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Keith Broyles
Some time ago my wife and I were watching Biography. It was about the development of the papacy, starting with Peter. Following the ascension Peter went to Rome. He is talked about some in Acts and Paul’s letters so his travel to Rome is taken pretty much at face value. They said, however, that tradition has it he went to Rome to escape persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. During the time that Nero was emperor of Rome, persecution of Christians began there and tradition says that Peter ran again. He only came back when he had a vision of Jesus carrying his cross. Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?” and Jesus responded saying, “To Rome to be crucified again.” With that the tradition says, Peter returned to Rome where he himself was crucified, upside down by his own choice because, he didn’t deserve to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. Once again, that leads us to the question, Peter, a rock man?
Let’s look at a video clip that really drives this point home… [VIDEO CLIP]
{From the movie “Facing the Giants” --scene where player does the “death crawl” the length of the field. Available online.}
I don’t know about you, but when the coach put the blindfold on because he didn’t want his player to give up before giving his all, I couldn’t help but think of the scripture which says “we walk by faith and not by sight.”
I’m sure you noticed how the boys on the sidelines went from joking around and casual on-looking to being fully engaged and watching closely what their friend was doing on the field. And you can go ahead and admit it too---didn’t you find yourself suddenly intensely involved in what was happening on the screen? Here’s something you can be sure of---just as those other players were watching their teammate on the field---people are watching us. You can mark it down and count on it. Skeptics and unbelievers are watching us. The spiritually curious are watching us. Other believers are watching us.
[BACK TO BLANK SLIDE # 20]
And we need so much to understand that how we endure hardship can greatly impact those around us positively or negatively. We need to realize that how we handle hardship can either significantly increase our tragically reduce our witness to the non-Christians around us. In fact I believe that that’s one of the reasons God allows bad things to happen to Christians. God knows that when Christians endure hardship well, others notice and t...
A BUG'S LIFE: SMALL STEPS OF FAITH
A Bug’s Life, Start time 6:30
Overview from Belknapp: Dot complains to Flik about her underdeveloped wings. She wants to fly now! Flik encourages her, showing her that a seed that starts out small eventually grows into a towering tree-it only takes time and patience.
Faith begins small and grows larger and stronger. By trusting God with the small things and watching him answer, our faith grows stronger. We start to place increased faith in him and his goodness, giving over more and more areas of our life until it all rests in his hands. It takes small steps of faith to give us the faith to walk on water (or to fly!). (Belknapp page 46).
2 Thessalonians 1: 3, 4: 3We ought always to thank God for you, brother...
