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Today’s readings come from Psalm 136:13-26, 1 John 2:12-27, Daniel 7:1-8:14

Sometimes doing the right thing means stepping into the awkward—and staying there. Today I'm sharing how a bold moment from my daughter reminded me that discomfort is often the doorway to courage, conviction, and living out our faith unapologetically.

Show Notes: https://bit.ly/4hG02tz

These words come from the first of the seven letters to the churches, and they were addressed to the church in Ephesus. Pergamum was the capital city of the province of Asia, but Ephesus was in every way the greatest city. It had the largest port in the area and many major roads converged on it. It was particularly famous for its religious significance. The city was home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – the Temple of Artemis. It was a vast structure measuring 130 by 60 metres, and with 120 columns. Ephesus was also a notorious centre for pagan superstition. In short, it wasn’t the easiest place to establish a church, and the Christians were commended for their hard work and endurance. They could so easily have buckled in the face of the challenges, but they hadn’t.

The word from the risen Lord to the Ephesian church was that he knew exactly what they had been through. He knew how tough it had been and commended them for how they had endured. Much of the Christian life is about ‘hanging in there’. This might not sound exciting or like the way we would want it to be, but the Lord calls us to be faithful. I have so often seen people faithfully serving God in small struggling churches, in villages, on housing estates and in city centres, and where it has been incredibly hard work just to keep the doors of the church open. I have seen people working in children’s and youth work with no thanks, and often much discouragement, but they have hung in there through good times and bad. We have all seen people caring for others in really tough circumstances, maintaining their loving care through the years with grace and incredible patience. Maybe that has been you. You’ve hung in there, and the risen Lord wants you to know that he has seen exactly what you have been doing and he wants to commend you.

Think about your own church. In what way do you think that the Lord would commend it?

Lord Jesus, help me to stand strongly for you, whatever the challenges and pressures and however great the temptation to give up. Amen

Today’s readings come from Psalm 136:1-12, 1 John 1:1-2:11, Daniel 5:17-6:28

1) What is your position on biblical inerrancy?2) Do Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26 teach that one can lose their salvation?3) What is a presumptuous sin?4) Can you explain Paul’s teaching on widows in 1 Timothy 5:3-16?5) Can you speak to the subject of the "better manuscripts" you often mention?6) Can you explain the tithing principle in Deuteronomy 14:26?7) Does God the Father, who is spirit, have physical attributes?

For the church, godly leadership’s a matter of spiritual life or death. The apostle Paul warned Titus of dangerous people within the church at Crete and the impact of their distorted teaching. On Truth For Life, Alistair Begg teaches us how to recognize such counterfeits.

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This listener-funded program features the clear, relevant Bible teaching of Alistair Begg. Today’s program and nearly 3,000 messages can be streamed and shared for free at tfl.org thanks to the generous giving from monthly donors called Truthpartners. Learn more about this Gospel-sharing team or become one today. Thanks for listening to Truth For Life!