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Suffering
Suffering by Pastor Murray =
The Shepherd's Chapel, Newsletter July 1989
There are different reasons for suffering,
most of which are brought on by oneself. Such as illness from
not observing God's health laws or problems from getting trapped
in usury. There is no sin in using credit to make money, but
when you elect to pay twice for everything you buy it will cause
financial trouble in the end.
Some call these problems suffering,
however, it is your own fault so don't cry to the Lord about it.
Work at it and rise above it through discipline and prayers.
Use common sense. True suffering is that
which comes upon you for declaring your true spiritual feelings,
and for that, you must never be sorry. Never pray for THAT
suffering to stop, rather pray for God to give you the strength
to stand against Satan's opposition. It is a pleasure to serve
Him even it means suffering. Your Father will always give you
the strength to overcome.
2 Corinthians 1:3
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who
comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith
we ourselves are comforted of God.
We must be acquainted with the One who
gives all comfort. Hearing and understanding is the process by
which we learn. We do not play church. In our learning, He
comforts others through us. Most spiritual suffering is of the
mind.
For example, we all want to be respected
and well liked in our communities and it is necessary to retain
the credibilitry to be able to plant seeds. But, deep down in
your soul when you must make the decision to stand for your
Father or the traditions of man, it can separate you from
friends and loved ones.
Don't pray for this suffering to stop, but
for strength. A little ostracizing by some that are so deep into
their own doctrine of the Pharisees will naturally bring on
suffering, mentally. Suffering can be a good thing. It can build
a strong character. Draw the line and hold your ground, in the
end, it makes the difference between whether or not your
soul puts on
immortality.
2 Corinthians 1:6 And whether we be
afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is
effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also
suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation
and salvation.
Maturity in the Word, even through
spiritual suffering makes you better. It is not your spiritual
beliefs that suffer, rather your spirit that does.
2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope of you is
stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings,
so shall ye be also of the consolation.
By standing with Christ we take part in the
suffering, but we also partake of the comfort. The blessing of
the comfort are far greater, it is the righteous reward. What
God gives you through His comfort so far exceeds the suffering
it is not even worth mentioning.
God is long-suffering. there are many
people to be saved, nurtured and taught. Our Father has time and
so do you. So don't be quick to pray for the suffering to end.
It is the suffering of Christ that takes forth and motivates the
very Gospel itself. Rather pray for strength.
2 Timothy 2:1
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ
Jesus.
2 And the things that thou hast heard
of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful
men, who shall be able to teach others also.
When you have learned, you must begin to
teach. Plant seeds and pass it on. That is what this world age
is for, carring forth the Gospel.
2 Timothy 2:3
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ.
If you wear the
gospel armor, your pain
will be bearable. Without it, you're not a soldier of Jesus
Christ.
2 Timothy 2:4 No
man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this
life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a
soldier.
5 And if a man also strive for masteries,
yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
No one who wants to be a true soldier of
Christ will worry too much about the things of this world. Worry
won't gain you anything. Don't try to take legal shortcuts.
You'll fall on your face and become
spiritually dormant. If your priority is Christ. He will bless
you in your worldly matters with better financial shrewdness and
wisdom than the man without Him. Strive to please Him and He
will bless you in all things.
2 Timothy 2:6 The husbandman that laboureth
must be first partaker of the fruits.
This is what we are doing today. On the day
of Christ's return you'll have the blessing of the firstfruits.
2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and
the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David
was raised from the dead according to my gospel:
9 Wherein I
suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word
of God is not bound.
The truth cannot be bound in prisons or
churches. It will always float freely.
2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all
things for the elect's
sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in
Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 It is a faithful saying:
For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with him:
12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him:
if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Suffering is opposition against you for
teaching the truth. Satan is in charge of this earth age so
naturally you can expect to have opposition. If words of denial
pass your lips, you deny your own promise of eternal life. It's
a promise. Christ shall deny you. As prophetic times are passing
and you move onto the spiritual battlefield, take care not to
fall short.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified together.
How much greater a reward could one want?
How blessed we are to be trusted with His truth and carring it
to so many. Did we ever dream there was a plow so large?
Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was
made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who
hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature
itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption
into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Remember Christ's prayer to our Father, I
have given them your word; and the world hates them, because
they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Christ
didn't ask God to take His
elect out of
the world, but to sanctify them through the truth, keep them
from evil and to comfort them.
What greatest gift could he leave in this
world for those suffering at that time and all the souls yet be
born than the Comforter?
Don't become pompous, we don't know
everything but we know someone who does! Our Father! We can be
sure we stand on solid ground if we study to show our selves
approved. Pray for strength and thank Him daily for choosing
you. Thank Him even for the suffering, for without it you are
not a soldier in Christ's army.
By Pastor Murray
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth.
John 17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the
world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the
world hath hated them,
because they are not of the world, even as I
am not of the
world.
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God elect are not of this world, as I am not of
this world
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world,
but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
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Jesus pray for My Elect, that Thou should keep
them from evil
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You can plant a seed, teach God's word = It's up
to God it they can hear the word
16 They are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world.
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God's elect are not of the world, even as I
am not of the world
• Exactly 2520 years from the exile
of Benjamin, Iceland became an independent nation.
•
The first tribe to be
conquered by the Assyrians was Manasseh,
in 745 B.C. Exactly 2520 years later America became a nation on July 4, 1776.
(Leviticus. 26: 28-46) God warned Israel that if they persisted in continually
breaking His Laws, not only would curses come upon them.
He would punish them for seven times, (a time being 360 years, seven times would
be 2520 years) and would banish them from the land of Palestine and scatter them
among the heathens (like lost sheep)
• Study the book: Abrahamic Covenant,
(A study outline of the identity of God's people) By E. Raymond Capt
- page 25
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