Ps.119 Verse 2: "Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with all their hearts."
So when we hear of his testimonies here, it is clear to us that we are dealing with the testimony of our Lord. In the New Testament period it is the witness of the cross. The testimony of Jesus was when he exclaimed: It is finished. Then the soldiers took a spear and pierced its side. Then we find the testimony of God from the side of the Lord: blood and water. We still have to deal with these two testimonies today according to the will of a powerful God. The testimony of his blood is the salvation of this blood; the testimony is also the purification by the water of the Word of God, of which we read in Ephesians 5:26. These testimonies should be preserved by us.
It depends on what our life is like with Christ, and that is why it says in verse 2: "who with their whole hearts now seek Him, the living God in his testimonies."
We have heard about the self-inflicted suffering.
There are also the self-inflicted suffering, the suffering for the sake of Jesus. Another type of innocent but biblical suffering is experienced by many Christians, especially women, sometimes children, who have given their lives to Jesus if they have relatives who are not saved. Suffering often happens in the workplace too. There people can become demon people. These are people behind which Satan stands and talks. We are to uphold the testimonies of the Lord. And the enemy is concerned with the destruction of these testimonies. Believing women often suffer unspeakably. We do not always notice that from the outside. Many do not trust anyone in this way, but simply carry the need to the sanctuary. And what is there to do? Where the husband, whether a believer or an unbeliever, behaves contrary to the will of God, it is said for the wife, as for us all, "one ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 4:19). Women have to fight a hard fight if they miss the coming together of the community because of their husbands. This is a completely false consideration, which the Lord will never bless.On the other hand, the wife now takes part in evil works by submitting to the enemy and obeying. Believing women should never preach to their unbelieving husbands. Because that's no use! I know the men too well for that. If, at the same time, one relies on a promise of the Word of God, where they say, "Thus you and your house will be saved." But it does not say that believing women should preach uninterruptedly to their husbands. These men then become hard, much harder than they already are. The women should not talk much about the Lord Jesus at all. But they should talk a lot with the Lord Jesus about their unbelieving men, that is, pray for them. And prayer is always missing, that's my experience. The method that helps a lot is that we often carry our problems to the sanctuary. We have the precious promise of 1 Peter 3: 1-4. This is a promise that God then fulfills. But God will never fulfill promises when we move outside the Word of God. There is a persecution even among the faithful when someone comes out of religious indifference. We read this in 2 Timothy 3:12. Through the godly life the others are then condemned. They feel doomed. Hate arises. This is a kind of innocent suffering when we become an offense to others.
An entirely wrong type of suffering often comes about because young Christians believe they should abandon their earthly vocation. They think that this is the following of Jesus. This is rarely the case. I can say that. Only very rarely does the Lord take young believers out of their earthly vocations to serve Him, our Lord, in special ways. Mostly, they have to prove themselves in Godly life in practical life. When one has given the life of Jesus, one wants to serve God full-time. But you do not know what's written in the Bible. One does not know what the will of God is. And that's a dangerous point. They should prove themselves only in the change. That was the handicap in Mark and led in the evangelistic missions to the dispute between Barnabas and Paul. St. Mark was not to be taken away from Paul, because Paul saw that Mark (he wrote the Gospel of Mark and his name was also Johannes Mark) had not yet proved himself. Barnabas, who certainly did not have a bad judgment, nevertheless took him with him because he was the uncle of Mark. We see that also the kinship is often struck with blindness and does not recognize the will of God. We should live according to the will of God and prove ourselves in it. Then, if at all, Jesus brings us out of our profession. The Bible clearly says, "not a freshman," so that he does not fall into the trap of Satan. It is simply expected a probation by God. Most of the missionaries are out in the mission field because they wanted to make themselves available to the Lord Jesus, but not because the Lord Jesus put them there.
The most important point first. Confess the Lord and what you have in him and through him.
Do not look for other works in the Kingdom of God if you do not work on the first point. Stop with the big things. Confess the Lord Jesus and what he did to you. Then the Lord will lead you into the next work as soon as you have learned it. Confess him, Jesus, immediately, from the beginning of your life of faith and wherever you come. Confess it without shyness, both by word and by life. Show the light that Jesus put into your heart, other people. Light for him, for Jesus. Do you understand that? Light for Jesus, then others will see you. Light for him, and now people come. Bear witness to Christ, even without fear of the suffering and fears associated with it. Man's fear is a bondage, it is like a disease among believers. This silence is sometimes like an execution. Can you imagine, for decades, do not open your mouth because of the fear of man. Why are they afraid of men? Because they have not completely committed themselves to Jesus. And I can also say why. This is the proud heart that does not want to break, that is ashamed of Jesus, therefore the fear of man. And just when we confess Jesus, we are sure and certain, these are the biblical sufferings of which God's Word speaks, which we should not be spared by the will of God (1 Peter 1: 6). Oh, if there were more followers in the church of Jesus, then a whole world would be different. Remember that Jesus says, "He that professes me before men, I will confess him before my heavenly Father" (Matt. 10:32). This phrase has nothing to do with being saved or lost. But we should bear fruit. For this we are set according to the will of God. A true child of God no one will rob from the hand of Jesus. This says God's Word in John 10:29. Some do not believe that and are robbed of much blessing. They can be robbed by the ignorance of false Bible teachers. They let themselves be robbed by the devil.
The hands of Jesus Christ and the arms of Heavenly Father are strong enough to sustain us in our relationship and to our eternity. Whether we believe it or not does not change that fact at all. But one thing you change about yourself, the blessing of God. I look at the interpretation and the misconception in this question, which is contrary to The Message of the Word of God, that no one can be robbed of his hand. Someone who says that you can be lost again after being saved is talking the word of a dangerous liberal demon. It takes a lot of courage to fight against the word of the Lord. But it is also a matter of reward, whether we confess Jesus or not. And he, our wonderful Lord has saved us. If we were to say we are lost again, then we contradict Almighty God. Then we would say: No, he can not quite do it. These are already demonic statements. He who saved us deserves to confess him before men. That is why God's Word says: "The heart is believed in righteousness, and the mouth becomes known for salvation" (Romans 10:10). After we have come to faith, our sanctification would be interrupted if we do not confess with our mouths. Say out of love for the Lord Jesus to these people in your area, that you are saved and that they too must have the Lord Jesus. Let's read 2.Corinthians 5,11
Probably as important as confession is the ministry of intercession,
that every believer can and should exercise. However, the beliefs of the faithful are quite different. We are asked again and again: Should we even pray for our burdened father? Yes why not? Especially, twice as much, because he is my next relative. Should we pray for the godless? Yes, of course. The Bible says "for all people". You must first prove to me that they are not human. The Bible, God's Word, says, "supplication, prayer, intercession, thanksgiving." So says the apostle. God expects four things from us after 1 Tim.2: 1 and the following. Have you ever thought what it means, why Paul enumerates: supplication, prayer, intercession, thanksgiving? There are four things. Pleading is not prayer and intercession is not prayer alone. The prayer goes further than just intercession. Thanksgiving is not the only prayer. The prayer goes further than just thanksgiving. But all that should be available. And today the children of God can no longer distinguish what is supplication and what prayer is. We sincerely regret this. If the Lord wants to revive us completely through his Spirit, we will be led to this deep unity of the Spirit of God. Does not Scripture say, "But he that clings to the Lord is a Spirit with him". As soon as we recognize points which we do not fulfill, the unity of the mind will certainly be clouded by this measure. In order to be able to plead for others, I need an infinite heart of love. That's what I say, otherwise your supplication is cramp. That can only come from love for one's neighbor. First, let the love of Jesus be placed deep in your heart, otherwise you would rather stay in the deficiency by being. But not only for us should be pleaded, prayed, made intercession, thanksgiving be fulfilled, but here it says: "for all men". What a mission the church of Jesus has to perform priestly service for all people, just as Levi, the Hebrew tribe, held the priesthood for the remaining eleven tribes, so today the church of Jesus in a hostile world is the priesthood, the sole link to the Living God has interceding hands to raise hands, to raise praying hands. One thing I say, this godless world, even the religious, would like to kill us the most. Do not be intimidated, this move will become more and more prevalent over the next few years. Why? Because we are an obstacle to these people through our prayers. On the other hand, the church of Jesus is no longer part of this world. The moment comes when the Lord calls us. And that's already the prelude to it. If these godless people knew that the Lord who created heaven and earth spoke to us, "You are the salt of the earth," it is not clear to them that these people out there live in the houses only because we are there are. Because we are still there, the judgment of God has not yet fallen upon them. That must be clear to us. What position and responsibility we have before the Holy God, even when a modernist, religious world does not understand us, because we have the Spirit of the Lord. We should also pray for the authorities. Siblings, one thing I say, if we have an atheistic authority today, it is not the world's fault but the children of God. Therefore we should bow our knees before the Lord, each personally. If we had made more intercessions for the authorities through prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, we would have no atheist authority. That's very serious.
We should pray especially for the faithful. We should never forget them daily (Ephesians 6:18). Paul even asks for it very often, for example in 2.Thes.3,1 or Col.4,2-4.
And we also have the right to ask each god child for intercession. The right we have to say: Brother, do not you have a very little time left, so three times a week or something to pray for me? You can also tell him what he is still praying for, or a sister, asking for intercession for us from others, and for our part personally doing to others this ministry of love. To pray, for example, for the missionaries who need it most, who usually fight in the first place. But also those who are found under distress and problems or persecution or tribulations, also for the churches, for the heads of the churches and for the works of faith, which today are virtually found as bulwarks against the darkness, which are a thorn in the side of Satan and for those who conduct such faith works that are in responsible positions, as found in Acts 12: 5, we see something of what intercession can ever do.
Another type of ministry that can be practiced by just about any believer is the distribution of tracts through scripture that is relatively cheap. There are quite a few places where you just need to write. But you should not just give things for free, even if it is written: "In vain you have received, free prayer". You should inquire, what the treatises cost and you should still send 5 euros more. That would be necessary. Distribute tracts. Best connected with a short conversation. At the end you hand over a treatise and say: Please read on, here you have my address ... But it is important that everything is done in prayer and on behalf of the Lord, in the love of Jesus with a right Portion of wisdom, tact and prudence, loyalty and humility. If that is not there, then better distribute no tracts.
Furthermore, for the believer who wants to work for the Lord Jesus, also offers home and hospital visits. The Lord Jesus says at one point: "I was sick and you visited me". So they say: what? When did we visit you? Yes, if you did it to one of my lesser brothers, then you did it to me. If you do this service to the sick, then you should know from the mouth of Jesus that you have done it for the Lord and Savior Himself. For this service, which is then done constantly, it is especially necessary to have much love and humility to unite with such patients, but also much prayer and wisdom with intercession..
While there are many, many activities for the young convert yet, most of all, it is based on our change from this world,
as we find in Ephesians1,4.
We now want to be quiet and pray.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for instructing us in many ways, that there are no casual workers in the Kingdom of God, and that there is no unemployed in the Kingdom of God. Lord Jesus, we just want to be shaken out of our sleep, which we love so much. Lord Jesus, we also want to ask you to recognize that you are giving us light that says: "watch over where you sleep and rise from the dead". That we recognize that a sleeping man is found like a dead man before you. Just as there is nothing to do with a dead man, even a sleeping Christian is inactive and dead to you.
Lord Jesus we want to be active to do what you want. Give us a yes inside. Lord Jesus, let's start and not just ask around. We want to be active in the manifold work in the Kingdom of God. Lord Jesus, we also want to do the lowest service. Lord, we want to get into the greatest fertility. Lord Jesus, teach us through this word heard today. Lord, we want to recognize you. Lord, we want to accept the teaching through your word. Lord, bless us, that you may be exalted by your people.
Amen