POWER COMES FROM GOD One reason why God saves men is “that he might make his mighty power to be known,” Psa. 106:8. The heavens are the work of His fingers, Psa. 8:3, but our salvation required the baring of the right arm of His power, Isa. 52:10; 53:1. Christ promised power to His followers in His last words before the ascension, Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8. The prayers of Paul exhibit a deep desire that believers might know this power, Eph. 3:16. It is seen not only in great works, but also in patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, Col. 1:11. God’s power was manifested in the preaching of the apostles, Col. 1:27–29; 1 Thess. 1:5. Power belonged to God in OT days, Psa. 62:11, was given to Jesus Christ, Matt. 28:18, and He passed it on to believers, Acts 1:8. Christians today receive power through feeding on the Word of God, Acts 6:4, 8, contr. Lev. 26:14, 37; and in answer to prayer and supplication, Gen. 32:28; Hos. 12:4; Phil. 3:10. God’s strength is given to those who wait upon Him, Isa. 40:29–31, in recognition of their own weakness, 2 Cor. 12:9. The remarkable revelation is given in Eph. 3:20 that God is able to do far more than we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. This is intended to be normal Christian experience, enabling believers to sing of it from day to day, Psa. 59:16. I HOPE YOU RECEIVED FROM THIS QUICK REFRESHER. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
WE MUST MAKE DECISIONS TO FOLLOW GOD. Joshua 24:14 “Fear the LORD, and serve him with integrity and faithfulness. Get rid of the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve only the LORD. 2 Chronicles 15:12 They made an agreement with one another to dedicate their lives to serving the LORD God of their ancestors with all their heart and soul. Joshua 14:8 But my companions discouraged the people. However, I was completely loyal to the LORD my God. Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, “Whoever starts to plow and looks back is not fit for God’s kingdom.” Deuteronomy 5:32 So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you. Never stop living this way. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Essentials for the Lord’s Work As the four friends of the palsied man were the human instruments to bring him into contact with our Lord, so there are four essentials for the Lord’s work on the human side. 1. Prevailing Prayer—James 5:16. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Fervency of supplication, like the greased slip beneath the vessel to be launched, causes our petitions to go easy to the throne of grace, and places us in the river of God’s purpose. Prayer is the hand of our need grasping the hand of God’s power, whilst He grasps our hand to accomplish His Divine salvation. Pray, brethren, pray, a ministry that is soaked with the oil of prayer must have in it an unction of power. 2. Powerful Faith. No ordinary faith will suffice if it is to accomplish effective work. One of the nine gifts of the Spirit is faith—1 Cor. 12:8–11; not the personal faith for our own salvation, but that which brings blessings to others. When Christ saw the faith of the four bearers, He said to the palsied man, “Thy sins be forgiven.” Faith that can command blessing from God always achieves conquests for Him. 3. Personal Love. Love, like God, is a trinity. The heart of love is sympathy, the hand of love is help, and the act of love is sacrifice. He who died for our sins will impart His Spirit which led Him thus to die. We need to be conformed to His death, denying ourselves self-ease and pleasure that we may know the power of His resurrection. The tenderness of Jesus must operate through us. We may organise much, but we need to agonise too. Organisation alone is like a factory of cold machinery. Let the machinery work with power. Love much, do much. It is love’s doing which makes duty performed a benediction—2 Cor. 5:14. 4. Persistent Effort. Continuance in well doing means doing a thing well. Individual effort is one of the secrets of success in Christian work. Going after some one person and gaining that one for Christ. The Divine order is ever when Christ finds Andrew and Philip and they each in turn find Peter and Nathaniel. Concentration of effort is the secret of success. Above all, follow Christ. His promise to make us “fishers of men” is preceded by His command to “Follow Me” (Matt. 4:19). I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS QUICK STUDY BENEFICIAL. ARE YOU ENJOYING OUR QUICK STUDIES? Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
DELIVERANCE FROM CONDEMNATION Romans 8:1 So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. Romans 8:2 The standards of the Spirit, who gives life through Christ Jesus, have set you free from the standards of sin and death. Very simply stated, the person who is in Christ is safe and secure from condemnation now and forever. He will not be judged as a sinner; he will not face condemnation. He is beyond condemnation; he shall never be condemned for sin; he shall never be separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (see Jn. 3:16; Ro. 8:33–39). (But remember: the believer is to be judged for his faithfulness to Christ. He will be judged for how responsible he is—for how well he uses his “spiritual gifts” for Christ—for how diligently he serves Christ in the work of God. The judgment of the believer will take place at the great judgment seat of Christ.) I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS QUICK REFRESHER TO BE HELPFUL. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Matthew 6:33, NLT Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. WE MUST LIVE OUR LIFE SEEKING GOD FIRST. WE MUST LIVE A RIGHTEOUS LIFE. IF WE WILL DO THOSE TWO THINGS GOD WILL BLESS US WITH ALL THAT WE NEED. Romans 12:18-19 GNB Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God’s anger do it. For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.” DON’T START TROUBLE, LIVE IN PEACE.DON’T ALLOW ANYONE TO CAUSE YOU TO GET INTO TROUBLE. LET GOD FIGHT YOUR BATTLES.GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF IT. ALLOW THESE VERSES TO BE A GUIDE UNTO YOUR LIFE. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
Not Hesitating to Share Acts 2:44–45 All the believers kept meeting together, and they shared everything with each other. From time to time, they sold their property and other possessions and distributed the money to anyone who needed it. Acts 4:32–37 The whole group of believers lived in harmony. No one called any of his possessions his own. Instead, they shared everything. With great power the apostles continued to testify that the Lord Jesus had come back to life. ⸤God’s⸥ abundant good willwas with all of them. None of them needed anything. From time to time, people sold land or houses and brought the money to the apostles. Then the money was distributed to anyone who needed it. Joseph, a descendant of Levi, had been born on the island of Cyprus. The apostles called him Barnabas, which means “a person who encourages.” He had some land. He sold it and turned the money over to the apostles. ARE YOU WILLING TO HELP OTHERS? OUR GOD EXPECTS US TO BE WILLING TO SHARE WHAT WE HAVE AND BE WILLING TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE IN NEED. LET US NOT HESITATE TO HELP OTHERS. Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
NOT BORN A CHRISTIAN A man becomes a Christian, he is not born one. John 3:3–7 Jesus replied to Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can see God’s kingdom without being born from above.” Nicodemus asked him, “How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?” Jesus answered Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter God’s kingdom without being born of water and the Spirit. Flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood, but the Spirit gives birth to things that are spiritual. Don’t be surprised when I tell you that all of you must be born from above. 1 Peter 1:3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! God has given us a new birth because of his great mercy. We have been born into a new life that has a confidence which is alive because Jesus Christ has come back to life. 1 Peter 1:23 You have been born again, not from a seed that can be destroyed, but through God’s everlasting word that can’t be destroyed. That’s why ⸤Scripture says⸥, HAVE YOU BEEN REBORN? ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN? Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL Lamentations 3:22–23 the LORD’s mercy. We were not completely wiped out. His compassion is never limited. It is new every morning. His faithfulness is great. Numbers 23:19 God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind. When he says something, he does it. When he makes a promise, he keeps it. Hebrews 10:23 We must continue to hold firmly to our declaration of faith. The one who made the promise is faithful. OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL. WE CAN COUNT OF GOD!!! Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
DOUBT • Doubt is a fundamental distrust, fear, or lack of confidence in personal belief. Questioning one’s beliefs is a healthy part of the growing-up process, but for many teens, fear of being judged keeps them from actually asking the hard questions. Yet asking hard questions—of parents, of friends, of faith—is an important part of coming to own one’s faith. • The questions of faith are an integral part of the adolescent search for identity. The normal teen tendency to question her parents’ authority and beliefs leads her also to question what she’s been taught about faith. For many this questioning is soon resolved by good teaching and patient listening, but for some, unanswered (or poorly answered) questions can erode their faith. • There’s nothing wrong with teens asking hard questions about the character of God, the authority of the Bible, and the meaning of faith. Adults who are threatened by these questions drive teens away from the faith. Instead, we need to validate their questions, avoid simplistic answers, value them for their courage and interest, and enter the process of discovery with them. Psalm 78:18–22 They deliberately tested God by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God by saying, “Can God prepare a banquet in the desert? True, he did strike a rock, and water did gush out, and the streams did overflow. But can he also give us bread or provide us, his people, with meat?” When the LORD heard this, he became furious. His fire burned against Jacob and his anger flared up at Israel because they did not believe God or trust him to save them. Matthew 14:30–31 But when he noticed how strong the wind was, he became afraid and started to sink. He shouted, “Lord, save me!” Immediately, Jesus reached out, caught hold of him, and said, “You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?” Matthew 28:16–17 The eleven disciples went to the mountain in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they bowed down in worship, though some had doubts. James 1:6–8 When you ask for something, don’t have any doubts. A person who has doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea. A person who has doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord. A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can’t make up his mind about anything. CHECK YOURSELF, DO YOU TRUST GOD, OR DO YOU DOUBT GOD? GOD IS NOT PLEASED WITH YOUR DOUBT. WHY DO YOU DOUBT GOD? Everlastingsalvationchurchofgod.com PayPal.me/donatetochurch PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM
