MEM

Suffering for Righteousness Sake

We have those who preach prosperity and good times. What did our Master Yeshua say?

Matthew 5: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4  "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5  "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7  "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9  "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10  "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11  "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Maybe you have read these before; maybe you know them by heart; maybe you just breezed through them without giving them much thought. Take a good look, think about each attribute. These are the basic ground rules Yeshua laid down for His disciples. Not much prosperity for the here and now. In fact it looks like the followers of Yeshua need humility, a gentle spirit, a hunger and thirst for Torah. Peacemakers, merciful, and pure in heart, these form our new nature, the nature that results in the death of self and the life of the Spirit of Yeshua within, radiating outward.

To top it off we can expect to be insulted and persecuted. Falsely accused and all kinds of evil leveled at us ‘because we are the servants of Yeshua’. Then what are we told to do?

12  "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I take this to mean if we have been humble, gentle, peacemakers, merciful and are persecuted for righteousness sake we can rejoice because we are focused on the Kingdom of heaven. We are not to seek persecution but accept it when it comes. It will not be easy Yeshua said so:

Matthew 10:22  "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

Luke 6:22  "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

Luke 6:27  "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

Luke 16:13  "No servant can serve two masters; … You cannot serve God and wealth."

John 15:18  "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

John 15:19  "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

So in the face of righteous suffering we must still love our enemies, endure until the end and not be of this world. We cannot serve the god of wealth and YHVH. We have been called to follow in the steps of our Master, we are being molded and shaped into the image of Yeshua – He suffered, yet without sin.

In the time just ahead we can expect more suffering:

Revelation 2:10  ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

So think it not strange when we suffer or are persecuted for righteousness sake.

1Peter 3:14-17  But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

Blessed are those…for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. We have so much more to look forward to; that is what kept Paul and the apostles going unto the end.

Proverbs 14:20 The poor is hated even by his neighbor…

Proverbs 19:7 All the brothers of a poor man hate him; How much more do his friends abandon him! He pursues them with words, but they are gone.

One need not wonder why the majority seek after wealth and riches. The poor in spirit and humble seek righteousness, seeking the Kingdom of Heaven will be shunned by the world for to them it is foolishness.

“Difficult negotiations often result when each side thinks: “How can I get what I want?” A win-win attitude changes that thought to: “How can we both get what we want?” The second question usually brings a far different answer from that given in answer to the first question - a Third Alternative.” Stephen R. Covey

Most of us, without thinking, are trying to get the best of any situation. When dealing with others we need to think of their welfare as well. What should be our guiding principle?

Matthew 22: 37-40 …YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

1. In which book is the record of the resurrected Messiah appearing to two men on the road to Emmaus?
2. For what purpose was the book of Jude written?
3. Where did Moses send twelve men to spy?
4. For how long was Saul (later known as Paul) blind?
5. What happened at Jericho when, at Joshua’s command, the Israelites shouted?
6. Who was Peter’s brother?
7. Who said, “Surely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean”?

In our pursuit of humility:

“We all know what the character of a faithful servant or slave implies. Devotion to the master’s interests, thoughtful study and care to please him, delight in his prosperity and honor and happiness. There are servants on earth in whom these dispositions have been seen, and to whom the name of servant has never been anything but glory.” Andrew Murray

Who would want the lowly position of a servant and to be a great servant at that? This kind of flies in the face of human nature and it takes the humility of Yeshua to do so. Are we studying for a servants position? What does Yeshua our Master say?

Mark 9:35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."

Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Be in prayer for our president..........

American History Similarities

Look what happens when a President gets elected in a year with a "0" at the end. (take note  there is  20 years  between each)

1840: William Henry Harrison (died in office)

1860: Abraham Lincoln (assassinated)

1880: James A. Garfield (assassinated)

1900: William McKinley (assassinated)

1920: Warren G. Harding (died in office)

1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt (died in office)

1960: John F. Kennedy (assassinated)

1980: Ronald Reagan (survived assassination attempt)

And to think that we had two guys fighting it out in the courts to be the one elected in 2000.

You might also be interested in this.

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.

John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.

John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.

Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.

Both Presidents were shot in the head.

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.

Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.

Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.

Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.

Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.

Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theater named "Ford."

Kennedy was shot in a car called "Lincoln" made by "Ford."

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

The MEM is not into conspiracy theories… just interesting.

Subject: Only in The USA

1. Only in America......can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

2. Only in America......are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink.

3. Only in America......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

4. Only in America......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

5. Only in America......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

6. Only in America......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

7. Only in America......do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

8. Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

9. Only in America......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

10. Only in America.......do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

Is there a reason to pray for others?

1Corinthians 1: 11 And you must add your help by praying for us; for the more people there are praying, the more people there will be to give thanks when their prayer for us is answered.

Paul is saying when we pray for others we can rejoice when the prayer is answered. I believe this brings glory to our heavenly Father. Try it, you will like it.

Isn't It Strange?

Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?

Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?

Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?

Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel?

Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?

Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?

Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?

Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?

Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?

Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mail's and they are forwarded right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?

STRANGE ISN'T IT?

Mt 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

John 14:13- And whatsoever ye ask in my name, that will I do, that The Father may be glorified in the Son.

1. Luke - Luke 24:13-31

2. To urge the saints who were being led astray by false teachers to fight for the truth - Jude3-4

3. the land of Canaan - Numbers 13:17

4. Three days - Acts 9:8-9

5. The walls of Jericho collapsed - Joshua 6:20

6. Andrew - John 1:40

7. Peter - Acts 10:14