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Praying Always (Part One)
Article by Pat HigginsLuke 21:36 delivers a crucial instruction from Christ: Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. This verse encapsulates a vital survival message for those living in the end time, emphasizing the essence of escaping the worst of the Tribulation and being with Christ in God's Kingdom. It ties together the warnings and signs of the end time described throughout Luke 21, urging us not to neglect the spiritual aspects and to remain vigilant. The call to "watch" in this context goes beyond merely observing world events; it implies a deeper, more active engagement. It is better understood as overcoming, which conveys the battle we must join against our human nature, worldly influences, and Satan's devices. Watching, as originally intended, involves identifying our spiritual problems, engaging with them, and putting them to flight. This process of overcoming is our primary calling as we near the end of the age. Furthermore, Christ links watching with praying always, presenting them as two essential components for escaping the turmoil ahead and entering God's Kingdom. These two actions—overcoming and praying always—are like tickets that grant us safety and salvation. If we are lackadaisical about either, we risk facing a much higher cost during the Tribulation. Thus, Luke 21:36 serves as a roadmap, showing us what we must concentrate on during these critical times.
Praying Always (Part Two)
Article by Pat HigginsIn Luke 21:36, our Savior instructs us to watch and pray always to be accounted worthy to escape the troubles at the close of this age and to enter the Kingdom of God. Watching means giving careful, vigilant attention to overcoming our nature, scrutinizing our lives to change and overcome the problems we see. Praying always, coupled with watching and overcoming, is vital for those living at the end time, as it strengthens our faith and aligns us with His will. It is through persistent prayer and overcoming that we build the faith necessary to endure. Those who watch and pray always, at all times of the day and night, will be counted worthy to stand before the Son of Man in God's Kingdom. Christ makes a specific promise to those who are successfully overcoming, saying, Blessed are those servants whom the master, when He comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that He will gird Himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
Praying Always (Part Five)
Article by Pat HigginsIn Luke 21:36, Christ commands us to watch and pray always, emphasizing the need to be alert and on guard. Watching involves a major requirement of Christian life, which is to examine ourselves, being alert to those things within us that could disqualify us from entering God's Kingdom so that we may change them. Praying always is a conscious choice to let God into every aspect of our lives, demonstrating the true intent of our hearts and our dedication to Him. It is a major element in walking with God, ensuring that He is present wherever we are, just as Enoch exemplified in his inseparable partnership with Him. Every day provides opportunities to evaluate the true intent of our hearts through self-examination, asking how often we acknowledged God, talked to Him, and fellowshipped with Him. Our daily answers to these questions and our practical responses could largely determine where we spend both the Tribulation and eternity. Praying always is a vital step to finding eternal life by walking with God, and it serves as one of the two tickets to avoiding tribulation and gaining entrance to His Kingdom.
Praying Always (Part Six)
Article by Pat HigginsA major purpose of striving to pray always is to maintain constant contact with God, bringing every thought into captivity under His control. Prayer is a vital tool He provides to develop our relationship with Him and to deepen our knowledge of who He is, what He thinks, and what He purposes. This relationship, built through continual prayer, serves as our protection against deception, even the self-deception that can ensnare us in this evil age. The surest way to develop this safeguarding bond is by praying always, choosing to fellowship with our heavenly Father, the very best company in the universe. Jesus instructs us in Matthew 26:41 to watch and pray so that we will not be tempted, emphasizing that this practice builds a shield of faith to protect us from the fiery darts of temptation. In Luke 21:36, He reiterates this guidance, indicating that those who depend on God through praying always will be counted worthy to escape the troubles ahead and stand before Him in God's Kingdom. This shield, as mentioned in Ephesians 6:16, can quench all fiery darts, promising great peace when none of satan's attacks reach their target. Great peace, as described in Psalm 119:165, comes to those who love God's law and face no occasion of stumbling, meaning temptation is removed by God's protective power. Our battles to overcome often manifest as skirmishes in everyday events like eating, conducting business, or relating to others. Striving to pray always during the day provides an unyielding first line of defense in these myriad details. Only God's strength, accessed through praying always, enables us to fight spiritual battles, as our own strength is powerless. By acknowledging God and praying always, we align with Christ's principle in Matthew 6:33 to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that He will add all we need, including the strength to overcome and enter His Kingdom.
Watch What?
'Prophecy Watch' by Pat HigginsJesus does not specify in so many words what we are to watch. The evidence points to the fact that watching has everything to do with spiritual preparation.
Teach Us To Pray! (Part Two)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsPrayer should be a major practice in our life and bring us into contact with God's creative purpose, indicating to Him that we will yield to His purpose.
Facing Times of Stress: Always in God's Presence
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe can maintain spiritual contact using David's tactic of continually maintaining the Lord before him in his thoughts, prayers, and meditations.
A Clean, Well-Lighted Place
Sermon by David F. MaasAs ambassadors, we have the responsibility to be lights, quietly modeling God's Law in our lives by exemplifying the fruits of the Spirit continuously.
'As a Thief in the Night'
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbeChrist's second coming is described as being like 'a thief in the night.' Here is what it means for Christians living in the end times.
Don't Be Indifferent (1995)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe cannot allow ourselves to become surfeited with the world's distractions, being lulled off to sleep as the foolish virgins, wasting our precious time.
The End Is Not Yet
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod's people do a disservice to the cause of truth when they allow the media-hype to trigger a false hope about Jesus Christ's return being imminent.
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughEven with Christ's sacrifice, God does not owe us salvation. We are called to walk, actively putting to death our carnal natures, resisting the complacency.
Sin (Part Four)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughTrue Christianity is no cakewalk into eternal life, but a life and death struggle against our flesh, the world, and a most formidable spirit adversary.
Considering the Day of the Lord
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeThe ancient Israelites smugly believed that God was on their side, and that because He had not yet responded to their sins, they would be victorious.
Do You Recognize This Man? (Part Five)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIn Exodus 19, there are 12 parallels with Christ's dramatic return illustrated in Matthew 24. All of these events will culminate in a blast of a trumpet.
Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Three)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThroughout the 'Christian' world, militant atheism may be decreasing, but religious indifference is also increasing at even a more dramatic rate.
Amos (Part Fourteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughAmos indicts rampant, dishonest practices, placing gain above honesty, morality, or ethics, and arrogantly and covetously exploiting the needy for profit.