Harvest Ministry - A New Beginning with Greg Laurie for the Week of Monday, 7 July 2014

Harvest Ministry - A New Beginning with Greg Laurie for the Week of Monday, 7 July 2014
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THE MARK OF THE BEAST Revelation 13: The Beast from the Sea 1-2 And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. I saw a Beast 
rising from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads—on each 
horn a crown, and each head inscribed with a blasphemous name. 
The Beast I saw looked like a leopard with bear paws and a lion’smouth. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and 
great authority. 3-4 One of the Beast’s heads looked as if it had been struck a 
deathblow, and then healed. The whole earth was agog, gaping at 
the Beast. They worshiped the Dragon who gave the Beast 
authority, and they worshiped the Beast, exclaiming, “There’s 
never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war 
with the Beast!” 5-8 The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous. It 
could do anything it wanted for forty-two months. It yelled 
blasphemies against God, blasphemed his Name, blasphemed his 
Church, especially those already dwelling with God in Heaven. It was permitted to make war on God’s holy people and conquer them. It held absolute sway over all tribes and peoples, tongues and 
races. Everyone on earth whose name was not written from the 
world’s foundation in the slaughtered Lamb’s Book of Life will 
worship the Beast. 9-10 Are you listening to this? They’ve made their bed; now they must lie in it. Anyone marked for prison goes straight to prison;anyone pulling a sword goes down by the sword. Meanwhile, God’s 
holy people passionately and faithfully stand their ground. The Beast from Under the Ground 11-12 I saw another Beast rising out of the ground. It had two 
horns like a lamb but sounded like a dragon when it spoke. It wasa puppet of the first Beast, made earth and everyone in it 
worship the first Beast, which had been healed of its deathblow. 13-17 This second Beast worked magical signs, dazzling people by making fire come down from Heaven. It used the magic it got from the Beast to dupe earth dwellers, getting them to make an image 
of the Beast that received the deathblow and lived. It was able 
to animate the image of the Beast so that it talked, and then 
arrange that anyone not worshiping the Beast would be killed. It forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and 
slave, to have a mark on the right hand or forehead. Without the mark of the name of the Beast or the number of its name, it was 
impossible to buy or sell anything. 18 Solve a riddle: Put your heads together and figure out the 
meaning of the number of the Beast. It’s a human number: 666. 
14: A Perfect Offering 1-2 I saw—it took my breath away!—the Lamb standing on Mount 
Zion, 144,000 standing there with him, his Name and the Name of 
his Father inscribed on their foreheads. And I heard a voice out of Heaven, the sound like a cataract, like the crash of thunder. 2-5 And then I heard music, harp music and the harpists singing anew song before the Throne and the Four Animals and the Elders. 
Only the 144,000 could learn to sing the song. They were bought 
from earth, lived without compromise, virgin-fresh before God. 
Wherever the Lamb went, they followed. They were bought from 
humankind, firstfruits of the harvest for God and the Lamb. Not afalse word in their mouths. A perfect offering. Voices from Heaven 6-7 I saw another Angel soaring in Middle-Heaven. He had an 
Eternal Message to preach to all who were still on earth, every 
nation and tribe, every tongue and people. He preached in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory! His hour of judgment has 
come! Worship the Maker of Heaven and earth, salt sea and fresh 
water!” 8 A second Angel followed, calling out, “Ruined, ruined, Great 
Babylon ruined! She made all the nations drunk on the wine of herwhoring!” 9-11 A third Angel followed, shouting, warning, “If anyone 
worships the Beast and its image and takes the mark on forehead 
or hand, that person will drink the wine of God’s wrath, preparedunmixed in his chalice of anger, and suffer torment from fire andbrimstone in the presence of Holy Angels, in the presence of the Lamb. Smoke from their torment will rise age after age. No 
respite for those who worship the Beast and its image, who take 
the mark of its name.” 12 Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping 
God’s commands, staying faithful to Jesus. 13 I heard a voice out of Heaven, “Write this: Blessed are those who die in the Master from now on; how blessed to die that way!” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “and blessed rest from their hard, hard 
work. None of what they’ve done is wasted; God blesses them for 
it all in the end.” Harvest Time 14-16 I looked up, I caught my breath!—a white cloud and one likethe Son of Man sitting on it. He wore a gold crown and held a 
sharp sickle. Another Angel came out of the Temple, shouting to 
the Cloud-Enthroned, “Swing your sickle and reap. It’s harvest 
time. Earth’s harvest is ripe for reaping.” The Cloud-Enthroned 
gave a mighty sweep of his sickle, began harvesting earth in a 
stroke. 17-18 Then another Angel came out of the Temple in Heaven. He 
also had a sharp sickle. Yet another Angel, the one in charge of tending the fire, came from the Altar. He thundered to the Angel who held the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle. Harvest 
earth’s vineyard. The grapes are bursting with ripeness.” 19-20 The Angel swung his sickle, harvested earth’s vintage, and heaved it into the winepress, the giant winepress of God’s wrath.
The winepress was outside the City. As the vintage was trodden, 
blood poured from the winepress as high as a horse’s bridle, a 
river of blood for two hundred miles. The end of the world. We have heard this before. Didn’t Chicken 
Little have something to say on the topic? We have never been 
closer to the end of the world than we are right now. Here in 
Revelations 13, we are looking at spiritually dark times. The 
Antichrist is on the scene, as well as the false prophet that causes people to worship the Antichrist, and receive the mark of thebeast. The Bible also speaks of a new beginning that will take place. A time when righteousness will reign supreme. The knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth. In Revelation 14 we read about the 
144,000 messianic believers, sent out by God during this period 
to proclaim the gospel. What is true of the 144,000 messianic believers in heaven should also be true of believers on earth. There are five takeaway truths about these believers that we needto be aware of. PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES 1. They have the mark of God the Father not the Antichrist. Thesebelievers have the name of God the Father on their foreheads. They have His mark, and they are protected by God. 2. They sing a new song. Every believer should have a new song. 
Psalm 40 says, “He lifted me out of the pit of despair. Out of 
the mud and the mire. He has given me a new song to sing. A hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be 
amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord” (NLT). 3. They lived pure lives. “These are the ones who were not 
defiled with women, for they are virgins” (Revelation 14:4 NKJV).This may be literal and/or symbolic as well. To not be defiled 
means they are not immoral. 4. They are sincere in their faith. Revelation 14:5 says, “And intheir mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault 
before the throne of God” (NIV). There is no deceit or hypocrisy of any kind in their lives. Originally hypocrite meant actor—to 
act as though you are a Christian, but you are not. 5. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. In verse 4, Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let Him deny himself, take up the cross, and follow Me” (NIV). Jesus commands us to walk the same road, to follow Him, and do it continually. RELEVANT REMINDERS • You can choose who your father is. You can be of your father 
the devil, or you can be a worshipper of your heavenly Father. Ifyou are smart, you will choose the name above all names: the LordJesus Christ. • Stop singing the old song. Sing a new song. Let other people 
know what Christ has done for you. • Jesus walks with us. He commands us to follow continuously—not just Sunday, but each and every day. It’s a walk. It’s a talk. 
It’s a fellowship. It’s a companionship. • In that day, there will be a mark on those people of the 
Antichrist. There is a mark on you. God can see it. He knows who belongs to Him. We want to proudly say that we belong to Him. APPLICABLE ACTIONS Is Christ living inside of you? Are you ready to go to heaven? 
The end is near. Christ is coming. And to the point, your end 
could be even nearer. We don’t know when life will end. That is 
why we want to get right with God right now.
Monday, 7 July 2014
The Mark of the Beast — II
Revelation 13: The Beast from the Sea
1-2 And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. I saw a Beast 
rising from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads—on each 
horn a crown, and each head inscribed with a blasphemous name. 
The Beast I saw looked like a leopard with bear paws and a lion’smouth. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and 
great authority.
3-4 One of the Beast’s heads looked as if it had been struck a 
deathblow, and then healed. The whole earth was agog, gaping at 
the Beast. They worshiped the Dragon who gave the Beast 
authority, and they worshiped the Beast, exclaiming, “There’s 
never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war 
with the Beast!”
5-8 The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous. It 
could do anything it wanted for forty-two months. It yelled 
blasphemies against God, blasphemed his Name, blasphemed his 
Church, especially those already dwelling with God in Heaven. It was permitted to make war on God’s holy people and conquer them. It held absolute sway over all tribes and peoples, tongues and 
races. Everyone on earth whose name was not written from the 
world’s foundation in the slaughtered Lamb’s Book of Life will 
worship the Beast.
9-10 Are you listening to this? They’ve made their bed; now they must lie in it. Anyone marked for prison goes straight to prison;anyone pulling a sword goes down by the sword. Meanwhile, God’s 
holy people passionately and faithfully stand their ground.
The Beast from Under the Ground
11-12 I saw another Beast rising out of the ground. It had two 
horns like a lamb but sounded like a dragon when it spoke. It wasa puppet of the first Beast, made earth and everyone in it 
worship the first Beast, which had been healed of its deathblow.
13-17 This second Beast worked magical signs, dazzling people by making fire come down from Heaven. It used the magic it got from the Beast to dupe earth dwellers, getting them to make an image 
of the Beast that received the deathblow and lived. It was able 
to animate the image of the Beast so that it talked, and then 
arrange that anyone not worshiping the Beast would be killed. It forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and 
slave, to have a mark on the right hand or forehead. Without the mark of the name of the Beast or the number of its name, it was 
impossible to buy or sell anything.
18 Solve a riddle: Put your heads together and figure out the 
meaning of the number of the Beast. It’s a human number: 666.
As believers, we belong to the Lord. In effect, He places His I.D. tag on us. But Pastor Greg Laurie says, during the End Times, the Antichrist will try to place his mark on the whole world. Pastor Greg points out what will take place during the time of the Tribulation.
WHAT ABOUT THE PERSON WHO HAS NEVER HEARD THE GOSPEL?
Revelation 14: A Perfect Offering
1-2 I saw—it took my breath away!—the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, 144,000 standing there with him, his Name and the Name of his Father inscribed on their foreheads. And I heard a voice out of Heaven, the sound like a cataract, like the crash of thunder.
2-5 And then I heard music, harp music and the harpists singing a new song before the Throne and the Four Animals and the Elders. Only the 144,000 could learn to sing the song. They were bought from earth, lived without compromise, virgin-fresh before God. Wherever the Lamb went, they followed. They were bought from humankind, firstfruits of the harvest for God and the Lamb. Not a false word in their mouths. A perfect offering.
Voices from Heaven
6-7 I saw another Angel soaring in Middle-Heaven. He had an Eternal Message to preach to all who were still on earth, every nation and tribe, every tongue and people. He preached in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory! His hour of judgment has come! Worship the Maker of Heaven and earth, salt sea and fresh water!”
8 A second Angel followed, calling out, “Ruined, ruined, Great Babylon ruined! She made all the nations drunk on the wine of her whoring!”
9-11 A third Angel followed, shouting, warning, “If anyone worships the Beast and its image and takes the mark on forehead or hand, that person will drink the wine of God’s wrath, prepared unmixed in his chalice of anger, and suffer torment from fire and brimstone in the presence of Holy Angels, in the presence of the Lamb. Smoke from their torment will rise age after age. No respite for those who worship the Beast and its image, who take the mark of its name.”
12 Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping God’s commands, staying faithful to Jesus.
13 I heard a voice out of Heaven, “Write this: Blessed are those who die in the Master from now on; how blessed to die that way!”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “and blessed rest from their hard, hard work. None of what they’ve done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end.”
Harvest Time
14-16 I looked up, I caught my breath!—a white cloud and one like the Son of Man sitting on it. He wore a gold crown and held a sharp sickle. Another Angel came out of the Temple, shouting to the Cloud-Enthroned, “Swing your sickle and reap. It’s harvest time. Earth’s harvest is ripe for reaping.” The Cloud-Enthroned gave a mighty sweep of his sickle, began harvesting earth in a stroke.
17-18 Then another Angel came out of the Temple in Heaven. He also had a sharp sickle. Yet another Angel, the one in charge of tending the fire, came from the Altar. He thundered to the Angel who held the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle. Harvest earth’s vineyard. The grapes are bursting with ripeness.”
19-20 The Angel swung his sickle, harvested earth’s vintage, and heaved it into the winepress, the giant winepress of God’s wrath. The winepress was outside the City. As the vintage was trodden, blood poured from the winepress as high as a horse’s bridle, a river of blood for two hundred miles.
What happens to the person who has never heard the gospel before? How could a God of love send someone to hell who has never heard the gospel? People don’t want an answer to that question. In this age of moral relativism, it rubs a lot of people the wrong way when we have the audacity to say Jesus Christ is the only way to God.
In Revelation 14, we see the Antichrist in power, we see God engaging in what could be described as an angelic mop-up operation, and we see how the whole world will hear the gospel before the end. 
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. People in heaven are rejoicing. Verse 13 says that those who die in the Lord are blessed. In heaven questions are answered, all tears are dried, and all pain is gone. It is pure bliss. 
2. People in heaven are resting. Verse 13 also tells us that those who die in the Lord will rest from their labors. This is not going to be an eternal nap. We will rest, but in another sense, we will work. We have things to discover. Work to do. Services to be rendered. 
3. People in heaven are rewarded. Their works will follow them. There is a reward waiting for every believer—even for the smallest things that were done. God keeps meticulous records. Jesus said in Matthew 10:42, “If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of My followers, you will surely be rewarded” (NLT).
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• The gospel is universal in scope. It is for everyone. That is why Jesus tells us to go into all the world and preach the gospel. 
• God has a heart for lost people. He will still have His witnesses on earth, even in the tribulation period. Everyone will hear. 
• There is a point of no return. According to Scripture, once you have received the mark of the Antichrist it is too late. There is no turning back. 
• Hell was made for the devil and his angels. If you reject God and follow the devil, then you will end up where he ends up.
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
What will we say at your memorial service? What things will we note? What kind of works do you have to follow you? If you don’t have any works following you, you have to wonder if you are a 
true believer. Works don’t save you, but they are good evidence that you are saved. We want real saving faith so our works will follow us in that final day. 
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
What About the Person Who has Never Heard the Gospel? — I
Revelation 13: The Beast from the Sea
1-2 And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. I saw a Beast 
rising from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads—on each 
horn a crown, and each head inscribed with a blasphemous name. 
The Beast I saw looked like a leopard with bear paws and a lion’smouth. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and great authority.
3-4 One of the Beast’s heads looked as if it had been struck a 
deathblow, and then healed. The whole earth was agog, gaping at 
the Beast. They worshiped the Dragon who gave the Beast 
authority, and they worshiped the Beast, exclaiming, “There’s 
never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war 
with the Beast!”
5-8 The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous. It 
could do anything it wanted for forty-two months. It yelled 
blasphemies against God, blasphemed his Name, blasphemed his 
Church, especially those already dwelling with God in Heaven. It was permitted to make war on God’s holy people and conquer them. It held absolute sway over all tribes and peoples, tongues and 
races. Everyone on earth whose name was not written from the 
world’s foundation in the slaughtered Lamb’s Book of Life will 
worship the Beast.
9-10 Are you listening to this? They’ve made their bed; now they must lie in it. Anyone marked for prison goes straight to prison;anyone pulling a sword goes down by the sword. Meanwhile, God’s holy people passionately and faithfully stand their ground.
The Beast from Under the Ground
11-12 I saw another Beast rising out of the ground. It had two 
horns like a lamb but sounded like a dragon when it spoke. It wasa puppet of the first Beast, made earth and everyone in it 
worship the first Beast, which had been healed of its deathblow.
13-17 This second Beast worked magical signs, dazzling people by making fire come down from Heaven. It used the magic it got from the Beast to dupe earth dwellers, getting them to make an image 
of the Beast that received the deathblow and lived. It was able 
to animate the image of the Beast so that it talked, and then 
arrange that anyone not worshiping the Beast would be killed. It forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and 
slave, to have a mark on the right hand or forehead. Without the mark of the name of the Beast or the number of its name, it was 
impossible to buy or sell anything.
18 Solve a riddle: Put your heads together and figure out the 
meaning of the number of the Beast. It’s a human number: 666.
Unbelievers love to pepper Christians with tough questions . . . questions like "what about the person who's never heard the Gospel?" Pastor Greg Laurie has an answer for that question.
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
What About the Person Who has Never Heard the Gospel? — II
Revelation 13: The Beast from the Sea
1-2 And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. I saw a Beast 
rising from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads—on each 
horn a crown, and each head inscribed with a blasphemous name. 
The Beast I saw looked like a leopard with bear paws and a lion’smouth. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and great authority.
3-4 One of the Beast’s heads looked as if it had been struck a 
deathblow, and then healed. The whole earth was agog, gaping at 
the Beast. They worshiped the Dragon who gave the Beast 
authority, and they worshiped the Beast, exclaiming, “There’s 
never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war 
with the Beast!”
5-8 The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous. It 
could do anything it wanted for forty-two months. It yelled 
blasphemies against God, blasphemed his Name, blasphemed his 
Church, especially those already dwelling with God in Heaven. It was permitted to make war on God’s holy people and conquer them. It held absolute sway over all tribes and peoples, tongues and 
races. Everyone on earth whose name was not written from the 
world’s foundation in the slaughtered Lamb’s Book of Life will 
worship the Beast.
9-10 Are you listening to this? They’ve made their bed; now they must lie in it. Anyone marked for prison goes straight to prison;anyone pulling a sword goes down by the sword. Meanwhile, God’s holy people passionately and faithfully stand their ground.
The Beast from Under the Ground
11-12 I saw another Beast rising out of the ground. It had two 
horns like a lamb but sounded like a dragon when it spoke. It wasa puppet of the first Beast, made earth and everyone in it 
worship the first Beast, which had been healed of its deathblow.
13-17 This second Beast worked magical signs, dazzling people by making fire come down from Heaven. It used the magic it got from the Beast to dupe earth dwellers, getting them to make an image 
of the Beast that received the deathblow and lived. It was able 
to animate the image of the Beast so that it talked, and then 
arrange that anyone not worshiping the Beast would be killed. It forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and 
slave, to have a mark on the right hand or forehead. Without the mark of the name of the Beast or the number of its name, it was 
impossible to buy or sell anything.
18 Solve a riddle: Put your heads together and figure out the 
meaning of the number of the Beast. It’s a human number: 666.
Can a person go so far that God will not forgive him? Pastor Greg Laurie answers that question. It's a broadcast dedicated to the big issues of life and death, heaven and hell.
THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE END OF THE WORLD
LUKE 12: Can’t Hide Behind a Religious Mask
1-3 By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.
4-5 “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
6-7 “What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
8-9 “Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. But if you pretend you don’t know me, do you think I’ll defend you before God’s angels?
10 “If you bad-mouth the Son of Man out of misunderstanding or ignorance, that can be overlooked. But if you’re knowingly attacking God himself, taking aim at the Holy Spirit, that won’t be overlooked.
11-12 “When they drag you into their meeting places, or into police courts and before judges, don’t worry about defending yourselves—what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes.”
The Story of the Greedy Farmer
13 Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”
14 He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?”
15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”
16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’
20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’
21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
Steep Yourself in God-Reality
22-24 He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.
25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
33-34 “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
When the Master Shows Up
35-38 “Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives; they’re awake—and so blessed!
39-40 “You know that if the house owner had known what night the burglar was coming, he wouldn’t have stayed out late and left the place unlocked. So don’t you be slovenly and careless. Just when you don’t expect him, the Son of Man will show up.”
41 Peter said, “Master, are you telling this story just for us? Or is it for everybody?”
42-46 The Master said, “Let me ask you: Who is the dependable manager, full of common sense, that the master puts in charge of his staff to feed them well and on time? He is a blessed man if when the master shows up he’s doing his job. But if he says to himself, ‘The master is certainly taking his time,’ begins maltreating the servants and maids, throws parties for his friends, and gets drunk, the master will walk in when he least expects it, give him the thrashing of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.
47-48 “The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!
To Start a Fire
49-53 “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be—
Three against two,
    and two against three;
Father against son,
    and son against father;
Mother against daughter,
    and daughter against mother;
Mother-in-law against bride,
    and bride against mother-in-law.”
54-56 Then he turned to the crowd: “When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’—and you’re right. And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’—and you’re right. Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now.
57-59 “You don’t have to be a genius to understand these things. Just use your common sense, the kind you’d use if, while being taken to court, you decided to settle up with your accuser on the way, knowing that if the case went to the judge you’d probably go to jail and pay every last penny of the fine. That’s the kind of decision I’m asking you to make.” 
ROMANS 13: To Be a Responsible Citizen
1-3 Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.
3-5 Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren’t there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it’s the right way to live.
6-7 That’s also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders.
8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.
11-14 But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!
The Bible has a lot to say about the imminent return of Jesus. Our Lord spoke of this often. If you really believe Jesus is coming, it should impact the way that you live. If it does not, you are completely missing the point. The whole point of studying Bible prophecy is to seek, to be ready for His return, and thus live a godly life. We believe Jesus is coming. We want to be ready. How should we live as believers in the last days?
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. We should be shining lights in a dark place. Be ready for all that is coming. Be alert. Be prepared. Even if the Lord does not come as quickly as we had hoped.
2. We are to be watching for Him. Watching is the evidence of faith.
3. We need to be ready to go. To be ready for the return of Jesus is to be engaged in activities you would not be ashamed of if Jesus were to come.
4. We should be anxiously awaiting His return. There is an eagerness. We should have  that eagerness.
5. We are to be working. Working is the evidence of faith in action. Watching for the Lord’s return will help us prepare our own lives, but working will assure we bring others with us.
6. We are not to party and drink. We want to be under the influence of God. Scripture says, “Not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust” (Romans 13:13). That is how we are to live as last-days believers.
7. We are to stay away from immorality. Distance yourself from anything that would encourage immoral living.
8. We are not to be competing and arguing with one another. Our competition is not with fellow Christians. It is with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Those are our enemies.
9. We are to focus our energies on becoming like Jesus. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). Have Him be a part of everything that you do. He is Lord of every day of your life. He is Lord of all.
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
• The person who is older in the faith can get a little bit lazy and a little bit lethargic. When you are spiritually lethargic, you are more vulnerable to sin. We need to wake up! (see Ephesians 5:14). 
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
I don’t know when the end of the world will be. No one knows the day or the hour. Does that mean we are wrong to believe He could come back at any moment? Is it a bad thing to be ready to meet 
God? To serve God? To not get drunk? To not argue? To want to become like Jesus? We read in 2 Peter 3:14, “And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight” (NLT). When Christ comes back we will be ready.
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Things to Do Before the End of the World — I
LUKE 12: Can’t Hide Behind a Religious Mask
1-3 By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.
4-5 “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
6-7 “What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
8-9 “Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. But if you pretend you don’t know me, do you think I’ll defend you before God’s angels?
10 “If you bad-mouth the Son of Man out of misunderstanding or ignorance, that can be overlooked. But if you’re knowingly attacking God himself, taking aim at the Holy Spirit, that won’t be overlooked.
11-12 “When they drag you into their meeting places, or into police courts and before judges, don’t worry about defending yourselves—what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes.”
The Story of the Greedy Farmer
13 Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”
14 He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?”
15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”
16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’
20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’
21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
Steep Yourself in God-Reality
22-24 He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.
25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
33-34 “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
When the Master Shows Up
35-38 “Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives; they’re awake—and so blessed!
39-40 “You know that if the house owner had known what night the burglar was coming, he wouldn’t have stayed out late and left the place unlocked. So don’t you be slovenly and careless. Just when you don’t expect him, the Son of Man will show up.”
41 Peter said, “Master, are you telling this story just for us? Or is it for everybody?”
42-46 The Master said, “Let me ask you: Who is the dependable manager, full of common sense, that the master puts in charge of his staff to feed them well and on time? He is a blessed man if when the master shows up he’s doing his job. But if he says to himself, ‘The master is certainly taking his time,’ begins maltreating the servants and maids, throws parties for his friends, and gets drunk, the master will walk in when he least expects it, give him the thrashing of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.
47-48 “The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!
To Start a Fire
49-53 “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be—
Three against two,
    and two against three;
Father against son,
    and son against father;
Mother against daughter,
    and daughter against mother;
Mother-in-law against bride,
    and bride against mother-in-law.”
54-56 Then he turned to the crowd: “When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’—and you’re right. And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’—and you’re right. Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now.
57-59 “You don’t have to be a genius to understand these things. Just use your common sense, the kind you’d use if, while being taken to court, you decided to settle up with your accuser on the way, knowing that if the case went to the judge you’d probably go to jail and pay every last penny of the fine. That’s the kind of decision I’m asking you to make.” 
ROMANS 13: To Be a Responsible Citizen
1-3 Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.
3-5 Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren’t there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it’s the right way to live.
6-7 That’s also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders.
8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.
11-14 But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!
Pastor Greg Laurie helps us look outward to the times we're living in, and then inward to see if we're ready for the soon return of the Lord. It's a timely message for Last Days' believers.
Friday, 11 July 2014
Things to Do Before the End of the World — II
LUKE 12: Can’t Hide Behind a Religious Mask
1-3 By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town.
4-5 “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies. True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
6-7 “What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
8-9 “Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. But if you pretend you don’t know me, do you think I’ll defend you before God’s angels?
10 “If you bad-mouth the Son of Man out of misunderstanding or ignorance, that can be overlooked. But if you’re knowingly attacking God himself, taking aim at the Holy Spirit, that won’t be overlooked.
11-12 “When they drag you into their meeting places, or into police courts and before judges, don’t worry about defending yourselves—what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when the time comes.”
The Story of the Greedy Farmer
13 Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”
14 He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?”
15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.”
16-19 Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’
20 “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’
21 “That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.”
Steep Yourself in God-Reality
22-24 He continued this subject with his disciples. “Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.
25-28 “Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?
29-32 “What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
33-34 “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bankrobbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
When the Master Shows Up
35-38 “Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives; they’re awake—and so blessed!
39-40 “You know that if the house owner had known what night the burglar was coming, he wouldn’t have stayed out late and left the place unlocked. So don’t you be slovenly and careless. Just when you don’t expect him, the Son of Man will show up.”
41 Peter said, “Master, are you telling this story just for us? Or is it for everybody?”
42-46 The Master said, “Let me ask you: Who is the dependable manager, full of common sense, that the master puts in charge of his staff to feed them well and on time? He is a blessed man if when the master shows up he’s doing his job. But if he says to himself, ‘The master is certainly taking his time,’ begins maltreating the servants and maids, throws parties for his friends, and gets drunk, the master will walk in when he least expects it, give him the thrashing of his life, and put him back in the kitchen peeling potatoes.
47-48 “The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through ignorance, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!
To Start a Fire
49-53 “I’ve come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I’ve come to change everything, turn everything rightside up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I’ve come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be—
Three against two,
    and two against three;
Father against son,
    and son against father;
Mother against daughter,
    and daughter against mother;
Mother-in-law against bride,
    and bride against mother-in-law.”
54-56 Then he turned to the crowd: “When you see clouds coming in from the west, you say, ‘Storm’s coming’—and you’re right. And when the wind comes out of the south, you say, ‘This’ll be a hot one’—and you’re right. Frauds! You know how to tell a change in the weather, so don’t tell me you can’t tell a change in the season, the God-season we’re in right now.
57-59 “You don’t have to be a genius to understand these things. Just use your common sense, the kind you’d use if, while being taken to court, you decided to settle up with your accuser on the way, knowing that if the case went to the judge you’d probably go to jail and pay every last penny of the fine. That’s the kind of decision I’m asking you to make.” 
ROMANS 13: To Be a Responsible Citizen
1-3 Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear.
3-5 Do you want to be on good terms with the government? Be a responsible citizen and you’ll get on just fine, the government working to your advantage. But if you’re breaking the rules right and left, watch out. The police aren’t there just to be admired in their uniforms. God also has an interest in keeping order, and he uses them to do it. That’s why you must live responsibly—not just to avoid punishment but also because it’s the right way to live.
6-7 That’s also why you pay taxes—so that an orderly way of life can be maintained. Fulfill your obligations as a citizen. Pay your taxes, pay your bills, respect your leaders.
8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.
11-14 But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!
For generations, for centuries, people have been saying Jesus may come back soon. Pastor Greg Laurie says that only means we're closer than we've ever been. Pastor Greg helps us all make sure we're ready. It's a message called "Things to Do Before the End of the World."
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Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie
P.O. Box 4000
Riverside, CA 92514-4000 United States
Phone: 1(800)821-3300
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