen as joyless, judgmental, and in opposition to what the world loves; and so, because of these and other caricatures, we are often ashamed of the gospel. I pray this brief devotional will be used of the Lord to motivate us to be willing to be identified with Christ, seeing it a badge of honor. Let us say with Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16)

    PRAYER

    Father, free me from fear of testifying to the gospel.

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Ephesians 6:19–20

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

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Acts 4:29 & 4:31

“Now, Lord, …..enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness… And when they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

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1 Corinthians 2:3–4

“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…”

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Romans 1:16″For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…”

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Isaiah 6:8 “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

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2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.”

Psalm 96:2-3 “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”

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