Have you ever stood in great need of comfort and encouragement? If so, you know that in time of affliction, there is no thought or word that has deeper meaning, nor any possession of greater value, than that of effective and genuine comfort. The objective of this study is to equip us to have the assurance that there is comfort available, and to know how to be comforted, as well as how to be a comfort to others in the fires of affliction.
Gene Cunningham - June 9, 2012
Learn to Discern
We have a debt "...you ought to be teachers". It takes maturity to recognize this. We need to become skillful in discerning good and evil. Why is it so difficult to discern good and evil? It takes time. "And this we will do if God permits" (Heb 6:3). These Hebrews were hungry, motivated Christians, but had fallen away. There is a point of no return.
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 6:5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6:6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." (Heb 6:4-6)
Legalism is one of the ways Christians fall away and pervert the gospel message (Gal 5:1-10). "You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace." (Gal 5:4). Evil looks good and makes sense. God was able to take the greatest act of evil — the cry for the blood of Christ — and make it Good. How do we define evil? "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Gen 2:17. If God is a good God, why does evil happen? Freedom -- the right to choose. Good is what God says is good. Men choose evil (1Jo 2:15).
Conference notes for this series can be found [HERE]
Scripture References: Galatians 5:4, Galatians 5:1-10, Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 6:3, John 2:15, Genesis 2:17
From Series: "Learn to Discern - Denver Colorado 2012"
This series was given at the 2012 annual Colorado conference. The critical need for every believer is to avoid deception by holding to truth.