Your Daily Devotional for September 1, 2007

 

September 1,  2007

 

 

Continuing Steadfastly

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

 

Acts 2:41-42

 

 

During World War 2, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied, "Sir, I am not a brave man…The truth is, I am an utter coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn't so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands." Years later, when Patton's autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general: "I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears."

 

The first century church could definitely agree with General Patton. There was much fear as martyrs, persecutions, and the Coliseum games became more popular. There was a growing hatred for the Christians and for the new religion they had introduced into the Jewish and Gentile society. But although the first century Christians may have been fearful, they continued steadfastly.

 

The church at Jerusalem became a mighty church with a legacy of faith. While this was most certainly a result of God's blessing, He was blessing the persistency of His people. He blessed them because they remained faithful to Him, even through all the persecution. Over the next few days we will see how this church was able to remain steadfast during such difficulty. Today we will see their commitment to the doctrine of the faith.

 

Throughout history there have been those believers who have willingly given their lives in martyrdom for the faith. One characteristic of these Christians was their commitment to the doctrine and foundation of the Bible. A doctrine is a set of beliefs. It is the glue that holds the church and the believers together. The first century church realized the importance of doctrine and held fast to the doctrine of the Bible.

 

Friend, we must hold fast to the doctrine of our faith. When others question the Bible or criticize its teachings, we must look to the Bible as our foundation. We cannot continue steadfastly in the doctrine of the faith if we do not know the Bible. The Bible is our foothold in a sinking world. While others may reject it, we must embrace it. We must be in the Bible daily. We must, as the Bereans of old, search the Scriptures and learn of the doctrine of the faith. As we establish our doctrine and our foundation, we will be able to continue steadfastly even when difficulties come our way.

 

We have seen many generations of men and women go by who were not ashamed to stand for their faith. We have seen people such as the Apostle Paul, John Knox, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Jim Elliot—men who had a strong foundation of biblical doctrine and who were not afraid to stand for what was right. Are we as grounded in what we believe that if it required our lives, we would gladly give them?

 

The first century church continued steadfastly because they had a strong foundation in the doctrine of God's Word. How's your foundation today? Are you grounded in God's Word so that even during difficulties, you would remain steadfast? We cannot have a strong foundation if we are not in God's Word each day. Spend time now reading the Bible. Ask God to ground you upon the principles of His Word, so that you may continue serving Him steadfastly no matter what comes into your life.

 

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 135-136 • 1 Corinthians 12

 

 

 

 

 

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