In Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus taught profound ideas about how to handle mistreatment. On the surface His words sound backward, strange, and impractical, but a closer look at the meaning shows perspectives that are as powerful as they are challenging. How can we rejoice in persecution? The answer lies in understanding the right perspective, focus, and decisions that will help you in any number of problems you face in life.
We have limited time and energy to dedicate to building larger social circles, and many of us might be tempted to simply maintain the ones we have without ever attempting expansion. What does the Bible say about these relationships we have developed? How can we realistically expand our social circles to increase our influence on others in the world? Relationship-building is part of our spiritual work. Learn more about what God says about it. (Screen is black until 7 min 31 sec.)
The Manna Project works to plant schools of preaching around the world in order to equip men to evangelize and teach, and along with that the men train in a trade in order to be completely self-sufficient of outside funds. They follow Paul's teaching in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, essentially teaching the students, "...to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need." Justin Hopkins, speaker
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Paul said that joy helps produce hope. He also said that joy comes through belief. Recognizing what God has done for us in the past can build confidence for the future, which in turn will produce more joy. Learn more about this process in this lesson.
Many think that in order to have hope we first need to be strong, but the Bible paints a different picture. It actually teaches us that in order to be strong we need hope. And hope is something God supplies when we seek Him. Learn more about how to develop hope that will sustain you through difficult times.
The churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia (Revelation 2 and 3) were experiencing intense persecution. The words of Jesus given to them were comforting to them and informative to the church today. What can we learn about enduring pain and discomfort for the cause of Christ? What do we see about endurance if we face our own persecutions?
