Today\u2019s Nugget continues the theme of Biblical foundations for the church to build upon in the new Year 2020.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Philippians 1: <\/strong>27<\/strong>-28<\/strong>, \u201cOnly let your conduct<\/strong> be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast<\/em><\/strong> in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the <\/em>faith of the gospel<\/em>, 28 <\/sup>and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As we consider 2020, God tells us to stand fast<\/em><\/strong> in one spirit<\/em>, <\/em>with one mind<\/em> striving together for the <\/em>faith of the gospel<\/em>. This is a description of what the church should <\/em><\/strong>be today<\/strong>. If we walked daily in this manner, it would have a tremendous impact on our nation and our world. The <\/strong>Holy Spirit<\/em><\/strong> dwelling in us makes this possible.<\/strong> Believers are to have integrity, to live consistent with what they believe, teach, and preach. Eph. 4:1; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:11, 12; 4:1; Titus 2:10; 2 Pet. 3:11, 14. Paul\u2019s theme of unity<\/strong> is a call for genuine unity of heart and mind<\/em><\/strong> based on 1) the necessity of oneness to win the spiritual battle for the faith (vv. 28\u201330); 2) the love of others in the fellowship (2:1, 2); 3) genuine humility and self-sacrifice (2:3, 4); and 4) the example of Jesus Christ (2:5\u201311). <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In 2020 the Church must stand fast together or we will fall. \u201cstriving together.\u201d<\/strong> Literally \u201cto struggle along with someone<\/em>.\u201d Paul changed the metaphor from that of a soldier standing at his post (\u201cstand fast<\/em>\u201d) to one of a team struggling for victory against a common foe<\/em><\/strong> (Satan and his desire to destroy the children of God). <\/strong>How do we stand? We stand in <\/strong>\u201cthe faith of the gospel<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/strong> This is the Christian faith<\/em><\/strong> as revealed<\/strong> by God<\/em><\/strong> and recorded in<\/strong> the Scripture<\/em><\/strong> (Jude 3; Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:7).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/strong>I believe that 2020 just might bring the church to the understanding of what the \u201c<\/strong>proof of perdition<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/strong> truly is. When believers willingly suffer without being \u201cterrified,\u201d it is a sign that God\u2019s enemies will be destroyed and eternally lost (2 Thess. 1:4\u20138).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Philippians 4:1<\/strong> \u201cTherefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast<\/em><\/strong> in<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>the Lord<\/em><\/strong>, beloved.\u201d In 2020 the church must stand fast as a soldier on his guard post or following the commands of his general. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Notice that the foundation upon which we are to stand is the<\/strong> LORD<\/em><\/strong> himself. There is no other ground upon which individual Believers are to<\/em> or even can<\/em> stand<\/em><\/strong>. If we, as individual children of God, will not stand on Christ alone, how then will the Church, the Bride of Christ, stand<\/em><\/strong>? 2020 just may be a pivotal year for the Church in America.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2 Thess. 2:<\/strong>15<\/strong>-16,<\/strong> \u201cTherefore, brethren, stand fast<\/em><\/strong> and hold the traditions which you were taught<\/em>, whether by word<\/em> or our epistle<\/em>.\u201d In the new year 2020, the foundation of our belief system will matter perhaps more than in the last decade. \u201cStand fast \u2026 hold<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/strong> is a direct exhortation and called for an appropriate response to the great truths Paul had just written. In place of agitation should come strength<\/strong> and a firm stand<\/strong>. In place of false teaching should come faithful adherence to the truth<\/strong>. Peter and Paul had to contend with those who chose to teach a perverted <\/em><\/strong>Gospel. It is of interest that the burden of deciding what is truth rests with the Believer and His relationship with the Word and the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Look up in 2020! This could usher in the beginning of our Lord\u2019s soon return. Halleluiah and Amen! Again I say Amen.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span> Today\u2019s Nugget continues the theme of Biblical foundations for the church to build upon in the new Year 2020. Philippians 1: 27-28, \u201cOnly let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":295,"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73\/revisions\/295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/williamscreekbaptistchurch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}