Category Archives: Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A “Mighty Man of Valor”

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Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” —Judges 6:13

A mother was reading Bible stories to her little girl, telling her all about its great heroes like Moses, Joshua, Daniel, Esther, and Deborah.

The little girl looked up and said, “You know what, Mom? God was a lot more exciting back then.”

We might feel that way too sometimes. We hear of the way things were and think, It is not that way anymore. I wish it were like that again. That is how Gideon felt. He had heard of the days when God was ruling and protecting and providing for Israel. In Judges 6 we find him trying to prepare the small amount of wheat he had hidden behind the walls of a small winepress. Gideon was hungry, hurting, humiliated, and afraid, like the rest of Israel.

Then the Bible tells us the “Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!’ ” (Judges 6:12).

Surprisingly, Gideon began questioning him: “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (verse 13).

God could have rebuked Gideon. After all, the Israelites were in this predicament because of their disobedience. Instead God said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (verse 14).

You see, God saw Gideon for what he could become: a “mighty man of valor”—and God would let him live up to that title. What is God calling you to do for Him today?

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Good Despite the Bad

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Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years. —Judges 6:1

Can God ever use a nonbelieving nation to overtake a believing nation as a form of punishment? The answer is yes. We should never think that we could not be overtaken by another nation if we continue to thumb our noses at God, persist in breaking His laws left and right, and insist on going out of our way to remove Him from our culture in every way. A chapter in Israel’s history should stand as a warning to us today.

As Judges 6 opens, we see the Israelites living under the power of the Midianites. This was a result of God’s disciplining them because of their disobedience. Interestingly, the Midianites were the first in history to domesticate the camel, which gave them a huge advantage militarily. Imagine being an Israelite who has engaged solely in battles of hand-to-hand combat when suddenly your enemy comes riding over the hills on camels. That is what the Israelites were dealing with.

Then there was the Midianites’ invasion of the land. They would sweep in on their camels, destroy the Israelites’ crops, and ravage their land. Israel was in despair, so they cried out to God for His help and deliverance. The Lord decided to answer their prayers through the most unexpected person possible, a man named Gideon.

Many times in life when things aren’t going well, it is because of bad decisions we’ve made. We disobey the Lord, and then we have the audacity to blame Him for the way things turn out. That is essentially what happened to Israel. They were wondering why things had turned out the way they did. But they brought it on themselves.

The good news is that even when we have made mistakes, God can intervene and bring redemption. God can bring good despite the bad.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie –The Subtle Destruction of Compromise

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And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out.—Judges 1:28

Approximately two hundred years had passed since Joshua led the Israelites on their famous march around the walls of Jericho. By God’s power, the walls of the city fell, and the Israelites conquered Jericho. Under Joshua’s direction, they also conquered many of the inhabitants of Canaan, including the Amorites, the Hittites, the Ammonites, and the Jebusites.

But the Israelites didn’t finish the job. They failed to drive all the Canaanites from the land, and they lived to regret it. Two hundred years later, the Canaanites had regained strength and began to dominate Israel. The tables were turned. Israel’s enemies were overtaking them.

This can happen to us as Christians. We commit our lives to Christ and effectively give Him the master key to every door in our lives—but maybe not every door. We may leave a few closets locked up because we have some skeletons in them. We have some areas that we don’t really turn over to the Lord, and then those little problems later turn into big problems.

It is not unlike having a tree that has overtaken your yard. You decide it’s time to remove it, and so you cut it down. But you can’t simply cut it down; you also have to pull out the stump too. Otherwise, it will grow back. It might even grow back stronger and cause more trouble.

In the same way, sin needs to be rooted out in our lives. When we compromise a little here and a little there, little things turn into big things. It’s like those adorable bunnies and chicks that parents buy for their children at Easter. Sweet little bunnies turn into adult rabbits, and cute little chicks become full-grown chickens.

Little things turn into big things. That is how sin can work in our lives.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Spiritual No-Man’s Land

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In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.—Judges 17:6

Our culture in the United States seems to be turned upside down. In the perception of many, that which was once considered good is now perceived as bad. And that which was once perceived as bad is now thought of as good.

There was a time when, if someone was doing something immoral, we would have said that was bad. For example, if a boyfriend and girlfriend were living together, we would have said that was bad. If you were married, that was considered good. Today, however, if someone thinks marriage is only between a man and a woman, it is now considered bad.

Here is what God says about that mentality: “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).

There was a time in Israel’s history when everything was upside down, much like it is in our culture today. In Judges 17, we read how and why that happened: “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (verse 6). To put it in modern vernacular, everyone was doing their own thing. Everyone had their own “truth.”

Here is what it comes down to. If you want to be a Christian, then be a Christian—a real one. If you don’t want to be a committed Christian, then do whatever you want and face the consequences. Or, be a follower of Jesus and glorify God with your life. But this in-between living will keep you in a miserable no-man’s land of compromise. You will have too much of Jesus to be happy in the world and too much of the world to be happy in Jesus.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – From Head to Foot

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But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. —Romans 13:14

When we put on our clothes, we expect them to do what we do and to go where we go. But do you ever see people who, instead of wearing an outfit, the outfit is wearing them? We don’t want clothes like that. We need practical clothes.

The Bible tells us “to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14). I like how the J. B. Phillips New Testament puts it: “Let us be Christ’s men from head to foot, and give no chances to the flesh to have its fling.”

Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is making Him a part of everything we do. It means that He goes with us where we go. He is not just Sunday Jesus; He is also Monday Jesus, Tuesday Jesus, Wednesday Jesus, and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Jesus.

It’s a practical, day-by-day, repeated process of putting on Christ. We embrace Him again and again. It means that He is Lord every day of our lives. Yes, He is Lord when we go to church. But He is also Lord when we go out to dinner, when we go to the movies, and when we go to work. He is Lord of our decision-making processes. And if He is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all.

A good thing to ask ourselves periodically is, “Would I be embarrassed or ashamed to be in this place that I’m about to go or to do this thing that I’m about to do if Jesus were to come back?” If the answer is yes, then don’t do it.

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ—that is what we need to focus on. Let’s focus our energies on becoming like Jesus.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What Would You Like Your Last Words to Be?

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“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”

—Revelation 22:20

A person’s last words often provide a glimpse into their character. They reveal what a person valued most. Some parting comments are thoughtful; others spontaneous; others surprising.

On March 14, 1883, the day Karl Marx died, his housekeeper came to him and said, “Tell me your last words, and I will write them down!” Marx replied, “Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough!”

  • Groucho Marx’s last words were, “Die, my dear? Why, that’s the last thing I’ll do!”
  • Nostradamus predicted the future correctly: “Tomorrow, I shall no longer be here.”
  • Pablo Picasso said, “Drink to me. Drink to my health. You know I can’t drink any more.
  • The Roman emperor Julian, having attempted to reverse the official endorsement of Christianity by the Roman Empire, gave his last words: “You have won, O’ Galilean!”

The words of men of faith are far different.

When Stephen, who was being stoned to death, was dying, his last words were, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). Then Stephen said, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” Young Stephen—so like Jesus, who from Calvary said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

  • John Wesley said, “The best of all is: God is with us!”
  • D.L. Moody: “I see earth receding, and heaven is opening. God is calling me.”
  • F.B. Meyer requested, “Read me something from the Bible—something brave and triumphant!”

Here are the last recorded words of Jesus: “Surely I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22). The apostle John, overwhelmed, offers a prayer: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” The word Amen means “So be it!” Or as Saint Paul said, “Let it be.” (Saint Paul McCartney, that is.)

What would you like your last words to be?

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Watching and Working

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Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.—1 John 3:2–3

  1. H. Spurgeon said, “It is a very blessed thing to be on the watch for Christ, it is a blessing to us now. How it detaches you from the world! You can be poor without murmuring; you can be rich without worldliness. . . . untold blessings are wrapped up in the glorious hope.”

The Bible says that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). If watching for the Lord’s return is the evidence of faith, then working is the evidence of faith in action. We are not only to be anxiously awaiting Christ’s return, but we are to be working. Watching will help us prepare our own lives, but working will assure that we bring others with us.

Jesus said there is a blessedness in living this way: “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching” (Luke 12:37). Another way to translate the word blessed as it’s used in this verse is “happy.” In other words, “Happy are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.”

In contrast to the servant who watches and works, there is the unprepared servant. Jesus continued, “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” (verses 45–46).

Watching and waiting for the return of Christ isn’t a miserable, repressive, or confining way to live. Rather, it is a happy, joyful, and purposeful way of life.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Time to Wake Up

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And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.—Romans 13:12

Have you ever had someone call you very late at night or very early in the morning? The voice on the other end asks, “Did I wake you?”

And what do we usually say? Most of the time we say no. For some reason, we always want to deny the fact that we’re sleeping.

Writing about the imminent return of Christ, the apostle Paul said, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:11–12).

The J. B. Phillips paraphrase states it this way: “Why all this stress on behaviour? Because, as I think you have realised, the present time is of the highest importance—it is time to wake up to reality. Every day brings God’s salvation nearer.”

Paul wasn’t addressing his words to nonbelievers. He was writing to Christians. He was addressing his remarks to genuine believers whose spiritual lethargy and laziness made them appear and act as though they had no spiritual life.

Maybe his words have more relevance for people who have been walking with the Lord for a while. When you’re a new Christian, you’re full of energy, not unlike a young person. You want to go out and do things for God.

But when you get older, you want to take a nap. And I think sometimes that believers who have known the Lord for a while may be in more danger of falling asleep than those who are young in the faith.

Believers need to wake up. The coming of the Lord is near.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – In the Fourth Watch

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Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. —Matthew 14:25

In the Gospels we find a story about Jesus sending His disciples across the Sea of Galilee. As they went on their way, they hit a huge storm that was so severe, they thought they would drown.

Meanwhile, Jesus had gone up on a mountain to spend some time in prayer. No doubt He could see His disciples, but they couldn’t see Him. And they were thinking it was all over.

Then we read that “in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25). Why did Jesus go to them in the fourth watch? Why didn’t He come right away, when the storm got bad? Or why didn’t He at least go out to them during the second or third watch? Yet Jesus went to them in the fourth watch—at the very end, effectively—after they had been battling the waves for up to nine hours.

Why do you think Jesus waited so long? I think He wanted them to exhaust their resources and realize there was no way out but through Him. And sometimes life goes that way. Something traumatic happens. Something that seems unbearable happens. We say, “How am I going to get through this? If God doesn’t come through for me, I am dead in the water.”

Actually, that is not such a bad place to be. As a friend of mine named Alan Redpath used to say that when we get to the end of ourselves, we get to the beginning of God.

Have you come to the end of yourself? Maybe, like the disciples, you’re experiencing an epic storm. Maybe you’re facing a crisis or a hardship. And maybe you’re thinking you won’t get through it. I have good news for you: Jesus always shows up.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – When One Is a Majority

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“Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”—Numbers 14:9

Sometimes when believers experience a little discomfort or some hardship, the first thing they want to do is abandon their faith. But the Christian life isn’t a playground; it’s a battleground.

God doesn’t want us to run from our giants. Rather, He wants us to attack them. When the twelve Israelite spies returned from Canaan, ten reported that “giants” were living there (see Numbers 13:33). But these so-called giants were not your fairy-tale variety; they were just big people.

So Joshua and Caleb told the Israelites, “Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (Numbers 14:9). In other words, “Yes, these guys are big. But guess what? God is even bigger.”

We all have giants that we face in life, whether it’s an obstacle, a person, or opposition. Whatever our giants may be, they loom large in our minds every day, seeking to control our lives, hurt us, torment us, and destroy us.

Maybe you wake up in the morning only to find yourself face-to-face with a giant that says, “I will make your life miserable today.” You feel defeated and paralyzed by fear. What should you do? Force that giant into the light of day.

Remember the story of David and Goliath? David was just a shepherd boy, while Goliath had been a warrior from his youth. Yet David sized up his giant and ran toward him. He didn’t retreat; he attacked his giant and defeated him. And that is the way to face your giants.

Romans 8:31 reminds us, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Remember that with God, one is a majority.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Two Things You Need To Know (. . .Actually Four)

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“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”—Matthew 10:7

There are two “secret weapons” that God has given the church which are rarely used today.

They are not whine and complain. Nor are they protest and boycott.

The two secret weapons God has given us are pray and preach.

First we need to pray. Pray for our country, pray for friends and neighbors who have not yet put their faith in Christ. Pray that they will see their need for Jesus.

That brings us to the second word: preach. Having prayed for them, now you must preach to them. When I say preach, I do not mean you have to raise your voice, but simply to communicate the gospel to them.

One final set of two: come and go.

These two words in the Bible show us what our focus as Christians should be. First we come to Christ and receive His forgiveness (see Revelation 22:17), then we are to go into all the world with the message of the gospel.

Pray and preach.

Come and go.

Those are your marching orders from Jesus Himself.

Let’s get to it!

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The Message Proclaimed

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“And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’ ” —Romans 10:14–15

From the original Greek, we could translate the final question in Romans 10:14 as, “How shall they hear without one preaching?” The Phillips translation puts it this way, “How can they hear unless someone proclaims Him?” Therefore, we see the emphasis is not on a preacher, but on preaching.

We may think the work of evangelism is only for those who are called to be evangelists. Granted, there are people in the church whom God has raised up to be evangelists, and certainly evangelism is not limited to those who preach to hundreds or thousands at a time. I have seen many individual believers who obviously have this gift.

While it is true that some are called to be evangelists, it is also true that every Christian is called to evangelize. Many times, however, we avoid sharing our faith, deciding instead to just live it out, be a good witness, and leave the preaching to others.

Yet in 1 Corinthians 1:21, it says, “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

This does not mean that we need to scream and yell and wave a Bible to get the point across. What it does mean is that we are to recognize the primary way God has chosen to reach the lost is through the proclamation of the gospel–by people. God has chosen the agency of His proclaimed Word to bring people to salvation.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Who Will Go?

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“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ ” — Isaiah 6:8

God said in the presence of Isaiah, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” In a sense, God is still asking this question. Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? Will you go? Will you stand in the gap?

If God’s Holy Spirit were to search among us today, I wonder if He would find men or women willing to stand in the gap. Willing to pray. Willing to be available. Willing to reach out to those who do not know Him.

A lot of Christians will say, “I’m too timid. I’m afraid of this and that.” But I think a lot of Christians don’t really have a burden for those who don’t know the Lord. I think if that burden is burning with enough passion, a believer will work through the obstacles.

That is not to say there aren’t things we should learn so we can share our faith more effectively. But if the burden is really there, a believer will go out and do something with it.

The bottom line is that sharing our faith isn’t really a big deal to many of us. This is why it is so important that we have a God-given burden for unbelievers.

I would rather make every mistake to be made in sharing my faith than to never do anything. At least I will hopefully learn something from my mistakes.

But when we do nothing for fear of being rejected or for fear we will not meet with resounding success, we are really missing what God has called us to do.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – No Room for Prejudice

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Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.—Acts 8:5

Being an effective communicator of the gospel requires a willingness to reach out to people who are different from you. We tend to want to hang around people who look like us, who talk like us, and who are just like us. But how willing are we to leave our comfort zone and go to a person completely different from us with the message of the gospel?

To put it another way, are we willing to acknowledge that all prejudice is wrong? Everyone needs Jesus, and we need to go without embarrassment and share the gospel with them. We can talk all day about how to do evangelism effectively. We can go to classes on how to share our faith and read books about it. We can memorize a list of conversation-starters that can help turn a conversation toward evangelism. All these things are good. But none of them will matter if we don’t care about others. People can tell whether or not we care about them. Even a dog can tell. And a person will know whether you are sharing the gospel out of sincerity or a mere sense of duty.

The Bible gives us the example of Philip, who had a heart for unbelievers. Along with Stephen and others, he was called to be a deacon in the church. And when Stephen was martyred and Saul of Tarsus began to attack Christians, where did Philip go? To Samaria. Philip was a Jew, yet he went to Samaria. This was significant, because Jews hated Samaritans, and Samaritans hated Jews. Yet Philip went to these people, people whom Jews normally would not speak to, much less want to reach.

May God give us compassion for people who do not yet know Him. Philip had that, and we should too.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A Walk of Faith

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Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.—Romans 5:1

The Bible tells the story of a man who had everything this world says one should have to feel happy and fulfilled: power, wealth, influence, and fame. But along with that came an emptiness that sent him on a search for God. As secretary of the treasury for a powerful nation, he was second only to the queen. But there was a hole in his heart, so it led him on a search to the spiritual capital of the world, Jerusalem. He did not find what he was looking for, but as he was returning home, he unexpectedly found the answer to his questions. He had an appointment with God that resulted in his conversion and complete transformation.

His story shows what happens when a person becomes a Christian. When someone truly believes in Jesus Christ, his or her life changes dramatically. This man went from emptiness and misery to overflowing joy. His story ends with the statement, “He went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). It is no exaggeration when the Bible says that we pass from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God, when we believe in Jesus Christ. It is describing what takes place in our lives.

But we also need to recognize that not every case is identical. There are different types of people who come to faith in different ways. Some have a tremendous emotional response, while others have no emotional experience at all.

An emotional experience has little to do with the reality of a person’s conversion. When I prayed and asked Christ to come into my life, I felt nothing. And because of this, I falsely concluded that God had rejected me. Thankfully, I discovered later that Christianity is a walk of faith and not of feeling.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Someone to Show Them the Way

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But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?—Romans 10:14

In Acts 8 we find the story of a foreign dignitary from Ethiopia. As the queen’s treasurer, he was a powerful man who would have traveled with an entourage. He went to Jerusalem in search of God, but found dead, lifeless religion instead. However, he obtained a scroll of Isaiah while he was there. And as it happened, he was traveling through the desert, reading aloud about the suffering of the Messiah, when God led Philip to go to him and share the gospel.

Philip saw him traveling along, reading from Isaiah’s scroll. So Philip walked up to him and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (verse 30). The man said, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” Philip climbed up into the chariot, took the scroll, told him what it meant, and pointed him to Jesus. And before the day was over, that man had become a believer and left with joy in his heart and a spring in his step. This is what people are still looking for today: someone to show them the way.

There is one thing that Christians and non-Christians have in common: both are very uptight about evangelism. Christians are uptight about evangelizing, and non-Christians are uptight about being evangelized. But I think some of us give up way too easily. When we ask someone if anyone has ever told them about Jesus, or if we invite someone to church and they say no, we give up too easily. Instead, try asking, “Well, why do you say that? Did you have a bad experience in church?”

God has primarily chosen to reach people through people. So engage them, and most importantly, keep praying for them. Give it a try, and you will discover what a joy it is to tell others about Jesus.

 

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – What is the Best Posture for Prayer?

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“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”—Ephesians 6:18

I heard the story of three ministers debating the best posture for prayer.

One minister shared that he felt that the key was in the hands. He always held his hands together and pointed them upward as a symbolic form of worship.

Another minister suggested that real prayer was conducted on one’s knees. That was the only way to really pray.

The third said that they were both wrong. The only position in which to pray was to lie on the floor, flat on your face.

As they were talking, a telephone repairman had been working in the background, listening. Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer. He blurted out, “For me, the most powerful prayer I ever prayed was while I was dangling upside down by my heels from a power pole, 40 feet above the ground!”

Listen: the posture of prayer is not the most important thing.

The main thing is to pray!

  • You can pray in any position, at anytime, anywhere.
  • You can pray publically, privately, verbally, silently.
  • You can be kneeling, standing, sitting, lying down, or even driving.
  • You can pray with your eyes open or closed! (Ever make eye contact with someone while praying?)

Sometimes we think that perhaps the Lord will hear our prayers more readily if they are prayed in a church building. But that is not necessarily true.

  • Daniel prayed in a lion’s den.
  • David prayed in a field.
  • Peter prayed on and under the water.
  • Jonah’s prayer was heard from the belly of a whale!

It doesn’t matter where you are . . . Just pray!

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Your Spiritual Impact

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And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.—Jonah 1:7

One man or woman outside the will of God can be a menace to themselves and to everyone else. A case in point: Jonah. The Lord had told Jonah to go and preach to Nineveh, and Jonah said no. Then he boarded a boat going in the opposite direction. A storm came, and the boat was shaking and tossing back and forth in the sea. Everyone was affected because of Jonah, and they figured out that he was the problem. He told the men, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me” (Jonah 1:12). So off Jonah went, and the storm stopped.

One man, in his disobedience, affected all those other people. Think of the husband who is not being the man God has called him to be. He is not being the spiritual leader of the family. In so many Christian homes, the wife is the spiritual leader, and the husband kind of goes along for the ride. How wonderful it is when a husband recognizes that he is to lead spiritually.

I read about a study in which researchers found that if both parents attend church regularly, 33 percent of their children will become regular churchgoers, while 41 percent will be irregular churchgoers. And interestingly, even if a father attends church regularly and a mother does not, 38 percent of their children will become regular churchgoers.

Think of the impact parents have on their children. They are passing that legacy on. When parents say, “We are going to church” or “We are going to go to a midweek study,” what a great example it is for their kids.

Think of the spiritual impact you are having on others.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – It’s All His

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Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.—1 Corinthians 6:19–20

You belong to God. I belong to God. We belong to God. The Bible says, “You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Your career belongs to God. Your family belongs to God. Your home belongs to God. So does your car, your health, the beat of your heart, and the breath you draw in your lungs. It is all a gift from God to you.

Often we will forget and neglect God, but is it too much to dedicate some time every day to pray and read the Word of God? God gave you everything that you have. You can give thanks. Is it that big of a deal to say, before you start eating, “Lord, thank You for this food”? It doesn’t have to be a long prayer. You don’t have to pray for every missionary around the world. But it is important to give thanks to the Lord for all that you have, acknowledging that you have received it from Him.

Is it asking too much to take a percentage of your income and give it to God’s work? That is called tithing. The Bible talks about tithes and offerings. Tithe means “a tenth.” In fact, Jesus commended the Pharisees for their tithing, while at the same time saying they were simply missing the point (see Matthew 23:23). Every Christian should tithe and bring offerings (see Malachi 3:10).

What if all the church was just like you? No individual Christian can sin without affecting the whole body of Christ. No child of God can grow cold in the spiritual life without lowering the spiritual temperature of everyone else around him or her. You affect others, and others affect you.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – How Sin Spreads

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Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? —1 Corinthians 5:6
As believers, we are interconnected. The sin of one will affect many. That is why the apostle Paul said the church should never tolerate evil. He said, “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).
Apparently in the Corinthian church, there was a man who was sleeping his father’s wife (not his biological mother but a woman his father had married). The church was actually boasting about how liberal and tolerant they were. So Paul confronted them, saying, “And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you” (1 Corinthians 5:2).
If an unbeliever who is living an immoral lifestyle comes to our church, we’ll welcome that person. We’ll say, “We love you.” We’ll also say, “Jesus Christ wants to change your life.” We will call him or her to the Lord and to faith.
But if a Christian comes to our church and is living openly in sin, if we find out about it, we will call him or her to repentance. But if that Christian refuses to repent, then he or she will be asked to leave.
Some might think that isn’t very loving. But actually it is very loving, and I’ll tell you why. If believers are living openly in sin, and the church doesn’t do anything about it, it’s sending a message that everything is okay and that we can thumb our noses at God.
Paul said, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6). In modern vernacular, a little yeast permeates the whole batch of dough. If sin is tolerated, it will spread and corrupt others.