Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

I Peter

The Authority of Scripture

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Perhaps nothing is more foundational to our Christian faith than the authority of scripture. God reveals Himself to us through His Word, and any attempt to undermine or minimize the inspiration of God’s Word weakens our faith and conviction. We acknowledge and recognize that Jesus Christ is the author and perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2), and that the Bible is God’s Word given to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to instruct us in the knowledge of who God is and the way we are to live.

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Through God’s guidance, Paul teaches us that all of scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching and training the saints (2 Timothy 3:16-17). He did not say some scripture or even vaguely state that scripture was inspired, but made it clear all scripture is God’s Word. This means we can trust the authority of scripture over every area of our lives. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s Word is true.

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How to Make Disciples

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The last instruction given by Jesus before ascending to Heaven was for us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). It’s a serious command because it necessitates putting others before ourselves. Jesus did not charge us with becoming successful, powerful, or living our best life now. He made it clear this life is not about us. It’s about furthering His mission. If we love Him, there is no choice but to obey Him (John 14:15).

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And if we’re going to obey Him, we must be about the business of discipling others. But most of us don’t know how to make disciples. We all want to, but lack the knowledge of what we should do. Worse, many believe making disciples is for the super-Christian, those people who seem to possess a knowledge of God we can never hope to achieve. God’s Word is for everyone, no matter how much or how little you think of your abilities.

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Every Sin

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Did you ever wonder why there is such little detail given about what Jesus endured on His way to the cross (Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20; John 19:1-3)? Hollywood productions spend a lot of time focusing on the abuse being heaped upon Jesus, but the Bible almost glosses over the torturous details. The specifics we do have should be enough to sicken any decent human being. Perhaps the reason the Spirit did not lead the Biblical writers to provide more details is that the physical pain was nothing compared to the pain of enduring the sins of the world (Isaiah 53:4-6).

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If the point of the story was the horrific murder of a good man, then I’m certain we wouldn’t still be talking about it two centuries later. But a man who willingly takes on the sin every human has ever or will ever commit to save those very sinners from eternal damnation? That’s a story worth telling over and over again (1 Peter 2:24).

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Outsiders

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If you follow Jesus with any consistency in this life, you’re going to find yourself as a cultural outsider. There’s no way around it. Our values are different. Our morals are different. Even our goals in life are different. We are not of this world, and we do not live like we are of this world (John 17:14-16). The very act of following Jesus Christ puts you on the outside, looking in on the rest of the world. You’ll be weird.

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The people of this world will hate, despise, and maybe even kill you. For certain, they will never understand you. Jesus lived on the outside too and he promised we would face trouble (John 16:33). He told us in advance that the world would hate us because it hated him (John 15:18-19). Authentic followers of Jesus will never be on the inside of the coolest and most popular circles. They will always be outsiders.

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Selfish Prayers

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Let me say at the outset that I believe God wants us to bring our burdens to Him. He was explicit in telling us to do so (Psalm 55:22; Matthew 11:28-30; 1 Peter 5:6-7). While this is true, I believe it’s important we don’t tip the scales too far in that direction as we spend time with our Lord in prayer. In studying the Lord’s prayer, the model He gave to us for praying, it’s important to note the words “I” and “my” never appear (Matthew 6:9-13).

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There is nothing in His prayer about our individual gain or advancement. Too often, these things are the focus of our prayers, but it’s not the way Jesus instructed us to pray. So, what is the proper focus when talking to God, and how do we avoid praying selfish prayers?

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