Running to Win - 15 Minute Edition

Some persecuted believers are spared while others go through torture and death. For three exiles in Babylon, their immediate well-being was less important to them than honoring the one true God. In this message, we examine why Christians, even those with religious freedoms, should expect persecution. Let's anchor our confidence in God's purposes.

Why doesn't God deliver everyone from harm? When Daniel's friends refused to offer worship the Babylonian king, they were tossed into a fiery furnace. In this message, we consider what compelled these men of faith to firmly stand, even if God didn't rescue them from the fire. Do you believe God is in charge, even when the outcome is uncertain?

Every day, cultural and civil pressure mounts on the Christian faith. How should believers react? For Israelites in ancient Babylon, there was no freedom of religion as they faced government oppression. In this message from Daniel 3, we investigate the context of a true story of courage.

Some situations push us to face conflicting choices. Some other Christians might even have a difference of opinion. Daniel's friends went along with their Babylonian captors as far as they could but drew the line when their consciences told them "No." In this message, we learn how to live by biblical principles when we're faced with questions of conscience.

When authorities tell us to do one thing, and the Bible tells us to do the opposite, what do we do? Whenever possible, we should be in the culture, just like Daniel and his friends among their Babylonian captors. But sometimes, we must resolve to take a stand and draw a line in the sand. In this message, we'll contemplate biblical principles when we face conflicts of conscience.

Christians in America are rapidly becoming like Daniel and his friends in Babylon: out of sync with their pagan environment. How do we reconcile what we believe with how to live in such a culture? In this message, we'll identify three different ways we can respond to a pagan culture. Let's find out how Daniel participated in the culture.

Christians are no longer the dominant cultural force in America. How do we live with lasting peace amid a pagan culture? In this message, we'll find three vital lessons God gave Israel—seeking the shalom of the city while in exile. How would our jobs or positions change if we lived like ambassadors of God's peace?

In our heart of hearts, we have a choice of allegiances: receive God's blessing or manipulate to our own ends. Lot chose to ally with the King of Sodom. Abraham paid homage to the King of Salem, priest of God Most High. In this message, we perform a heart check on what possesses us at our points of decision. Our choices expose what we really want.

If Christians are the minority within the prevailing culture, where do we see God's blessing? In this message, the surprising answer come from Jeremiah 29, where God guides captive Israel in how to live in a faraway land. When we put our confidence in God's promise for another world, our prayers for His blessing will be changed.

Should Christians separate from the prevailing culture or eagerly participate? The surprising answer comes from God's instructions to captive Judah living in Babylon. Under the judgment of God, thousands were taken into exile, where they settled into a pagan society. In this message, we'll hear the first of God's five instructions for His people that hit close to home.